Pasta (should I limit my intake)

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  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,110 Member
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    That all depends on HOW much you've been eating. Also on your carb macros. Would you be going over calorie wise? 1-2 cups would be ideal or you could even measure out the pasta to fit within your goals. I like to add chicken for more added protein. Also a lot of pastas now like the penne kind have more added protein these days. Maybe compare brands/labels to find better options
  • mis1022
    mis1022 Posts: 109 Member
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    I find eating pasta doesn't keep me full when I am staying in my calorie goal. I do still occasionally have spaghetti for dinner. Its now whole wheat but I have to carefully portion.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,267 Member
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    This is a kind of question that only you can answer. If I assume you want to lose weight, and be healthy, these both depend on your overall way of eating, not whether one food is or isn't part of it.

    Here's how I've looked at it: As I was losing 60+ pounds, and especially at the beginning, I'd take a look at my food diary at the end of each day. I'd look at the foods that contributed substantial amounts of calories, and think about whether they contributed enough nutrition, fullness, and tastiness to be worth those calories.

    If the answer was "no", then I'd limit or eliminate that food, replacing it with something that better met my goals.

    For weight loss, all you need is for your calories consumed to be less than your calories burned off through daily living and/or exercise.

    For best health results, you want your overall food/drink consumption to give you enough protein and healthy fat, adequate fiber, plus a well-rounded balance of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc. - usually most easily achieved by getting 5-9 servings daily of varied fruit and veg). Beyond that, food choice is about what you personally find filling and delicious, and no one else but you knows what's filling and delicious for you.
  • vczK2t
    vczK2t Posts: 309 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I would weigh it precooked, use whole wheat for extra fiber, and not worry about the carbs. i am currently on slimming world, but i wouldn't pay attention to the part that says eat as much as you want. I eat until I am satisfied.
    Also, I LOVE pasta. so i will never completely give it up. that being said, it really is calories in vs calories out. I just add to pay attention to what your body says it wants and when it is satisfied.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    There is nothing inherently wrong with pasta, but it is calorie dense and it is easy to overeat. IMO, pasta is one of those food items that you absolutely must weigh (uncooked) so you can get a true idea of a "serving size". Most people are pretty shocked when they discover how small a 2 oz, 200-calorie uncooked portion of pasta is.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited May 2016
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    cecsav1 wrote: »
    Here's my concern with the strict interpretation of calories in vs calories out... you could eat 1200 (or whatever your goal is) calories of pasta per day. Would you still lose weight? Yes, if you burn more than 1200 calories a day. Would you get enough nutrients? No. Period. So... short answer, you don't necessarily have to "limit your pasta intake," just make sure you're eating within your calorie goal AND not eating so much pasta that you can't fit protein, veggies, etc in there too.

    Eating 1200 calories of any single food would be a poor choice, nutritionally. The healthiest thing is to eat a variety of foods, of which certainly some can be pasta, if you like it.

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    jenniferquan wrote: »
    No, pasta and carbs don't make you fat! If you don't believe me, check out freelee the bananas girl on YouTube. Go high carb vegan and you won't have to restrict calories ever again.

    This is poor advice, especially because it's not true at all.

    Not restricting calories (eating too much) makes us fat no matter what we eat.

  • MummyBakerCupcakeMaker
    MummyBakerCupcakeMaker Posts: 42 Member
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    Thank you everyone :-) I think I've been going wrong by not weighing, more guessing, my portion of pasta. I put 1lb on over the weekend, which I'm pretty annoyed about, but I've pin pointed it to the pasta. I will definitely limit my intake and probably only have it once or twice a week.
  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
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    This isn't slimming world so no rules like that but cutting my pasta portions does happen to do my day's calories within the 1200 I'm aiming for.
    If eating less pasta means I can have an extra egg at breakfast or a pudding of yoghurt and honey after my pasta meal then that's a win for me!
    It does look a little sad on my plate so I just fill up the space with salad (with balsamic not a creamy dressing).
  • missball
    missball Posts: 21 Member
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    Weighing your pasta and rice is a really good idea. We used to have 100g (uncooked) each and suprise-surprise there was always some left for seconds. We have eventually got it down to about 70-80g each, which is perfect. I intend to reduce that even more by subbing some of the pasta for zoodles. Wholegrain pasta is more filling so you would need less. I was brought up on "2 full handfuls of dry pasta per person", but weighing works much more consistently.
    Rice is a weird one I find, we have ~15g less dry rice each if it's Basmati (50-60g each) compared to normal long grain (75g), even less of brown (~50g); they are not all created equal: some expand more than others or are more filling. Yet to try cauliflower rice though.
  • paulgads82
    paulgads82 Posts: 256 Member
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    I limit pasta because for the calorie load I don't feel particularly full or enjoy it that much. If you love pasta, eat pasta, just keep within your calorie goal.
  • MarthaReineke1
    MarthaReineke1 Posts: 2 Member
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    I am following the ketogenic diet. Haven't had bread, pasta, rice or sugar since march 6. I have indulged in butter, bacon, mayo and as much ranch dressing as i want. I actually have killed 3 jars of mayo since march ... I've lost 26lbs. My fibro symptoms are gone, hormones regulated (for the first time in a decade) blood pressure normalized, acne cleared up, joint pain gone, depression and anxiety GONE!! IMHO yes. You should watch pasta intake. In fact you should nix it altogether
  • ThunderZtorm
    ThunderZtorm Posts: 27 Member
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    I really like pasta. As in REALLY. I used to eat huge amounts of it, like 150-160g pr meal even.

    I decided early on that this was something I could work on, so I decided to slowly lower my portions over time.

    I'm now down to 100g pasta pr meal, which fits nicely with my expected calorie intake and activity level.
  • Mattwhosfat
    Mattwhosfat Posts: 44 Member
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    Hi I've limited my pasta to one small portion a night and I've lost 21 lbs in 2 months. So I use wholemeal . I stick to a medium carb low fat high protein thanks
  • absentmindedhousewife
    absentmindedhousewife Posts: 68 Member
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    For lunch the other day I made the recommended portion of angel hair with a large portion of mushrooms sauteed in some of the pasta water with garlic, a quarter cup of peas, enough olive oil to coat, and a couple ounces of leftover chicken breast. Sprinkled with a little parmesan. Was filling and delicious.

    I couldn't give up pasta ever.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Weight loss is about calories not type of food. If the pasta fits in your calorie goal it is fine to eat it.
    However, you should aim to get enough protein, fats and fiber. If pasta takes up a lot of calories but doesn't provide many nutrients you may want to reduce the amount of pasta and eat more of other foods.
  • emmycantbemeeko
    emmycantbemeeko Posts: 303 Member
    edited May 2016
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    SugarySweetheart wrote: »
    According to a bariatric surgeon, you should NOT eat pasta to lose or maintain weight. The healthier choice is to eat protein, vegetables and low sugar fruit, like berries within your caloric intake boundaries. Pasta as with bread, rice, potatoes, and other starches, turn to sugar to be used as energy BUT if you don't use them they get stored as fat. If you want pasta pease be careful with your portion size and the amount of calories you're eating.

    Bariatric surgeons are advising bariatric surgery patients, who have a severely restricted stomach size, can only eat a certain volume of total food, and therefore must prioritize nutrient-dense foods to get the nutrition they need and not become deficient. Pasta is a bulky, not particularly nutritionally dense food, and probably not a great choices for those patients.

    This is not generally applicable nutrition advice. Unless you are a bariatric patient under their care, probably don't take nutrition advice from bariatric surgeons.
  • tiffkittyw
    tiffkittyw Posts: 366 Member
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    UncaToddly wrote: »
    SugarySweetheart wrote: »
    emmadonaldson95 wrote: »
    hayleyogden25 wrote: »
    I'm unsure whether to limit my pasta intake. Having followed slimming world previously, the advice there was to eat as much as you want but looking at the calorific value, I can't see this being correct. Any advice would be helpful :-)

    I've pretty much ditched pasta because to get a portion size I want the calories just arent worth it with my goal I'd rather 'spend' them elsewhere.
    I'm seriously considering a spiralizer though to make vegetti because pasta and easy sauces could be super low calorie like that and fast.

    An excellent replacement because most of us enjoy the marinara sauce and cheese put upon the pasta and you get all the flavor without the pasta.

    We have tried the Vegetti (pencil sharpener type) on zucchini and weren't crazy about it. Not enough body to the zoodle. Using cauliflower riced as a substitute for rice or mashed in substitute of potatoes has worked well though.

    We have recently found a spaghetti at Costco (Explore Asian) that is made just from edamame that is great for those of us on low carb/high protein diets. A 2oz (dry wt.) portion is 204 cal, 21g carbs, 11g Fiber and 24g Protein. Best part is that it is no different than any other dry pasta you buy to me. Online, you can also buy other ones they make from different beans as well, such as black beans, mung beans and adzuki beans that are similar in nutritional makeup.

    I ordered the black bean spaghetti off Amazon and felt the serving size was very generous. The other pasta I ordered is made from lentils (rotini and penne) and I only eat 57 grams of it to stay in the 200 calorie range, and it's a small portion but I bulk it up with vegetables. The actual serving size on the box is around 300 calories and the protein/fiber amounts are really good.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,923 Member
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    I limit pasta because it doesn't fill me up very well. I upped protein and veggies because they do.
  • cb2bslim
    cb2bslim Posts: 153 Member
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    I stayed away from pasta at the beginning thinking it was what I needed to do to lose weight. I'm so glad I dismissed that reasoning. After this realization, I would eat 1 to 1.5 serving of pasta with meatballs along with a salad. This always fit so nicely into may day. Carbs, protein, fat :smiley:

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