How to get rid of rice

Tsoggo
Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm Filipino and we eat rice in all meals. Before I ate 2 cups of rice per meal. Then I discovered how calorie dense rice is and how it is not good for you. Now I eat 2 cups of rice per day. I lose weight by doing that at the beginning. Now my weight is stable and it doesn't go down nor go up. I want to give up rice because maybe that's what holding me back. I'm planning to lose body fat and gain muscles. What do you suggest to substitute rice?
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Replies

  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    You're consuming too many calories if you're not losing weight. Are you tracking calories?

    There is nothing wrong with rice, it is not bad for you.

    But rice is a great source of carbs. For my body fat percentage rn, i don't need lots of rice
  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    It is not rice alone, but your total calories.

    So your weigh your food when you log?

    Before, but I keep eating the same thingin the same amount so I don't do that anymore.
  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    It's just calorie dense. It's not bad. Manage portions to 1 cup per day or maybe arrange one meal per day without it and you'll be fine.

    Usually i eat protein(meat) + rice + fruit. If I remove the rice I will only eat meat and fruit? Or do I need to add something to compliment the absence​ of rice xD
  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    Carbs are not bad, they are not having an impact on your body fat on their own/within your calories.

    And fruits are carbs. Just eat the rice in an appropriate portion.

  • mrsanishchenko
    mrsanishchenko Posts: 1 Member
    I agree with the other poster... try riced cauliflower! It's easy to make. You can freeze meal-size portions and just quickly thaw and serve. You could also try something like quinoa which is higher in protein. I eat rice (brown and white), quinoa, riced cauliflower, etc. alternating to keep it interesting.
  • Tsoggo
    Tsoggo Posts: 114 Member
    I agree with the other poster... try riced cauliflower! It's easy to make. You can freeze meal-size portions and just quickly thaw and serve. You could also try something like quinoa which is higher in protein. I eat rice (brown and white), quinoa, riced cauliflower, etc. alternating to keep it interesting.

    How about the portion? How much of rice do you eat? I would like to try quinoa but it is very rare in where I live
  • gamommy
    gamommy Posts: 131 Member
    How about the portion? How much of rice do you eat? I would like to try quinoa but it is very rare in where I live

    About 3oz is a typical serving size of riced cauliflower. However, you should eat what you want that fits within your calorie goal. Try pre-logging your foods at the beginning of the day and making adjustments from there.
  • haleyrhart
    haleyrhart Posts: 26 Member
    I like to change I can't have or shouldn't have, to I don't want. I always feel so powerful. I am taking back the control. Sometimes I have to say it out loud, but I say it less and less everyday because I have found myself actually not wanting the foods I used to drool over. (I work in a grocery store)
    As for rice, pasta, and bread, I do not substitute. I always feel like I am cheating myself. I know how good it could be and I don't want to slide back into that can't have mentality. If you load up on lots of seasoned, well cooked, veggies and the delicious protein you prepared with it. Once your full you won't miss the starchy sugar/carb bomb. You also won't get the after meal crash. Although I do miss afternoon napping.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    It's just calorie dense. It's not bad. Manage portions to 1 cup per day or maybe arrange one meal per day without it and you'll be fine.

    Usually i eat protein(meat) + rice + fruit. If I remove the rice I will only eat meat and fruit? Or do I need to add something to compliment the absence​ of rice xD

    Vegetables. Lots of vegetables. I stir-fry, steam, bake, or blanch 350 grams of vegetables for my dinner plate. Depending on your size, you may want more or less. That's filling, fiber, and even a few grams of protein if you choose your vegetables carefully. And try to add some form of legumes to your food. That's good fiber and protein, too.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I wouldn't get rid of rice. It soaks up stew liquid too well. Besides, 3/4 cup of it is way more filling than the potatoes I grew up on. 3/4 cup is a decent serving, I find. You might also want to try brown rice, if you aren't using it already; it's got more fibre so it might leave you fuller.

    It took me a while to wrap my head around the idea that losing weight didn't mean having to get rid of foods I loved. It meant being mindful of what/how much I was eating and making choices. (If I don't want to go over my calories for the day, I can have 3/4 cup of rice and a piece of this homemade cake; I can have 1.5 cups and a much smaller piece; I can have X number of french fries, skip the cake and have fruit; I can have cake and fries, but it's going to mean 50 minutes on the fitness glider and a lighter lunch. How do I want to do this?) Nothing off-limits, everything a trade-off.
  • lasvegasconcertgirl
    lasvegasconcertgirl Posts: 33 Member
    I switched from white rice to brown rice because it fulfilled the need, but for some reason I didn't want nearly as much of it. You could try giving that a go. I actually prefer it now.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Carbs are not bad, they are not having an impact on your body fat on their own/within your calories.

    And fruits are carbs. Just eat the rice in an appropriate portion.

    So much this. OP, I've lost 100lbs eating lots of carbs. Listen to everyone that tells you that carbs are not bad for weight loss. Instead of 2 cups of rice, have 1.

    And track your calories. Calories are king for weight loss.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    I'm gluten free and rice is my go to side at dinner. I can't imagine getting rid of it. With medical issues that forced me to give up certain foods already I personally will never eliminate something I don't have to. You could try quinoa or brown rice instead though if you want to give up white rice.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    edited April 2017
    I just fit rice into my calories. I'm not Asian, but I was raised with a lot of calrose rice and still love it.

    You may need to adjust your calories to your current weight and track carefully for a while.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    What @Machka9 said. I've lost 35+ lbs and I'm maintaining while eating rice in most meals. Both white and brown.

    Maybe the problem is not the rice but the things you eat it with. Maybe the oils/fats used when cooking the entire meal are what's making it calorie dense.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's not the rice...rice is fine...you're eating too many calories in general if you're not losing weight.
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  • wenrob
    wenrob Posts: 125 Member
    jadebuniel wrote: »
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    It is not rice alone, but your total calories.

    So your weigh your food when you log?

    Before, but I keep eating the same thingin the same amount so I don't do that anymore.
    You could be having some "calorie creep" happening then. When you stop weighing/logging, portions tend to start creeping up a little bit. Do that three times a day (or however many meals you eat), seven days a week and you could be wiping out your deficit without realizing it. I suggest going back to weighing/logging and adjusting from there. No reason to give up rice, you may just need to cut back something, somewhere a little bit.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    I switched from white rice to brown rice because it fulfilled the need, but for some reason I didn't want nearly as much of it. You could try giving that a go. I actually prefer it now.

    There is virtually zero nutritional difference between white and brown rice. There's nothing wrong with either of them and personal preference is plenty of reason to switch (or not switch), but neither is "healthier" than the other.
    Iirc, the main difference is a little more fiber in brown rice. But that comes with calories. I prefer white rice and the difference isn't enough for me to switch.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    cmtigger wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    I switched from white rice to brown rice because it fulfilled the need, but for some reason I didn't want nearly as much of it. You could try giving that a go. I actually prefer it now.

    There is virtually zero nutritional difference between white and brown rice. There's nothing wrong with either of them and personal preference is plenty of reason to switch (or not switch), but neither is "healthier" than the other.
    Iirc, the main difference is a little more fiber in brown rice. But that comes with calories. I prefer white rice and the difference isn't enough for me to switch.

    Great article about the nutritional differences between white and brown rice here: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    IMHO, you need to learn how to eat your regular food with less rice. Remember you are training yourself for maintenance mode and it's probably not realistic to eat like you've given up rice completely. Whenever you are with family and friends, rice will be part of the meals.
  • Harbin2017
    Harbin2017 Posts: 32 Member
    My husband is filipino and his family ate rice like we eat bread, it came with literally every meal. I have nothing against rice but don't like how it's served bland usually and comes just as empty calories without much of a taste sensation. I excluded rice and bread from my diet for some time now and he doesn't complain about not eating it. It's a matter of habit. Rice is not water, you can survive without it:)
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