Can't live without my white rice!

2

Replies

  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
    I eat rice almost every day (usually 1/2 cup). I eat both. When I get tired of brown, I'll eat white for a while, then switch up again. I love rice!
  • chestinator
    chestinator Posts: 16 Member
    Based on what I have read it sounds like you are a bit of a gym-a-phobe? There was a previous post mentioning how you were able to fit this into your macros on such a low calorie diet. A couple of thoughts based on what I have read (apologies if i'm off base):

    - Start going to the gym and get someone to do up a strength program for you. Cardio is nice for general health but weights predominately will determine what you look like when the weight comes off.
    - Increase your protein. To what level seems to be under debate but 1g/lb of bodyweight is good to aim for (from what I have read). Once you increase your protein to a sufficient level you might find you don't have enough room for much rice! :( This should conserve the muscle you have and you may even gain a little who knows. This in combination with losing fat will increase your body fat %. Yay! Re-comping!
    - Play around with the fat/carbs ratio and gauge how you feel. Some people feel great on low carb and some dont. Don't by into the hype of different diets, just focus on the calories in/out (and protein).
    - All this is assuming you don't have any underlying medical conditions!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,871 Member
    One thing to take into account: if TO is using a measuring cup belongong to a rice cooker then this cup might be a different size than a US cup. I just bought a small rice cooker and found that half a cup of the one that came with the cooker is about 80gr dry rice (that's my usual portion).

    So if you need the cup to measure the right amount of water then:
    put the cup on the scale, switch the scale on, put rice into cup until you have the amount that fits your calorie goal. Log dry rice in grams. Put rice into cooker, add water.
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
    If you're in a healthy weight range you could start on recomposition now. If your gym anxiety is small, start by going in to visit one and talk about cost, and assistance in a strength program. If that doesn't work for you. YouTube is your friend, start with body weight exercise you can do at home, and check the maintenance forum
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Nothing wrong with white rice, keep on enjoying it!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    oh i bet you can live without it, but you dont have to.

    make it fit.

    i find rice and potatoes to be a waste of calories for me, so i dont eat it very often.

    look up the brand cooked and grams ie: nishiki cooked rice gram and something should come up
  • megs_1985
    megs_1985 Posts: 199 Member
    By the chart I am technically a healthy weight, but by appearance I do have a some pudge, almost exclusively on my midsection since that's where all my fat goes. I really want to get rid of that :-(. I've heard about this thing called recomping though, which I might try once I get over my "gymtimidation."

    Recomp will be what you need. You might want to up your calories some. Maybe 1350 instead? You'll have to play around with it. I'm not a huge gym fan either but if you want advice then maybe go just to get a trainer for awhile. There are some good programs you could do at home. I like Fitness Blemder strength workouts and also plan to try Strong Curves soon. I definitely prefer strength training over long cardio sessions.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I prefer white rice also. As long as it fits in your calorie goals, you will be A-OK.
  • ljmorgi
    ljmorgi Posts: 264 Member
    Also, I noticed the variability in the MFP calories when adding rice to my diary. One said 242 calories per cup, and another said 176 or something like that. What amount of calories seems the most accurate for short grain sticky white rice?

    For greater accuracy I've started weighing my rice rather than measuring it with a cup. I still eat white rice A LOT.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    If you are at the lower end of your BMI and you have a little pudge in your middle you don’t need to lose any more weight. You may trim up your middle with some muscle and that will be improved by exercise.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    It is 155 calories uncooked for 1/4 cups, (620 cal for uncooked one cup) but I don't know how that translates into cooked rice. It's easier for me to just measure cooked, since our family just makes a lot of rice in the rice cooker for everybody, which is why I've been trying to use the MFP options in logging.

    If anyone knows the ratio of cooked to uncooked rice, that would be so helpful!

    Get a scale and weigh the rice uncooked for more accuracy.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    CyberTone wrote: »
    If you can, do a test by measuring out the weight of the rice you put in the cooker and measure the volume of water you put in the cooker. After cooking, weigh the entire cooked batch and calculate the total Calories per batch. Then scoop out a level cup. Weigh the amount in the level cup and divide the total weight of the batch by the weight of one level cup, then calculate the Calories per cup using that data.

    I make rice weekly because we eat it with nearly every single meal since my SO is gluten free but we still like to have a moderate carb intake.

    So I weigh my dry rice amount to know the number of servings (usually 10) that I'm cooking and then I add my water and cook in the rice cooker. When it's done I weigh the total cooked amount and divide by the total number of servings that I made (like I said usually 10) and that's the number of grams there are per cooked serving of rice.
  • shannonprovenzano2812
    shannonprovenzano2812 Posts: 60 Member
    edited January 2018
    I have measuring cups and just measure the cooked rice that way. I believe white rice is about 200 calories per cup depending on the type. You can definitely fit it into your diet. Stay under your calories and eat what you like. I personally love white rice of all types. Jasmine, Basmati, sticky, and even the "minute rice" boil in a bag stuff is a part of my diet. It's one of my favorite foods. No idea why, I just love the stuff!

    Also, I've found that 2oz uncooked rice equals one cup cooked. Hope this helps!
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I have a cup of sushi rice cooked with sugar and rice vinegar a few times a week, it's delicious and filling! I do more often than not try and reach for potatoes because they have a lot of potassium and I find if I use up a lot of my carbs on rice I won't get the RDA but rice is absolutely fine.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited January 2018
    Nothing wrong with rice if it fits in your calories and fills you up. There's absolutely no reason to switch to brown rice if you don't like it though, the difference is really small.
  • csch79
    csch79 Posts: 37 Member
    It is 155 calories uncooked for 1/4 cups, (620 cal for uncooked one cup) but I don't know how that translates into cooked rice. It's easier for me to just measure cooked, since our family just makes a lot of rice in the rice cooker for everybody, which is why I've been trying to use the MFP options in logging.

    If anyone knows the ratio of cooked to uncooked rice, that would be so helpful!

    I've always heard brown rice doubles and white rice triples. So your 1/4 cup of white rice should end up around 3/4 cups cooked. That is not exact by any stretch of the imagination.

    If your family uses the same rice all the time and I'd just cook a small batch and weight it dry and then weigh it again cooked and then you will know the ratio. This assumes it is make exactly the same every time with the same amount of water, etc.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Also, 1200 calories could be too low for you. What are your stats?

    I am an 18 year old female, fluctuating around 107 pounds, and I am 5'2". I have a very small frame though!

    1200 is the minimum number of calories recommended for women, and generally is recommended for weight loss. You are already well within the optimal weight range for your age and height. 1200 is likely too few calories for someone with your stats. If you are unhappy with your body, I strongly recommend strength training and would not recommend weight loss for you.
  • JillianRumrill
    JillianRumrill Posts: 335 Member
    Here's the deal; I'm half Japanese, and grew up on Japanese food. That means, short-grain, sticky white rice as part of my dinner most days a week. I've heard so many bad things about white rice, but I find it incredibly hard to cut out of my diet.
    I want to switch to brown rice soon, but brown rice is a little expensive, and we already have a large bag of white rice at home that I don't want to waste!
    I never go over my 1200 cal limit; can I still continue to eat white rice as long as I stay under my caloric intake?

    I know that feel. I'm Italian, I can't live without my pasta!
  • azkabanned
    azkabanned Posts: 79 Member
    edited January 2018
    I totally get it. It doesn’t even feel like a meal without some rice with the fish/chicken/beef.

    Jeez I think I just figured out why I feel unsatisfied on my diet. I’ve been eating rice almost everyday since I’ve learned to chew, and I haven’t eaten any all week.
  • Ryansworld84
    Ryansworld84 Posts: 83 Member
    I eat white rife a lot. Great way to get carbs.
  • shiragatama
    shiragatama Posts: 33 Member
    meowthhh wrote: »
    I totally get it. It doesn’t even feel like a meal without some rice with the fish/chicken/beef.

    Jeez I think I just figured out why I feel unsatisfied on my diet. I’ve been eating rice almost everyday since I’ve learned to chew, and I haven’t eaten any all week.

    Right! It feels downright unnatural to eat any protein without rice haha
  • shiragatama
    shiragatama Posts: 33 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    1200 is the minimum number of calories recommended for women, and generally is recommended for weight loss. You are already well within the optimal weight range for your age and height. 1200 is likely too few calories for someone with your stats. If you are unhappy with your body, I strongly recommend strength training and would not recommend weight loss for you.

    Would strength training without strict dieting still get rid of the fat I have on my stomach? :#
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    1200 is the minimum number of calories recommended for women, and generally is recommended for weight loss. You are already well within the optimal weight range for your age and height. 1200 is likely too few calories for someone with your stats. If you are unhappy with your body, I strongly recommend strength training and would not recommend weight loss for you.

    Would strength training without strict dieting still get rid of the fat I have on my stomach? :#

    You can eat at maintenance and strength train, which is called a recomp. Here is a wonderful thread about it:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    And here's a great thread about getting a fab stomach:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    Also, 1200 calories could be too low for you. What are your stats?

    I am an 18 year old female, fluctuating around 107 pounds, and I am 5'2". I have a very small frame though!

    1200 is the minimum number of calories recommended for women, and generally is recommended for weight loss. You are already well within the optimal weight range for your age and height. 1200 is likely too few calories for someone with your stats. If you are unhappy with your body, I strongly recommend strength training and would not recommend weight loss for you.

    This.

    You also said you are a small frame so I'm assuming you are short in height. I'm 4'11 and 150 lbs currently and would be quite happy at around 120-125 so you are already at a great weight I'm betting and just need to do some strength training or target that specific area in your mid-section. But as far as what you eat, eat rice as long as it fits in to your 1200 that day.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    1200 is the minimum number of calories recommended for women, and generally is recommended for weight loss. You are already well within the optimal weight range for your age and height. 1200 is likely too few calories for someone with your stats. If you are unhappy with your body, I strongly recommend strength training and would not recommend weight loss for you.

    Would strength training without strict dieting still get rid of the fat I have on my stomach? :#

    Yes. See how she looks better (far right pic) than when she was 18 pounds lighter (middle pic)?

    o3t6aeita4pk.jpg
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    By the chart I am technically a healthy weight, but by appearance I do have a some pudge, almost exclusively on my midsection since that's where all my fat goes. I really want to get rid of that :-(. I've heard about this thing called recomping though, which I might try once I get over my "gymtimidation."

    Most gyms will give you 1-3 sessions with a personal trainer with your membership. This is a great way to get acquainted with your gym and feel more comfortable there. If not free, it's well worth the money. Gyms also often have small group classes with a trainer which are super cheap or free.

    Tell the trainer you are specifically looking to recomp.
  • shiragatama
    shiragatama Posts: 33 Member
    Thank you everyone! :-)) I'll look into it!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I grew up on brown rice, but switched to white after developing a taste for it after spending a few months in Costa Rica and then a few years with a man who loves Thai food.

    My mother is horrified, and didn't buy my explanation that there is little difference between brown and white. Took me a while to come to grips with that myself.

    I use the entry "Rice, white, long-grain, regular, cooked, unenriched, with salt".

    I limit my portion sizes to 75 - 100 grams cooked.