What's the deal with pasta?

HeidiCooksSupper · September 2020

Pasta is not a "no-go." Getting a family-sized baked ziti chicken alfredo with extra cheese and mushrooms from my favorite place and eating it in one sitting is a "no-go." Instead, I get one of their delicious wraps. I can still eat a whole take-out item without going so far over on calories. I just change what I order. That's not to say I will never get the baked ziti again. Some day I will. And I will eat all of it in one sitting. And I will have a bump of weight gain in my report but it will go back down again because I won't do it a time or two a week interspersed with lots of crackers and dip.

The equation for making choices has changed for me. At first, choosing to order a wrap instead of a calzone or pasta was an unmitigated sacrifice. I like the wraps but in the past I always ordered for maximum fullness and greasy satisfaction since the prices were not far apart. Now, ordering the heavier food feels a bit more sacrificial because I know I will feel uncomfortably full and I'll back track on weight loss. Yeah, I ate a whole chicken Cordon Bleu calzone with all the honey mustard sauce last week and paid the price in immediate over-full-ness, a bump on the scale, and a few days of increased appetite. But my new discipline and habits kicked back in and I will remember the calculations of the zero sum game I sometimes need to play.

wilson10102018 · September 2020

When I have pasta it has to be with something really delicious like a combination of shrimp and lobster or crab. Then I don't really notice that 200 calories of pasta is less than I might choose. If I add three chopped shallots, sauteed, a dozen raw frozen shrimp and a teaspoon of lobster base I am still under 400 calories. Or, a cup of really good canned red sauce. I recommend this one (180 calories per cup)

https://stanislaus.com/ready-to-serve/al-dente-ultra-premium-pasta-sauce/

cwolfman13 · September 2020

maddduo wrote: »

Ok. So, I know regular pasta is supposed to be a no go....but, I plugged in two of my pasta recipes and the serving size still fit into my counts, including trying to be around 1200 calories. So, is it ok to eat pasta if everything else aligns for the day? Thanks, Lynne

Why would pasta be a "no go"?

Really, the only thing with pasta is that it is fairly calorie dense for a small amount...but there are plenty of foods like that. Nothing wrong with pasta.

mylittlerainbow · September 2020

I agree with all of the above, but first make sure you know your trigger foods. If I measure pasta and whatever goes on top of it and it's all within my limits, it will nevertheless have the effect of making me hungrier and more inclined to eat pretty much anything that comes my way at any time. This is basically true for me personally of everything that's "white" - refined flour and sugar products. Whole grain pasta is more filling for me, sticks longer, and doesn't seem to trigger that need-to-eat-everything response. So for me, that would be the problem - not the little bit of pasta I might eat and log for a meal, but the temptation thereafter.

ddavenport6962 · September 2020

I have pasta now and then but i find about 35 g dry weight is plenty when bulked up with mushrooms, zuccini or any veg realy. A dietician got me to always have a salad on the side with it and that keeps me from having too much !!!

snowflake954 · September 2020

Italy weighing in here (couldn't resist). I've lived here 35 yrs and make pasta almost every. single. day. Italians on the whole don't have problems with obesity. Why do you think that is? I just got back from the beach, and oh the bods I saw. These people are eating carbs, just in moderation. The traditional pasta sauce is tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. There are hundreds of ways to make it so you can adjust to your tastes. I too, am tired of the demonization of carbs. You can get or stay thinner and still eat well and enjoy life.

callsitlikeiseeit · September 2020

i think im one of the rare ones who generally doesnt CARE for pasta.

i will make it occasionally, as my husband likes it, but im far more likely to sop of spaghetti sauce with a few pieces of garlic bread than eat the noodles i dish up LOLOL

snowflake954 · September 2020

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

i think im one of the rare ones who generally doesnt CARE for pasta.

i will make it occasionally, as my husband likes it, but im far more likely to sop of spaghetti sauce with a few pieces of garlic bread than eat the noodles i dish up LOLOL

Whether you eat pasta or not doesn't matter. Bread and sauce, or rice and sauce are about the same calories as pasta and sauce. That's what most people don't understand. If you eat bread with your pasta you're doubling your carbs and probably calories too. If you're trying to lose it's a good idea to either eat pasta or bread, not both.

maddduo · October 2020

wilson10102018 wrote: »

How do you get to 1200 calories? Is it 600 calories of olive oil + pasta?

1,200 calories is my goal for the day, not one huge pasta meal.

charmmeth · October 2020

I am another who eats pasta several times each week, either at lunch time (generally 50-60 g with some veggies and maybe an egg or some tuna fish) or in the evening (70-80g with some form of meat). I keep an eye out for the pasta with additional egg which is higher protein. (It's worth looking at the nurtritional values on different makes, i have found; sometimes they are identical form one make to another, but sometimes they really aren't.)

wilson10102018 · October 2020

I only have pasta once per week on average but I see it as the best carb choice since it is so versatile with either veges or seafood. My fish market sells what they call soup fish for $5.99/lb and it is not skin and fins and the like. It is entirely trimmings to square off steaks and fillets mostly trout and flounder but also sea bass and halibut and salmon. Incredible on pasta with or without red sauce.

What's the deal with pasta?

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