Any Italians out there? (Pasta questions

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xoalyssaox
xoalyssaox Posts: 320
in Food and Nutrition
I am 25% Italian. Mom is half, grandma is full she came right over from Italy. My whole life we have had pasta at like every meal. I loooove me some pasta.

Have any of you successfully lost weight while still eating pasta and bread? I want to do something I can stick to, and I don't think I could live without bread and pasta.....

Everything is okay in moderation right?

Replies

  • ErinI5787
    ErinI5787 Posts: 18
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    just keep in mind the calories of a serving of pasta. Its a little high but you can do it. Just be aware.
  • alladream
    alladream Posts: 261 Member
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    I have been vegetarian for decades, and leaned heavily on the pasta for many years, before finding out that it makes me very bloated and draggy, to the point that now I have done experiments with eating wheat, and gaining two inches in my waist *within one day*, and not eating wheat products but having the same or even more calories of other kinds of things, and NOT gaining the two inches in the waist, which to me is significant. I sometimes use that Tinkyada brand rice pasta, which is the best one I have found for actually 'feeling' like real wheat pasta as far as texture and taste goes, but it's not so great for leftovers. If wheat is not a problem for you, then sure, moderation seems wise, putting a lot of vegetables in the sauce or whatever and skipping the bread. I was very sobered to see how many calories a big bowl of pasta is--most depressing, compared to a giant stew or casserole of stuff that is not made of pasta and processed grains. I can have lots of filling food made with grains and vegetables and sauces which fill me up and have the taste of what I was used to--like tomato sauce etc.--without any, or without quite as much, pasta. Good luck with it!
  • dolldreams
    dolldreams Posts: 245 Member
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    Not Italian but there is cauliflower based pasta out there now and it tastes pretty good. The last 61 lbs I lost, I ate home made breads, packaged bread, and pasta all in moderation of course.

    I am trying to cut out processed foods for other reasons but I know for a fact that I personally can lose weight easily with them still in my diet.

    Watch your portions. A serving of spaghetti noodles is 2 oz which isn't very much if you were a big eater like I was before losing weight.
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    I'm not Italian, but I do love me some pasta. I make it healthier by always using whole wheat pasta, making individual servings (and measuring out the dry pasta before cooking...this is much easier with penne or rotini than spaghetti, etc), and adding LOTS of veggies to it.

    May favorite: whole wheat rotini with 1/3-2/3c each of frozen zucchini and/or crinkle-cut carrots, with a serving of Boca meatless crumbles (or a whole chicken breast, grilled and cut into small pieces). For sauce I use a serving (1/2c) of Francesco Rinaldi pre-made sauces, but I am sure it would be way healthier to make my own (once my tomatoes grow in this summer I'll consider it). The veggies and meat (or "meat") make it a lot more filling and satisfying than just pasta. Add a side salad and it makes a perfect dinner :-)
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    I'm a chef, cook Italian, cooked in Italy. It's not about the pasta, it's about portion control and how well you manage your overall diet. Enjoy your pasta, just heed the last part of my sentence.:smile: Oh, and yes I eat pasta regularly and have lost weight and I eat pasta now while I'm maintaining my weight.
  • cheskax
    cheskax Posts: 25 Member
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    it's all about your portion size. you have to read the labels. i'm 100% italian...my family eats pasta 3-4 times a week...prior to joining this site i lost 60lbs. some things you might want to try: spaghetti squash, mixing pasta and cauliflower
  • trinoc
    trinoc Posts: 73
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    I think it's all about the calories. I like to make pasta and I find that when I use recipe calculators, it actually has few calories than processed dried pasta. Cavatelli is particularly easy to make...you should try it sometime!

    I do know that some people are sensitive to wheat and this sensitivity may manifest in bloating or weight issues. For the rest of the world, I think it's just about portion control and fitting it into your caloric intake goal. :-)

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