I have always been a big bread and pasta person. But i have cut back alot. However, i find that having 3 starches a day very limiting to my lifestyle. Usually i finish them by lunch (english muffin or cereal for BF) and pita for lunch, and then stuck for dinner as i have used them up. I have not been a big veggie eater but have incorporated that in my program as best as i can. I have been over on starches by 2 each day. I try to not but i am stuck at dinner when my family has carrots, potatoes and pasta each day. any suggestions what to do. not sure i can maintain it

is carrots on your starch list? i'm on colored plans and its on my veggie list.

Anyway when i was doing gold i had 2 starches and that was tough, i have 4 now and i'm doing good but i know once i stop breastfeeding i'll have to go back to 2 and its going to be hard but its doable. Can you somehow try to do 1 for breakfast, 1 for lunch & 1 for dinner. Use the other foods on the plan to fill you up so that you dont have to go over on starches.

I was not a veggie eater also but i came up with ways to work it into my food so that i dont have to eat a salad or a veggie by itself. I have 2 veggies for lunch & 2 for dinner. I use lots of tomatoes, green peppers & carrots. I should add that whatever i cook for dinner is whats for lunch the next day so it makes it alot easier. For example i'll do zucchini & tomatoes with chicken & rice for dinner so i have 8 servings of veggies in 1 dish (for DH & I & a little extra for my boys). I'll have 4 cups for zucchini & 16 cherry tomatoes. Not hard at all to get them in there when you work them into meals and it actually makes up for the lack of rice in my plate. I dont even notice that i'm only having 1/3 cup. Also i'll do "fried" rice (just spray, no oil) and i'll add lots of green peppers & shredded carrots in there and then whatever meat we're having, it comes up to alot of food with all the veggies and it keeps us from going over on the rice. You can make it work, just try to think about ways that you can do it so it becomes a lifestyle change where you can see yourself doing it long term.

I'll give you my normal day plan.

breakfast - 1/2P, 1S, 1/2D, 1F
Snack - 1F
Lunch - 2V, 1S, 1P, 1F
Snack - 1S, 1/2D, 1 Fat
Dinner - 2V, 1S, 1P
Snack - 1F, 1D

The snacks change a little but the breakfast, lunch & dinner pretty much stays the same.

Hope this helps. You can do this!

The 100 calorie English muffins are only 1 starch if that's any help. If I do it with shredded cheese or peanut butter it holds me for a few hours, and that's with basically doing a 3 hour cardio workout at work each morning.

I actually don't eat a starch for lunch, and haven't in over a year. My latest is using lettuce leafs to make wraps. They're lighter and I have more energy in the afternoo than when I eat the bread. That way if I do want a starch, I have it open for crackers or some rice cakes.

I'm still known to put down a box of wheat thins or a bag of cereal in a sitting. I know better than to even tempt myself.

Try cutting back on the cereal portion. I know it is hard. I mix a goodly dose of fruit in with the cereal so I don't notice that I'm not getting very much of it. You get a lot in a serving of strawberries or blueberries, and these tend to make even a really bland cereal taste good (and the really bland stuff you get more of anyway per serving).

Either that or I just do the yogurt smoothie for breakfast and save my starches for later in the day. I know some people don't think that is a good idea, but for me, I like to have more starches for later in the day. I tend to save my starches so that I have two for dinner and can eat a meal with my family that does not seem spartan to me. On those days when I have gone over on the starches, I do a veggies stir fry or a taco salad so that I don't notice the fact that there is not any starches. Find a few good recipes that you like that are starch free. Chili with lots and lots of tomatoes and onions in it can be really tasty and your family might not even notice that you've deprived them of the starches.

I struggle with the starches too! The more I have the more I want though. So it is good to figure out how to deal without.

Hi!
I'm just re-starting. I'm going to do the old gold plan. Do you know if the 100 calorie muffin counts as one starch for gold?
Thanks!

As for myself, I think of the starches as a barrier to my goal weight. My plan allows 3 starches a day but I have a hard time loosing weight and have to drop down to 2 starches a day. If I only plan on 2 starches, then on occasion I dont have to feel bad if I add one. I know that if I have to many its all downhill, and I will see the weight come back up. And i feel terrrible. They are just not worth it and I can't allow them to control me. A fresh baked sweet potatoe satisfies me everytime...and you can have a 1/2 cup! with butter spray! Best wishes.

I am a starch junky! There are certain starches that when I eat one serving I cannot stop! I avoid pasta and rice as much as possible as I do not find them filling and they start my cravings rolling.
Try whole grains. I use bulgur, kasha, spelt, and barley. The light breads are ok when you get used to them. If you need a starch with every meal try splitting them up.
Use nuts as your fat that helps you feel full and satiated.

I have 4 starches currently, I can't imagine going down to 2.

Hello everyone, I am new here, haven't posted a profile yet, but wanted to offer my 2 cents on the starch - 2 slices of light bread = 1 starch.

Started plan 2/4/08
Free to live plan w/lites
186/166/125