Here I am wondering if my fellows weightloss gang can help me? I LOVE bread and pasta. In the last week I have eatten so much of it I am feeling there will be no weight loss this Sunday but maybe a gain.

How oh how do I go from eating the two things I love to limiting them and then possibly removing them from my diet all together? I have to make this step because its crucial to my diabetes wellness and me losing more pounds at the end of the weeks to come.

Swimming in pasta and bread

Lynn

Lynn,
Drink lots of water and then drink lots of water. The first week I decided to start low carb I removed it from the house altogether. No one in the house could have a slice of bread or a single noodle at all.
Not everyone can torture they're family like that, but since I do the cooking and the grocery shopping I could.
I does take alot of will power, but for some reason it suddenly clicks. Now my life is not bread free, but I don't crave it anymore. I allow a slice of whole wheat bread once or twice a week.

Remember your body looks for carbs first to burn. If you cut the carbs low enough it has no choice, but to burn the fat stored up in your cells. That's what makes low carb diets so popular.

Hang in there Lynn, you've come so far and done so well.

Hi Lyn! I don't know what will work for you, but I can tell you what works for me!


I eat pasta only once a week, and its usually the wheat variety. I'm italian, and I love my pasta, and I will not give it up. No way, no how! I tried pasta alternatives, like spaghetti squash, and although I love them once in a while too, I won't live a life that I'm so restricted that I have no pasta at all.

As for bread, I wasn't a huge bread eater before... Now, I use those bread "thins" or I'll use one bun only. For (turkey, lol) hot dogs, I use wheat buns and scoop out all the excess bread on the insides... but I've always done that, I just use wheat buns now.. I'm not the hugest bread fan.

I guess I liked to practice "baby steps"... All things in moderation!

Good luck! (And I see we're pretty close together, too! Stay cool today!!!)

When I went low carb, I had to remove carbs entirely for two weeks. I used phase one of South Beach as a guideline for doing this, while counting my calories using WW points plus. I didn't eat any bread, pasta, grains of any kind, fruit, fruit juice, or anything with sugar in it. It was really hard the first week, and then by the second week, I wasn't having any cravings. I gradually added fruit, legumes (pinto beans, chick peas, etc) and whole grains back into my diet in very limited amounts. (one serving of grains a day, 2 servings of fruit a day)

When I added the limited carbs back, my weight loss slowed a bit, but it is still steady and I am losing inches really quickly.

Lynn, The only way I can eat pasta is if I eat soup or salad before hand. Not with the pasta, absolutely before, so that I just get full faster when I'm eating the pasta. It also doesn't hurt to make sure you're tossing good things like broccoli or peppers or squash (in larger pieces) with the pasta so there's more bulk even though you're eating a small quantity of pasta. And, whole wheat pasta may help with blood sugar. And of course, if you're trying to keep your sugar stable, there should be a serving of protein in the meal, too.

Do you check your sugar after meals? If not, maybe try checking after a typical pasta meal to see how much of a spike it's giving you. Everyone's different--it might be better than you expect, or it might be worse. I've found that with a small portion of pasta and a decent serving of protein in the meal, I don't really have any different spike than with any meal of a similar size.

I grew up a pasta and carb queen. I am only recently admitting that too many of these foods (esp sweets) is not a good idea for me!

Limiting carbs successfully means finding other foods I like. Because it's summer and my garden is going, I'm eating lots of veggies.

I also do things like only have 1 slice of bread on a sandwich, bulk up pasta with lots of veggies, and many times just eliminate those carbs. A nice green bean and chick pea salad is yummy, and no grains!

With my favorite carbs I have had to remove them from my plan - but my favorite carb isn't pasta. Portion control is a key - "if" I was able to have one suggested serving size I wouldn't have weighed 350 lbs.

I like approaching it as an adding food, and making choices rather than approaching it from a deprivation (limiting or elimination) point of view.

Instead of concentrating on I can't have bread, I can't have bread, I can't have bread (and I do love good bread and butter) instead tell myself that I want salad because I feel good after I eat it. Look at this luscious juicy piece of well-seasoned steak I can have and I can have a giant a pile of steamed broccoli beside it. I enjoy steak and broccoli so that really works for me and I feel full and satisfied with all that protein and fiber. I could also have the bread if I really wanted it, but I'm choosing not to for right now because I will feel better without it.

Maybe for you it looks more like what Vortex suggests: I can have this pasta, but first I have a tall glass of water, a salad of generous size, or this nice bowl of vegetable soup, and THEN I can have this measured portion of whole-grain pasta. Sit at the table. Be mindful of each bite. Savor it, enjoy it, make it positive, and about your choices.

I think it's really really important not to be too strict with yourself or set yourself up for failure in any way.

I actually have success when I confront one of "those foods" -- like a doughnut. I tell myself I'm saying "no" to the doughnut, I'm saying "yes' to me!

Habits die hard... I went for years (literally) trying to figure out a way to eat everything I want and still lose weight. In the end, I had to come to grips with the fact that I have to change something. Lack of activity was a contributing factor, but so was my diet. And it just so happened that all of the carbs and sugar I was eating was not only hindering my weight loss, but causing me to gain and slow my metabolism down to a crawl. Which means, it's even harder for me to lose weight.

I'm still getting used to the idea of eliminating carbs and while I haven't gone completely cold turkey, I am always looking for alternatives and ways to cut them and still feel as though I can enjoy my food.

I haven't come up with a good substitute for pasta, however, I do occasionally make a vegetable lasagna with spinach and mushrooms, and use only 2-3 noodle layers. I end up using less than half the box for an 8x8 pan, and I don't feel deprived at all. Plus, I can serve it with steamed veggies or a salad, or even meatballs and marinara sauce.

Speaking of which, I also like to make stuffed peppers with my meatball recipe (no rice) and serve with marinara sauce and cheese. It's super delicious, and I don't miss the pasta either, but I still get the delicious tomato sauce.

Another previously high carb now low carb meal I do is take any stir fry, and make it a lettuce wrap with iceburg lettuce instead of serving on rice. The key is to chop up the ingredients to smaller bite-size pieces. It also doesn't get old because I can change the sauce I use, veggies, meat, etc. It's also super filling that I don't need any other "sides" with it.

OK - I am entirely different to everyone's advice here.

I follow the "low GI" philosophy and that is that bread and Pasta are fine. BUT not white or whole wheat but must be GRAINY bread - the grainier the better. And Pasta is fine because it is made from durum wheat a longer grain wheat. I don't eat any "white things".

I am not going to rewrite all the thinking here, but I have the book THE GI revolution, and for me, it makes sense. It's not a diet at all, in fact the book is about GI and only has a section on losing weight.

I have 2 or 3 carb servings a day, cereal, grainy bread, pasta etc. No potatoes as they have a really high GI.

I would not be able to stick to a life plan without breads and pasta, so for me, the GI way of eating feels right, I feel really healthy, and have lost a heap of weight before following it, and am doing OK this time around too.

So I limit bread to say 2 or 3 slices a day but enjoy a nice dense grainy brad. So, something to think about..

Im not a big pasta fan so bread is my biggest weakness.I try and use low calorie breads and whole grain when possible. I try and limit myself to bready carbs at one meal a day. I am still eating a potato from time to time.

I was thinking more about this last night... and I have a couple of foods which seem to defy all my thinking and choice making abilities IF I have them in the house. Out in the world, they seem to have less power, but I absolutely cannot allow cookies or mayonnaise into my house. Once I open a package of cookies... I just can't leave them alone. Mayo? 1 T serving? Oh please, that tuna ends up swimming in it, and pass up licking a knife or a spoon? as-if! So it's much easier for me to make the choice in the grocery store not to put it in the cart. My son is kind of pissed off about not having mayo in the house... but... oh well. Maybe if pasta is for you the way cookies are for me, it's better to just not have any of it in the house at all... Just another thought that may be useful :-) Either way, in my opinion the similarity of all the advice here is to think about it, make a plan. And you know, if the plan doesn't work it's not a failure, it's just time to test an alternate plan until you find what works for you.

Well I have talked to the men in this house and we are going to cut down the pasta intake to once a week with eating a salad before hand. Bread is only bought for them and its white bread so I know I will never touch it. I get sick off of eating white bread. So if my multigrain bread is not bought then I don't have to worry about eating it.

Learn:
Are you going to purchase arm floaties for me because I am drowning myself in water? I need help staying afloat!!!

Lynn

Hey Everyone!! I've been following along here. For me, I'm such a bread lover that the thought of giving it up scared me lol... I'd sooner give up chocolate before bread!! However, I also found that I didn't have to give up bread. Instead of having like 4 slices of white a day (minimum, i know.. bad habit at the time)... I still have 2 slices of whole wheat. If i want to make pasta for supper, I just change it up and have 1 slice for breakfast, and then measured portions of salad / pasta for supper. I didn't give up mayo, i dont think i could do it. I just went from regular mayo to the skim one (green cap) and just dont overdo it.

For me, I am just making a few changes in my diet and exercise routine for now. Cutting down portion control, counting points with WW, more water and milk (still can't give up my diet pepsi but have cut down on it). If I want something, I'll still have it, but just in moderation, and usually in a healthier alternative (as mentioned with the bread). I just feel if I try to change too much at the one time, it's going to hurt me and discourage me right away.

Hope this helps... Jen