Yes, but if you choose whole wheat pasta, that 2 oz. serving will also give you 9 g of protein and 7 g of fiber. Pair it with a nice tomato sauce and a cup of mixed veggies, and you have a great plateful of food for about 250-275 calories.
As a matter of fact - ww couscous cooked in organic vegetable broth with broccoli stir fry mix was exactly what I had for supper tonight. I paired it with sweet potato bisque soup and it was wonderful
Last edited by CountingDown; 12-08-2007 at 08:54 PM.
i actually had 4 ozs of pasta, with sauce and a chicken breast, a little cheese. Dinner was 720 calories, high but GOOD.
2 oz of past was like a joke, i measured it out and looked at the plate, it wasn't even 1/4 of the plate. I just started calorie counting a few weeks ago, so that is why it looked like it wouldn't be enough to feed a 1 year old, LOL, but what a joke, I had to have the other 2 ozs. 2 ozs had 14 grams of protein and 4gs of fiber, it was not whole wheat.
I guess I didn't know how much of a treat 2 ozs of pasta was!
Portions sizes are a real eye-opener, aren't they! That is what I love about calorie counting. Whenever I have pasta (one of my favorite foods btw), I always combine it with a huge quantity of vegetables. Rather than having the veggies on the side, I put them in the same pot. That way, I can scoop out a plateful and be satisfied (a little volumetrics going on here). I also choose pastas that are less dense: angel hair vs. penne for instance. Pastas that take up a lot of space seem more filling somehow.
Also, remember that 2oz of dry (not cooked) pasta= one serving (210 calories).
And - one last trick that I use with pasta - use smaller plates - it looks like a lot more food.
Last edited by CountingDown; 12-08-2007 at 09:34 PM.
I know, like I say, calorie counting is a pain in the A**, but it's working. I will totally use the veggie trick next time. (I need some more veggies and fruits in my diet)
Can you explain more aboute the cooked vs, non cooked?? That is something I don't really understand yet.
You should have measured out 2 oz of spaghetti before you cooked it. After it's cooked, it's going to weigh more. 2 oz of dry pasta makes about 1 cup after it's cooked.
The pasta has a different weight after it's cooked. The 2oz is the raw weight. 2oz of pasta really is plenty. The thing to keep in mind is that the bulk of your meal should never come from simple carbs. Pasta, a white potato, rice, whatever: these things are nice to eat but you shouldn't plan to get full from them. The fullness should come from protein and veggies. I never, ever eat simple carbs without a big serving of veggies--either in the sauce or as a salad or as a side dish. It can be simple, like a side salad or more complex and interesting, depending on what you're having. Tonight I actually made linguine with bolognese sauce with maple-glazed turnips as a side dish. A classic pairing, lol. But, that way I was able to enjoy my pasta and meat sauce and to get full from the meat and veggies rather than the pasta. The other thing to keep in mind is that the fullness that comes from veggies and protein rather than simple carbs lasts longer. True fact.
Just from my personal experience, my 2 oz. of dry pasta is approx. 5 oz after cooking. I always buy the Healthy Harvest whole wheat pasta...It's only 180 cals per serving plus all the fiber and protein. And I actually prefer its taste to regular pasta.
This is when a good scale becomes a necessity. 2oz of pasta dry is a little more than 1/2 cup but less than 2/3 cup.
I agree with everyone above about mixing vegetables. I typically add 3oz of tuna fish as well and mix with a favorite sauce. I had this last night and it was a big plate of food and only 400 calories.
I prefer Barilla Plus but recently bought the Ronzoni Smart Taste based on recommendations from another board that I participate in.
****************WAIT
First of all, I don't have a scale for food.
I used a measuring cup, when it was dry, just to see what 2 ozs of pasta looked like.
Then threw in about (all together) 16 ozs of dry pasta (measured in a measuring cup) so that I knew there was enough for my bf too.
Then, AFTER COOKED- I put the pasta back into the measuring cup, and measured up 2 ozs, laughed at myself, and measured another 2 ozs out for myself.
So what am I missing? How much is one serving---2 ozs after it is cooked,
mlk is saying about 1 cup,
cookie monster is saying about 5 ozs, and lori about the same too.
Next time I will cook my 2 oz of dry in a differnt pot, measure it out, and then I will know.
Thanks ladies, I am so new to this, and a beginner in the kitchen, especially when it comes to measuring.
SHOULD I BUY A SCALE? How much are they (estimate)?
As for the whole wheat pasta, I tried it once and just didn't like it. I wasn't really watching my weight then, I was just trying to choose a healthy alternative. I think I'll try the whole wheat pasta again soon.
As for filling up on vegetables, yes, that is the way to do it. But considering that I used to go out to eat and get a huge cheese burger and french fries, with a lot of ketchup, don't forget desserts-----I know that a small portion of pasta and baked chicken is with a little cheese--homemade--is the better choice.
I don't like the whole wheat pasta either. Go ahead and have the white stuff--just watch the portions.
I've never weighed my pasta once it is cooked--I cook 4oz for me and bf and then just eyeball the split. He gets extra protein and extra veggies on his plate, rather than extra pasta. BUT, 2oz cooked should be about a cup--although I think that would be relative to the kind of pasta you're eating. Once you get a scale, you can weigh your preferred brand of pasta cooked and see what 2oz becomes.
By all means get a food scale!!! Some people manage without them, but I definitely couldn't. Some things like pasta and cheese and nuts and ice-cream really have to be weighed rather than eyeballed. The difference between 1/2 oz of cheese and 1 oz of cheese doesn't *look* like much a difference, but it does make a huge difference in terms of calories. There is a wide spectrum of prices on food scales but you should definitely be able to find a decent digital scale with grams and ounces and 1/8oz increments for less than $30. It's a very good investment for the calorie counter. I paid about $50 for a Salter scale about 5 years ago and it still works like a complete champ.
Last edited by baffled111; 12-09-2007 at 01:19 PM.
vix, here's the thing--2oz weighed is not the same as 2oz in a measuring cup. The 2oz on the box means the weight. 2oz in a measuring cup is going to be VERY different. No wonder you thought it looked like nothing
So now you have 2 choices: you can buy a scale and measure it out DRY for 2 oz, or you can do what I have done in the past without a scale: if the box says it has 8 servings in it total, then split what's in the box into 8 separate containers with the same amount in each container (I usually use something like Ziploc baggies for this). It's a pain, but you'll see exactly how much should be in each serving (again, this is DRY--it will be more when you've cooked it and the noodles have absorbed a lot of water). So then, if you're going to cook 1 serving for yourself and, say, 3 for your bf, then you know when it's done cooking to only take 1/4 of what's in the pot.
Baffled- Thanks for the info, I think I can do about 30$ for a food scale,
Okay I am kind of getting it now.
How do I know when they mean ozs in a measuring cup and ozs on the scale?
OHHHHHHHHHHH****WAIT, I am looking at the box now and it says 2 oz = 3/4 a CUP!!!!!!!! I GUESS I DID A LOT BETTER THAN I THOUGHT YESTERDAY< LMAO!!!!
and you all are telling me that is the before cooked amount, so I totally believe you because your are calorie counters, and cooks too!
SORRY GIRLS , I really am a smart woman , don't know why this is driving me nutty, LOL
Just wait until I ask my question about RICE!!!!
YOU LADIES ARE THE BEST!!
PS---Lilly- I like signature about skinny people have problems too.
I got a new scale for Christmas from Amazon. It was $22 with free shipping (you have to add something else to get to $25 to qualify for free Amazon shipping). So you should definitely be able to find one for under $30.
It really is important to have one if you are going to count calories. Baffled is correct - you just can't eyeball cheese. So many foods are listed in the calorie charts by their weight. And if you buy any foreign brands, everything is in grams. So it helps to get a scale that has both oz and grams on it.
Last edited by CountingDown; 12-09-2007 at 02:31 PM.
I guess I never knew
