So what is really considered a carb??

[delaney]

I have cut out all grains and almost all sugar from my diet for 2 weeks now and I want to add back in a little bit of fruit and some more vegtables "of substance". What is considered a no-no for weight loss in the veg category? I am actually no craving anything and have very little appetite now that I don't crave carbs:001_smile:.

Specifically:

squashes

quinoa

[MrsBear]

Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain; it is usually a good idea to lose to a point of within 20 pounds of goal before you increase cards significantly.

 

That said, if you can stay at 1/3 cup serving size, that's 11g net carbs (deduct fiber); with a side veggie and meat/fish/poultry you can be under 15g for the meal. Keeping the portion smaller for now gives you the taste, but less carbs until you're nearer goal; then you can increase the portion a bit if you want if you don't gain weight doing so.

 

Squash is all over the place for carbs; the winter varieties are higher, but nutritious too. Again, if you can keep your portion a bit smaller than usual, you have the taste without adding too many carbs.

 

Berries are an easy add-in after your first couple of weeks, they're not very high in carbs and they're rich with nutrients.

[MrsBear]

Some veggies are higher in carbs, but most are fairly low carb. Of course you are probably aware that potatoes and corn are not really vegetables, but starches so I'd eat them sparingly or not at all. Beans are higher in carbs too. Most squashes are fairly low.

 

Quinoa is not low carb by any stretch of the imagination. It's as high as rice.

 

 

It's relative IMO.

 

1/3 cup quinoa is 11g net carbs (if you deduct the fiber)

1/3 cup mashed or 1/2 cup cubes of butternut squash is 10.5g net carbs (if you deduct fiber)

 

The quinoa has 3g of protein and 73 calories; the butternut squash 1g of protein and 57 calories.

 

Neither is going to make someone fat if their overall day remains low-carb (and by that I mean at or below 40-60g carbs, depending on level needed to continue losing weight).

[ssavings]

I guess I get my panties in a twist when I hear people (more like read people) say they want to go on a low carb diet so they plan to eat beans and rice, quinoa, and they hate meat. Ok, whatever. LOL Do what you want, but clearly you do not have a grasp on what a carb is.

 

I think people confuse the idea of "whole grain" vs "low carb".

[MrsBear]

I suppose. Butternut squash is one of the higher carb squashes.

 

I guess I get my panties in a twist when I hear people (more like read people) say they want to go on a low carb diet so they plan to eat beans and rice, quinoa, and they hate meat. Ok, whatever. LOL Do what you want, but clearly you do not have a grasp on what a carb is.

 

And it doesn't help that I think quinoa is vile. :tongue_smilie::D

 

Oh, I hear ya....I've been doing low-carb (well, these days it's moderate, 100-120g a day, since I've maintained the loss for years without a problem) since 2000 and sometimes I'm often left just shaking my head when I see what some think low-carb is and even what it's not.

[Greta]

I guess I get my panties in a twist when I hear people (more like read people) say they want to go on a low carb diet so they plan to eat beans and rice, quinoa, and they hate meat. Ok, whatever. LOL Do what you want, but clearly you do not have a grasp on what a carb is.

 

For some reason, I think quinoa has a reputation as being a "protein food" even though it's 71% carbohydrate and only 15% protein. That is a higher amount of protein than, say, rice. So I guess that's why. But to me, any food that's 71% carbs is a "carb food"! Beans are 74% carbs. Again, that is a carb food!

 

And it doesn't help that I think quinoa is vile. :tongue_smilie::D

Agreed! :D

[Greta]

What is considered a no-no for weight loss in the veg category?

 

I think it depends on the person, but I generally try to avoid potatoes and corn. Other veggies, even fairly carby ones like certain squashes, to me seem easier to eat in moderation. But with potatoes and corn, those trigger cravings big time. Personally I wouldn't eat quinoa because in carb content and in taste, it is like a grain (though I realize it's not a grain). So I think it would trigger cravings. But you can always experiment. Just keep the amounts tiny, think of it like a condiment.

 

I also avoid bananas, because they're really sugary. I eat berries instead.

 

I am actually no craving anything and have very little appetite now that I don't crave carbs:001_smile:.

 

For me, there is a VERY strong correlation between the amount of carbohydrate I'm eating, and my appetite. If I drop my carb intake below 40g per day, my appetite decreases to the point where I lose too much weight. 55g is my sweet spot. If I go higher than 70g, well it's like the more carbs I eat, the hungrier I am. Dana Carpender said something in one of her podcasts once about eating carbs being like eating "hungry pills". That is me!

 

 

By the way, if you have an iPod, iPad, or iPhone, there are lots of apps that will help you track your carb intake. Most of them are programmed with a huge list of foods. You select the food and then enter how much of it you ate, and it counts for you. I have a simpler one as well that just lets me enter the carb grams I've eaten at each meal and it totals them for me for the day. I've been doing this long enough that there's not many foods that I eat that I still have to look up. If you want something lower-tech, you can always buy a book of food counts.

[Greta]

I was in the store the other day and there was a man and woman in the health food section and she was showing him something on a shelf and he said, "That looks like something birds eat!" :lol: He was pointing to quinoa. I wanted to shout out that I agree.

 

 

:lol:

 

 

Yeah, I'm not a low carb purist exactly, but I know when I'm not eating something low carb. I eat beans from time to time, but I am clear on the fact they are not low carb. ;)

 

Yeah, same here. I'm only a purist to the extent that my body forces me to be. I don't like being sick, cranky, and bloated, so I eat how I must eat to avoid that!

[Greta]

I admit it's rather difficult to live low carb in such a high carb world. *sigh* Although generally I prefer the taste of low carb foods.

 

It is hard for me when we eat out. Not so much because I'm tempted by the carby items, but because there's usually not many low-carb items to choose from. But we mostly eat at home, so it's okay.

 

But I too prefer the taste of low-carb foods over pasta, bread, etc. People have expressed such sadness for me that I'm gluten intolerant. But I find that vastly preferable to being lactose intolerant or allergic to eggs or something like that. Love my low-carb foods!

[delaney]

So would a plan to eat fruit in the morning and still no grains for weight loss work? I just don't want to sabotage the ease of this weight loss I have had so far by backing up, kwim?

[Soror]

When I'm in weight loss mode I do maybe 1-2 servings of lower carb fruit at most(generally berries) and stick to the green/cruciferous veggies. I do some (gf) grain or potatoes in maintenance mode. Personally potatoes don't cause an issue but I very rarely eat corn. I used to eat it a fair amount but it is a rare treat now. If I'm wanting more carbs I prefer to do sweet pot or white pot. I don't generally do a lot of fruit though as it doesn't do well with me. I also eat beans when maintaining.

[MrsBear]

So would a plan to eat fruit in the morning and still no grains for weight loss work? I just don't want to sabotage the ease of this weight loss I have had so far by backing up, kwim?

 

Probably the best approach to adding carbs back is in Atkins; not the Atkins of today, but before Dr. Atkins died.

 

If you add back something with higher carbs, like berries, they should not slow your weight loss down if you do it slowly and incrementally, noting how the addition to your daily diet effects you, how you feel and how you're losing weight. IMO, it is a mistake to stay at really low levels of carbs (unless your diabetic) since what the dietary change is supposed to do long-term is not only help you lose weight, but foster better long-term eating habits.

 

I agree with Wendy that if you're going to add in berries, do it with your protein and fat, don't eat them on their own, at least not until sometime later when you're near or at goal weight.

 

To do that, you can add them to a breakfast, like an omelet, make them your side, in a small portion (1/3 - 1/2 cup) and see how you do. Or add them as a side to your lunch or follow dinner, shortly after you've finished eating dinner so you're still with protein/fat in your stomach.

 

Atkins put forth the idea of the carb ladder, adding in select fruits (berries and melons, excluding watermelon), then nuts/seeds, then things like winter squash, then starchier things, last grains. None of the categories are mandatory to add back in, but each additional item added is to be done slowly, over weekly increments, increasing carb intake by 5g each day for that week (ie. you go from 20g a day to 25g a day for a week, then after a week of that, if you want, you increase to 30g a day for a week, each increase evaluating how it's impacting weight loss and how you feel - if you start to gain, you drop back to the last level of carbs that you were losing at).

 

I personally like the approach because it allows you to tweak your long-term diet to what is working for you and isn't a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all, eat this, not that, with strict absolutes and rules in the long-term. I've had great success watching my carbs as part of my habitual diet for the last 12 years, during pregnancy, I've increased my carbs, after weaning, dropped them to lose the baby weight effectively and along the way have learned that for me, somewhere between 75-150g a day works to keep my weight stable, with my average probably running as I noted above, between 100-120g a day. But as Lynn above noted, her sweet spot is 55g and greater hunger is triggered when she exceeds 70g....that highlights why low-carb diets really need to be tweaked individually - long-term what works for me, wouldn't work for Lynn, and vice-versa.

[Greta]

Just agreeing with what Wendy and MrsBear have already said: just don't eat the fruit alone! For me, that would result in an episode of reactive hypoglycemia. Even if you don't have that problem, it would raise your blood sugar (and then drop it again) too quickly. I do just fine, however, with fruit if it's with protein and fat.

 

One of my favorites is low carb "granola". I mix together an assortment of roasted chopped nuts and some unsweetened shredded coconut, and keep that on hand in my pantry. Then I'll sprinkle some of that on top of yogurt (Greek, unsweetened, full fat) and fresh berries. It gives you a crunchy cereal-like alternative for breakfast without all the carbs. Between the nuts and the Greek yogurt, you get a good amount of protein and fat.

[Soror]

Even w/ protein and fat lots of fruit does not do me well. I like to have it as a treat w/ breakfast sometimes though. I generally do protein/fat heavy b-fast so some blueberries or such is a nice finish. I like them in smoothies as well- but you have to watch those as it is easy to get it higher carb. Lately I'm been on a grapefruit binge, but I'm pregnant and not trying to lose weight (obviously). I think berries and yogurt are awesome, especially if you stick to a higher fat/protein variety my fav is homemade w/ full fat raw milk.

[Momof3littles]

Agree with PPs about the carb ladder concept. I would add things back in incrementally, starting with the lowest carb items.

 

I have PCOS and insulin resistance. I love quinoa, but have noticed that it tiggers cravings and I end up even hungrier after eating it than if I hadn't eaten it, including when I eat it as part of a meal. It gives me an insulin spike and I feel just like I do with other grains...sort of like a reactive hypoglycemia type of feeling afterward. So while I'd like to think it is something I can eat because it isn't a grain, my body tells me otherwise. DItto higher carb fruits-apples, bananas, pineapple and other tropical fruits do this to me as well. If I eat an apple, I go for granny smith and try to limit myself to half, paired with something like cheese. That's not a good idea for most people though until they are closer to goal weight. I don't LC to lose weight, and have never been overweight, but I definitely find certain higher carb things trigger me to want to eat more, or leave me feeling hungrier afterward than if I not eaten them at all.

 

Go slowly so you can trace back any cravings or stalls in your weight loss to what you reintroduced. Consider following something like Dr. Atkins ladder.

[MrsBear]

I've followed Atkins in the past. On the one hand of course I agree with it overall in general, but on the other hand I think it's unnecessarily complicated. Unless one is eating pretty much the same things day in and day out it's hard to just change the carb count by 5 grams. You would have to weigh and measure every little thing. So I wonder how well that works for most people unless they have a very boring diet and don't mind that.

 

I don't count anything that falls within the realm of low carb. So, for example, I never think about the carbs in spinach, eggs, or cheese. I only think about the carbs in the higher carb items I might eat during a meal and try to stay under a certain amount at that meal. So if I ate a burger, for example, I would only think about the carbs in the bun (I buy the lowest carb buns I can find or make them). If that bun falls under the carb limit I'm good. I also wouldn't eat the bun alone because it is higher in carbs than any of the rest of it. I'm good if I eat it all together (meat, bun, veggies, cheese). If I'm still hungry I'll have another burger patty, but I know that I can't have another bun because that would bring me over my meal limit. That's all I need to think about.

 

I know some people get into counting every little wisp of a carb. They count the fractional part of a carb in their morning cup of coffee. I just don't think that's necessary! And how long is that going to last? I could not deal with that forever.

 

So I think the Atkin's way can be problematic for some people.

 

I do agree somewhat - I haven't counted anything for years, but I also now know what, oh a cup of broccoli looks like on my plate, so I can guess pretty well where my carb intake is on any given day if I'm paying attention; mostly, I don't pay attention and just eat what I know is lower carb and have no issues.

 

That said, I do think initially, if one is changing their dietary habits, it may be a good idea to measure things as you're adding something in or taking something out....it helps to be able to visualize what things look like over time as you swap things in and out and try different combos of foods.

 

And honestly, I don't think it's terribly difficult to figure out how much more 5g a day is if that's what you want to do. Often it's helpful because it does change things up from the routine, same old same old. For example, if someone is a couple of weeks into the diet and had salad each night with dinner, they may like the idea that instead of the salad, they can now have some melon and prosciutto as their appetizer instead, or that instead of eggs, bacon and sliced tomatoes for breakfast, they'll try a smoothie with some berries and plain full-fat yogurt and see how that goes.

[KidsHappen]

If it is not fat or protein then it is a carb as those are the only choices. Now many foods are a combination of all of the above making it really hard to decided which are good and which are bad. It seems to me that what you really need to know is the glycemic index of the carbs that you want to eat. You can find lists and calculaters everywhere on-line.

[wapiti]

I would try to avoid fruit in the morning if at all possible. Save it for a light dessert after dinner. Many people who have issues with carb and insulin have the most difficult time with breakfast/morningtime. I'd go for a protein (e.g., egg) with a smitch of fat in the mornings and a much smaller amount of carb than one might think.

 

Of course, if I could follow my own advice, I might actually get somewhere... :tongue_smilie:

[Kate in Arabia]

One way to control cravings if you will have something a little higher in carbs (some fruits, for example) is to pair that with protein and fat. So mix berries into some sugarless Greek yogurt (ideally not a fat free one), for example. And I would completely avoid some fruits because the sugar content in them is extremely high (bananas and pineapples).

I moved away from having a "bread-y" breakfast -- I used to have either toast or cereal -- to having a few dried dates with almonds. Dates are like the national food here, during date season you can walk along the streets and take dates from the trees along the road; we even have date palm trees in our yard. I know they are wicked when it comes to sugar, but I've found that having, like, three dates and half a handful of almonds in the mornings keeps me fine until lunchtime. What I don't know is if that is a bad idea.

 

I've actually gone to a lot of dried fruit in my daily diet, and now I'm wondering if that is wise, but it seems for me that a little goes a long way... and I particularly like a few golden raisins with plain yogurt, a few walnut halves, and a scant teaspoon of honey. Looking online most sites seem negative towards dried fruit because of the sugar..

 

Edited to add:

 

When I say "a lot", I don't mean a large amount, lol, rather a larger variety... dried fruits are big business over here.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Kate in Arabia

[i.love.lucy]

Of course, if I could follow my own advice, I might actually get somewhere... :tongue_smilie:

Ain't that the truth! Preach it! :lol:

[delaney]

I will try mixing things in my yogurt. I had plain yogurt with a few walnut halves this am and I was literally full for hours. 1/2 a cup of yogurt! I am terrified of the cravings because I know that before I would seriously walk by a donut and become obsessed with it. Then I would eat not 1 but 2. I think I have lost about 7-8 pounds since I only just got a scale and am guessing. Not bad for 2 weeks.

[StaceyinLA]

which equates to pretty much low/no carbs. However, on my "diet" I'm following, he allows quinoa and amaranth. Fruit is also allowed, as are beans.

 

I didn't do this to lose weight, but to break the sugar habit, and take a break from gluten to see if I had any improvements in joint pain. I had already lost 7 pounds since I recommitted to my vegan diet (from around 129).

 

I have been sugar free 3 weeks, but I've been eating some fruit, lots of veggies, nuts and nut butters, some beans, free-range chicken eggs, a little free-range beef, and fresh fish. I have gone from 122 to (this morning) 114.5.

 

I have also not found the quinoa to be a problem for me, but I tend to make salads/dishes with it where there is a protein or fat included. I LOVE quinoa though, and I figure I have given up TONS of my favorite things so I should be able to eat something! It would also be something I could continue on a gluten-free diet as well.

 

My fruit is pretty much apples (I do lower sugar ones and eat with raw nut butter for a meal, and it will keep me FULL for a long time), and all berries. I will also eat oranges, and occasionally (for a treat after dinner) pineapple (sure I'll splurge on this a bit more when I go to Hawaii next month).

 

There is a "nice cream" recipe that is allowed occasionally that is made with a frozen banana, almond milk and almond butter that I treat myself to a couple times a week IF I feel like I have had an exceptionally low intake day. I throw a little raw cocoa in it and some pecans or walnuts on top and it's like a little sundae - VERY rewarding.

 

I am doing this for life so I am trying to find things that work for me, and make me feel satisfied, because I know that will help me stick with it!