So day 3 of 12 week plan and doing well but I am really struggling with carbs. I know it's my weakness - bread, chips or potatoes of any kind, pasta, rice and the list goes on. I am used to having carb heavy evening meals and bread during the day for toast or sandwiches.
Are their any self confessed carb monsters like me who have successfully cut down without feeling like you are starving? What substitutes do you use?
Thanks,
Nicky
me... I used your have to have either pasta , rice or bread at every meal or it wasn't a proper meal.. ... but have been low carb now for 2mths and I'm getting used to it now and don't miss it now...
usual meals...
Breakfast - eggs & bacon.. (I do have porridge sometimes)
Dinner - salad with any protein or soup
Tea - Any protein with a variety of veg
if I do fancy some carbs I choose non 'white' versions ... so sweet potato or brown rice/pasta...
it does take a bit of time to get used to and to break the habits of a lifetime.... but if you keep doing it you can do it xx
I'm also a recovering starch carb machine. I personally find by only buying supergrains like Quinoa and swapping to wholegrain pasta and rice, I eat less carbs overall. I decided if I'm eating something like a starch it has to have more value before it goes into the basket. Carbs themselves aren't all bad its the refined white ones that aren't great for us isn't it and they won't keep us full for that long. You could also try swapping to sweet potatoes as they're a little lower in carbs/cals but higher in some vitamins.
If you're worried about feeling like you're starving you should increase your protein by adding something like lentils or beans or another protein source of your choosing.
I've been trying the last few weeks to also put my veggies on my plate first for breakfast/lunch/dinner, that way there isn't all that empty space there before I add my other items.
Thanks for the reply. I gave bought wholewheat pasta today. I love cous cous, bulgar wheat which I think is better on the carb front. I also need to cut down on portions so I now use a small dinner plate & breakfast bowl. My brain just needs retraining...
I miss sourdough so much haha. A friend baked me a loaf last week and I hadn't the heart to reject it so its been haunting me in the kitchen. My fecking boyfriend won't just eat it all 
Hi, I am an absolute carb addict - savoury stuff like bread, potatoes, pasta. I started a paleo diet in October and have only had bread on one occasion and potato on 2 meals apart from 2 days off for Christmas. I have had no pasta at all. I have found not eating them at all is easier than having a bit. I would never have thought it would work. Originally I was going to do it just for a week. I eat protein in the form of eggs, lean meat and fish. I eat tons of veg and some fruit. On paleo you don't eat dairy but I do have a bit of milk in tea x2 a day and one small pot of natural yogurt a week to give me some calcium. I can honestly say I have not felt hungry in between meals. I am hungry for every meal and could eat a scabby dog but after eating I am fine. The process of cooking every meal from scratch is also working as I used to eat such a lot of processed junk. I don't have a sweet tooth and I don't drink alcohol but I used to drink loads of Diet Coke and cut it out totally. When I tried some over Christmas even that tasted terrible. My taste buds have changed so much. I had a square of plain choc which I used to hate but even that tasted nice. I have lost 3 stone in the 3 months on paleo which I think is good having already lost a stone in the couple of months before that. Going cold turkey on carbs (except fruit and veg) has been the solution for me. Yes I would like to eat pizza but I know if I have one I will want more.
Sorry for long reply, hope it helps.
Hi Ella Midlands,
Thanks for the reply. It's really interesting to hear what works for different people. You have obviously thrived on the diet with a 3 stone loss in 3 months - just fab! I had looked at the paleo diet but I can honestly say I couldn't cut out dairy although all I have really is milk, cheese and butter and I love my porridge/muesli. What kind of things do you eat for breakfast?
If it were just me at home I could remove all temptation but as the cook of the family feeding 3 hungry kids and a husband, I find changing my eating habits a real struggle.
Nicky
I ageee it is hard with children. I eat eggs and bacon at weekends but on week days I usually just have fruit.
I think low carb is fine, doesn't need to be paleo but a lot of diary contains a lot of calories so if I was eating that I would need to count calories and I am rubbish at counting.
Any diet has a compromise somewhere because if we just eat the same things we wil stay the same weight or even go up. I had been the same weight for 20 years so needed to change lifestyle to lose weight.
Good luck!
Hi, I like carbs, my key to success has been portion control rather than cutting them out, when you start weighing things it's surprising how little pasta/rice you actually need to feel satisfied after the meal. Another good way to fill up is add loads of extra veg to bolognese, chilli, soups, casseroles, either chopped or grated works well. good luck!
I agree with Caz28 ☺ carbohydrates are not the problem, it's the portion size. I have 30g porrige oats for breakfast, 2x30g slices (smallish) of wholemeal bread for lunch, and 50g (dry weight) brown rice or pasta in the evening, 150g per day. If I have a very quiet, non exercise day I have a little less.
This is a permanent way of eating and it needs to fit in with my lifestyle and my family, ☺
We are all different and need to find a way of eating that suits us, which is the beauty of calorie counting ☺
Good luck gemini76 ☺
I must admit I like my carbs (especially crisps!!!) but I use wholewheat- pasta a portion is 4oz and rice & couscous a portion is 3oz but sometimes I find with the pasta I only need 3oz though it does depend on how much sauce you use. I've never heard of the paleo diet but I must admit I'm not into diets per se- I am happy to just count the calories and eat what I usually eat but in moderation
Have you tried the cauliflower 'rice' and courgette 'pasta'? These have been going around for some time so I apologise if you know all about them. I finally got around to it this week and found them absolutely delicious. Even my husband, who doesn't really need to lose weight, loved the 'rice'. Several different ways to cook them and I think I got my methods from the BBC Good Food website. Personally I spiralled the courgette then left it o dry out on kitchen roll for some time before cooking as it can be watery if not, then stir fried it in a little oil. The cauli I blitzed until it resembled rice or couscous, mixed it with a tiny amount of oil, then roasted it in the oven but you can also microwave it. The good thing about the cauli is you can blitz it, then freeze it before cooking in whatever amounts you like - I think 100g is only 25 cals so for 50 cals you will have a big bowlful. You can't freeze the 'pasta' because of the water content in courgettes. I had a home made beef and mushroom sauce with the 'pasta' and home made chilli with the 'rice' and they were delicious.
Have you tried low GI instead of low carbs? Sweet potatoes, wholemeal bread and pasta, that sort of thing. And maybe half the portion size, so you don't go without, just go less. Good luck - I love my carbs, too.
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