Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a big sweet tooth and was carrying around an extra 5-10 pounds. When I cut out processed sugar the weight just fell off, but it also probably was a bigger part of my diet than most people. I didn't gain the weight back when when I started eating sugar again because the weight wasn't my normal, it was leftover baby weight.

Pp, I feel the same way, but based on national stats, I'm pretty sure we are average.

So what do you eat when you have a sweet tooth?

Anonymous wrote:I have a big sweet tooth and was carrying around an extra 5-10 pounds. When I cut out processed sugar the weight just fell off, but it also probably was a bigger part of my diet than most people. I didn't gain the weight back when when I started eating sugar again because the weight wasn't my normal, it was leftover baby weight.

Pp, I feel the same way, but based on national stats, I'm pretty sure we are average.

I followed this shopping list for every single meal for 30 days. Now eat minimal carbs. Sugar is turning into my vice, but I have cut back substantially and started using honey and stevia.

http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Shopping-List.pdf

I have a big sweet tooth and was carrying around an extra 5-10 pounds. When I cut out processed sugar the weight just fell off, but it also probably was a bigger part of my diet than most people. I didn't gain the weight back when when I started eating sugar again because the weight wasn't my normal, it was leftover baby weight.

I generally followed the Primal Blueprint guide, but we quickly realized we didn't want to fully cut out legumes, so black beans 1-2 a week are still a regular item for us. Quinoa is the only grain left in our kitchen and not really on the Primal approved list, but some nights, it just makes dinner easier and is the difference between us cooking something wholesome from scratch & ordering out. So quinoa about 3xmonth + black beans, otherwise we're pretty much aligned with the Primal Blueprint, which to your question - means no grains (not even whole grains), no sugar, some fruit.

If you need to sweeten something, you can use a bit of honey or agave, but even that is in very small quantities. We make desserts out of dates & nuts. I only use agave in coffee.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I eliminated all rice, bread, cereal, and pasta. Still have dessert or a small side of potatoes occasionally. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

That's what I did! First two days were hell. Then I was fine. Found I was satiated more often (when I eat grains, I could just eat and eat, and eat and eat)

You know, I just started Weight Watchers and although the Simple Start allows for some brown rice and whole grain pasta, I wanted to try to eliminate it altogether for even better results. I'm on day 4 and boy, has it been hell. I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning. I needed to do this; carbs and my cravings for them were taking over my life.

Anonymous wrote:I eliminated all rice, bread, cereal, and pasta. Still have dessert or a small side of potatoes occasionally. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

That's what I did! First two days were hell. Then I was fine. Found I was satiated more often (when I eat grains, I could just eat and eat, and eat and eat)

If you are full from the right kind of nutrients, you won't have cravings. Your mind might want you to eat it, but the body won't crave for it. I read if you crave for food, let it pass for 20 min and after that, you won't crave for it. If you still do, grab a fruit.

Start slow by limiting your portion of carbs (I'm talking rice, pasta). Eat half of the carb you normally eat. Whole grains/wheat would be good if you don't have celiac. Increase your veg and fruits. Those are natural sugars with much nutrients. Don't stick to the same kind because a variety of them will offer you the right energy and help reduce inflammation of this/that. Meat-stick with lean meat.

I was surprised to find out spinach and kale contains a lot of nutrients and protein. Can I eat that everyday..nooo. I need variety.

You have to include some type of exercise. I'm a terrible runner (might even be the slowest!) but I try to run cause it gives me the energy afterwards for the next few days only if I combine it with good food-not much carbs. Gives you a good sleep too. After a while, you start craving to exercise.

I never cut out entire foods, not even fast food. I do limit my carbs and try to eat whole grains when I do.

I eat a TON of lentils and other legumes, so if you count them I do eat a lot of carbs.

I also work out 6 days a week, so I need my carbs.

FWIW, from limiting junky carbs, plus exercise, plus eating less (which is what REALLY causes you to lose weight, look up the Twinkie diet) I went from 180 to 140 and I'm 5'9"

Anonymous wrote:Lean proteins. Good carbs. No bad carbs (except occasional "celebration" treats). That's my lifetime diet.

Go ahead and have fatty meats if you like them, they're fine.

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian poster here. Here are the carbs I eat in any given week:
English muffins No
Ezekiel bread yes
Triscuits no
Brown rice yes
Pasta (sometimes white, sometimes whole wheat) no
Flour tortillas no
Corn tacos no
Sesame Bagels (occasional) def no
Bulgur yes
Polenta yes
Barley yes
Pizza heck no


I rarely eat quinoa -- don't much like it, but I know I'm in the minority.

I would love someone to go through the list and point out the good and bad. Sorry to be a dunce about this but I find carbs particularly confusing.

I'll add a caveat that most of the time no one thing alone is automatically good/bad for you. A lot of it depends on how you prepare it. And while typically something like pizza isn't ever nutritious there are things you can do to make it less unhealthy.

I have been using paleo as a general guide on what to eat or not eat. It has worked well for me. I am not even doing it for weight loss as much as a feeling of wellness and energy.

But I do make occasional exceptions. The only consistent exception I do make is a cup of coffee and tea with milk in the morning and afternoon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lean proteins. Good carbs. No bad carbs (except occasional "celebration" treats). That's my lifetime diet.

can you give example of good vs bad in a daily diet?

Good carbs: non-starchy vegetables, low sugar fruits, lentils/beans, whole grains like quinoa. Generally, close to nature. You can tell what the *ingredients* are just by looking at it (a pear is a pear).

Bad carbs: generally sugary/starchy processed sweets (cake, cookies), chips, etc. Usually a l-o-n-g laundry list of ingredients, some of them chemically sounding.

^^Not a vegetarian but also want to know which are good and which are bad.

Vegetarian poster here. Here are the carbs I eat in any given week:
English muffins
Ezekiel bread
Triscuits
Brown rice
Pasta (sometimes white, sometimes whole wheat)
Flour tortillas
Corn tacos
Sesame Bagels (occasional)
Bulgur
Polenta
Barley
Pizza


I rarely eat quinoa -- don't much like it, but I know I'm in the minority.

I would love someone to go through the list and point out the good and bad. Sorry to be a dunce about this but I find carbs particularly confusing.