Healthy Alternatives!!

Lilah.Irelynn

Full Member
Can any of you amazing ladies help me out by suggesting some healthy alternatives for the following:
1.) Rice- I've been using brown rice, but I never realized how many calories were in a serving. 150 calories for 1/2 cup!
2.) Pasta- I looove pasta but even eating the whole grain pasta, it's still 210 calories for 3/4 cup!

Rice and pasta are usually staples in my house, but I would really like to find healthier alternatives for them. I'm trying to cut out sliced bread from my diet. I'm also watching my portion sizes. I can't believe how little food I'm eating now. I feel pretty hungry quite often, but I'm trying soooo very hard to watch my portion sizes and eat the recommended serving sizes. I know it's going to take some time to get used to and for my stomach to shrink but it's tough right now. I know I cab do this, I just need something to take my mind off of being hungry. And I need some motivation to excersice!! I walked for 1 and 1/2 hours yesterday!! But for some reason I can't bring myself to excersice today. If only they sold motivation in a bottle!!

xMiss.Lilahx
 
I have the same problem - I just had spaghetti bolognese (veggie) and the pasta made up for over half of the calorie content, despite having loads of ingredients in the sauce! But I guess just try and limit the amount you have so in this example have lots more bolognese than pasta.

Couscous could be worth trying? It's not that much lower but possibly a little bit!
 
I don't worry too much. I find that now I use quorn etc, even if I use 200 odd cals on pasta, I never go over 450 for dinner ish for dinner.
If I didn't eat the carnal I would very likely be hungry later on! You soon get used to having less pasta too. x
 
I do my best to only have rice or pasta on days when I've done plenty of exercise or on my WI day..

Have you tried having a salad with your meal (I realize that is probably a daft question :D)
 
Couscous is a good option. I like it for breakfast made with boiling OJ instead of water. Really yummy with fresh diced mango an passionfruit seeds in!!

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins
 
Baby boiled potatoes 100g = 70 calories :)
 
I love couscous!! I'll have to look into that! And I'll have tontry making it with OJ and fruit too!! I would have never thought of that. I've always mixed couscous with rice to make my stir frys (which are now on my "never make again!!" list. Lol). So it seems very weird to take it from a "dinner" food to a "breakfast" food. But it does sound good, ad I'm definitley going to give it a shot! So basically just have this type of couscous instead oatmeal. Lol. As for having a salad with my dinner, *facepalm* why didn't I eer think of that!?!? Silly me!! I need to start having a hefty salad with my dinner to help fill me up. You ladies are more than amazing, ad thank you all very, very much for all the help, advice, ad suggestions you've given me!! I truly, truly appreciate it!!! :D

xMiss.Lilahx
 
It's surprising how much a big salad with your meal can fill you up- try using lentils in the salad for more filling meals! Also bulgar wheat is a good alternative - similar to couscous but a bit more stodgey, but not too many calories either!
 
I can remember reading somewhere that you can mash up cauliflower and use it where you would have rice/pasta. Maybe someone else here can tell you more about that. I've never tried it.

With meals where I serve something with rice, I have less rice, and add some veg, like broccoli or something, so the plate is still as full, but there is less of the calorie dense stuff. Oh and I think you can add beansprouts to rice to bulk it out a bit without the calories.

What I've been doing
 
StoppingItInItsTracks said:
I can remember reading somewhere that you can mash up cauliflower and use it where you would have rice/pasta. Maybe someone else here can tell you more about that. I've never tried it.

With meals where I serve something with rice, I have less rice, and add some veg, like broccoli or something, so the plate is still as full, but there is less of the calorie dense stuff. Oh and I think you can add beansprouts to rice to bulk it out a bit without the calories.

What I've been doing

I think you blitz it in the food processor so it looks a bit like rice then give it a quick steam. It sounds revolting to me lol but I hate cauliflower!!!

I bulk my rice out with beansprouts, bamboo shoots an water chestnuts for Chinese and add peas, sweetcorn chickpeas or beans for other meals. But broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, tomato's all work too. Depends what your having it with!!! you can do it with pasta too. A cold pasta salad full of crunchy raw veg is DELISH!!!!

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins
 
Cous cous is also nice made with a cup of chocolate options. My Grandma has it all the time, I think its a throw back to slimming world way, way back. It is nice though. :)
Also stir the powdered options into low fat fromage frais, delicious :)
 
I used to live on pasta - I've hardly had any since starting CCing. It's amazing how quickly your body adjusts. I don't miss it at all, and see it as a real treat when I do have some.
As for being hungry, I'm starting to experience hunger now. Prior to starting my weight loss journey, I never really registered 'hungry' and therefore ate a staggeringly los amount. Now I know about CCing, I'd guess I was lucky to eat 500 cals most days =- apart from on days I would have a couple of bowls of pasta = anything up to 1000 or maybe more!

I'm now listening to my body, finding what fills me, what doesn't, and for how long, etc. On SW I'd become used to grazing on 'free food', and eating my 'healthy extras' just for the hell of it, regardless of if I was hungry or not. All very, very healthy, but I now know there's no such thing as free food!

My own top tips for filling and fuelling is porridge for brekkie, and drink, drink, drink as much water as you can. I swear water and my HRM are the reasons I'm losing so well :D
 
Back
Top