If I stop eating bread, pasta, and rice...will I lose weight?

[AnnieW625]

This is true. If you do something hard core like South Beach Phase 1 and cut out nearly all sugar just for two weeks, I guarantee your sweet tooth will be pretty much gone at that time. You'll also probably dump that 8lbs in those two weeks alone. You will almost certainly find that adding in fruit and having the occasional bite of someone else's dessert will take care of your sweet cravings. The first two weeks of breaking your sugar addiction will be hard, but afterwards you'll be shocked at how little you crave sweet. You must have more protein, though, to curb hunger!

If you cut bread and other starches but keep eating sweets, you may drop weight from eating fewer calories, but you will not touch your relationship to sugar, and you will continue to crave sweets and breadstuffs.

Good luck!!!

Yes, but then when you are allowed to add some starches and stuff back in during phase 2 it can back fire. I had this happen to me with Atkins. I got cocky and started added stuff back into soon that I ended up giving up and it was back at square one. I also got very tired of eating peanuts for snacks (peanuts are the only nuts I like to eat), and wasn't in a phase where I could even add in hummus or strawberries or grapes. I think that if you are going to give something up entirely you really need to do so or just eat that item in moderation to satisfy your cravings. For me if I wanted to do this I would do something like Paleo/Primal vs. trying to do Atkins again.

[Katigre]

Well, I don't think I eat too much sugar and we definitely don't use white sugar at home, but I definitely eat too many desserts and they're freshly baked, not processed. So, I have to cut down on cakes and cookies.

Freshly baked desserts are processed IMO - they use flour, specifically white flour, which is high glycemic and leads to blood sugar spikes. And desserts have the one-two-punch of both white flour and white sugar which feeds the appetite (those two things stimulate appetite). Processed foods have a spectrum - flour is processed and causes all sorts of issues for people (especially wheat flour b/c of how our modern species of wheat interacts with our bodies). Processed isn't only out of a box/package although those kinds of foods are the worst.

Maybe its better to talk about foods that stimulate weight gain vs. talking about processed foods.

I am now trying to meal plan ahead of time and add more protein rich dishes. I usually cook everything myself so we don't eat processed food. However, I add in a lot of junky snacks and chocolate during the day and that has to stop. I usually realize that I have eaten a whole bar of chocolate and not even really tasted the thing.

If you can get 85%-90% dark chocolate you might find a square or two of that a satisfying substitute - when the chocolate content is that high it is actually low in sugar yet high in fat so you feel satiated rather quickly.

[HannaAddict]

Cutting out bread will make a big difference IME. Not talking about Atkins or anything crazy, but most people eat way too many carbs without even thinking about it and don't realize how small a serving of bread, pasta, etc. should be in our super sized world now. Good luck.

[denise00]

Diet is the main thing if we want to solve our weight issues.We should be selective in our foods and diet.Lots of people have success with no or low carb- popular diets like South Beach and Atkins use that idea. I think it can be hard to sustain forever and some people gain some or all of the weight back if they go back to their regular diet.

[kaitlyns.mom]

I would worry less about what you should cut out and more about what you should add. When I was doing a WW trial I started eating a hard boiled egg for breakfast along with a slice of whole grain bread (with butter) and a huge helping of sauteed asparagus. Yes, asparagus for breakfast! It got to the point where I craved it. Add in protein and add in tons of veggies throughout the day. Any time I focus on removing something, I fail. When I work on adding something new, it is much easier to stick with it. For me it was vital to have a balanced breakfast and start the day with some of my veggies, even via a smoothie or however you prefer. My energy would get a boost from the healthier meal and protein (egg) and it set me up for success all day so I was much less likely to grab something sugary later.

[fedoragirl]

Just wanted to report that I have cut out most carbs from my diet except the occasional dessert and I am now at a stable number. The problem is that my weight is no longer going down but on the flip side, it's not going up either. I also have hypothyroidism so it might take longer to adjust. IDK.
As for cutting out breads, pasta, etc. it is not an issue for me to keep this diet because I am not a big bread eater and we hardly ever eat pasta, etc. I have always cooked whole grains in our home and we don't eat a lot of Italian food --pizza, pasta, cheese, etc. so I can sustain this diet for life. Of course, I do have a slice of cake at a birthday party or so.
As for cutting sugar and chocolate, that is my next goal and I am doing much better on it. I will not eliminate it altogether because that's not sustainable for me. I have found that 1 teaspoon of sugar in my tea is plenty whereas before I couldn't have done without 2 or more. Still waiting to drop those 10 pounds. It used to be so easy to lose weight before kids.