Can You Lose Weight by Not Eating Bread, Rice & Pasta?
The key to losing weight is to make sure you eat fewer calories than you
use. If avoiding bread, rice and pasta helps you to do this, then
you'll lose weight. Those who replace these foods with other
higher-calorie foods, however, may find that they don't lose any weight
and may even gain weight. Taking additional steps, such as exercising
and making more dietary changes, will improve your weight-loss results.Bread Vs. Rice or Pasta
If you can't give
up rice, pasta and bread, consider keeping just the bread. A study
published in the journal Hospital Nutrition in 2011 found that a meal
with bread was more filling than one with the same amount of calories
containing either pasta or rice. Choosing 100-percent whole-grain breads
instead of those made with refined grains may be even more beneficial
for weight loss due to their higher fiber content. Anything that helps
you feel full will make it easier to cut the necessary calories for
weight loss.
White Vs. Whole Grain Bread, Pasta and Rice
If you're trying
to lose weight, you might be better off switching to whole grain bread,
pasta or rice instead of just giving them up completely, because these
products are a lot higher in fiber. For example, a cup of white rice has
less than 1 gram of fiber, but the same amount of brown rice has about
3.5 grams, which is 14 percent of the daily value for fiber. A study
published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2009 found that higher intakes
of fiber from grains, especially whole grains, are associated with less
body fat and abdominal fat. Abdominal fat is particularly risky, making
diabetes, heart disease and certain other health problems more likely,
so anything that helps you get rid of this fat is helpful and probably
shouldn't be eliminated.
Calorie Considerations
You'll need to
cut 500 calories per day out of your diet each day to lose about 1 pound
per week. Each slice of white bread you don't eat saves you 77
calories; a cup of white rice has about 242 calories; and a cup of
regular pasta has about 221 calories. Whole-grain versions are similar
in calories. Of course, if you end up eating more of other foods
instead, you may not end up saving calories and aren't likely to lose
weight. Increasing the amount of exercise you do each day can help you
increase your calorie deficit to lose weight faster and will also make
it so you're more likely to lose fat than muscle. The minimum
recommended exercise for adults is 150 minutes per week of
moderate-intensity exercise, but it may take twice this amount for some
people to achieve weight-loss benefits.
