I'm sure this has already been discussed, but here goes.

[Duality]

I just want to find a replacement for bread that I could use in the place of bread for sandwiches. I'm gonna try either cabbage or lettuce for wraps instead of sandwiches to see how it works

[I-Jo]

You can give them up.  Differentiate - you don't want to.  That's fair!!!  FAIR!  Be honest.  It's okay to say I'm not interested in giving up X, Y, or Z.

 

Me?  I won't give up drinking wine.  NOPE not gonna happen.  I won't give up coffee.  Period.  Even bad coffee, man, I'll drink it.

 

So, think about your goals, what you want (still not clear where you are stuck), and how you'll get there.  Paleo is not for everybody and most people here do not follow paleo.  My guess is most people hear eat sandwiches.  So eat man, and enjoy.

 

^^^ this.

totally.

 

coffee. wine. beer.

 

I give up chocolate for stints- but never for "forever"  I did do it for 6 weeks.  But it won't be for forever- I like to do it "because I can" but I always come back to it. nom nom nom  and beer.  that's NEVA going away.

I just want to find a replacement for bread that I could use in the place of bread for sandwiches. I'm gonna try either cabbage or lettuce for wraps instead of sandwiches to see how it works

I get lettuce wraps at my local bar- it's a total dive- but its' do-able.  When I go to wawa- I make them make a "tuna sub" into a bowl. 

So I get a deli order and ask them to throw the fixings in teh bowl.  easy peasy lemon sqeezy. 

[cline]

I often take sandwich insides out, make bun/bread tower and use fork. But I'm so sloppy lettuce usually turns into a disaster

[JessOfAllTrades]

Sandwiches are one of those lunches I depend on due to my schedule/lack of fridge access for parts of the day. I make a "flatbread" using coconut flour and eggs. Still skating the whole "paleo replacement" thing? Absolutely. Convenient? You bet.

[Duality]

hmm flat bread, gotta look into that also!

[JessOfAllTrades]

hmm flat bread, gotta look into that also!

 

I'll pass the recipe along. I also use a milk product in it, so if you're trying to stay as paleo as possible it isn't great, though almond milk works (I've used it in the past when I realized I was out of milk)

[Duality]

I'm not doing paleo, just want to cut some carbs!

[Wolfhorde]

You can give them up.  Differentiate - you don't want to.  That's fair!!!  FAIR!  Be honest.  It's okay to say I'm not interested in giving up X, Y, or Z.

 

Me?  I won't give up drinking wine.  NOPE not gonna happen.  I won't give up coffee.  Period.  Even bad coffee, man, I'll drink it.

 

So, think about your goals, what you want (still not clear where you are stuck), and how you'll get there.  Paleo is not for everybody and most people here do not follow paleo.  My guess is most people hear eat sandwiches.  So eat man, and enjoy.

 

Definitely this. If every last fiber of you says "NO!" and you say "YES!" you're going to be setting yourself up for failure. I mean I don't eat bread anymore simply because I always thought it's dead-ass boring and because I'm used to cooking nigh every day. I'd never give up potatoes (these things are history where I live) or coffee.

Cut on the corners that are easiest to cut. Thinner slices or going for different kinds of bread already sounds like an idea.

[Duality]

I'm going to explore my options, for me coffee and bread cannot be out of my diet. BUT bread could be replaceable!

[Leonine]

Okay, this may seem a little silly, but I've run into a few interesting bread substitutes before:

 

Cauliflower Bread

10 Breadless Sandwich Ideas

 

I have to admit I haven't tried many of these myself, so experiment at your discretion! I used to have sandwiches daily (as well as a variety of meat pies and pasta dishes, also usually daily), but once I started cutting out processed grains I realized I was way more into the fillings than the actual bread. Now I just eat the stuff I like, whether that's on a salad, in a lettuce wrap, or just by its delicious self!

[castelluzzo99]

I used to eat a lot of bread. When I had to go gluten-free for my baby, I found some decent bread recipes, and I use them, but honestly, I have come to the point where I don't care if I don't eat bread for a week. I eat other things. I don't try to find substitutes for everything that contains gluten. Some, sure. But not all of them.

 

I know you're not going GF, but the point is, substitute the things you must have, and try to find alternative meals that don't require whatever it is you're cutting back on. And yeah, thinner slices and flat bread will help. Also, try making "dagwood" sandwiches, so that you get more in one sandwich so you don't need two of them.

[Duality]

I eat two, but one earlier in the day and one later, I couldn't eat both at the same time.

[cline]

I'm still confused about why you are focusing on bread. What is the overall goal here?  Lots of people on the forum eat bread.

[Duality]

I feel it's where I get a good deal of my daily carbs from right now, I'd like to change it to reduce my daily carbs.

[Anivair]

yeah there is a point where you need to just stop trying to "paleo" everything.   (you meaning -in general- not YOU specifically)

 

just replace it with meat and veggies essentially.  It takes some adjusting- but you get used to it!

 

example- I made paleo red velvet- they were meh.   I was glad I tried it- but I learned if I want to eat a god damn red velvet- guess what- I'm going to get the god damn red velvet and I don't want a cheap fake substitute- I want the real fucking thing. 

Agreed.  I mean, sometimes I get into paleo treats, but ultimately I wouldnt' call those things appropriate foods.  they're still treats.  If you're already going the treat route, just eat a treat.  if you're really sensitive to gluten, eat a gluten free treat.  that's it. 

 

I find that many people overdo the paleo treats, thinking they're totally okay. If your cookies are non-paleo then you might restrict yourself a bit more when you eat them.  I hope. 

[cline]

I feel it's where I get a good deal of my daily carbs from right now, I'd like to change it to reduce my daily carbs.

 

Good, but why?  Cutting carbs just to cut carbs needs a little more.  Are you aiming for weight loss?  If not, no need to cut carbs.  Seriously.  Promise. 

 

I reduced my carbs for weight loss.  I gave up bread for health reasons.  They happened to coincide.  But if I hadn't been focused on weight loss I would not have restricted my carbs so much.

[cline]

Agreed.  I mean, sometimes I get into paleo treats, but ultimately I wouldnt' call those things appropriate foods.  they're still treats.  If you're already going the treat route, just eat a treat.  if you're really sensitive to gluten, eat a gluten free treat.  that's it. 

 

I find that many people overdo the paleo treats, thinking they're totally okay. If your cookies are non-paleo then you might restrict yourself a bit more when you eat them.  I hope. 

 

so true.  At my office, after my weight loss success a woman decided to "go paleo" too.  EVERY FREAKING day she brought in paleo cookies, donuts, cake, etc.  I'm not exaggerating.  Then she complained about not losing weight.  Oh dear.

[Duality]

It is for weight loss, I've got another 5 pounds to lose to reach my goal.

[castelluzzo99]

Good, but why?  Cutting carbs just to cut carbs needs a little more.  Are you aiming for weight loss?  If not, no need to cut carbs.  Seriously.  Promise. 

 

I reduced my carbs for weight loss.  I gave up bread for health reasons.  They happened to coincide.  But if I hadn't been focused on weight loss I would not have restricted my carbs so much.

 

You know, carbs are not the enemy. Refined carbs are. And maybe white potatoes, though I don't care about them. Anyone on a low-carb diet will tell you that fiber doesn't count as a carb when counting carbs, so if you eat something that's very high in fiber, you're going to actually absorb fewer calories than it technically has. Which is why whole grain is better by far than white anything!

 

Also, do you have fat that you are trying to get rid of, or are you trying to reach a number on the scales? I have gotten to where I don't care what the scales say. Sure, I'll weigh myself now and again to get an idea, but I'm more interested in the inches on the measuring tape and the way my clothes fit. You could lose 5 lb of fat and gain 5 lb of muscle and the scale would never budge (or maybe it would go up a pound, because of water weight). So really, obsessing over numbers isn't where it's at. Sure, if you're 50 pounds overweight (or even 20, like I was when I got serious about losing weight a couple months ago), numbers will mean something. But at 5 lb from where you want to be, you're better off watching caloric intake as a whole than focusing on cutting out carbs. If you cut down carbs and leave other macros the same (number of grams), you will lose because you will have cut calories; but if you cut carbs and up fat and protein, you'll be eating the same (or even more, if you up the fat significantly) number of calories as you were before. Which will pretty much defeat your purpose.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Also, I'm going to try to find the thread, but I once read that when you get to your "ideal weight" and increase to maintenance, you will typically gain back 5 lb of water weight (you know, those 5 lb you lost the first week of your weight loss journey--it was water weight, and it comes back when you quit eating at a deficit). So unless you are really obsessing over a specific number, you are probably better just making healthy choices and letting it go at that. I can't find the thread, but it was somewhere in the Eat - Train - Progress group if you want to hunt for it.

 

I guess my point is, if you want numbers, try focusing on a body fat percentage you want to be, or inches in a certain place, instead of number of pounds. It will probably be easier that way.

[Duality]

If you take a look in my challenge thread, you can see what I look like, I want to get rid of the little tummy and chest fat I have left.

[cline]

If you take a look in my challenge thread, you can see what I look like, I want to get rid of the little tummy and chest fat I have left.

 

I'm not sure just using thinner bread will accomplish that goal. 

[castelluzzo99]

Have you ever tried counting calories? I used to think I would hate it--and I would, if I had to use paper and look up everything and add it all up myself. I mean, I love math ('twas my best subject in high school and I scored in the 99th percentile on the GED), BUT I am a mom of 3 and don't have time for that. I use My Fitness Pal. It helped me see where I was eating too much (mostly at supper, but sometimes at other meals too), and for me, it made a huge difference. Actually changed how I think about and relate to food. For instance, before MFP, if I made cookies, I would eat 3 or 4 or 6 of them before the batch was even done. Last night I made cookies, and I was hungry (legitimately), so I ate one. And today they are sitting on the counter, waiting for the meal we are going to eat with some friends tomorrow, and I will not eat even one today. Before, I would have said, "Oh, just one or two won't hurt." But two cookies is almost 300 calories, and for me, that's about what I have left for supper tonight, and I'm not going to blow it on 2 cookies!

 

So I would take a look at that. Even if you only log for a week and then quit, it might help you see where your traps are, and that can empower you to eat a little less, giving you the edge you need to reduce the body fat. Because, as cline pointed out,

 

 

I'm not sure just using thinner bread will accomplish that goal.