Everyday Systems

I'm considering eliminating walnuts from my N days. I've been very reluctant to do that, since they're an excellent source of good fats -- and of course I love them -- but the one ounce I eat (I weigh them) does contribute 200 calories to my daily intake. My hesitation in eliminating them is my guess that I'll just replace those calories with something else in the interest of fullness/satisfaction, and I'll just end up missing out on what those good fats contribute to my overall nutrition. I don't O.D. on them, and have no other reason to eliminate them...this was my first thought for a mod that eliminates any concentrated source of calories as a way to lower my caloric intake.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of specific food elimination? If you've done this, did you find you just replaced those calories with something else, or did you find eliminating that food really did contribute to your weight loss?

Thanks

Have your walnuts with your meals and dont' think about it. No calorie counting here, just keep it simple!

If you were talking about eliminating something unhealthy, such as processed foods, I would say go ahead. Doing that could make a serious difference.
But as you pointed out, walnuts are good for you! As long as you're conscious of portions, they shouldn't really be a problem.

I did eliminate a specific food - Craisins. I take a salad for lunch every day, and I enjoyed a few Craisins (probably about a tablespoon) in my salad every day. But someone here posted a link to foods that have surprisingly high sugar content, and Craisins were on the list. I decided I didn't want to eat them and just eliminated them. I did not replace them with anything else.

Not sure why you're considering trying to cut calories. You certainly can't eliminate all concentrated forms of calories. However, if you realize you're eating "heavier" than you want to, cut where you will. I'd say cut other fats first before walnuts, since we get so few omega-3's in our diets, but that's just me. Of try half of what you're used to, if you must cut. I buy some fantastic nonfat yogurt at Trader Joe's, but I always add walnuts to it. I love the texture and flavor. I purposely choose to have some form of fat at every meal.

Is there a way you could maybe burn off a few extra calories each day, so you wouldn't have to cut out the walnuts? Maybe a few extra trips up and downstairs, or a short walk or something? Walnuts are so healthy for you, that it would be a shame to cut them out. As someone else said, you could also just cut your portion of walnuts in half, so you'd still get some, but just not as many calories.

While there are certainly groups of people (not here) who would disagree with me, you can't eliminate all sources of concentrated calories from your diet. If you've got to eliminate something, eliminate manufactured/processed foods. For calorie control, you may want to eat less of some things, but I wouldn't eliminate them.