What's bad about pasta? You can buy whole wheat pasta and pasta has lots of carbohydrates.

I buy Ryvita crisp bread, no preservatives or any other crap and has lots of fibre.

Again, what is bad about potatoes? Don't eat them every day but they are chock full of vitamins. Sweet potatoes and yams are classified as "superfoods" even and far healthier than white rice.

Sounds to me like you are on that Zone diet.

http://www.zonediet.com/

Turns into sugars IIRC.

Pasta, breads and potatoes are carb bombs. They will fuel you if you are working out or your job involves physical labor but, for an IT guy that only gets to exercise 3 hours a week with diabetes in the family... they should be avoided.

We need some sugars for energy, fruit has loads of sugars too. Whether the sugars come from fruit or pasta makes no dif. Sugars are sugars. It's like salt, they said too much salt is bad for you but now they are finding out that many people are cutting out too much salt which is just as bad for you as overloading on salt. Some people try to cut out oils and fats and yet some fats and oils are healthy for your brain. That zone diet you take a tablespoon of olive oil with every meal. Everything in moderation, there is no need to completely cut out healthy foods like potatoes.

That is not true:

Indeed.*nods sagely* The Man who renounces the venerable Potato has renounced life itself.

Charlotte, Maris Piper, Jersey Royals, Delicious Desiree, mmmmmm.....Taters. Theres a whole world of Splendid Spuds to explore, and custom cannot stale their infinite variety.

But sugars from pasta are not detrimental, they are beneficial, just like sugars from fruit, which is what I meant. Except in excess. That guy said they both eliminate fructose. Fructose is the type of sugars in fruit and the Atkins diet has been shown to be an unhealthy diet. The zone diet is healthier than Atkins.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/465447-does-pasta-convert-to-sugar/

All foods containing carbohydrates break down into sugar. Sugar derived from pasta differs from sugar in candy and soft drinks, however. For overall wellness, the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010" recommends a diet containing 45 to 65 percent carbohydrates, which are prevalent in fruits, vegetables, sweets and starches, including pasta. Gaining understanding of how your body responds to and utilizes carbohydrates and how pasta varies from other sources may guide you toward making wise dietary decisions.

Your body cannot absorb nutrients from food in its original, whole form. This is where your digestive system comes in. Unlike added sugars, such as cane sugar and corn syrup, which digest in one step, starch from pasta digests in two steps, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. First, enzymes in your saliva and pancreas break starch down into a natural sugar called maltose. In the second step, an enzyme in the lining of your small intestine splits maltose into smaller glucose molecules, which can be stored in your blood. Glucose is your body's main dietary source of energy.

In addition to supplying energy, pasta may enhance your nutritional health. Choose whole-grain pasta most often, which provides more benefits than refined, or "white," pasta. As a fiber-rich food, whole-grain pasta may improve your blood sugar and energy levels, leading to improved appetite control and a lowered risk for diabetes. Whole grains are also linked with positive heart health. One cup of cooked whole-wheat spaghetti provides over 6 g of fiber, which is over one-third of women's daily recommended minimum and over one-quarter of men's. Whole grains also supply B vitamins, which play an important role in your energy and metabolism, and essential minerals, such as selenium and magnesium. Pasta is also free of added sugars, which may contribute to weight gain, poor nutrient intake and tooth decay. The DGA recommends eating at least three 1 oz. servings of whole grains per day and choosing whole grains over refined grains, such as instant noodles, at least half of the time.

http://www.discovergoodnutrition.com/index.php/2011/02/the-truth-about-sugars-in-fruit/

It happened again the other day. I was teaching a class, and a student dismissed the health benefits of fruit because, as she put it, “it’s full of sugar”. This idea that fruit is somehow a bad thing to eat came into full swing with the low carb diet craze a few years ago. But the myth persists. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear someone tell me that they avoid fruit because it’s “all sugar” or “loaded with carbs”. So, I’m here to set the record straight and come to the defense of some of the world’s healthiest foods – fresh, whole fruits.

I’ll tackle the “fruit is all sugar” statement first – because it’s just plain wrong. Fresh fruit offers so much more than the natural sugar it contains – including water, vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients (those naturally-occurring plant compounds that have wide ranging beneficial effects on the body). Where else can you get a package like that for about 75 calories per serving?

The idea that fruit is “loaded with carbs” or is “full of sugar” needs to be put into perspective, too. It’s true that when you eat fruit, the overwhelming majority of the calories you consume are supplied by carbohydrate – mostly in the form of fructose, which is the natural sugar in the fruit.

But that’s the nature not just of fruit, but of all plant foods – they’re predominantly carbohydrate (and that means not just natural sugars, but healthy starches as well as structural elements, like cellulose, that provide fiber). When you eat vegetables, the majority of the calories you’re eating come from carbohydrate, too. But you don’t hear people complaining that vegetables are “loaded with carbs”.

Reminds me of that quote, "when a man is bored of London then he is bored of life". Oscar Wilde?

Well, for the time being, I am happy to ditch those sugars. I am not suffering w/o them so, it's really no problem for me.

I've already lost 70 lbs and I want to lose 30 more so, every bit helps.

I watched a documentary about a guy in Venezuela who weighed over 500lbs. and they put him on the zone diet and he lost something like 150lbs. in the first year. I need to lose weight badly so should consider going on it.