[Madea]

Greetings & Salutations Everyone!!

I'm in need of a little help here please.
I'm finding that I can't do this on my own anymore.
In my opinion, not only am I carb sensitive, but I am addicted to carbs as well. Kind of an oxy-moron right? I'm trying to go low-carb.

I am switching over to a low carb diet. I'm finding it to be a struggle because even though I didn't realize it, I am addicted to carbs. If I eat a crappy meal with a lot of carbs & empty calories, about an hour later I am craving more carbs. And not good carbs either. Like potato chips.
Since I am trying to lose a significant amount of weight and get my bg's under control, how do I get a grip on these cravings & withdrawls when they hit?

I actually get cranky & shakey from the withdrawls. If I eat a breakfast of scrambled eggs & veggies (nonstarchy) sauted in coconut oil, with smoked turkey slices and a 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce, (in otherwords high protien) I get shakey and light headed. It scares me. And if I consume any kind of unhealthy fats I feel sickly, then I make a few trips to the bathroom.

As of tomorrow I start a journal. I'm keeping track of not only my bg's, but my weight, food intake, and also how I am feeling.
It takes a week to make a new habit, but how long does it take to BREAK old ones? I have two months to prove to myself and my Endo that I can do this WITHOUT anymore dang pills! My next labs are scheduled for August 15th.

 

[Shalynne]

It takes a few days. Most would say 2 -3. Well, for me it took a little over a week! You might want to Google "Atkins flu." A lot of new low-carbers, both diabetic and non-, go through it.

Not. Fun.

But after that week(-ish), I started feeling better and more energetic. And less hungry.

One thing that helped was eating smaller meals throughout the day. Snacking's vital for many of us. I got hooked on string cheese, cold cuts, celery and avocados. Oh, yeah, and pork rinds.

I also got hooked on testing before and after the snacks. Levels get volatile at times, especially in the earliest days.

Fruit, even unsweetened applesauce, tends to spike me.

For meals, I've recently gotten hooked on cauliflower "rice." In fact, I overstuffed myself with my first batch. Here's a recipe. It's great for sopping up sauces.

I still need to try spaghetti squash and steamed zucchini, sliced thin. But I have ladled sloppy entrees over mushroom slices, and it works much better than it sounds.

Hope you feel much better, real soon!

 

[siapaya]

From me ;
I always think the reason we feel addicted to carb is because we dont easily get the alternative...

If we can provide ourselve with abundant supplies of non / very low carb snack or food, the carb addiction might not torturing us so much..

My two cents...

 

[onlymep]

hi Madea - if you're saying you feel unwell when you don't have enough carbs, what are your BGLs doing? Personally I can't not eat carbs either as I get very unwell and my BGLs do go out of control even more. I also can't tolerate high fat as it puts my cholesterol up, but it also irritates my stomach and bowel... leaving me stuck on the toilet too. I've experimented a few times now and get the same result really. I think it's just trial and error and finding the right portions and food right for you. If you need to eat carbs, choose the low GI carbs and not high GI (eg. potato chips is high GI) and watch your portion size. We're all different and although some are advocating they are doing well eating a certain way it's not necessarily something that works for everyone. It's important you find your own diet that works. I hope you feel much better soon

 

[Tiggletaggle]

HI Madea

I have posted several times about my potato chip addiction...and I'm sure I've mentioned the intense cravings that went with the addiction...It's absolute misery and I feel for you...

It is quite a common side effect of starting low carb to have a 'runny tummy' it's just while the enzymes in your body adjust to the new 'Low Carb Management'.... For me personally I found that I can't tolerate any processed carbs..(bread pasta etc etc) for me there is no halfway... for some there is a halfway point...they can tolerate some but not alot...and some don't have a problem at all....The light headedness will go soon too....

It's all about finding your own balance and it will come through trial and error

I think that you might need to up the fat content to kill off some of the cravings...perhaps you could use real cream in cooking or in your coffee (mr tiggletaggle does that)..that might help...
I really found snacking on pistachios quite helpful for the salt and crunch....So that may help too...

Don't go halfway on the low carb.....it will stuff your body around if you do... in for a penny in for a pound is a good way to go...

I applaud you for wanting to take charge of your health without the need for more meds!!! That's a shining light right there!!

Take care and thanks for sharing!

 

[d33na]

Hi Madea

I keep a diary of everything in excel...I note the date the day the time the drugs and what I eat and how I feel....its great as you can see patterns of what works and what doesn't work...i note what makes my readings go up and then I can adjust what I eat...

I think it helps....good luck!

 

[jwags]

It probably took me 3-4 months to deal with the carb addiction. For me it means almost eliminating all processed carbs. I was addicted to chips and crackers. I guess I liked the crunch and the salty taste. Now, even if I have one chip , I will want to eat the whole bag. I have had to find other options to deal with the cravings. I bake a lot of my own snacks and even found out how to make crackers that taste like Doritoes ( without the bg spike). For pizza cravings I make mini pizzas using Flat out tortillas or bran crackers as the base. Sometimes adding fat to your meals will help with the cravings.

 

[Erratica]

Eat more fats!

It probably took me 3-4 months to deal with the carb addiction. For me it means almost eliminating all processed carbs. I was addicted to chips and crackers. I guess I liked the crunch and the salty taste. Now, even if I have one chip , I will want to eat the whole bag.

I can't eat just one potato chip, either! Love the salty crunchiness. I just don't buy them. Period. Even 2 little new potatoes, fried in lots of lard and butter with mushrooms and onions, spikes me at the moment.

As for adjusting to low carb, eat lots and lots of fats, the more saturated the better. When I gave up grains a month ago and went super low carb, I just kept stuffing myself with butter and virgin coconut oil, with an occasional spoonful of natural peanut butter. That helped a LOT and now I don't crave the grains any more.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

You mention wanting to lose a lot of weight.
To do this you simply must stop eating so much, no matter what it is.
Eating too much of even no-carb stuff is going to cause weight gain.

If you are an American, then you are probably like most Americans and have no clue what a portion really is. It's time for you to get out the food scale and weight your portions according to the label.

Time to get over this need to feed yourself. Eating is fuel for living, not a hobby.

 

[Erratica]

Calories in = calories out is not true

You mention wanting to lose a lot of weight.
To do this you simply must stop eating so much, no matter what it is.
Eating too much of even no-carb stuff is going to cause weight gain.

Time to get over this need to feed yourself. Eating is fuel for living, not a hobby.

Have to disagree with this. A calorie is not just a calorie. I'm eating a lot of calories on my no-grain, LCHF WOE and still losing. Gary Taubes talks about this in Why We Get Fat.

I do agree with your point of food being fuel for the body and not eating emotionally. However, food IS my hobby; I am studying the food aspect of cultural anthropology.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Have to disagree with this. A calorie is not just a calorie. I'm eating a lot of calories on my no-grain, LCHF WOE and still losing. Gary Taubes talks about this in Why We Get Fat.

I do agree with your point of food being fuel for the body and not eating emotionally. However, food IS my hobby; I am studying the food aspect of cultural anthropology.

I think a lot of it has to do with how much weight someone wants to lose. Sure if they only want to lose a few pounds a week then they can keep their calorie intake up.

 

[Erratica]

I think a lot of it has to do with how much weight someone wants to lose. Sure if they only want to lose a few pounds a week then they can keep their calorie intake up.

I'd read/heard that losing more than a few pounds a week wasn't that healthy? I do know that people with a LOT of weight to lose will lose more than that in the beginning, but a lot of it is water, not fat.

I'm going to have to figure out exactly how many calories I eat in a day, to see if I'm actually not eating as much as I think I am.

 

[lia]

I have two months

Enjoyed your post and your attitude.

For me the biggest thing about changing habits isn't to combat them directly. Good thing, because I'm a wimp anyway. Just look for something you enjoy doing and stay busy.

Some of the things you enjoy will lead to more enjoyment than you expected. Some of them will probably stop being enjoyable. When you get into the things you like, you can almost develop a passion. Sometime it seems like I pick up a little speed or intensity, and the old habits just get blown off in the wind.

It's so much nicer than just sitting in front of the tv and thinking 'I feel like eating, but no, I shouldn't.' That kind of obscene struggle can hardly be called living. Get up and do something. This is just my thinking in general. This is what works for me. I don't know, maybe you are really busy already. And also, maybe this wouldn't do much for you. We are all so different.

All the diet tips and tricks are really useful, and I try to learn as much as I can. The main thing for me though is just to live a really happy, useful life. That seems to help the other parts fall into place.

Pardon all the philosophy. I have been told that I think too much. Yesterday as a matter of fact.

I keep a diary of everything in excel.

That's what I call organized. I've never used it much, but that sounds like a really good use for it.

 

[d33na]

lol Lia I am sooooo not organised but I find it almost like a meditation to record things...I can see patterns...plus lol I'd forget if I don't record it...I think charting feelings as well as food and numbers is important...so its like a diary/journal as well...