Carb Monster

Are any of you dealing with the carb monster? I did pretty good on the cruise, but now that I am home I am founding that I am hungry and want carbs .. YIKES, not what I want at all. Mary

Hi Mary, I find that I do well during the day, getting most of my protein and water in. Its in the evenings I crave carbs! Its almost like someone is inside of me taking over! I know I shouldn't have them and I know that once I do have some, I'll want more.... I do fight it most of the time and try not to have too many carbs around the house. Thats when I'm at my worst... is when I have some in the house. Its something I'll have to fight the rest of my life. Wanda

I am trying to do high fiber carbs now when I do carbs. So plan to go get multi-grain bread instead of white bread, yams/sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. etc. I know many recommend going on a low glycemic value eating plan which is suppose to help keep the carbs cravings in check. Mary

Hi, yes I have to fight the card monster all the time. I want carbs all the time, I live for carbs. It is a hard fight. I have seven people in the house and they dont understand no carbs. I think the carb monster has taken them over to his side. Everything they cook is 90% carbs, and why do we need to have potato chips in the house? So yes I feel your pain. Dana

Dana, Could you switch to whole grain breads, sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, whole grain pastas etc. They definitely are lower in carbs and should not trigger our carb cravings. I feel very fortunate that it is just the two of us here and Hal lets me do most of the decisions on grocery shopping/cooking. He does have his treats BUT they are cinnamon type things and I'm so allergic they are not tempting at all. I need to revamp what I have in the house switching to the whole grains. I insisted the other night that we buy lettuce etc for salads. I can't eat a lot of them, but he needs to eat healthier too so it will help both of us. I want to switch my bread eating to high fiber bread which is definitely more filling too than white bread. So a step at a time. Mary

I am shareing my house with other people right now so it is hard, they did agree to the bread thing, they are not so agreeable with the pasta, potato, and rice part. But they will be moving out soon so I can get back to being the one who makes the decisions on what is in the house. What is the deal with nuts and seeds? Some people say you can eat them and somepeople say you cant. Thank you Dana

Dana, The concern with nuts is that if they are not chewed well enough then they can block the stoma (opening) and can actually get stuck. Also nuts are high in fat and for many are a trigger food. Mary

its not even regular carbs that I struggle with but SUGAR!! Ive never a problem with sugar in small amounts or drinking iced tea and juice...struggling a lot right now with a lot of stuff...

Sarah, Sugar can be difficult. I can do a bite of it, maybe a half cookie but I've reinforced that I will get deathly ill if I eat more. I know that if I eat a bite here and there throughout the day, it normally doesn't make me sick. That is scary to say the least. Most of the goodies in the house are things that I am allergic to or don't like so that really helps. On the UCLA list I belong too, many are 5 years out from surgery. A number of them have gone totally back to basics (similar to the plateau breaking diet I posted earlier) to get their tummies to shrink and also to reset their sugar intolerance. For many, it was a major help. Tea (if regular tea) contains caffeine which can increase your appetite, irritate the stomch lining, and also add to dehydration issues. Why not trying Crystal Light or Propel water or ??? --- lots of caffeine free, no calories choices. Mary

thanks mary...I am so glad I can come here and find support and comfort in all of you... I do drink hot tea a lot but it tends to suppress my appetite along with the coffee I drink (trying ween off of it). The tea I referring to is Rosenbergers sweet tea. Its similar to nestea or turkey hill and the BF loves it and its all he will drink. I have been trying to drink crystal light and water a lot. I am struggling with money right now and the only kind of protein powder I like is kind of pricey, well it all is. I gotta get back to basics as soon as I get on top of my money!! On a side note since it seems you check here often, I am having a bit of a pregnancy scare at the moment and I dont have anyone to talk to right now. MY BF knows but hes at work and I am having constant anxietey attacks right now...tried almost everything to calm down but wont be able to till I go to the drs tomorrow and get blood work done!! sarah