Carb Monsters... not our fault! :)

Understanding & Beating the Carb Monster It's not your fault, but it's yours to control source: email from Kaye Bailey..... Why The Carb Monster Attacks Most weight loss surgery post-ops will tell you that processed carbohydrates led to their obesity. After surgery during weight loss we live by the four rules or guidelines from our bariatric centers concentrating on a high-protein diet. Then somewhere along the line the snack monster attacks and we return to processed carbs. A little nibble here, a taste there. At first it doesn't slow down our weight loss so we test the water and more carbs come back into our diet. The Carb-Monster is not necessarily a mental demon. The Carb-Monster is the body's biological roller coaster that results with a blood chemistry imbalance. More often than not it has nothing to do with willpower or personal integrity. According to Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller in Carb Addicts, blood sugar swings are the leading physical trigger for carb cravings. They write, "High-sugar, refined starch, convenience and comfort foods feed the (carb) addiction like a drug. They produce correspondingly high blood sugar and insulin levels, which leads to more cravings. They also produce higher levels of the brain chemical serotonin. In sensitive people, particularly those who may have low serotonin levels to begin with, a carbohydrate binge is the equivalent of self-medicating, just to get the sugar high." According to The Merck Manual of Medical Information, "The theory behind high protein, low carbohydrate diets is that slower-burning energy sources - protein and fat - provide a steady supply of energy and thus are less likely to lead to weight gain. In addition, people tend to feel full longer after eating protein than after eating carbohydrates, because carbohydrates empty from the stomach quickly and are digested quickly. Carbohydrates also strongly stimulate insulin production, which promotes fat deposition and increases appetite." Morale of the story... PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN... Not that I've got that out of my system!!! Denise

Ok, Denise...Now...I'm off ALL summer, so whenever you have the time, we REALLY need to get together. And we don't even have to eat, so you can stick to your AchieveOne plan! Pamela

Let's do something in July to celebrate our re-birthday! I'm eating at least one meal a day... so we can go out and focus on protein. My daughter is away for the summer... so I'm footloose and fancy free! Denise