Carb Addicts - Please read!
Good morning - I hope you all don't think I just like sending our useless articles to you. I just feel sometimes I want to share. Tell me to stop if you want me to. But last week I told you one of my favorite websites, and this is an article she just sent out today about carb addicts. I don't know about you - but that's me!! And this is such an excellent article, I wanted to share.
So here it is!!
love
donna
Carbs and Guilt: The Wicked Viscous Cycle Kaye Bailey - www.livingafterwls.com
I think that 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.
Then the cycle is set and suddenly the scale reverses directions and we regain. This happened to me and it all started with an innocent graham cracker. Pretty soon it was stacks of graham crackers, then popcorn and then Nutter-Butter cookies. The snack monster had me firmly in its wicked grasp.
Not only did I gain weight from the carbs, I felt shame and guilt because I knew better and I promised my surgeon that I would comply with the rules. I committed for life to be a good bariatric patient and here I was doing the same thing that made me obese in the first
place: mindlessly eating nutritionally void foods.
My cycle became predictable: a moment of lost willpower lead to a carb binge followed by a guilt binge and resolve to do better. I repeated the cycle often, sometimes more than once a day.
What I have since learned is that 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 Carbohydrate 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."
I realized that not only am I a recovering morbidly obese person, I am a carbohydrate addict. That's why I was spinning out of control when I broke from the high protein WLS way of life.
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."
Clearly if I was going to return to the same addictive carb cycle as before weight loss surgery I would also return to rapid weight gain and ultimately morbid obesity. My only choice if I elected to keep the weight off was to follow the four rules and eat a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet for the rest of my life.
Is this easy? Heavens no. We live in a world full of temptations where it's easy to be obese. I, like many of the LAWLS Neighbors, have recommitted myself many times again to following the protein first rule. When I succeed I enjoy more energy, fewer mood or blood sugar swings and overall better health. And I don't gain weight. The easiest way for me to follow the protein first rule is start the day with protein and have my meals planned. If I start the day with carbs, even something presumably healthy like whole-wheat toast and peanut butter, the carb-cycle begins.
Understanding the role that carbohydrates play in my nutrition has been helpful in sticking to the high protein, low carbohydrate way of life. It releases me from the self-loathing and guilt that I associated with a lack of willpower. The carb binge is not necessarily about being out of control mentally or emotionally. A carb binge is the body's attempt to regulate blood sugar, which escalates into a recurring need or drive for starches, snack foods, junk foods or sweets.
The easiest way to avoid this vicous cycle that feeds on itself, over and over, is to follow the guidelines we committed to when we promised our surgeons we would be good weight loss surgery post-ops. They gave us the tool and the rules; now it's our turn to prove ourselves!
Carbs and Guilt: The Wicked Viscous Cycle Kaye Bailey - www.livingafterwls.com
I think that 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.
Then the cycle is set and suddenly the scale reverses directions and we regain. This happened to me and it all started with an innocent graham cracker. Pretty soon it was stacks of graham crackers, then popcorn and then Nutter-Butter cookies. The snack monster had me firmly in its wicked grasp.
Not only did I gain weight from the carbs, I felt shame and guilt because I knew better and I promised my surgeon that I would comply with the rules. I committed for life to be a good bariatric patient and here I was doing the same thing that made me obese in the first
place: mindlessly eating nutritionally void foods.
My cycle became predictable: a moment of lost willpower lead to a carb binge followed by a guilt binge and resolve to do better. I repeated the cycle often, sometimes more than once a day.
What I have since learned is that 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 Carbohydrate 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."
I realized that not only am I a recovering morbidly obese person, I am a carbohydrate addict. That's why I was spinning out of control when I broke from the high protein WLS way of life.
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."
Clearly if I was going to return to the same addictive carb cycle as before weight loss surgery I would also return to rapid weight gain and ultimately morbid obesity. My only choice if I elected to keep the weight off was to follow the four rules and eat a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet for the rest of my life.
Is this easy? Heavens no. We live in a world full of temptations where it's easy to be obese. I, like many of the LAWLS Neighbors, have recommitted myself many times again to following the protein first rule. When I succeed I enjoy more energy, fewer mood or blood sugar swings and overall better health. And I don't gain weight. The easiest way for me to follow the protein first rule is start the day with protein and have my meals planned. If I start the day with carbs, even something presumably healthy like whole-wheat toast and peanut butter, the carb-cycle begins.
Understanding the role that carbohydrates play in my nutrition has been helpful in sticking to the high protein, low carbohydrate way of life. It releases me from the self-loathing and guilt that I associated with a lack of willpower. The carb binge is not necessarily about being out of control mentally or emotionally. A carb binge is the body's attempt to regulate blood sugar, which escalates into a recurring need or drive for starches, snack foods, junk foods or sweets.
The easiest way to avoid this vicous cycle that feeds on itself, over and over, is to follow the guidelines we committed to when we promised our surgeons we would be good weight loss surgery post-ops. They gave us the tool and the rules; now it's our turn to prove ourselves! I have to say I believe the reason I have been so successful thus far post-op is the fact that my pouch absolutely will not tolerate any type of floury-foods (i.e. bread, pasta, flour torillas, etc.) I'm not complaining, believe me. I missed those things at first, but now I am so used to NOT having them it's like I'm over my carb addiction.
Shannon
RNY 9/14/06
280/169/140
Hi Shannon, you're so right, if you can stay away from carbs, I think that is so good. I also, for myself personally, don't like to experiment and see what I can tolerate. I am just assuming I will dump so I don't eat some carbs. I have had a piece of tortilla, some crackers, fruit is still hard for me to digest, and veggies aren't that easy either. So I keep it pretty simple.
love
donna
Hi Donna,
Thank you for the good advice! Keep it up!! This is ME to a "T". I am the slowest loser here and I have carbs to blame. That and mySELF. I know all the rules..I know how carbs affect my body. Why won't I stop? What makes you all so strong that you resist the daily temptation of cheating? I just don't understand my mindset. I don't get hungry as a rule of thumb, but like to eat out of habit or just because it taste good! Crazy, huh? It's not like I stuff myself, but I still reach for the wrong foods.
I AM a carb addict tho'. Thanks for the insite. I've really got to make some changes. I know if I'd go high protein for more than a day at a time, I'd lose weight, as well. I'm just so frustrated and disgusted with myself. ANYway, enough with the sob story, the article was right-on though.
Kelly
I AM a carb addict tho'. Thanks for the insite. I've really got to make some changes. I know if I'd go high protein for more than a day at a time, I'd lose weight, as well. I'm just so frustrated and disgusted with myself. ANYway, enough with the sob story, the article was right-on though.
Kelly Hi Kelly, sometimes it helps to see it in print!! Oh yeah, there I am!! And why are you always saying you're the slowest one around here - stop that! And what makes you think we are all so strong - stop that! We, at least me, aren't! I have struggles. Heck, here is a good one. I have these nifty little calcium chews, yum yum yum!! Carmel, chocolate - chocolate mint. Well now I find myself eating 4-6 of them -- just for the chew and the taste, not for the calcium. And they are not calorie free!!! So now I have to go back to those horse pills cause I see I can't handle these dumb little chews!!! How sick is that!!
hang in there - I love you Kelly!!
donna
Hi Donna,
You just made me laugh outloud, you crazy woman!
That was so funny about over-eatting your calcium supplements.
Maybe there IS hope for me after all! You are a great encouragement to me and I love ya for that because all advice is welcome and if I get to giggle in the process, so much better! Thank you sooo much.
Kelly
That was so funny about over-eatting your calcium supplements. Maybe there IS hope for me after all! You are a great encouragement to me and I love ya for that because all advice is welcome and if I get to giggle in the process, so much better! Thank you sooo much.
Kelly 
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