Help! The carb monkey is on my back.

For the past 2 days all I have eaten and wanted to eat is carbs. I am talking, chips, sandwich, bagels, pasta, you name it, I craved it and possibly ate it. What can I do to get the monkey off my back? I feel like a total failure. Why can't I control myself this one week per month? It is driving my nuts. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I hate that darn CARB MONSTER someone shared this article ... I thought it was great! I know how hard it is to battle!!! "Just This Once Won't Hurt . . ." by Ken Miller I've had the opportunity to closely watch the weight-loss journeys of hundreds of WLS patients during the last two or three years as I've studied those who are very successful and those who struggle. Almost everyone has plateaus along the way. Some lose weight rapidly and consistently; they reach their goal weight quickly and are able to easily maintain their weight when they get there. Meanwhile others lose weight much more slowly and some never reach their goal weight. Most of those who lose slowly, with extended plateaus along the way, usually struggle much harder to maintain their weight once they reach their goal than those who lost weight quickly and consistently. The number one factor that affects a WLS patient's rate of weight-loss and the ease with which they are able to maintain their weight after they reach their goal is the intake of refined carbohydrates. When they start their journey everyone wants to know . . . "How fast will I lose weight?" "Do you think I can actually lose all this weight?" "Do you think I can do it in a year?" Those are difficult questions to answer because we can't predict, just by looking at them, which people will lose quickly and which ones will lose slowly. The number one factor that affects a WLS patient's rate of weight-loss and the ease with which they are able to maintain their weight after they reach their goal is the intake of refined carbohydrates. Of course there are rare exceptions, but my observations clearly show these two facts: Those WLS patients who say to themselves, "Just this once won't hurt anything . . . I'll go back to no carbs tomorrow," and eat refined carbohydrates struggle to reach their goal weight and then, if they do reach their goal, they have a much harder time maintaining their weight than those patients who don't. Those WLS patients who eat only complex carbohydrates and who do not eat any refined carbohydrates lose weight rapidly and consistently and they have a much easier time maintaining their weight during the following years. So, here's my advice to those who might be interested; Don't make the mistake of saying to yourself, "Just this once won't hurt anything." It will. The consequences of that decision won't be immediately evident to you; it will take time before they show up. But, they WILL show up, and by the time they do, it will be too late to go back and "fix it." Don't cheat yourself out of the final success that you can achieve and maintain for the rest of your life, by trading it for "Just this once . . ." The Carb Monster shows no mercy; not today, and not tomorrow, or next year. I know that's very black and white advice. It's not sugar coated; it doesn't taste good, or feel good, and it might create fear in some WLS patients who have already cheated themselves. I hope so. The good news is that the sooner you banish the Carb Monster from your life, the easier the rest of the journey will be for you. I also hope it will scare every new patient enough that they'll use those initial few months following surgery to banish the Carb Monster forever. There will never be an easier time to do it. It only gets harder later. I expect there will be those who want to express their opinion on this subject . . . both those who believe they are exceptions to what I've said, and those who are willing to take a couple of minutes out of their lives to warn other WLS patients about what happened to them when they said, "Just this once won't hurt . . ." Ken Miller, President ([email protected]) Bariatric Support Centers International

"Most of those who lose slowly, with extended plateaus along the way, usually struggle much harder to maintain their weight once they reach their goal than those who lost weight quickly and consistently." Britt, you have no idea how much that qoute freaked me out!! I thought about this article all night. You know how hard I struggle for every pound. I hope this doesn't mean that I will not be able to maintain my weight loss once I reach goal. I don't eat refined carbs but maybe I should go even lower on any carbs. You would think that less than 1000 calories plus the malabsorption would do it.

Wanda! This article HIT HOME for me as well (especially after my BAD BAD food day - read my blog) - - It put a fear in me and more of a dertemination to RID the carb monster and get to goal! I think 'for me' this article brought light to "me" having to eliminate the carb monster for good! Wanda - knowing your attitude ... you will get to goal and stay there! I think it will be a daily struggle for us! These last 22 pounds are COMING OFF SOOOOOOOOO slowly! We can do it! Hugs, Britt

You are NOT a failure! We all struggle with eating during pms hell week. Stick to the basics. Lots of fluids and lots of protein. I tried it this week and it really did help diminish the food cravings. P.S. I like your new pics!

Thanks Britt for the article. I sure wish I had read this 7 months ago! I like the way it was written, straight forward and to the point. I have to get the carbs out of the house and out of my diet. Hell week or not, I can't backslide. It is too important to me to be a success. I will not feel like a success till I can conquer the carbs. Wanda, I appreciate your advice. I am on strict protein for the rest of pms week. I know once one refined carb goes into my mouth, I crave them for the remainder of the day. I know this as gospel. Again, thanks guys. You are my times two!

I took my own advice. The only carbs I had yesterday was high-fiber All Bran. My scale hasn't moved in weeks but this morning I was down 1.5 pounds! I had forgotten how good it felt to lose weight! Here is to wishing the same for you!

I am having a terrible problem with this also especially during PMS week. I ate like a fiend last night. I woke up this morning feeling awful, yikes no carbs today for me. That was a really good article and makes one stop and think. Deb

Valorie, I can completely identify with you. Although I haven't been eating chips and bagels, I have been snacking on pretzels or animal crackers, and even birthday cake (my DH's) for about a month. I also noticed it took 6 weeks this time before my period came, but I was PMSing for 2 weeks and felt ravenous!! Now that it is actually here... I am more able to control myself. The carb monster is the devil! I always notice that the more carbs I eat... the MORE I WANT!! It's a horrendous cycle. I drink a ton of water.. but sometimes I still want more. I have a hard time distinguising between head hunger and actual hunger during these times. Sometimes, the only thing that works for me is to remove myself from the house and food all together. That... and I talk to myself like a crazy person... debating with myself (sometimes out loud) as to whether or not I REALLY need to eat the animal crackers! Needless to say, my husband is slowly losing all available snacks in the house because I am starting to ban all "crap" foods. This has always been a struggle for me and I guess it always will. I empathize with you completely. We can beat the carb monster with support from each other! Leah

Thanks to all of my dear supporters! I truly appreciate all of your help. Britt, that article gave me nightmares! I, like Wanda, have struggled for every pound. But, unlike Wanda, I have given into the carb cravings. I know I have eaten way to many of the wrong things. That article really hit home and let's me know that I HAVE to change my EVIL ways now if I am going to have any chance of getting anywhere near goal. Today was better. I have sworn off the carbs and I told my hubby, chips are forever banned from our home! They seem to be my weakness. If I want chips, I vow to eat nuts instead! Now, if I could make my office a bagel free zone, my temptations would be drastically reduced. Ya'll have a great evening and thanks again. Valorie