Craving Carbs

I had my surgery in May 2007, and have lost 55 pounds (I'm a "lightweight"). My surgeon says I am NOT a success because I haven't lost enough. Great for the encouragement....

My question is:  how do I deal with craving carbs such as Wheat Thins?

I don't know why I crave them so much.  I eat everything else I am supposed to and have yet to have as much as one M & M!

Any help is appreciated....

Susan

Susan -

What kind of surgery did you have and how much do you have yet to lose?  Whats your percentage of weight loss so far?  What co-morbidities did you have pre-op that might have some effect on your weight loss speed (PCOS or diabetes slows things down sometimes)?  What's a typical day of eating and exercise for you?  Maybe some extra insight could help us help you figure out what's going on.

Carb cravings suck, don't they?  I think we all get them and we all struggle with overcoming them. 

One rule that I've set for myself is that I can't have carbs unless I'm also having protein.  I love grapes, but I can't have them unless I pair them with cheese or a slice of deli turkey.  No apples without peanut butter.  No crackers without tuna or chicken salad.  My only exception is a small popcorn at the movie theater about once every 4 to 6 weeks or so.  Otherwise, this hard and firm rule of carb/protein balance has helped me stay on track for the most part. 

And remember that carbs beget carbs.  Eating carbs out of balance will result in an insulin spike which will cause our body to crave more carbs to soak up some of that extra insulin.  Simple carbs (bread, crackers, potatoes) have a greater effect than complex carbs (veggies, whole grains, legumes) on insulin production. 

Pam

I've also heard that using sugar substitutes can increase carb cravings so try to eliminate things like Crystal light - it can actually make things worse by increasing the cravings.