Those Stinkin Carbs!

Hi Peggy, One thing I have to say for us is at least we are not in denial as before. We say "stop" at some point and not let it get out of control. In the past I would have not been getting on the scale, just looked the other way and those sweat pants can hide a ton of weight. And before we knew it we had put on so much weight we said forget it. So, kudos to us for not letting it get to the point of no return..... And you are so right, I do feel so much better without carbs in my body Take care, Kathy

Kathy, What foods are you eating when you are staying away from the carbs. I know no carbs is meat and green veggies and water but what exactly are you eating. I had my surgery over 2 years ago and I reached my goal weight of 150 but I crave carbs and I have been on a see saw going up and down in weight. I am at 157 right now and I WILL NOT let myself gain anymore weight. I want to cut my carbs out but am I looking at eating deli turkey for lunch and that's all? Don't get me wrong, if thats what it takes then so be it. Thanks Amber

Hi Amber, I find if I graze throughout the day (yes I know that is no no but works for me) I am not hungry and or crave carbs. For it to work though you have to have "good" food on hand. When I get back to basics here is an example of what I eat in a day..... Breakfast - Oatmeal with LF milk and Vanilla Whey Protein Snack - deviled egg or apple with peanut butter, or a handful of almonds Lunch - salad with Trader Joe's NF dressing with shirmp Snack - Protein fruit smoothie Dinner - protien like fish, grilled chicken, shrimp and veggies Snack - LF cheese, String cheese, When I am body building then I get into trouble if I don't increase my cals so I then add complex carbs, like high fiber bagels, sweet potatoes, carbs that are low in the sugar index and takes a long time to process..... I also add a protein drink in my daily food, wheat pasta and a good high fiber snack I pop one of those LF mini bags of popcorn. Try increasing your protein and water, it really does help with the craving..... Good luck!! I am down 3 lbs today so it works when we say no. But saying no is so very hard isn't it? Take care, Kathy

Amen! Those gosh darn carbs are sneaky and very addictive. One bite, for me, leads to more and more. My body sees them and immediately stores them away. Then I retain water. I've been battling with first, not losing since last November, not getting to my goal weight and then gaining 13 lbs from my low point. My dietitian preaches "100 grams of carbs per day is OK". I wasn't losing on 1200-1500 calories daily, so she said it would be OK to go down to 1000 daily, which I did. I had been eating 1000 calories daily with 70-80 grams of carbs since July and the scale continued to stay the same or go up. And I was exercising daily to the point that my arthritic joints were screaming loudly at me. Years ago, when I was faithfully following Dr. Atkins, I discovered that I needed to stay at 30-40 total grams of carb per day to see the scale go down. I maintain at 50+ grams. What I've been realizing lately is that I am back to "how I was before surgery" and I need to get back to this way of eating. I've been doing Dr. Atkins induction phase (20 g carbs daily) since 9/4, and as of 9/11, I had lost 6 of the 13 lbs I put back on. Good luck beating your demons, Sue O.

Hi Sue, I so agree with you!!!! I wouldn't lose with eating so many carbs. I have to almost delete them from my diet to maintain. As you said eating just one doesn't do it for most of us. When I do eat carbs I try to do complex carbs... Good for you for getting off that merry go round and going back to what you know works for you. Good luck and we are here for you!!! We need each other Take care, Kathy

I had to laugh when I read your post because I understand so perfectly what you are saying. I went on vacation for 15 days and gained 12 lbs due to carbs and more than my share of frozen Daiquiris. It took me a three months to get rid of that 12 lbs, so I'll add that experience to my things to remember. Next time it's diet coke with bourbon and a limit of one a day. I'll probably still eat desert on occasion because I love it and it's vacation. I don't eat desert normally. We have to learn to forgive ourselves for the occasional slip up, as long as we get back to our program and rectify the situation quickly. Carbs are like poison to my body.

Hi Pat, Oh those vacations Don't we just love them You are right Pat, we have gotten so smart. We know exactly what put the weight on us now....where as before we just made excuses and turned the other way while we bought larger and larger size clothes. Great job getting those 12 lbs off. It's not easy is it!!! Take care, Kathy

Funny, when I do CRAVE carbs...I find that I do feel physically like total CRAP! I've learned that when I am craving carbs, I will eat a piece of fruit first. If I still crave it, I will go to the conveniet store down the road (I don't keep them in the house!) and then I can't eat as many/ or much of whatever I bought, so I take a bite or two and then give it to my kids as a special snack too!

Hi Kathy, I completely agree about the carbs. They become a viscious cycle for sure. When I'm faced with making a decision about yes/no for carbs, I try to remember that 1 snacky, sugary, fat-laden carb is too many and 1,000 is not enough. Works most of the time so I've put that in my carb-fighting tool box. Thanks for this great post. Cathy ObesityHelp Support Group Specialist

You are so right Cathy, they are so addictive!!!! Icecream is the worst for me.... Take care, Kathy