What's with carb cravings

ok, I give up. I tried this "protein train" thing. Great idea, hard to stick to. What's with the carb cravings. Why don't I crave celery or carrots?? And why only crunchy items, not breads unless they are looking me right in the eye!! Any help from those who have this crazy craving going on would be appreciated. I read the entries incognito most of the time. I usually don't get into the discussions. I had originally (in my honeymoon period) lost 70 lbs. Now within the last year I've gained 13 lbs. All on carbs. Thanks Patty Butler and Dee Dee for your input on this board. Marilyn

Hi Marilyn! Welcome and let me say thank you for having the courage to post this. This is a step in the right direction. You are reaching out for help and supprot in a time when you feel you are out of control. Been there done that. That's why I'm here. I have been out of control and needed to be accountable to others and get back on track. This has been a way to do just that. Carbs affect all of us in different ways. Some of us are more sensitive to them than others are. Some folks have no prob.w/sugar carbs. but let them near the bread and look out! Others have no prob. w/sugar or bread, bu****ch out if they are craving the crunchy type of carbs. It was explained to our support grp. once that if a person is craving soft mushy types of carbs. it's an indication of some depression. If the craving is for the crunchy type carbs., then more likely the person is stressed. I thought about it and thought more and realized that there is truth to that observation. I decided that if I won't try and stop myself and give into the emotion I'm experiencing, than make healthy choices. I think I read on here yesterday different ways of having the crunchy type of foods that are better for us. Some suggestions were pepporoni/turkey slices put in micro to get crispiness. Also, pork rinds were mentioned. I tell ya I tried a few times to get use to them and I still can't. But, I'm not giving up completly on them. I'm going for it again soon. Our tastes are always changing so we shall see. You may want to go to that post and see the other suggestions. You can beat this Marilyn. You can be successful. Detox a bit and try the other suggestions. Keep coming back and post. It's a great source of support and therapy IMHO. Take care and have a successful day. Your Gastric Buddy, Jeannie

Thanks, Jeannie. It's really a struggle. I tried to figure out when I get these cravings and sure enough, it's boredom, stress with DH (mostly) and the feeling of not connecting. I sure would like to get the same satisfaction from carrot as I do a cracker. lol Mar.

Hi Marilyn, I also crave carbs in a big way. The South Beach Diet book has great info in the first couple of chapters on why your body craves carbs. It's actually a physical reaction. Many formerly MO have screwed up insulin response systems anyway which makes it worse. Anyhow, if I remember correctly, my laymans interpretation is that when you eat refined carbs, it causes a spike in blood sugar. Your body responds by producing insulin (too much sometimes in our case) which causes a crash in blood sugar. You then crave more carbs to balance that out and raise your blood sugar again. It's a vicious cycle and the more carbs you eat, the worse it is. I can eat moderate amounts of WHOLE GRAIN carbs or fruits w/ a low glycemic index if I have been staying away from refined carbs without causing cravings. It takes a week or two for me to detox, then the cravings get easier. That's why it's better to stay ON the wagon than to have to crawl back up. Linda