Carb Addiction
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I haven't listened to this yet. But it's gotta have some good info right?
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/livin-la-vida-low-carb-show/id324601605?mt=2&i=327524798
I will be listening to it on my morning walk I am leaving for right now.
I have it downloaded (along with a few others with the same lady - she'd been on Underground Wellness also). Listening now.
I think the plan is to start Monday is no sugar no grains (hi Gale!) and lots more fat. All the sugary crap (except the requisite Dr. Peppers) will be out of the fridge by then and I can use up the spaghetti noodles and such this weekend with the kids.
Do y'all worry if there's a touch of sugar or corn starch in a sauce? I use a curry sauce that has 7g sugar and 21g carbs, and I'd be eating about a third of it each day with cauliflower and chicken. Otherwise, I guess I'll be eating taco meat & breakfast sausage instead.
I would consider 7g carbs too much for such a small amount of sauce personally. I bought a salad dressing, strawberry vinaigrette, that has that much in a full serving and I feel like I'm pushing my luck using it, but I wouldn't have used it for sure in the beginning. I don't fight the cravings anymore now, so it is unlikely to be a problem for me in such a small amount. I don't like any single meal to exceed 10g carb unless it's maybe 15g and 5g of it is fiber and those 15 have less than 5g sugar.
Plus, you're describing eating it with cauliflower and chicken, so what would be the fat content of that meal?0 -
The sauce itself only has about 3.5g fat. I'd be the only one eating it, so I can make it with chicken thighs to boost the fat and plan on adding a bit of yogurt or sour cream.0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »I think there is also a huge difference in the factor that a heroin addict can avoid exposure to heroin for the rest of his life, theoretically. We require food to survive, so we can't boycott food altogether. Sometimes we will be exposed to foods we'd rather not be tempted by due to that thing called life. We cannot avoid all of our triggers, and so that makes it that much more difficult to avoid the idea of temptation and all that. It seems inevitable.
Changing one's thinking is hard, too. How can (RANDOM EXAMPLE) donuts be poison to me, but not be poison to my brother? Once we get to the point of trying to rationalize and use logic to justify things one direction or another, I find that I am already on the downward slope. I'm working to develop new skills to fight in those more tempting moments and situations.
I think, too, that this comes back to the fundamental principle that we almost all fight on some level in our heads/hearts. "It's not fair." No, it isn't fair. Life is NOT fair. And it is hard to accept that fully, because in a fantasy world, it would be fair. And maybe it should be fair. But the simple fact is that it is not fair. And swallowing that big pill is a huge issue for most of us. We can ignore it, act like it didn't happen, put the issue on the back burner, etc., but eventually, to gain emotional maturity and to move on in our own lives, we all really have to fully accept this premise...to embrace it even...and swallow that darned pill!
Wow! Knit, you are always so on point! I'm always impressed with what you add to conversations.
Mentioning "how can the donut not be poison to my brother but it is to me" was something that came up in the podcast I linked. Again the comparison to alcohol addiction was referenced in that, not everyone that drinks becomes an alcoholic. There are any number of factors both known and unknown that could explain this. In the end, we have to just do what's best for us on an individual basis. We can't compare how fair our lives are to others. That's a recipe for self loathing, jealousy and a downward spiral.
Wow...@Sunny_Bunny_ I'm kind of flattered and caught off guard by this. I tend to absorb a lot of what others say/discuss and then eventually, it works its way back out once I've processed all of it, pulled out the interesting bits, studied them, delved into some research, etc. I've dealt with a lot of addictions in my own life and the lives of folks I love, so this has been a point of interest to me. I kind of get obsessive about the research bit, too.
While I never got addicted to drugs or alcohol, I do have quite the addictive personality, and I know that (hence the obsession with things like the Kombucha discussion). I get a wild hair up my backside, get all passionately obsessed with it, do some decent things, lose a sense of myself or my sanity sometimes, then CRASH right into a wall... I am 0 or 100 most of the time on...well, pretty much everything. I'm either a "prettyprettyprincess" or I'm a walking disaster...
I did however medicate with food, comfort food, sugar, carbs, and junk. I have been fighting weight my whole life. I have the whole addict's perspective of finding a way to rationalize just about anything to myself with just the right perspective and just the right input and just the right angle of viewing and all that. I can rationalize darned near anything. That's why I said, when I git the point where I am already starting to try to rationalize, I have to snap that figurative rubber band on my wrist, "BAD CARLY. STOP. You are being an idiot. You don't walk this path anymore..." etc. I don't have a formal self-speak, and I'm working on a better way to "break" that thought process, but it hasn't happened yet. (I don't actually say or do those things, exactly, but it's a kind of gut check WTF kind of thing...)
I haven't watched/listened to that podcast, but as I said, with addiction and such being a personal interest, a lot of things have crossed my "desk" so to speak... I'm glad that my words end up helping others. Most of the time I'm just putting them out there to formulate and confirm what I'm thinking, that it makes sense and says what I think it does...0 -
I dont have a lot to add about why to stop and how, but a thought on the hubby insisting on keeping Dr Pepper in the fridge... I have noticed something about myself... If there is a cupcake at work on the counter with the sign "free - take", I want it BADLY. And i will take it. If I buy them myself and put them on the counter, they will call to me until I give in. But if my son spends his own money, buys it for himself and leaves it on the counter so that he can take it to work tomorrow, I wont eat it. Its his, not mine. He is counting on it being there tomorrow to pack in his lunch.
So maybe for your hubby, decide how many he drinks a day, buy him enough for a few days, write his name on them if you have to and number them - Monday #1, Monday #2, Tuesday #1, Tuesday #2. That way if you take one, say Wednesday #2, when he goes to drink it he will be a little annoyed you drank his soda and left him, he will have to borrow from the next day etc and then run out early. This of course only works if you dont just go out and buy more. But maybe putting them in a container with his name on them, and not stocking up a lot of them (so its not easy to "hide" that you took one) will help you mentally stay away?
Its just a mental trick, but like you said, willpower alone doesnt always work. You need to figure out what would make you resist drinking one and play that to your advantage.0 -
I dont have a lot to add about why to stop and how, but a thought on the hubby insisting on keeping Dr Pepper in the fridge... I have noticed something about myself... If there is a cupcake at work on the counter with the sign "free - take", I want it BADLY. And i will take it. If I buy them myself and put them on the counter, they will call to me until I give in. But if my son spends his own money, buys it for himself and leaves it on the counter so that he can take it to work tomorrow, I wont eat it. Its his, not mine. He is counting on it being there tomorrow to pack in his lunch.
So maybe for your hubby, decide how many he drinks a day, buy him enough for a few days, write his name on them if you have to and number them - Monday #1, Monday #2, Tuesday #1, Tuesday #2. That way if you take one, say Wednesday #2, when he goes to drink it he will be a little annoyed you drank his soda and left him, he will have to borrow from the next day etc and then run out early. This of course only works if you dont just go out and buy more. But maybe putting them in a container with his name on them, and not stocking up a lot of them (so its not easy to "hide" that you took one) will help you mentally stay away?
Its just a mental trick, but like you said, willpower alone doesnt always work. You need to figure out what would make you resist drinking one and play that to your advantage.
I use this trick. My fiance has a shelf in the pantry, a shelf in the fridge, and his couch side table (for a candy dish thing). If it is HIS, for some reason, it's not on my radar, at all, even if it is a trigger/former trigger food. I remember being humiliated at having to tell him I ate something or I had to replace it, etc. I don't know where the difference is there...0 -
I had to get my will to live greater than my will to die by just doing the same as always before I could cold turkey leave my carb addiction.0
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So many great points here! I love this community.
Just wanted to add that, at least for me, starting off as strictly as I thought I could handle, getting the hang of it (6 weeks or more for that), then making very small adjustments has worked out pretty well. And by now, I anticipate that there will be not-so-stellar days, when I go over on carbs or calories, but those are okay if balanced out by mostly good days, reinforcing good habits, getting good at getting back on track and staying there as long as possible.
However, the threat of foods that trigger bingeing is not to be ignored, so some things are just straight up off limits for me (like cake, bagels, sugary soda). Bingeing is not the same as a slightly over calories/carbs day, in that it's a big deviation, puts you out of control and can trigger a downward spiral and unraveling of good habits.
Even bingeing can be overcome of course, but it's so much easier not to go there.0 -
Carb cravings are certainly a tough problem. I am (or hopefully was) most definitely a carb addict as well. My hubby brings home all kinds of tempting foods… ug! It has been a trial to stay out of the chips and cookies. Sorry about the Dr. Pepper in the fridge all the time. That is tough! Maybe he could get a garage fridge and keep it out of the house? I don’t know as I am in the same boat sometimes. I hope it gets better soon!
What I have been doing to ease cravings is 86% chocolate, and fat bombs (almond butter, coconut oil, stevia). Just a little bit is all I need to feel satisfied. I also switched from beer to gin and diet tonic water with lemon. Although I seem to have lots of short-term willpower I am concerned with the long haul. My biggest concern is that I love to cook. Sauces are my big weakness. Before starting this woe I was aiming to master all the basic French sauces (most all roux based which means flour). And sauce goes best over what… pasta… ug! I also took an Italian cooking class a while back in which the food choices were far from being low carb. I will be experimenting a lot in the kitchen to get new recipes down that I love and will fit into this new woe.
I will check out “Change Anything” thanks for the suggestion @KnitOrMiss. I have other situations in life that would benefit from that read as well. And thanks for the podcast suggestion @Sunny_Bunny_ , definitely going to check it out!
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KetoGirl83 wrote: »For me it was never about willpower. Sometimes I had it for a while. Then I gave in "just this once" and went downhill fast. This happened with every.single.diet.I.tried. For years.
Then I found LCHF -- stress on the HF -- and suddenly there was no need for willpower. I started feeding my body what it needed and it started healing. Sure, sometimes I have difficult moments, I'm addicted to carbs and my mind wants to trick me now and then. But I can see that those difficult moments now are mostly psychological, there's none of the blinding, mind numbing hunger I felt before. And with this my very limited "willpower" is able to cope.
^^ this. When I feel the urge for carbs, I eat a high fat snack. pb, almonds, jerky, fat bombs, etc., then the carb craving goes away and I feel in control.
I've started doing this too. Last night it was a cup of pistachios and macadamia nuts, although I did have a Tbs of xylitol sweetened chocolate chips with it. It does help (me) somewhat.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I haven't listened to this yet. But it's gotta have some good info right?
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/livin-la-vida-low-carb-show/id324601605?mt=2&i=327524798
I will be listening to it on my morning walk I am leaving for right now.
After listening to her on several podcasts, I downloaded her book, Food Junkies. Ummm...yeah, it pretty much describes my relationship with sweet things, at least towards the beginning of the food addiction cycles. I can't drink just one Dr. Pepper per day, I end up drinking 4. I can't eat just a few candies, and if there is cake or pie, it's breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it's gone. My obsession with Fritos is well known, and I stuff myself silly with waffle fries, even if I'm already stuffed. Apparently part of the answer is to completely abstain from the sweet stuff and grains. Unfortunately, getting through the quitting part is no fun at all and will end up meaning I can't used premade sauces.0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »That book I keep talking about "Change Anything" is great about explaining why we fall into the Willpower Trap. It isn't about willpower alone. Willpower without supporting tools and plans will ALWAYS FAIL. It needs to be bolstered. I strongly recommended checking out that book. It will help you see why you keep fighting the same fight over and over again. All types of influence working against. Biology, availability, temptation, addiction, etc.
Currently reading, library copy finally came in. Yay!
Oh, and I'm on day 3 of mostly behaving.0
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