Confused

maoribadger

I need to get out my eating cycle. Its making me feel worse today i literally want to hide and never come out. But i think i need a plan. Ive been thinking about when i ate high protein when i was lifting i felt good. And ive thought about low carb but all i can think of is atkins. I dont want to live on bacon and cheese. Id like to eat a load of veg too. Im really confused

KnitOrMiss

Atkins INDUCTION excludes veggie carbs. The intention on an Atkins plan is to spend a few weeks adapting, then adding back in to tolerance. Only high starch veggies have to be majorly restricted, like peas, carrots, and potatoes and the like. Melons are usually straight sugar, very little fiber, so quantity limited. Berries and stone fruits (peaches, apricots, etc). are generally the best. Lowest in sugar. dietdoctor.com has some great charts.

I am still low carb but not Atkin-style. I tend to aim for 100-150 grams of carbs a day, but I'm usually lower.

My breakfast is my lowest carb meal. Usually it's something with eggs (scramble, fried, hard boiled, deviled, etc.) and I've been known to eat berries and/or tomatoes and cucumbers with breakfast sometimes, too. Lunch is meat, cheese, sometimes a Lavash wrap, and maybe bell peppers, tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, etc. Anything like that. Dinner is some variation of meat, veggie, and small portion of something carby. Might have steak with broccoli, and small bit of mashed potato. Sometimes I'll do a broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mix, with a knob of butter and some grated cheese. I might do a taco salad in a bowl, with refried beans, meat, sour cream/guacamole/ranch mix, cheese, and salsa. Lettuce and I aren't usually friends, so I tend to leave that out. Might do a bunless burger with a few fries... Mostly I get more satisfied WITHOUT the bun, and just some mayo (which I used to hate, but blended with ketchup, mustard and mayo, it's fab!) and cheese, pickles, tomatoes, etc. Onions are carbier, so still okay, just use less....

I think JJ Virgin has a how to break the sugar habits book... The Virgin Diet, but her podcast didn't appeal to me.

Honestly, going gluten and grain free could help your littlest one, too. That and no dyes. They're notorious for messing with all that stuff.

That being said, going lower in carbs helped break my sugar cycle, sticking to 86% dark cocoa when I want chocolate (or 72% while adjusting) or making a homemade mousse with double cream, vanilla, low carb sweetener (Sweet Leaf SweetDrops is my personal fave), and cocoa powder... I say sweeten only to tolerance - the least amount you can tolerate a food at - and not to taste - helps adjust. Use teas with more fragrance than sweet, and all sugars in limited amounts. Drop fructose as much as possible.

And consider adding l-glutamine, 1-2 grams, 2 times a day. This will help if you start lifting things again, too. Cari and I started together, and with my other supplements, there's a massively measurable difference for me in my binge tendencies.

If you miss crispy things - microwave or bake cheese slices or shreds (look up cheese crisps). I like bell peppers. Kale chips. Pepperoni chips. Nuts in small portions, etc.

Here are some articles that might help. I separated out the parts of their supplement in the first article and made my own formula.

carbsyndrome.com/is-your-brain-two-quarts-low/

http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-beat-sugar-cravings-glutamine/

https://www.afpafitness.com/research-articles/alcoholism-need-vitamins-become-well-2

These articles really helped me to focus on getting the nutrition I've been missing to start combating the sugar addiction and binge tendencies. It is a slow process, but definite inroads have been made.

HUGS

KnitOrMiss

Oh, and my personal philosophy is that you should eat the most calories you can and lose weight, and you should find your carb threshold and eat the most carbs you can and still fight off cravings and stay healthy! (hugs)