Carb Addict

ImaWaterBender

Ok, I am a serious carb addict. I am not going to mention the foods, but they are all junk. I can't seem to get through the day without eating something junky and the longer I put it off, the more of it I eat.

I am in the first month of my insurance required diet and it's KILLING ME.

Maybe I should just quit? Chalk it up to not being able to do it? How the heck will I stay stable on the liquid diet and then the post op stuff.

I am so discouraged.

april731

I was a carb FIEND. Seriously. I struggled mightily throughout my 3 month supervised "diet" and gained and lost the same 10 pounds 3 times. I had to do 2 weeks of liquids before surgery and struggled with that as well - I ate a steak dinner, including a dinner roll 2 days before surgery. Granted, I did well enough on the liquid diet that I managed to have a net loss of 13 pounds, but wouldn't recommend my path.

For me, all that changed the day of surgery (well, I guess the 24 hours prior when I was on clear liquids). You really, truly, could not give a crap about food right after surgery. Carbs or otherwise. By the time I could eat again, I had finally detoxed from my carb addiction and haven't craved them since (as of today, 5.5 months post-op). I have had a bite of cake 3 times in the last 2 months. The one time I took more than one bite made my stomach feel wretched. I've also taken heed from those that have come before me to avoid regular (or even semi-regular) consumption of simple carbs for as long as possible. I know that I will never have a good relationship with carbs, so I doubt they will ever have a regular appearance on my plate.


My best advice: don't let your past dictate your future. The surgery is an opportunity for a clean slate.

garber6th

I was a major carb addict too. Seriously. I cut back drastically the months before surgery and I haven't added them back into my diet yet since surgery. I am almost one year out from surgery. I don't miss them, I don't need them, so I choose not to tempt fate. I know adding trigger foods back into my diet could be the start of a slippery slope, so I am in no hurry. Just know that you CAN break your carb addiction. April is right, don't let your past dictate your future!

Mangopickle

Ok, I am a serious carb addict. I am not going to mention the foods, but they are all junk. I can't seem to get through the day without eating something junky and the longer I put it off, the more of it I eat.

I am in the first month of my insurance required diet and it's KILLING ME.

Maybe I should just quit? Chalk it up to not being able to do it? How the heck will I stay stable on the liquid diet and then the post op stuff.

I am so discouraged.

You are correct when you say addict. you are medicating with food. This is what morbidly obese people do. You need to get with the therapist in your bariatric program about dealing with stressors in your life. You will have to learn to stand in the rain and realize that you will not drown. You will have to learn to be bored, sad,tired, mad,happy, broke, pissed off, etc. without running to food pleasure to rescue you from the crap of life. Anyone can out eat surgery.and believe me the crap of life is still there after surgery! you need to get a handle on this. i also agree about dropping carbs, if you can abstain for 24-48hrs it does get easier.

Sammers48220

I'm a carb addict too, and I'm in my last month of my insurance-required diet. It CAN be done, don't get discouraged. This is actually a great time to really dig into your habits and try to change them before surgery. It's been a process of trial and error, but I found that talking to my nutritionist and logging everything on MFP really helped. If you're a reader, I'd also recommend the book "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. It gave me a whole new perspective on my eating habits.

JxAAA

Me too I'm a carb addict as well. It has dwindled substantially post op but I know this will be a lifelong struggle for me to manage my carbs. Surgery did not magically cure the desire so I have to be very conscious of everything I eat and making sure those carbs don't sneak up on me. When I've gone through a few stalls it's typically because because my carb averages had been going up. As soon as I cut them back down the pounds started coming off again.

loriloftness

I understand your pain. I adore carbs. My husband works for a artisan bread company and gets to bring home all the free bread he wants. Let me tell you how painful it is to see that come home. Now he eats it and I have him give the rest away to our friends. I am about 4-6 weeks from having my sleeve done. My hope is that after surgery I will have less physical cravings for carbs and will be able to manage my mental craving for the carbs. At worst, on a rare occasion I hope I will eat something that is a healthier carb, like a multigrain toast, and have it satisfy me. Don't let your carb addictions talk you out of taking control of your life.

SimplySusan63

I was a carb FIEND. Seriously. I struggled mightily throughout my 3 month supervised "diet" and gained and lost the same 10 pounds 3 times. I had to do 2 weeks of liquids before surgery and struggled with that as well - I ate a steak dinner, including a dinner roll 2 days before surgery. Granted, I did well enough on the liquid diet that I managed to have a net loss of 13 pounds, but wouldn't recommend my path.

For me, all that changed the day of surgery (well, I guess the 24 hours prior when I was on clear liquids). You really, truly, could not give a crap about food right after surgery. Carbs or otherwise. By the time I could eat again, I had finally detoxed from my carb addiction and haven't craved them since (as of today, 5.5 months post-op). I have had a bite of cake 3 times in the last 2 months. The one time I took more than one bite made my stomach feel wretched. I've also taken heed from those that have come before me to avoid regular (or even semi-regular) consumption of simple carbs for as long as possible. I know that I will never have a good relationship with carbs, so I doubt they will ever have a regular appearance on my plate.


My best advice: don't let your past dictate your future. The surgery is an opportunity for a clean slate.

ImAWaterBender: I agree with this sweet lady, April731. Once you have the surgery you don't feel like eating ANY food for a while. When you do start getting your appetite back you will be past the NEED for carbs. I love carbs! I would live on carbs if I could. But the others posted here are correct. Once you get past that initial time post-surgery you will find it's much easier. Then it's a matter of choosing not to start the carb addition cycle again.

Good luck! Don't give up. You can do it.

katematt313

Been there!! Here are some ideas:

1. You have to fill up on protein on a regular basis, then it is easier to resist the stuff you are not supposed to eat.

2. You need to have convenient, easy sources of protein that you actually want to eat. Different strokes for different folks, here. I love rotisserie chicken, shrimp cocktail, and cheese sticks. I also love pure protein brand protein bars (just found them), and sugar-free protein shake mix combined with skim milk and cold coffee.

3. You should get rid of what is triggering you to eat this stuff. Whether it is the troublesome food itself (throw it out) or people/situations who make you want to binge on junk.. you've got to get rid of these triggers if you want to avoid the binge.

4. MOST IMPORTANTLY. If you are like me (a true carb addict), you need to make a commitment to just stop eating carbs for a while. Give yourself two full weeks. Carbs are - LITERALLY - addicting. They give your body a quick energy high that does not last long. Then you crash. Then you immediately crave more. Then you eat more. And on and on, getting less healthy as you go. Your body does not need carbohydrate to make energy. You can actually survive on the remaining two macronutrients - fat and protein - very well. Your body takes about two weeks to go from a carb-burning machine to a fat-burning machine. In the meanwhile, you will feel like absolute crap. That is withdrawal. When that is over, you will feel amazing and full of energy. I have lived through this, myself, and I solemnly swear that what I have just said reflects my own experiences.

Here is a great article about going cold turkey, carb-free: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ketones-and-ketosis/tips-tricks-for-starting-or-restarting-low-carb-pt-i/

In it, Dr. Eades writes about carb addiction, and breaking it:

"Listening to your body is giving the elephant free rein. If you’re three days into your stop-smoking program, and you listen to your body, you’re screwed. If you’re in drug rehab, and you listen to your body, you’re screwed. If you’re trying to give up booze, and you listen to your body, you’re screwed. And if you’re a week into your low-carb diet, and you listen to your body, you’re screwed. Actually, it’s okay to listen to it, I suppose, just don’t do what it’s telling you to do because if you do, you’re screwed."

YOU CAN DO THIS. You are worth the hard work it will take. You know what the consequences are if you fail to make these changes. You will feel fantastic when you get past these bumps and start accomplishing your goals. Believe in yourself!!

authorwriter

Are you looking for permission to quit? Okay, you have it.

If being a carb addict is enough to resign yourself to a lifetime of being morbidly obese, then this surgery may not be for you. It's not for everybody. It will seriously change your insides and the change is permanent. There's nothing easy about the aftermath. everything will change from the way you eat to the way you go to the bathroom to the way you interact with others around food. your restaurant experience will be different, you will likely get GERD, and you might even be really thirsty and struggling hard to get in enough fluid to quench it.

I wish you my best and hope you find a good path to achieve your weight loss goals.

katematt313

As a note: I recall a prior post from OP, wherein she disclosed to us that she has a serious medical condition and that her MD told her that she has to have WLS if she hopes to resolve it. She does not have full family support for WLS. She is contemplating WLS because pressing medical concerns are pushing her in that direction, whether she likes it or not. She is not coming to WLS voluntarily or having had the benefit of time to think things through, as most of us have. Under these circumstances, how could she not have misgivings or be concerned that she won't be able to keep up with the program post-op?