I am addicted....to bad carbs

gracienkaidens_momma

I am back on MFP after being gone for awhile. I am sick and tired of sabotaging my body with bad food and not exercising. I am absolutely addicted to bad carbs. I love bread of all kind, pizza, pasta, etc. I just crave it constantly. I used to be able to fill up on salads and veggies, but I have no desire to eat them anymore and they don't really fill me up when I do eat them. I wish I could get back to clean eating. I feel awful due to eating too many carbs. I feel tired a lot. Do you guys have any advice on how to break these cravings and addiction? I know I'll never be able to give them up altogether, but I need to severely cut down to be healthier and finally reach my weight loss goals. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

ANDIMCKI

I have this problem too. I can't stop thinking about junk food. I work out to avoid eating. Then I get home and plan to eat healthy and usually do. The problem is, the cravings never go away, I can't stop myself and I binge. I easily eat 1000cal in 1 hour. I've tried eating the bad carbs I'm craving first, but that's just as bad. Willpower doesn't work. If I do get through today, I'll just wake up with cravings in the morning that are worse. How do I fight this???

careyharv

My suggestion would be to substitute them if you can or portion control. I like pizza and pasta as well and I still want to enjoy them. So I make sure I portion out what I am going to eat. I also don't eat it very often. As for the substitution, a friend of mine uses Miracle Noodle. I haven't tried it because it can be a little expensive but she likes it. Good Luck!

jfluchere

Try eating healthy carbs like oatmeal and sweet potatoes.

yarmiah

That is the evil of simple carbs- they are addictive!

You have to break the cycle of addiction. If you don't eat them,
you won't crave them 5 minutes after consumption.

What worked for me?

Eat more protein, replace simple carbs with complex carbs and dont eat any carbs after say 3pm.

I don't eat "white carbs" any more because I know what the consequences will be. Almost like
a recovering alcoholic, I just avoid them altogether.

shayshay01

I too am a carb junkie!! I LOVE them! I have found that I can still have them often if I choose the ones that are low cal. I eat Heiner's 35 calorie bread... I either toast it or get it warm in the microwave and then I spray as much Parkay butter spray on it as I want.... that gives me a quick fix when I am about to have a bread breakdown for only 35 cals! Also, I have found that 2% Breakstone's Cottage Cheese seems to really quench my fits. I buy the little 90 cal snack packs.... and throw a little pepper on it.... MMMMM!!!! Oh, AND.... the instant grits are only 100 cals a pack. I make those for breakfast and put the butter spray and two tbls. of Splenda in them.... YUM! And then lets don't forget the Jimmy Dean Delights Breakfast sandwiches for 230 cals. MMMMM. For a chippy type of snack- Try Goldfish... You can have alot of those for very few calories. As far as the Miracle Noodles go... don't waste your money! They have the consistency of worms and absolutely NO flavor. Ewwww. Good luck!!!!

grinch031

I too am addicted. The solution was to cut them out completely. If I tried to moderate portions, it was always a failure because I would eat them one way or another, whether during my dinner, or 3 hours later as a late night binge.

Carb addiction reminds me a whole lot of my former nicotine addiction. It is that potent. I increased protein and fat intake and my body knows when to stop eating now. Its like magic. But I just can't afford to make bad food choice decisions when the temptation arises.

But I think cheat days are doable because you have the night to sleep it off and reset. I cheat no more often than once every 2 weeks generally (holidays were a bit tougher).

maryjay51

i try like the heckto stay away from white flour products .. today was not one of them days but thats ok because out of all year today was the first day i didnt stick to my plan.. we are allowed those days now and then and with losing 80lbs i certaintly wouldve gone bonkers had i not indulged now and then...

only input i can give you is ..how bad do you want to make changes? its all your choice ..you think you are depriving yourself of the food pleasures in life but what you are really depriving yourself from is a healhier lifestyle.. having pizza or other so called bad carbs is ok when its in moderation or once in a rare moon as a treat to yourself but if you eat that all the time you wont obtain your goals.

when i ate that stuff all the time i evaluated my life at the time.i spent a ton of time at home and in front of the tv and or computer.. since them days i have become extremely active in the community and i work alot ..i also joined a gym that im pretty faithful in going to. i set up my gym at home in one of my ivingrooms where the tv is .there is NO comfort in that room..i either sit on the floor to watch tv or go on a machine and move my *kitten* while im watching something .

it takes time to form new habits but you have to be willing to do what it takes ..dont think about what you cant have but rather what you can have.. many of us are food addicts and once you discover that there is more to life than food then you lift that demon off your back.

Mikaylarae27

The only way to break your addition is to stop eating those things. There are many sources that say that carbohydrates are just as addictive as cigarettes or other drugs. I try to stay away from processed carbs like bakery and bread, but I have terrible willpower at times and when I give in and eat those things, I'm usually off track for a few days because after I have them one day, I'm craving them more the next day and the next. However, if I avoid bakery and bread for a week I'm hardly even thinking about how I'm not eating it them the next week.

My suggestion would be to try and regulate how many processed carbs you eat and gradually cut down on your consumption. You WILL feel better and stronger. Not only will physiological changes take place that will reduce craving, but you will also become mentally stronger. Do some reading on the effects carbs can have on your body like "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes.

P.S. Don't cut too quickly or your body will go into withdrawl and you'll most likely feel sick.

Good luck!

supermom4abcd

Thanks for posting! I'm a self-proclaimed junk-a-terian. I LOVE bread, rice, pasta, chips, crackers and I don't like meat. Veggies are tasty, but not very filling. Maybe a "cold turkey" approach would break the addiction.

gracienkaidens_momma

Thanks so much for all of your posts. I think I am going to substitute my bad carbs with lower calorie complex carbs. I need to make a trip to the market and get some of these foods in my house! I know I can do this. One moment and one day at a time. Thanks again.

jennifershoo

The only way to break your addition is to stop eating those things. There are many sources that say that carbohydrates are just as addictive as cigarettes or other drugs.

This^^

The problem with substituting one carb for another carb is that you're still consuming a carb. You'll still have cravings.

issyfit

Phase one of South Beach completely got rid of my sweet and starch cravings.

KristinaMarieOH

Phase one of South Beach completely got rid of my sweet and starch cravings.

I know this post is old but I was searching "addicted to bad carbs" and this came up. lol. I agree, I did South Beach years ago and it cured my bad carb cravings too. Guess I'm going to have to do it. I'm an all or nothing kinda girl so limiting my bad carbs doesn't work for me.

lori1939

Really keep track of them, I take a small teap peanut butter, it satisfies me for a while