Should I give these up?!

Cutting out/down on carbs in my opinion, is a big no-no - especially if you are exercising. I would reccomend reading the book "Eat Your Way to Happiness" by Elizabeth Somer. This book focuses (as its title suggests) on foods relationship to your mood/cravings. She also has another book called Food & Mood. I tried summarizing some of the carb info - but it was just too long.

In short, your body needs carbohydrates - just make sure you are choosing the right ones. Choose whole grains and avoid added sugar as much as you can. However, I have found that it is best not to make any food "off limits." If you allow yourself treats, you will be less tempted to binge. Believe it or not, I used to drink up to 3 sodas a day!! This was over a year ago, and the thought disgusts me. I thought I would never be able to stop. I cut back gradually and limited myself to one once a day. Eventually, I found I could go a few days without one. Now? I go for many months at a time! I still allow myself the occasional Coke though.

If you DO go overboard, just remember that you can start right back up again! Cutting out added sugar is hard - I am struggling with it as well. But if you eat the right things most of the time - that is half the battle! I would also second dark chocolate - buy the best quality you can afford. I like the individually wrapped squares because they stop me from eating the whole bar!

Check out this link (it's a PDF file): nutrition.mednet.ucla.edu/.../Carbohydrates_are_Good_for_U.pdf

Hmmm...I feel like yoda saying this but...I think only you can answer this question. I stay away from breads and sugar, but not because some one told me to, but because I feel better when I don't eat them. If you feel crabby and miserable when you avoid them, then maybe cutting them out isn't for you. Other people say bread makes them feel good. I'm gluten intolerant...so bread doesn't make me feel good. But potatoes make me feel wonderful. Sugar does makes other things taste good, so I eat it in very small quantities occasionally, but also feel better without it. But you know what? Alcohol isn't good for you. And I like whiskey. So I drink it sometimes. Got a problem with it? Doesn't matter....because I don't. So if you don't feel that sugar is a problem for you, and it brings you joy, have it sometimes. It probably won't be the thing that kills you....

I guess you have to make up your mind about *why* you want to give up these things. I don't think giving them up is a "magical" weight loss formula. Most people who chose to radically change their diet by giving up x food (sugar, bread, meat, whatever), successfully, do so because, as other posters have said, it makes them feel better in other ways. And conversely, people who don't stick to the changes usually say they felt worse, never got the promised results, and felt better eating differently. So again, I think only you are going to be able to answer this question for yourself.