Low carb diet leading me to constant binges - help! -

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  • melonaulait
    melonaulait Posts: 769 Member
    edited March 2016
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    It could be that low carb isn't the best option for OP - it definitely isn't doable for everybody. Some thrive on low carb, but if you're having real trouble... Count calories instead.

    OhReally42 wrote: »
    If you find it hard to cut out carbs I would start gluten free and whole grain. Having Gluten and refined grains increases your insulin resistance and won't allow you to use the insulin you're taking in. You might notice that you feel fuller and then you can gradually lower the amount of breads, pastas, etc. Having less sweets you'll also notice you crave it less. You could try stocking up on fruit and eating that when you crave cake/cookies/whatever and then if you still crave it just have a small portion.

    I believe gluten only adversely affects people who have celiacs. There's no benefit to just going gluten free and whole grain.
  • Untilproud11
    Untilproud11 Posts: 297 Member
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    Thank u all for all the great info
    Im not focusing much on protein and fat
    All i think is " i must stay under 100 gr of carbs "
  • Untilproud11
    Untilproud11 Posts: 297 Member
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    greaseisstilltheword wrote: »
    I can only offer my experience... I too have PCOS & was advised to decrease carbs by my doctor. I do low carb, high fat, moderate protein. I am the same height & have gone from 164 to 129 in 7 months. So it can work. The calorie deficit comes from the fat...that's what will keep you full & make you less likely to binge. The first two weeks were HARD, but if you push through, it's worth it. Weight loss was a bonus... I also now have no pain & no cysts. You CAN substitute with sugar free sweets if desperate, but it's a slippery slope. Just don't deprive yourself of good fats with texture...that can help the carb cravings. And, of course, berries & other fruit can work too. Good luck!


    As we r the same height could u tell me how much cals where u eating ?what about macros ? Just curious that maybe my numbers r all wrong...
    Thx :)
  • greaseisstilltheword
    greaseisstilltheword Posts: 15 Member
    edited March 2016
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    When I started I did two weeks of 10 g of carbs, but no calorie counting. My doctor said just to eat as much protein and fat as I needed to feel full. This helps with the urge to binge because you can eat all you want, just no carbs. It wasn't easy, and as a PP said, watch your electrolytes. I was also asked to keep the exercise minimal, because you WILL be tired. After two weeks, I set MFP for 1lb a week at sedentary, because I wasn't sure if I could go back to my regular exercise routine. So that was @ 1350 a day, 5% carbs, 25% protein, 70% fat. My energy DID come back and I was able to go back to working out 4 or 5 times a week (I love Zumba!). I would eat about half those calories back on work out days. I lost about 1 1/2 lbs a week at first. I adjusted my macros every 10-15 lb loss. Now I have it set at 1/2 lb a week at lightly active & I don't eat my excercise calories back anymore. MFP has me set at 1360, and I set my macros for 10% carbs, 30% protein & 60% fat as I've added strength training to help recomp, and I find I can handle around 50-60g of carbs now. I eat yogurt, berries & the occasional carb friendly treat. I do have a life. :) But this works for me...I'm only 9 lbs away from goal. Before going low carb, it took me a year to lose 20 lbs and it was hard. It does mean a lifestyle change, but that's the point right? I, personally, am a low carber for life, so I had to find what was sustainable.
  • dandelily
    dandelily Posts: 11 Member
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    successgal1 wrote: »
    I struggled with the same trouble when I tried atkins a decade or so ago. I couldn't make it work for me. Zero to few carbs of the grain variety leads me to feeling strung out and irritable, which led back to binging.
    It took a great deal of retraining on the portion control side of things, but now I rarely have a meal without a grain or potato. ...
    I don't feel the need to binge anymore since I get what I like as a matter of course.

    I also had this problem when I tried Atkins. Either it was too much too fast or very low carb isn't my thing. These days I just try really hard to substitute and cut the portions of carbs and focus on the not binging part.

    Do everything you can think of to keep from binging! If you can't keep your macros then at least control your calories! For one, never buy food or ingredients of things you'd binge on. Try to associate junk food with the bad post-binge feeling.

    If very low carb is still important to you then I'd agree about raising the fat and maybe even ignore the calories for a while until you can control the carb cravings.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    OP if you're still having sweet cravings once you're fully adapted, these are my go to's. So delicious!

    http://screwedonstraight.net/keto-diet-peanut-butter-cup-fat-bombs/

  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
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    OP: Before you try anything else, definitely try to raise your healthy fat intake. If you like avocados, they are a delicious way to add healthy fats... as well as cooking oils, nuts and nut butters... but avocados in salads helped me a lot back when I did low carb.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    OP if you're still having sweet cravings once you're fully adapted, these are my go to's. So delicious!

    http://screwedonstraight.net/keto-diet-peanut-butter-cup-fat-bombs/

    Those look delicious. And there is no way I'm making them. I could not control myself! I 100 calorie treat would turn into 1200 just eating those!

    I'm going to stick with mixing my chocolate protein powder with PB2!
  • diwijo13
    diwijo13 Posts: 106 Member
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    I too have PCOS. From the previous posts, I keep reading low(er) carb, moderate protein, and high fat. What percentages does everyone use? I am at 40/30/30.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    diwijo13 wrote: »
    I too have PCOS. From the previous posts, I keep reading low(er) carb, moderate protein, and high fat. What percentages does everyone use? I am at 40/30/30.

    I'm on 25/35/40 C/F/P . I don't have PCOS or diabetes though.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I have PCOS and agree with trying low carb/high fat/adequate protein and joining the two groups linked. (I'm in both of them.) I've done low carb high protein in the past and I've found LCHF easier to stick to and more satisfying. It's worth a try before giving up on low carb. It's helped regulate my cycles too.

    I've tried different percentages but 10-15% carbs, 60-65% fat and 25% protein seems to work best for me. Now that I've hit goal and am at maintenance, I'm gradually increasing the carbs but I'll probably stay on the lower side carb-wise for life.
  • mopogue
    mopogue Posts: 5 Member
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    It's all about the fat, get enough good fat and you will see those cravings go down. You also have to push yourself through a couple of weeks with no binging, this part is definitely going to be mental. You can use stevia in things if you need something sweet. I used sugar free gum. It is Fat/protien/carbs. when I say fat I mean 70-80%. sounds crazy but it works. You will do yourself more harm if you go back and forth on a weekly basis.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    And google low carb dessert recipes for times you crave sweets. A square of dark chocolate (the really dark stuff that's relatively low sugar/high fiber) can be great, too.
  • dbattan
    dbattan Posts: 1 Member
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    Read "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" By Walter Willett, Head of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Flow it. Lots of delicious stuff to eat. Forget the low carb nonsense.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    dbattan wrote: »
    Read "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" By Walter Willett, Head of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Flow it. Lots of delicious stuff to eat. Forget the low carb nonsense.

    I don't think those people who's medical conditions and weight loss have dramatically improved due to Low carb would see this woe as nonsense
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
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    Jeniccm wrote: »
    Not sure why but maybe low carb isn't for you?

    This
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    dbattan wrote: »
    Read "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy" By Walter Willett, Head of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Flow it. Lots of delicious stuff to eat. Forget the low carb nonsense.

    Walter the Walrus, forget that nonsense. Head of the school of flawed epidemiology that brought you the obesity crisis.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    mita271 wrote: »
    Low carb high protein makes me always crave the things i really like

    Keep protein at 20 or 25% of calories, increase the fat / oil content of your diet.

    Don't buy or stock the things you don't want to eat. Do some reading on Binge eating and similar disorders to see if the programs out there may help.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    So we've got someone here plainly saying her low carb diet makes her binge and most people's advice is "Keep doing low carb" and "you're just not doing it right"?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    stevencloser wrote: »
    So we've got someone here plainly saying her low carb diet makes her binge and most people's advice is "Keep doing low carb" and "you're just not doing it right"?


    I suggested something else. I don't know. Low carb 4 Lyfe I guess.

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