Confessions of a carb addict

[wolfcaroling]

Okay. So. Today is day one. I am announcing it to the world so that this time, unlike the many other day ones I have been through, people will KNOW. Thus, if I break down and consume something I shouldn't, you can all judge me. Sometimes the eyes of others is necessary to someone trying to quit their addiction. That's one of the reasons why

Comments

[joking]

It's interesting, because if you think about what humans ancestrally ate, there were few carbs. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle didn't permit it. It was just meat, fruits, and vegetables. Maybe that's what our metabolisms were meant to handle.

[wolfcaroling]

I really think you're right. Most of this refined sugar foods came out this century. Even potatoes, that starchy staple, came into vogue in the last three hundred years. That's nothing, by evolutionary standards.

[ithinkitisayit]

Scurvy Agrees!

[poldarren]

[wolfcaroling]

You're right. And this time I'm not trying. I'm going to DO it.

...so hungry.

[poldarren]

[wolfcaroling]

yeah, my second goal will be to cut down on the diet pepsi consumption. That is also an addiction, albeit not nearly as strong a one (that's right, folks who know how hooked on diet pepsi I am - my carb cravings are STRONGER!) and cutting both things out of my life at once would probably make me go crazy. So that's next, once I get through the worst part of this. Probably when I start complaining that I've plateaued, I'll cut the diet pepsi.

[anonymous]

Oh my dear girl. I am in tears reading this, and I feel so bad now for all my glib (if well-intentioned) assvice on your last post because OF COURSE there are food addicts, and it would appear that you are definitely one of them.

And food addiction is one of the hardest ones to treat, because alcoholics know they can't have "just one drop" but you have to eat to live. And temptation is everywhere.

I don't know what to say other than that I wish you all the success in the world. And I'll praise you when you do well but I WILL NOT judge you when you stumble, because that's not the way to motivate anyone, right?

But can I humbly suggest that you stick the secret VISA and debit card in a glass of ice in the freezer for awhile?

Sending you hugs and a spinach salad. ~ Hannah

[wolfcaroling]

Thanks, Hannah, that means a lot. *hug*

Yes, that might be a good idea.

[wolfcaroling]

Oh, and I also want to say as a caveat that the comment about people suggesting whole wheat was NOT aimed at you, in case you were worried. You were only one of many, MANY people who have said that over the years and especially in recent weeks. Just today, my coworker Keryn (who regularly snacks on tiny organic salads at lunch, has a distaste for fast food, and is lean as a whippet) said "I don't see why you have to cut out ALL carbs. Why can't you just, you know, cut down

[bromache]

It would certainly appear that fast food is a huge problem for you. Stay away from the golden arches! Stay away from the golden arches!

Good luck to you. I have a feeling you'll do better this time because Benn sounds like a very supportive partner. That can make a world of difference.

[wolfcaroling]

He is - but I feel bad for him because his natural inclination is to give me everything my heart desires. So for him to become the ogre and help STOP me from getting what I want is really hard for him. But the fact that I've promised him a baby if this succeeds will definitely help :p

[grinning_dagger]

I'm an indiscriminate addict. When I successfully quit one thing, I replace it with something else. Food is definitely my fall back addiction, after I've quit all the things that are socially accepted to kill you over time. I said yes to most of that questionaire. I just need to find a non bad for me way to deal with my emotions (stress, loneliness, boredom). I'm going to have to cut way back when Violet weans, or I'm going to balloon.

If you really look at all diets out there, they ALL restrict your carb intake during the weight loss stage. Even Weight Watchers with their promise of you chosing what you eat with their point system, the carbs cost you more points than anything else. People flip out over atkins because carb cutting is right on the label, so to speak.

[grinning_dagger]

It's true that most of the popular diets do restrict carbs. I hearken back to Dr. Phil again; during the two-week "detox" phase you can only have one serving of grain per day (and it must be whole grain).

I honestly don't think it's the elimination of carbs that winds people up about Atkins - it's the whole "fatty meats" thing. Which people interpret as "fill up on bacon".

I also have an addictive personality (maybe bad genetics, Corinne? Shall we blame the Stewart genes for that one) and for me things really got out of hand weight-wise when I quit smoking. I had to make a decision; thin or not cancerous? It was harder than you'd think.

Currently I'm all about coffee; I drink an 8-cup pot every day BY MYSELF. Ungood.

~ Hannah

[wolfcaroling]

I agree that the media has portrayed Atkins as an all-meat diet. People are always like lolwut - what about your kidneys and your vitamins? But vegetables are part of the diet too. People also fail to understand that Atkins changes your metabolism so that fat isn't bad for you any more (see my long explanation of Atkins in my last post). I know that I can eat fatty stuff all day long and still lose weight, when on Atkins, and at least there's no risk to my muscle mass, like there is with many other diets, because of all the protein I'm allowed to have.

Besides, it's clear that carbs are my problem. The weight gain started when I was living in Curacao - my parents had basically gone on a four year long vacation when Dad got the job there, lifting us out of being house-poor in a single step, and suddenly I was allowed chips and pop and all kinds of junk that had never been allowed past my lips in our "old life". Enter sugar - enter weight problems!