Problem isnt losing weight..problem is not sticking with it :(
 

For years i have tried many diets. Since i was 15 ive been on some kind of diet thanks to my mother..(she has a mini obsession with dieting and weight loss even though she is thin enough IMO)

Each time i would go on a diet, i would lose weight..but then i would gain it back..I would manage to lose weight and the first few weeks would work out..especially this one.. In fact, the first time i tried IP Alternatives, i lost alomst 30 pounds..which is the highest amount i have ever lost..however.. what happend? i went off it and i gained it all back...

See, im starting to see the picture now..Its not that i cant lose weight, because i can..losing 30 pounds is proof..My issue is : sticking to it..I dont know how to? How do you stick to it?

I really get sick of people saying "oh if you want it bad enough, you will do it.."...

Trust me i want it bad enough, ive wanted the madness to end since i was a teenager...but it hasnt.. in fact i want it so bad...that even though i was supposed get married in may, i postponed my wedding date, because i said i wanted to lose weight.. i didnt want to be a fat bride..so trust me..i want it bad enough..

However, regardless of how bad i want it..i have issues sticking to it..Someone help me out here..how come that is? Trust me, its a good diet.. i mean..every diet ive tried has had some degree of weight loss..so it has nothing to do with it not being the right type of diet.. i know that i need a restricted calorie low fat high protein diet that significantly reduces carbs.. i know how my body handles carbs...which is why it makes this diet optimal..however...i cant seem to go more than a few weeks without feeling discouraged..

Its like.. i weigh myself every week..am happy with the results, and then ask my hunny how i look and his response is "the same" And then i get discouraged..its like..someone needs to create a complimentary robot or something that can compliment you day and night to make you feel better...im beginning to think that even if someone were to lie to me every single day and say "wow you look hot! or "damn you look beautiful"...then perhaps just perhaps i might feel more encouraged and stick to it...

What do you think about that? Do you think if someone convincingly lied to you every single day and told you that you looked great and have "lost weight" do you think you would do better on your diet??

Cause my only theory i can come up with for not sticking to my diet, is that i get discouraged by feeling like no one else can see the results of my diet and then i feel discouraged and much more like a failure and then hopeless and quit...

Any other thoughts?

I have the exact opposite happening in my home. Hubby tells me how thin I look and how skinny I am getting and honestly I have only lost a tiny amount of weight and have about 40lbs more to go. So anyhoo, he tells me this and then I think oh what the ****, a chocolate brownie will be okay because i look skinny. I wish my hubby was like yours and then I would keep wanting to go go go on this diet. No cheats. I don't have an answer for you other than a question? Are you doing this for yourself or for him? If doing for you then who cares what he says, keep going and stay OP and you will feel amazing. Good luck to you on your plan.

I'm not on IP but I've read your posts elsewhere. Here are my thoughts:

My highest weight was 320. When I began losing it no one (not even my husband) noticed until I had lost over 50 lbs. Did it suck? Yep. I wanted that encouragement. But I had to realize that I was doing this for other reasons and the compliments would come in time.

This time I'm doing it with virtually no support system (aside from 3fc). No one is around to see the change and you know what? It's okay. I see it and I acknowledge it daily. I give myself rewards for each mini goal, I treat myself every once and awhile, I don't get down on myself if I have an off day but I get back on the wagon immediately afterwards.

I know it's a cliche but you have to do this for you. You're the only person that can make the daily decision to stay on plan and not gain the weight back. Other people will notice eventually but until then you have to be your biggest fan.

I think the biggest issue is you are looking for validation from others. Look within yourself and find the strength. Even people we love and who love us will at times let us down, but that doesn't mean they are right or that we aren't important enough. If you fail because you feel they aren't acknowledging you then it's like it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when you fall off of the wagon.

I've lost just about 35 pounds so far and not too many people are even noticing yet. Does that mean I stop and start eating off plan? No, because I know I feel better and I can tell. Eventually they will start to notice and I'll enjoy it when it comes. Do this for you and when someone else starts to notice, well then that's a bonus. If you want to get married now and so does your boyfriend, then get married. Believe me, the wedding gown is just something that truthfully is only on for about 4 to 5 hours and the photos don't really get looked at very much as the years go bye. Your marriage is hopefully for a lifetime, and that's the most important part.

its true. i want validation. I dont know if its because thats what i always got from my mom when i lost the smallest amount of weight or what? I want to say that im losing weight for myself, but on one hand i feel like im losing weight in part due to my parents un-acceptance of my body my entire life. In turn, i have never had an acceptance of my body for many many years...

While i agree with the poster who said that a wedding dress is only for a few hours, if i cant bare to look at myself in my wedding photos how sad is that? i know its short lived, i just never imagined myself walking down the isle at 300 pounds...

All i know is..my weight has gotten out of control...seriously out of control and its not good...in fact, if i dont do something now im going to probably die of a heart attack...its scary to think about but true.. i just dont know how to motivate and encourage myself..?

I guess I'm still not understanding.

Is not dying from a weight related illness not enough encouragement? Is feeling better not enough? Breathing easier? Being more comfortable? Being less self conscious? Moving faster (or at all)? Feeling more confident?

You're a grown up (I assume). No one is going to coddle you through this. No one is going to pat you on the back or throw you a party for every ounce you lose. And if your self esteem and mommy/daddy issues run that deep seek counseling for that aspect of things.

First of all, you're not alone. Know that. Secondly, hugs to you.

From your post it sounds like you've been on many diets (like may others here at 3FC) and they work to a point. Heck, any less consumption will result in a weight loss, and that is the bottom like of any diet or program. That you, and others (me too) have gained it all back speaks volumes of our mindset and way we think about dieting. That has to change.

In the past, I would diet to lose the weight--that is change my eating habits, the types of food I ate, the amounts of food I ate, be it low carb, no carb, Weight Watchers, Herbalife (mixed drinks), SlimFast, exchange program (old WW), etc. You know how many diets are available...heck, just take a look here at 3FC to find out who is following what and having success (or not) on their program of choice. So, yes, we know that cutting back our intake and eating a certain way conforming to a certain plan will cause weight loss.

The missing VOILA however is maintenance. I never learned to maintain. Neither have you, neither have lots of us serial repeat dieters. THIS TIME, I know that maintenance has to be a part of my life, or I'm doomed to yo yo for the rest of my life.

So IP works for you to lose the weight...and I'm not on IP and don't know anything about it so I'm asking others on it to state...what happens to you when you reach goal? Do you continue to eat/drink foods particular to the IP plan or do you "eat normal foods"? I really don't know. The answer to that question is pivotal.

You know you can lose weight--you just need to learn to maintain the weight loss.

Getting back to IP. It works, clearly. BUT, maybe its not the plan for you ? Perhaps it is the plan in the short run, but not the long run? I can't even begin to suggest to anyone what plan, program or method of weight loss to choose....but either you're doing something drastic to lose the weight--which is meant for weight loss only and maintenance is something completely different....or you're adapting your way of eating for the remainder of your life. Maintenance. That is the elusive prize at the end of our dieting efforts. It doesn't have to be a notion. We need to lose the weight and get to maintenance, or we continue the madness.

As to wanting compliments to validate your efforts--you're setting yourself up for disaster.

As to no one noticing, here's a wonderful illustration:

This was posted by someone else on the forum, and its amazing. To find it for you, I searched "paper towels" and found it. Rather than linking it, I'm pasting it. It makes a lot of sense. Maybe it will give you some perspective. However I want to add that we are our own worst critics. You see yourself every day...its hard to see the difference. Maybe you are still wearing some of your old clothes, which are too big now, but were way snug then? So here it goes, and I hope it helps you:

Paper Towel Theory by Bob White

Let's assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your before/ picture).

The other one represents you (I'll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let's say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let's also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.

Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can't be working for me!

But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin' Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!

But Ed is determined! He works hard! Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!

By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al - well he's not so happy.

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around,that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area - just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same - your perception is just different! And you'll never see the inside, if you aren't patient while the outside is coming off! - Bob White

I hope you stick with your efforts...you want to. Find a way to make it happen and diet smart, not hard. Good luck.

Up to 98% of weight loss efforts fail, and I think it's because we're TAUGHT to fail.

We're taught that the appropriate response to a gain on the scale, even when we KNOW it's water weight or TOM or a perfectly logical, temporary event - the "appropriate" response is to get upset, discouraged, and to binge.

We're taught that weight loss is temporary, just by the way everyone responds to it:

Are you still dieting? Why, you look great.

Aren't you DONE yet?

Oh, come on, just a little treat won't hurt, once in a while.....

There are thousands of diet books written every year, and almost none deal with weight maintenance, and only a couple have been written exclusively about maintaining weight loss (Refuse to Regain, is a good one).

Most of us believe that weight loss has to be unpleasant, boring, discouraging, and even unpleasant. Who wants to sign up for that, forever?

I've struggled for my whole life trying to lose weight and do it permanently, and I discovered that I wasn't failing because I was lazy, crazy, or stupid, but because I was following "the rules." I was doing weight loss, the way I saw EVERYONE else doing weight loss... temporarily.

We know that "Do as I say, not as I do," is terrible parenting... well it's terrible social behavior as well. We don't follow the "written rules" we follow the social rules that say "do what everyone else does." And we don't see very many effective role models for weight loss.

It's like the "employee handbook" that everyone has to read on a new job. There are always rules that everyone learnd to disobey, because "no one follows that rule." The "real" rule in the workplace is "do what everyone does, or the poop will hit the fan." The people who follow the written rules when no one else does, often ends up being scorned (even by the bosses).

To succeed at weight loss, you have to learn to break all the unwritten rules that keep us following the unsuccessful, but popular pattern.

There are a lot of ways to break the ineffective unwritten rules, you just have to find out which work best for you.

For me, weighing daily (and learning to be happy with that, and learning to be motivated or uneffected (rather than the "rule" which is to be discouraged) in response to normal weight fluctuations.

For me, it (at least initially) meant making it about something other than weight loss. For me, weight loss was so important, than when it seemed that my behavior wasn't resulting in weight loss (or at least not the amount of weight loss I expected) I threw out the behavior - even though I knew the behavior would have been healthy even without weight loss (and probably would have eventually resulted in weight loss - but I though that slow weight loss was nearly as much failure as no weight loss - another belief I was "taught" when instead of praise, I would get consolation or commiseration when I failed to lose at the speed considered appropriate).

For me, deciding to commit to healthy changes "forever" whether or not weight loss resulted, meant that when I did lose weight, it was the "reward" not the goal (at which I could fail even when I did "everything else" right).

When I expected weight loss to occur at a specific speed, I could feel like a failure, even when I did everything "right." I would think "what I'm doing isn't working," when it was working, it just wasn't working at the speed I expected it to. I quit not because I was failing, but because my success didn't feel like success.

And I learned that largely my success didn't feel like success, because I was told and taught that it wasn't success. I couldn't lose weight at the speed that I was taught to expect, so I gave up, because I was convinced that I was "doing it wrong, and that I'd never be able to do it right."

It's hard to succeed at anything that feels like failure far, far more often than it feels like success. We don't have to feel success "all of the time," but we do have to feel it a lot of the time, or the natural, and logicla thing is to give up.

How long would you stay at a job, if your paychecks kept getting smaller and smaller, and coming less and less reliably than you expected?

Which job would you stay at longer, a job at which your paychecks meeted or exceeded your needs and expectations, or one in which the paychecks never meeted your needs and expectations.

To some degree, we're expected to "never be satisfied" with weight loss, it makes weight loss one of th things that few people succeed at.

Those who succeed either find ways to acheive the success they want/expect, or learn to expect/want the success they can achieve.

It's rather ironic that lowering my expectations and definition of success allowed me to succeed in ways that nearly 35 years of setting impossibly high standards did not.

For me, joining a group like TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly) was incredibly helpful. It allowed me to see what "normal" weight loss really is. I was judging myself as having failed, while I was actually succeeding.

For most of my 40 years of dieting, I defined success in a way that made it virtually impossible to achieve. I was dooming myself to failure, by defining success in an unachievable way. I was never getting the paycheck I not only felt I deserved, but that I thought that everyone but me was receiving.

It finally hit home, when I complained to my doctor (at the time I was only losing 1 lb per month, for a lot of complicated reasons, physical and emotional), that I should at least be losing 2 lbs per week "like a normal person," and my doctor scoled me for thinking that "everyone" was losing 2 lbs per week. He reminded me that losing anything was better than normal, that just "sticking with it" was exceptional.

We treat weight loss like an imaginary marathon. We see a thousand people ahead of us, so we think we must be in last place, only because we don't see the 25,000 people behind us.

In the past, I never would have considered slow weight loss as success, so in a real way, I've "failed off" nearly 100 lbs, only because I redefined success in a way that I could acheive often enough to feel "too successful to quit."

You have to find a way to feel enough success to keep going. And unrealistic expectations may be the single biggest obstacle to success.

You can work harder to acheive a success you can be proud of, or you can work to be proud of the success you can acheive (and you can do a bit of both), but SEEING success is key.

But we're taught to see failure out of some sense that only perfectionists win in the end. You don't have to be perfect (which is good, because perfect is usually impossible), you just have to be better (and keep getting better until you're satisfied with your results... and it is ok to be satisfied with your results).

Port instead of focusing on the weight loss focus on a healthier you. Look for validation on how you feel and how you move. Focus on how clothing fit you. The weight didn't come on over night and it will not be gone over night.

Instead of looking for validation that you are "skinny" look at the numbers that you are losing. Set small goals like a small award when you lose 31 pounds then when you get to 41 and 51 so that you keep yourself motivated.

A good way to see how much you are changing is take pictures of yourself and then wait a month or two or say 50 pounds and take pictures in the same clothes and poses. Keep doing that and compare the photos you'll see the differences, you might not see it in your body much because it takes a while but your face will show it. That should help motivate yourself.

Thanks everyone.

I guess my expectations are too high of myself and i need to start looking at the healthy range of weight loss..

To the poster who told the story about the paper towel..thanks! that inspired me..

What a FANTASTIC responses! WOW!

Kaplods..."too sucessful to quit" really rang with me as I read your post. I too am a member of TOPS (in fact, I'm my chapter's leader) which will be part of my maintenance phase and will be part of my life always.

Port - find your spot and keep with it. No one really gushed about me until I lost 56 pounds...but I saw it in myself and that's what matters most (as cliche as that sounds it's absolutely the truth!). I had someone on my facebook say "wow, you've lost weight, being in love agrees with you"....I didn't like that, this isn't about a boy...this is about me getting focused on my health...which in turn made me think "wow, this is TOTALLY about me, not anyone else"

Try something like calorie counting. You can eat all your favorite foods but have to learn how to manage them (i.e. small portions, as a treat etc) and you learn about nutrition too. Stick to mostly healthy but tasty food and re-learn how to eat normal portions. I think that is the way to go for a long term solution.

It is a way slower approach to losing weight but in my experience you learn a lot about yourself, your cravings and habits, your body and nutrition. Your mind and body needs to catch up with the new lifestyle. If you go slow you can adjust. One reason why it will stick better I guess. They say the slower you lose the better you can hold the lower weight.

Also, add some exercising to your new life. I found it tough in the beginning to find time and energy but slowly you will start enjoying it. And you will miss it when you don't workout! Start with walking for example. And later maybe running. Add some weight exercises (bodyweight or free weights). You can all do it for cheap and at home.
I don't think I would be where I am without adding exercise. It just fits into the new lifestyle and feels less like a diet. People tell me all the time that they wouldn't know that I am losing weight when they see me eat. Most people don't realize you can eat "normal" food (even eat out) and still lose weight.

I started in January and have lost 69 lbs. I am close to goal and don't feel like this year was hardship. I takes some dedication and discipline but you know, you choose to do it and it becomes normal life. I don't deprive myself, I make it work. Lots of planning but it is worth it.

It was one of the best years I have had I think. At least I feel like it lived it in a better way. Enjoyed it more.

And I can't wait until next year. I am close to goal and decided I will make 2012 my fitness year. I signed up for a capoeira class and want to intensify my fitness program to get toned and in good shape. I have so many ideas on what I want to achieve. I never had any wish to do sports but now I love it. You just need to get to base level of fitness to really feel the difference I guess.

I am 49 years old and believe me i have done countless diets and have always gained the weight back. Nutri system, weight watchers, jenny craig, atkins diet, low gi diet. I gained every single pound back and then some. This diet, IP, is finally about IMO, resetting your pancreas, stopping the carb addiction which i think it does. Craving carbs is a serious problem, i used to crave them especially at night, chips, popcorn, cookies. Since i have been on IP, i havent had those cravings. When you stick to this diet, the cravings for me have completely stopped and i have been doing it for 6 months.
You have a goal of losing weight for your wedding. But i think the reason for starting to lose weight must be more than that. You have to want to do it for yourself and to feel healthy and to feel good about yourself. It is so easy to pop something in your mouth and say oh well, i can put the wedding off by a month. Uh uh, not gonna work. Be committed to getting yourself healthy and to feel good about yourself. You have to make a huge but temporary committment to lose the weight. Then after you have reached your weight loss goal, then you have to be committed to changing the way you eat. You cannot go back to eating the way you ate that got you where you(and all of us) are. I am still in phase 1 but i worry about that part of it, the maintenance. Remember, the weight loss is only a small portion of your life, you said you can do it. So stick out your chest girl and get doing it. Worry about the gaining it back once you hit maitenance. I think if you follow IP you will learn to change your eating habits as alot of people who are in phase 4 and beyond. At the end of the day, it is a lifestyle change and the only one that can derail you is you!!!!

First of all is your dependence on someone else to validate your efforts, your appearance, your overall self-importance. You absolutely MUST do this for yourself. My husband told me once I would *never* be a size 8. Guess what. He was right--I wasn't an 8 long--I went on down to a 2/4.

You have to make the connection between the food and your being. For me I had to come to the vast realization that the food CEASED working for me. At some point I came to understand that it just wasn't doing the trick for me anymore. I had to find something else that would give me that high because food was just making me miserable ultimately.

I think I became overweight because I finally had POWER over all my food choices. At some point though it crossed the line and took my power away from me. I allowed food to control me, my body, my choices, my self-esteem and lifestyle. I decided I wanted my power again.

Well said Thighs be Gone - Control is the key word. Food had such control over me, i was always focused on food and now i dont. I have my life back , food doesnt own me anymore!!!

For the record, I absolutely told NOBODY when I started my new lifestyle and there were no comments until I had lost over 30 pounds. I will never forget my husband going to a school function with me. After I dressed he said, "you are looking thinner." I said, "I am?" Inside I was ecstatic. Inside I was laughing. Inside I knew it was only the beginning!

This can be an exciting time for you. This period of time can change the course of your life forever. We all WANT it. But, if you WANT THE RESULT you must WANT THE PROCESS!

Same here. Only my boyfriend knew because he joined me in in losing weight. It took a while for colleagues and friends to clue in. I like it that way because it is a personal experience I find. However, when people start noticing it is a great feeling. Very exciting times I agree!
I also agree with the "must want the process". There is no easy way out. You have to be 100% committed and willing to achieve the weight loss. Don't look for motivation outside yourself. It is all in you. You just have to want the change. Nobody can do it for you. Nobody gained the weight for you either.

Hi Porthardygurl, I've lost here and there and always regain...they say "maintenance" is the most difficult part of weight loss. Keep trying! Think of all the health benefits of not being overweight. Try finding an old "skinny" outfit you have and make that your goal. And once you reach it keep it in mind when you're thinking of going "off" your healthy new diet... I have an outfit hanging outside of my closet and it's a constant reminder of where I want to be... GOOD LUCK!!!

I, like everyone else that is on this very structured diet, have been on every diet around. I have lost 100's of pounds. I am a carb addict. Only a true carb addict knows how one will go to any lengths to be able to eat them. I have always gained my weight back because I wasn't willing to give them up for ever. An alcoholic can't stop drinking, wait for a year and then have a drink now and then. He will start drinking more and more until he is drinking worse than before. I am the same, I will eat more and more if I eat carbs

Last year I lost 120 pounds in 7 months on this"plan". I believed I could eat sugar/flour once in awhile. But I am an addict and gained over 20 pounds quickly. This time I knew I was out of control and went back on the "PLAN" and lost the weight.

Is this story about being able to lose the weight? Or is it about finally understanding that I will not be able to eat simple carbs. because my body will respond just like it always has.

I feel like life is different for me now. I am not angry anymore (I was for awhile). Follow the plan and the weight will take care of itself.

I am still on the "plan" because I want to lose a bit more and I thank God for each day I can get through without obsessing about the food. I am not suggesting you have to do it my way, but for you to find your way.

Good luck and just do this One Day At A Time!

Port,

One other time when you were starting the program over and over, several people suggested some professional help with your "issues", I concur that maybe you need to talk with someone so that your thought process is more realistic and accepting of yourself. Once again, Good Luck Port!

Do you take pictures of yourself? I take a front, back and side picture every 3-4 weeks to see what difference I have made. Even if no one else is seeing anything, trust me you will in your pictures. Make sure you are not wearing baggie clothes. I've started scrapbooking my progress pictures and holy cow can I see a difference.

What about your ticker? I see that you have it set to 121lbs to go, what about lowering that value to something smaller, even 10lbs at at time and then rewarding yourself with a pedi or mani for losing those 10lbs.

Trust me I've been there, I've tried every diet in the book. I've lost weight on most of them and gained it all back. My hubby had lost all faith in me as I was excited about IP as I was about every program. But after seeing me continuing to do the program and not quitting, and continuously losing, he is SO supportive now and gives me compliments just about every day. It will come, you just have to give it some time. In the meantime we are here for you.

Port,
Try to find the real reasons of why you want to do this.
I for one have quite a few reasons.
1) I too am engaged, for 3 years!!! I totally understand you wanting to have nice photographic memories of your special day.

2) I have seen my mother suffer the yo-yoing for as long as I can remember. It's hard as a child to see that it's taking her so much work. Her wake up call was when the doctor told her she became diabetic, and she'd have to go on medication. I think it reminded her that her mom (my grandma) also suffered from diabetes, and eventually passed away due to diabetes complications (kidney failure). At the same time that was a wake up call for me, as my weight has crept up on me in just 4 years!!!
3) Yes, 4-5 years ago I was 120 pounds!!! I miss the old me. I kept giving myself excuses, like, "yea, it's part of getting old", and things like that. Now I decided "That's it! I'd had enough!!!! If I don't take control now, when???
4) Once I get married I want kids, I want to be healthy and able to play with them at the park, carry them, and most importantly, teach them to live healthy lives as well.
5) As a healthcare worker( CT scans), every day I see how much harder it is to help out people who are extremely overweight. That reminds me that , no matter what, in order for others to help you....you need to help yourself first.

I just started week 3. I haven't physically noticed any difference yet. But after my WI#2... the numbers show I have lost 10 pounds already!!! Some pounds is better than no pounds!!!
Believe me, it has been quite an adjustment. I am Latin-american, and my love for rice, potatoes, pork....and all the greasy stuff is something that won't go away right away. It doesn't help that I am a total sweet-tooth!!! I keep going thinking, yes, I will deprive myself of these things for now, but only until I gain the power to eat right and with moderation!!!!

I'm trying to stay on board with 3fc, I found there is a lot of support amongst us, plus lots of great tips!!!
Keep pushing!!!
Good luck girlie!!!

Ok Porthardygurl... I am checking in on you.... How are you doing??

Ok so I read that a lot of people are carb addicts and I too struggle with this. I am wondering if insight as to why I am this way will help me fight this battle. But I dont know why I am this way. I am thinking it is because my mother was and I learned to use carbs to control emotions but why do I let myself continue to do this when I know the consequences of it. Now I need to figure out how to control this. Anyone have any suggestions?

These books really helped me realize that "carb addiction" isn't an anomaly - in fact, "carb-dependence" may actually be more common than "carb-indifference."

The End of Overeating, by David Kessler
Good Calories, Bad Calories Gary Taubes
Refuse to Regain by Barbara Berkely


The "how to control it" is harder to learn, because virtually everyone, including our dear, old grannies are "pushing" the stuff as if happiness itself depended on it.

But wouldn't we be more sympathetic to the meth addict, if meth were available in grade school vending machines, and our dear grannies told us from the time we were toddlers that "No holiday celebration would be complete without meth."

As a culture, we don't respect the addictive nature of carbs (especially the physiological issues).

Traditionally, we've viewed "addiction" as a mental problem, but more and more it's recognized as a physiological (even genetic) problem. For example, even if a child is adopted into a non-substance abusing home, they're at much greater risk for addiction, if their bio-parents were addicts.

In fact, much of the research suggests that the physiological and genetic factors are more powerful than the environmental ones.

If that's true for alcohol and drug addiction, I don't know why it wouldn't be for carb-addiction.

Hmm Rayu i struggle with the same thing and Im gluten and wheat intolerant and yet crave crave crave breads and everything bad..

Im doing horrible..thanks for checking in..Im sick as a dog with a really bad cold..im suffering from stress like crazy trying to get this research paper done for college and i have an exam coming up in less than a week, i also have to pack up my entire house to move for January 1st, and we barely have any time cause we are away almost the entire month of december..(sigh :(

Im soooooo stressseed!!!!!!!! so of course because im stressed..my dieting has gone out the window yet again...its either im not eating at all cause my stomach is in knots or im eating all the wrong things, trying to deal with the inner panic of getting this paper done..thanks for checkin in though..ive made a decision just to stop the diet altogether until january..when im settled into our new place, my exam is done and my paper is done and christmas is done..cause its just too much to do this all at once..im the kind of person who really needs only a few things happening at one time and right now it feels like my life is falling apart due to kaos in our house!!! and this stupid research paper...

There's a natural pill they sell at GNC and other health stores and it actually curbs your carb cravings. I remember taking it 15 - 20 years ago, when I was much younger (duh, 15 - 20 years younger) and thought I was overweight. My weight then is the weight I want to get to now! I don't remember what it was but it worked. Call them up and see if they have anything that will help with carb cravings and then pass the name of the pill on to your doctor to see if they feel it's safe to take ('cause you know not all "health" meds are healthy). :)