Carbo Addiction?
 

HELP! I've just finished Carbo Addicts book and scored in the severe category. Has anyone tried the Heller's diet (The Carbohydrate Addict)? I've done so many diets and failed I'm almost afraid to try one more time. Registered at WW last month and I can't do it for more than a few days!:?: Need to lose 60+ lbs. Any encouragement would be appreciated...

Just hang out in here a while. Lots of us have done or are doing the CAD or CALP programmes. You'll get lots of help and support.

I am not familiar with the book you are talking about, but I am convinced that I am addicted. I decided to try the low carb plan and I got through a little more than 24 hours and then binged on almond croissants. I felt like I was high after eating them. Almost euphoric. It is kind of scary.

I am right where you are now. Need to lose weight, trying to no carb it and I don't think I am going to be able to stick to it. Good luck to you!

Carrie

uhh, I guess that wasn't really supportive. Sorry.

I just needed to get that off my chest.

muffingrrl & kgyaya - Coming off carbs is the hardest thing you will do on this way of eating. Just hang in there for one day, then one more... Once you break through the 'barrier' (you will know when you do) you will feel great! Carbs won't hold an appeal over you anymore. You will be able to take them or leave them (LEAVE THEM!)...

In the meantime EAT CHEESE, EGGS, TURKEY, BACON. Whenever you are hungry eat. Calories don't matter in the beginning. Just eat when hungry. Once you break through the addiction barrier, things will get easy and you will be able to return to normal quantities of food. You won't even miss the carbs. Believe me! I am a carb-a-holic. On Easter Sunday, I ate Bagels and Chocolate for breakfast! :eek: I was high for hours after that, literally, but not a good high. A trembling foggy minded mess of a person I was.

Carb withdrawls are hard, but you will be so greateful if you get through it!
Gina

Hello, my name is Robin, and Im a carboholic!

Ive read the CAD book, and I tried it at one point, but I cant have the reward meal....Im an addict......so I have to limit my goodies severly. We all do what works for us...and if the CAD works for you then great!!! If not, try another low carb plan.

Like Gina said, one day at a time. After awhile, you dont want any carbs, and when you do, they taste pastey and doughy.

You've come to the right place for help....we are all fighting the same battle. We have a great bunch of ppl here that are wonderfully supportive.

Welcome :wave:

I have to thank you guys for the encouraging news. I went to the store and loaded up on cheese and meat and bacon. When I walked into our kitchen at work today, and saw a big platter of *FREE* pastries, I stood there waiting for the urge to go away. It didn't, so I had one. It was so good I had like five more!

LOL I am a junkie.

At least they were small. Good Lord. This is going to be hard. Not to mention that I am on an SSRI and I am not even sure that the low carb thing is going to work for me.

Thanks for the advice.
Carrie

SSRI ... addictive tendencies ... carb addiction. it's all connected.

can i go home from work now? please?????

Thank you all so much for responding! I feel supported already, but still scared. I've been doing the CAD for three days now and so far have been ok with the Reward Meal. Hardest part for me is not snacking. Have to admit I'm feeling less desire for carbs. Yikes this is a whole new world.:dizzy:

I don't think I could do "no" carbs... is that Atkins? "The Carbohydrtae Addicts Diet" by Rachael and RIchard Heller is the only book I've read on the subject so I guess I'll continue to do this.

We'll see if it results in any weight loss. :df:

OK have to stop you right there kgyaya. Atkins does NOT say that you can't have any carbs. In fact, he stresses LIMITATION of carbs. On induction (the first two weeks of the plan) you are allowed 20mg of carbs. These can be found in vegetables that you are eating. Every food in the world, be it meat, cheese, eggs or whatever has a carb count. There is energy stored in the food. In meat it is very low but it is there! Please go to your local library and pick up a copy of Atkins and read about the healthful benefits of following his plan.

Muffingrrl, I tried doing The Carbohydrate Addict's Lifespan Program (known here on the forum as CALP) to combat my anxiety disorder (taking Paxil, an SSRI) but I found it wasn't effective enough. I kept cheating and straying from the plan since I am a carb addict! After 2 years of struggle, I followed Atkins (at first nervous because it is a strict plan) and got the wonderful results I have today. God Bless Doctor Atkins!

Thankyou Pooky :)

Sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone on Atkins, I'm new to all this and just seeking information. As I said in an earlier post this is a whole new look at food and addiction for me. I have no bias against Atkins or any other "low" carb program. My theory is, if a particular diet works for someone...Great! If CAD ends up not being effective for me I will certainly try other "low" carb plans since my biggest realization is that I'm a carb addict.

Right now it's a matter of "restriction" that I have to deal with emotionally. I've already done too many diets where I've deprived myself (my own self-imposed porblem, not necessarily theirs) and failed. The carb limitation is something I'll have to work with and see where I have success. If CAD leaves too much temptation I hope to find something else.

Thanks to all for your support.

kgyaya:

try not to look at it as 'restriction' but rather a matter of doing what's best for your body. substitute some yummy protein for whatever carbs you might have indulged in. one of my current fav snacks is deli buffalo chicken breast and i roll it up with a mixture of a little sour cream and blue cheese. ok. and hot sauce, but that's just me.

it's just that the carbs are so easy to eat, and so accessible. and our society views them as treats ['let's go out for ice cream.' or 'want some coffee and...?', and let's not forget all those cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, chips, whatever that end up in offices!!!]

we all keep a stash of protein snacks. i always have jerky [ok the rest of you.. bring on the comments again!], and soy nuts. and deviled eggs.

so, think about how YOU can plan to succeed at this. you CAN have wendy's chili [not sure about during induction though, but eventually you can]. you CAN ditch every burger bun in the country and eat salad with your 3 burgers or whatever you choose.

and remember, it's actually the PROCESSED carbs that cause the problem. after induction, things like small amounts of sweet potato, for example, are generally tolerated. but again, this is an individual thing, so you'll have to keep experimenting. at least you can put real butter on the sweet potato!!!!

Thanks Jiffypop, like I said the "restriction" all comes from inside my head and the years of yo-yo dieting. I'm now beginning to realize some of the foods that were taboo are actually ok (i.e. bleu cheese, sour cream, etc.) Processed carbs were (and sometimes still ARE) my life!!:( Lots to figure out but, for the first time in a "lifetime" I think I'm on the right track.

Keep sending those food suggestions. They really help!

No offense taken :D Check out the daily food logs to see what some of us are eating in a day. This might help a bit.

Dont forget to eat your veggies!!! They keep you regular :o

((HUGS)) kgyaya, it's hard being a newbie and not knowing much about the different low carb plans. That's why we're here so dive on in and ask away! :D

Thanks Pooky, There's so much to learn and I really love the hugs. :cloud9: Part of me is still afraid of "not getting it". I have a yucky history of weight loss self-defeat.

Things I've noticed (day 5 of CAD diet): losing cravings for processed carbs (miracle!), just a wee bit hungry between meals, feeling less bloated.

Less positive things: minor headache, major fatigue:( , a little "depressed". Am I supposed to be this tired? I also take a couple of medications that make weight loss tough - Depakote and Wellbutrin - but, the mood stablility is very important so I'm hoping "low carb" will be the answer to my weight loss needs.

How many pounds should I expect to loose a week? I know 1/2 to 2 is optimum. I loose so slowly that I get cranky:halfempty and give up. I don't want to do that this time!

Many, many thanks!

kgyaya - I am day 4 of Atkins Induction and I have a headache, I am super tired and I am feeling a bit depressed. So there you have it. Hang in there and you will come through it with great results! I only lose about a pound a week, so don't be discouraged... We can be turtles together! :)
Gina

When I was younger I could do the CAD with no problem . Now that I'm older it don't work. I find that the CALSD works much better. It was designed for those over forty and instead of being able to eat anything in your reward meal you must eat only lo glycemic foods during that meal. The Life span diet is something that I have had great long term success on before and I am now in day 2 of doing it again. It just feels more like something I can live with for life than Atkins. We all must find what works for us!

Now I'm confused. Didn't somebody on another thread say that Wellbutrin HELPED them lose weight? I guess it depends on the person taking it.

unfortunately, linda, some people gain weight on antidepressants, and some lose weight. can't tell which way it's gonna go.

I have made it through two and a half days of Atkins Induction. I don't have a headache, but I am feeling tired. I haven't started exercising either. Maybe I am going over twenty grams of carbs. I am still consuming some things with aspartame in it. Is that going to sabotage my efforts? Anyone know?

Everything effects everyone in different ways, so see how you do. If you find you are not losing, cut out the aspartame.

You may want to check out www.fitday.com You can log everything you ate for the day and it will give you all the nutritional counts that you need!

You are doing great!
G

Yea Gina, a turtle pal!:twirly: This is the BEST forum for support I've seen. It's so great to have people out there who can relate and understand.

Wishing... is the CALSD the Life Span Diet? I saw the book when I bought the CAD but I didn't look at it closely. Is the diet significantly different? I'm 50 and this is the first time ever that I've not felt "compelled" to eat every processed carb in sight. It's so different it feels like it could disappear overnight and I'd be right back munching every donut in sight!:dizzy:

This is only day 5. In response to Wellbutrin... I switched to Wellbutrin from Zoloft (where I had gained 30+ pounds) shortly before I started on the "low carb" route. So, my decreased cravings may be attributed to both low carb and Wellbutrin - I don't know for sure since I started both about the same time. I do know Zoloft made me munch, munch, munch!

Have a great day!

Yeh there's quite a few tiny differences but the major one is is the reward meal. In the cad they say if you are craving that peice of cake or donut then save it for your reward meal. Anything goes as long as it's eaten within that magical 60 minutes. Well the Lifespan diet no longer allows that. You can have carbs in that 60 minutes but they have to be things like rice and sweet potaoes. No sugar. I really advise you to get the book. It was written because the CAD was failing so many people especially those over 40 whos metabolisms had slowed down. Older people are enjpying great success with this revised program! I really think you'd find this new way more efficient!

Thanks for the "heads-up" Wishing. Honestly, I think I'll stay with the CAD for now (not ready to face giving up the Reward Meal with sugar :( ) but, I'll keep a close watch on my cravings and keep the CALSD info. in my back pocket.

So far, CAD is working for me. But, it's only been 5 days and that sure isn't enough time to evaluate my progress on any diet. I'll use the cravings as a barometer for now. :cookie:

This is all so intriguing. I'm grateful for the chance to do something different than WW. Not that it's a bad program, I have many friends who have been successful with WW and kept the weight off... I can't seem to stick with it and I'm beginning to suspect the "carbs" are the key.

Hope all are well!

YIKES!!:yikes: Weekends are hard! Low-carb all week, managed to get rid of those headaches and then BAM! Saturday comes rolling in with a truck-load of munching opportunites...:cry:

Dang! I was hoping I could do at least a week without running into my old habits. Have to admit, I caught it earlier than usual but I'm feeling a little tentative about tomorrow.:sp:

Another one of my yucky tendancies... trying to do it perfectly. Anyone else "fall off the wagon" and able to get back on and ride a little longer?

I bought Atkins and am going to start reading it tonight.

:dizzy:

Hiya kgyaya!

Yup! Been there done that! I think everyone has a way of getting around the snackies but I think one of the most important things is to not beat yourself up over a slip. You can get back on track. In the greater scheme of things, it's one day we're talking about. Let the day pass and start fresh the next day. It's not how many times you fall off the horse, it's how many times you get back on and keep trying.

Now specifically how to deal with the carb monster: find something to do with your hands. I'm not kidding. Some chickies here knit, I paint, couple of us garden, still others hop on to some exercise equipment. Still can't stave it off? Eat some protein and drink 2 glass of cold water and head outside for a long walk. Trust me, after a time of doing this you may even catch yourself going into "automatic pilot", you know where you suddenly find yourself reaching for sme chips or some chocolate or other yummy carb. I have caught myself doing just that this week! (I drank 2 glasses of water and went outside to rake my yard and it worked) The point is, you have to find a way to beat back the carb cravings. At the beginning of a plan they are really strong, but as time goes on, you find that when the carb cravings hit you are better able to deal with them.

Hope this helps you!

i'm seconding what pooky said... the first step is to recognize that you're GOING FOR THE CARBS... when that hand reaches out for the first chip... and not wait until you've finished half the bag before you wake up and realize what you're doing.

and that's why i keep my knitting projects with me ALL THE TIME.. when i go out to eat, at work, visiting friends.

Pooky and Jiff are right. Do what ever it takes to stop yourself. Im usually good for about 3 weeks a month, then fight with myself for the last week. Almost always its pms, or pms and emotional eating. Its very difficult to stay ontrack during this time for me, but....eat the protein, and drink the water. If you still feel that your hungry, make a huge bowl of veggies and sit down and eat them till your stuffed. Ive had to do this many times...it works for me :) Fills that emotional hole......better with brussel sprouts than with hoho's

Robin

Thanks a bunch!:balloons:

I'm going to need to take up a hand-held hobby that can travel! I thought I was doing well, was at my friend's house watching an NBA playoff game and BINGO someone brought chips and guac. Even then I thought I was safe until another friend appeared with cake and fresh strawberries. Dove right in.:cbg:

Actually feel dizzy and sick this morning

:dizzy: Hope this passes too. Was so "wired" I was up until 2 am All ready to have my turkey sausage and eggs this morning... I'm not even going to complain!

Where can I go for some good low-carb veggie and breakfast suggestions?

Hugs to all!!

Hey, check out the recipe section.

OK. How do I get there?

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/foru...?s=&forumid=83

It's part of the low carbohydrate lifestyle forum - this forum. There is also a section on frequently asked questions.

Check it out and enjoy.

hi all, i just read ALL your posts. very inspiring and lots of great advice. i have tried the cad twice before and in between , ww pts richardsimmons and a no diet approach. i know i am addicted to carbs, that is all i ever want, not necessarily sweets, but loads of pasta, potato salad, macaroni and popcorn, you get the point. i could never get past three days, i know if i can just get 3 whole days in of eating the cad way, i think i can be on my way. i also am trying to give up weekend drinking. i am trying to start again today. i just turned 38 on monday. i am tired of being a slave to my carb binges. i dont want to do the calp, cause i dont want to snack. i just want to make this simple, three meals and dont think about food any other time. i have to keep myself busy and start moving my butt more. i have been averaging 3 days a week of excercising, that is just not enough. with all my yo yo dieting, i have lost a total of 10 lbs, that is with up and down and staying the same and up and down etc. as of my monday weigh in i was 188, from my all time high of 198. i am 5'3. i really want this way of eating be the way i can eat for life.

i hope i can do this once and for all. i hope everyone else is doing well. oh i did try atkins and somersizing, just didnt like the way i felt. on cad if i need to eat a carb during the day, i will just switch my reward meal from dinner to lunch. looking forward to getting to know you all. i just hope i can stick with it.

Hi Willbethin,

I'm on week 2 of CAD and am still fighting some "nibbling". When I do the three meals (no snack) I do much better. As soon as I try and dabble (even if it's a low carb snack) I find myself wanting to get more wiggle room. Sigh. This really is an addiction.:(

But, I have to say, I'm not craving sweets for the first time in my life and I'm not too hungry between meals for the most part. My biggest frustration is fatigue. I'm on a couple of medications for mood stability and I don't know if it's the meds or the lack of carbs for energy. All I know is most people on CAD and Atkins have a bunch of energy and I flat don't! I still can't figure that out.

My other difficulty is the Reward Meal - my years of yo-yo dieting make it seem too good to be true so I find myself sabatoging that meal with "low-fat, low calorie" yucky food and then being waaaay unhappy! Yikes! The human mind is a powerful thing!

hi all, kgyaya, about the reward meal, i over did it just a little bit but caught myself, i am not doing the low fat low cal, at the reward meal, i will try to make it as healthy as i can but , the reward meal is what i will be looking forward to each day, and i want to enjoy it, it really will help me stay in control the rest of the day. when i was on this before, i binged at the reward meal and thought i still was not incontrol so i quit. i know eventually i will get in control of the reward meal, so i am gonna give it time and not quit. i ate a good enough breakfast yesterday where it lasted me till dinner, i totally skipped lunch. i am gonna take it once day at a time and keep to this, i always quit everything. i want to make this work. i hope we all can.

hi mitch, i just start cad yesterday. i tried it before but never made it past 3 days, i felt i binged at the reward meal, but i feel like this about it now, even if there are days that i overindulge at the reaward meal, it is limited to one hr, carbs only once a day and that is soooooooo much better then me overeating and bingeing on carbs all day long and sometimes late night. i am not saying i am going to binge for one hr a day, but i will eat what i want and try to listen to my body when it says i am full and not keep eating just cause i have another 20 minutes or whatever till the one hr is up, that was another mistake i made before, i was full, and i said well it hasnt been an hr yet i still have 10 more minutes to eat what i want, and then feel so gross afterward and just didnt think i could handle eating the cad way. i am thinking differently about this way of eating this time. i hope i can make it work.

when i was on somersizing, i didnt like the way i felt, and i really didnt enjoy my carb meals, i mean if i am a carb addict i wanted to enjoy the carb meals i chose to eat. i mean, no fat and no sugar with the carbs?? ewwww, i couldnt eat fatfree sugar free stuff on wheat bread ar whole wheat pasta. i couldnt do it. i hope you can , good luck with it. oh, i cant relate on the caffeine thing, i never drank coffee, or anything with caffeine in it. hang in there.

Hi All,

I also tried the "no sugar, no white flour" route and ended up jumping off the wagon (vs. falling off). I lost 10 lbs. in a month but then binged my way back to 10+. :dizzy:

CAD seems to be working right now because of the Reward Meal. I have much greater control throughout the day when I know I can eat a balanced, yummy meal with sugar and whichever carbs I enjoy.

Willbethin- I didn't do the low-fat, low-cal RM last night and fought my "you blew it" dragon... feel much better this morning. I didn't overstuff myself or overindulge... just ate what I wanted and stopped when I was full! What a concept! Weight loss is slow (always is for me) but I've lost 4 lbs. in 2 weeks so I'm ok.

Here's to all of us making it this time!!