Usually my starches are minimal to nothing, but, last night i had some pasta and french bread and boy did I enjoy it. I ate more than I should have. Although last week was phenomenal in regards to my diet. I finally took all the kinks out of my diet and am doing great. Thanks for all the support people. LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Sugar does that for me..if I eat something sweet, it just triggers my eating (read that overeating)..

Good for you to figure that out, it will help you get to where you want to go!!

Great job, Yup! I've heard that refined carbs and sugars will spike your blood-sugar level. I try to stick to whole grains for this reason. Try to. Haven't been doing so great lately, though.

Starches make me eat more too. Which is why the year I was losing I avoided them. Sugar as well. I simply can not do them moderately. So, as much as I like how they taste, and since taste lasts so little and I was looking for longterm satisfaction (to get slim and healthy), not short term - I did away with them for the most part.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I've added them back in - but only occasionally as they still don't provide long term satisfaction for me.

Like many of us here, I think we start out eating certain foods, thinking we can't do without them and then we go on, do some experimenting and realize that we really are better off without them. Yes, our eating evolves. We get very picky with what we're eating. Which is a good thing. Glad you're doing so well.

Yep, refined starches make me hungry. Whole grain starches make me hungry, too....if I overeat them. I can have 2 servings a day and feel in control.

Rhonda, I am the same way. I know lots of folks do well with the whole wheat variety of bread and pasta and brown rice and the such - but not me. I still have this overwhelming desire to overeat them. They leave me unsatisfied and clamoring for more food.

Yup, when it comes to grains, I've got to remind myself that I am looking for longterm gratification and pleasure - not immediate.

Off toic: Hyacinth, I love your avatar! Keeping Up Appearances is one of my favorite British comedies!

On topic: I agree, sugar/starch turns me into a mad woman.... very Jekyll and Hyde....

I am one as well who is sensitive to sugar and carbs, to the point where I have very little right now. Once I hit maintenance I will introduce them slowly to see what effect it has, but I am pretty sure I will always have to be very strict on how much of it I eat.

I'm that way with sugary stuff - one leads to 10 !!! BUT, at dinner say -- if I just have chicken and salad and veg, I could eat a ton of chicken and STILL not feel really full, BUT if I have 1 chicken breast, salad and veg and even a small scoop (1/2 cup or less) of rice or pasta, I feel really full -- is that weird??? and Pasta for supper, I can eat the w.w. stuff with a ton of vegetarian sauce and feel super full for a long time???! what's up with that??

It's the same for me Ladies. I cannot enjoy them in moderation. One cookie I tell myself and then the next thing I know the whole row is gone! I am the same with white breads and yummy things like that. The good news is that I enjoy whole wheat almost as much and find them more satisfying. I like using the Rozoni whole wheat pasta. I noticed the 2nd ingredient listed is Flaxseed which is awesome for a source of Omega 3. I also really love the Pepperidge Farm whole wheat English Muffins.

Refined sugar and starches do the same thing for me. LUCKILY I can eat whole grain things with no problems but white bread, rolls etc are my weakness and I HAVE TO stay away from them.

I really have to control the amount of starches and sugar I eat. I handle small amounts very well but if I get very much I start having cravings. Learning how to balance my food choices has been very helpful on this journey. I have settled into an eating pattern that has become (dare I say it?) easy. I have quit having cravings so the binges have stopped.

Hope these aren't famous last words for me!

"It's Booo-kaaay"




I'm totally off grains at the moment and finding that the longer I go without them, the less I want them and the less hungry I feel. I'm getting enough carbs from my veggies and lots of protein and fiber and carbs from beans. That seems to fill me up enough. Grains are dangerous for me. I can eat a whole box of cookies or huge plate of pasta and just want more. I can stay in better control when I avoid them altogether.

@Jen - Keeping up Appearances is always guaranteed to make me laugh out loud! I thought that avatar was a perfect representation of her. Sometimes I read what I've written in a post, and seeing her photo next to it makes me think of my words in her voice. Too funny!

@enchantedonyx - grain-free, entirely?? I find that interesting and probably difficult (for me). Do you eliminate other things from your diet, like fat, dairy, sugar?