Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
Cold turkey hasn't worked for me. I want it to work and I know that it is good to do so. But my eating disorder prevents me from simple decision making. I don't get derailed. I get deranged almost. For me a binge is not an afternoon of overeating it's downright dangerous. I do low carb, NOT no carb, it's just a matter if walking the fine line between indulging in a craving or turning into a werewolf.

If you struggle with food restriction and disordered eating then as well as it works for some people, I don't think restricting any foods is a good idea. It may be slower going, but you need to focus on making better choices more often than not without putting anything "off limits". Cutting back on carbs (even if it's a reasonable amount for most people) is just setting yourself up for a binge.

Originally Posted by gymrat05:
If you struggle with food restriction and disordered eating then as well as it works for some people, I don't think restricting any foods is a good idea. It may be slower going, but you need to focus on making better choices more often than not without putting anything "off limits". Cutting back on carbs (even if it's a reasonable amount for most people) is just setting yourself up for a binge.

Yes, I agree. It's my personal philosophy not to avoid any food, not only because that's what works for me but I refuse to think that cutting out entirely a major food group is necessarily a good idea. I don't have celiac, I don't need to omit all wheat from my diet. But I do notice that I feel better when I eat much less of it. I have more energy and less cravings. It's learning how to balance my intake of food. It's all about portion control and balance. Like yesterday was Thanksgiving and I ate more than usually, though I did not binge. Today is a "light day" and will make a concerted effort to avoid carbs for a few days.

I have considered going low carb. I do find I am okay with spelt pasta, red potatos, oatmeal made from groats, squash and sweet potatos. But any type of bread or god forbid chips set me off. Does this make sense? Could it be some carbs like squash and sweet potatos work okay? But if that is the case it is not so much carbs for me but??????

Wish I was more help.

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny:
Yes, I agree. It's my personal philosophy not to avoid any food, not only because that's what works for me but I refuse to think that cutting out entirely a major food group is necessarily a good idea. I don't have celiac, I don't need to omit all wheat from my diet. But I do notice that I feel better when I eat much less of it. I have more energy and less cravings. It's learning how to balance my intake of food. It's all about portion control and balance. Like yesterday was Thanksgiving and I ate more than usually, though I did not binge. Today is a "light day" and will make a concerted effort to avoid carbs for a few days.

Definitely agree. I followed a really strict eating challenge (it was only 30 days) for a month in the summer and it brought up some serious binge eating issues. I felt so out of control with my need to binge. Making conscious choices is definitely the way to go when you feel something like that, as tempting as the faster results are in some of the stricter eating plans.

I try to go by getting most all of my carbs from fruit and not even worrying how many are in them and eating as much of them as I want and then other than fruit very strictly limit carbs in everything else I eat.

I was able to get to a place where I see cravings are a form of suffering that I want to prevent. Much the same way that I trained myself to stop picking at hangnails because, eventually, it's going to bleed. Now, I put hand lotion on instead.

Lots of foods just don't seem worth it to me, now, because I know they are going to cause cravings. Plus, I have good alternatives. White bread causes terrible cravings, white potatoes don't. Most candy triggers cravings, but dark chocolate and candied ginger (not to mention lovely fruits like Honey Crisp apples and oranges) don't trigger cravings.

I want to reduce suffering in my life, so I prefer eating foods that don't trigger cravings. Over time, I've identified more foods that do and a more nuanced understanding of what foods and situations don't. Some foods that are normally triggering, I can compartmentalize in certain ways so they aren't. I only eat potato chips at bars and restaurants that make their own. That's a rare event for me and doesn't, at all, make me run out and get a bag of Ruffles.

Now, I rarely experience food cravings although I still deal with the desire to overeat, generally, sometimes -- it's not particular foods. Life is great without food cravings!

That's a great way to think of it gardenerjoy, cravings are a type of suffering. But on the otherhand, a perceived suffering is cured by indulging in the craving. And it's even more important to get away from the idea that indulging in a craving is actual joy. It's not joy is it? But what is it then if not joy?

I used to think "craving" was more like anticipation. That's why the awareness that it is a form of suffering was so surprising to me. Indulging in a craving is a false promise -- it's not the same experience as the joy of accomplishing a goal and can actually keep me from meeting my goals (not just the number on the scale, but all the health and wellness benefits, too).

Thanks for the insightful questions -- it's helping me think more deeply about this.