carbo cravings and weight

[Blue]

I had a weight problem before all my troubles, then during a time of crisis I lost over ninety pounds because I couldn't eat and hardly slept (weight loss was good, no nutrition was not), was put on paxil for anxiety and started eating again. This was a good thing because I was starting to freak out if people brought food over or there was going to be eating anywhere I went. People were pushing food at me, it seemed, because they thought I was turning into an anorexic. Food just gave me alot of pain in the stomach. Anyway, with paxil I put back on alot of the weight. But eating again felt so good.

I've always craved carbs and my daughter tells me Im medicating myself with food. She's right.

Im not diabetic or low thyroid. Does fish oil help with managing cravings for carbs? Im so much calmer with a high carb diet. I have a glucometer here so I could measure my sugar to see if Im swinging too low, but when Im in a feeding frenzie I just don't think of it. How low would low be, does anyone know? Is it an individual thing for everyone, or just what would the range be for normal? Im kind of at my wits end dealing with this carb thing. Daughter says my problem is portion control but there is no control at all. Carbs are so soothing.

[scotty]

Carbs are comfort food. But they can also give you big swings in blood sugar, which can increase the carb cravings. And then there's the weight gain. A normal blood sugar is 60-110(new scale recently, it used to be 80-120). Not having a high blood sugar doesn't mean that the diet isn't taking it's toll. I hate to sound like a dietician, but balance is the key and when that balance is there, the cravings will go away.

[Katesmom]

Laurie's right. I'm not saying go on Adkins or anything, but next time you crave a carb, either substitute a bit of protein or protein and fiber. Sweets make you want more sweets and salt makes you want sweet. A food diary might help you keep track of where you go off track every day.

[Chrysalis]

Blue, I craved carbs something fierce while on full-dose Paxhell, and never felt full so there was no portion control, especially when it came to carbs.

When I started tapering, I started being able to better control my carb intake and get some balance, increasing my protein and vegetable intake. Over the past 18 months, as I continued to taper the Paxhell, I found I had increasing energy. Through healthy eating and exercise (walking) I have lost 50+ pounds since Jan '06.

What I am going to say next is my own theory, not necessarily proven except that it seems to be true for me, even as I got to very low doses and now off of Paxhell entirely.

For me, eating even a small amount of highly processed carbs (commercial crackers, cookies, cake, muffins, cereal, etc) triggers further carb cravings, some loss of portion control and a reduced sense of satiety.

However, if I bake my own goodies from scratch, using basic ingredients such as real sugar, flour, butter, salt, soda, etc, I can eat a couple or three cookies and be satisfied. I don't have near the difficulty controlling the cravings. Bread is the one carb I don't bake myself, but I do eat only whole grain breads that have a short list of ingredients all of which I recognize and can pronounce.

I believe that all the additives and preservatives in the commercial carb products have an effect on appetite. I know they affect me, so I avoid them most of the time.

Margaret

[Kitsyl]

This was a biggy for me and resulted not only in obesity but other health issues as a result.

Now, I'm feeling healthier than I have in so many years:-)

[Blue]

Does anyone know of a really good site for compulsive eating? Today I decided that I was done with the scales. And I know what all of you are saying about the sugar making you eat more sugar. That is exactly right for me. How do people have one cookie? I used to make my own and I ate them all the more because they were soft and chewy. So that doesn't work for me. Just stay away from everything I guess. My main problem is starches which are just sugars. If I can't get the starch because Im out I will buy candy. But chips, pasta, potatoes, corn, rice, all the starchy things I like the best. I like the salt on them too and the grease. So I get both salt and sugar in these things. I can know all about balance and will power and not having the stuff in the house but its just a craziness to have these things. I feel anxiety without them and then it will lessen or go away with them. Sounds like an addiction doesn't it?

[westeewoman]

You might want to take a look at the book The Four Day Win by Martha Beck. It has an interesting take on compulsive over eating, the psychology and phsiology of eating.