posted on February 23, 2001 02:27:39 PM new
I'm sitting here craving a Snickers bar but I won't go and get one. Nope. I've been watching what I eat lately, actually looking on the packages of stuff to see how many calories are in there, and drinking water instead of pop.
Today I had a Slim Fast bar and an apple for breakfast, then some popcorn for lunch. Now I'm hungry and it's only 2:30. I want a Snickers bar but won't give in to the craving.
I'm not exactly on a diet, but I would like to lose a few pounds in some targeted areas. I know I need to exercise, too, in order to do that, but I figure watching what I eat is a good start.
But how do I combat these cravings? I've been drinking a lot of water to fill my stomach but it doesn't seem to do much good. Has anybody been there, done that, and solved it?
posted on February 23, 2001 02:32:48 PM new
In the past (operative word ), I found that absolutely killing yourself with exercise, works. You've put in too much effort, pain and suffering to throw it away for a lousy Snickers bar.
The trick to master is actually starting the torturous exercise program. Can you tell I'm trying to motivate myself???
posted on February 23, 2001 02:35:32 PM new
Hi toke, yeah, it's really hard to get started on the exercise! I have a pile of magazine pages filled with exercise tips and maneuvers and routines... but it's not very heavy and reading it hasn't burned any calories yet.
posted on February 23, 2001 02:40:52 PM new
Have the Snickers bar. It won't make or break your diet. If you eat 10, that's different. But one? Naw.... go ahead. Don't deprive yourself because that's when you get frustrated.
posted on February 23, 2001 02:51:02 PM new
10 Snickers bars... hmmmm....
I still have a lot to learn about carbs, but I've heard that a bagel with cream cheese is not only loaded with carbs but also calorie-packed. I've had one for lunch probably 2 out of every 3 days during the past year, so I'm thinking maybe I should cool it with the bagels! I do love them, though.
This is kind of suck-o. Up until three or four years ago I could eat whatever I wanted and stay skinny. Then I got married and now hubby says my "butt has blossomed."
posted on February 23, 2001 03:51:24 PM new
I'll tell you what's suck-o. Finding out at the age of forty-something that after being a carbohydrate addict your whole life, that you're diabetic and can't have ANY of that stuff anymore. No bagels, no candy, no cookies (except sugarless - yum!), etc. Oh, I can eat pizza - and watch my blood sugar go sky high. I can eat cake, and then sleep for two hours. But basically, while everyone is having donuts at the staff meeting, I'm drinking diet soda - which, at this point in my life, is the only "sweet" I can have. SUCK-O!!
posted on February 23, 2001 03:56:17 PM new
Staying away from the carbs is haaaarrrrrrrrd. I am dead serious...I have done it, and it's no piece of cake (pun intended). You will crave and crave and crave...but if you can manage to do it long enough, you will stop craving them.
Just remember, it's better to have a piece of meat...have a steak or something...than to have that bagel. Protein is the building block of our bodies...muscle. Don't worry about eating the fat, it's not nearly as bad as the carbs. When you metabolize carbs, your body just stores the extra as fat. When you eat fat, it's a lot easier to digest and usually doesn't get stored (though if you cut the extra fat off that steak, it's bound to do you some good).
Of course, have the veggies too, you need the vitamins and minerals in addition to all that meat and fish you're eating.
But that big hunk of bread or that huge bowl of pasta isn't going to do you much good, except make you feel full and load you down with the calories.
Eat protein, and don't worry about eating several meals a day, if you're staying away from the carbs. The carbs take longer to burn, and that's why you don't need to eat as often when you eat them.
posted on February 23, 2001 03:58:02 PM new
Muriel: I have heard that staying completely away from the carbs can make your diabetes problems go away. I don't know if it's true, but that's what I hear.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:01:48 PM newKim - Diabetes never goes away. But you can control it very well by staying off the carbs. I'm doing a pretty good job of it. But it's things like not being able to eat a bowl of Life cereal because of the sugar and milk. Milk makes blood sugar SHOOT up. Or having a couple of Oreos. Stuff like that. I am a carbaholic, and a pizza LOVER, and it's very hard for me to say "no" to carbs. But I have to. It's a daily struggle, unless I want horrible things to happen to my kidneys, eyes, feet, etc. I don't have to take insulin, thank goodness. But I have to check my blood sugar three times a day.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:08:00 PM new
Yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. My grandma has diabetes, and so did her mother...I am praying my mom doesn't get it (that will make me feel less doomed).
I am a carb addict also. I know _how_ to go without carbs, but what I end up doing is just going on _less_ carbs. I just can't resist doing it once in a while.
You will do yourself good, however, Muriel, by staying off them. My grandma used to cheat, and now she _does_ have to take insulin. She just couldn't resist.
Luckily, more and more people are becoming carb-conscious...so there will be more yummy things on the market for people like you to eat.
Like I said, I don't know if that thing I heard was true, but I would be willing to bet that if say, people like myself, who are at high risk, cut back on the carbs while they're young, like me, then they can avoid having the problem later on.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:18:48 PM new
Muriel, that is suck-o! Although eating cake, then sleeping for two hours sounds like the perfect afternoon to me. Really, though, I know it would be tough to give up sweets and carbs. I have a friend who is an insulin-dependent diabetic, and he pretty much eats whatever he wants (sugary sweets included) after taking a shot, but I worry that it's bad for him.
Kimbonovich - thanks for the carb advice. I don't eat steak so I do end up eating quite a bit of pasta... pasta and seafood are my staples. I guess I should add more veggies to my diet instead of spaghetti and potatoes!
posted on February 23, 2001 04:20:03 PM new
In October my husband and I went on a diet just like Kimbonovich proposed - more small meals, fewer carbs, and more protein. We allowed ourselves one day a week to eat anything we wanted in any quantity we wanted. We also started walking more and working out with weights and the rowing machine. He lost 25 pounds and I lost four but slimmed down.
This was hard for me because I'm a social carnivore - I'll eat meat if someone serves it and I'll eat a burger sometimes, but I don't buy meat to eat at home. I ate a lot of cheese and pasta - and usually felt sluggish. Anyway, now I murder as far down the food chain as possible - scallops, oysters, fish.
On the first week of the new diet on our free day we ate breakfast at a pancake house and then had burgers for lunch - everything we had craved for that week. And by late afternoon we had NO energy. The following Friday we ate some of the carbs we had craved but noticed we again lost all our energy. By the third week we didn't even want high carb food.
Unfortunately we backslid during the holidays and are just getting back to our diet plan again.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:28:01 PM new
Yeah, my (ex)boyfriend is like that. He loves carbs...he'll eat that whole pizza, himself. But, you had better not count on him moving after that. He's going to be comatose for a few hours, at least. He's the one that taught me about the no-carbs thing. He's bad about it himself...he's so addicted...but when he has stayed off the carbs, he has lost a lot of weight.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:36:55 PM new
I think that foods that are high in carbohydrates set me up for craving sugar. A big slump follows a high carb meal so then I crave sweets for an energy boost.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:39:32 PM new
Kim, my problem is I'm not a big steak eater, and I hate vegetables. Always have. They literally gag me. So I don't have many options. My doctor would like me to eat celery and tofu, and drink water for the rest of my life. That's living??? He even told me not to drink diet soda (which I never did in the past) because of the Nutrasweet. I'm sorry but after being told I can't have carbs, sweets, Pepsi, or anything else that tastes good, now I can't even have diet pop? That's where I draw the line. I need my diet pop! By the way, the rules set forth by the American Diabetes Assocation have changed drastically, and they say we can basically eat whatever we want (aside from refined sugar) but the portions are what we need to control. So I can have pizza, but only one slice. I can have Cheerios, but only 1/2 cup. And I can have fruit juice, but only 1/4 cup. Heck, that's not even worth the trouble of opening the fridge.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:41:18 PM new
P.S. to Kim: you are very right about watching your carbs now. If you watch your weight, exercise, and eat low carbs you can cut your chance of diabetes. You have a family history, so be very diligent!
posted on February 23, 2001 04:48:44 PM new
I am sorry Muriel. That can't be any fun. I know how I crave pizza, but having your doctor tell you no has to make it even worse.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:51:33 PM new
That's ok, Kim. I don't listen to him anyway. He's the one who told me it wasn't necessary for me to check my blood sugar because he didn't want me to "obsess" over it. I had to find out from a dietician about how to use a Glucometer. Also, he referred me to his web site where he sells a product called "Carbs Away", which is supposed to help get rid of carbs after a meal. I have to use this face again.
posted on February 23, 2001 04:55:00 PM new
"Carbs Away"? Sounds like a God-send. I can just hear their advertisement... "Go ahead, eat that whole pizza, and don't share it with anybody! While you're at it, eat that whole bag of bagels, a stack of pancakes, and a huge plate of spaghetti! Just take Carbs Away, and tell that doctor to go away!"
posted on February 23, 2001 09:10:12 PM new
Going low-carb was the best thing I ever did for myself. I've been following a low-carb lifestyle for more than four years now. I've lost more than 70 pounds and maintained the loss--except for the eight pounds I gained on a cruise last month That's almost gone now, though.
There are a lot of type II diabetics who post on the various low-carb mail lists who say they are able to drastically reduce or even eliminate their insulin and medications when they follow a low-carb diet. If you haven't read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, or the Protein Power book, please find copies and read them--there is so much great scientific information in them that explains why the low-carb diet works for some people like me who have tried every other diet and could not lose weight. If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, you ought to read these books just to get a good explanation of the changes your body is going through, and how high carb intake messes you up.
It's true--you will lose all cravings for carbs if you get away from them completely for five or six days. Carbs are so addictive that you can go through a "withdrawal" that is almost as bad as a caffeine withdrawal! Once you get through that withdrawal period you'll be surprised at how food loses its importance in your life.
Low-carb diets aren't for everyone, but they are certainly worth a try for anyone who shows diabetic tendencies, or who has problems losing weight on "conventional" low-cal or low-fat diets.
posted on February 23, 2001 09:28:30 PM new
I really liked the diet soda to help me lose weight but I had this problem that I was waking up with a headache behind my right ear every morning and it would not go away until 10 or 10:30 every morning. Taking a pain pill did not seem to help much. Then one day I saw an internet site saying how bad nutrasweet was - I mean these people were really unreasonable. If it was as bad as they say it would be killing more people than aids. BUT - I noticed one woman said she had a headache every morning behind her right ear until she quit it. It was eire to see something so specific. So I quit the diet sodas and in 2 days bingo - no headache in the morning. It may not be causing warts and obstructing world peace but they were right about the headaches for me.
), I found that absolutely killing yourself with exercise, works. You've put in too much effort, pain and suffering to throw it away for a lousy Snickers bar.
Really, though, I know it would be tough to give up sweets and carbs. I have a friend who is an insulin-dependent diabetic, and he pretty much eats whatever he wants (sugary sweets included) after taking a shot, but I worry that it's bad for him.