Some people have expressed an interest in learning more about the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet.
Like I said, I heard another patient talking about it at physical therapy and I was intrigued.
"This low-carbohydrate diet was designed by a research biologist and a research psychologist to treat hyperinsulinemia, a condition where normal carbohydrate consumption produces not satisfaction but even more hunger, especially cravings for starches and sugar." (from amazon)
The book has a questionnaire to help you determine whether or not you are a carb addict. (I fell into the severe addict range.) It explains that people with this problem have too much insulin release when they eat carbs, and lack the usual serotonin boost that helps us to feel full and satisfied after eating. Because we don't feel full or satisfied, we eat frequently (usually carbs), which only perpetuates the problem.
Basically, the plan is to eat two low-carbohydrate meals (breakfast & lunch), no eating between meals, and then you have a daily "reward meal." That means that you can eat whatever you want for dinner! (The only catch is that you have only 60 minutes to eat whatever you want.) Eating this way means that your body only has to process the carbohydrates once a day, getting you out of the escalating cycle and allowing insulin/serotonin levels to regulate.
I honestly thought at the start that I couldn't manage eating only 3 times a day, given my cravings, hunger, and lack of satisfaction. Surprisingly, that hasn't been difficult. I do find myself wanting to eat fruit or nuts or candy at times (especially when preparing meals for my children), but it's not that hard to put off cravings until dinnertime, when I know I'll be able to indulge if I still want it.
I'm on day 6 now and I've lost 3 pounds so far. I have found it was much more difficult to ignore my cravings since my period started, but I've managed. I'm going to have to figure out some breakfast alternatives, because eggs are getting old for me.
I'm hoping that this is a plan I can adhere to long-term, because I am already feeling better. I feel so much more in control and even than I did when I was succumbing to the constant urge to eat carbs! Wish me luck.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
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8 comments:
Sounds interesting! And three pounds, hot dog!
Where does Lucas fit into the carb addiction chart?!!
I absolutely love this post. Totally fascinating. Speech therapy is usually such a solitary thing, you know? Just you and a kid...sometimes their parents. When I was working with toddlers (where I was ALWAYS at the kid's house with a parent) I used to be secretly jealous of the physical and occupational therapists. They had all kinds of cool gadgets to help with the physical stuff but I could never manually MAKE a kid talk. Plus the kids were always walking WAY before they were talking.
I've always thought the Carbohydrate Addict's diet was the same as Atkins so I'd written it off. Hmmm...now I'm intrigued.
I'm glad you can see a difference in the way you feel! When you're losing weight, I think concentrating on the way you feel rather than the way you look helps. So often I expect to see overnight, miraculous results and get bummed when I don't. Acknowledging the ways it makes me feel better helps.
Woohoo 3 pounds in 6 days!
Sweet! Keep it up! There is a huge reward in feeling good! Hooray Hooray! Hooray!
This is awesome! I am so glad it is working for you. I know someone here that follows the plan and she has been going strong for 3 months and looks awesome!
Aside from eggs, have you tried greek yogurt? I buy it plain and add agave or fruit- not sure what the carb limit is for you. Cottage cheese is another go protein for me. Try it with lemon pepper sometime...weird but it so good! Oatmeal with protein powder is good too. I am a big fan of tofu, but I have a feeling you aren't :) If you marinade it and do a veggie stir fry type thing in the morning...so good!
Good luck!
This is off the subject of your post but I just had to tell you that we made your Grandma's "Ding Dong" cake and it was DIVINE!! Truly one of the best cakes I have EVER had. Thanks so much for sharing her recipes.
I think it's so awesome that this is working out so well for you!
Hope this is still going well for you!
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