hi, i dropped 30 lbs in about 4 months by restricting carbs; except for some vegetables; and i was very happy with how i looked; FINALLY!! :) NOW, for the past 3 wks or so i have been craving carbs like crazy and havent been able to keep myself from eating them, and it's the bad ones like bagels and bisquits and fruit; now i've put back on 20 lbs that i tried so hard to lose; is it normal to crave carbs after restricting??? and how can i go back to losing the 20 lbs again?? please someone some advice, i'll take it!!!! thanks a lot!! ;)

You might find reading about carbs => glucose => insulin => interactions helpful. Most point to the explanation in the book Protein Power (by the Eades) as the best. The Carbohydrate Addicts' series (by the Hellers) also goes into this. Both propose plans that might help what you are experiencing.

Good luck!

This carb craving is typical of over-restrictive diets like Atkins and such. The body finally rebels, and the pounds are back on. It's a form of crash dieting which never is permenant. Lifestyle changes like less junk food, smaller portions and exercise is easier to live with but produce slower results....but more permanent.

camille,

That carb craving is EXTREMELY powerful when you severely restrict carbs. It's ONE of the ways that your body is telling you that you need to eat carbs. Smelling like a Porta-Johnny in the hot sun is yet another.:blob_fire

When I tried Atkins, I thought I'd have to be tied down in order to resist a pasta dish...I actually DREAMED about lasagna.:jester:

Anyone who suggests a diet without any lasagna should be shot.:D

hi, i dropped 30 lbs in about 4 months by restricting carbs; except for some vegetables; and i was very happy with how i looked; FINALLY!! :) NOW, for the past 3 wks or so i have been craving carbs like crazy and havent been able to keep myself from eating them, and it's the bad ones like bagels and bisquits and fruit; now i've put back on 20 lbs that i tried so hard to lose; is it normal to crave carbs after restricting??? and how can i go back to losing the 20 lbs again?? please someone some advice, i'll take it!!!! thanks a lot!! ;)

Then eat more good, complex carbs. Fruit and vegetables. And make sure you eat plenty of them whenever you are going to have a bad one such as pasta.

Also, the simple, processed carbs aren't just fattening. They age you and cause all kinds of health problems. I find it easier to give them up for those reasons.

As it sounds like you have discovered, feeding a carb craving doesn't make it go away. It has the opposite effect. The more carbs you eat, simple or complex, the more your body craves them. Carbs push your insulin levels up. Which in turn makes you hungry. Eating carbs also sends a shot of seratonin (the feel-good neuro-transmitter) to your brain, which is why carby snacks are so "moreish". If you want to break carb cravings you have to eat less of them.

Cheers,

Mark :)

As it sounds like you have discovered, feeding a carb craving doesn't make it go away. It has the opposite effect. The more carbs you eat, simple or complex, the more your body craves them. Carbs push your insulin levels up. If you want to break carb cravings you have to eat less of them.



Simple carbs, you mean. Fiber and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help your body process the glucose.

I eat fruit all day long as snacks. I have no cravings at all for the bread, pasta and sweets that used to be my preferred diet.

Simple carbs, you mean.
Nope, even some complex carbs can do it for some people. We are all different.

Nope, even some complex carbs can do it for some people. We are all different.

Do what to some people?

Do what to some people?
My comment was a response to your response to Mark1e talking about craving carbs. Check back on the thread.

My comment was a response to your response to Mark1e talking about craving carbs. Check back on the thread.

I read the thread. What are you saying that complex carbs do to people?

Make them crave them? So what? Eat all the complex carbs you want. That is exactly what our bodies are designed for.

Make them crave them?

Mark1e was talking about craving carbs . . . any carbs.

So what? Eat all the complex carbs you want.

If you have no problems eating all the complex carbs you want, that's great. But not everyone is exactly like you. Some people have weight/health problems eating all the complex carbs they want.

That is exactly what our bodies are designed for.

I disagree.

On The Bright side you can figure that about at least 5 of the lbs you gained were water and not fat.

Being on Low carb you kept your Glycogen levels Ultra low....when you Ate all the carbs you filled your Glycogen back up it can add up to 5lbs itself.

Any Fat you Gained was not because of CARBS is was because you Ate too much.

CArbs them selves will not make you gain weight....Too many Calories will.

Cutting back on BAD carbs can be very good for dieting because the foods you replace them with will fill you up more. Ketosis can also suppress appetite and cravings.


On Low Carb diets you will always lose a fair bit of Water weight which you will gain right back when you go off the diet. It is this water weight that the Low Carb Diet people (Atkins, south beach, etc) use to first make you think the diet is doing wonders right away, and second makes you believe that Carbs do make you gain weight as as soon as you go off the diet you will gain this water weight back.!

If you have no problems eating all the complex carbs you want, that's great. But not everyone is exactly like you. Some people have weight/health problems eating all the complex carbs they want.


As bluejbirdie just said, Calories make you gain weight. Complex carbs, fibrous fruit and vegetables, are among the lowest calorie choices you could make.

Could you name a health problem caused by vegetables?

This discussion is about preventing binging after being on a too strict or crash diet.

Calories are essential for life. Excess calories can lead to weight gain. SOME complex carbs are indeed among the lowest calorie choices, but certainly not all. I did not say any health problems were caused by vegetables, I said some were caused by complex carbs. We seem to use words very differently. I see the beginning post talking about cravings after following a certain weight reduction plan. How did you conclude the poster was following a crash diet? (The way I have always heard that term used was for regimes that severely restricted calories; and under such a regime one would lose a lot more than 30 pounds in 4 months.) How did you conclude the regime was too strict? I do not see any specific information about what the poster was eating that would allow any thinking person to reach such a conclusion.