Carb addict. Help!

[Anonymous]

Do you drink a lot of coffee? For me caffeine is an appetite stimulant. If I drink too much I eat more and don’t have much self control, make bad food choices. It especially impacts me in the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

I’m the same. When I worked in an office a walk to the coffee shop was the absolute best solution- a little movement and a little coffee or tea was so much better for my energy level than carbs. I am now 100 percent remote which I hate but try to get in some movement in the afternoon.

For me carb cravings and munchies are in the evening- i either hold it together or eat a bunch of sugar it feels like I can’t manage a good in between. We eat dinner super early because of my kids so I am legitimately hungry but don’t make good choices. It’s a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try having a bit more calories if you can’t make it through a single day. You’re not eating enough.

This is what I was thinking also. What you are eating for breakfast and lunch might not be enough if by 3 pm you are ravenous and go off the rails. Make sure your lunch salad is HUGE and topped with a sprinkling of nuts and seeds with beans for your protein.

Try eating more for breakfast and lunch, and also consider taking a couple of rest days. Maybe workout Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and rest on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. On the rest days do nothing more than take a walk.

Also *I know this doesn't work for everyone* but I do not focus on protein. I eat lots of carbs but not processed carbs. I am SO MUCH happier and satiated with my diet than when I focused on protein and tried to limit carbs. I eat a huge volume of food.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing wrong with being a complex carb addict. It’s simple carbs that are the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. Helpful ideas. I don't fear fat, and I've tried very low carb, but it didn't feel right (it also didn't help my eventual overeating - if anything it made it worse). But I do think pushing my carbs to later in the day might help. Even cutting my morning toast down to half a slice.

I'm pretty good about water, but I could be better. And I know from my fitbit that I could use better sleep. I'm going to try focusing on both of those, because my afternoon cravings do really seem to coincide with an energy slump that could be do to chronic fatigue/dehydration...

OP again. I also tried a CGM for a couple months, and it was interesting. My blood sugar was way more stable on the days I avoided most carbs, but I didn't feel good or that I was eating in a sustainable way. So I'm hoping to find a way to keep some carbs in without big swings. Probably the most disappointing thing I found was that oatmeal and most other cereals caused huge spikes and crashes. I just love oatmeal. Sigh.

Interesting.
How do you cook your oatmeal? What other cereal do you eat? Milk included?

I suggest to keep trying with CGM, just adjust the carb you eat - cut out added sugar in your carbs read labels), change carb source - good white bread instead of whole wheat toaster one, buckwheat vs oatmeal, steal-cut oats vs rolled, etc. Keep detailed diary for couple weeks, just to pinpoint the problem products.
3 pm crash means you're eating something that caused spike earlier in the day, and/or you didn't eat enough to keep you blood sugar from crashing.

[Anonymous]

I follow Dr. Mark Hyman and he isn't a fan of oatmeal because it doesn't curb hunger enough - especially instant oats. I think this is on his website. I switched to teff that I mix with kefir and fruit. I have to order it online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I follow Dr. Mark Hyman and he isn't a fan of oatmeal because it doesn't curb hunger enough - especially instant oats. I think this is on his website. I switched to teff that I mix with kefir and fruit. I have to order it online.

I think this is personal. Oatmeal, paired with nuts and fruit and a little milk curbs my hunger for several hours. Meanwhile, if I ate just eggs and avocado- I’d be starving an hour later. Carbs and fiber are very filling, as long as they are paired with a little protein and fat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I follow Dr. Mark Hyman and he isn't a fan of oatmeal because it doesn't curb hunger enough - especially instant oats. I think this is on his website. I switched to teff that I mix with kefir and fruit. I have to order it online.

I think this is personal. Oatmeal, paired with nuts and fruit and a little milk curbs my hunger for several hours. Meanwhile, if I ate just eggs and avocado- I’d be starving an hour later. Carbs and fiber are very filling, as long as they are paired with a little protein and fat

Oh man - I wish oatmeal with nuts and berries filled me up like that! It’s so delicious. But all it does is make me hungry for more carbs. Eggs and avocado though - that’s a winner for me. Kills my cravings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe try skipping breakfast all together. Like someone else may have said, eating earlier in the day only makes me hungrier.

+1 I don’t have my carb desire completely curbed, but I don’t find a normal, balanced breakfast satisfying or satiating unless it involves overeating at a restaurant. I think it is incredibly sad that bagels are refined carbs. We have them on Christmas morning and even with cream cheese it is like eating air- I could eat 4 and not be full. I just drink coffee, try to workout and save calories for lunch.