Here's a little bit to ponder..
I have found that when I went off of wheat...white or whole wheat flour based products..that I lost all cravings for sugars and carbs.
I do eat small amount of wheat based things..but only the things I bake from Organic wheat.
I could eat all the rice based products I wanted...and not a craving..or weight gain..but add wheat back in..and the blood sugars started to spike and the weight I had lost was creeping back on..a pound here, a pound there..

Just another thing..sometimes it's not all carbs..it's ONE particular thing.

Interesting, Terri. I've been an "aware eater" for a long time, but I'm not sure my awareness has extended to subcategories. I'll start paying more attention. It would be nice to have to give up only some of these things.

I live Low Carb. If you want to eat carbs stick with the carbs that have a High Glycemic Index.Foods high in fat or protein don't cause your blood glucose level to rise much. I use Quinoa as a rice replacement, Shirataki noodles (very low carb noodle replacement.) Stay away from Flour and Wheat produsts. These just cause me to crave carbs. I call white flour poison! I cannot eat it without feeling bloated and then craving sugar.
Everyone is different. Experiment carefully. See which foods you can eat without getting the "Cravings" or weight gain. I go to this site often. Lots of good info and support.

Here is a link that might be useful: Low Carb Eating & Support

alisande,
You must have carbs on a daily basis as they are the body's main source for energy. Their are healthy carbs and fattening carbs. You need to avoid the latter. See the article below.
Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: carbohydrates

Thanks, Mush and Donna. I'll check out both links tomorrow, when I'm not at work.

I was a patient of Dr. Atkins' (in NYC) back in the 1960s. I lost weight on his diet, but I did not want to eat all those saturated fats. So 30 years later I devised my own eating plan, eliminating saturated fats (I never eat cheese, for instance) and emphasizing lean protein and vegetables. I added oat bran, which I usually cooked.

Not only did I lose weight, but my triglyceride level, which had been a dangerous 547, dropped to under 100. I felt great for years, eating like this.

After reading what Terri and Mush had to say about wheat, I wonder if I react badly to it as well. It's quite possible. I'm insulin-resistant, and sensitive to quite a few foods. I've been having a lot of bloating lately. Maybe wheat products are to blame--like the Dreamfields low-carb pasta I bought recently.

You might also have a gluten intolerance.

Linda

I was tested for gluten intolerance about five years ago, although I suppose it could have developed since then.

I follow a fairly low-carb diet. I stay away from processed sweets like cookies, etc. I do use a little sugar in my tea & coffee. I also stay away from white flour products. I do eat fruits like apples, grapefruit , etc. because the fruits are good for me.

I went on a diet once (maybe twice or three times) called the Carbohydrate Addicts diet. You are probably familar with that one, if you have dieted very much or read diet books. I liked it because you can eat pretty much what you want for one meal, if you eat two very low carb meals on the others.

I didn't stay with it very long. I never can stay with a diet very long.

However, in times past, when I tried to restrict carbs too much, I really, really craved them. Things like plain old rice. I would want to eat rice...didn't care if it didn't have gravy on it or anything else.

Just lately I have lost weight...and I didn't diet. The way I lost it is very simple...I quit eating at night. Mainly because my husband is away and no point in cooking supper for myself. I eat a fairly substantial lunch around 11 am and maybe a bite of this or that...no diet, really...just don't get hungry. I usually don't eat after 5 pm. By the time I get in from doing my chores, it is too late to cook.
Cooking isn't easy here anyway, since I am living without a kitchen, but I cook with an electric skillet, electric wok or roaster oven.

alisande,
I recently met a coworker who has hypothyroidism. She is the person who is taking the Armour. She told me to avoid all gluten products as they affect the thyroid negatively. She told me to avoid wheat, rye, barley and oats. She eats rice pasta and gluten free oatmeal. She said once she got off wheat she felt 100% better. She also avoids dairy. I myself am going to try and eat mostly fish, rice fruit and vegetables. I don't eat much meat. I only eat it if I am at someone's house and they serve it.
Donna

Well Spelt doesn't bother me..and it's a "gluten" product but an ancient grain. Oats don't bother me either as long as they are steel cut.
I avoid things that usually are highly GMO..corn and soy are at the top of that list.
I do eat corn as long as it's NON GMO and organic..otherwise I don't eat it.

I'm serious I can eat a brownie that was made with regular ol sugar and non wheat flours and I'm fine with it..I eat a brownie made from wheat...and I want more and get a tummy ache or worse within a few hours. I don't have as bad a reaction to organic wheat though.

I'm not gluten intolerant nor wheat allergic, I just feel better when I eat very little of it.

I don't think there is such a thing as carb or fat or addiction of such thing... this is just my opinion and I may be wrong. I LOVE carbs, esp. breads but I don't feel it's an addiction. I think it's more of a matter of will power. I just love it so I eat it. I did give up carbs for a while a few yrs. ago to do the South Beach w/ a friend. I did lose weight but who wouldn't! You also cut down greatly on calories! I think the same thing would happen if you gave up say.... fats..... Just remember that you need healthy carbs. It's not good to cut them out completely. It feeds your brain. When my friend goes on her no carb/low carb diet- she is unbearable. I can see her get depressed and she's just not the same. And, she hardly ever eats carbs anyway so for her, it's not an 'addiction'. When she adds carbs a bit, she is much better. I truly believe it's because she's depriving her brain of food. You can eat healthy with carbs in your diet... good carbs, of course, but don't eliminate them completely.

I have to disagree, Orie. There is a biological basis for carb addiction. I know from personal experience that there's a big difference between wanting a certain food because it tastes good or whatever, and a true, deep-seated craving. When I found myself prowling the basement, looking in the freezers for frozen cookies 13 years ago, I knew I had an addiction and needed to deal with it.

If your friend hardly ever eats carbs, I don't understand why she would embark on a low-carb diet. I was pretty unbearable, too, when I initially gave them up. I think some of us sedate ourselves with carbs. But once I got over the withdrawal period (yes, just like other addictions) I felt great--healthy, energetic, and free of cravings.

Two generations ago, many of my family members had diabetes. On the other side of the family, my grandmother died of a heart attack in her forties. She loved to bake. My theory (never to be proven, obviously) is that she shared my predisposition to carb over-consumption and elevated triglycerides--a BIG heart risk for women.

Body chemistry is an individual thing, and I don't think we can sum up dietary needs with general statements.

Orie, South Beach and other low carb diets don't completely cut out all carbs. It cuts out the bad ones. So yes, what you said "You can eat healthy with carbs in your diet... good carbs, of course, but don't eliminate them completely." Is exactly what South Beach is about.

Linda

The only diet that has ever worked for me is not a diet.

Eating sensibly and watching the portions has always worked for me. Sweets are my enemy, but when I've lost weight, I did have a healthy intake of other carbs.

This morning I read the following, part of ProHealth's interview with Scott Olson, ND, a naturopathic doctor. I don't know anything about him, but I sure can relate to this:

Q: How do you suggest a person "detox" from sugar addiction?

Dr. Scott: You have to consider sugar addiction to be like other addictions: Just as hard to kick as alcohol, cigarettes and even hard drugs. The best way to detox is to remove it from you diet, but be prepared for BIG cravings.

* * * *

Q: Are there any supplements to take that eliminate sugar cravings?

Dr. Scott: None work super-great, but I like chromium, vanadium, magnesium, B-vitamins.

Yes, I guess you can be addicted. I thought I was the biggest carb lover on earth. I've cut carbs out in the past for months but, besides being very hungry the first wk., I didn't experience the withdrawal from them like some of you say. Don't misunderstand... I missed them but didn't focus on them. I've done the South Beach. I think it's probably one of the better ones out there. My friend is always on a diet. She's not even heavy. It's one of those body image things.... She doesn't eat carbs yet she's always on the Atkins or SB diet. I think, because she doesn't take carbs in, she's actually somewhat depressed. She won't even add the carbs from the SB diet when it's ok to do. I can see her spirits soar if she adds some good carbs and her spirit will wilt when she removes the carbs (I'll get on her about her diet and moods and she'll add some carbs briefly... just to quiet me). It's bizarre to watch! We have worked together for the last 10 yrs. so I know her very well and see her mood swings depending on diet. I think this does more harm than if she were just to eat regular meals.

Just as hard to kick as alcohol, cigarettes and even hard drugs. Sorry, but I'm pretty sure this doctor never smoked! I've given up carbs many times and although it was hard.. it was nothing like quitting smoking.

I've been on the Carb Addicts Diet.. lost about a lb. a week. Lost about 40 lbs. on the Fat Flush diet (lower carb, high in good fats)... gained it all back because I couldn't hack another day of lemon water in the morning, it would be a very hard diet to stay on for life. I do feel better when I cut back on the carbs, but a diet like The Atkin's Diet left me feeling ill and besides a few lbs. weight loss the first week, the diet didn't work for me. I've tried the Glycemic Index diets too.. couldn't lose weight on those either.

I don't think there is one diet for everyone.

If someone has chocolate cravings.. try taking a good Magnesium supplement daily. Works wonders!