Craving Carbs

[Ben86]

Hi all,

A little bit of a back story. I was overwight from about age 13-16 or so. I really kicked it in gear before I turned 17, I'm 20 now and I've been working out, learning everything I can, researching, doing it all for 3.5 years now. I used to be a runner and I got myself cut up really nice with a pretty extreme diet and a lot of running.

Now that I've slowed down on the running I've lost some of my cuts. I feel like I could get them back if I ran a few times a week, but still had a really strong diet. Problem is I can't seem to maintain my old diet as well anymore. I crave carbs all the time. I always feel unsatisfied, and like I need a bowl of cereal or something. I quit buying cereal and things like that because I tend to eat it extremely fast. I try to use old fasioned oatmeal and things like that but I still feel that I'm getting too many carbs, but still craving them all the time.

Any tips on why this would be? Or how to counter it? My current remedies are drinking a lot of water, and grabbing a hand ful of almonds to try to satisfy a craving. Works ok, but the craving is still there. I'm not opposed to appetite suppressants if anyone has an idea.

Thanks,

Ben

[latefordinner]

Do you still eat refined sugar? cut out ALL of it - even fruits for a month or so.

Do you eat multiple small meals or a few bigger ones?

[skunkworks]

Sometimes I'll have powerful cravings for carbs. I figure it's my body trying to tell me something, so I'll listen to it on occasion and have a moderate serving of whatever I want. If you're very carb-sensitive, you may not be able to indulge as much as you'd like to but I don't think it's ever good to ignore the signals. It really wears on you mentally, and good, stable diets shouldn't do that.

[Ben86]

I eat "no sugar added" canned fruit, and a lot of yogurts with like 5-8g sugar. I also eat a lot of bars but they are normally ~10-15 protein, 4-7 fat, and then they can be like anywhere from 2-17 sugar. I think most bars are not giving me refined sugars though... not sure. Would any of this be the culprit? I also take in a lot of caffeine.

edit: and i almost always get 5-6 meals a day.

[Acein8ter]

Try Splenda instead of sugar if you use it. I'd also like to find out how to cut carbs as I'm a carb addict. They say to cut down on all of the 'white' carbs:

Rice, Bread, Pasta, Potatoes.

If I don't have them, I don't feel real satisfied. Also get hungery faster...

[zer0]

i know it sounds like a really boring "snack", but i always keep a bag of spinach in my fridge, pop it in the microwave for a minute and mix it w/ a tsp of extra virgin olive oil....does the trick.

i like vegetables though, and have never really liked chips or candy, maybe its not an option to "quench" your need

[BreakfastBurrito]

Why can't you just start running again?

[jah7_fsu1]

Good suggesstions, I've found brushing your teeth to be a great way to stop cravings although I have no science on it, I think the effect is largely psychological.

[Korch]

I agree. In my experience, if I cut out carbs for a while I will eventually stop missing them. If I eat a lot of carbs, I often feel hungry later or the next day. Just eat a chicken breast or something

[Jetboy2]

[ QUOTE ]
with a pretty extreme diet

[/ QUOTE ]

What was your extreme diet?