Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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For medical reasons it has recently become necessary for me to stop eating low carb. I have reintroduced fruit and starchy vegetables into my diet. Before LC I had a big problem with food obsession. After every meal, thoughts of my next meal would dominate my mind. I was addicted to food, it would seem. This problem subsided when I began VLC. I was on a diet of 20-50g carbs/day.

Now within a week of reintroducing carbs my food obsessions have returned and I am afraid they are going to cause me to eat unhealthy. My carbs thus far have consisted primarily of berries (strawberries and blueberries), carrots, and sweet potatoes. I would say I am eating 100-150g carbs / day (about 20-30% of calories). Does anyone have suggestions as to how I can eliminate these food cravings once and for all?

I was tested for thyroid hormones and found I am may be in the beginning stages of Hashimoto's disease (autoimmune hypothyroidism).

flag	asked Oct 1 at 21:03 Loss 31●1

Beth-WeightMaven · Answer 1 · 2012-10-01 21:52:37Z UTC

I have a couple of suggestions. First, read this fab post by Paul Jaminet on how to eat starch and minimize blood sugar response. That may help food cravings too.

Secondly, I'd encourage you experiment with one or more of the following:

Keep your carb intake closer to 100g and split it into two meals (keeping one meal/day LC)
Eat a denser, lower-glycemic starch (like basmati rice) the allows you to get your carbs without too much volume.
Consider alternating higher carb days with lower carb days. The former can help restore glycogen stores that may carry you thru lower carb days and still provide you with sufficient carbs for your medical needs.
Make sure your non-carb foods are as nutrient-dense as possible, especially for fat-soluble micronutrients. I'd go for pastured eggs, liver, and shellfish like mussels/oysters.
If you don't have one, start practicing some kind of meditation practice (some regular deep breathing exercises are good for a start).

Best of luck!

Nurse Mary · Answer 2 · 2012-10-02 00:51:10Z UTC

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Eat the carbs early in the day, low on the glycemic index. Eat meals, don't snack. Snacking was my "gateway" to eating poorly. This will aid in preventing insulin from rising and causing hungar. Also,I agree about the squash.

answered Oct 2 at 0:51

Nurse Mary
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I'd actually suggest eating your carbs towards the end of the day instead - I have similar issues, and find that eating a fat/protein breakfast, small amount of carbs with lunch then more at dinner time helps balance the cravings well (and helps you sleep). If I have carbs at breakfast, I'll be craving food all day. – Jae Oct 2 at 2:19

Jae, I have the same experience. Keeping my breakfast as the lowest carb meal of the day seems to keep me from getting hungry in the late afternoons, even if I eat more carbs at lunch. – Robin Oct 2 at 2:29

anonymous · Answer 3 · 2012-10-02 02:04:26Z UTC

I second everything Beth said. I also wonder if you kept your intake closer to bedtime so the carb induced food obsession would maybe not happen for you since you'd be sleeping. Also carbs are said to help with sleep, so waiting to eat them in an evening bolus fashion may be helpful perhaps?

sage_ · Answer 4 · 2012-10-02 00:33:38Z UTC

i have the exact same problem. my suggestion is to get rid of the fruit and starchy carbs that are sweet. try a squash in place of a sweet potato. eat the carrots raw. if you are going to eat rice, eat it plain- no butter or coconut oil. i hope it gets better for you.

polyhex · Answer 5 · 2012-10-02 01:42:37Z UTC

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Try eating the starch plain without salt or butter/oils. White potatoes are particularly satiating when eaten absolutely plain.

answered Oct 2 at 1:42

polyhex
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Dave · Answer 6 · 2012-10-02 16:35:55Z UTC

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And I think this is huge: Get good sleep! 8 or 9 hours of deep powerful sleep. Most people I know start getting crazy munchies when running on poor amounts or quality of sleep.

answered Oct 2 at 16:35

Dave
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Pumpkinhead · Answer 7 · 2012-10-03 11:57:24Z UTC

Pumpkin is GREAT, as are butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash - they each have lower carb counts than sweet potatoes, therefore wreaking less havoc in the form of blood sugar swings, which seem to be causing problems for you and have been reported by many while attempting to transition to a diet that includes starches. I'd also slowly increase your carbs from 50 to 75 g per day for a bit, then up to 100g/day, etc. Doing it too rapidly seems to encourage some of us to go hog wild because that rush of blood sugar just feels so damn great - at first, anyway. That's been my experience and I've seen countless other former VLCers say the same.

Good luck to you!

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7 Answers