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| Can you be addicted to carbohydrates? Here are 5 addictions that can coax you to cheat. |
One of the accusations I hear quite often within the low-carb community is that obesity is caused by people being addicted to carbohydrates, and that addiction is the real reason they are fat.
Carbs make you:
- cheat now and then
- struggle to maintain your loses
- get heavy in the first place
Carbohydrates can be problematic for those with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, or diabetes, but can you actually be addicted to them?
Granted, the people who blame the carbs can't stop eating carby foods.
I'm not questioning that.
Some dieters crave carby foods every day, or they lose control at a party or social gathering because they can't stand the thought of being deprived, and give into the strong urge to cheat. They might even binge before returning to low carb.
Regardless of the circumstances, carbohydrates always get the blame.
But carbohydrates are a macronutrient.
They are a group of foods with a similar biological structure. And as such, carbs are not one thing.
But carbohydrates are a macronutrient.
They are a group of foods with a similar biological structure. And as such, carbs are not one thing.
What is Addiction?
When low carbers talk about cravings,
they are referring to a very strong urge to eat something
that contains carbohydrates.
Your mind says you want to eat that particular food because it will:
Being unable to make up your mind and craving the sensation of taste is often called addiction, but for true addiction to be present, there has to be a continual pattern of activity.
Your mind says you want to eat that particular food because it will:
- taste good
- provide loads of enjoyment
- satisfy you
Being unable to make up your mind and craving the sensation of taste is often called addiction, but for true addiction to be present, there has to be a continual pattern of activity.
In other words, the addicted person
will find themselves cheating every single week or every single day and not just at a party or single family gathering. Addiction is something you do on an intermittent basis.
Carbohydrates are found in almost all foods,
except for meats, so to be truly addicted to them, you would find a
baked potato or a cup of plain steamed rice just as tempting and
uncontrollable to avoid as a piece of chocolate cake.
Does that sound like you?
If so, then you might be addicted to carbs. If not, then something else might be going on.
If you're having a difficult time sticking to your low-carb diet, you might be experiencing something totally different than carbohydrate addiction. It still may be addition, but it would be addiction to something other than carbs.
Does that sound like you?
If so, then you might be addicted to carbs. If not, then something else might be going on.
If you're having a difficult time sticking to your low-carb diet, you might be experiencing something totally different than carbohydrate addiction. It still may be addition, but it would be addiction to something other than carbs.
What Addictions Might Drive You to Eat Carbs?
The following 5 addictions are a few psychological
addictions that might mask themselves as a physical addiction to
carbs. Some of these addictions are very common, especially if you don't have a lot of self esteem or struggle
with insecurity issues.
1) Being a Victim:
For those who are
overweight, being addicted to playing the role of victim is a biggie.
Do you believe that you have been victimized by carbs?
A lot of low-carb dieters do.
If carbohydrates didn't exist in the world, do you believe that you wouldn't be fat? If so, then the idea you're addicted to is that carbs have somehow attacked or abused you.
Carbs have mistreated you by making you fat.
When you're functioning from a victim mindset, life goes out of its way to prove to you that you are right. Situations will pop up in your life that will give you ample opportunity to cheat on your low-carb diet. Pressure will be quite strong because the mind is creating the event so you'll cheat.
If you cave in and go face down into the chocolate cake, that reaction to food will support what you already believe. Yep. Carbs are out to get you.
Do you believe that you have been victimized by carbs?
A lot of low-carb dieters do.
If carbohydrates didn't exist in the world, do you believe that you wouldn't be fat? If so, then the idea you're addicted to is that carbs have somehow attacked or abused you.
Carbs have mistreated you by making you fat.
When you're functioning from a victim mindset, life goes out of its way to prove to you that you are right. Situations will pop up in your life that will give you ample opportunity to cheat on your low-carb diet. Pressure will be quite strong because the mind is creating the event so you'll cheat.
If you cave in and go face down into the chocolate cake, that reaction to food will support what you already believe. Yep. Carbs are out to get you.
2) Addiction to Dieting:
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| Starting a new diet can be exciting. So exciting, that you can actually be addicted to that feeling. |
Yo-yo dieters do this all the time.
They get a high out of initially going on a diet and fall in love with that surge of energy and well-being you receive when you first enter the state of ketosis. Once the newness of a low-carb diet plan loses its hormonal potency and the body adapts to ketosis, you begin to feel a bit flat.
Maybe, the scale doesn't return the correct number that
week, or you get bored with the food. Perhaps, someone in your family is
eating one of your favorite foods in front of you.
No matter what the situation is, you end up cheating because you want to feel that sugar rush. If you're addicted to binge eating, you might give up dieting altogether for a while and stuff your face full of carbs.
When you return to a low-carb diet, after a lengthy diet break, you'll once again experience that high that comes from thinking: this time I'm really going to do this. The well-being and lack of interest in food will make you feel strong and powerful until everything goes flat again.
No matter what the situation is, you end up cheating because you want to feel that sugar rush. If you're addicted to binge eating, you might give up dieting altogether for a while and stuff your face full of carbs.
When you return to a low-carb diet, after a lengthy diet break, you'll once again experience that high that comes from thinking: this time I'm really going to do this. The well-being and lack of interest in food will make you feel strong and powerful until everything goes flat again.
3) Discrimination Syndrome:
This syndrome
is very popular among those who are overweight as well. Do you feel like you have been discriminated against because you are fat? Do you feel like it
isn't fair that you can't eat the same foods others can?
Since energy collects at the point where you place your attention, thinking about what you can't have and the unfairness of life will cause the mind to suddenly produce cravings for that very thing.
The mind thinks that is what you NEED to be happy, must have to not feel inferior, so that is what it encourages you to do at the very next opportunity.
Yes, it's enticing you to eat foods with carbohydrates, but only because you feel like it's unfair that you can't.
Since energy collects at the point where you place your attention, thinking about what you can't have and the unfairness of life will cause the mind to suddenly produce cravings for that very thing.
The mind thinks that is what you NEED to be happy, must have to not feel inferior, so that is what it encourages you to do at the very next opportunity.
Yes, it's enticing you to eat foods with carbohydrates, but only because you feel like it's unfair that you can't.
4) Addicted to Taste:
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| Super Tasters have an acute sense of taste. They get high from the taste of food and beverages. |
Taste is one of your 5 basic senses, and as such, it sets off a chemical reaction within your bloodstream whenever you experience it.
Those who are addicted to the sense of taste don't feel good about themselves unless every single thing they eat gives them that ultimate sense of pleasure they are seeking.
These people generally won't eat anything that doesn't taste really good to them because they are dead set on avoiding anything that causes displeasure.
You won't find them eating foods that are just okay. Foods must produce a chemical high, or they'll push them away.
5) Being Sick:
Believe it or not, there
are people who are actually addicted to being sick.
This reaction to food restriction comes from a strong need for more attention, as well as the need to play the victim. Instead of being responsible for your food choices and avoiding foods that will make you feel sick, if you're addicted to feeling bad, you will eat something you shouldn't whenever you are feeling:
This reaction to food restriction comes from a strong need for more attention, as well as the need to play the victim. Instead of being responsible for your food choices and avoiding foods that will make you feel sick, if you're addicted to feeling bad, you will eat something you shouldn't whenever you are feeling:
- neglected
- ignored
- unappreciated
- unloved
I see this quite a bit on low-carb forums.
Do you literally get sick when you eat foods that contain a high amount of carbohydrates?
This is partly because the enzymes needed to digest carby foods down regulates when you don't need them. And partly because you might be sensitive to gluten or wheat.
Even though you know you are going to get sick, you do it anyway.
You then post about what you did on a public low-carb forum or blog, so people can console you and tell you to pick your self up and keep going.
It's a strong plea for attention.
Do you literally get sick when you eat foods that contain a high amount of carbohydrates?
This is partly because the enzymes needed to digest carby foods down regulates when you don't need them. And partly because you might be sensitive to gluten or wheat.
Even though you know you are going to get sick, you do it anyway.
You then post about what you did on a public low-carb forum or blog, so people can console you and tell you to pick your self up and keep going.
It's a strong plea for attention.
Consequences for Giving in to These 5 Addictions
When you go about your daily life unaware
of what you are really addicted to, and sit around blaming the
carbs instead, you sacrifice your energy reserves, health, and peace of
mind. Sometimes, you even put your life in danger to gratify your
addictions and cravings.
It's easier to blame the carbs than it is to turn around and take a good look at your self.
Un-examined, your motivations for what you are eating and the methods you are using to receive the pleasure or attention you're craving right now will cause you to do things you wouldn't ordinarily do if you were conscious of your thoughts and motivations.
It's easier to blame the carbs than it is to turn around and take a good look at your self.
Un-examined, your motivations for what you are eating and the methods you are using to receive the pleasure or attention you're craving right now will cause you to do things you wouldn't ordinarily do if you were conscious of your thoughts and motivations.
- Making your true motivations conscious
- owning what you are doing
- and taking responsibility for your choices
It's not going to be pretty.
The false picture you have created of your ideal self isn't real. Plus, most people have never really faced who and what they really are. Most have hidden behind a variety of:
- masks and buffers
- personality bits
- and false beliefs
Can You Break Free of These 5 Addictions?
Breaking free of these 5 addictions is possible, but you have to have reached a point in your low-carb journey where every method of achieving pleasure and escaping pain and discomfort has failed to work for you.
Until then:
You will keep on searching for rainbows that don't really exist.
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