Some thoughts from a still new PBer. page 2

[zizou]

All the best on your journeyz, i think its worthwhile noting and exploring factors which influence BED's looking at it as a whole, not just blaming it on a certain food. We have the power and control of everything we eat. Food admittingly is an easy way out of a rut, but fixing and avoiding the ruts will be the key, keeping a healthy relationship with food is necessary, and is the real deal, its very easy to not view food in any other way than it should, and that being a tasty nourishing necessity which allows you to focus on living and enjoying all aspects of life.

[JoanieL]

Hi Walrus. Sounds like this is working for you. Stay the course. Don't be confused by various agendas on the forum. Success is success and screw the naysayers. Look at Mark and his wife. Look at the success stories. Keep your eye on the ball.

Personally I'll never understand anyone who tries to put down a way of eating that is healthy and logical in addition to the other parts of Primal which are just common sense. And anyone who tries to set a relative newby who is having success down a different path is being an asswipe.

[sunsis]

Thanks for sharing your story with us! What you are saying about sugar I can see reflected in myself too.

[Damiana]

Thanks for sharing your story, and please ignore the occasional douche that replies. Most of us are supportive and helpful. Sugar is a difficult thing to overcome and while it is true that it is not a poison, I understand that it is a huge trigger for some that careens into a multitude of bad eating. Good luck.

[the_walrus0]

I don't think carbohydrates are inherently bad...it's just that things that tend to be high in them are, I guess, my trigger foods. Sugar, bread...even fruit sometimes.

I just know that I'm 21 years old and 260 pounds with a binge eating disorder. Something is wrong. Maybe sugar isn't bad for you, but I certainly can't eat it without going ape shit. Why would I spend my life trying to prove to myself or others otherwise when I could just give it up and be happier and healthier?

Anyways, thank you everyone who saw the real message in my post which that I'm finally finding something that is actually working for me. Seeing nutrition from a different point of view is giving me hope that there might be a way of eating that might give me a chance to stop obsessing over food so much.

I don't claim to know much about science or nutrition but I am an obese woman who's been dealing with weight problems and eating disorders her whole life and so it's a big deal for me to have found a way of eating that is actually alleviating some of my issues with food. I just thought I'd share that.

[emmie]

Hi Walrus--
I have a world-class sweet tooth, but sugar (in any form) is a binge trigger for me, so I abstain totally. I find that even any artificial sweeteners are the same--anything with a sweet taste will lead to a binge.

However, by being 100% abstinent, I really don't have any desire for the sweet taste.

I've learned to love unsweetened chocolate, and I use nut butters as a 'treat.' One example, I make a 'brownie' in a soup mug (dash of hot coffee, cinnamon, 2T unsweetened cocao, and 1/4 cup egg whites. Microwave for 1 min (or more, depending on the machine). Sometimes I top it with 1tsp natural peanut or almond butter. Without any sweetness, no binge follows.

[magnolia1973]

It's not entirely fair of me to do this since you've just started and you're really excited, but

Timthetaco I don't think you understand sugar addiction. At all.
Sugar addiction is not enjoying some fruits and carbs in addition to your meats and veggies. Sugar addiction is eating a big meal, then a brownie with ice cream, then more ice cream, then more brownie. It's mindlessly eating a 1lb bag of snickers bars and not being able to stop.

I actually agree that carbs don't make us extra fat. But when some carbs have such a hold on you that you will go overeat thousands of calories they sure do.

And lest you chime in with "willpower", I have willpower. I ground out a marathon. I was a vegan for years while wanting meat daily. I can power through just about anything. But literally sugar had a hold on me like nothing. Giving it up for a month on Whole 30.... if I wasn't going through withdrawal, I don't know what was going on.

To the OP, awesome. Do what you need to do to get the sugar monkey off your back. Keep in mind that you may be able to enjoy fruit and starches without binging. You may even begin to have sweets without triggering a binge.

My other advice, learn why you reach for sweets. Mine was a combo of habit/stress/boredom. Come up with new non-food solutions to those triggers. I broke the habit with fruit as a dessert (now I just skip it), for stress at work, I take a walk and for boredom...well... lol, I shop. And if you mess up, get right back to it. You will eat a cupcake or ice cream again. It's how you handle it afterwards that determines your success. Take it as a blip, eat your next meals fully primal and move right along and you are golden.

[Mama~Mare]

Thanks for sharing your story!

I know for a fact that I need to stay away from sugar as well. It does produce cravings for me and they can feel unbearable.

I am a tad bit over 1 month on the PB and I have even found on the days that I incorporate 1 piece of fruit I have cravings and am hungry all day.

Stay in tune with your body, it will let you know what it needs and what it's triggers are.

Best of luck to you on your Primal journey!

[Timthetaco]

Timthetaco I don't think you understand sugar addiction. At all.

I don't understand it, personally. My post was a reply specifically to the line where she blamed her weight gain entirely on sugar. Maybe I misunderstood that sugar causes her to binge, and that was responsible for the weight gain. I just want people in general, not just the OP, to understand low carb and paleo don't work the way they think they do. If that makes me a douche, troll or a naysayer in the eyes of others, I can't help that.

I disparage a theory a journalist made up, not the paleo diet. The two are not (or don't have to be) one in the same. So Walrus, I apologize if you felt like I was trying to dissuade you from trying this. I think you'll have great success, actually, as low carb is a great way to reduce fat efficiently, especially in the obese.

[YogaBare]

I always thought sugar was a binge trigger for me. But lately, you know what I've been having when I crave sugar? A cup of tea... with sugar! And I havent been binging.

Ever tried to binge on a bag of pure sugar? Eat it with a spoon? Even if I tried to drink the whole thing in tea I wouldn't be able to. However: a pint of ice cream, a jar of Nutella: gone before I finish typing this sentence...

Many junk foods have a host of other chemicals added, not to mention soy and wheat.

Dairy, wheat and nuts are known to have opiate effects for some people (junkies in rehab are often given "snack packs" of Brazil nuts!) but once I separated sugar from the other substances I realised it doesn't do that for me. Some people find fruit is a binge trigger, so maybe fructose is a culprit sometimes, but in my experience pure sugar is not.

Anyway, it's not the foods themselves that are at fault. There's an underlying reason we get addicted to any substance, and until you deal with that it will just emerge in another area of your life.