Some thoughts from a still new PBer. page

[the_walrus0]

So it's my second month into PB. I haven't been calculating my nutrients except every few days I tally up my calories to see if it's been crazy. More of than not, it hasn't been.

I have noticed that sugar is, at least for me, addicting. And I'm not using the word 'addicting' playfully. I'm very serious when I say that I think sugar is the sole cause of my weight gain and binge eating over most of my life. Maybe that's drastic, but for me it makes complete sense and explains a lot of my issues with weight and food.

I have been reading Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes and listening to the audiobook for Why We Get Fat. I am also reading Fat Chance by Robert Lustig(The guy who did the Sugar: The Bitter Truth).

It might seem silly to some long-timers but I only recently realized I have a binge eating disorder. I started doing research on that and found books that suggested years of therapy and basically said that I must have had some traumatic experience that causes me to overeat. So I tried meditation, yoga, talking my feelings out, looking for triggers, avoiding those triggers, trying to come to peace with every bad thing that's ever happened and attempting to become a Buddhist. Now, I don't think any of those things are inherently wrong but they weren't helping.

So I thought, "WHY do I have BED? Where does it start? Why does it persist? Why is my body driving me to do something that's killing it?"

I ended up here and it feels like I'm having epiphanies everyday. When I eat a fully primal diet and avoid excessive carbs and completely abstain from sugar I almost consistently eat, without thinking, the amount of calories it would take to lose 1-2 lbs a week for my weight. Of course, abstaining from sugar is easier said than done. Which led me to another epiphany. How many binges have been driven by an insatiable urge to consume sugar? Basically all of them! Otherwise the urge was to consume massive quantities of grains.

Again, this is probably nothing new to all of you, but I'm feeling pretty enlightened and I think I'm on the path to being free of my BED, as long as I remain primal. By the way, the thought of being primal forever does not frighten me. I am loving it. Right now my issue lies in staying away from sugar and I'm working at it very hard.

I just wanted to share these things with everyone. I love hearing other people's insight.

[DeeDub]

Thanks for sharing your journey. I too have eliminated sugar from my diet, but my binging gotos haven't been sweets, they've been pizza and potato chips. Damn, but I love pizza. All kinds of pizza. Everything from real Neopolitan to Chicago deep dish to whatever is on sale in the frozen foods aisle.

But I've learned it's a no-no and a massive negative trigger...and now it's gone from my life...

[Cryptocode]

I think all Westerners are addicted to sugar. That's why we Paleo/Primals go through 'carb flu' - those are the withdrawal symptoms and phase. I've been on PB 4 months now and very recently the desire for sugar or 'sweet' is slowly ceasing. Sort of like giving up Heroin. LOL.

[Timthetaco]

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

[itchy166]

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

I probably shouldn't do this since you are very close minded on the subject and you really like to confuse people, but



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/ma...anted=all&_r=0

[Derpamix]

I probably shouldn't do this since you are very close minded on the subject and you really like to confuse people, but



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/ma...anted=all&_r=0

"nytimes"

Yeah, you really, really shouldn't.

[itchy166]

"nytimes"

Yeah, you really, really shouldn't.

Since you posted within one minute of me, you didn't read the article, or watch the 90 min video. So because you don't like where the reporter works, you are going to dismiss the doctor and the (many) of studies he sites?

Or you are somehow going to argue that hfcs and sugar are good for us lol?

[Derpamix]

Since you posted within one minute of me, you didn't read the article, or watch the 90 min video. So because you don't like where the reporter works, you are going to dismiss the doctor and the (many) of studies he sites?

Or you are somehow going to argue that hfcs and sugar are good for us lol?

I've read it, and unfortunately, wasted 90 minutes of my life watching that horrible video. I don't like Lustig.

Sugar is harmless, and actually beneficial. HFCS contains unknown polysaccharides, and has reports saying it contains mercury.

[Rhiannon8404]

Hey Walrus! thanks for sharing your story with us.

[Timthetaco]

I probably shouldn't do this since you are very close minded on the subject and you really like to confuse people, but http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/ma...anted=all&_r=0

Your rebuttal to my rebuttal to Gary Taubes's false hypothesis is an article by... Gary Taubes. Well played.

I don't think it's necessarily close minded to examine the evidence on both sides of a debate and side with the one which you feel more closely resembles reality. Besides, it's good to be confused every now and again. It can lead a person to seek out the truth and acquire greater knowledge - for instance, that carbohydrates themselves are not especially fattening. (in b4 n=1)

Not that anything I'm writing will make a difference anyway. If the OP (or anyone) actually clicks on one or more of the links in my signature, they'll more than likely scoff and close them immediately and silently reassure themselves, "Whatever, GCBC makes total sense." I should know, I did it for several months myself. People come around in their own time (but sometimes not at all) no matter how many assholes constantly scream in their face "CARBOHYDRATES ARE NOT DANGEROUS!"