Carbohydrate Addiction

Ever since I first tried Atkins, I've realized that I was intolerant of carbohydrates; that is, they tend to do pretty bad things to me. Weight gain, of course, but also lethargy and being more susceptible to illness and allergens.

What I've come to the far more recent revelation about, however, is that for me, carbohydrates represent a true addiction. I've noticed this during some of my recent "cheat meals", where once I start, I have a hard time stopping -- knowing I'm going overboard and I still can't stop. Worse, while it's a treat and a pleasure to do so, after a while, I start feeling miserable while doing so... and I still can't stop.

Maybe it's not a clinical definition, but it has certainly served to convince me that carbs are simply something I'm going to have to continue to fight with myself about for the rest of my life. The good news, as with any addiction, the first step to overcoming it is recognizing the problem. This past weekend was my wife's birthday, and we used our cheat meal to celebrate that. Now, I'm certainly not going to say I didn't have "too much", but I was able to recognize the signs of an oncoming binge and I was able to stop myself before getting that far.

Will I be able to do so next time? (Especially with it likely being for Thanksgiving!) Who knows. But at least I know I can do so, which is some encouragement.

Also encouraging is the fact that I've lost roughly 100 pounds since January. Still quite a long way to go, but I've lost eight inches on my waist, and I can start to see signs that I'm getting close to my smallest size in the last 15-16 years. Hopefully, this time I'll stick with it and keep that weight off plus drop some more.