FAA - giving up sugar, flour, and wheat truly realistic?

[skinny31 0]

I was recently directed to the food addicts anonymous (FAA) website and was fascinated! I truly think I related to it and the fact that my body is addicted and craves sugar/flour/wheat if I continue to eat foods with those things in them....but the list of things you CAN'T eat is VERY long. Or I guess I should say the list of things you CAN eat is short. For example, I could drink no more Protein Shakes b/c of the sweeteners in them. Turns out almost everything has some form of sugar in it, and FAA believes every type of artificial sweetener or any natural sweeteners (honey) trigger chemical reactions in food addicts and make them want more.

Does any one follow this diet? Does it truly make you feel better and lose weight? It seems like it would be a very hard way to live, but could also make a person feel incredible and feel both physically and mentally free.

Just curious....Thanks for any feedback!

[reverie 49]

Heard of it, guess it makes sense, not sure how you can get all of your natural macro/micronutrient needs but I guess if it works for some why not.

ElfiePoo has a similar diet; I think she has cut out all wheat/high carb products along with sweeteners. I believe she's been doing well with it. May want to wait for her response.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Does any one follow this diet? Does it truly make you feel better and lose weight? It seems like it would be a very hard way to live, but could also make a person feel incredible and feel both physically and mentally free.

Just curious....Thanks for any feedback!

I do Atkins (low carb (<30), moderate Protein (30%), high fat (60%)). I'm not sure what the food Addict's percentages are, but wouldn't be at all surprised to find they're also low fat...which is really not necessary, but I won't go there in this post.

After reading Dr. Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution" and Gary Taubes "Why We Get Fat", I became more convinced that it wasn't just enough to go low carb...I needed to rid myself of those carbs that cause an immediate glycemic reaction (which causes hunger and cravings for more of those carbs). So that's exactly what I did. I cut out all grains, fruit and starchy vegetables. The only dairy I eat is cheese. There are no nutrients in these missing foods that I don't get in my vegetables.

The first week was the hardest because I was withdrawing from the carbs...but after that week. Wow. I've been doing this consistently (meaning no little mistakes or cheats) for several months now and I'm never hungry or craving. Where I used to struggle to eat no more than 1200 calories, now I'm eating about 900 just because that's what makes me content. I can walk past a vending machine, fast food place or even pass by the forbidden dish if I'm eating at someone's home because the *desire* to eat is gone.

Both Bernstein and Taubes talk about this inability to process these carbs as a metabolic disorder. Our bodies don't process these carbohydrates in the way it should. So we should avoid them. Just as the alcoholic must avoid alcohol. Not everyone has this problem. Some people get fat because they're emotional eaters. Some because they love their sweets and goodies. Some just because they're so darned sedentary that even 1800 calories is way over what their body is using. Others get fat doing all the right things (according to the traditional thinking) because it means eating a diet that is high (50% or more) in carbs...which creates physical cravings and hunger and a demand for even more of these carbs.

So in answer to your question, can someone eat this way for life? Yes, just as some alcoholics can avoid alcohol their entire lives so we (the people who do not correctly metabolize certain carbs) can avoid our carbs. Taubes and Bernstein believe this is a healthy way of eating for everyone. I agree with them *BUT* do not believe everyone needs to eat this way. If their body can process the grains, fruit and starchy vegies...more power to them. I wish mine could...but it can't.

I eat scrambled eggs in a bit of butter for Breakfast every morning, but I like eggs. There are other options. lunch is either a chef's salad with a chopped up hardboiled egg, 1/2 oz crumbled bacon, 1/2 oz shredded cheese and 2 Tbs of homemade full fat blue cheese dressing or chicken/tuna salad made with mayo and celery on half a Tomato or bed of lettuce or just 3 oz of Protein (pan fried, grilled, roasted, etc.) and a cup of vegies with a bit of butter or sprinkling of parmesan cheese. dinner is the same as lunch.

Oh...my new daughter-in-law's stepmother has been following something called a 'Grey Sheet' from Overeater's Anonymous for the last 20+ years. She *never* strays, just as an alcoholic can never stray. She started at 450 pounds and has maintained a weight of 125 pounds for 20 years. So it can be done long term.

The question you need to answer is...why do *you* eat?

If I can help further, I'd be more than happy to.

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