A thought about Carbs.

Exciting, right? Well, it's on my mind this morning.

If there hasn't been a scientific study done, then there ought to be about breakfast carbs. My thought is--at least this is what I've personally noticed--when a body eats sweets foods at breakfast, there's a higher probability that the same person will crave sweet carbs throughout the day. The sweeter the breakfast, the bigger the need for sugar. On the opposite side of that, a protein laden breakfast with lots of bitter notes to it calms the sweet craving throughout the day.

This is why I drink strong coffee. It's also why I pretty much eat the same breakfast everyday. No thinking = no deviation from messing up my daily pattern. Considering I'm an adventurous eater, it surprises me that a monotone morning breakfast routine works for me. But it does.

Here's the other stuff I've noticed, and this increases in intensity the more concentrated simple carbohydrates I have (that would be like processed carbs or sugars being concentrated and breads or other starches requiring the body to process them, being less concentrated). Headaches hang around longer and are more likely to appear. Joints feel a little more achy than usual. Fatigue or downright falling asleep at the computer around mid-afternoon. Increase in female related problems from cramping to UTIs and feminine discomfort. Restlessness and increased heart rate. Breathlessness if you REALLY overdid the sugar, and trust me, this is possible. Binge eating due to cravings are not your friend.

I'd love to know if anyone else has similar issues. The reason I ask is because when I went on an all protein and fat diet, loaded with dark greens and fiber, I never felt better than I did then. Sugar/carbs can act on your body like a drug. I literally went through withdrawal for nearly three weeks. Shakes, fever, sweating, incoherency, depression, moodiness with bouts of extreme anger, migraines, body aches, you name it, I had it. I plead and begged for relief but the doctor talked me through it. With regular spoonfuls of peanut butter or an apple, I made it. My extreme reaction had to do with my personal biological sensitivity (ie/ half a Tylenol pm will knock me out til noon the next day. That's a quarter dose.)

After those almost three weeks, I had never felt better or more energetic in my life. Beyond that, I didn't crave sweets at all. Not chocolate, not sugar, not anything. It was so freeing! And I lost a ton of weight without exercise, just like my doctor told me I would.

It was almost reckless determination to sabotage myself around the time of my divorce, that had me eating sweets by the mouthful. It made me sick to swallow even one bite, but I was about destruction and self-punishment.

I remember the mostly carb free days fondly. I'm also thinking of cutting them out again. I just keep looking for a time in my schedule where if I'm brainless and in bed for three weeks, no one will need anything from me. Haven't found that yet. Dropping carbs doesn't effect everyone the same way. If you try it, let me know what your physical reactions were. I'd love to compare notes.

~Mia

PS. My doctor told me that I could alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal by sucking on a life saver for the sugar. She warned that in doing it, I would prolong the withdrawal period up to a week. I knew I wouldn't succeed and barely made it through those three weeks with my willpower in tact. I also know me, and if I'd had a roll of lifesavers, had tasted one, I would have eaten the entire roll and then driven to the store to gorge on sugar. I had to do it cold-turkey. It's part of the addictive nature in my genes I guess. For some it's alcohol and drugs. Well, in my body, sugar is a drug.