Very good post, and it came at a really good moment for me. I am slowly comingto terms with the idea that I am a carb addict.

Ways to tell if you are a carb addict;

1. If carbs and food have negatively impacted your life

2. If you spend a large part of the day thinking about carby foods or eating them

3. If you have any (several) private stashes of carbs

4. If you become irritable when you can't get your "fix" of carbs

5. If it takes more carbs to satisfy your cravings

6. If others have ever "spoken" to you about your intake of carbs

7. If you catch yourself eating more carbs than everyone else at social events

There's probably a better list somewhere. This one is just taken very loosely from what I remember of the alcoholic/addiction quiz.

Thanks for posting this.

Michelle

I'm sober 14 and a half years, and still have not "made It" I know that as long as I work the program, go to meetings, keep in touch with my sponsor, and help other Alcoholics I can stay sober one day at a time, I was able to quit smoking 6 years ago with the help of my AA principles and now I am trying to apply all I have learned to this carb addiction, thank you for reminding me.

thank-you thank-you thank-you

I just printed this post to save it. wonderful.

Hey! When did this get moved to Best of? Very cool.

Hey, I can recognise a gem when I see one .. especially as a graduate (cum laude :lol: ) of the Been There Done That School of Life Sucks When You're a Food Addict.

Thank you Paleo, for starting it :bhug:. And thank you jjwhatever for reviving it yet again :heart:.


Doreen, xo

It occured to me as I read this, that maybe self-deception, such as "eating like a gentleman or lady" isn't such a bad thing. My image of eating like a lady involves restrictive clothing. You know .. the little black number, underneath which we (well okay, "we" who have issues :rolleyes: ) must wear industrial strength garments labelled "control top" or "with extra-firming tummy control panel". You cannot overeat while wearing these. You can hardly breathe while wearing these. Perhaps when the urge to binge strikes, I should consider getting dressed up "like a lady", instead of my usual baggy "eating clothes". It just might force me to be more mindful.

I've been low-carbing for over 6 years, and for all this time I've been 90% "clean" with my diet. My cholesterol, triglycerides, liver function and blood sugar are all excellent (I took Accutane for acne in my late 20's, which affected my liver; I was told that my blood lipids and liver enzymes would be permanently elevated as a result. They're now reversed, and perfectly normal). However .. for 10% of the time, I still struggle with bingeing :(. It's not an issue of carbs per se; I can binge on meat and veggies just as easily as cookies or chips. Bingeing is my way of keeping those nasty emotions stuffed down all nice and quiet where I don't have to deal with 'em.

*sigh*

We are all a work in progress. Congrats to all of us who never stop trying, every day, one day at a time.


Doreen, xo

Fantastic thread!
This is going to help me in so many ways. Thank you all!

Paleoanth, thank you for starting this thread. I too am a recovering alcoholic with longterm sobriety...just celebrated 19 years July 6...had my last drink on July 5, 1987. I am practically an antique. :wave:

Ever since I was a youngster, I knew that carbs were NOT my friends and that I could not eat like normal people. Later on I used cigarettes to control my compulsion to eat and keep my weight down. Well, I quit smoking 99 days ago and my weight ballooned, along with all the symptoms of hyperinsulinemia. I am dealing with the recovery from nicotine and food by using the steps...and the Heller's CALP, which works for me. It requires total surrender, total honesty.

And to help those who are still struggling with surrender, here are the Promises of AA, which apply to any addiction, obsession, or compulsion. I suggest reading The Promises every single day and keeping them taped up where you can see them. During the times that I cannot think my way out of wanting to do a destructive behaviour, where deep breathing, prayer, and calling my sponsor seem too hard, I read The Promises, and they remind me of what I would be throwing away if I indulged.

The Promises

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are
half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret
the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we
will know peace. No matter how far down the scale
we have gone, we will see how our experience
can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness
and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest
in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will
change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity
will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not
do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not.
They are being fulfilled among us
- sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
They will always materialize if we work for them.

- - - - - - - - - - - -
From 'Alcoholics Anonymous' - 4th. Edition - Page 83 - 84

Excellent Mirielle. The promises are so important. I am kicking myself for not posting those too.

Well, this is a good meditation for me today.

I have recently lerned that I replaced alcohol with food and smoking and shopping.

I had already gotten past the shopping problem. I just quit smoking last week, and I continue to battle compulsive eating.

So right now where that leaves me is; I must face life and its challenges head on and with awareness. I can't numb-out anymore. Which is terrifying sometimes.

ANd because DH and I are both in recovery, I can't make him responsible for my peace of mind.

My thinking has been pretty screwy lately. I know that even when I'm not drinking or doing other things compulsively, I can still have addict thinking.

So, today I'm going to meditate on the above promises...each and every one of them.

My first post...just realized that I am an addict...not weak, or dumb, or have no follow through. It is not my fault but it is my job to take care of it.

So thank you for the post...it was like a hug from cyberspace!

Great thread...thankful I reread this today. :)

Sorry! Didn't read the date right....

I've never seen this thread before. Thanks for bumping it up, Susan.

My dad joined AA when I was 13 or 14. He took me to a couple meetings and he really explained the "one day at a time" concept to me. I think living with that idea for so many years helped me fully commit to going gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb.

Great post. Thank you for your honesty, and helpful advice!