Believe lowcarb can help heal me

moonmirror · 11-04-2009, 12:45 PM

Hi all,
I've been awol here for quite some time, but I used to spend a lot of time here. I've always known I should be eating low-carbohydrate for life, but I've found addictions getting in my way.

Over the past year or two, I've played here and there with low-carbohydrate eating, but not seriously. Most notably, I've uncovered a real problem with alcohol, and I'm quite certain I am an alcoholic.

When I am seriously following a low-carbohydrate eating plan and also purposefully not drinking, I find my cravings for alcohol to be minimal. This is significant for someone who struggles with alcohol cravings, to not have that obsession constantly tugging at them.

My weight is stable, I am still a size 12-14 and it hasn't gone up, probably because I've spent more time as a drinker than overeating. The body will choose its easy fuel when the mind lacks discipline.

I've always believed there is a connection with carbohydrate cravings and addiction, diabetes, and alcoholism. I truly believe that as long as I allow myself to be in the grip of sugar, I will be in the grip of alcohol.

I cannot continue this way. I want to be healthy. I believe it takes an almost superhuman leap across the fence, and once you are there you can't cheat, you can't slip, you have to maintain vigilance, and if you do that, you just might have a chance at a good life.

I've spent more time lately on alcoholic support boards than I have here, and while I think they are helpful, the current advice is to eat whatever you want, eat as much ice cream as possible, but just don't drink. What I've found is the more sugar I eat, the more alcohol I want.

I need a continuous, constant way of eating that will allow my cravings to be completely under control, and allow me to be in control of myself. I don't know what range of carbohydrates would be good for me...I know exercise helps greatly, and very low carbs is difficult with that. But Atkins has a built in way of discovering how many carbs one can handle, and I'm counting on that.

Here's to me, finding the strength to be healthy, knowing what it is I need to do, and doing it.

I may come back here, I may not. But I know what I need to do. Peace to you all.

peanutte · 11-04-2009, 01:03 PM

moon, you are brave. It takes a lot of honesty and no-nonsense willingness to do what you're doing.

Quote:

When I am seriously following a low-carbohydrate eating plan and also purposefully not drinking, I find my cravings for alcohol to be minimal. This is significant for someone who struggles with alcohol cravings, to not have that obsession constantly tugging at them.

It's really great that you've noticed this correlation and are using it to your advantage. I'm so happy for you that the cravings are getting better. It takes time for big changes to feel normal, but believe me, in time you will get more and more used to this new way of life.

Quote:

I've spent more time lately on alcoholic support boards than I have here, and while I think they are helpful, the current advice is to eat whatever you want, eat as much ice cream as possible, but just don't drink. What I've found is the more sugar I eat, the more alcohol I want.

Right, because a substitute addiction is such a helpful way to deal with what you're trying to change.

Well, don't listen to people whose advice seems wrong for you; it seems pretty common, especially among women, to have multiple addictions or cross-addictions when it comes to food, alcohol, smoking and eating disorders. Even if they are not true addictions in the most literal and extreme sense of the word, when you find one of these problems in a woman's life you often find at least one other connected struggle.

There's a book called "Eating, Drinking, Overthinking" that speaks specifically to this set of interrelated compulsive behaviors.

Congratulations on making a hugely important change in your life. And welcome! I hope you find some encouragement here.

Gretalyn · 11-04-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonmirror

I've always believed there is a connection with carbohydrate cravings and addiction, diabetes, and alcoholism. I truly believe that as long as I allow myself to be in the grip of sugar, I will be in the grip of alcohol. ...

What I've found is the more sugar I eat, the more alcohol I want.

Hi moonmirror. I just started lurking here and wasn't planning on posting so soon, but your comments here really grabbed me. I have noticed the exact same tendency in myself: if I am eating carbs, I want alcohol, and if I drink alcohol, I crave carbs. It's a vicious cycle. And I have even read that there may be a very good physiological reason for this: Candida (yeast) overgrowth. Yeast feeds on sugar. And some claim that if you have enough yeast in your system, it can even ferment sugar into alcohol in your digestive tract. So you can literally get a "buzz" from eating sugar! And the yeast can (again, some claim) trigger you to crave the foods that feed it.

Of course, a low-carb diet is the best treatment for Candida. Some other things that can help are virgin coconut oil (it has natural anti-fungal compounds in it) and pro-biotics and/or lacto-fermented vegetables (if you have a strong population of healthy gut bacteria, they will keep the yeast at bay). See Wild Fermentation and Nourishing Traditions for recipes for lacto-fermented veggies. They may seem odd at first, but you get to where your body craves them, and that's a GOOD kind of craving! Also, see Bee's Healing Naturally website for more information about Candida, if you think it might be a problem for you. (Not sure what the policy is about linking to other websites, but you can google those words and find it.)

Best wishes to you,
Greta

fireflyfaster · 11-04-2009, 02:18 PM

You're smart, observant, and capable of honest self-evaluation.

I have a really good feeling that you can do this.

I hope you do decide to come back, because I'd like to get to know you on LCF.

As for your convictions re: carbs and alcohol/addiction, you're not alone. I really hope Louweewoo sees this thread and posts -- he has some trenchant observations on the matter.

LowCarbSleepyToast · 11-04-2009, 02:29 PM

I'm glad you posted this... I have started thinking about my overeating(its always carbs) like someone would think about an alcohol addiction or cigarette addiction.

I have noticed two patterns in myself...1) When I have something very sweet, or refined flour I want more and more and more, well past feeling full/sick 2) When I drink I will start out wanting one or two but once I've had them I want to drink as much as possible (usually downing shots until someone stops me)

Again, I'm really glad you posted, I never drew the line between those two things, since I don't consider myself to have a drinking problem (i guess that could be debated, but I only drink once every few months, maybe 10x/year tops..but when I do, it's very heavily)

Teefie · 11-04-2009, 02:36 PM

Good luck to you-stay self-aware

Beezle · 11-04-2009, 02:51 PM

I think you're really brave to bring this up. I bet you are right about there being a lot of us who battle other addictions as well. I share yours. I've been a heavy drinker for somewhere between 4 and 7 years. I'm not even sure, but I know it got worse when I started losing weight. I haven't found that carbs make me want to drink though. For me red wine was a great meal replacement and it's like the calories don't count. The more I drank the less I could eat and the faster I'd lose. The pleasure I had gotten from eating I replaced with alcohol. I remember hearing on a show about Carnie Wilson that alcoholism is practically epidemic among women who get weight loss surgery. I can certainly see this.

It's been 3 days since my last drink. After a 4 day binder I noticed some physical symptoms. I connected the dots and looked them up in relationship to alcohol and found that indeed they could be signs of a damaged liver. You can kill yourself with cirrhosis after only 10 years of heavy drinking. Hopefully this is my wake up call and I'm really done with it. I'm sad that I couldn't keep it to just one glass a day. I tried and couldn't keep it to that, and I think my liver is telling me even one is too much for it at this point.

I don't think I'm actually an alcoholic, even though I drink at least 4 large bottles of wine a week. I was just being practical and taking pleasure where I could find it in a form that let me keep my weight off. I don't know where I'll find it now. Being sober is boring. I've been occupying myself with ice-cream and diet soda the past few days. I quit the ice-cream yesterday, and hopefully I'll stop the soda tomorrow. But then what? It's a good thing I'm not a smoker. If my bf wasn't addicted to playing Forza III on his PS3 I'd do one of my hundreds of exercise videos. Collecting them is another of my addictions. I'd love to be addicted to actually doing them.

Looweewoo · 11-04-2009, 02:55 PM

Ya... me too!

In my mind, alcohol is sugar. Sugar is the real drug, alcohol is just a delivery system like crack is to cocaine. Watch "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" on You Tube if you can. Parts of it are very technical, that's OK, just let your eyes glaze over and then start paying attention again at the part where he shows that Fructose metabolizes exactly like alcohol, except the part about getting you drunk.

I have to keep my carbs to a minimum, about a sprinkle or a pinch. If it were alcohol, it would be the amount in a communion cup - just a sip. Otherwise I fall back to my old ways and find myself haunting the ice cream isles of the Walmart.

With alcohol, it's easy to point out that while we still have to drink, we don't have to drink alcohol. For some reason, people don't see that while we still have to eat, we don't have to eat carbs.

Yes, we need carbs, but you know what? Our body makes carbs. It also makes alcohol, which we need. It also makes opiates which we need. We just don't need to consume opiates or alcohol or carbohydrates.

Especially if we are already a drug addict.

Man! I went to an OA meeting last night at 7pm, then went straight down to the AA meeting in the same building where they had two bowls of cookies and two bowls of candy that they passed around! I mean, I understand it, it's better to eat candy than drive drunk and smash into a van full of little kids, but really! Four bowls!?!?!

I had to wave those things off like twelve times. Gad! I would have been right back out there.

I'm so glad you posted, sometimes I feel like the lone voice crying in the wilderness...

moonmirror · 11-04-2009, 03:07 PM

I'm not sure terms like "alcoholic" and "alcoholism" are even helpful; its really just can you keep it to one or two, and if you can't, you should stop. Even if its an occasional binge, the ramifications are huge, and you never know which binge is "the" bad one. I've been struggling with this for a long time. I know what its like to think life is bland without alcohol.

But it changes over time. Give it enough time and its not boring any more.

Its a paradigm shift. Its a different life. It has to be embraced.

Just like eating differently.

Minerva · 11-04-2009, 03:09 PM

Very best wishes!

Ilpirata · 11-04-2009, 03:15 PM

One is too many and a thousand is never enough.

Yeah, goes for alcohol and pieces of cake both. At least for those of us who are addicted.

Beezle · 11-04-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonmirror

I'm not sure terms like "alcoholic" and "alcoholism" are even helpful; its really just can you keep it to one or two, and if you can't, you should stop. Even if its an occasional binge, the ramifications are huge, and you never know which binge is "the" bad one. I've been struggling with this for a long time. I know what its like to think life is bland without alcohol.

But it changes over time. Give it enough time and its not boring any more.

Its a paradigm shift. Its a different life. It has to be embraced.

Just like eating differently.

I agree. I resist the terms for some reason, but I accept that I can't drink just one and I have to stop. And life is bland drunk too, it just makes me notice less.

How long have you been sober?

Looweewoo · 11-04-2009, 03:36 PM

I don't find life bland as a sober person at all. I have accomplished many of the things I always dreamed of doing, I have a wider group of real friends than I did at the bars, and even my quiet time is more savory to me.

But I also gave myself a challenge to be spiritually fit and open to new experiences, I didn't just stop drinking and sit at the house. This is where a 12 step group became most important to me. Because it's not about the drug, it's about the drug user.

Call it what you want, there is something inherently different about us now.

11-04-2009, 12:45 PM	#1
moonmirror Senior LCF Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 913 Gallery: moonmirror WOE: Atkins	Believe lowcarb can help heal me Hi all, I've been awol here for quite some time, but I used to spend a lot of time here. I've always known I should be eating low-carbohydrate for life, but I've found addictions getting in my way. Over the past year or two, I've played here and there with low-carbohydrate eating, but not seriously. Most notably, I've uncovered a real problem with alcohol, and I'm quite certain I am an alcoholic. When I am seriously following a low-carbohydrate eating plan and also purposefully not drinking, I find my cravings for alcohol to be minimal. This is significant for someone who struggles with alcohol cravings, to not have that obsession constantly tugging at them. My weight is stable, I am still a size 12-14 and it hasn't gone up, probably because I've spent more time as a drinker than overeating. The body will choose its easy fuel when the mind lacks discipline. I've always believed there is a connection with carbohydrate cravings and addiction, diabetes, and alcoholism. I truly believe that as long as I allow myself to be in the grip of sugar, I will be in the grip of alcohol. I cannot continue this way. I want to be healthy. I believe it takes an almost superhuman leap across the fence, and once you are there you can't cheat, you can't slip, you have to maintain vigilance, and if you do that, you just might have a chance at a good life. I've spent more time lately on alcoholic support boards than I have here, and while I think they are helpful, the current advice is to eat whatever you want, eat as much ice cream as possible, but just don't drink. What I've found is the more sugar I eat, the more alcohol I want. I need a continuous, constant way of eating that will allow my cravings to be completely under control, and allow me to be in control of myself. I don't know what range of carbohydrates would be good for me...I know exercise helps greatly, and very low carbs is difficult with that. But Atkins has a built in way of discovering how many carbs one can handle, and I'm counting on that. Here's to me, finding the strength to be healthy, knowing what it is I need to do, and doing it. I may come back here, I may not. But I know what I need to do. Peace to you all.

11-04-2009, 02:29 PM	#5
LowCarbSleepyToast Senior LCF Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Kentucky Posts: 667 Gallery: LowCarbSleepyToast WOE: Atkins Start Date: 9-8-07	I'm glad you posted this... I have started thinking about my overeating(its always carbs) like someone would think about an alcohol addiction or cigarette addiction. I have noticed two patterns in myself...1) When I have something very sweet, or refined flour I want more and more and more, well past feeling full/sick 2) When I drink I will start out wanting one or two but once I've had them I want to drink as much as possible (usually downing shots until someone stops me) Again, I'm really glad you posted, I never drew the line between those two things, since I don't consider myself to have a drinking problem (i guess that could be debated, but I only drink once every few months, maybe 10x/year tops..but when I do, it's very heavily) __________________ , Cheri 55lb weight loss--> Postpartum! Bailey born 6/7/09

11-04-2009, 02:55 PM	#8
Looweewoo MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,332 Blog Entries: 25 Gallery: Looweewoo Stats: 420/335/325/250 - 6'2" WOE: Carnivore / T2 Diabetic Start Date: Restart 10/17/2009 The best is yet to come!	Ya... me too! In my mind, alcohol is sugar. Sugar is the real drug, alcohol is just a delivery system like crack is to cocaine. Watch "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" on You Tube if you can. Parts of it are very technical, that's OK, just let your eyes glaze over and then start paying attention again at the part where he shows that Fructose metabolizes exactly like alcohol, except the part about getting you drunk. I have to keep my carbs to a minimum, about a sprinkle or a pinch. If it were alcohol, it would be the amount in a communion cup - just a sip. Otherwise I fall back to my old ways and find myself haunting the ice cream isles of the Walmart. With alcohol, it's easy to point out that while we still have to drink, we don't have to drink alcohol. For some reason, people don't see that while we still have to eat, we don't have to eat carbs. Yes, we need carbs, but you know what? Our body makes carbs. It also makes alcohol, which we need. It also makes opiates which we need. We just don't need to consume opiates or alcohol or carbohydrates. Especially if we are already a drug addict. Man! I went to an OA meeting last night at 7pm, then went straight down to the AA meeting in the same building where they had two bowls of cookies and two bowls of candy that they passed around! I mean, I understand it, it's better to eat candy than drive drunk and smash into a van full of little kids, but really! Four bowls!?!?! I had to wave those things off like twelve times. Gad! I would have been right back out there. I'm so glad you posted, sometimes I feel like the lone voice crying in the wilderness... __________________ Louis Wu : Don't get me started... We could be dreaming all the time, but we do not perceive those dreams while we are awake because consciousness (like the sun obscuring stars during the day) is much too brilliant to allow the unconscious content so much definition. - Reverend Mother Anirul

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11-04-2009, 02:18 PM	#4
fireflyfaster Senior LCF Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern CA Posts: 722 Gallery: fireflyfaster Stats: 234/173/150 Bodyfat% 39/27/?? WOE: Atkins Start Date: 4/20/09	You're smart, observant, and capable of honest self-evaluation. I have a really good feeling that you can do this. I hope you do decide to come back, because I'd like to get to know you on LCF. As for your convictions re: carbs and alcohol/addiction, you're not alone. I really hope Louweewoo sees this thread and posts -- he has some trenchant observations on the matter.

11-04-2009, 02:36 PM	#6
Teefie Senior LCF Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Charleston, W.V. Posts: 245 Blog Entries: 1 Gallery: Teefie Stats: 180.5/164.2/140 WOE: Low Carb Start Date: 06/24/09	Good luck to you-stay self-aware

11-04-2009, 02:51 PM	#7
Beezle Senior LCF Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 133 Gallery: Beezle Stats: 5'4": 202/140/119 WOE: Atkins OWL Start Date: 9/24/07	I think you're really brave to bring this up. I bet you are right about there being a lot of us who battle other addictions as well. I share yours. I've been a heavy drinker for somewhere between 4 and 7 years. I'm not even sure, but I know it got worse when I started losing weight. I haven't found that carbs make me want to drink though. For me red wine was a great meal replacement and it's like the calories don't count. The more I drank the less I could eat and the faster I'd lose. The pleasure I had gotten from eating I replaced with alcohol. I remember hearing on a show about Carnie Wilson that alcoholism is practically epidemic among women who get weight loss surgery. I can certainly see this. It's been 3 days since my last drink. After a 4 day binder I noticed some physical symptoms. I connected the dots and looked them up in relationship to alcohol and found that indeed they could be signs of a damaged liver. You can kill yourself with cirrhosis after only 10 years of heavy drinking. Hopefully this is my wake up call and I'm really done with it. I'm sad that I couldn't keep it to just one glass a day. I tried and couldn't keep it to that, and I think my liver is telling me even one is too much for it at this point. I don't think I'm actually an alcoholic, even though I drink at least 4 large bottles of wine a week. I was just being practical and taking pleasure where I could find it in a form that let me keep my weight off. I don't know where I'll find it now. Being sober is boring. I've been occupying myself with ice-cream and diet soda the past few days. I quit the ice-cream yesterday, and hopefully I'll stop the soda tomorrow. But then what? It's a good thing I'm not a smoker. If my bf wasn't addicted to playing Forza III on his PS3 I'd do one of my hundreds of exercise videos. Collecting them is another of my addictions. I'd love to be addicted to actually doing them.

11-04-2009, 03:07 PM	#9
moonmirror Senior LCF Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 913 Gallery: moonmirror WOE: Atkins	I'm not sure terms like "alcoholic" and "alcoholism" are even helpful; its really just can you keep it to one or two, and if you can't, you should stop. Even if its an occasional binge, the ramifications are huge, and you never know which binge is "the" bad one. I've been struggling with this for a long time. I know what its like to think life is bland without alcohol. But it changes over time. Give it enough time and its not boring any more. Its a paradigm shift. Its a different life. It has to be embraced. Just like eating differently.

11-04-2009, 03:09 PM	#10
Minerva Senior LCF Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Posts: 190 Gallery: Minerva Stats: (266H) 264/250/154 Waist: 46.5/43/30? WOE: Atkins OWL Start Date: 28 Sep 2009	Very best wishes!

11-04-2009, 03:15 PM	#11
Ilpirata Big Yapper!!!! Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Beautiful San Jose, CA Posts: 7,626 Gallery: Ilpirata Stats: 263/193/170 for now... WOE: Low Carb JUDD (Alternate Day Diet) Start Date: September 2007	One is too many and a thousand is never enough. Yeah, goes for alcohol and pieces of cake both. At least for those of us who are addicted.

11-04-2009, 03:36 PM	#13
Looweewoo MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,332 Blog Entries: 25 Gallery: Looweewoo Stats: 420/335/325/250 - 6'2" WOE: Carnivore / T2 Diabetic Start Date: Restart 10/17/2009 The best is yet to come!	I don't find life bland as a sober person at all. I have accomplished many of the things I always dreamed of doing, I have a wider group of real friends than I did at the bars, and even my quiet time is more savory to me. But I also gave myself a challenge to be spiritually fit and open to new experiences, I didn't just stop drinking and sit at the house. This is where a 12 step group became most important to me. Because it's not about the drug, it's about the drug user. Call it what you want, there is something inherently different about us now.