I also related to the comments from the person who quit smoking by thinking about what he was not getting. The truth is, I really don’t like cake all that much in the first place. In fact, I’ve often been disappointed by the actual taste of desserts I thought I might enjoy. Recalling those moments has helped, too.

Even with other carbs like cereals and breads, I have found that I really did not feel that good after eating them. They make me feel sleepy and sluggish. I bring this to mind as well when I think about eating them, and it helps.

This is an interesting question and one I have wrestled with in the past.

My answer as clearly and simply as I can state it:

A body, once obese, wants to remain obese. Convincing the body that it no longer needs to be obese is goal 1.

I have had UNBELIEVABLE success in combining PP with ideas from The Gabriel Method. (See http://www.thegabrielmethod.com).

I didn’t know what the Gabriel Method until I went to the website. Now I still don’t know what it is. But I am glad you’ve had success with it.

Indeed, why is a program like Weight Watchers sucessful? It’s not the food – it’s the rah-rah, we-are-doing-this-together factor that inspires people and their, well, insula, I guess.

When I have a difficult day food-wise – not enough healthy food around, don’t feel like cooking – it’s so easy to give in to the notion that low-carb is not a reasonable plan. From now on, I plan to spend a lot more time on this site!

Thank you for a great post.

L.
Glad you enjoyed it.

I downloaded a sample of the book to my Kindle. When I get thru my current “stack” of books, I’ll give it try.

Thanks

Scott

I haven’t had the chance to pull and read this paper, which I need to do before commenting.

So I’m now Paleo, and my mood is good and I feel like I have a body that I like again, but the other day I looked at the potato chips and had one of those little devil thoughts… “I’m feeling so much better, so now I can eat some of that…” Fortunately at that moment I happened to also be on the phone to a friend who was describing to me the utterly horrific health problems of his late father, and how his various vital organs had slowly been failing. Diabetes was also an early problem. I felt horrible just listening to the story. I left the supermarket carb free.

I don’t know if it is the availability of carbs, or perhaps just that I’ve been Paleo dieting now for a while and simply forget how bad I used to feel. On the plus side, I’ve found that eating Paleo has made me more aware of the effects of carb food. In particular, heavy carb food (on the couple of occasions where there’s been a set meal at a party) now immediately leaves me feeling empty, unsatisfied, heavy, and a bit sickly if it has a lot of sugar. More recently I simply opted not to eat what was on offer. I’d sooner go hungry and lean, than make the body feel worse.

On the whole, I find that nothing compares to a steak for satisfaction. But the culture of carbs can be a bit of a pressure, so the helpful reminder from my friend about the horrors of complicated illness after diabetes, was a welcome and fresh wake-up call. Perhaps occasional and varied reminders are what it takes?

That’s more common than you might expect, many people have told the same tale about making and bringing low carb stuff principally for themselves and finding it scarfed down rapidly by everyone else.

We can’t change the world but maybe we can change our street . . .

On another topic – what do you recommend to do about the severe constipation that comes with a high meat diet?

Can’t do the self publishing route with the current book because the publisher owns the rights to it.

To solve the constipation problem, increase the intake of fat, i.e., fattier cuts of meat. That usually does the trick.

But it still amazed me what a slippery slope sugary treats were. I actually was pretty scrawny last summer – I work out a lot, too – and thought I was safe to “indulge” – needed to put on a couple of pounds! Once my body gets a taste of it, though, yowsa. I find myself putting sugar or carb nibbles in my mouth all day. So a funny paradox – needed a couple of extra pounds, but the “easy way” was still detrimental even with all I knew.

It is tough to have sugar and carbs all around as well as people bashing low-carb (and I want to say – but I don’t – what are the people who don’t have weight issues eating?). Plus, the endless media stupidity about it. Endless! Oh, I could go on….

Really just wanted to say thanks to you for being that ‘voice in the wilderness’….

Superb article. Could you briefly explain why “alcohol is the gateway drug for carbs”? Obviously alcohol has a tendency to break down certain inhibitions, but why the cravings for particular starchy/carby foods?

Alcohol simply overrides your inhibitions. Typically people drink when there is food around. If you are able to ranger up and avoid the carbs in a buffet line, then have a few drinks, your resolve weakens thanks to the alcohol. Then it’s, Oh well, maybe just a little ice cream will be okay. When that happens, you’re a goner.