Are you a carb addict? Do you have a compulsive eating problem that makes you seek snack foods and sugar? Since a carb addiction usually comes with obesity, it’s no wonder that more than 42 percent of adults over the age of 20 are overweight.
The CDC states that the number of people obese in this county has become an epidemic.
Is it any wonder that people are overweight? If you drive down the street in any city in the US, you will find it lined with fast food establishments. Some of the options include burger joints, donut shops, ice cream stores, and any ethnic cuisine you can imagine.
Since Americans tend to be in a rush and overworked as a majority, stopping for a quick meal makes common sense. However, what makes sense for your time restraints doesn’t always mean it’s the best option for your waistline. Obesity can kill you as it causes complications with your heart, joints, lungs, and muscles.
Not to mention the higher rate of inflammation that accompanies this condition is known to cause cancer. The problem is all of this can be avoided if folks learn how to get their carb addiction under control.
Are You Addicted to Carbs?
How do you know if you’re a carb addict? While having a craving for sweets on occasion is not out of the ordinary, how can you tell if you’re a fanatic? Here are some common signs that you have a carb addiction.
1. You Finish Every Meal with a Dessert
Most people that are carb addicts don’t feel like any meal is complete without a dessert. It doesn’t matter if you just had a big platter of pancakes and bacon; you still crave something sweet to finish off your meal. Your constant sugary cravings for snack foods are a sign that you’re addicted to the sweet stuff.
2. You’re A Stress Eater
When life gets you down, and you feel stress, do you tend to engage in compulsive eating? Part of being a stress eater usually means you desire foods that contain carbs. Nothing makes you feel better than a bowl of macaroni and cheese with a side of peanut butter pie.
3. You’re Overweight
If you’re more than 30 pounds overweight, then you’re considered obese. Obesity is out of control in this country due to portion distortion and carbs.
Is it any wonder why programs such as Keto and Atkins are increasingly popular and help people shed tons of weight? Limiting carbohydrates and including more protein in your diet is always a good option.
4. You Gain Weight in Your Belly
Have you ever seen a “beer belly” on someone who drinks a lot of beer? It’s not the beer that is causing this swollen appearance, but rather the high amount of carbs in this drink. Alcohol has many carbs, and it’s not the only thing that can increase your midsection.
Filling up on sugary substances all day long, as well as soda and alcohol can increase your waistline dramatically. You can always tell someone who is addicted to carbs by the size of their stomach.
5. You Get Tired After A Meal
One sure way to see that you’ve consumed too many carbohydrates is that you get tired after eating a meal. When you don’t get the proper balance of foods and consume too much sugary stuff, your body goes into a slumbering state.
Remember the feeling you get after compulsive eating on Thanksgiving? Well, this same feeling happens after most meals where the carb count is too high.
6. You Have Type II Diabetes
Unlike juvenile diabetes or type I, type II is totally preventable by diet. If you’re eating foods that are laden with sugar and starches, then you’re going to have issues. It’s estimated that there are more than 88 million Americans with prediabetes, according to the CDC.
Prediabetes is the warning sign that you will develop type II if you don’t change your ways. Thankfully, you can reverse things by changing your eating habits immediately.
7. You Crave Bread, Pasta, and Sweets
A true carb addict will have a craving for bread, pasta, and sweets that they cannot control. It seems that you can’t get enough of these starches. When you regularly consume these foods, your body craves them as the sugary makeup gives you a euphoric feeling.
No wonder people want comfort foods when they’re sad or stressed out. You can have all of these things, but you must consume them in moderation.
8. You Can’t Limit Your Intake
The famous potato chip company used an advertising slogan that said that “No one can eat just one.” They didn’t realize how true this statement was for the carb addict. How many times have you sat down with a bag of cookies and realized you ate the whole bag when a serving is only four?
It’s easy to overeat when you crave sweets, and you have no control. You probably were snacking while binge-watching your favorite television shows. You lost count of how many you consumed as well as your feelings of fullness.
9. You’re Still Hungry After A Meal
How many times have you eaten a huge plate at dinner but still felt hungry after you ate? The problem is that you’ve consumed too many carbs. Your body always wants more of the starchy goodness, and it doesn’t seem to be able to limit you.
This is a common experience after eating Americanized Chinese foods. Real oriental foods don’t have the sugary content that it does in this country. So, when you’re eating General Tso’s Chicken with a heaping side of white rice, it’s like consuming pure sugar.
According to Diabetic Foodie, it’s not a health-friendly food as it’s packed with carbs, sugars, and sodium. Please pay attention to what you’re eating because it has a great deal to do with keeping you full and satisfied later.
10. You Crave Sugar as Soon as You Awaken
Your alarm clock goes off, alerting you it’s time to start another new day. As soon as you take care of your daily hygiene chores, you immediately begin craving bread and cereals. You can tell you have a carb addiction when you wake up, and it’s one of the first things on your mind.
Breaking the Habits Associated with Carb Cravings
So, after reading through this list, you’ve identified whether you have a problem with carbs. Thankfully, there are ways to combat this issue so that you can lose the weight you need and be healthier. Here are the three best ways:
1. Eat More Protein
When you eat more protein, your body feels fuller. Not only will it help to avoid those impulse binges, but it can make you feel satisfied after a meal. Lean protein is the key to controlling type II diabetes as well as getting off excessive weight.
2. Exercise When You Feel Like Eating
It’s often been said that weight loss begins in mind. If you want to lose weight, then you need to retrain your brain. Every time you feel hungry, you need to exercise when you feel like eating.
If it’s real hunger, the pangs won’t go away. However, if it has everything to do with your carb addiction, then retraining the brain to do something else will help.
3. Eat Healthy Fats
Healthy fats also help you to feel fuller and are good for your heart. Try to incorporate coconut oil, ghee, olive oil, and other more nutritious varieties. The ones to avoid include cottonseed oil, palm oil, and vegetable and soybean oils. According to Bonappetit, you want to avoid anything that’s “Partially hydrogenated.”
Final Thoughts on Breaking Your Carb Addiction
It’s hard to eat a balanced diet when there are so many temptations all around you. Even worse is the fact that you probably have a full schedule with little time to prepare something healthy from scratch. It seems so much easier to grab a burger and fries on the way home so that you have extra time to do the things you must do at home.
Sadly, Americans must spend more time considering their health as the obesity epidemic continues to rage out of control. US News published an article referencing a study that shows that being obese kills more than 598,000 people a year, which surpasses cancers.
Something must be done to combat the carb addiction that so many people face. It takes discipline to change your eating habits and select healthier foods. It’s not going to happen overnight, so you should be cautious and start slow.
There are many support groups for overeaters and people who have a problem with carbs and sugary substances, and the process of detoxing is similar to that of a drug. However, you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to do. The key is to believe in yourself and desire to be healthy.
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