When a person is overweight there are almost 2 things that are for certain. 1. They are carb intolerant and 2. they are addicted to carbs. So what this means is that not only can the person not eat carbs without storing them as fat but also they are addicted to them. For obvious reasons this is not a good combination if you want a lean physique.
Carbs are so addicting that in one study using mice, the mice actually preferred sugar water to cocaine. That is how addicting carbs are and their effect on the reward system of the brain. This should be no surprise if you look around at the general population with close to 30% being obese.
So now that we understand that carbs are highly addicting, how do we deal with them? That’s simple: Like any other addiction, you have to remove them permanently. Period.
This may be one of the most important things you will ever read in regards to weight loss. I have seen many people succeed when it comes to weight loss and I have seen many people fail as well. It doesn’t really matter how much weight you have to lose, if you are addicted, you are addicted and the same protocols must be followed. Whether you have to lose 40 or 200 pounds. It works just as well for people no matter where they are on the spectrum of weight loss.
Carbs must be eliminated completely. For the first 14-21 days I only allow my clients 30-50g of carbs/day from certain vegetables. This must be followed. If the diet is followed properly for the first 21 days then all of the cravings will be gone and it becomes amazingly easy. I hear this every day. People are actually shocked at how little they are eating, and how the cravings are gone. I should say that I do give them a few special supplements to help with this but the big thing is the eliminiation of the carbs.
Some people will argue that its ok to eat some carbs or to slowly remove them from the diet. I do not believe in this. Just like any other addict the more you keep the addictive substance around the longer you keep the cravings around. You are better off to go through a difficult withdrawal in the beginning so that it becomes easier later on. If you keep having little cheats or what ever you are just keeping the cravings around and making it way harder than it has to be.
I have seen people of all sizes and weights be able to totally give up carbs for good,(except for the planned cheats of course!). I have also seen people who try to alter the diet and give themselves a little carbs here and there. Guess what happens to them? They don’t lose weight, they don’t stick to the diet, and they always have cravings.
If you have a significant amount of weight to lose you must come to terms with the fact that carbs are not for you. You must also come to terms with the fact that you are an addict and you must deal with them like any other addictive substance. I challenge anyone to drop them completely for 21 days (protein and fat intake goals must be met as well as supplementation) and then say they are still hungry or have cravings after that. I already know the answer to that one and that is how weight loss is made easy.
