Fat and cravings

CurlyGirl · Post by **CurlyGirl** » Mon 13 Mar 2006 14:20

I notice that the more fat (i.e. olive oil) I eat with my fruit, the harder it is for me to control my cravings for munchfoods (especially dark chocolate). On days when I eat less than 1:2 fat to carbohydrate ratio, I can control my cravings easily. On days when I eat exactly one gram of fat for every two gram of carbs (which I calculate by using fitday.com), I just want to eat and eat and eat, mostly SUGAR. Those days I don't lose weight. Of course I don't want to get diabetes, or even exhaust my pancreas just a little, but it's easier for me (and more effective regarding weight loss) to eat less fat in proportion to fruit sugars. Anyone else notice this? Please people, I'd appreciate feedback on this issue!

dadasarah · Post by **dadasarah** » Tue 14 Mar 2006 05:46

That's weird. I'm exactly opposite. I LOOOOVE fat. I could almost only eat avocados and egg yolks all day. I have to eat more fat than recommended to not have cravings (I don't even measure it anymore). I remember Wai said the 1:2 ratio was a good guide, but if your body says more sugar, I'd say listen. As long as there's enough fat to regulate your blood sugar (you don't feel any sugar highs and lows) you shouldn't damage anything. Right, RRM?

By the way, are you very active? Do you have a lively and outgoing personality? I'm very calm and introverted (used to be depressed!), and don't exercise much except for yoga and walking. Could this make a difference in the amount of sugar and fat a person needs?

sula58 · Post by **sula58** » Tue 14 Mar 2006 15:47

Curlygirl,

That's weird, I have noticed the same thing! I LOVE fat, too, but I know that if I pile on too much, I will eat double the sugar afterwards. Perhaps it has something to do with your body wanting a balance of fat and sugar...and if you consume extra fat, you'll want more sugar to balance it out...hmmm, I have no idea. Perhaps someone with better understanding could address this?
I'm glad you brought it up because it took me a while to notice. But soon I became aware that if I ate a big, satisfying meal with lots of olive oil or egg yolk, I was going to want a ton of sugar afterwards.

It's an issue because I'm afraid I'm one of those people who can slightly overeat on this diet.

I thought that eating foods without addictive properties was enough--and it is, to a large extent-- but then I realized that I had to actively re-teach myself how to eat, because those habits had been lost. I haven't listened to my instincts with food since I was 14. But the food on this diet is so delicious (and my palate is more sensitive), that I soon realized that I had to reassess my eating habits, or else I would still view food as I did when I was a "food druggie." (sort of "phantom" habits.)

The good news is that even when overeating on this diet I don't think that you can be more than 10 lbs overweight. I'm thin, but I'm also constantly surrounded by models (i'm in nyc), so tht 10 extra pounds bothers me. (Although I don't want the anorexic look, don't worry). I'm "curvy" on top of that...yet since the body of a 12-year-old boy is the ideal...

...it is sometimes too easy to obsess about one's looks. But I know that having the "perfect" body is within easy reach on this diet, so I'm currently working on those last 10 pounds. Grr...

slea · Post by **slea** » Tue 14 Mar 2006 18:13

CG- you are not alone. I also crave sugary things when I eat a fatty meal. Maybe it's the body trying to level our energy. I'm not sure exactly why it happens but that's what I came up with. It usually hits thirty minutes after I eat a non-sweet meal.

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Thu 16 Mar 2006 20:41

Indeed, your body prefers to balance sugars with fats, as they are complementary (fast/slow source of energy, short-/long lasting, energy for the brain, muscles / heart, colon), so that you will 'crave' for sugars after having consumed mainly fats.

CurlyGirl · Post by **CurlyGirl** » Thu 16 Mar 2006 23:32

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback! I think I'm slowly getting the balance right. Some of the cravings are hormonal and emotional (i.e. like missing the familiarity of foods I used to enjoy with my family and associate with certain celebrations), so balancing fats with sugars isn't something I always WANT to do (even though my body wants a fat/sugar balance, sometimes my mind wants to 'blow out' on loads of sugar...

)

But all this feedback helps enormously. I like the idea that there's such a strong support network for this diet. A little Wai-family, if you like

huntress · Post by **huntress** » Fri 17 Mar 2006 02:01

I like the idea that there's such a strong support network for this diet. A little Wai-family, if you like

That is exactly how I feel too.

Post by **Oscar** » Fri 17 Mar 2006 10:06

So when will Don RRM make us an offer we can't refuse?

CurlyGirl · Post by **CurlyGirl** » Fri 17 Mar 2006 22:13

Not that sort of family, Oscar.... hehehehe *recalling with a cringe and a shiver certain film scenes involving a bed and a horse's head*

Sula... yes, I too have been through the mill of regarding my body as having 'failed' me because it does not resemble that of a 12-year-old boy. Hmmm. Then I read Fat is a Feminist Issue, and later Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth, and both books changed my life. Also, I got involved with a lovely man who absolutely adores my body just as it is, which helps enormously. So now I am happy being curvy, because I am slender enough to fit into all the fitted, feminine clothes I like, but also have boobs! Yay! ... and yes, I also think I am one of those people who slightly overeats on this diet (despite how unlikely this is said to be), but I think I'll find my equilibrium as I go along. I'm so glad I don't live in New York! That's partly why it's such a morale boost to live in the UK... the British are getting fatter and fatter every year (by adopting the habits of their friends across the Atlantic), so I just look skinny in comparison to the average woman here (even though my weight is in the middle of the 'normal' range on medical charts...) Bad news for the poor British, enslaved by bland and processed food, but good news for little ol' me.

Dadasarah, no, I wouldn't say I'm an extremely active person, though I do a lot of walking around because I think it's delusional to have a car in a world that faces an impending climate crisis and an oil crisis.

But my personality is pretty gregarious - I love talking to people, and making friends, and I also have difficulties sitting still for too long (though I wouldn't call myself a 'fidgety' person). I think you're right, though, in your suspicion that one's personality (which influences one's level of activity to some extent) can in turn influence how much fat and sugar one requires. But that is only my hunch.

sula58 · Post by **sula58** » Sat 18 Mar 2006 14:24

Hmmm..I'm not sure what sort of shady business a fruitarian-based (albeit international) mafia would involve itself in...a black market banana trade? Dried fruits, maybe? Doesn't sound as cool, for some reason.

Curlygirl, thanks for recommending those books! I read The Beauty Myth when I was younger, but perhaps I should re-read it. I make it a point to read some feminist literature every month, just to remind myself of what needs to be done. In the last few years, the "anorexic" look has seemed to reach a real crisis in Hollywood, not just the model industry--look at before and after pictures of Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Mary-Kate, etc.--they are essentially shaving years of their life and health to continue their fame. The anorexic look is, among other things, an assertion of weakness, of helplessness; here's a recent article that briefly discusses a few reasons for the "new" female submission:
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/103105WA.shtml

Yes, the U.S. is in a definite fat crisis! NY or L.A. may be the exception, but in between, it's a corporate dream: a whole land of people addicted to their food, mindlessly conforming, and spending their free time reading magazines or watching television, which is 75% advertising and 25% just unsatisfying enough to keep them reading/watching more. Not to be crude, but from birth we're raised to be corporate cows! It' s like a horror/science fiction novel, but this is real life! It makes me so mad, and that's barely skimming the surface.

On the brighter side, I'm only about 5 lbs away (give or take, I'm not weighing myself, just judging from what I see) from my "optimal" body...wow, that was fast! I never knew my stomach had such definition!

Yay.

Post by **Oscar** » Sat 18 Mar 2006 16:14

From The Washington Post:

"Banana republic businessman Ronaldo Ramirez Mondego surprisingly makes million dollar deal with olive oil company, after finding chicken heads in his bed."

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat 18 Mar 2006 16:15

spending their free time reading magazines or watching television, which is 75% advertising and 25% just unsatisfying enough to keep them reading/watching more.

i should hang that one on the wall

CurlyGirl · Post by **CurlyGirl** » Sat 18 Mar 2006 22:46

Oscar: LOL

Always the first one with the smart-ass comments and otherwise witty observations... we love them! Keep 'em coming!

Sula: thanks for that link. Superbly interesting. I think about these issues a lot, in fact it's surprising how much mental energy I devote to thoughts about the need for a third wave of 'enlightened' feminism that doesn't alienate men, but helps women see how far they're backsliding into condoning discrimination based on their looks, which they themselves FEED by agreeing to keep themselves so skinny and weak-looking.
You're right about the corporate-cow mentality, too... in fact I wrote something similar on the subject, in this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=415

sula58 · Post by **sula58** » Tue 21 Mar 2006 04:41

i should hang that one on the wall

Ha ha, over the TV?

CurlyGirl, how funny that we were thinking along the same lines! And I completely agree with your definition of what third wave feminism is/should be about.
It's so refreshing to read your posts--I really admire your tenacity in seeking truth and equality. You should run for President.

huntress · Post by **huntress** » Tue 21 Mar 2006 05:44

It's so refreshing to read your posts--I really admire your tenacity in seeking truth and equality

I share the same thought as sula58. I really like reading your posts CurlyGirl. Your writing is very eloquent and articulated!

Oh and thank you for your support CurlyGirl. It really made my day.

I recently went back to dancing actually. I've lost half the pounds I put on ever since being on 100%. I am slightly lighter now which makes it safer for my body to dance. Right now, I have a lot to make up from the loss of being absent from dance for so long, so I am currently working on improving my techniques and brushing up on what I've learned before. Thank you once again!