I am very over whelmed since I am new at this low carb business. I have been diagnosed with PCOS and I was told watching my carb intake would be the best for me. I want to improve my eating habits over all. Any advice for a carboholic? What tastes good,rids you of those sugar cravings, breads, and pastas-oh I am lost! Someone please help me.

Carbohydrates are very important sources of energy so you really don't have to completely get rid of carbs. it's about the type of carb you take in though. White rice and white bread for instance can be substituted with brown rice and wheat bread which are far more healthy. You may also want to try sweet potatoes.

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I am such a shoe addict!

i dont eat any breads or anything with gluten in it. i limit my rice, potato and oatmeal to a serving or 2 a day.

for a carb addict though... cold turkey is the best way to go, then add it back in slowly. i stay away from fake sweetners as it causes me to crave more, almost more than teh carbs. took me a good 3 days to stop the cravings. once in a great great while i eat something with gluten and i pay for it.. not only am i intolerant, but i also start the cravings. those of us that live with the gluten problems have no problems with not having them. i personally dont go for teh no energy part.. but i live with this and have no choice.

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I follow Atkins and it's worked really well for me. The 2 week induction period gets you over most of the cravings. It also helps to have some structure as you start out. This is the link to the food list. http://www.atkins.com/carb-counter/?...carb%20counter I would really suggest you get the book or review the Web site to be sure it's the right approach for you.

One great tip for curbing the cravings is to give up caffeine - caffeine gives you a short boost to your insulin levels and when that starts to fall again, you crave carbs/sugar.

Good luck.

I've successfully done Atkins in the past and am again back on it (for good this time!). There is SO much you can eat!! And you need to remember that carb cravings will pass within about 3 days. Yes, your old *habits* of wanting those comfort foods might still come back, especially when you see a commercial or someone else eating them, but if you're always full on high protein foods, you'll be better able to resist those cravings.

These are things you CAN eat:
eggs
bacon
ham
lebanon balogna
string cheese
sliced cheese
shredded cheese
hamburger
chicken
shrimp
fish
asparagus
zuchinni
yellow summer squash
cauliflower
broccoli

Well, if you have the Atkins book, it's all in there! It really does get easier!

Oh, and my goal right now is to stay below 10 net carbs per day. Having done Atkins before, I've read it's harder each time you go off the program then try to re-start. And I don't care how many people say you NEED carbs - if you read Atkins' book, you know that you do NOT need carbs when you're overweight. Carbs are for energy. When you take in lots of energy and do not burn it off (sedentary lifestyle), it is stored as body fat (or what I like to call "potential energy"). When you cut carbs, your body is forced to find alternate sources of energy - all that stored fat is what enables you to lose weight because your body is finally burning what it's been storing! And Atkins does not say "NO CARBS EVER AGAIN" - it's simply cutting carbs dramatically at the beginning (induction phase) to jump start your body into pulling from your fat stores (ketosis). He actually recommends doing this for only 2 weeks and then *gradually* adding carbs back into your diet (5g a day for a week) - if you keep losing weight, keep adding carbs back in (same slow rate). When your weight loss stops completely or you start gaining, you know exactly where your "carb tolerance" is and what you need to do in order to either maintain your weight, lose weight or gain weight.

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Teresa (34)
Wife to Mike (33), mommy to four boys:
Tyler (14), Mason (9), Bradley (8.5) and "Baby" Logan (2)