Why do I keep going and eating carbs......

Because carbs are addictive and until you have given them up totally, you will still crave them

There are some great alternatives out there.
I too don't go much on the cauliflower rice, but I did like the cauliflower pizza base. Very tasty. Add in extra flavor so to suit you. I like chilli and garlic so I put in a tea spoon of chilli flakes and some garlic, gives it an extra kick.
I have tried Atkins pasta, it's not really got a Taste to it, but I suppose "real" pasta doesn't either.
I have the Atkins chocolate bars in my fridge too, the ones like kitkats are nice and satisfy that sweet craving.
Every week I make a low carb cheese cake, and much it over a few days. That too makes me feel like I have eaten something "naughty and yummy" without destroying my diet or glucose levels.
Also low carb pancakes are nice and you can get pancake syrup that's pretty much carb free.
All these things help keep my inner rebellious child happy.
You just need to find what works for you.

I don't think there is chip substitutes, I'm still trying to find one for mashed potatoes... Lol

Probably best not to look for something that is "just like rice" because you are still thinking that you need to eat rice.

If you leave out the carbohydrate option completely and just structure your meals around fat, protein, and vegetables you should soon get used to the new "normal meal".

I tried some of the low carb pasta replacements and they are basically a mixture of water and string with no taste. Only tried them once.

I still succumb to carb temptation now and again though.

At the moment I find that Lidl protein rolls are addictive but not much carb. Just reminds me of how I used to eat pre-diagnosis. One roll fills me up.

I also like wraps - a single wrap can have less than 30g of carbs (if you get decent ones from places like Waitrose) but you do need to restrict yourself to one. Anything I can't resist I have to avoid buying.

Try cutting out all the traditional carbohydrates for a while and see if the cravings go away. They should.

Get back on the wagon, move on and count all the times you DON'T eat unwisely-- they far outnumber the slip-ups. I had 12 slices of pizza straight off a few nights ago, which didn't do my BS any good, and I tested hourly afterwards to prove it. 99 per cent of the time I do the wise thing and then one day I just say sod it, I'm having a pizza (usually pizza, haven't succumbed the fish'n'chips for a couple of years now). Usually it's when unexpected things happen and I've run out of alternatives away from home.
Cauliflower cheese with bacon is the thing for me if I have to eat cauli.

LittleGreyCat said:

Anything I can't resist I have to avoid buying.

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Even before my diagnosis this worked pretty well. If I don't have the bad stuff in the house, I don't eat it. It's that simple. It does get easier but like anything there are good and bad days.

Is there anything particular that happens just before you eat the carbs?

I'm thinking that if you spot the trigger you may be able to head the carbs off.

For me, the ingredients are often tiredness, hunger, stress, exercise, anger.
They all drop my bg a bit lower than usual and it is like a switch flips - and the carb cravings start.
And they are virtually irresistible, so don't beat yourself up about it. Although eating high fat/high protein/low carb helps a lot!

Just try and work out the trigger - if there is one.

Hope that helps

I have a very sweet tooth, always have had and probably always will have. I'm generally very good regarding resisting chocolate now, which amazes me but pleases me.

However, when I'm so very tired, which can be quite often as I don't sleep much (side effect of another very necessary medication). I can be so tired that I just want to eat something/anything sweet. For this reason, I have to be careful as to what I buy. Chips, biscuits, bread & butter (with/out mashed banana) etc can be so difficult to resist.

Sometimes, I just indulge and then convince myself it wasn't worth it!!! That did work for the chocolate ...

It's an addiction.

My strategy (although I sometimes succumb outside the house) is to have 'alternative treats.'

When I get cravings I head for my pork scratching/ soft cheese with 2 or 3 mini cheddar biscuits or some dry roasted peanuts.

The other thing I do is try to balance out a carb fest by eating little or no carbs for 24 hours either before or after the carb fest.

Right now I have a strong craving for something and the only thing keeping me from eating it is that it is not in the house and the store is closed. Perhaps the feeling if being deprived contributes to your cravings. I go with moderation on an occasional indulge or I would go mad. DeejayR said to think of your successes. I just want to let you know that you are not alone or a failure if you indulge once in awhile.


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Agree with another poster who said don't look for substitutes, you will still want the original so I don't have cauli rice - just have extra veg instead. No pasta substitute, just eat different stuff.

Over time it gets easier - honestly now I have zero desire to eat pastries or cakes, I do have a low carb bread though - look at LivLife.

Good luck, please don't give up

I can't eat bread, rice or pasta, and potato sends my sugar levels sky high and sends me to sleep in less than an hour. I was really struggling. I found Eatwater products and I'm now losing weight without trying. - I'm full up after meals and I stay full up. The product comes in lots of shapes; pastas, noodles and rice, but they all have the same properties. Zero carbs, fats, sugars, protein...... Nothing at all. 9 calories per 100g. They are expensive. About £2.55 for a 200g pack. But I get mine in 5 pack bundles for about £8 on Amazon. Some people say they smell strange - I hadn't noticed. Some people say they have a strange texture - if you're expecting them to be the same as an Italian Wheat pasta, then yes, you're going to find the texture a bit odd. And microwaving them isn't the best way to cook them. I treat them as noodles. I rinse them and add them to pasta sauce or vegetables sautéed in a pan, cook them for two or three more minutes and they are fantastic.
If you want to find out more, search for Eatwater. I can't recommend them highly enough. They fixed my carb cravings. The texture is close enough, and that was a big thing for me.


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I have found that cooking pasta & rice (wholemeal) cooling it and then reheating it stops my blood rising after a meal. Apparently it turns the starch into a different indigestible form, may be worth a try.



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goose64 said:

I have found that cooking pasta & rice (wholemeal) cooling it and then reheating it stops my blood rising after a meal. Apparently it turns the starch into a different indigestible form, may be worth a try.



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I read about this too, and I do it sometimes. Same with toasting bread, it is supposed to lower GI more.

As for carbs, I always eat rice, like half a small bowl, 2x a day. Basmati rice, long-grain rice. I also have a low GI bread toast in the night sometimes, as well as a small piece of 85% Lindt chocolate.

Morning blood levels are like 6.2 and below to 5.8 (it used to go below that, but that was when I was really trying hard not to eat carbs).

Afternoon levels are 4.6 to 5, whether with carbs or not, I guess my medication takes care of it. My medication is half a tab of 30mg Diamicron (gliclazide) daily, and 2 500g metformin one in the morning and one after dinner.

Recently, I could not resist some Fig Newton biscuits, a favorite before diabetes came. Took a couple in the night, that's about 25 carbs. Followed it up with more snacks with carbs. Was surprised next morning to see my blood levels at 4.7. Did it again the next night, these Fig Newtons come in a big package, didn't want it to go to waste, took a custard puff too. Next morning was still good at 4.9.

Same thing the following nights, more carbs.

I was wondering, then realized that I had been taking my evening 500mg metformin at around midnight instead of the usual after dinner. This changed my morning levels dramatically. I guess my body responded to the change in timing, as noted in this article -> http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/diabetes-metformin-and-your-liver/. I guess I have a leaky liver, but nice to know the metformin works.

Of course, it may be different for others. At any rate, it's not a license to be sinfully decadent on carbs, but at least it helps to know I can take some in moderate amounts, sometimes.