First of all, I recommend everyone to read this article:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-carb-binge/
What if you already knew this? Good for you. And if this knowledge doesn't make you carb binge anymore, that's even better.
I, for once, didn't know exactly what happened to my body after a carb binge. I did experience all the symptoms that go with it: nausea, sweating, racing heartbeat. And yes, I knew that those were caused by eating more carbs than I was used to in a short amount of time. Still I didn't know the exact mechanism behind it, until I read the article mentioned above.
And I didn't find out what else it could cause until I ate quite the amount of carbs last Monday and now find myself all sniffy and shaky at home on the couch. All in all, under 30 minutes of eating something I shouldn't, has contributed to this:
- calling in sick at work (which I do not like to do..)
- having a cold (+ headache and tiredness and just a lousy feeling)
- having to cancel a few fun workouts I'd planned
- food not even tasting good anymore
So, was that tub of cashews worth it? Definitely not.
I hear people saying 'but it's just cashews' and 'weren't you on a Whole30?'. Yes, it's just cashews, but I don't digest those properly, and I was on a Whole30 but decided treating myself to (paleo) desserts isn't part of a Whole30 so I better quit and shouldn't start another one until I'm 100% motivated to stick to it.
For now, my goal is to eat when hungry. I'm not consuming any grains, dairy, soy or sugar/sweeteners anyway.
What's your experience with carb binging? Do you often have so-called 'cheat days'? Why do you have them and how do you feel afterwards?
I'd love to hear your opinion about them.
Hello Marinka-First off, let me just say that I find it refreshing that you are an honest blogger, and not one of those people that claims to be perfect in regards to food intake, workouts, adequate rest, etc. We all have our moments of weakness and we just have learn how to minimize the ill-effects from them.
ReplyDeleteLately, I find that I might grab a handful (or two) of dates or maybe eat some ice cream or chocolate. Usually, it's because I've been eating a bit less food than usual (or I've been more active than normal), and it's just my body saying "I need more food. Yeah, those dates look good..."
Occasionally I will really lose it and eat 5 big homemade oatmeal-raisin cookies. That usually makes me feel full and sluggish and not too happy. But I manage to get over it and things usually balance out over the next few days.
I will say this: Since switching over to primal/paleo (90%), I'd say my urge to go overboard on the carbs has decreased about 90%. Does it still happen? Does the sun still shine? Yes, it happens, but it's now manageable and I don't get too far off track from it. I'll be the first to admit that I am quite far from perfect, but eating unprocessed food has really made me feel more energetic and has improved my mood. Those two changes are worth the effort of eating this way.
Sorry, didn't mean to write that much!
Take care,
Robert
Cheat days cause me so much stomach distress it's almost always not worth it unless it's a special occasion.
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