Tip: Does Eating Carbs Make You Crave Carbs?

Over the weekend, I had a few meals that didn't perfectly fit the 40-30-30 model. I was dining out and eating at a friend's house, so I wasn't in a position to be picky and make special requests. And I think that's OK. If a diet feels like a life sentence in prison, you're not going to stick to it. So it's OK to cheat every once in a while, as long as you still make good decisions while cheating. For example, just because you're eating a high-carb meal doesn't mean you have license to gorge yourself. Eat judiciously. If you're alreay breaking the rules, don't compound the problem by overeating.

I did OK. I weighed 132 this morning, which is exactly what I weighed last Friday morning, before I went off my diet a bit. But Monday, when I went back onto my diet, I found myself craving carbohydrates. I was yearning for a bag of chips, a handful of rice crackers, a piece of fudge. I wanted starchy food, and I wanted sugar!

But I resisted. Instead of breaking my diet for another day, I made a snack of grapes (sugary!) and steamed soybeans with sea salt (they taste a bit starchy, even if they aren't). In all honesty, I think the salt also helped curb my craving, because we eat a lot of starchy foods with a liberal dousing of salt (chips, baked potatoes, crackers, etc.). So even though I only used a little salt, I got a good taste of it.

Today, my carb craving seems to have been curbed. I'm feeling disciplined and ready to stick to my diet. (I'm traveling Thursday to Sunday, so I also know that I'll have the opportunity to cheat a bit while on the road.)