Day One – Carb withdrawal

I know they say that sugars can be addicting, but this is serious. I never have cravings for really sweet food, but I find myself craving a lot of food I wouldn’t normally, and it has only been ONE day without grains. What I really miss is a bowl of cereal, it pains me to even see the words on the screen. This is not a topic that Robb talks about in his book. I’m not sure that he says how hard it will be to give up grains AND dairy, perhaps this is just on a person to person basis.

But I found some forums online that say that carb width drawl is perfectly normal, and that my body should adjust in about two weeks. TWO WEEKS – are you crazy! Now, I feel like I know what it’s like to give up smoking. I’ve never wanted to compulsively do something this bad before. What makes it worse is that I am constantly bombarded with foods all filled with grains! Cupcakes, banana bread, muffins, bagels – holy crap. I don’t mean to alarm anyone who is thinking about doing this for 30 days, but I just want you to be aware of the reality of the situation. I certainly feel worse (energy-wise), but my stomach feels fine – unless you count a gnawing feeling of wanting to swim in a river of cheerwine and krispy cream doughnuts. I didn’t think I would have carb withdrawal this bad. I typically eat at least 90% whole grains. I figured it would be worse for people who eat simple sugars like white bread and white rice. But this is what Robb says in "The Paleo Solution",

"So folks, this is an opportunity to see “complex carbohydrates” for exactly what they are: Lots of sugar. No matter what type of carbohydrate we absorb, it all goes into the system as either glucose or fructose, aka sugar."

I suppose this makes sense. That would explain the cravings even though I eat "healthy" grains". There is still so much info to digest in his book (no pun intended). I don’t feel bad, just off. I feel hungry. WAY hungry.