The Carbohydrate Addicts Diet. The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting

Four years ago. I wasnt fat, but I was 22 pounds overweight. I was always tired and had a vicious craving for sweets and breads. I exercised hard three times a week and was careful about what I ate, but I never lost weight. I thought I was going crazy. Then I heard about this book and it made so much sense. I took the test and knew before I finished that it would tell me I was an addict. I started eating carbs just once a day, at night, in that allotted hour. But in that hour, I would eat whatever I liked. The rest of the day, I ate only protein. Well, I kept track of my weight every day, and did the weekly average thing. (I still do). I started recording the weight drops. Two pounds one week, one and a half the next, etc., CONSISTENTLY. That was 1995. Now I am 128 pounds, I do not crave carbs, I never need naps anymore, I have energy. I feel and look wonderful. Im so glad this book is finally getting the notice it deserves.

I weighed a little more than I should when I came across this book as a result of reading the Carbohydrate Addicted Kids book. I began this the weekend of Easter, and slowly, over months, lost 25 pounds. I DO NOT eat protein all day. I follow the guidelines in the book and eat low-carb veggies as well as meats. The only problems I ever have are when I decide that I dont need to follow the way of eating anymore, and then I begin to gain again. The restrictions are not oppressive, and make sense.

Always remember, though, that NO ONE DIET is right for everyone. There are many kinds of diets out there, and many people succeeding on each one. The goal is to find the one that works for YOU. This one may or may not be the right one for you. Read the book, try the diet, then decide for yourself if this is working for you, and if it is something you can live with long-term.

I had thought for awhile that I was really addicted to carbohydrates. While Christmas shopping, I passed a book store and saw the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet book. I stopped, scanned the book, and thought that this reward meal is too good to be true. However, if it is true, than this is the one for me. I was so excited, that I bought the book and told several friends about it. I lost the weight and have kept it off for over a year. I love this plan. I dont feel deprived anymore, or have the constant cravings. I would recommend the plan to anyone. The only thing is that you do have to be reasonable about the reward meal, feast not binge.

I would like to say that I did lose weight at first. I took off 18 pounds in three months...BUT...I then could not lose more and got right back to eating like I was...gained the 18 pounds and another 20. Now I am 50no. overweight. I felt hungery on the diet and deprived. So I really made up for what I didnt eat. Also... I can only eat so many bacon and egg breakfasts. The book was well written and easy to follow. It could work for those folks who can stick with it.

I was on the Atkins for months and began to stray because it was just to restrictive. With the Carbohydrate Addicts program, Ive been able to stay with no problem...the reward meal is the key. Ive been losing and not feeling deprived.

If youre like me, this might not be the weight-loss program for you. Im a woman who does at least a good hour of exercise 4-5 times per week. Im pretty muscular but would like to lose maybe 5 lbs of fat.

Two problems with this book FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME. 1) its really focussed on people who are at least 15 lbs. overweight, and 2) the kind of carb cutting it requires just isnt enough energy if youre more than moderately active. Just keep it in mind if youre already active, or if you want to do a weight loss plan that involves upping your exercise.

you had success with, for example, Atkins diet (as I have), think twice before you consider using this one. It is not truly low carbohydrate, and, if carbs stimulate your appetite all of the time, not only when consumed with no protein, this problem will not be eliminated. There are none of the benefits of appetite reduction, reduced fluid retention, or the slight metabolic advantage of a truly low carb program. The reward meal (a concept I loathe - since confirmed Atkids like myself base when and how much we eat solely on genuine hunger) is not so liberal as appears at first glance. It is very rigidly balanced and depends on protein portions being normal - which the Hellers define at three ounces. (Never mind the ADA pyramid - can you yourself get through a day on that little protein) Eating desserts would be a disaster for many of us as well.

The entire book is annoyingly apologetic. Supposedly this is an alternative program, yet the authors are at their wits end to show conformity with the same old ADA food pyramid, even stressing that their diet can be used to increase intake of complex carbohydrates.

It may work for some, but it is not for those who have serious problems with carbohydrates.

This is the best diet ever. I tested as a severe carbohydrate addict - answered yes to every question. I was a binge eater - good for 2 days, then ate everything (carbohydrates)I could lay my hands on. Eating was a real problem for me. I am not really overweight, but would feel better if I lost 1 stone. It is coming off slowly, but I never feel hungry. I never want breakfast, dont eat till lunchtime and I never think of food. I really do feel normal now. I cant imagine not being on this diet.

This diet is ok but it could have been better . If you stick to a lean protein and replace the saturated fat with low glycemic carbs , you might live longer though . Also , if you dont do weight training , you just go from a big pear/apple to a little pear/apple . This book has its merits but the best is Body For Life by Bill Philips . someone who definatly talks the talk and walks the walk .

This is a very good diet if you follow the guidelines. I have tried it for 6 days and lost about 2 pounds. There is no starvation, no deprivation, no rapid weight loss or gain. I have to admit there is a bit too much of repetition and testimonials, but never mind that. Look at the diet. You can eat anything you want for dinner, and for the rest of the day you eat low carb foods. Things like beef,chicken,fish,lobster w/butter,cheese,eggs,salads,veggies,shrimp...and much more. For dinner...anything. Now if you want to lose weight eating chocolate, pizza,bread, pop, PLUS sit around all day, YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT THIS WAY. Of course if you are used to eating junk food all day, and then switch to healthier food, youre going to feel different. Its like not watering a plant for a long time, and then watering a plant and watching it become alive. Thats sometimes what we do to ourselves. We dont nourish our bodies with healthy food, and then when we do, it feels strange, and its hard to adjust to in the beginning. But with this diet, is not like you are going to starve yourself, its just a different way of eating. A good way. You cant become sick in a couple of days by eating healthier. Try it for a least 2 weeks to view your results. Of course in the first 2 or 4 days is going to be difficult, but it becomes simple,(its like driving.)Look at Rosie ODonnel. Shes lost 30 pounds on this diet. Shes looking great. I believe it works, if you actually do it. Dont expect miracles. Work hard for what you want.

Evidently we are all eating more and enjoying it less as we watch our ever expanding waistlines. Anything that we read that promises that we can eat all we want and lose the excess pounds seems like a dream come true. We surely get every thing that is in the basic food group plus. Who wouldnt rather have a box of Godiva chocolates then a dish of broccoli I have the Dr. Atkins paper back version printed in 1972 and the concept is pretty much the same as Hellers except for the meal where you can eat what you want. It works for me and also lowered my cholesterol over thirty points which is still a mystery to me because I am eating all the wrong stuff according to my doctor. I dont know how it works and I dont care just as long as it does work.

I have tried all the gimmick diets throughout the years as well as the Aitkins diet. None were right for me. Although skeptical at first, after reading this convincing book and taking the simple test recomended, I was and am sure that this is the diet for me. The authors explain the program in an easy to understand way and why it works. They explained what ordeals they went through in finding the right solution and convinced me that this diet can easily be followed for those with carbo. problems the rest of their lives. I have lost 14 pounds so far and can hardly wait to lose the rest. This book proves how you will have much more energy then you have had in years and quit thinking about snacks and food all the time for the rest of your life. I say, Well done. and I wish I knew about this 20 years ago.---Don Spencer

I tried Dr.Atkins diet and I lost some weight but I found it too restrictive.On this plan I never feel hungry or deprived because you can eat almost anything you want for dinner.I can have pasta,bread,rice ect.,these are all foods I love and on this plan you dont have to give them up.I never knew why after a big meal I would still be hungry.I would have dessert and had trouble stopping at one or two cookies.This diet has taken away my cravings.I have lost almost 20 pounds in 6 weeks.For me it works,I was a carbohydrate addict.Give this diet a try to find out if you are too. You will be amazed at how easy this plan is to follow.

Well, for starters, when I started the Carbohydrate Addict Diet, I was 25 pounds overweight after 1 year of marriage, which affected me really bad. I was moody, I did not feel good about myself and I knew I could do something about it but just did not have the energy anymore to try. Im 32 now, but back in the day when I was 20 I had gained weight up to 180 pounds. At 21, I started a diet, started working out and within a year-and-a-half I went down to about 130. Within ten years I gained and lost about fifteen to twenty pounds, but I could never seem to find something that would help me control or help discipline my eating. Eventually I would give up and gain weight, then Id get frustrated and lose it, and then it turned out to be back and forth for the last ten years. About three years ago, it seemed that I did have it controlled. When I met my husband,I was 145 and felt pretty good, couldnt complain, but as soon as we got married I was too comfortable and gained 25 pounds. I was at the end of my rope with this weight gain and was at home on my day off from work, watching Oprah and there were the Doctors talking about this great diet and how a person didnt even have to deprive themselves. I was thinking no way, but I did have a positive feeling about this. So, it was about a week a later when I bought the book out of determination and know I feel that it is one of the best things I have ever bought myself. It gave me so much insight about MY body and why I would get these uncontrollable cravings, why I snacked a lot, why I couldnt keep the weight off and why I was going back and forth. I knew that since I was getting older that it was becoming even harder to keep off the weight or at least I thought(I needed something to blame for the weight gain). I started the diet on November 1 and saw the weight coming off as soon as the next day. I could not believe it--exactly what the doctors said would happened, happened. And, because of the reward meal and dont even feel like Im depriving myself of anything, I actually feel a lot freer about eating and I have more of a positive attitude, plus more energy. It is amazing. Its like I was let out of a prison of some sort, a diet prison. As of today, Nov. 19, I have lost 7 pounds, I couldnt even lose 1 pound within the last year. Im so glad I have this opportunty to share my experience and encourage others to try this diet if they feel that this is your story also.

I didnt see the Oprah show but I used this book in 95. I had been sticking to a low-low-low fat diet at the time and was gaining about 2 pounds a year. The test in the book classified me as a light-to-moderate carbohydrate addict, but the people in the book had so much in common with me that I think I was more addicted than that. Anyway, sticking with the book, I completely eliminated all starch and sugar from EVERY meal and ALL snacks, except for the reward dinner, where I would eat whatever I wanted (pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, chinese food). During the day I would eat lots of fatty, greasy burgers and bacon and eggs. To my amazement I lost 29 pounds in 5 1/2 months. It was not difficult to keep it off, either. I ended up easing up on the diet after this time, but kept the general idea of avoiding carbohydrates except for dinner. The weight stayed off. I never had to worry about fats again. And I felt very healthy and pleased. TAKE THE TEST in the book - the authors themselves stress that if you are not specifically a carbo addict, this diet wont work for you. Also, this diet is VERY VERY DIFFERENT from a general low-carbohydrate diet so dont listen to those who say its all the same. I hope this helps somebody reading it.

Its not a literary piece by any means but I didnt feel taken because of the low . The book could be simply a 15 page brochure with a very simple routine.

1. Eat only protein and fat for Breakfast and Lunch. No bread, fruit, milk, fruit juice, etc. Vegetables, certainly, but try to avoid carrots and broccoli amongst a few others.

2. For dinner, eat whatever you feel like, including dessert, but do so in a 1 hour time interval.

3. No snacking, but black coffee and diet sodas are allowed.

It does seem very Atkins-esque based on the premise that controlling blood insulin levels are key to weight control. In the end, I think a more main stream approach may go further for a true stick-to-it life-long plan. Is carbohydrate addiction real or is it a marketing ploy Im getting a little skeptical of some of the books endorsed by Oprah.

Why not go back to a modern diabetic diet that utilizes glycemic indexes to control blood sugar levels and the type of carbohydrates we eat. Simply limit refined flours (found in most breads, cookies and crackers with the exception of pita or stoneground wheat), potatoes and white rice. Try lower glycemic alternatives like brown rice, dairy products including low-fat ice cream, popcorn and pasta. Vegetables and fruit should always be considered free foods with no limitations. And yes, exercise.

I read the book entirely in one sitting, the very night I bought it. Then I studied it at length many times, highlighting, making notes in the margins. As a registered nurse, I learned a lot from the references to their research, and their detailed explanation of hyperinsulinemia. They have over 100 references, and 10 years or more in research of this disorder. It was as though a veil had been lifted and I suddenly understood that my condition is physiological, NOT psychological. I have found a new beginning. I know many doctors who recommend this diet for weight loss, depression, high blood pressure, pre-diabetic conditions, high cholesterol. I cannot diagnose myself, but I know it is working for me. I have been on the diet for 6 months and have lost 62 lbs. I dont weigh and measure, count calories, or deprive myself of any of my favorite foods. I feel better, no cravings, and I have more energy than ever. and above all, I am only 18 lbs away from my goal...6 months ago I would NEVER have thought it possible. Give it a try, and follow the 4 rules...you will succeed.

If youve been a yo-yo dieter for years or if you can eat a pound of pasta at one sitting, this book may very well be an eye opener. In simple--but never condescending--language, it explains the roots of carbohydrate cravings and teaches you how to normalize your insulin levels to prevent future food binges. Regulated insulin levels in turn help to temper serotonin levels, so food cravings and mood swings are prevented. The authors, both research scientists (one a health psychologist, the other a pathologist), have lost and kept off a total of 200 pounds between them. Theyve based this book on nearly a decades worth of research, during which theyve helped nearly 80 percent of their patients lose weight and keep it off for at least a year.

They explain that carbohydrate addicts most commonly crave popcorn, breads, bagels, rice, pasta, potatoes, ice cream, chocolate, pie, cookies, crackers, cake, fruit and fruit juice, potato chips, and pretzels. A questionnaire at the beginning of the book determines if youre indeed a carbohydrate addict, and if so, to what extent. (For those readers whose quiz doesnt indicate addiction, but who are bothered by their food cravings, the authors recommend a doctors visit for an explanation.) The book includes a diet plan with dozens of easy recipes, a chart of the carbohydrate content of many common foods, and lists of binge triggers to watch for. The most appealing part of the diet--and one reason that it wins raves from its followers--is its once-a-day reward meal, which allows you to eat anything you want. The authors also offer helpful tips for incorporating the diet away from home, such as at parties and restaurants.

From Library Journal
This low-carbohydrate diet was designed by a research biologist and a research psychologist to treat hyperinsulinemia, a condition where normal carbohydrate consumption produces not satisfaction but even more hunger, especially cravings for starches and sugar. Beginning with their own weight loss experiences and continuing with those of others, the authors provide a carbohydrate addiction test for readers to take to determine their own degree of addiction. Then they outline the easy-to-follow diet plan that includes several slightly different variations. Basically, dieters eat two low-carbohydrate meals a day and one reward meal with lots of carbohydrates. The authors also supply upbeat, positive advice for weight loss success and a limited number of meal plans and low-carbohydrate recipes. This would be a good addition for most public libraries.
-Linda Chopra, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title