In the last year, I have edged back into a “slice of cake at birthday parties,” or “a small portion of potato chips” while watching TV. I’ve slowly gained back some weight, but worse, have returned to carb cravings and feeling miserable. A recent full knee replacement got me mildly addicted to hydrocodon (opioid) and I recognized the symptoms of opioid withdrawal by my experience in 2014. I immediately stopped the hydrocodon and am now free of that. (the mechanism is “I feel so bad I need a pill” — the pill relieves the misery — but then absence of another pill stokes the misery. It does not cause good feelings, but takes away bad feelings. One has to suck it up and feel miserable (like the flu) for 3-4 days until the drug is out of the system.

This mechanism is mirrored in carb cravings. “Hunger” and misery cause us to want pizza, candy bars, bread, sandwiches, spaghetti, GRAINS! — and eating any of these make the misery go away, and then come back worse. I lived most of my life struggling with this mechanism, which is similar to heroin addiction in the brain.

I got back into the self-medication with grains and sugar while recovering from my knee surgery. Wednesday, I cut out all refined sugar. Yesterday, all grains (and sugar). Today, again. I felt miserable yesterday, but a bit better today. 2-3 more days and I’ll be free of those carb cravings that drive me to overeat the very foods that cause the problems.

Blood stick tests demonstrate precisely the impact of sugar and grains on blood sugar (and therefore inflammation, and insulin resistance.) Measure blood sugar before eating. Measre one hour after eating to see precisely the impact of foods on blood sugar and insulin.

Forgive the long post, but I appreciate the balanced approach. Some of us are wheat protein sensitive and it has powerful effects. (Gluten is just one of 126 wheat proteins, and not the worst).

Thank you.