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While people should always have the autonomy to do as they see fit with their own bodies, I learned after many years of dieting, self-loathing, and eating disorders that reduction dieting a) does not work long term in most cases and only benefits the multi-billion dollar diet industry, and b) the majority of dieters gain back more weight than they originally lost. I literally had to stop dieting to keep myself from getting heavier.
I am very glad I found Health at Every Size at age 46. I wish I had found it sooner. 34 years of yo-yo dieting, bulimia, and self-loathing had taken a terrible toll on both my body and my psyche.
As a diabetic, I have to be mindful of carbohydrate intake, but I have found that glycemic impact is more important than the actual number of carbohydrates ingested. For instance, I don't tend to have a problem with beans, potatoes, corn or bread in moderation, but rice spikes my blood sugar. Everybody is different with this.
Regarding cravings, prior to treating my diabetes, I was ravenously hungry much of the time and, in our size-shaming culture, many doctors give the terrible advice of just ignoring the cravings. If a person has cravings, there is a reason for it. Your body isn't getting something it wants, and trying to shut it up by ignoring the hunger isn't healthy.
In my case, my body wasn't recognizing its own insulin anymore. Insulin resistance can both cause weight gain and make it difficult to lose weight. Anyone who is experiencing extreme, insatiable hunger should have their blood sugar and A1C checked rather than telling themselves they need more Won't Power to stick with their calorie count. Also, you can't eat yourself into diabetes, even if you eat nothing but cake all day every day unless you have the genetic trigger for diabetes.
I wish you well.
~The Cheese Hath Grated It~
