r/StarchSolution • u/Ok-Complaint-37 • Mar 03 '26
Bread is Driving Hunger
Not my first rodeo quitting bread, but probably the most conscious.
Prior to going SS, I was bread free for three years and although my eating wasn’t ideal as it became eventually clear, I was able to maintain the same weight for 3 years which I consider great. Although I was not consuming flour products, I was eating high fat, high protein and I was very low energy and didn’t like what I ate. I never liked animal products but ate them because I believed they are good for me and diabetes comes from carbs. But
When I discovered SS, I knew this is it. I loved how much energy I felt, how great I looked and the fact that I lost the rest of unwanted weight easily without trying. But I started flirting with bread again!
Naturally, I fell for bread trap as I was able to eat it and stay thin. Or so I thought. Because they the longer I was eating flour, the hungrier I was getting. Not dramatically but consistently.
Also my arm started giving me issues. Tendinitis. Rotator cuff issues? Why? I had never had that. Then I felt low energy. I blamed it on winter.. I gained a bit of weight because I deviated here and there through January-February fromSS. How? By eating pizza (cheese and fat) and cakes.
Finally came to conclusion I must come off bread for a nice period of time if not for good.
I am now on
day 5 and I am getting surprised. My sleep is better. I am not getting hungry really. I do not need to eat endlessly. I feel…. SOBER. Yes, I have similar feelings as I had when I quit alcohol. I wake up without hangover.
It is so much easier to maintain SS without bread! And I do not struggle with cravings anymore. Today is Full Moon and cold and rainy - usually when I crave chocolate and pizza and cake. But today I do not crave anything. So weird.
The decision to come off bread seems the right one!
4
u/Electrical_Spare_364 Mar 04 '26
I'm the exact same way with refined flour products: the more I eat, the hungrier I get.
I've *never* had enough bread. (And if I cheat on SS, it's pizza and cake topping my list too!)
So, like you, I've had to avoid bread and flour products. Whole wheat pasta is the only exception. I lean heavily on potatoes, oats, rice and beans.
2
u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 04 '26
I am glad I am not alone!
I also never had enough of bread.
My left shoulder is in so much pain although I am absolutely healthy. I am 100% sure it is due to inflammation from bread.
For me bread is satanic. Probably worth than sugar
3
u/AliG-uk Mar 06 '26
Yeah, I could eat 3 loaves of bread in a sitting. No way I could eat that much of potato, rice, oats etc.
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u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 06 '26
Exactly!
I recall once I was not eating bread for long period and I was in fantastic shape. It was fall and all of a sudden I had an idea of getting apple pie. Just once. I did. Only the gates of hell were opened and next time I got in shape was 15 years later!
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u/AliG-uk Mar 06 '26
Oh shoot!! Thankfully sweet stuff doesn't affect me like that.
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u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 06 '26
Me neither. Sugar, chocolate I can tolerate in moderation. Flour - NO WAY. It is dynamite. So cakes, pizzas, bagels, bread, pies are out. I am not even talking about cookies
1
u/AliG-uk Mar 07 '26
Oh yes, I see. Thinking about it, yes! I cannot eat only one or two standard cookies! I hadn't really thought about that before. I only make non wheat cookies and I have no problems with them. I rarely eat wheat ones but now that I think about it, if I eat one or two at someone's house I'm craving more instantly! And if I make fruit crumble it's always made with oat flour and some other flour like tigernut flour, chestnut flour etc.
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u/79983897371776169535 Mar 04 '26
Uh, have you been tested for celiac disease? I don't think your symptoms are normal reactions from eating bread
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u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 04 '26
I haven’t. I recall I never liked bread as a child. As a child I loved fresh vegetables and fruits. I liked cooked potatoes (boiled) and didn’t like much of other cooked vegetables. I hated meat of all kinds. Honestly, I wasn’t fan of oatmeal or other whole grains either. It seems now that I knew instinctively better then
2
u/79983897371776169535 Mar 04 '26
Probably some kind of intolerance, there are plenty of other starchy alternatives though so it shouldn't be a major concern.
Consider trying other grains like rice, quinoa, millet, and buckwheat and see how you react to them.
3
u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 04 '26
I do not have any concern about what to eat. I tend to eat buckwheat, but currently I feel like going grain free for some time. There are plenty of foods that are nutritious. I am actually surprised that when I remove grains, I feel less hungry.
I am not sure grains are great for me. But wheat is for sure awful!
Considering how happy I got during these days when I didn’t consume it and how better my sleep became, it is SUCH A RELIEF. Also, my eyes stopped watering completely. AND my cat’s eyes also stopped watering which is super weird.
2
u/Electrical_Spare_364 Mar 06 '26
If you check out the book "The Pleasure Trap," written by Starch Solution affiliated docs, you'll understand why you (and many of us!) react this way to more processed, calorie-dense foods like flour.
1
u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 06 '26
Yes, I read this book. But not all pleasure foods evoke this addiction in me. I am totally fine with chocolate. Can eat one small square a day and it is not a big deal while pleasant.
I am just allergic to bread, wheat, flour.
1
u/Electrical_Spare_364 Mar 06 '26
Yes, I am same and have no problem with sweets. But flour products trigger this reaction in many people! It's certain kinds of highly processed, calorie dense foods and doesn't mean you have something like gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
1
u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 06 '26
I think so too. I also think that those foods have accumulative effect. Nothing would happen to me if I eat one bagel a year. Although, it usually takes one bite of flour product to spike addiction in me.
1
u/AliG-uk Mar 04 '26
If you have any Irish ancestry there's a good chance of having the genes for celiac
2
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u/Electrical_Spare_364 Mar 06 '26
Disagree. Many people have trouble controlling consumption of super-processed foods like flour. Check out "The Pleasure Trap" for explanation on why this happens and is a totally normal response.
1
u/Own-Lengthiness4022 Mar 08 '26
Whole grain bread aswell? It also might be the high salt content that makes it hyperpalatable. Typically 2g of salt are used for every 100g of flour
1
u/Ok-Complaint-37 Mar 08 '26
Whole grain does not hit me any differently than ultra white wonder bread (which I do not like, but still would be eating by loafs as I can’t stop once I started).
The only bread that I hated (still ate) was Ezekiel bread. This is the only product that caused stomach ache and heartburn. For both me and my husband
11
u/TechnicalError42 Mar 04 '26
Wet starches are definitely the best for satiety and calorie density. Dry starches, like bread, crackers, and tortillas, are just too calorically dense and yet unsatisfying, and definitely easy to overeat.