Thanks Judy. I will take it to heart. I end up having my "treats" about twice a month... But at this point they're still really bad treats. I don't even wanna talk about those. LOL

In the meantime, I did pick up the 12-grain loaf and the oat loaf. I also got a ridiculously dense Rye loaf made with coarse Rye meal and it cuts my carbs down from about 50g per sandwich to 30g per sandwich, and has NO SUGAR at all. I tried it tonight and loved it, so I can live with that.

ETA: I eat 2 slices of bread per week IF THAT so please don't think I am downing bread all day... My freezer is now full of little 2-slice bread packets.

So, I used google to look up stone ground wheat and found a few things. Had you tried that?

Sounds like it just keeps the wheat whole and doesn't separate it like other types of milling do. You may get a little rock dust mixed into the bread too. Minerals! I doubt it is much of an advantage, if any.

LOL ~ Minerals.

I ran a search but everything I came up with discussed stoneground as a "safe" alternative to ordinary grocery store whole wheat because it is "guaranteed" to be less processed, whereas often grocery store whole wheat is just as processed as white bread. Nothing I found compared stoneground whole wheat specifically to market/artisan whole grain whole wheat including the germ. About the only semi-indication that it would be better at all is because the particle size was a little larger if stoneground... Probably negated by the various lower GI seeds and other goodies in the non-stoneground loaf anyway. Likely not worth trading in the nuts and seeds for slightly larger wheat particle size.

Oops hit the wrong button.

As a former bread junkie who quit cold turkey and has nearly 5 months of bread-sobriety, I was drawn to this thread as though hypnotised. I began reading with some trepidation, but that cracked me up WereBear. Thanks for the laugh. To paraphrase you: Death to bread!

When I had stress eating, I would eat most of a column of saltines. There was no food reward with this; I didn't know it was putting drugs in my brain, too.

Now that I can see and feel the difference between "some grains" and "no grains at all" what I give up is a fraction of what I get.

Of all the things I don't eat anymore, bread is the one people freak out over.

The honey is eaten by the yeast to make the bread rise unless of course extra is added to make the bread sweeter. Trader Joe's has a Sprouted Whole Wheat and Rye Breads that are good and I do quite well with. Sounds like you have things under control portion wise and are doing well.

I'm not freaked out or anything. I feel well, look well, lose well, AND with some tweaking (wholest grains possible for breads and pastas) I can enjoy them in limited quantity. I have modified how I prepare food a little, and rather than pasta with a few pieces of meat thrown in, pasta is a side dish. For example, while before I may have done a traditional spaghetti and meatballs, now, spaghetti (whole wheat, of course) is likely to be just a scoop alongside a half of a roasted chicken or something.

So too it is with bread. Whereas before I might have had two sandwiches (which isn't that much when you're IFing) now I have one sandwich (often open face, with a single slice of bread), loaded with meat and fat, and a side of hard boiled egg or something that makes the bread a small percentage of the meal.

A little bread or pasta doesn't make me crave more. At this point it doesn't stall my weight loss. I am motivated to continue on my plan because when I do eat, I get to eat what I want. Sometimes that includes bread or pasta - not because I am freaked out about giving it up, or because I crave it, but because I like to have a little of it, and I seem to be able to handle the small amount I eat quite well. It's really that simple.

WereBear, I do appreciate your perspective, and I am thankful for your opinion and contribution to this thread. I still make a conscious decision to eat a little bread and pasta, but that isn't because I don't understand or agree with the points made against it.

Thanks for that tidbit of info! I didn't know that... I don't think there is a tremendous amount of honey in it, and with the portion I eat I am sure it isn't a big deal.

If it doesn't make you crave MORE that's an encouraging sign. I maintained for five years that exact way you are doing now.