Why You Feel Out of Control Around Carbs: The Science Behind Restriction and Cravings
by Katherine Metzelaar, MSN, RDN, CD
Have you ever noticed this?
You start a diet, maybe keto, low-carb, or something else restrictive, and for months you feel great. You’re not craving sweets. Bread doesn’t “tempt” you. You might even feel turned off by it.
Then one day, something changes. You eat a slice of pizza, or a cookie, or maybe just a bite of bread… and suddenly you can’t stop thinking about it! You want more. You feel “out of control.”
If you’ve ever had that experience, you might have blamed yourself or the food.
But here’s the truth: it’s not the carbs and it’s not you.
It’s your body and brain doing exactly what they were designed to do when faced with restrictive eating.
Why Dieting Can Feel “Easy” at First
When people first start dieting, there’s often a “honeymoon phase.” Hunger seems to disappear, and cravings fade away. It can feel like you’ve finally found the secret to control.
But this phase doesn’t mean your body has stopped wanting carbs. It just means a few short-term systems have kicked in to help you survive deprivation.
Here’s what can happen during those early months:
1. Ketosis temporarily suppresses appetite
When you cut or reduce your carb intake, your body can shift into ketosis and starts producing ketones for energy. Ketones can blunt appetite hormones like ghrelin and dampen the brain’s reward response to food. You genuinely feel less hungry and not because your needs are met, but because your body is in energy-conservation mode.
2. Stress hormones mask hunger
Restrictive dieting triggers a mild stress response. Cortisol and adrenaline rise, which can create that “wired but fine” feeling and suppress hunger. It’s your body’s way of keeping you alert and focused during a perceived famine. This usually feels good for many people and mistakenly gets confused for a sign that the diet it “working” and the food is “better”.
3. You get a dopamine hit from control
Diet culture glorifies discipline. Sticking to rules, losing weight, or receiving praise for your “willpower” all activate dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical. That sense of control can temporarily override your body’s signals.So in the beginning, restriction can actually feel rewarding. You feel powerful, focused, maybe even liberated from cravings.
But under the surface, your body is keeping score.
When the Switch Flips: Why Cravings Surge Back Harder
Eventually, sometimes after months, your body starts to fight back. The systems that were muted by restriction start firing again, and the shift can feel sudden and overwhelming. This is when you might find yourself binge eating or feeling completely out of control. You might blame the food, yourself, or both.
Here’s what’s really happening when you “lose control” around carbs:
1. Your hunger and reward systems rebound
After being dampened for so long, your brain’s hunger and reward centers light up the moment carbs re-enter the picture. This is called reward sensitization which is a heightened response that makes food feel extra appealing after deprivation.
2. Your body is trying to restore balance
It’s not just about wanting a cookie. Your body is trying to correct an energy and nutrient deficit that’s been building for months. Eating carbs is your body’s way of saying, “Finally, we can get what we need.”
3. Psychological restriction meets biological deprivation
When you’ve labeled foods as “bad” or “off limits” for a long time, your brain treats them like scarce resources. When you finally allow yourself to have them, the response is urgent:“We better eat all of this now before it’s taken away again.” The result? You feel “out of control.” But that reaction is actually a sign of your body’s resilience, not its weakness.
It’s Not the Carbs, It’s the Restriction
When this happens, it’s easy to blame the food. You might tell yourself, “I can’t handle carbs,” or “I’m addicted to sugar.” But the truth is that restriction, not the food itself, is what creates obsession.
When food becomes both physically and emotionally available again, and when you know you can have it anytime you want, the intensity fades. You stop thinking about it constantly, not because of more control, but because your body trusts you again. This is the essence of intuitive eating and body trust: your body isn’t trying to sabotage you, it’s trying to protect you.
What Healing Actually Looks Like (and Why It Feels Messy at First)
Healing from the restrict-binge-shame cycle means learning to nourish your body consistently and compassionately. It means removing morality from food and giving yourself permission to eat carbs, sweets, and all the foods you love without guilt.
At first, you might (and likely will) feel intense cravings, and that’s normal. It’s your body testing whether the famine is really over. With time and consistency, those cravings soften, and food becomes… just food.
If you’ve ever felt “addicted” to carbs or “out of control” around certain foods, it’s not a character flaw or a lack of discipline. It’s a biological and psychological response to restriction.
Your body was never broken. It was just doing what it’s wired to do: protect you.
When you feed it consistently, honor its signals, and release the guilt around food, the chaos quiets down.
And what’s left is something even better than control: trust.
You’ll also love…
3 Binge Eating Disorder Myths That You Need To Know
Why You Feel Guilty For Not Finishing All The Food On Your Plate & 6 Ways To Make This Stop
Author bio: Katherine Metzelaar, MSN, RDN is an non-diet registered dietitian and founder of Bravespace Nutrition. She helps women heal their relationship with food and body image, overcome diet culture pressures, and cultivate a compassionate, non-diet approach to eating and self-care. Katherine empowers her clients to trust their bodies, enjoy food without shame, and experience freedom from restrictive dieting.
Your Body Deserves Trust, Not Control
Finding calm around food isn’t about more control; it’s about giving yourself time, compassion, and permission to tune out the noise and listen to your body again. In her Seattle, WA-based nutrition counseling practice, Katherine offers a variety of services including support for eating disorders, body image, intuitive eating, bulimia treatment, anorexia treatment, binge eating, and chronic dieting. She also offers a women’s body image course called "You're Not Broken" and a mini course on intimacy and body image called “Fearless Intimacy” . For more information, visit the blog, FAQ, resources page, or contact now to get started!