Waking the carb monster

I am sticking to the low carb, protein first diet that many of us have been prescribed - every now and again I will have some carbs with it. I'm not 100% strict on the low carb thing.

what I am wondering is how many grams of carbs would you estimate it takes to have the carb monster open his eyes and look grumpy, and how many carbs would it take you to have him wide awake and chasing you?

I'd imagine it depends on the person?  For me, the issue isn't eating the carbs, it's having them in the house.  If I don't have them in the house, I don't think about them - regardless of what I've eaten that day or the day before or whatever.  If they're in the house, they call to me relentlessly - again, regardless of what I've eaten.  

I have this habit of buying junk food when it's on special like I used to in my ore surgery days. I don't eat it it just sits there in the cupboard. It's a bit odd as I can't seem to stop (to be fair I havent tried very hard as it doesn't bother me!). I guess I will give it to the foodbank drive at my work this christmas. 

Like Gwen said this is totally different for everyone.  For me I have different carb monsters -- an ice cream monster, a cookie monster.... every type.  I'm a complete addict, so sometimes it comes out even if I haven't had any carbs.  Rarg!

I believe it's pretty individual. For me it's not simply my carb intake, it is dependent upon the type of carb I eat. Say I eat a sweet potato with butter and salt. I'm fine. No cravings. Same with most whole food carbs. Give me something with refined sugar and flour and all it takes is a single bite and the carb monster stirs in his sleep. Eat a whole home baked chocolate chip and toffee chip cookie the monster is awake and screaming and yelling for more. I pretty much have to go to sleep for a few hours to reset. It's pretty intense for me.

Yeah that's a good point I didn't consider what the different types might do. Like a could eat a lot of Pringles or something and wake him up I'm sure, but the other day I had quite a few cherries without feeling like I had given him a kick. 

I agree that this is a very individual matter.  For me, I may be able to have a little bit of a carb item, say - a small piece of naan, or a small part of a biscuit without creating problems for myself, especially if I'm eating it with a good portion of protein.  Anything with sugar in it is a very different matter.  I might, occasionally, get away with a bit of cookie or other dessert, but I'm risking a spiral into a months-long binge cycle. 

The key, to me, is (1) don't experiment just for the sake of it (particularly early on), and (2) be brutally honest with yourself about your own reaction.  Learn what your triggers are, and be prepared to make changes when you find a trouble spot.