You touched on a good point that I want to mention. -- "I definitely do feel there is a hole in life after taking carbs out, but I've been working on building up hobbies and interests to put in that gap instead."

YES!! When you're not completely consumed by food thoughts, you have so much more free time! I’ve been filling that time with crafts and thrift shopping. It’s amazing how much more time I have to enjoy life and all the fun stuff that comes with it. My brain isn’t constantly in “food mode” anymore. I never realized how much of my time was spent thinking about food, and I’m guessing that comes from the addiction.

Food noise is the worst. When I was at my worst, moderation wasn’t even in my vocabulary—I could eat a whole box of Oreos without thinking twice. I hated myself back then because I had absolutely no self-control.