Hi,

I'm new. I am out of control and crave carbs all the time. Quiting smoking was easier than quiting carbs!!!!!! What do you eat to stop the cravings. I just don't feel satisfied unless I have something made of dough or something sweet. I have just started to tackle this problem so I am a real greenie! Can anyone suggest a good way to get launched?

Two words for ya.....Pork rinds and s/f jello

Hi there Killmousey, welcome!

Are you taking any supplements? I found L-Glutamine 500mg ½ hour before meals (as suggested by Dr Atkins) to be of enormous help in preventing those cravings.

It also helps when you are yearning for something sweet to have a snack high in fat and protein. Something such as a piece of cheese, or some tuna & mayo. Personally I found that as soon as I had anything artificially sweetened, the cravings grew larger.

All the best to you!

Rosebud

You might want to try the mock french toast recipe. I tried it yesterday and I really liked it ....kind of like pancakes. I'm not sure if it is ok for induction but I can't see too much wrong except maybe for the amount of cream. Anyway good luck and happy LCing.

when i started atkins 5 weeks ago, i craved carb like crazy, until i learned that those cravings are your body dipping into your fat storage, thus u will loose wt, if u give into those cravings u gain wt, u will loose those craving in a couple of days, stay strong and good luck!

THIS IS GREAT!!!!

Thanks to those of you who took the time to reply to my S.O.S.!
You gave me great advice and I think that I just might be able to do this!!! Rid myself of the ball and chain that I carry with me.

Hi,

I posted the exact same question last week after I got started. The feedback helped, and I found that the carb cravings just sort of magically "went away" after about day 4. They were worst on days 2-3.

Since I'm new also, I don't feel qualified to give advice, but I read somewhere that avoiding sweet subsitutes during this period was a good idea because they can trigger even worse cravings. Also, I think it's in "the book" that you should eat something high-fat when you're craving carbs.

During days 2-3 I can remember spreading cream cheese on pork rinds with trembling hands (from low blood sugar). They did the trick every time. Also, I (still) have a small cup of crystal light drink mix (very watered down) after meals and it seems to satisfy the "have to have something sweet at the end" craving.

But the main point is: it seems that if you can bully through fours days of this, the problem just sort of automagically goes away. For me, I am amazed at how 'addicted' I was - and I use that word in the classical sense - to carbohydrates. Wow.

Looking at the before and after pix helped me tremendously during the first week (and I suspect will continue to do so).

I found stories about folks who were close to my stats and took comfort from them. I also saw stories from folks who were *much* worse off than I am, it really grounded me. Who am I to complain when others have sacrificed so much more than I will have to.

God bless the people who put this forum together.

Hi there,
Today is my 2nd day on Atkins and I am getting somewhat bored with the foods. Does this go away after 4/5 days too? I am eating a wide variety of meats and my nieghbours must be wondering what's up with me and my barbeque!

Life gets better after induction!

My breakfast today: chicken sausage and an orange

lunch: mesclun salad with pesto chicken, feta cheese, walnuts, cherry tomatoes, olive oil & vinegar

Dinner plan: More salad, with sauteed shrimp, boiled egg, sliced almonds, apple, and goat cheese.

Not bad, huh?

In the meantime, do whatever you can to make your induction bearable! Read the book so that you are sure of what foods are currently legal, and do your best to mix it up. I had lots of turkey burgers with hot sauce, and little bitty bits of fruit that tasted as good as chocolate ever did! Good luck!

Thanks for the support Orzabelle! I guess you don't need to have meat at every meal.

Carboman,

Read and USE the recipes on this forum and at www.atkinscenter.com.

The nice thing about Atkins recipe section is that it will let you pick recipes and then makes a shopping list for you. How cool is that?

Variety is the key to beating boredom.

hey carboman.

I hear you. But look at it this way, you could be cooking up a nice juicy steak on the barbecue, or measuring out tiny servings of special k into plastic cups and weighing them on dainty little scales. Been there, done that.

I lost a lot of weight on this diet (went from 325 to 198 in a year), although I gained some of it back over the past 2 years from stupid binging. This diet is especially potent for men. A friend of mine (encouraged by my success) went on the diet and lost 90 lbs as well.

Just thought of something - one of my favourite snacks is fried bologne with mustard. I think it's awesome. Maple Leaf thick sliced bologne (0g of carb!) and french's mustard (something really low, like 0.3g / tspoon)

Hey Euthanasia,

You lost 127 pounds in a year! Holy $%#^&!! That's great!

As for me, the first day on the diet is fine. The second day is hard. The third day is well...I can see why peoples appetites decrease. Already I can't bear to look at another sirloin hamburger or chicken burger or fried eggs. I had deviled eggs last night watching tv. I guess it doesn't help watching my wife eat pretzels and leftover pasta.

In the course of the last 20 years I have tried this diet about 12 times. I find the latest book on low carbing and I get all excited and motivated. I run out and buy lots of food and then a few days back in I feel like quiting again.

I guess I am wondering how you or anybody can do without sugar. Especially in the morning. Do you think it is possible to lose weight while eating about 100 grams of carbs? Also skipping the induction phase?

Thanks,

Carboman

The first 3 or 4 days I craved carbs(sweets) so bad I didn't think I could do this plan. Then all of a sudden it stopped, no cravings, no hunger between meals, last night I was reading and realized I never ate after dinner anymore. The uncontrolable urge was gone, I was wondering if this is how "normal" people fel, it was great. I have a long way to go but right now I feel so positive about all this, I hope you hang in there until your craving go away, they will.