I have been on a low-carb diet now for about a week and i am having alot of trouble staying away from sweets...it seems as though my cravings have increased since i started this diet... i have been taking chromium pills but they don't seem to help... Hopefully there is someone out there with answers to my question.....

Hi roxy18!

Welcome to the group. Check out this link in our tips section that deals with "THE CRAVINGS!"

http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips007.html

What you are experiencing is carb withdrawal and you have to avoid carbs like the plague to be successful with low-carb eating. Eating carbs at this point will just make you want to eat more carbs. The physical cravings will pass so hang in there!

Karen

hiya roxy!!!!!....craving's a sheer MIND OVER MATTER...i see cravings as a sheer psychological mind game...not a systemic thing (my body does NOT need this!!!)...people may think i'm crazy for saying this---but you must talk yourself out of it with reasoning.

Do i really need this?
What are my consequences?

i am a HUGE FAN of the sweet stuff---i grew up in a high fat junk food family...it's like a smoker who wants to quit, but yet is always craving for that nicotiene...and just like the cold turkey quitting smoker, your mind kicks in with "god!, i could use one right now!!!" thoughts...

MIND OVER MATTER!!!......keep thinking like this as you clear all of the sweet stuff out of your kitchen!....lol

I don't know if this will help right now, but when you finish Induction and get settled into eating low-carb, there are lots of LC sweets to try. DO wait till the cravings are long gone, however! I find that just knowing I CAN have a sweet once in a while (not every day) means I don't feel deprived, even though I hardly ever actually eat them. On the other hand, some people find that even LC sweets trigger cravings, so tread warily!

Rachel

Sweet cravings are a signal that you need more protein! Try to eat smaller amounts more frequently. Good quality protein will squash those sugar cravings, like a devilled egg, a cold chicken leg, piece of cheese (watch the carbs), a slice of ham ... etc. A lot of folks find, especially in the early days and weeks of lowcarbing, that using artificially sweetened substitutes only serve to PERPETUATE the sweet cravings, causing insulin to surge and dip all over the place. Lowcarbing is about metabolic control, it's not like cutting out a few calories.

Everyone is different though. As Rachel pointed out, later on, when you're feeling more in control, an occasional lowcarb sweet treat could be helpful to stave off more serious cravings. For now, stick to diet Jello, and serve it up with a big blob of whipped heavy cream...

Doreen