Hi!

Initially there is carb craving as you are withdrawing from a high carb diet to a low carb one. It usually subsides in a few days, however, you state that you need to get to 20 gr or below. This may be what's causing your continued craving.

If you are eating more carbs than you should on induction, this actually triggers the carb cravings.

Get out our Atkins book and start planning your meals ahead of time. When and if you get hungry, eat something with high fat content. For me, I would grab a cup of coffee with heavy cream. The fat in the cream satisfies the cravings. Make sure you are eating enough food to satisfy you throughout the day. Remember that this is not a low calorie, or low fat diet. This is a low carb one only.

The beginning is the toughest, believe me. Within a few days of sticking to low carbing, the cravings disappear. An anology that works for me, is that this is like having an itch that won't go away. The more you scratch it, the more it itches. Eating carbs causes you to want more carbs. Viscious cycle!

Eat meat, eggs, cheese, butter, salads, veggies. Your carbs should come mainly from the veggies.

If you'd like to share with us what you generally are eating, we may be able to help identify some of the foods you might want to avoid. You might also want to check out fitday.com to help you keep track of what you are eating. I use it all the time.

Hope this helps.

Hi Shae:

The best way to combat sugar cravings is to take L-glutamine supplements. I've been taking them for a couple of years and when I ran out for a few days, noticed my sugar cravings coming back with a vengeance. Also, a B-complex vitamin may help.

Others use chromium picolinate to help stabilize blood sugars.

Don't know about this, but leptin is also being suggested based on recent research:
http://www.mercola.com/2000/oct/1/leptin_sugar.htm

Good luck, the beginning is the worst.

Thanks for you insight! I guess I just need to stay under 20 carbs no matter what. It is hard for me right now. I have done this before I know it will get easier. I just need to stick to the plan. Thanks so much for your suport!!

shae

The only way I got through those initial carb cravings was to eat so much meat that I could puke (and literally not eat another bite).

One day I cooked a steak for lunch, a full half pound steak. After I ate it all I could think of was how good a dessert would be. So I cooked up another steak and ate it too. I guarantee that a cookie did not sound good at that time.

Eat eat and eat some more while doing induction. Use it to get over the bumps and hurdles. People are so afraid to eat enough meat, and especially enough fat. But after a few more days of it, your appetite will probably start to decrease and you can eat less.

I've been doing this since Nov 23 and I have no cravings for anything. Now I eat when I'm hungry and I'm finally feeling real hunger, and it's a great feeling. Stable blood sugar and hunger are so different that uncontrollable cravings.

You've got to not only count the carbs but watch sugar content. I think that's why Atkins wants people to get the 20 gr of carbs from veggies in the induction phase. Did you buy the book? If you didn't it really answers alot of questions.
I used to drink 2 or 3 cans of Coke every night after work. I stopped cold when I started the induction phase. I had some cravings the first day but they are all gone now. BUT-- I see how some cravings might be physcological, especially if you used food for a reward for yourself. When I quit smoking 23 years ago the hardest cigarettes to give up were the reward ones.
Stick with it, really look at what your eating, keep letting us know how your doing, keep asking questions, and give us as many details as you can. It's unbelievable how many knowledgeable there are on this forum.

Moon

I agree with Annette. Meat and meat and more good meat. For me, I get sliced turkey from the deli that I know doesn't have any added sugar or crap. Then I just eat it all day. I feel like a cookie, I eat some turkey. I want a cookie - nope turkey. Finding something that's 0 carbs that you can nosh on all day long will help. You won't need the crutch forever, just until you get past the tough stuff.