I started Atkins 1/1/03 and was doing well until Valentines day when I started cheating with chocalates and girl scout cookies. I do fine all day but after dinner I can't stop craving something sweet. I try having a cup of flavored tea or decaff coffee but this just makes my cravings worse, I'm unable to eliminate from house as my son's friends hang out here. I have bought the low carb chocalate but that just makes me crave the real stuff. I do eat a good supper so hunger certainly not an issue. I have nuts and tasty cheese's but it's sweets that get me. HELP, please.

Try L-glutamine to curb those cravings- it works especially well for sugar/sweeys cravings. Take 500 mg prior to supper to fight your night time cravings. If eating low carb treats make you crave more, then I'd also suggest avoiding them for a while. You may or may not be able to use them again later once you've got cravings under control. After cheating you cravings will be worse, perhaps you should consider doing Induction again to detox yourself from the cookies, etc.. You wouldn't have to do the full 2 weeks, but it wouldn't hurt to either. Good luck.
God Bless,
Amy-Lynne

Try brushing your teeth really good and gargle with a mint mouthwash. I do that sometimes, if the cravings get really strong at night, and it helps. My mouth is all clean and fresh and I don't want to spoil it by eating anything else, and on top of that, the minty flavor of the toothpast and mouthwash trick my taste buds into thinking I've had something I'm not supposed to!

I wanted pizza badly throughout the weekend. I finally bought an individual size on tuesday at 440 calories and 40g net carbs. I enjoyed it greatly then the sweet craving started and i then counteracted it with light sweetened whipped cream. The whipped cream really helped with the cravings and i also really enjoyed it. No more cravings and no more thought of pizza.

thank-you for suggestions, I'll brush my teeth and mouthwash tonight then tomorrow I'll shop for L-glutomine. I have to get over this hurdle because this WOE really makes me feel good.

Two quick suggestions...do you drink decaf coffee? Or even in your tea...add some yummy heavy cream and a little Splenda. Might be just the rich sweet taste you crave.
And for whoever mentioned pizza, I just made the Deep Dish Quiche Pizza for lunch. YUM YUM YUM

GOOD LUCK TO YOU
Sue

I do the jello thing. A nice bowl of diet jello and whipped cream sure does satisfy my sweet toooth!!

OMG that deep dish pizza quiche was wonderful! It did fix my pizza cravings! For sweet cravings, I've experimented with sf chocolates, but they cause me to stall and even gain. The sf jellow and whipped cream is great, but sometimes when I want something rich, I mix whipped cream and cream cheese and add a little cocoa powder. They fix me right up!

Now this may sound odd, but if you can eat Cottage Cheese, preferably the 4 % one, just take one or two of spoonfulls, eaten very slowly.

I made Karens Meatza, last night great, everyone liked it, so much though, I thought maybe I'd have some left overs for several meals for me, No luck ! I put mandarine oranges on the guys share, then they got into mine !


Hope you find something that works for you
Cheers Kathy

I am also plagued by cravings for sweets sometimes. Here's what helps me: get the tempting foods AWAY from me/my house. If I'm really having a hard time, I will do one of the following: drink more water (I do this first in case my body has mistaken hunger for thirst), eat a small chunk of sharp cheddar cheese, drink a small glass of tomato juice, cut a SMALL slice of Atkins Advantage Bar and eat it, eat a cup of sugar-free Jello (it has no carbs and 10 calories and tastes surprisingly good), and my most recent discovery is berries with Cool Whip-very easy to make and completely wonderful (just limit your portion size).

I try to do only one or two of these, but so far it's working-I'm 5 weeks into Atkins and have lost 12 pounds. The last resort, of course, is to have a stern talk with yourself and remind yourself that you want to be thinner, healthier, etc etc, and that it is worth the effort and so are you!

When I've been craving something sweet I've had a Atkins Advantage Bar. They are actually pretty good, and it helps me feel like I'm having some kind of "desert"

Stick with it, you're already making great progress!

Lots of Southern Love,
Alli

go to the desserts section for more ideas, but this is my favorite easy as pie chocolate delight cheesecake mousse:

I kind of eye ball it, but :

two table spoons of cream cheese (nuked for 10 seconds then stir and soften)

stir in heavy cream until makes half a bowl but make sure its doesnt lose its thickness

add unsweetened coco powder

two splenda packets

YUM

if you want a more accurate recipe go look at the deserts, but this is really how i make it. in soup bowl, and then i let it sit in the freezer for like 10 minutes, YUM freaking EEEYYY, enjoy!

What good does cheating do for you? It gets you nowhere. You only have about 25 pounds to lose, but what are you going to be doing after you have lost it? If you don't get under control now, while you are on the diet, you will just gain it all back later.

The evening is the worst time. Perhaps that's when you should be doing some of your exercise. I think I have the same problem as you; the evenings. I go for a walk. I go out on my patio and do some low impact aerobics. I do chores. Do anything to be active and not sitting around thinking about food. Or call up a friend and chat for a while.


That's the first step. Get it out of your mind. And above all, pass by the mirror once in a while. And ask yourself if what you see is your goal for youself. Don't let every little temptation become a mountain for you.

You are obviously doing some psychological eating. Why don't you evaluate why. I have to do it all the time. It can help.

Good Luck!

The trick I use is before I lay down if I still have a sweet tooth, is take a package of splenda and pour it directly on my tongue and let it dissolve slowly in my mouth. Once it is gone, I drink a glass of water and walla...craving is gone.

Also, do you take L-Glutamine 500mg. Get it from your healthfood store. It helps keep cravings at bay. Take 1 capsule 30 minutes before lunch and 30 minutes before dinner.

Good luck and don't give in and never, ever give up!

Hi Pattyl,

I also need a sweet treat in the evening. We usually have SF jello but I do make the Dark Chocolate Treat posted under Low carb recipes > sweet treats by Elizabeth. It's really good and melts in your mouth.

Maybe the craving for sweets has something to do with the long, cold, snowy winter we're having in MA.

Good luck and remember, this is a new lifestyle. It'll take a while to adjust.

Amy