Man, I'd kill for some toast or popcorn (yumm, maybe some kettle korn). I have been doing so well on Atkins, but man am I craving some BAD carbs! I need some inspiration! haha............

I was really tempted to eat something bad, but fought the feeling, and now it's after 7PM, and I don't eat after 7PM, so I'm having decaf coffee instead. I tried making a low-carb dessert with cream cheese, but the craving didn't go away............

Any ideas for cravings that worked for y'all?

Thanks!

LL

I know some take supplements to help control the cravings. I bulked up on fats, which worked really well for me.

You know..I never lost cravings during my TOM- even when in ketosis. When I get them..I actually try to make sure I fill up on something with fat or protein like half an avocado or an egg and some water and make sure I take some dieters advantage. Then I wait about 20 min and if that doesn't work I go for it and give in to a small LC sweet - usually chocolate coated with nuts and drink more water or decaf coffee with cream and that does the trick. I know I should be reaching for celery or zuccini or something like that but it just doesn't cut it for me. I need to taste it and at the same time have the sensation of feeling full so the fat or protein takes care of the fullness and the sweet gives me the feeling like I got a treat and filled up on it when I really got full with something else. That's just my trick. May not be right but it works for me. Annie

I heard that cravings can sometimes be brought on when you have a lot of LC sweets. Maybe try 3 days or so with no artificial sweeteners? Just a possibility.

Your Insulin receptors are freaking out. You need to take some Chromium Picolonate to resensitize your receptors. There is a section in the Atkins book that discusses this specifically.
You DID read the whole book, right?

I feel for you, just was in the same situation, during a b-day party and gave in. Ate cake and ice cream and now Im fighting the horrible appetite for sweets again. I hope you stuck to your guns!!!! I now understand the need for making your own lc desserts, lol. Why do I have to learn everything the hard way !

My cravings have finally abated to the point where I rarely get them anymore. But lemme tell ya, about 2 weeks ago I almost lost it! You know that commercial for Subway where the guy eats his kid's macaroni project? That's how I felt. You have to have patience - if you have a major craving for something and you think that you may not be able to control yourself - physically remove yourself from the tempation. I mean it - you have to literally walk away. That, and flipping through a Victoria's Secret catalog will usually do the trick. When you get your craving under control, remind yourself why you are doing this. If you can't get away from the situation, for example - you're at a birthday party and everyone around you has a piece on a paper plate and someone shoves one in your hand - pretend someone blew their nose on it and you'll never eat it, or discreetly pour salt all over it then feign a coughing fit while you run to the kitchen to dump it in the trash........just a thought.

Hi

Yeah, my cravings are back with a vengeance since January!

Do your best to get them under control... maybe some vitamin C?

M

If you start from induction and add in the food groups slowly over time as Dr. Atkins outlines you will know what foods trigger cravings and can avoid them. If you are experiencing cravings you are addicted/ultra sensitive to that food. Once you cut it out of your diet you will not have actual physical cravings for it ever again. I am speaking from experience, as I would not face up to a sugar alcohol addiction (to the ice cream, bars and candies that are on the market) for over 6 months. Of course I gained weight. But once I faced the addiction and gave them up I was back on track loosing weight and have lost all cravings for them.

As everyone else says FAT is good - it makes you feel full.

My doctor says that sugar and Vitamin C both affect the same receptors so sometimes an apparent craving for sugar is actually your body's way of asking for more vitamin C. Lots of things--stress, in all its forms--can make you need more C on any given day.

Also, I'm with everyone who's saying look for the triggers. Discovered that ANY corn syrup, even at the bottom of the list of ingredients, will trigger cravings for me. Other foods will too, but that's the worst.

You may have eaten something that spiked your blood sugar. Today my coworker had strawberries and I ate one. I doubt it had anything to do with me coming home 6 hours later and feeling like I needed sugar, but I killed that craving with some egg salad, a few pork rinds, and now I am eating plain yogurt with some flaxseed meal mixed in. I feel calmer now.

If you are coming off of a caffeine addiction, please don't drink any. If you hold out, you will feel SO good in a week or so.

Ok am I the only person that smells a cheeseburger from Mcdonalds and gains 10 pounds! lol I found that even eating the burger with no bun or katchup made me feel like I needed those dang fry's. OMG no more playplace visits till I get some stronger will power!

The only real cravings I've had was the chocolate! I found a LC recipe called chocolate/peanutbutter drops. When I really get to craving I eat lots of protein and fat then have a couple of the Choc/PB drops and it has done the trick! Maybe I'm tricking my brain but it works for me!
Since your cravings are for toast or popcorn try some BBQ porkrinds and a SF Soda. That might help too. It has helped me out in the past! Good Luck and HANG IN THERE, it will pass!

LC milk and yogurt trigger major hunger and cravings in me. Are you possibly dairy sensitive?

i'm terrified to try anything else other than what i've been eating because of the craving factor. it's been so nice to not have any... i thought PB was going to provoke them, but a few tablespoons full, and i'm good to go, whereas before, i would eat half the jar in a sitting... and i wonder why atkins wasn't working for me the first time around!

this summer when i am not at school and have more freedom/free time, i am going to do a lot of experimenting with different foods, see what works for me, what causes cravings, what doesn't. as for now, i have a few weeks of school left- it's salad and chicken and fish and PB only for me! They're safe choices, and hey, if it ain't broke...