Does anyone else still get cravings?

tru2one

I started low carbing in the late 90s w/ Atkins, and one thing he suggested for cravings not related to real, physical hunger was to take the amino acid L-Glutamine along with a Tbsp or so of some fat (cream cheese works). Worked for me when it was "mind hunger" rather than physical hunger.

IamUndrCnstruction

4. Avoid snacking. Even if you don't try intermittent fasting, if you're feeling the need to snack due to hunger, then your previous meal probably wasn't big enough. Try to make sure you get adequate food in your meals, so that you do not feel the need to snack. Yeah, 500+ calories in a single sitting may seem huge, but as long as it still all adds up to your calorie allotment or thereabouts, you're fine. I know for me, the "eat six small meals a day" thing was a total fail, because I never really experienced much of a difference between hunger and fullness (there was never enough time to really get hungry, and the meals were never large enough to really feel even kind of "full").[/quote]

This! I think this may help. I do not eat much at one time...at all. Partly because I am so stuck in the "must eat six small meals a day" mentality, and partly because I can't. Long story short, there's not enough room in me for my lungs and a full stomach anymore. So I just am always slightly hungry. But! I have noticed that with as far down as I have cut the carbs, it has helped this problem immensely (the "no room for both" feeling. So I think with a little more time, I will adjust.

Edited to say I messed that whole quote thing all up...but you get the point LOL

krichard08

Thank you for the ideas and for the info. I actually have been trying to do a little tweaking by only having my coffee with cream in the morning and skipping breakfast. But the afternoon snack gets to me.. lol I have known for a while that i need to cut back on the snacking when I look at my log.

Dragonwolf wrote: »

krichard08 wrote: »

I thought I was doing okay with cravings until yesterday. I am not sure what happened but I could not keep it in check. I was able to fight off the urge to plow into a bacon pizza that my husband and kids brought home but later on as the day went on I found myself grabbing Chips Ahoy cookies and before I knew it the end of the day came and I had eaten 6 freaking cookies!!!!! To top it off today I feel both literally and figuratively sick to my stomach. My jeans are tight today. I am really questioning whether this way of eating is something sustainable and if it will work for me. I really don't want to end up heavier than I was when I began. I am not sure what I am doing wrong to still have the binge eating cravings

I've found that it takes a little tweaking to find what works to deal with cravings and hunger in general. Here's what I've found:

1. Keep carbs low and avoid sugar sources (including possibly artificial sweeteners). Every time I reduce my carb max, I find it easier to stay under it. I could do 100g pretty easily, but 75g was a bit rough, but when I went to 50g, then 40g, it reached a tipping point and got easier.
2. Keep protein up to your adequate level. For a while, my protein intake was sinking into the 60-80g range, which I was okay with, since I haven't been working out much, but I found that I was hungry more, and had issues keeping my calories down. When I can keep my protein up around 100g or so, I have much fewer issues on the hunger front. The exact number for you will be different.
3. Try intermittent fasting. It works well with LCHF/keto, but even on its own, it can help with hunger and calorie control. If you're already inclined toward skipping a meal, this may be something worth looking into. Eating only one or two meals a day allows you to eat larger meals, which help deal with the hunger issues.
4. Avoid snacking. Even if you don't try intermittent fasting, if you're feeling the need to snack due to hunger, then your previous meal probably wasn't big enough. Try to make sure you get adequate food in your meals, so that you do not feel the need to snack. Yeah, 500+ calories in a single sitting may seem huge, but as long as it still all adds up to your calorie allotment or thereabouts, you're fine. I know for me, the "eat six small meals a day" thing was a total fail, because I never really experienced much of a difference between hunger and fullness (there was never enough time to really get hungry, and the meals were never large enough to really feel even kind of "full").