Keto Helps With Sugar Tooth???? Thoughts??

lockeq

Hey Folks, just thinking about the Keto Diet. I've been on it and lost some weight. I'm not sure what the muscle/fat ratio on the poundage I've lost is. I think I might be losing mostly muscle. With that being said, I no longer have severe sugar cravings. Substituting the sugary foods with tasty spice filled meats has really helped me subdue my terrible sugar tooth. Having a bad sugar tooth was my biggest challenge in my weight loss journey. Eating pails of Ice Cream and drinking sugary drinks was my weakness.

Anyways, I'm trying to weigh it out. It's hard for me to wrap my head around having a low carb keto style as a permanent means of healthy eating especially since I'm an athlete. I would adopt the CICO but when I previously reverted back to eating a moderate amount of carbs, I fell back into eating the sugary crap. Any thoughts?

GemstoneofHeart

For me, I love sugar. In fact I just ate a package of macarons. It fits in my daily calories and I'm going to a 3 mile run tonight, so I'm good. If you can eat it and fit it in your calorie amount, why not?

If you problem is stopping, that is different entirely.

JessicaMcB

I'm keto and running ultramarathon distances so athleticism isn't really the issue here. If you don't think you can maintain keto life time you need to stop now and transition to a straight up IIFYM style approach because the whole point is to be making lasting habits. If you're keto to chase results that you know you'll lose to your "sugar tooth" if you revert then you are fighting a losing battle. Better to figure out how to moderate if thats your reality imho.

kommodevaran

I think this is primary mental. You deem sweet stuff crap, cravings terrible, and yourself powerless. You believe it, and it becomes true.

I have had a difficult relationship with food and treats all my life. It has taken me lots of hard work and awareness and education and leaps of faith, but I'm getting better, week by week. I used to overeat sweets whenever I couldn't resist anymore, and felt awful, before, during and after. But I have found help - here on MFP, for instance. I've been here 3 1/2 years, always learning new things. In the beginning, I couldn't have anything sugary in the house (well, I tried, but had to stop). Now I buy one serving (chocolate) per week, to eat on Saturday. I've only done it twice yet, but it feels so different, because now I truly allow myself to eat and enjoy it. I no longer fear this is, or think it should be, the last time I eat chocolate.

To the question of fat to muscle ratio - if you've starved yourself, aka lost more than 1% of total body weight per week on average, unless you were severely obese, I'm afraid you will have lost a bit more muscle than you had to. But, you can build yourself up again. A balanced diet, enough of all the nutrients, including carbs, will help you, along with exercise.

lockeq

Thanks for your comments . It probably is a mental issue ultimately but, the cravings issue feels physical, IDK?? What is IIFYM?

earlnabby

lockeq wrote: »

Hey Folks, just thinking about the Keto Diet. I've been on it and lost some weight. I'm not sure what the muscle/fat ratio on the poundage I've lost is. I think I might be losing mostly muscle. With that being said, I no longer have severe sugar cravings. Substituting the sugary foods with tasty spice filled meats has really helped me subdue my terrible sugar tooth. Having a bad sugar tooth was my biggest challenge in my weight loss journey. Eating pails of Ice Cream and drinking sugary drinks was my weakness.

Anyways, I'm trying to weigh it out. It's hard for me to wrap my head around having a low carb keto style as a permanent means of healthy eating especially since I'm an athlete. I would adopt the CICO but when I previously reverted back to eating a moderate amount of carbs, I fell back into eating the sugary crap. Any thoughts?

Add back the carbs in the form of starches. A sweet tooth is learned behavior and if you do not feed yourself sweets you will not learn it.

ETA: IIFYM is "If it fits your macros" which basically means figure out how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat you should be eating daily and try to reach those goals.

kommodevaran

lockeq wrote: »

Thanks for your comments . It probably is a mental issue ultimately but, the cravings issue feels physical, IDK??

Feelings often manifest themselves through physical sensations, and food cravings can feel like it's a question of life or death. It sort of is (we have to eat), but it's out of proportion (we are well fed), and they are often triggered by food, so it can be exhausting (if we are surrounded by food 24/7).

fitjam00

I really feel like my taste buds have changed on keto. I don't eat sugar or even fake sugar, now when I have "cheat day" margaritas or regular chocolate, it all taste too sweet and its off putting. That's I think one of the best side effects of keto for me.

newyorkgirlygirl

I've been in a keto woe for about 2 1/2 months. It is also the first time for me not craving sugar or even sometimes regular food for that matter. I truly believe, from my own research, that craving these things are not just a bad habit or a mind over matter issue. I believe that our bodies crave things for reasons..sometimes because of the things we eat increase our cravings for the not so healthy foods and/or portions.

I did start out on weight watchers at the end of March 2017 and lost some weight then...About 15 lbs. The reason I decided to try keto was because of my cravings. So even though I was losing, albeit slowly, I was always uncomfortably hungry for sweets and salties. After going keto in June, I've lost an additional 22 lbs, crave free.

I don't think that the keto way of eating has had a negative impact on my muscles. I go to the gym at least 4 days a week and lift heavy. I am more defined now than ever before and I'm 63 years old.

Polo265

I am not keto, though I restrict my carbs to 80 or less, because I am pre-diabetic. I was never much of a sweets eater, but I loved and craved carbs in the form of salty snacks (chips, cheez-its, - even toast). Restricting my carbs has helped not only in my glucose numbers, but also in that I don't crave those items very much. When I don't watch my carb intake, I start to crave those items again. So, perhaps your restriction of carbs has, in fact, reduced your cravings for those sugary items. I do believe in the CICO method of weight reduction, though.

ladipoet

Hello and welcome. I suggest you check out the following main low carber daily forum group herein MFP. It's where most of us Ketophiles tend to hang out:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/discussions/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

Lots of good info available in the launch pad and sticky note area of this group too!

rheddmobile

I don't eat keto. However, for me, sweet cravings subside if I avoid eating very sweet things with added sugars. For one thing, most foods of this sort are high on the glycemic index and knock your blood sugar around, while not satiating. But a large part of it is taste based. Natural sugars like fruit and milk don't trigger the same cravings for me. In fact, after about two weeks of avoiding added sugar, my taste buds adjust, candy and Coke taste too sweet, and natural sugars like milk start tasting much sweeter.

If you don't want to be keto-adapted as an athlete, but do want to control your sweet tooth, you could try just avoiding added sugar and see if it works for you. Different people are different and this way of eating may not suit you, but it works for me, and it sounds like it might resolve your specific problem.

nvmomketo

lockeq wrote: »

Thanks for your comments . It probably is a mental issue ultimately but, the cravings issue feels physical, IDK?? What is IIFYM?

Keto is the only way I can control my sugar and carb cravings. I've tried repeatedly to eat in moderation and I failed every time. Now, 2 years into keto, I have control over my problem substance - I just avoid it.

ladipoet

lockeq wrote: »

What is IIFYM?

IIFYM = "if it fits your macros."

psuLemon

I'd get fat again if I did Keto... it is very little volume and I crave cheese and meat...

I also found that restricting foods I love does not work for me. It causes me to want it more.

kshama2001

rheddmobile wrote: »

I don't eat keto. However, for me, sweet cravings subside if I avoid eating very sweet things with added sugars. For one thing, most foods of this sort are high on the glycemic index and knock your blood sugar around, while not satiating. But a large part of it is taste based. Natural sugars like fruit and milk don't trigger the same cravings for me. In fact, after about two weeks of avoiding added sugar, my taste buds adjust, candy and Coke taste too sweet, and natural sugars like milk start tasting much sweeter.

If you don't want to be keto-adapted as an athlete, but do want to control your sweet tooth, you could try just avoiding added sugar and see if it works for you. Different people are different and this way of eating may not suit you, but it works for me, and it sounds like it might resolve your specific problem.

Similar thing here - if I avoid or limit very sweet things with added sugars, eat more fruit and protein, and exercise regularly, I don't have the cravings.