Crave Sweets/Carbs in the morning?

lindsey1979

I have a really strong craving for sweets/carbs in the morning -- either as part of breakfast or between breakfast and lunch. I generally keep my carbs low (under 100g per day) for health reasons (insulin resistance) -- and I just feel much better with them lower. I also avoid grains for health reasons (autoimmune thyroid issue). But, I do often get strong sugar/carb cravings in the morning. By the time lunch rolls around, they're mostly gone and the same for the rest of the evening when I'm generally eating meats, good fats and veggies.

I know I'm getting plenty of calories as a general rule as I eat between 1700-1900 usually, and end up burning 2200-2700 depending on the day.

Has anyone else experienced this (low-carber or otherwise)? Does anyone know if there is some biological reason behind it -- a circadian rhythm or something?

AsaThorsWoman

I have stevia in my coffee or tea in the morning.

I go for sweeter in the morning, but I can't really know if it's trained behavior or natural.

I was raised on a honey bun and a diet coke in the morning, (on weekend days cereal and milk with donuts, same load of sugar and chemicals essentially) so who knows if I crave sweet in the morning because I had it growing up, or because that's how I'm naturally wired.

Either way, it's how I'm wired now.

iPlatano

It can be low blood sugar, bad habits and poor sleep.

kemval74

In your case it may be a bit of trained and natural behavior. I say this because at 1700 calories you are consuming ~25% of your calories from carbs (a very low amount). The typical "healthy" recommendation is no lower than 30% carbs, or 128 gm carbs in your case of 1700 calories. Your body is probably craving carbs because you are restricting too much (especially burning 2000+ caloreis daily). The trained may be relevant if your typical habits (before changing to a low carb diet) included sugary or carb based meals at breakfast. BTW, insulin resistance is improved with lowering body fat. Part of the reason the body becomes insulin resistant is due to the excess body fat blocking the body's ability to absorb the insulin that your body is making. So when you reduce body fat, you reduce insulin resistance (not saying that it is a 100% gaurantee, but it is a pretty signicant benefit). Your morning should consist of some type of complex carb/protein mix; especially if you are doing cardio,

lindsey1979

It can be low blood sugar, bad habits and poor sleep.

What bad habits would that be? I think I'm pretty good on sleep and on the low blood sugar. Though I guess it could be the insulin resistance rearing its head -- just not sure why it hits me more mid-morning as opposed to other times of the day (i.e. not first thing in the morning or afternoon through the evening).

lindsey1979

In your case it may be a bit of trained and natural behavior. I say this because at 1700 calories you are consuming ~25% of your calories from carbs (a very low amount). The typical "healthy" recommendation is no lower than 30% carbs, or 128 gm carbs in your case of 1700 calories. Your body is probably craving carbs because you are restricting too much (especially burning 2000+ caloreis daily). The trained may be relevant if your typical habits (before changing to a low carb diet) included sugary or carb based meals at breakfast. BTW, insulin resistance is improved with lowering body fat. Part of the reason the body becomes insulin resistant is due to the excess body fat blocking the body's ability to absorb the insulin that your body is making. So when you reduce body fat, you reduce insulin resistance (not saying that it is a 100% gaurantee, but it is a pretty signicant benefit). Your morning should consist of some type of complex carb/protein mix; especially if you are doing cardio,

The carb cravings are much better with the carb restriction -- without it, my blood sugar goes all over the place and I crave sweets/carbs a lot more. It's a very slippery slope type of thing. It's a basic insulin resistance thing and I didn't get them under control until I started restricting more and avoiding high glycemic carbs and eating mostly low glycemic carbs (mostly veggies, some fruit).

And, yes, my sugar numbers have gotten betters as I've lost fat -- not sure if I'll be able to do without the medication yet or not. Once I get down to a good weight, we'll revisit with my doctor. I'm hoping the condition will have reversed itself, but we won't know until then.

As far as habits go, I've been eating pretty big protein/fat based breakfast for a while (18 months+) usually consisting of 2 eggs, cheese, sausage. Sometimes I'll have half a grapefruit, but not always. And things were fine for a long time. But, lately, more carb/sweet cravings in the late mornings and not really sure where it's coming from. Thanks for the input.