Sugar cravings won't end!

idauria

I am two weeks into my Whole 30 and I wish I could say that my cravings for anything sweet has vanished. I have done a no sugar thing before but this in conjunction with the elimination of just about everything else I love is so hard. I haven't cheated with sweets but I did plow through a bag of dried fruit and nut mix. Now that it's out of my house I won't be tempted I have to stop finding things that are enabling my sweet tooth. Anyone else feel my pain?

caribougal

I didn't experience this, but maybe you're not eating enough fat? You should feel full and sated, and if you're not, you may be falling into old habits of wanting to snack on sugar. I can't see your diet, but if your fat is not greater than 50%, you're probably not eating enough. My fat macro is set to 60%, on a 1400 cal goal, and that's lower cal than most people. My sweet tooth was gone within a few days.

spngebobmyhero

perhaps try cutting out the fruit altogether? It will suck for a while, but the cravings should eventually go away if you get rid of all fructose.

mantisladyx

My downfall is fruit....so I learned to just stay away from it, I kept it down to one fruit a day, but now that I am doing whole 30, I don't eat fruit, and I have no cravings whatsoever. I am only on day 4 mind you, so I hope I don't get sugar cravings.

idauria

I stopped tracking my food because it was becoming a nuisance to log everything I ate. But I do agree that I need to strip all fruit from my diet. I actually think my fruit intake increased since I started the challenge and that's a problem. Starting tomorrow, no fruit!

mehaugen

Ditto on the fat. I eat over 50% fat, its wonderful!

sarbar71

I can't say that I crave sugar, but I have been feeling hungry a lot since starting Whole30. It's strange, because I was never hungry before starting Whole 30 and always ate the same amount of calories (with far less protein and nutrients). I wonder if I am not getting enough fat, like others said. To be honest, I don't know exactly what my macros are supposed to look like right now. I try to eat lots of protein, keep my carbs and sodium low, but I have been really unsure how much fat I am supposed to get.

If you find the answer to your sugar cravings, let me know what worked for you!

monkeydharma

Everyone's advice is right on. When you are weaning yourself from burning sugar as a fuel source to burning fat, the body can fight back strongly. In your case, you have to take stock of your situation. As long as you are providing sugar in any form, your body is going to continue to believe that it soon will return - which is the source of your cravings. You need to do two things: eliminate ALL sources of sugar (including fruit and artificial sweeteners) from your diet for the next few weeks, and replace them with healthy fats. Also, minimize the amounts of carbs you eat - since the body converts carbs to glucose, a sugar.

You may go through a few days of withdrawal (which folks around here call the 'carb flu'), but after the body has quit throwing its temper tantrum and given up expecting to burn sugar - it will switch over to burning fat instead. After that has occurred, give it a few weeks then start to slowly re-introduce low-sugar fruits (like berries) back into the mix.

idauria

Everyone's advice is right on. When you are weaning yourself from burning sugar as a fuel source to burning fat, the body can fight back strongly. In your case, you have to take stock of your situation. As long as you are providing sugar in any form, your body is going to continue to believe that it soon will return - which is the source of your cravings. You need to do two things: eliminate ALL sources of sugar (including fruit and artificial sweeteners) from your diet for the next few weeks, and replace them with healthy fats. Also, minimize the amounts of carbs you eat - since the body converts carbs to glucose, a sugar.

You may go through a few days of withdrawal (which folks around here call the 'carb flu'), but after the body has quit throwing its temper tantrum and given up expecting to burn sugar - it will switch over to burning fat instead. After that has occurred, give it a few weeks then start to slowly re-introduce low-sugar fruits (like berries) back into the mix.

Thank you for setting me straight. I think I was taking too many liberties with the fruit. Starting today, no fruit. As for fat, I do cook with it. How do I know if I am getting enough? I guess I am afraid of taking in too much since I am trying to trim down.

Cerebrus189

Thank you for setting me straight. I think I was taking too many liberties with the fruit. Starting today, no fruit. As for fat, I do cook with it. How do I know if I am getting enough? I guess I am afraid of taking in too much since I am trying to trim down.

I typically will take in between 60-80% fat in a day. It seems that on days I take in more fat, I lose easier. But maybe that's just me. Don't be afraid of it and just experiment with your diet to see what fits best. To start, try 60% of total calorie intake from fat. I believe the generic Paleo formula is 60/20/20 fat/protein/carb. If you set your macros to this, and track your food, you'll figure it out. Don't be afraid of fat. It's your friend.

digitalalchemy

This is such a timely post. I just got done reading a blog post on Robb Wolf's website http://robbwolf.com/2012/09/14/12377/
about neurotransmitters deficiency. I've been more or less paleo for about a year and a half, but have struggled with carb/sugar cravings. Everyone was telling me that after a few days the cravings would go away, but mine just would not! I would cut carbs and sugar out, and the cravings would get so bad that I couldn't control it. I finally ran across a podcast on Underground wellness with Julia Ross. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2012/06/22/the-diet-cure-2012-with-julia-ross

I ended up reading "The Diet Cure", and that was my missing piece to becoming full paleo. In it she describes how she was able to work with her patients who were addicted to food/alcohol/drugs by increasing their neurotransmitters. I would check out her website and take the quiz she has and see if any of the categories sound like the problems you are having. http://www.dietcure.com/take_the_quick_symptoms_questionnaire.html

If you do have some deficiencies, there are supplements you can take (she doesn't peddle them... you can find them at any health food store). The nice thing is once you've built up your fatty acids and amino acids, you can come off the supplements.

Just something interesting to look into if the craving don't stop...good luck!

monkeydharma

As for fat, I do cook with it. How do I know if I am getting enough? I guess I am afraid of taking in too much since I am trying to trim down.

The thing is, fat is what our bodies burn for energy - it only burns glucose first because glucose damages the body. Basically, if you are feeling lethargic or tired, increase your fat intake. If you're tired or lethargic, you're body is gonna call for you to eat SOMEthing for energy - if it's used to getting sugar, it'll show up as a craving.

Since you are here on MFP, I assume you are calorie counting. The only component you should watch IMO is your carb intake - between 50 and 100g per day if you are dieting. Try to keep sugar carbs under 25g. I divide the remaining calories up between fat and protein, but I don't worry too much what they actually are.

Hang in there, and keep on keeping on!

idauria

This is such a timely post. I just got done reading a blog post on Robb Wolf's website http://robbwolf.com/2012/09/14/12377/
about neurotransmitters deficiency. I've been more or less paleo for about a year and a half, but have struggled with carb/sugar cravings. Everyone was telling me that after a few days the cravings would go away, but mine just would not! I would cut carbs and sugar out, and the cravings would get so bad that I couldn't control it. I finally ran across a podcast on Underground wellness with Julia Ross. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2012/06/22/the-diet-cure-2012-with-julia-ross

I ended up reading "The Diet Cure", and that was my missing piece to becoming full paleo. In it she describes how she was able to work with her patients who were addicted to food/alcohol/drugs by increasing their neurotransmitters. I would check out her website and take the quiz she has and see if any of the categories sound like the problems you are having. http://www.dietcure.com/take_the_quick_symptoms_questionnaire.html

If you do have some deficiencies, there are supplements you can take (she doesn't peddle them... you can find them at any health food store). The nice thing is once you've built up your fatty acids and amino acids, you can come off the supplements.

Just something interesting to look into if the craving don't stop...good luck!

That is all very interesting! I will check out those links, thank you!

idauria

As for fat, I do cook with it. How do I know if I am getting enough? I guess I am afraid of taking in too much since I am trying to trim down.

The thing is, fat is what our bodies burn for energy - it only burns glucose first because glucose damages the body. Basically, if you are feeling lethargic or tired, increase your fat intake. If you're tired or lethargic, you're body is gonna call for you to eat SOMEthing for energy - if it's used to getting sugar, it'll show up as a craving.

Since you are here on MFP, I assume you are calorie counting. The only component you should watch IMO is your carb intake - between 50 and 100g per day if you are dieting. Try to keep sugar carbs under 25g. I divide the remaining calories up between fat and protein, but I don't worry too much what they actually are.

Hang in there, and keep on keeping on!

This goes against everything I was ever taught about fat intake! All my life it was watch your fat. In recent years I watched both fat intake and carbs. I generally don't allow more than 50 grams of carbs a day. Unfortunately I stopped logging/counting my food here. It was getting too tedious. But I have to go back and recalibrate my percentages. Thanks for the support!

idauria

I did well yesterday - no fruit at all and I have to say it is easier to manage cravings without it. Also, I weighed myself this morning, even though I am not supposed to, because I swore I have put on pounds from all the nuts and dried fruit I had this week. Well, I was actually down again! However, I am not seeing a difference in my body. Will that come in time?

LeidaPrimal

I feel your pain.

Constantly. Continuously. Endlessly.

I have read that even the recovered alcoholics never stop missing alcohol. I am working on building an emotional acceptance of the fact that I will always miss fruit and sugar AND will avoid it 99% of the time. Emotions are emotions. I will feel them. Food is food. I can make rational & mindful choices of what to eat and what to avoid.