I crashed after 4 days..

Today would have been day 5 of 100% Paleo for me, and i've completely crashed with a sugar craving that was just gnawing at me since last night. I've had no problem turning away from eating any kind of grain and dairy, but it's the ravenous sugar cravings that are making this really difficult. I knew it was going to hard, but i didn't realize how strong the cravings would be. Since i'm losing weight, I've been trying to stay away from fruit, and only eat a few almonds or hazenuts to satisfy myself when i do get a craving.
Unfortunately today I went to my go-to drink that is grossly full of sugar and dairy. A Home made tall mug of cocoa, and it tasted incredibly too sweet and now i of course don't feel all that great now and i'm slightly ashamed that i did give in.
I was a huge sugar junkie before i decided to go Paleo and even though I prepared and planned out meals ahead of time i didn't plan on the cravings.
The first 3 days were ok, I'd have a craving, drink some ice water and it would go away. I tried the same thing last night and this morning and it just wouldn't go away.

I'd like to know how long, in terms of weeks or whatever, do sugar cravings last ? And what have you done to not give in to them ?

Replies

  • her4g63
    her4g63 Posts: 284 Member
    For me, the cravings were for a couple of weeks (two, I'd say at the max). During that time, I would look at old pictures of what I used to be and put post it notes with inspirational quotes/pictures on them and that usually drove me to keep going with this. I knew it was going to be a struggle as it's a lifestyle change, not a fad diet.

    Keep your chin up and working hard! You can do it! (:
  • MizMelis26
    MizMelis26 Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks ! It's nice to have a general idea of how long they could last, even though i know it's different for every person. That's such a great idea for the use of the starting photo's i've got from 6 months ago. Since April, I've lost 42 lbs, and even at that i was still eating way too much processed food and sugar and just basic crap, and when i first learned about Paleo i knew it was the right kind of lifestyle i wanted.
  • MamaDee2
    MamaDee2 Posts: 843 Member
    I know it is hard but hang in there! Fight the cravings, have a small piece of fruit is better than pure sugar. The longer you eat clean the less the cravings.
  • MikeFlyMike
    MikeFlyMike Posts: 639 Member
    I'd agree with the previous posters. 21-30 days is the recommended "super clean" period to kick the cravings. I now find I can indulge a bit, but have to keep it at bay or they will kick in again. It starts with food is a great book and if you can power through, you will be a stronger, happier, fitter person. Sugar is a horrible drug.
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
    Before transitioning to Paleo, I had completed my own detox eliminating all processed sugars and only allowed myself fruit when ONLY necessary (now I rarely eat fruit just not in the mood for it usually). I was so surprised at my will power as I would have 3-4 of those Kit Kat bars in one sitting prior (and that is not all I would have in a day). So my tips: Don't be too hard on yourself, dust yourself off and get back to it! Some people say to just eliminate sugar completely for the first month, but you know yourself and what will work for you. Keep fruit/berries in the house if you need to. You can do this!
  • monkeydharma
    monkeydharma Posts: 599 Member
    Today would have been day 5 of 100% Paleo for me, and i've completely crashed with a sugar craving that was just gnawing at me since last night. I've had no problem turning away from eating any kind of grain and dairy, but it's the ravenous sugar cravings that are making this really difficult. I knew it was going to hard, but i didn't realize how strong the cravings would be. Since i'm losing weight, I've been trying to stay away from fruit, and only eat a few almonds or hazenuts to satisfy myself when i do get a craving.
    Unfortunately today I went to my go-to drink that is grossly full of sugar and dairy. A Home made tall mug of cocoa, and it tasted incredibly too sweet and now i of course don't feel all that great now and i'm slightly ashamed that i did give in.
    I was a huge sugar junkie before i decided to go Paleo and even though I prepared and planned out meals ahead of time i didn't plan on the cravings.
    The first 3 days were ok, I'd have a craving, drink some ice water and it would go away. I tried the same thing last night and this morning and it just wouldn't go away.

    I'd like to know how long, in terms of weeks or whatever, do sugar cravings last ? And what have you done to not give in to them ?

    If you are an admitted 'sugar junkie' then what you are feeling is fairly common - we call it the 'carb flu'. It may take a few days to get through, but afterwards you should find your cravings will abate or disappear.

    Keep in mind that for some people withdrawing from sugar IS like any other addiction, like smokes or caffeine or drugs - and you have to treat it as such. Once your body realizes that it can't get what it wants through a temper tantrum, it will start to switch over to burning FAT as a primary fuel source rather than sugar - and you'll be 'one of us' :)

  • Unfortunately today I went to my go-to drink that is grossly full of sugar and dairy. A Home made tall mug of cocoa, and it tasted incredibly too sweet and now i of course don't feel all that great now and i'm slightly ashamed that i did give in.

    First off, congrats on the first 4 days! It's rough to detox from sugar. :) Secondly, when I read your note I saw that you learned something. It was way too sweet and now you don't feel too well. That's a huge step in learning that sugar is not your friend. So I call this a win!
  • ksellen1
    ksellen1 Posts: 115 Member
    Cravings are hard to fight! My "cheat" is a small handful of green grapes. They are full of sugar and not ideal, but I only have about 5 and it seems to be working. The rest of it is just mental.

    You can do it!
  • twinmom01
    twinmom01 Posts: 854 Member
    It is hard...I cleaned up my diet in steps...so when I switched to a Primal footprint it was relatively easy for me.

    Cravings are hard - especially if you are going at it cold turkey. I usually tell my friends who ask me for advice about switching thier diet over to try and do it in stages depending on what they currently eat...if you drink a decent amount of soda, eat a lot of processed type foods and then try and go BAM into something new your body and mind are going to revolt.

    My suggestion to my friends is to take a month and slowly remove things like soda and processed type snacks and foods out of the diet...instead of reaching for chips, grab some carrot sticks or an apple, instead of a lean cusine meal try some grilled chicken breast and some veggies. I do encourage eating fruit to satisfy cravings...especially things like frozen blueberries or rasberries...

    Once you get all that out for a good month then you can start to clean it up some more...

    When I did a 30 day strict I did eat fruit but kept it to the lower sugar/carb fruits - like the berries - and only one serving a day. If you are watching your carbs/sugars keep in mind some of the paleo staples like sweet potatos have a lot of sugar/carbs - when I did my 30 day strict I cut them out completely...now I have them maybe 3 x's a month and only days I strength train

    Hang in there it gets easier and your body will adjust - not to say you can never have sugar again but you won't have a craving for it and your desire for it will go down (for example I can have a bite of my kids ice cream and be just fine - one bite makes me happy - whereas before I would have a bite and want more and more and more)
  • MizMelis26
    MizMelis26 Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks every body. I started fresh again today and i'm actually going to be making Paleo Jambalaya for supper tonight.
    I had cut out soda almost 6 months ago cold turkey and did ok, but of course I was eating other sugar filled items lol
    At least for myself, i know i have to cut it out completely or else i'll never ween myself down to just a little bit here and there.

    I finally feel better today, so i'm going to try and keep myself a lot busier so i don't even think about sugar lol My birthday is actually coming up in just over a month, so it's my goal to keep my eating as clean as possible because my birthday will be a "cheat" day for me since my girlfriends and I are going out to dinner at my favorite Irish pub and then out for a few drinks. (i've actually been looking at their menu in advanced so i can make a better choice for myself).

    quitting smoking was just as hard, so i might revert back to doing what i used to do then when i have a craving, which is usually a tall glass of lemon water and a good 1/2 hour on my Elliptical lol, whatever works right ?

    twinmom- thanks for the suggestion :) I love sweet potato's, but those are only eaten a couple of times a week here, I've been looking at making mashed "potato's" with cauliflower as a good substitute.
  • I'm new to Paleo/Primal myself - I'm on day 3 today and was just having a serious sweets craving myself.

    But reading this post helped me curb it. So THANK YOU everyone!
  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
    Just a quick add...
    Not implying there's any addiction going on here, but...

    A famous AA/Al-Anon saying is "Fake it 'til you make it".

    Even when you're feeling lousy, down on yourself, depressed, craving, etc... all which can happen during that "carb flu" stage, just think "Fake it 'til I make it". Then all of a sudden, maybe a day later or a week later, or 30 days later, you'll realize you've made it to the other side of the cravings.
  • AKbluedragonfly
    AKbluedragonfly Posts: 79 Member
    Your body is craving sugar because that is what it's used to burning and now it's not getting any. My suggestion is to replace that sugar craving with a fat craving. Try putting butter on all your veggies. Learn to cook with coconut milk or use the coconut cream for a "dessert". The more fat your body intakes, the quicker it will switch over to burning fat. At that point you won't even care about sugar. The fact that sweet stuff tasted sweeter than normal means your body was already starting to make the switch.

    I'm glad to see you haven't given up after one mishap!
    : )
  • Cerebrus189
    Cerebrus189 Posts: 315 Member
    My carb flu lasted almost two weeks, complete with fatigue, headaches and angry feelings. I got through it by snacking on apples or bananas with almond butter, and root vegetable soups (butternut squash soup with coconut milk) and root vegetables (squash and sweet potatoes). These food groups are higher in carbs and sugar, but they're still Paleo-approved and will help ease you through the cravings.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Some great advice up there.

    Nothing really to add except to say, congrats on the four days. Now if/when you're ready (and I see from your post that you are), dust yourself off and get back to it. (This reminds me a lot of when I quit smoking long ago...the first few attempts weren't so much failures as they were laying the groundwork for my eventual success. And even "failing", you're likely eating much healthier than most people around you.)
  • Defren
    Defren Posts: 216 Member
    I know it is hard but hang in there! Fight the cravings, have a small piece of fruit is better than pure sugar. The longer you eat clean the less the cravings.

    I absolutely agree, try to get your sugar fix from fruit. I know you know, but every time you give in to your cravings your body thinks 'hey this is good, if we keep at it long enough she will cave'. Once you wean yourself away from sugary things, you will suddenly realise that it's been x amount of time since you had a craving.

    Hang in there and good luck.
  • MizMelis26
    MizMelis26 Posts: 24 Member
    thanks everyone !! Grocery day is coming up monday, so i'm excited to stock up on some more veggies and berries.

    I think now that i know what to expect and what the cravings feel like, i know i can overcome them again.
    I'm starting Whole30 on monday, so i'm getting excited about it.

    Thanks for all the advice !!
  • des104gr8ness
    des104gr8ness Posts: 15 Member
    i am starting 21 day Sugar detox!
  • Mrs_Duh
    Mrs_Duh Posts: 263
    I have never really had a sweet tooth, but ever since starting this diet I crave more sweets. I guess I want them now that I know I can't have them. I'm Primal (not Paleo), so when the craving comes on, I'll have a couple squares of 72% cacao dark chocolate and a handful of raspberries. I also have a recipe for Paleo "Ice Cream" and a few other treats that I make occasionally.