Sugar Cravings on low carb at night!!!!

2013sk · July 2014

Hey all,

I'm always trying to low carb, When I am out with my friends they will order the creamy pasta dishes - I order the salads, or meat/fish with veggies.

I low carb because the pastas, yummy breads bloat my tummy - When I cut these out its flatter!! I can tell!!!

During the day I am really good, I do a good workout in the evenings & eat well.

But then in the middle of the night (1AM) I wake up with sugar cravings.

I am wanting chocolate out of the fridge, Biscuits out of the cupboards - These foods are in my office & I don't even touch them. Cakes are sitting in the office reception for anyone to eat??? I never eat them! Never have a biscuit with my tea at work etc???

I don't understand it........???

Also because I am half asleep my body is just wanting any sugar fix I assume, and I am not really paying attention what's going into my mouth.

I am going away in 8 weeks - I want to slim down.

Does this happen to anyone else???? How have you stopped it???

Thanks xxx

Hybrice · July 2014

You're essentially depriving yourself of something your body has traditionally had, so it's normal to crave what you no longer get. However if this craving is waking you in the night, that's not a good sign. Usually that means your body is craving energy in general, it's likely the craving for chocolate etc is just a cognitive association with high energy foods.

Eat more.

squishprincess · July 2014

getting past sugar cravings is sooo hard, in my opinion. i tend to stay away from starchy carbs, too, and just recently i cut back on my sweet tea and oh man my sugar cravings go through the roof like no other. i take it my body is just trying to get used to the lack of sugar it was once getting, as was the same thing with breads & pasta/rice.. when i get these cravings i down water and just munch on carrots & cherry tomatoes since theyre sweet and light. or a sliced apple with a little bit of peanut butter. i still get crazy cravings but it satiates me for a while haha

maybe add in some healthy carbs every now and then? plain oatmeal with fruit/nuts helps out in the morning for me. maybe try sweet potatoes paired with other things for dinner. or some whole grains every now and then. sometimes carbs arent that bad as long as theyre moderated, i think.

Sim123one · July 2014

Before I go to bed on a night, I will eat half a tub of organic cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is a brilliant source of protein, keeps you full and is nice and light on your stomach before bed and for me, stops the midnight cravings!

yarwell · July 2014

Yr profile says "Addicted to oats at the minute with crunchy nut peanut butter.......

I am a big cereal person......."

how many grams of carbohydrate per day are you eating ?

2013sk · July 2014

I love cereals - But I have been slowing these down recently!

I probably eat under 200 grams - I exercise too, so it gives me more to eat/carbs.

Its just the waking up in the night, eating the sugary rubbish that's annoying me!

If anyone could help with that, that would be great.

PS - I drink lots of water, and been having good fats & protein in my diet. I love fruit, veggies etc.

danimalkeys · July 2014

200 carbs isn't low carbs, that's pretty normal really, so you aren't going to get past the cravings. If you do it right, with higher fat, moderate protein, and low carbs (under 50 net per day) the cravings will go away.

Meerataila · July 2014

Late night hunger is why I prefer to eat much later in the day, often just one big meal.

KseRz · July 2014

Chocolate (REAL Chocolate) = / = Pasta

Go to Target and buy yourself some of this ....

Then eat them when you have the cravings.

In general, the darker the chocolate, the more cocoa it contains and the "healthier" it is. Dark chocolate should contain more than 60 percent cocoa, according to University of Michigan Integrative Medicine; the higher the percentage, the better.

http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/dark_chocolate.htm

ETA: Lindt - Excellence 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark
http://www.lindtusa.com/shop/90-cocoa-excellence-bar
Serving Size - 4 squares (which is between 1/3 and 1/2 of the entire bar so you can eat less)
Fat - 22g
Carb - 12g
Dietary Fiber - 5g
Protein - 4g

lemurcat12 · July 2014

Late night hunger is why I prefer to eat much later in the day, often just one big meal.

This is a thought--when do you eat? I eat 3 meals, usually, but because of work and workout schedules quite often eat dinner around 9, and I never feel like late night snacking or get hungry during the night. If possible with your schedule you might want to experiment with eating later.

triinityz · July 2014

This! I'm low carb and eat about 25 g/15 net per day. You are craving carbs beacause you are eating carbs.

200 carbs isn't low carbs, that's pretty normal really, so you aren't going to get past the cravings. If you do it right, with higher fat, moderate protein, and low carbs (under 50 net per day) the cravings will go away.

BoxerBrawler · July 2014

I went NO carbohydrates for a little while and the sugar cravings were out of control! I then went to a low carbohydrate plan and the sugar cravings went away... go figure. I get almost all of my carbs from vegetables and the only sugars I eat are those found naturally in fruit. But sugar is sugar. Anyway, if you are having just sugar cravings from eliminating sugar you should get past that in around 3 days or so. If your hunger level is waking you in the middle of the night, that's a problem and maybe you need to eat more during the day or before bed... And yes... you crave carbs because you eat carbs. Typical downward spiral... A person eats cereal in the morning, an hour later that person starts to crash and is starving, and craves more carbs, that person eats more carbs, an hour later that person crashes and craves more carbs, that person eats more carbs and on and on and on. I am low carb and eat between 20-40 g per day. 200 is normal(ish).

jasonpclement · July 2014

Don't bother with the low carb stuff. Just eat a balance of macronutrients (carbs/fat/protein) and do so at a calorie deficit, and do it consistantly. It isn't going to be over night, but it is the best and longest lasting approach.

emtjmac · July 2014

I think you should you just eat whatever and exercise so much that you burn way more than you could possibly eat back. That's my current strategy and it's working so far.

Meerataila · July 2014

I think you should you just eat whatever and exercise so much that you burn way more than you could possibly eat back. That's my current strategy and it's working so far.

Then you're either a machine, or your appetite is nothing close to what mine was. I about killed myself trying to out-exercise my bad diet and still gained weight.

jasonpclement · July 2014

Also, i really don't buy into the, "you eat carbs, you crave carbs" mentality. If you deprive yourself of carbs, you will want carbs. And how sustainable is a mentality where you eat a single jelly bean, and then go crazy and lose control. Eat some carbs, just like your protein and fats, and do it all in moderation.

IMO the same is true for fats. If you deprive yourself of fat for a few days, you can stuff your face with carbs, and still not be satisfied, because your body wants fat.

When everything is in balance, you are on the right track. Something where none of your macronutrients drop below 20 percent.

MissHolidayGolightly · July 2014

200 grams is normal. Are you eating enough in general? Sugar cravings can be a sign of hunger.

2013sk · July 2014

Thanks everyone for your advice - I am reading all your comments & you have all said some really good things.

I think I need to eat later and a bigger meal after my workout. A bigger filling dinner!! - I am not eating that much before bed - Then hours later, feeling hungry. Its waking me up, then I turn the tele on and watch tv, which is wrong!!

I just need to break this cycle.

I need to just have 3 meals a day, and light snacks to keep me full.

Thank you x

danimalkeys · July 2014

Also, i really don't buy into the, "you eat carbs, you crave carbs" mentality. If you deprive yourself of carbs, you will want carbs. And how sustainable is a mentality where you eat a single jelly bean, and then go crazy and lose control. Eat some carbs, just like your protein and fats, and do it all in moderation.

IMO the same is true for fats. If you deprive yourself of fat for a few days, you can stuff your face with carbs, and still not be satisfied, because your body wants fat.

When everything is in balance, you are on the right track. Something where none of your macronutrients drop below 20 percent.

Deprive is a strong word. It's more like choosing what carbs you eat to hit a certain ratio of carbs/fat/protein, and if you do it right, you won't crave anything. I'm closing in on a year of low carbs and have zero cravings. I can eat a jelly bean and not want the whole bag, it's not like it triggers a binge.

thinbeautifulnonsmoker · July 2014

There's a book on The New York Time's Best Seller List called The 10 Day Detox Diet by Mark Hyman which describes the science behind eliminating cravings for nutrient poor foods, and improving overall health (energy, skin, strength etc) with nutrition. I've read the book and am on the program (Day 18). It works.

I got the book on iBooks, Here's a brief description of the program on Dr. Oz's site: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/10-day-detox-diet-one-sheet

For the first ten days you cut out all sugars and sweeteners, you limit fruits to about a cup of low gi berries in the morning. You don't eat starchy vegetables, no grains, no beans or legumes, no caffeine, no booze, no packaged or processed food. You also exercise daily and employ some relaxation techniques. After the 10 days your appetite has changed.

People experience all sorts of health benefits during their detox and many people choose to stay on the 10dd until their weight and other health indicators are where they want them. Then they slowly begin to reincorporate *small portions* of whole grains in their hull, legumes and sweet fruits. There are phases for reintroduction.

Anyway, that's my synopsis. Research it and see if it interests you.

chelseasans · July 2014

This is exactly me. I have had this issue for well over a year after being diagnosed with gluten intolerance and have done a lot of research. There is actually two medical conditions that fall in this category, Night Eating Syndrome and Sleep Related Eating Disorder. If your anything like me, youve probably gotten yourself into a vicious cycle of "sleep eating" all night long and waking up with no appetite until at least lunchtime. Its so terrible because you feel so gross for eating literally sugar and junk throughout the night. Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE SLEEPING PILLS! They make it worse. You basically have to reset your clock and I dont think its more carbs you need, but rather more calories. Try to slowly add healthy calories into your diet. I started off by changing things i was already eating to make them more caloric (getting a full egg omelette instead of egg white, adding avacado to my salads, etc.). Its going to take some time to adjust (Im still trying to adjust, but getting better). For now, try setting out on your counter or in the front of your fridge healthier foods. I would freeze grapes and cut up melon for a small "sugar fix". Also the brand So Delicious sells a coconut milk ice cream with no sugar added thats low cal and low carb.

Sugar Cravings on low carb at night!!!!

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