Those dang carb cravings

ShanBanKrup
ShanBanKrup Posts: 55 Member
Lately I've been really struggling with craving carbs. Before it was so easy to do 20-30 grams a day but lately I've been feeling almost dizzy if I don't snack on veggies in the late afternoon. Does anybody know what I can do to stay low carb but not feel faint? I eat healthy otherwise but for some reason have been eating higher carbs this week. I'm wondering if maybe I'm not getting enough fat in my meat. I don't really do keto but more so just a basic low carb diet. Any tips or tricks to beat the low carb blues would be great!

Replies

  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
    How are your electrolytes? Most of us low carbers raise our sodium to 3,000-5,000mg...we eat pickles, drink pickle juice, I personally put 1 tsp. of morton lite salt in water and add mio (its like gatorade)
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    I'm wondering if maybe I'm not getting enough fat in my meat. I don't really do keto but more so just a basic low carb diet.

    Keto is a basic low carb diet, and if you were capping your carbs at 20-30, then that was definitely keto. Carbs are capped, protein is a target based on size & activity, and then fat fills in the rest of caloric requirements as needed for energy, performance, and satiety.
  • ShanBanKrup
    ShanBanKrup Posts: 55 Member
    I'll try upping my sodium. I don't think I'm near 5,000mg. Maybe 2 or 3 at best. I'll try the salt water thing. What is Mio? @ms_smartypants
  • ShanBanKrup
    ShanBanKrup Posts: 55 Member
    @kirkor I didn't know I was doing keto hah. I usually eat 20-30 carbs and then eat a lot of protein. I didn't think I was getting enough fat to be considered a keto dieter. I was actually steadily doing 45g carbs for almost a year which I'm sure isn't keto.
  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
    Mio is the name...Its a liquid water enhancer..found in the juice isle of a grocery store...I have several flavors
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
    edited January 2017
    Here's a thread with links to a great YouTube series on carb addiction and cravings:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10445274/carbohydrate-addiction-for-real

    Food for thought for all of us reformed and reforming carbaholics.
  • ShanBanKrup
    ShanBanKrup Posts: 55 Member
    @RalfLott can u give me a brief summary of that? I can't really watch the entire video right now but am curious what you learned.
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
    @RalfLott can u give me a brief summary of that? I can't really watch the entire video right now but am curious what you learned.

    There's a lot of info and many insights in the vids, as well as valuable contributions by some of our friends here. I just bümped it for when you have a little down time.

    YMMV, since we're not clones of one another, but here's my personal takeaway:

    Treat trouble food like alcohol or cigarettes - accept that you can't tickle a sleeping dragon's tail "in moderation" or just "now and then" and not get burned.
  • kimberlyb6682
    kimberlyb6682 Posts: 79 Member
    edited January 2017
    how much weight do have to lose? do you have any metabolic issues? if the answer to those questions is not much and no than maybe a sweet potato once in awhile won't kill you. The reason I say this being strictly low carb myself is that my mother weighing 105 pounds soaking wet has gone keto with me in solidarity and because she doesn't have much fat and hasn't embarrassed fat ( ghee is good! and so easy to make ) she is loosing weight and her Doc. is freaking out. if you can't up your fat intake then maybe 20 grams of carbs is to low for you. everybody is different as you know and a blood glucose meter is a good way to find out how many carbs you can tolerate.
  • ShanBanKrup
    ShanBanKrup Posts: 55 Member
    edited January 2017
    @kimberlyb6682 I'm pretty tiny right now. About the same weight as your mom actually, maybe a few lbs less. But I actually like being low carb for reasons other than losing weight. I feel better, my mood is good, I'm more alert, have energy to spare, and I just feel less crazy because I was addicted to carbs. I might be too low yes and maybe upping my carbs to 45g again might be better. Idk. I do want to lose maybe 3-5 lbs more and then stay there. I just think something is wrong if I'm suddenly wanting to eat a lot of carbs when before it wasn't an issue. That's just got me wondering if maybe I'm depleted in some nutrient.
  • kimberlyb6682
    kimberlyb6682 Posts: 79 Member
    @ShanBanKrup understandable, that why I said sweet potato it's a low glycemic carbs and it's the first one that came to mind I know there are others that won't kick you out of ketosis if eaten in moderation and you can tolerate slightly higher crabs, worth looking into
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    I'll try upping my sodium. I don't think I'm near 5,000mg. Maybe 2 or 3 at best. I'll try the salt water thing. What is Mio? @ms_smartypants

    3000mg is considered the bare minimum. I think this is the answer to your issue
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    @kimberlyb6682 I'm pretty tiny right now. About the same weight as your mom actually, maybe a few lbs less. But I actually like being low carb for reasons other than losing weight. I feel better, my mood is good, I'm more alert, have energy to spare, and I just feel less crazy because I was addicted to carbs. I might be too low yes and maybe upping my carbs to 45g again might be better. Idk. I do want to lose maybe 3-5 lbs more and then stay there. I just think something is wrong if I'm suddenly wanting to eat a lot of carbs when before it wasn't an issue. That's just got me wondering if maybe I'm depleted in some nutrient.

    This fits the low sodium symptoms as well.
    2 things will affect how much sodium and water you retain. Specifically eating more sodium will fix the imbalance, but increasing insulin secretion will also fix the imbalance by stopping sodium loss by stopping ketone production.
    So it makes sense for low sodium to manifest as carb cravings.
  • ShanBanKrup
    ShanBanKrup Posts: 55 Member
    @Sunny_Bunny_ ok thanks so much for showing me that! It makes sense !