Have some keto snacks laying around so that when you feel the urge to cheat, you can eat a keto snack. Macadamia nuts are great. Make yourself some fat bombs that you can just pull out of the frig, have a bullet proof coffee, eat some cheese, keep some hard boiled eggs on hand. Don’t worry about the calories when getting started. Just get used to eating mostly fat until your body adjusts to the new way of eating. You really will find your desire for sweets will subside.
You can do this!!!
Monique, your post is very inspiring! I really appreciate the support. I really feel like I can do this and thank you for making me feel welcome.
I may PM you a bit later once I get ready to start (I am thinking of starting on Sunday). I want a plan in place so that I am less likely to give up.
You don’t absolutely HAVE to change to a ketogenic diet. But I really do suggest finding a way to break that sugar addiction.
Your 60-year-old overweight self with type-2 diabetes would like to send you a letter back in time, telling you to change your relationship with sugar now, so that she vanishes into an alternate time-line, and instead your lean, healthy, active 60-year-old future self can send you a letter of thanks for your decision now.
Planning is good. Definitely get yourself prepared with fatty snacks in the beginning like Edith said, that’s what helped me stick it out. It’s really important to not feel deprived until you get through the rough patch so have all of your yummy fatty delights on hand. Good luck and I’m around when you need support. Do not hesitate to reach out, or at least read this forum. The forum has saved me.
Lauren, I’m pretty addicted to sugar, too. Just use my screen name and see how many times I mention sweet tea. I love to bake brownies, cookies of any sort, I have my “go to” baked goods at the grocery store that were my emotional buddies. But most of all, my glass of sweet tea kept me company ALL day long. I still want it, but I no longer crave it or think about it, worry about it, etc. I figure, in time, I’ll even stop wanting it.
For me, the two things I HAD to do to stick to this was 1) find something as a treat to myself (to replace my beloved sugar) that I normally wouldn’t eat in my “healthy” CICO mindset, and 2) stay OFF the scale for long periods of time. Otherwise, it’s too easy to tell myself it’s not working or not working fast enough, etc. I simply had to commit to this for a certain period of time (until March 1st) and then I’ll re-evaluate that commitment at that time. So I didn’t say good-bye to sweets forever…for now, it’s just 3 months. 
As for the treat…I really like bacon. It’s always been a forbidden indulgence because, you know, low calorie, low fat diets. So I gave myself permission to eat as much bacon as I wanted and it helped. Each time I was craving tea, I’d get a 1/2 slice of bacon to munch. Now, bacon is “meh”…I still like it, but it got me through the rough spots so I’m eating much less of it. So find something YOU like that you wouldn’t normally eat due to the fat, like avocados, full fat dressings, cheese…just something to replace those sugars in the first couple of weeks.
I understand! It does take some discipline and determination. At least you lasted a week on keto. On any other diet I’ve lasted a max of 2 hours, because I just couldn’t control myself. And I think many of us do give in to sugar temptations from time to time–especially at first. It does get easier. See if you can make it to a month, then 2 months? And come here for support.
You do need to plan. Stock up on easy and tasty things. Cook some things in bulk and put the extras in the fridge or freezer. As for snacks, I can’t be bothered preparing anything; I find that 1 ounce of almonds (24 almonds) or pecans, or 1 ounce of cream cheese, hits the spot!
Could you go for a walk around the block, or check out something interesting in the neighborhood? Make a little challenge for yourself, such as going up and down the stairs once today, twice tomorrow, etc. (warm up first), or walking past 20 utility poles.
It isn’t always easy, but for me at least, low carb is the only thing I can do. I can certainly understand that you might not be “ready” at this point in your life, but I believe you can do it. You haven’t mentioned any actual health reasons or reactions that would suggest that you shouldn’t do this. Good luck!
Thank you EVERYONE who has replied! I am going into this with renewed enthusiasm (although, to be fair to myself, I’ve felt this way before starting Keto before). This time I will be more prepared, more patient, and spend time in this group for support. Updates to come, probably on my first or second day.
Thank you Laurie! It really helps to hear it from other people who have been in a similar position and still succeeded at keto.
As for #4, it is winter here (highs in teens some days) so it’s not impossible to walk outside, just not pleasant. But I’m sure that once I got my blood pumping, I’d remember how good it feels to get up and move. I used to run in subzero temps, so I can walk just 30 minutes!
I have and like them in small amounts. They are higher carb than kelp noodles.
I love this. I feel like I can so relate to this, so I feel like I can do it. My greatest weakness is ice cream. I do like bacon a lot, and cheese. So some sort of cheesy bacony goodness would be a perfect meal for me on this plan.
Well, there you go. 
Take a nice piece of cheese, wrap it in a slice of bacon, and tell ice cream to take a hike. Now, once you get past the difficult first days, you’ll want to moderate how much cheese you eat, but at least initially, do what helps.
I think the only people who this can’t work for are ones with specific polymorphisms in FTO, and PPAR-alpha, and PPAR-gamma gene polymorphisms.
The cravings die down once you cut sugar and starches, and then the gut microbiome reconfigures to more LCHF happy bugs. When the high carb bugs die out, you will be able to more easily trust your hunger and appetite signals.
There’s no need to eat hunks of meat, although for time’s sake pan frying a steak is the quickest way I’ve found to get my tummy happy. Your mileage may vary.
It takes a little bit of imagination at first to examine menus and then plan what to eat, but I can with confidence walk into just about any takeout place in my area and come up with a keto meal. Sometimes just tossing the bun is the hardest part!
You may want to get a step counter or enable the one your phone may have, and try to get 7000 steps in a day without any extra effort. One easy trick I’ve stuck with to get steps in daily is to sip coffee/tea/water (with caffeine stopping after noon since I’m a slow metabolizer) throughout the work day and going to pee often.
In the end, if you don’t make the jump from pre-contemplative over to determination to implement this as a lifestyle change, no, it won’t stick. The back of your mind will just see this as a punishment.
Or make your own low carb ice cream as a treat once in a while. Recipes abound. I used to have an ice cream maker and would make ice cream with whipping cream, water, gelatin (easier than eggs), and sweetener, along with vanilla or other flavoring. Or you can use sugar-free jello. At the time I used artificial sweetener, but if I were to do it now I’d use stevia.
This past weekend I stopped off and picked up a couple of pieces of cheesecake to bring home to my wife. I did not succumb to the temptation. They were for her, not me. She ate one that evening and one the next day. However, the seed was planted in my little brain.
So last night, to shut it up, I had some impromptu “keto cheesecake” which was just 1/4 container (2oz) of Trader Joe’s mascarpone cheese (zero carbs), sprinkled with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and a dollop of whipped cream (from a can - I haven’t found any sugar-free versions yet so it did add 1 gram of carb), a handful of crushed walnuts (about 4 grams of carbs). I had skipped breakfast and had a light lunch and dinner, so needed a few extra calories anyway.
It was quite lovely, with the barest hint of sweetness from the canned whipped cream, but not enough to trigger anything.
This is quite possibly due to needing to replete your body of the nutrients the first child took. This is the primary beneficial purpose of the bone broth.
Oh I feel you. I have a 2 yr old and a serious carb addiction. And I was raised vegetarian, so I don’t like a whole lot of meat. What works for me is eating eggs (really solid nutrition) in butter (my kiddo’s favorite food too, we eat this probably 3 or 4 times a week), lots of bacon, and I try to keep cured meats and good cheeses on hand or I will give in to the toddler snack foods. I also discovered I do best on less than 15 grams net carbs a day, usually below 10 grams. Anything over triggers my eating disorder.
Someone above said to commit to it for 4 weeks. This is what finally broke my back and forth on keto. Four weeks isn’t very long in the span of a lifetime. I also keep in mind why I am doing this (kiddo) and what I want to teach him as he grows up and faces these same human struggles.
Seems to me like you should have a huge motivation to want to do this: your children!!! If you can’t find a way to do it for yourself, which you absolutely deserve BTW, then do it to be a happier, healthier version of yourself, to be around longer for them while setting a good example at the same time!! Adress each of your “issues” one at a time as to not overwhelm yourself , once you have one goal achieved move to the next!!! Baby steps!! You do have one thing you didn’t have before, this forum which is full of supportive knowledgeable people who will do all they can to help you succeed!! Feel free to send me a private message if you wanna chat, or just whatever!!! You got this girl, just have a little confidence in yourself!!!
Here’s an idea that might scare you into your committment – get yourself a blood glucose meter and check your blood sugar level 30 minutes after one of your sugar-laden lapses. If you know anything about insulin resistance and diabetes, and their consequences, it might make you realize that you would rather be a healthy mom than a sugar plum.
Sometimes it takes knowing when to wake up from your dream.
These are all great ideas, and the support I feel makes me feel like I want to do this (and stick with it!). I plan to start Sunday after I stock up on some groceries and prepare. My husband is NOT the dieting type and even he is interested in doing this with me this time. I think that will make it easier.
I have a Fitbit and my goal is to do 6000 steps today, and just not go crazy with any junk food. Eat “sensible” and take a walk at lunch (even though it’s only 9 degrees right now!)