I almost lost it

(Karla Sykes) #1

Today I always lost my willpower. I really wanted some McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies but I’m thinking about my overall health and how I don’t want to be diabetic. How do you all feel with the sweet cravings

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #2

For me it’s just feeling sad when I think about not having a bite of the kids’ food. They are mostly keto, but sometimes the smell of their fries, pizza, etc is so tempting. I just tell myself “not now” …

Good job saying no to the cookie

(Susan) #3

Congrats on resisting the cookie, Karla. I know that it is hard at the beginning, I found that eating some salt and drinking water helped when I had carb and sugar cravings. Some people find making some fat bombs or something similar helps. I stopped using artificial sweeteners even early June because I felt they brought on cravings for me, so now I don’t really crave anything sweet anymore. My tastebuds have adjusted so things like cabbage cooked in EVOO or salted butter tastes sweet to me now =). Best wishes in overcoming the cravings =).

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #4

I like to pretend it’s 5 minutes after I ate the cookie. Now the enjoyment part is over and done in a matter of minutes, my mouth has a funky taste in it, I’m disappointed in myself, etc, etc.

Yeah, good job not eating the cookie.

(Karla Sykes) #5

Thanks you guys. I find that fatty enriched foods that is well seasoned with herbs reduces my cravings for chocolate chip cookies

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

Eating a ketogenic diet has taught me the difference between hunger and cravings, because by eating to satiety, I am really not hungry most of the time, “not hungry” as in the idea of food makes me really uncomfortable. But I am perfectly capable of being hunger-free and still yearning for something carby.

If it’s a piece of fruit lying around, I might occasionally yield to temptation, but I try not to, because as a carb/sugar addict, I really don’t want to trigger a binge. The hardest thing to ignore is actually this bread that a local pizzeria includes with every order—a bit surprising, because glazed doughnuts used to be my drug of choice. But I’ve given in just often enough that I have vivid memories of what it feels like, the next day, after eating a bit of carbohydrate, and those memories help my resistance.

One coping tactic is to have something fatty, if I really must. It makes me sweat later, as my metabolism revs up, but sweating is better than diabetes and losing toes and eyesight, so I cope. Drinking water helps, because cravings seem to be stronger when I’m thirsty. If I have room in my salt intake for a bit more, a pinch or two also help with cravings, but the digestive consequences of too much salt mean I have to be careful not to exceed the limit.

Another coping technique is one I learned from a program for another addiction: never swear off for ever! If I thought I could never have sugar again in my life, I’d be down at Dunkin Donuts quicker than you can say Jack Robinson. Instead, I promise myself all the doughnuts I can eat—tomorrow—and refrain from eating them right now. It does help.

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #7

Maybe try a fat fast for a few days? That has really helped me reset after eating some carbs.

(Karla Sykes) #8

I need to Google what is a fat fast I’ve heard of it but I don’t really know how to implement it

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #9

https://idmprogram.com/what-is-fat-fasting-and-when-should-you-do-it/

(Troy) #10

Yup!
So true
I not only pretend I vision that cookie, per @Karla_Sykes example as a pure sugar disc as I start to take a bite
Works well for me to curb that temptation

Mind over matter
Matter over mind
:smile:

#11

I try to distract myself or have a mental conversation with myself asking if giving in would be worth it. Usual “rational me” can talk “craving me” out of any nonsense. Luckily cravings are few and far between! But honestly, if the craving continues for longer or is really strong, I will “give in” lightly. I’ll have ONE fry off my kid’s plate and eat it slowly. It is almost always not nearly as good as I think. (Usually when I crave a fry I have discovered it is really a craving for vinegar so I’ll have a burger with vinegar poured over it. Weird? Maybe. But delicious!) Or I will have one tiny bite of a dessert. The sweetness will almost always be too much and set me right. My tastebuds usually shut off whatever my brain thinks I want with a small, slow, thoughtful taste.

#12

@Karla_Sykes… I feel for ya! Those momentary cravings can be difficult to navigate and deal with. My first line of attack is to just tell myself “You can eat that, but not yet. Not today.” And most of the time, the craving leaves.
If I still have a hankering after that (primarily for sweets), then I’ll find something salty- turkey bites, cheese, dill pickle, olives, salty nuts- even a burger (sans bun) - and eat. (I’ve gone mostly carnivore, so only in extreme cases will I choose nuts, pickles and olives. The extreme salty intake when I have a sweet craving kinda messes with the taste buds, and I forget about the sweets. Having said all that, the cravings are becoming less and less frequent, and much less intense.

Other times, you just might need to have a little “come to Jesus meetin’” with yourself, and remember why you’re on this journey, remind yourself of your goals, and how far you’ve come. And, remember how crappy we tend to feel after partaking in sweets. That’s a big one for me, now. I feel AWFUL after having any sugar - no matter the form. The feeling of being healthy, no headaches, no body aches whatsoever - that is completely addicting (to me). I’ve not felt this good in DECADES - and I just can’t fathom going backwards now.

Another thing to contemplate is -how do you handle the moments that you choose to indulge? Are you a person who can eat a cookie and be done? Or, are you like a few of us here - who would take one cookie more like an appetizer, and the be tempted into devouring a whole plate of them? I’m better off if I just steer clear altogether. If and when I decide to indulge - its going to be a scenario where the sweet item is limited - and its gotta be for a good reason (or obligatory)- like a wedding or holiday meal at someone’s home.

DIdn’t mean to write an essay here, so, sorry about that. But, just some different thoughts and ideas to ponder. =)

(Robert C) #13

I recently did some reading on this and came across a good suggestion on willpower.

Basically, the idea was that people that seem to have good willpower keep themselves in positions where they have to use the least amount of willpower.

For example, suppose the kids want to go to McDonald’s - answer is “no” (easy use of willpower, short lived decision - done).

If instead you go to McDonald’s - now you need to exert willpower everywhere. The person you order from might ask “anything else” while the fans are pushing baked cookie smell up your nose. The kids get distracted after a few bites and go to the play land - leaving you at a table with fries, chicken nuggets, easily sipped chocolate shakes etc.

(Parker the crazy crone lady) #14

I eat fatty, fatty foods. Like brie, or a delicious fatty cut of meat (I especially like pork ribs for fending off carbs).

(Karla Sykes) #15

Yes I did this today and I found it really worked. I didn’t have an intense craving for chocolate chip cookies from McDonald’s