I have erythritol, allulose, and stevia… I avoid the formulated brand stuff and mix or choose from these depending on the use. I don’t have any of them everyday but use them in cooking Chinese food and things like that mostly, not in my daily drinks. I thought Splenda was sucralose. 
Your comments about maltodextrin confused me there for a minute, I didn’t realize Splenda is a blend or that sucralose wasn’t a sugar alcohol. I’m dealing with my autistic son at the moment.
I have issues with late night hunger also. I boil 18 eggs at a time and I also bake 3 lbs of bacon. I bag 2 eggs per snack baggie and 3 slices of bacon per baggie. So when my husband and I get hungry, we grab a bag of eggs and /or bacon. We also love to throw a little mayo on the eggs and add some green olives to the plate. We keep a container of pork rinds next to the bed for a lazy, late night munchie! 
Hang in there!
I’ve done some digging into it, since I’ve found I really don’t like the other sweeteners. The biggest issue I’ve had and I think is a problem for others is that it’s labeled as zero carb, because it’s under .5 g/serving. But it’s not, so you have to do research to find out the true carb counts and then enter these as new foods into whatever tracking program you use, so you get the numbers right.
Also, I think my math above was incorrect: A cup of granulated Splenda has 24g/ carbs, which is about .5g/teaspoon. It can still add up to a lot if you’re using a cup or more in baked goods.
A couple of thoughts:
Your first time around, you may have been more insulin-sensitive than you are now, so now you might have to be more rigorous about keeping carbohydrate low.
Be sure to get enough food. If you deliberately short yourself on calories, your metabolism will get lower and lower to match, making it that much harder to cut calories. Instead, eat to satiety—to satisfy your hunger. At first, this will probably be a fair amount, but once your hunger and satiety hormones normalize, you will find yourself cutting back, because you will stop being hungry past a certain point. Your stomach won’t be full, but you will be satisfied. And this doesn’t count as “cutting calories,” because it’s your body telling you you gave it enough, it’s not you telling your body to make do.
Artificial sweeteners affect everyone differently, and each artificial sweetener can have a different effect. One might be very helpful in keeping your sweet tooth in check, while another might spike your insulin and thus prevent weight loss. It’s completely individual, and you will have to do some testing to figure out the sweeteners that are okay for you, and those (if any) that pose a problem.
Even people who can metabolize lactose without a problem can be sensitive to casein (milk protein), and a casein sensitivity can hinder weight loss.
Fat is our friend, because it is a source of calories that has almost no effect whatsoever on our insulin levels. But stick to fat sources that are high in saturated and monounsaturated fats, avoid seed oils (cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, soy, corn, etc.), because they are very high in inflammatory polyunsaturates. If you cook with butter, lard, tallow, bacon grease, and the like you will find the fat tasty and satisfying. Note that some people need proportionally more fat and others need proportionally more protein, in order to feel satisfied—another area where a little experimentation will pay off!
You got that right! The tracking app like Cronometer will reveal what happens when you put in a zero carb food, and decide you need 30 servings to make your recipe and all the sudden your zero carb ingredient has 24 carbs!
Have you tried allulose yet? It , and makes syrups and all kinds of things other substitutes seem to fail at. Erythritol doesn’t dissolve or recrystalizes in liquids at a certain absorption point. But sometimes I like how erythritol retains a crunch, like as a coating on top of a muffin or cookie.
I haven’t tried allulose. I’ve heard good things and at some point I’ll try it. But I don’t like erythritol or stevia and can’t have xylitol in the house because of the dog.
I do IF and have been able to go 42hours and it was pretty easy actually. One tip is to drink water with himalayan salt, it curbs my appetite and the odd black coffee or tea helps as well.
It’s statements like this that confuse people to no end. On the one hand we tell newbies to eat sub-20 grams of carbs per day to stay in ketosis. Then someone says “I can eat 100 grams of carbs in a day and remain in a continuous state of ketosis”. Newbie thinks “Whaaaaa??”
At 100 grams of carbs, I don’t think you are ‘in a continuous state of ketosis’. For you dropping in/out of ketosis may not matter. But the OP can’t even make it through the night. He’s eating far too little overall as others have pointed out. Telling him YOU can eat 100 grams of complex carbs without a problem because you also fast is not helpful - in my humble opinion.
@Sheranda_Key was more helpful with her boiled eggs and bacon suggestion. A very low or no carb pepperoni stick (yes, they do exist) would also be a far better choice than the pork rinds and Atkins bar he’s been eating in the middle of the night.
If OP has a problem cutting the carbs, then he’s going to have to deal with it or simply be content with going ‘low carb’ instead. Plenty of people lose and control weight and have healthy lives without eating a strict ketogenic diet. You may be one of them. 
Hi Tommy
You’ve gotten loads of good advice already. Here’s some more:
@ZuleikaD was spot on when they basically said the same thing. It can be overwhelming when so much complicated (and at times conflicting) advice is thrown at you all at once! People really do care, and I’m convinced we all here just want to help, and want you to be successful. But… Keep it simple, okay?. You can tweak it later.
This will simplify things. And once you are fat-adapted, that sweet tooth and cravings will calm down. So when you feel hungry, you just ride it out a little bit (maybe with a glass of water) and your body will visit some of that “stored energy” we have hanging around and burn it up as fuel. Honest, it won’t be that hard LATER to do that, once you are fat-adapted.
ZuleikaD was right: One step at a time.
And: “This is a big part of the equation. We get that people aren’t perfect, but until you’re truly fat-adapted (no more cravings!), every time you “take a day off” you set yourself back several days.”
This is just speaking from experience. I was the classic, hard core night time eater! A few years ago, my top weight was 460. Dieted, lost and regain, repeatedly over the years. Went low carb, then eventually Keto. Eureka, this stuff works! But… I’m now 68 and for some people, it’s slower going the older we get. Anyway, I’ve lost 199 pounds now. Yep, 199 gone.
A BIG part of that started with a deal I made with myself about that night time eating. For the first YEAR or so, I bought the best tasting sugar free chocolate bars I could find. Expensive?? Eegads, yes. But that was my deal. I would have that each evening with a cup of hot tea, and that would be my treat, cost be hanged. It felt luxurious. It felt indulgent. And it worked! Nowadays, the expensive chocolate lasts me a LONG time, so in the long run is not that expensive anymore.
Here is my current favorite (just in case the idea appeals to you):
Then again, you might be a bacon n egg kinda guy! 
Here is my all time favorite Dr Fung quote. It says what I need to remember in a nutshell:
“The secret of success is NOT to limit some of the calories all the time (deficit dieting), which lowers metabolism. Rather, to limit ALL the calories SOME of the time…… which is called Fasting.”
PS: It is highly recommended to do fasting AFTER becoming fat-adapted. Much easier!
My best to you,
Retta
My breakfast:
Bacon, salsa, and onion
Lunch, nuts and cheese
Dinner, pork, guac, green beans and butter
That hungry feeling is when I would eat, forget about the BLD clock, just eat when you feel that hunger craving no matter what time it is or when that is or the body will just hold onto the fat even more and will fight you!
The reason I would pay careful attention to that ghrelin (hunger) and leptin (I feel full) signaling (if you are leptin and insulin resistant with a high T3 count) is because you want to eat more food but not junk food, eat more of the keto foods you enjoy until actually feel full and do not count the calories/carbs when you first start to do this so your body gets use to it for a few weeks, then gradually start spacing out your eating windows, then start slowly reducing your carb intake from 200 or more to 150 grams and try that for few more weeks then go to 50 grams for few more weeks than to 30 grams etc. and follow that same pattern until you can hit 20 grams and your seeing the burning body fat but be mindful of exercise like lifting weights because you may require more calories.
If you straight out start reducing your carbohydrate to 20 grams constantly with leptin resistance, that is probably why your can’t lose any weight and burn any body fat because your metabolism has slowed down so drastically your older now so your slowing it down even more by nose diving into a 20 gram carb restriction?
References:
[1] “…It Can Lower Your Metabolism**. In fact, researchers believe that this lowermetabolism may partly explain why more than 80% of people regain weight once they go off their calorie restricted diets (10). One of the ways that calorie restricted diets slow your metabolism is by causing muscle loss (11, 12, 13). …” …More
[2] “… So if you were to do a keto and intermittent fasting program, you would not lessen your calories, instead you would eat the same amount of calories but lessen the frequency of eating (meals). And lastly increasing your thyroid function can also increase your metabolism. But hashimotos disease *hypothyroidism" can be caused from consuming GMO foods, so eating organic is a must. Also other causes of a slow thyroid is either having a gallbladder or liver problem or high estrogen, in which case you would need to improve those two problems. …” …More
It is time for Omad my friend, imo things like too much protein, dairy, nuts, calorie free sweeteners are often more individual problems and are fine as long as they work with the individual. 1200 cals is not enough for u, u dont wanna slow ur bmr even more hence ur age with too low calories, eat as much as u are hungry for also exercise will ramp up the bmr as well.
I get it cooking can be a lil yikes, i used to be like that too, i would literally only eat cold cuts of meat/cheese, nuts and cola, that was my keto diet when i started. Sure it worked out cause carbs where low enough, but ever since im making my own food from fresh whole ingridients, it is so much more delicious u wont belive. You also should never feel hungry in keto, get adapted first.
I do think clean keto eating (whole vs. processed foods) is ideal, but I frequently do “lazy” keto and have no problems with it personally. One thing I’ve been doing more lately for the nights I don’t want to cook, instead of eating something like cold cuts and cheese or ketofied fast food, is to get meal delivery. There are a number of options and threads on this forum that list a bunch of them. I got turned on to kettlebellkitchen.com by my sister, who does Crossfit, as they deliver to her gym. The meals are fresh and ready to heat and use clean high-quality ingredients like grass fed beef. They have a number of keto options and some of their core menu has reasonable carb counts. I now regularly keep them on hand.
Hey Tommyboyy,
just a few random-ish ideas from my own experience:
eating once/24h and in your case, as late in the day as you can since you get night cravings, works for me because I enjoy being able to have a large amount at once rather than smaller amounts all day; this is somehow both psychologically satisfying and craving- eliminating in my case. Not for everyone, but maybe worth a try anyhow.
I adore cheese and was eating 16oz per day; I lost much weight then stalled. I dropped all cheese and veg as well and immediately started to lose again. For many others, cheese and veg are no problem and they weren’t for me until I got within 15 or so pounds of goal. I upped meat (esp deli meat) to replace the cheese and my appetite DROPPED; hunger is now way reduced. I am satisfied on far less. This is an awesome feeling.
Hard boiled eggs are better with hot sauce
A really good, easy lunch: sliced deli turkey, put pico de gallo/other salsa in middle, roll up in romaine lettuce leaf. Add cheese if cheese doesn’t stall you. I can eat a BIG PLATE of these easy. Alternate stuffing I use: olives, pepperoncini.
Drink much water; I am always amazed at the amount of fluid I used to retain when on carbs, and even now after a big meal there is some, that is shed when drinking a lot of water. One must drink to diurese; I used to hate water. I have to add TreuLemon or lemon juice to it always.
SELTZER is my jam. Love the fizz, add lemon and it gives that fizzy fix an ex soda addict (me) needs.
Hope these may help a tad! Don’t give up. Keep tweaking until you see what works; I am 55 and get the age aspect being in our disfavor.
I ate keto for about 3 months and I would yoyo 2-3 pounds. From 20-23 pound weight loss and I was struggling. Finally, I’ve been doing more of a carnivore diet this past month and I got through it and I’ve lost 31 pounds. I eat all kinds of meat (beef, chicken, pork, turkey, seafood) and products as in eggs butter cheese etc. And yes I eat deli and canned meat as well. I do not over do it with my cheese (I know this will stall me). I can’t drink milk. I will allow myself to have no sugar added ketchup or sugar free bbq sauce. I’ll have black coffee with coconut oil in it occasionally but I mainly drink water and alot of it. I only eat when I am hungry (sometimes once a day and sometimes three times a day).
I do not follow macros or calories or even log my food. I was at first and it was frustrating. But since going carnivore, it has been easier.
We all have different reasons for changing our eating habits/lifestyle. Pay close attention to your body.
Are you really hungry?
Does the food you are eating have sugar or a sugar substitute in it?
Are you eating too much dairy?
Are you eating too much veggies?
Are you eating enough fat?
Are you drinking enough water?
Maybe try to get as close to 0 carbs as possible.
These are just questions or possible suggestions. Everyone may have an opinion. I can only tell you for myself, what as personally worked for me. Remember, everyone’s body is different and will react to changes different. Good Luck - hang in there.
I feel you. Keto is undeniably a commitment. I have a designated “cook day” and this keeps me prepared. I think once you make the decision to do Keto: its balls to wall. You just gotta do whatever it takes. Maybe watch a few youtube videos just to learn how to cook the basic stuff. I put spinach and kale in coconut oil on the stove in a pot. Chicken in the oven breaded with parm and pork rinds. Brown some beef and put some shredded cheese on top. Once you get better at the simple, the rest of it will follow. Although Carl’s pad thai recipe takes some doing: You won’t regret that effort. I feel amazing now and it keeps me motivated. But in fairness it has been a lot of years of feeling like crap to be able to recognize the difference.
Hey Jennifer, welcome to the forum! Enjoying your input!
Be sure to check the last dated someone posted on a thread. This one was last visited in 2019, so odds are you may be talking to yourself. (I do that all day, lol.)
Or… if you feel the topic is worth re-visiting, feel free to start a new topic. And again, glad you’re here.
Robin
3 posts were split to a new topic: Dealing with older threads
Or cut down the carbs even more to get rid of the “Sweet Tooth” altogether. I’m around five to ten grams just because of this.
(Another great old thread I dug up,sorry!)
