Seeking Advice on Managing Cravings and Maintaining a Healthier Diet

(RK) #1

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. I’ve been a part of this forum for a while but only as a reader and the advice I’ve gathered here has been incredibly valuable in my health journey.

In 2019, I started a low-carb diet and experienced significant success, shedding 15 kilos within a year. However, I’ve hit a roadblock recently as I’ve noticed a gradual weight gain, bringing me to 62 kilos, and I’m feeling uncomfortable. Despite maintaining a clean diet, I’m struggling with persistent cravings, particularly for pecans. Post-meals, I find myself indulging in high-carb or nut snacks. Adding to the challenge, I’ve recently entered menopause, and my energy levels are quite low. As a teacher, I heavily rely on tea with 5ml of full-fat milk, which I consume non-stop.

In the past, I successfully incorporated fasting into my routine, even managing 44 to 48-hour fasts effortlessly. My longest fast was an impressive 113 hours. I used to drink lemon juice with water and pink salt during fasting. However, lately, I’ve been struggling with fasting. After about 15 to 16 hours, I often find myself giving in to nuts as if I’ve never eaten before, leading to feelings of regret afterward. Do you think salt water used to help me with my cravings?

I take magnesium at night, and all recent tests have come back normal, except for cholesterol, which doesn’t concern me much.

I would appreciate any advice or suggestions on managing cravings and maintaining a healthier diet given these challenges. Your insights and motivation would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you in advance :pray:

#2

How do you eat? Many of us experienced carnivore is way more effective than keto if it comes to cravings… I don’t think I had cravings at that point but I did like peanuts a bit too much :smiley: Carnivore immediately solved that nothing before could. By the way, what’s wrong with pecans? Is it the amount or some annoying addiction like I had with peanuts?
I drink milky drinks but I wouldn’t be happy with drinking it all the time… But I choose my battles so I don’t worry about that, I could do worse than consuming a tiny milk outside of my natural smallish eating window… I do try better but only when I feel ready for it, not when I have bigger problems and stress and whatnot.

Carnivore killed my already weak fasting abilities but it’s not most people’s experience. You have low energy and can’t fast long so maybe we are more similar than two random persons…

Every problem of yours have multiple potential main reasons but food choices usually matter a lot so I would look at that first. You are probably aware if something is wrong with the other typical ones (sleep, stress, exercise - IDK about others but I lose energy if I am not active at all and it makes sense to me).

Good luck to find solutions!

(Chuck) #3

For me I find that highly processed foods will trigger cravings, so I stick with real food. No to very little highly processed carbs/so called processed foods, no to very little fast food, no to very little soft drinks. Also I seldom eat out at restaurants, home cooked meals made as much as possible from fresh vegetables an fruits, dairy and all types of meat and seafood. Very little to no sugary desserts and due to blood pressure I keep my salt intake low.
That is my way, but I am a firm believer in as individuals we each have to find what works for us the individual.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #4

Don’t fast, if you’re struggling with hunger. A low-carbohydrate diet (keto) and fasting provide very similar metabolic benefits. Be sure you are eating enough; as Professor Bikman says, hunger will always win in the end, and whatever our bodies lost from starving, we will regain, with interest.

So the keys to shedding fat are first, to keep carb intake as low as possible, and second, to eat enough for the body to feel comfortable shedding excess fat. Sticking to whole, real foods, as Chuck mentioned, is a good strategy. Manufacturers of processed crap design it on purpose to make us hungry for more of it.

What often throws a lot of people is the realisation that in order to replace the energy we are no longer eating in the form of carbohydrate/glucose, we need to eat fat instead. The idea that fat is deadly is simple, obvious, and wrong. It might help you to get over the fear of fat if you reflect on the fact that it takes less than half the amount of fat to yield the same number of calories as a given amount of carbohydrate. So it really boils down to Dr. Jason Fung’s advice: “If you want to burn sugar, eat carbohydrates; if you want to burn fat, eat fat.”

(Geoffrey) #5

My trigger for cravings are sweeteners and breads so I just abstain from both. I just look at them and say “Who’s stronger, me or you?” I win every time.
If I get a craving that starts to become overwhelming I’ll just grab a couple of slices of bacon out of the refrigerator (I always keep some cooked up) and that helps to satisfy me.

(Chuck) #6

You have to ask yourself are you really hungry for that food item, most times for me I just need to drink water or green tea. As I said my triggers are highly processed food, anything with sugar or even artificial sweetens or overly salty foods.

(Pete A) #7

Couldn’t have summed it up or said it better!

Good luck.

(Robin) #8

Hi, RK!
I have had bouts of surrender to nuts in the past. They are like any other substance I have been addicted to. Eventually had to absolutely walk away. No such thing as just one or 2 pecans for me. You may have to white knuckle it for a while, but you’ll get there. Not because those nuts are the definite culprit, but they are signaling that your inner craving beast has been roused. Be strong.

I agree with Paul… please be sure you haven’t lowered your calorie intake, as that will surely sabotage you weight-wise and craving-wise.

It’s quite possible that your hormones are playing a role in all this too.
But you’ve been at this for quite a while and will surely find your footing again.
You got this!

#9

It isn’t true for everyone but as a hedonist, I am against staying hungry unless there is an extremely good reason for it. Hunger means we should eat IMO (with some exceptions and if hunger is messed up, that’s another case), we have that urge for a reason! But we may get too hungry or too often and I usually look at food choices and timing when that happens.

I didn’t write about it in my first comment but indeed, highly processed food should be ignored. For health reasons and others.

That should work in some cases (if we just crave some nice treat, maybe, at least that’s the root, it may translate to craving something we shouldn’t eat in the surface but it’s just our mind getting ideas, I had that in the past…) and not when we crave a specific item or kind. Another kind never helps. Even soft biscuits/cookies can’t help when I want CRUNCHY ones. If I just want something crunchy, I have multiple easy carnivore options.

But it’s a good first (and hopefully final) step (with some good item, not necessarily bacon. I never want bacon, personally. Except when it’s in front of me, being all crunchy). Maybe we will stop craving stupid stuff if we are satiated and satisfied with something better! Hence my plan for off days that I eat a decent sized carnivore meal first… I am not good enough at it yet (my eating is too impulsive, I usually go totally against plans) but it’s a great plan.
Of course, it’s individual, some people would go totally off if they pushed carnivore (among other potential problems) but some plants scratch the itch or provide the carbs the body wants for some reason. We all should find our sweet spot that works for us. And again if we change and it’s not the case anymore…

(Chuck) #10

I agree that hungry will win out in the long run. For me after trying fasting, forcing myself to go hungry, my body will force me to eat and when it does, I end up eating garbage that I won’t normally eat. So for me now I listto my body, then ask a few questions, am I just thirsty or am I really hungry. If I can’t really tell I first drink water or green tea, then if I am still getting the hunger signal I eat just enough to satisfy my body’s needs. My reasoning is simple after I did my research that our bodies will store fat for times of famine, but if it sees and understands that it will have the needed nutrition it needs when it needs it then it will actually let go of extra fat it no longer needs for fear of famine. For me it has come down to breaking the famine, feast cycle.

(KCKO, KCFO) #11

I have had issues with nuts, pecans are a fav of mine also. I found measuring out serves ahead of time worked well. I also drink a big glass of water when eating nuts. Slows me down and nuts are partially dehydrated, so you need to rehydrate or you can issues with that.

With Brazil nuts another fav I just had to stop eating them. So easy to over eat them.

All the best on soring yourself out.

#12

The cravings may come from consuming a “non-stop” amount of whole fat milk in your tea. This is because you get a lot of sugar in this way, along with the calories. This may be the trigger. Low fat milk isn’t any better, lactose is still a sugar. Hope this helps.

(RK) #13

The problem with pecans is that I cant stop once I start eating. After coming back from work I am too tired and find comfort in nuts.

(RK) #14

Thank you PaulL for answering.
I will concentrate on food for now and not fast for a while.
I think the problem is that when I used to fast (which was very frequent, I also did long term ADF) I never used to refeed properly. I think that made my metabolism slow and now I dont know how to fix it.

I have recently started eating mostly carnivorous and since yesterday stopped eating nuts. I will also drink black tea or coffee outside my eating window.

I eat beacon, salmon, chicken, eggs, beef and pork. I am not sure what other fat I can add. Any suggestions?

I used to eat one avacado daily in my tuna or chicken salad before.

(RK) #15

Thanks Robin.
We always have nuts at home as my husband likes them so I cant just stop buying them. I will have to be strong myself.

I was so good at desicipling my self in my initial years, hope I can be strong again.

Thank you for your encouragement :pray:

(RK) #16

Thanks, Novastorm.
Good point, I will try to restrict myself and see if it will help.

(RK) #17

Thanks, collaroygal :pray:

I do measure and then go for seconds and it continues.
Maybe I am too hungry, will have two proper meals and see if it will help.

(RK) #18

I think I am the same.
I am fine until I dont eat, but once I come home I take little nuts tellung myself that wont eat much but ending up filling my stomach with it.
I will stop teying to fast for a while and will eat 2 to 3 meals.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #19

There is a technique called “reverse dieting,” where you eat a hundred calories more, instead of less. Take it slowly. and you should be able to increase your metabolic rate. Remember that 100 cal = 25 g of carbohydrate but only 11 g of fat, so it’s not much.

There is also evidence to suggest that eating a bit more fat helps to speed up fatty-acid metabolism.

#20

One doesn’t necessarily need to eat extra fat, I get more than enough from my protein sources but if you don’t, butter is a fine example. Many likes tallow. I prefer lard… Duck fat is nice too…
Pork rind and scratchings are nice to snack on and some are fattier than others. Our scratchings (I am a Hungarian, living in Hungary. lots of fatty pork here) are mostly fat, for example (I looked it up, 83g fat in 100g, I could buy it in almost any supermarket but I make my own. that is a tad leaner as I prefer a little meat in it).

I eat lots of dairy items, most of them bring fat too easily, sadly so I try to minimize them. But it’s not in your list so maybe you don’t want those.

Same. I can’t be strong when it’s about food and getting desensitized don’t work with items I enjoy very much so I was hopelessly addicted to peanuts until carnivore. And it’s zero effort and temptation on carnivore, it’s amazing. (If I go off, I eat it again but less than before. Usually.)

But whatever your attitude, self control and circumstances are, practice helps! :wink: