Solution to irresistible carb cravings out of nowhere

#1

Sometimes I get so burned out on my extended fasts or eating keto, that I start to get these irresistible carb cravings out of nowhere, even though I have not eaten any sugar or glucose. (I am not eating hidden carbs or sugar either because I am very vigilant about that.)

I think it’s mostly psychological.

When these psychological Cravings hit while doing keto, would it be OK if I had things like strawberries or BlackBerries that have a couple of packets of Truvia mixed into them?

Sometimes I get an irresistible sweet tooth and there is no amount of group support or peptalk that can make it go away. I’m just being honest in saying that.

I know that Stevia/truvia is considered a sweetener, but I would rather eat that than lose my mind with garbage and get knocked off track for weeks at a time and go on a major carb bender that I may never return from.

Any advice you can give me on this?

Just to clarify, I am asking if I can have strawberries or BlackBerries with a couple packets of Stevia during my feasting time, NOT my fasting time.

(Stephanie Sablich) #2

Look up the carb content of what you are wanting to eat, and make sure that you have room in your “budget” of 20g or fewer net carbs each day. For instance, 1 medium strawberry seems to have about 0.7 grams of net carbs. That means you can have 10 of them for 7 carbs. If you have the room, I don’t see a problem with the fruit itself.

Sweeteners… everyone here has a different opinion, and it seems to be an individual experiment sort of thing. Maybe budget for the fruit and see what happens when you use a sweetener? How do you feel?

I’m wondering about how long you’ve been keto and whether or not you’re stressing your body, causing cravings that wouldn’t be otherwise experienced? Are you fat adapted yet? Are you hungry when you’re fasting? How long are your extended fasts?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #3

Some people get an insulin response from different sweeteners, it seems to vary with the individual. I sometimes eat a bunch of blueberries or bluberries in cream when the cravings get bad, and that doesn’t seem to hurt. A bit of Greek yoghurt with some Truvia (stevia blended with erythritol) makes a good snack, as well.

If I really crave carbs, I have found that for me, the occasional apple doesn’t hurt. The fiber seems to keep the sugar from hitting too fast, and I suspect I wasn’t that insulin-resistant that I need to worry too much about a few extra grams of carbohydrate knocking me out of ketosis. On the other hand, I am a sugar addict, so I have to be very careful to avoid triggering that addiction. Sometimes eating salt can divert the cravings, so I try to go there first, before trying anything with an artificial sweetener, or anything with actual carbs.