what if LC doesn't reduce your cravings...

is there anyone else out there with this problem? eating LC has not reduced
my food cravings. this may be because of a medication i take, or maybe i'm
just unlucky. but either way, it sucks. i lost the initial 30-35 pounds
easily in the first three or four months. but i've been stuck and even
gaining recently, and i've been doing this for 9 months. i find that i went
from following the diet, but eating too much food, to the occasional "cheat"
food, to now having a cheat nearly every day. i just can't control my
appetite (i never have been good at that). even when i'm not cheating, i'm
eating "allowed" foods, even when i'm not hungry. this is driving me nuts!

does anyone else out there have this problem? any suggestions? hints,
tips, tricks? is LC just not going to work for me?

note: strenuous exercise is out for me, as i have fibromyalgia, but i do
walk some and work in the garden several times a week.


-kelly
(210/180/150)
(18w/14/10)

Low carb only works to restrict my cravings to a certain extent. When I get
to the lower bodyfat percentages (like now where I'm at around 10%) my
hunger kicks in again, but still not as bad as if I were eating a higher
carb diet. There's only a few things I can tell you as advice. When you get
hungry, go do something that takes you away from food and hopefully takes
your mind off food also. Then the most important thing of all: Butch up!

--

Eat less, exercise more. -- MFW

--
"metta" wrote in message
...
is there anyone else out there with this problem? eating LC has not
reduced
my food cravings. this may be because of a medication i take, or maybe
i'm
just unlucky. but either way, it sucks. i lost the initial 30-35 pounds
easily in the first three or four months. but i've been stuck and even
gaining recently, and i've been doing this for 9 months. i find that i
went
from following the diet, but eating too much food, to the occasional
"cheat"
food, to now having a cheat nearly every day. i just can't control my
appetite (i never have been good at that). even when i'm not cheating,
i'm
eating "allowed" foods, even when i'm not hungry. this is driving me
nuts!

does anyone else out there have this problem? any suggestions? hints,
tips, tricks? is LC just not going to work for me?

note: strenuous exercise is out for me, as i have fibromyalgia, but i do
walk some and work in the garden several times a week.


-kelly
(210/180/150)
(18w/14/10)

metta wrote:

Someone will be along shortly to tell you about various supplements you
can try to reduce cravings. I don't have this problem, so don't really
remember the details.

As far as hunger goes, on induction I'd advise to eat as much as you
want of low-carb food regardless of the calories until the cravings go
away. Since that's not happenning for you, I'd advise you pick a few
low-carb *and* low-calorie foods to pig-out on. I mean... no one is
gonna get fat overeating lettuce, ya know? Eat a reasonable low-carb
diet for your main meals, and pick something "safe" to eat when really
hungry.

I have advice about "cheating" also. Just go ahead and do it. Pick
some limit you can handle. I have one meal per month and I have
"permission" from myself to eat whatever I want that one meal.

For me... low-carb *must* be a permanent lifestyle as I'm diabetic.
Thus I can't be dealing with the denial/temptation crap. The cycle of
being tough on yourself and then bingeing when your willpower is weak is
not the kind of head-game I can afford to play with myself. My life and
health are at stake here, I can't play games.

So... one meal a month is my limit. When I think I want some hash
browns, I remind myself I *can* have them on such-and-such a day. For
me, this makes a world of difference in not setting up certain foods as
"forbidden" and therefore tempting. This means I don't have to use
massive willpower about stuff. I know I can eat anything I want to, I
just postpone to "the day."

This is the way I look at it... if I lose control and just blow it, I'm
not going to lose weight. If I have a very strictly defined time I'm
"allowed" to "cheat" - well, maybe I won't lose weight that day either,
but if it helps me stick to low-carbing the other 29 days per month, I'm
losing overall.

If it's a bit slower, but more liveable, that seems worthwhile to me.

A side effect has been... most of my "cheats" have been not worth it. I
look forward to a plate of pasta and finally get to have it and it's
just not *that* big of a deal. I'm running out of foods to "cheat" with.

--
As you accelerate your food, it takes exponentially more and more energy
to increase its velocity, until you hit a limit at C. This energy has
to come from somewhere; in this case, from the food's nutritional value.
Thus, the faster the food is, the worse it gets.
-- Mark Hughes, comprehending the taste of fast food

"Jackie Patti" wrote in message
...

I have advice about "cheating" also. Just go ahead and do it. Pick
some limit you can handle. I have one meal per month and I have
"permission" from myself to eat whatever I want that one meal.


thanks, this is a very good idea. i'm much more successful at sticking to
things if i have strict rules to follow. i think that may be why i've been
falling off so much, i'm doing SBD and not counting carbs (i hate counting
carbs, calories, fat... have never been able to do it), so it's easy to
just kind of fall off the WOE and not really notice for a while. if i plan
to eat bad foods only once per month, it might be easier to tell myself "no"
when the cravings kick in.

cool, i'll try this.

-kelly

If you're cheating every day then you probably aren't in ketosis. Ketosis
is what kills the cravings. Go back to Induction level a few days.

--
Nancy S+13
Atkins Off and On Since 1999
Back on the Wagon Since May 30, 2004
Gotta Remember This Is a WOL, Not a Diet!
180.5/177.5/125

"metta" wrote in message
...
is there anyone else out there with this problem? eating LC has not
reduced
my food cravings. this may be because of a medication i take, or maybe
i'm
just unlucky. but either way, it sucks. i lost the initial 30-35 pounds
easily in the first three or four months. but i've been stuck and even
gaining recently, and i've been doing this for 9 months. i find that i
went
from following the diet, but eating too much food, to the occasional
"cheat"
food, to now having a cheat nearly every day. i just can't control my
appetite (i never have been good at that). even when i'm not cheating,
i'm
eating "allowed" foods, even when i'm not hungry. this is driving me
nuts!

does anyone else out there have this problem? any suggestions? hints,
tips, tricks? is LC just not going to work for me?

note: strenuous exercise is out for me, as i have fibromyalgia, but i do
walk some and work in the garden several times a week.


-kelly
(210/180/150)
(18w/14/10)

JC Der Koenig wrote:

Low carb only works to restrict my cravings to a certain extent. When I get
to the lower bodyfat percentages (like now where I'm at around 10%) my
hunger kicks in again, but still not as bad as if I were eating a higher
carb diet. There's only a few things I can tell you as advice. When you get
hungry, go do something that takes you away from food and hopefully takes
your mind off food also. Then the most important thing of all: Butch up!


OK, who are you? g
JC, are you thinking of becoming Canadian? Because you are definitely
becoming softer and gentler
It's nice...

--
Deb
230/208.5/135
June 2002 - 260; Dec 2002 - 210; March 2004 - 230
Goal for May 31 - 209, reached on May 30
Goal for June 30 - 199

"barrdbarrbarr" wrote in message
news:vL9wc.16308$DV4.3088@clgrps13...
JC Der Koenig wrote:

Low carb only works to restrict my cravings to a certain extent. When I
get
to the lower bodyfat percentages (like now where I'm at around 10%) my
hunger kicks in again, but still not as bad as if I were eating a higher
carb diet. There's only a few things I can tell you as advice. When you
get
hungry, go do something that takes you away from food and hopefully
takes
your mind off food also. Then the most important thing of all: Butch
up!


OK, who are you? g
JC, are you thinking of becoming Canadian? Because you are definitely
becoming softer and gentler


A semi-intelligent question gets a semi-intelligent answer.

( I could have told her about crystal meth.)

I don't know what it was like for you on Induction, but you may want to give
that a try again to see if it helps. If I cheat, I do crave, and the more
carbs I eat the more I seem to want.

You have done very well Kelly and I hope you can get over this hump. You
can do it if you keep at it.

Curt

--
Started low carb May '03 this time.
211/180/177 . . 6'2" 15% BF?
Age 38
Highest weight 250 5+ years ago

"metta" wrote in message
...
is there anyone else out there with this problem? eating LC has not
reduced
my food cravings. this may be because of a medication i take, or maybe
i'm
just unlucky. but either way, it sucks. i lost the initial 30-35 pounds
easily in the first three or four months. but i've been stuck and even
gaining recently, and i've been doing this for 9 months. i find that i
went
from following the diet, but eating too much food, to the occasional
"cheat"
food, to now having a cheat nearly every day. i just can't control my
appetite (i never have been good at that). even when i'm not cheating,
i'm
eating "allowed" foods, even when i'm not hungry. this is driving me
nuts!

does anyone else out there have this problem? any suggestions? hints,
tips, tricks? is LC just not going to work for me?

note: strenuous exercise is out for me, as i have fibromyalgia, but i do
walk some and work in the garden several times a week.


-kelly
(210/180/150)
(18w/14/10)

"JC Der Koenig" wrote in message news:EF8wc.2618

(like now where I'm at around 10%)

Sure, we all believe you are at 10%.

Curt

It is odious to disparage that which you have not the will to achieve.

Btw... what happened to your mythical killfile?

--
Slink on back to assorted.stupid.whiners, enema breath. -- MFW


"curt" wrote in message
...

"JC Der Koenig" wrote in message news:EF8wc.2618

(like now where I'm at around 10%)

Sure, we all believe you are at 10%.

Curt