Sugar Cravings?

[IrishMom82]

Whenever I'm on atkins I get huge sugar cravings and I was wondering what you all do when craving sweets? I'm on Induction so I know there aren't a lot of options but if anyone has any ideas let me know! Thanks!!!

P.S. Is gum ok?

[Elizellen]

Though Dr Atkins did allow us to have up to 3 servings of one of the allowed sweeteners a day, many of us found that by using them regularly it only kept our sweet tooth alive!!

Try to avoid sweet things for the first 2 weeks of induction to see if you manage to tame your sugar monster.

Maybe eat a high fat snack instead, or even something sour like a pickle to teach your body that though you are happy to feed it, it will be with your choice of food and it will have to get used to not having sweet things each time it wants them.

If you can manage not to eat 'sweet' you will find before long that something like a cherry tomato, stick of celery, unsweetened cream cheese or sweet red pepper (bell pepper in USA) tastes sweet and satisfies the urge.

[bythree]

A friend recomended the moch danish and it was very good. Here's the link to the recipe.

Atkins Diet - Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added

[IrishMom82]

Byrthree! Thanks for that link! Those recipes look very interesting!

[not2late]

When I was a newbie the moderators here use to say if kill your sweet tooth, don't feed it.

Eat something that is a combination of fat and protein: devilled egg, cheese, etc.

And be sure you are eating your vegetables. Many people mistakenly think that the lower carb they eat the better. That's not necessarily true because we do need some carbs in our diet. So eat those vegetables, particularly the ones that aren't lettuce, because the natural sugars will satisfy your carb needs and the fiber will help to fill you up (plus the vitamins and minerals aren't too bad either.)

[ValidRouge]

Excellent advice from not2late and Elizellen. I am of the opinion (through my own experience) that it is better to not give into the cravings with artificially sweetened things as that only perpetuates the cravings long term. It might satisfy the craving at that moment, but the cravings will only return again (and maybe even more intense).

Eat something high in fat, drink water or do a physical activity. The cravings will become less and less in just a few days and eventually disappear altogether.

[IrishMom82]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I've tried to stop the sweets cold turkey when on Atkins and everytime (5) I've gotten frustrated because no matter what I did I still had that craving. Ultimately I would then quit the diet and eat very very very sugary stuff. So I understand what everyone is saying but in my personal experience having something that's safely sweet every now and then will most likely keep me on track.

That being said, I had that mock Danish today and it was really good. I think for next time though I won't put in as much cream cheese. It was a little too much for me. But for only one packet of Splenda it seemed just the perfect amount of sweet. Who knew.

[abbellire]

I personally like sugar-free Jell-O. I have 1/2c almost every night with a dollop of heavy whipped cream. SF Jell-O is bad for us because it contains aspartame, and as the "veterans" have mentioned, feeding a sweet tooth only keeps it alive.

However, like you, when it is a choice between having something sweet to stop a craving versus going off Atkins altogether, I will choose to have the sweet. In the long run, I know I will benefit from not giving up on this lifestyle and eventually my cravings will diminish.

[brandywine1241]

Here is a quote from Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution p169.

When a sugar urge emerges, take 1-2 grams of L-glutamine, preferably with some heavy cream and just a touch of nonsugar sweetener. The immediate desire to eat something sweet will pass. For a reference attesting to its efficiency, ask any of the eight thousand Atkins Center patients for whom I have prescribed it.

[Sherri]

Hello Mrs. Fink,
You can take L-glutamine to fight your sweet cravings. It totally works! Dr Atkins talks about it on page 136 DANDR. You can take up to 3000mg a day, 1 or 2- 500 mg capsuls or tablets before each meal. It was a tool for me to get completely off of sweetners or food that contain them.
Best of health and lite to you.
Sherri