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Type 2 Struggling with low carb diet

meJulie

Well-Known Member
Messages
94
Is anyone struggling to stick with the low carb diet, I'm OK for a few days, then I crave something sweet and go on a binge :(
 
If you're anything like me then the initial tendency when you give in to a craving is basically the mindset "I might as well keep going."

There's nothing wrong with giving in to the occasional craving, but you have to find a way to discipline yourself. I'll tell you from experience that the "All or nothing" approach generally isn't sustainable long-term.

Yes, for me some of the low-carb substitutes do work, but I have to make sure I don't over-indulge on those too (which is arguably even easier).

For me, my guilty pleasure is low-carb ice cream with powdered cinnamon on top. I can (and have) eaten an entire container's full before so it's certainly something I have to moderate.

I allow myself to have SOME of the ice cream whenever I've accomplished something: maybe that's run 5+ miles that day, achieve 12000 steps, maybe I hit a certain bodyweight on my scale, etc. No matter what, it's always an achievement/reward approach.

In contrast, if I haven't achieved anything that day, I'm not allowed to eat the ice cream. It's not that I couldn't moderate the urge....I just don't want to find out.

Long story short, try to set some goals and/or rules for yourself where you can OCCASIONALLY reward yourself with the foods you crave in MODERATION. That makes it more difficult to go crazy and eat everything in sight.
 
have a look through the low carb section of the forum - there are LOTS of food suggestions, recipes, ideas and discussions. Very motivating. :)
 
Thank you for replies, good ideas TorqPenderloin about goal setting, where do you gel low carb iceream. I will also check forum for ideas. I also can have all or nothing mentality I do find it so difficult, I just crave all my old high carb food which is not good :(.
 
Thank you for replies, good ideas TorqPenderloin about goal setting, where do you gel low carb iceream. I will also check forum for ideas. I also can have all or nothing mentality I do find it so difficult, I just crave all my old high carb food which is not good :(.
I live in the US so it might not be available where you live (at least the brand I buy).

It's called Breyers Carb Smart Vanilla ice cream. 6g of carbs per 100g
 
I always find i'm more hungry for carbs when i eat carbs. The days when i stay away from the carbs tend to be days when i drink a lot of diet coke and mineral water and pretty much forget about food altogether. It's very rare i actually eat because i'm hungry. Which i think is the same for most people. The amount of food we actually need is very minimal, but we crave stuff because it tastes good. I can go months without eating pizza, then as soon as i have one...i want pizza every day! If you stop thinking about food, you soon forget you want it. Drinks are a great substitute, because they give you something to consume plus keep your hands busy through the day. Everybody has a wander to the fridge etc when bored, any carb-free drink is cool. Also those packs of cooked chicken are handy to have in the fridge too. Bread is a low-carb diet killer because you can eat 8 or 10 slices in a day just wandering about into the kitchen. I only buy bread when i'm buying it as a sandwich etc, that way i know i'm only eating 2 slices.
 
Hi. Try to avoid sweet tasting things to change your palate. I have 85% Dark Chocolate by Green & Blacks. The carb level is quite low and once you get used to dark you will find standard Milk chocolate far too sweet; part of the palate change. Don't forget low-carb is good for virtually everyone; not just diabetics so try to move your partner gradually over to a lower carb way of life if you can. Try to remind yourself that the food manufacturers have been training us to like sugar for years which is not the way it used to be 50 years ago. Look at packaging and go for the foods with lower added sugar. As proteins and fats are OK it gives you a very large choice of foods in addition to veg and most fruit e.g. eggs, bacon, cheese, nuts, all meats and so on. Just decide to not be a victim of the food manufacturers sugar madness and search aisles for the more healthy options and keep cereal based foods in moderation and whole grain/low-GI to reduce carb highs.
 
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