Carb Cravings
 

Hi Guys,
Hope everyone is having a good Sunday.
I feel very blessed because my very overweight, and diabetic husband has decided to join me on my low carb diet.
He just asked me how long will he have cravings for carbs...( McDonalds french fries mentioned specifically!)
Since I am so new to this myself I didn't have an answer for him. Would appreciate anything you can tell me about this.
Thank you, Maeve

That's excellent news about your husband, Maeve. And really, there is no set answer.

But the transition to a fat based metabolism usually (if you do, for example, Dr Atkins 72 induction) gets started in about 3 days. Some people feel lousy, although eating enough salt and drinking enough water through that period really helps.

Once the body is used to using fat, it gets better. But we are, most of us here, addicted to carbs. And addictions will try to make a comeback, whenever there's a chance it'll work.

So warn him: even as things are going along wonderfully, and he's feeling great and losing, he'll have a bad day at work, and his addiction will tell him, "Oh, you poor thing. You need some comfort food. Let's stop at McDonalds for a quick burger and fries."

Or, somewhere along the way, his addiction will start to whine that this diet is BORING, and he deserves more interesting (more carb-filled) foods.

Neither of these is true, of course. How can food that is poisonous, leading to severe deadly diseases, be comforting? How can a diet that includes amazing combinations of food be boring?

But, if you are on a mission to be reinstated as the hub of a diet, then you, carbs, will tell whatever lies needed, right?

The good news is that, if we don't give those carby cravings power, they go away. My favorite way to shut Carbie, my inner carb addict up, is to feed her some bacon.

If both of you have planned in advance for the whisperings of your inner addict, he or she will retreat, muttering, until the next time.

Can't understand why I am unable to private message Mickisue to thank her for her response. It was very helpful.
When I tried to pm her it said I was not allowed to do so.. I don't understand why, and don't know what to do about it. The web page they said to contact does not work.
Anyway, thank you Mickisue!

after 25 posts...see above answer.

Are either of you willing to explore recipes to cook up substitutes? Moderately LC are baked onion rings or green beans with crunchy coatings. Or explore the VLC substitutes for potatoes, try the cauliflower fauxtato salad as a side, shredded cabbage baked, etc. Explore all the recipes here: http://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

Zucchini fries (or eggplant or whatever) were a hit with everyone at my house. You cut them like French fries, coat with olive oil and spices and or Parmesan or Romano cheese and bake until crispy. I flipped them halfway through.

Wow, that sounds really good. Will try that tonight.
Thank you so much.

And to help with sugar cravings...do not eat sugar free jello etc. Sour counteracts sweet. Tell him to eat a dill pickle or some olives and his craving for sweet will dissapate. That was my biggest challenge. Good for you and your Husband!

You are welcome, Maeve. It's OK. Our inboxes are tiny, so PMs are, at least in my experience here, saved for private questions and comments.

Ok, I understand. Thank you Mickisue.

You're welcome! Let me know how the veggie fries come out.

Carb Cravings
 

Thanks for this explanation. I've been back on a LCHF for more than 2 months now. The weight is coming off!! I feel so much better. No more aches and pains.....But the carb cravings still come back. Yup, I too am a carb addict. Still trying to recover.

Prepare NOW for the psychological "lift" we get from doing an enjoyable thing.

People get addicted to shopping, gambling, and hoarding not because there are external drugs now working on their brains. But they are nonetheless like addictions in that people get attached to the internal drugs that come into play. And with carb addiction, it's both! The sugar in the food, and what our brain does with it.

So plan what we are going to do when the craving hits! Online bookstore, pedicure, a nice ribeye?

Carbs are everywhere and they act fast. Knowing what we will do when the craving hits is half the battle.

I'd say don't skip meals (and include plenty of fat) so you don't get hungry in that "I want to eat a large order of fries and THEN the ice cream!" sort of way.

Take the time to find recipes you love. Once you (and your taste buds) get over the idea that every meal needs to have filler starch in it, you'll find so many great things to eat. Getting excited about the food on this plan makes this whole thing so much easier.

My partner is having more trouble than I am with the whole no starch thing, and he really really likes the cauliflower substitutes... we've made the mashed potato substitute and the pizza dough crust, and those were huge hits.

I was looking at this thread last night but didn't post anything but will now as making those cauliflower 'taters is EASY and FUN. If you have a steamer and ingredients you can make these faster than regular potatoes. These are so good I only save them now for holidays otherwise I could eat them every day but better than potatoes as far as carbs go.

Full Steam Ahead Captn!


The ingredients and steamed head ready for mashing. HULK MASH!


And a sample serving with a little garnish ...


You can make some TONIGHT!

WereBear, Adante, and Thud,
Thank you for your responses. Everyone on this site has been so helpful and supportive; so glad I found you guys!
Thud, in my case a picture truly is worth a thousand words. You were very kind to take the time to post those pics. I will be making those soon for sure!