If you lower your carbs a wee bit - you'll find it easier to avoid gluten.

There will be a certain level of 'low carb eating' that will magically reduce cravings for all the things you don't want to be eating. I think that this 'level' is slightly different for everyone.

Meanwhile, don't forget to include plenty of protein in your meals too - this is important. It helps with overall satisfaction, and it'll also have you feeling full for a lot longer between meals. I'm not talking about 'lean proteins' per se, but a variety of things that you happen to enjoy eating. Eggs are great, but they're not as high in protein as one might think - you'd have to eat 4+ eggs at a meal to get the same amount of protein as you would from 4-5 ounces of meat or fish. Just something to keep in mind. That said, if you eat too many lean protein and vegetable-type meals, you'll find yourself battling cravings for things too often, and the whole thing will seem like too much of a struggle. - so having some fat in your meals is important too.

If you're finding this difficult - boost your fat intake, boost your protein intake and lower your carb intake a wee bit more, if necessary. This will all help to make the whole thing seem a lot easier. I am *not* recommending super low-carb intake, just that lowering carbs a tiny bit more is something to consider in terms of reducing cravings for stuff that you'd like to get out of your menus and meals.

By the way - combining something like apples with the walnuts is a good way to go, because the nuts help with the satisfaction issue, and as a result, the apples won't trigger cravings in the same way as they might have all by themselves. Always a good idea to combine fruit with something that contains fat/protein. Nuts are good. A splash of coconut milk is good on some berries, that kind of thing. Somehow, it seems like adding some fat and/or fat+protein to fruit manages to ameloriate the cravings that fruit can sometimes trigger.

Keep it up - you are *totally* on the right track, and here you are - walking past the booth with all the grain foods - this is excellent progress

That's true, and in fact one of my difficulties is that I've never been 100% certain that they were harming me - until recently, that is. I've read so much contradictory stuff about food and inflammatory bowel disease (it matters, it doesn't matter). Also, I've been in remission for long periods where it didn't seem to matter what I ate.

But now I've been quite sick, off and on, for a number of years, and I have precancerous changes in my colon because of it. That has prompted even more reading, and things are starting to coalesce. When many sources point to the same conclusion, I start to believe it. Even if it's not 100% certain, I can't take chances. It's my one and only life.

There are some foods I love that aren't good for me - chocolate, notably. And pastries. I eat them sometimes - I can't say I never do. But I keep it in perspective. What is more important: the taste of chocolate, or staying alive?

I have to believe that I can contribute to my own health. Maybe it's true, maybe not. But probably it is, and I have to believe it or I just feel too helpless.

I know what you mean. If I eat a lot of carbs - especially refined carbs - then all I want to eat is carbs. If I notice I've started eating cake at every meal and all I want is sugar, I'll just lay off it completely for a while and the cravings go away. (In the past, of course - I'm not doing that now.) I'm not experiencing cravings the way I'm eating now. I'm just eating what I feel like eating when I'm hungry - choosing from the universe of foods that are least likely to cause my premature death from colon cancer.

My omelets at lunch and dinner were both cheese omelets, so there was plenty of fat. At other times when I've had eggs it's with bacon or sausage (no nitrates) and cooked in bacon fat. I've had the experience of trying to eat lean protein with inadequate fat - not pleasant.

Are you familiar with the book "Life Without Bread"? It's written by a gastroenterologist, and he talks a lot about what level of carbs you need to shoot for to cure inflammatory bowel disease. He says to stay at 60-70 grams per day or below - moderately low-carb diet. He also warns against going too low if you have active disease, saying this can make it worse somehow (not sure how).

So 60-70 grams per day is what I'm shooting for. I haven't been counting carbs, but I think I'm probably in that ballpark if I'm eating no grain or candy, and not too much fruit (just a lot of apples, lately). At some point when I've developed new eating habits I'll count up my carbs and see how I'm doing. Right now I'm focusing on the readjustment - cooking for myself, developing new eating habits.

I had an apple and a chunk of cheese for breakfast (with coffee), and scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese for lunch. And felt very unsatisfied. At dinner time I went out and bought two small English scones (homemade at a shop near here) with clotted cream and jam and ate those. Now I feel very satisfied, though this is not what I'm supposed to be eating.

I wonder why I wanted those carbs like that. It wasn't compulsive craving - I have no desire for more. I just really wanted a hit of carbs, and I feel better having had it.

How about starting a journal so you can jot all this when you want?

It's really great motivation if you ever find yourself down, and just a good habit to write anyhow!

I think your start to the day might've been the problem. If you had had some really good fat and more protein, without the sugar in the apple, you probably wouldn't have been craving later in the day. I always found something like bacon and eggs or meat for breakfast was about the best start I can get.

And cheese tends to make me nuts too.

It wasn't an emotional craving, it was physical. My body wanted carbs. I didn't overeat. All I had was two small scones - little, like 2" across (baking powder biscuits).



I was trying for that with the cheese, but probably there wasn't enough protein. I think cheddar cheese is mostly fat.

I bought some sausages today. I'll have eggs and sausage tomorrow morning and see how that makes me feel. Thanks for the suggestion.

This is really good advice. For some reason, getting in a good protein/fat breakast is *key* for me in terms of sticking to plan all day long. Don't skimp on breakfast

My best days involve a really good breakfast - something rather 'more-ish' in terms of protein, calories and fat content. The thing is - this sets the stage for the whole rest of the day, making sticking to 'plan' that much easier.

I think that my breakfasts are problably highest in calories, compared to the rest of the meals/snacks I might eat throughout the day.

This all started when I began going to the gym at dark o'clock in the morning. It seemed important to get in some protein relatively soon after getting back from gym. Gym or no gym, there *is* something to be said for starting the day off with a low-carb, high protein and somewhat high-fat breakfast. It makes the whole day easier!

I'm recovering from some carb cravings caused by eating out the other day. And today it was a lot easier because my first meal of the day was steak. It's magical because once I eat a big slab of beef I'm totally uninterested in anything for quite a long time. I think that might be what makes that work for the carnivores.