How can I do low carb if I crave sugar



Cravings

How can I follow a low carb diet if I crave sugar? Cravings

Cravings for carbs, whether they are for sugar or starch, are a sign that addiction is likely an issue. Some of us can eat just one cookie the rest of us can’t stop until they’re gone. Recognizing your addiction is the beginning of learning to control it. And the surefire way to cure any addiction is abstinence.

Atkins eliminates sugar and refined flour items from the diet, breaking the addiction cycle. Meanwhile, including fat and protein in the diet decreases hunger and increases satiety making it easier to make better food choices and control quantities.

Once cravings disappear, usually after the third or fourth day on Induction, people find they have more control over what they eat. This occurs as the blood sugar stabilizes. For additional support, the supplements chromium and glutamine can help to overcome cravings for sugar or refined carbs.

Weight Loss

Is it true that Atkins is really a low calorie diet? Weight loss

While some people on Atkins eat fewer calories than before, it is not because the program unduly limits food intake, requires calorie counting or food choices are boring. People are eating fewer calories because they are generally less hungry and less obsessed with food. This has been borne out by research done on the Atkins Lifestyle. This is a benefit of stabilizing blood sugar and allowing an adequate amount of protein and fat in the diet.

Several studies have shown that people following an Atkins type plan can eat more calories than a low-fat dieter—and lose more weight. Dr. Atkins called this a metabolic advantage. For example, one of the first studies on low carb of overweight and obese teens at Schneider Children’s Hospital in New Hyde Park, New York, found that those on a high-protein, high-fat diet of 1,800 calories a day lost 10.5 more pounds on average than did those in a group eating a typical low-fat, 1,100-calorie diet. And in the high-protein group, total cholesterol and triglyceride levels dropped while HDL “good” cholesterol increased.

Another study showed a metabolic advantage of 300 calories when compared to a low fat calorie restricted diet.

The calorie advantage is not limitless however. To follow Atkins correctly it is best to eat until pleasantly satisfied but not stuffed.

Balanced Diet

How can Atkins be healthy if it isn’t a balanced diet? Balanced diets

If balanced means containing large amounts of refined carbohydrates, Atkins is, in fact, deliberately “unbalanced,” because it is a corrective program. The excessive secretion of insulin is the reason most people are overweight and the best way to fix an insulin disorder is to limit the very foods that stimulate insulin–carbohydrates. Doing so corrects the imbalance that exists in the typical American diet, which includes hundreds of grams of carbohydrates a day-mostly those of poor quality.

The Atkins Lifestyle is not lacking in basic nutrition when done correctly. Even during the Induction phase one consumes four cups of leafy green salad vegetables every day or alternatively three cups of salad and one cup of cooked vegetables, along with fruits such as olives, avocado and tomato.

As people advance through the phases to Lifetime Maintenance carbs are added in the form of a more liberal intake of vegetables, low glycemic fruits, legumes and even whole grains if one’s metabolism allows.

There is nothing unhealthy about eating primarily whole foods and avoiding foods with added sugars and refined carbohydrates.

Coping strategies

How do I cope with holiday meals? Coping strategies

Socializing over the holidays is a part of the fun yet can be a minefield for anyone trying to manage weight. It’s common for people on a diet to give up their plan during a vacation or holiday season with the intention to get back on quickly. Yet weeks or months later they are still struggling with the results of that decision. The key to being successful is to plan ahead, be flexible and create a strategy.

Change your goal from weight loss to weight maintenance for the short term. This may be the very first time you have ever maintained your weight on vacation or over a holiday season and that’s a victory!

Eat plenty of protein and fats to maintain a more stable blood sugar and to control hunger and cravings. Bring a low carb dessert or a special dish to a dinner party such as faux mashed potatoes to help you stay on track.

Eat a small meal before attending holiday dinners or other parties. All too often, people skip lunch because they know they will be sitting down to a big dinner. You will be better off having a filling snack to keep the blood sugar under control before facing an array of tempting carbohydrates.

Drink plenty of water to help you feel full.

When drinking alcohol be sure to do so with food. Drink in moderation as too much alcohol makes you less resistant to temptation.

If you do fall off the wagon resume your program immediately. Don’t let one failure lead to numerous others.

Insomnia

Why do I have bad dreams since beginning a low carb diet? insomnia

This may be caused by the effects of toxins and chemicals stored in fat cells as they are released. As fat is broken down and used for fuel, toxins are carried to the liver and eventually excreted. This is why drinking water is important- to help flush out these substances.

In people who have no or limited dream recall as they begin to remember dreams the initial dreams are often unpleasant. This usually lasts for a short time only. It is a more normal state to have dream recall.

Most individuals actually find their sleep patterns improve since the blood sugar is more stable when controlling carbs.

The usual experience is to fall asleep faster, awake less often during the night and wake up more refreshed. Some people even find that they need lees sleep than before.

A small protein snack an hour or so before sleep can also help keep the blood sugar more even during the night improving sleep.

Keep in mind that sleep disturbances are a sign of sleep apnea, a serious complication of obesity. Consult a physician to rule out sleep apnea.

Hormones

Do birth control pills affect weight loss?

hormones

Birth control pills contain estrogen, which can certainly have a negative impact on one’s ability to lose weight. Estrogen causes more fat to be stored in tissues rather than being burned as energy. Hormones increase insulin resistance, making weight loss more difficult.

Note that all hormones, regardless of route of administration, can slow weight loss.

Because of the negative impact of hormones on blood sugar and insulin regulation, long term use should be discussed with the doctor especially in someone with metabolic syndrome, prediabetes or diabetes.

Exercise

Can I gain muscle mass with a low carb diet? exercise

Weight lifters have discovered that by adhering to a controlled carb regimen, they can get much better muscle definition and lean body-mass to fat ratios. Controlling carb intake allows the body to use fat as the fuel source, thus creating better body composition. By lowering carb intake and increasing the percent of protein and fat eaten, one can provide needed protein for muscle mass while decreasing fat stores. That is because dietary fat is used for energy instead of being stored as body fat.

Weight Maintenance

Can a normal weight person do Atkins? weight maintenance

 Atkins is recommended for more than weight loss. It is a ticket to weight maintenance, good health and disease prevention. Anyone can experience the health benefits associated with controlled carbohydrate nutrition.

Use an Induction level menu as a base, and then add liberal amounts of vegetables low in carbs with a smaller amount of nuts and starchy veges such as yams, carrots and peas. Also add fruits such as melons and berries, as well as legumes and whole grains. While consuming a regular intake of protein, add as much of these foods at levels that allow maintenance of a normal weight.

Be use to use a variety of natural fats such as olive oil, butter etc.

Do avoid empty carbs in the form of packaged or processed foods, added sugars and foods with manufactured trans fats.

Gall Bladder

Can I still follow Atkins without a gallbladder? gallbladder disease

Even without a gallbladder the body still makes bile which emulsifies fat. Many people who have had their gallbladders removed do well controlling carbs.

When one has been following a low fat diet it is best to begin doing a lower fat version of Atkins, slowly introducing fats until tolerance is established.

Most people are able to do Atkins without difficulty.

Gall Bladder Disease

Does a low carb diet cause gallstones? gallbladder disease

Many people develop gallstones when following a low fat diet because the gallbladder is not exercised enough or emptied completely and stones form.

Many overweight people have gallstones as a complication of obesity. It is when the stones move or obstruct the flow of bile that trouble can start.

If gallbladder symptoms begin when following Atkins, consult your physician because a pre-existing stone may have moved once the gallbladder began to function more regularly. This is an infrequent occurrence more likely to happen to someone who has been consuming a very low fat diet.

Regaining weight

Why do some people regain weight when they move off of the Induction phase? Regaining weight

When one starts adding carbohydrates back when moving from Induction into the progressively less restrictive phases of the Atkins Lifestyle, people sometimes begin to lose track of how many grams of net carbs they're eating. If that happens, a person is likely to regain pounds lost. That is why it is very important to increase one’s daily carb intake by only five grams each week at most and to introduce only one new food at a time. That way, it will be easier to immediately notice if a new food is causing cravings that lead to over-eating. For example, if after eating nuts, hunger returns again in a few hours, cut out the nuts and see if the appetite is better controlled. Nuts can be especially troublesome because they are easy to over-consume.

Many people get sloppier with food choices once they have lost some weight and are often unaware of how many extra carbs they are eating. They develop carb creep. Resume reading labels to be sure that you are not a victim of carb creep.

Another way to stay in control is to keep a food diary to spot troublesome foods before they set up a pattern of cravings and gorging.

Reread the books to refresh your memory especially when you are ready to individualize your plan beyond Induction.

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