I have been on a remotely-supervised diet plan for about four months. (Yes, my GP approves.) My meals are very well-balanced, spread out through the day, etc. Right now, I’m being held to 1300 calories a day with 30 grams of fat. There are occasional treats (frozen yougurt, graham crackers, etc) involved. I also exercise every day.
Things have been going well for me up to this point, but lately I find that for about 2 hours after meals I crave sweets. This is not the “Gosh, I think I’d like some candy corn” type of craving, but rather a “Sweet Jesus, give me the candy corn or I will not be responsible for my actions!” craving. I try to keep it under control with diet soda and fresh and dried fruits, but that’s really not acceptable either.
Does anyone know if there would be some kind of viatmin deficiency or some other condition that could be behind this? It’s driving me to distraction. Seriously. My hands are shaking right now because I want something sweet so badly.
Help me, Dopers. Before I hurt someone over a scoop of ice cream.
Have you ever read Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet? I am not saying the diet or the science is any good…but the whole diet is based on the concept of “insulin resistance,” which supposedly causes the exact phenomena you are talking about. IANAD, but it might be worth looking at.
Sounds like your blood-suggar level is dropping and your brain is triggering a craving for a food which will effectively remedy that situation. The brain is pretty good about driving you towards the foods which would provide what you need. Why this is happening so recently, IANA diet expert so I would only guess. But 1300 calories sound like small ammount to maintain a normally active lifestyle.
Do you have any other symptoms or problems? An intense craving for sugar can go along with depression (and other things), and can be a totally real physical problem, and not just something that’s all in your head.
Also, how much do you weigh? That seems to me like a fairly lean diet unless you’re pretty small. I would be out committing mass murder on a diet like that, but I’m pretty big.
Any diabetics in the family?
Try eating your carbs with protein, see if that helps the cravings. Candy corn has no fat. I know 9 gummy bears is a single serving of carbs(15 grams).
I wouldn’t have thought of that, but I bet that’s it exactly. I have depression, but not to the degree that I have to be medicated, and I spent the last week or so on something of a downswing. I’m doing much better today, and the craving is lessened. I’ll have to plan accordingly in the future.
Jeez, if the answer to that one had been a snake, it woulda bit me.
FTR: I stand 5’4" and I weigh 146, down from 169. My assigned calorie intake changes every week based on the week’s loss or gain; 1300 is the lowest it ever goes. It can go as high as 1600, but it’s usually 1400 or 1450. Probably should have mentioned that in the OP, but what are you gonna do?
That book looks interesting, voguevixen. I was diagnosed as hypoglycemic when I was in my early teens, but my doctor believes (and my general experience confirms) that I grew out of it before I was out of high school (I’m 21 now). I’m sure some of my food preferences and cravings were shaped by and are left over from that condition, though. I’ll see if the library has a copy.
