I started the Atkins Diet Monday. No problem. Haven’t strayed at all. Haven’t been tempted. Haven’t been hungry. Haven’t even missed the bourbon and wine (well, maybe a little).
But suddenly, out of nowhere, I just got hit with the most overwhelming urge to eat something starchy that I have ever endured!!!
Pride alone will keep me from going to the machine. I can’t admit defeat to anyone, and if I wandered into the cube with a bag of Cheetos, I’d be busted. But Jeeebus, this is harsh!
Does it let up?
I’m not strong enough to go through this for days on end. And now the weekend’s coming. Augh!
:eek:
I’ve found that the craving don’t last long - the first few days were tough, though.
Try having something really decadent that’s low-carb, like some gourmet cheese.
If you’re in vending machine hell (work or school), pork rinds satisfy my need to chomp on something crunchy.
I had to stop at the gas station today, and I passed the jerky treats, and I spotted something that I’ll have to try. Buffalo chicken jerky!
I didn’t have the extra 6 bucks to spring for the bag at the time…
I forgot to mention my original point for posting. If you can get by the first 3-4 days without cheating, the carb craving disappears. And the easy way to know that the diet is working is that you’l have a funny taste in your mouth 24-7, until you eat a bunch of carbs.
I have had the same problem. Some things you can try:
Go to any drug store and get one of the low-carb candy bars. Some of them are not bad and they help.
A small handful of nuts
Pepperoni
I make the filling for cheese cake using Splenda and that sometimes helps.
Holy Moley! I thought that said, "I want some Crabs!!!
I was gonna email you my sister’s phone number…
She told me she loved me like a brother. She was from Arkansas, hence the Joy! 
One of my favorites, for flavor as well as the fact that it’s fairly inexpensive, is the DeLite dark chocolate bar that our local Wal-Mart sells.
Try drinking water (flavored ok if not sugared) and eating more protein, perhaps with a little fat/oil for that nice satiated feeling. The urge for carbs passes after a few days, as long as you don’t eat too few calories–low intake pretty much makes your body scream for nice, digestable carbs.
I have the same problem, but I am not on the diet. I am currently housesitting for some people who are on the Atkins diet, and the first night I was here, I realized how little there was to eat that I am used to. I must say, more power to you folks who can stick with it. I don’t think that I could.
I hope that you make it!
Hang in there! It WILL pass. I thought I would die of cravings the first week of Atkins, but then it stopped. In fact, once the cravings went away I didn’t have much of an appetite at all.
(except for during the week of PMS when I tempted to eat anything that is not moving and is either very salty or very sweet, Atkins be damned!)
I second the suggestion of trying the low-carb chocolate bars. I actually prefer Delite chocolate to ‘real’ chocolate now. And the Atkins Peanut butter cups are out of this world.
If you get the craving for something salty/crunchy, pop a few pepperoni slices into the microwave, wrapped in a couple of paper towels. Zap them for about 60-80 seconds (this is trial and error at first, just depends on the wattage). They will turn into little crispy pepperoni chips.
Huh!
I thought the OP was going to complain about the latest engine emissions standards.
Yeah, the cravings pass, and it is cool. I ised to be able to eat a kilo of gummy bears in 2 days. Now I walk by the candy aisle and hardly even pause to think about it.
Do the decadent thing as mentioned. Drink a bottle of coffee cream or something.
I now snack primarily on salami, or I’ll make bacon and eggs if I’m getting hungry.
-Tcat
10 kilos (22lbs) since Jan. 10 and feeling groovy.
Hmmmm… nope, just don’t understand the Atkins diet.
It doesn’t sound like great diet tips to be eating cheese, pork rinds, buffalo chicken jerky, pepperoni, salami, bacon and eggs, and cream.
I could never give up pasta and rice.
Congrats on the 10 kilos Tcat.
What I really like is that I don’t at all crave Wheat Thins or Cheez-Its (two of my favorite things in the whole world). I would like them, but as long as I don’t dwell on them, I don’t actually crave them. I never, ever crave pasta (I’m pretty sure I could give it up for life now), and I don’t even crave bread really, although I still enjoy low carb bread now (Mrs. Baird’s makes a brand that is 6 carbs per slice). I do crave sweets, but sugar free candies are fine (even though they cause severe GI distress in any significant quantities).
Pepperoni chips, some brands of beef jerky, pickles, and bacon all do wonders for salty cravings.
Fat free this and fat free that aren’t any better. They’re LOADED with sugars that just go straight to body fat. Two eggs and two strips of bacon will fill you up more than 3 servings of cereal. At least with the eggs and bacon, you’re forcing your body to use your own body’s fat for energy, therefore you lose weight. I’ve also lost 22 lbs (since Jan 1). My husband has lost 25.
You’d be surprised. It’s not as hard as you’d think (I really, really like rice, but I haven’t eaten any in months). And the white pasta and rice we eat isn’t any healthier than a handful of oreos. Both are simple carbs that easily get converted to sugars and then to fat.
Secret no carb delights:
Sugar Free Jello with freshly whipped cream.
Russell Stover no carb candies (The Pecan Delight is a must)
Cream cheese helped me. If it was a sweet craving, I did the cocoa/splenda/cream cheese thing. If I wanted salt I got smoked pork rinds.
Watch out for the carbolite and delite bars. They are addictive. I’m trying to break myself of that habit this week. They killed my tummy and they made me crave more sweets.
I think Atkins recommends getting a little more fat if you have a carb craving.
OOH, Deadly Accurate, aren’t you on the lowcarb BB? I just joined last week-Memphis Cyn. Singular1, have you tried hooking up with a support board? I’m clueless with links, but here’s the address: http://www.low-carb-friends.com/bbs/index.php?s=
They have an outstanding recipe section on the main site too.
Guava: Giving up pasta and rice is easy. They are flavorless filllers (to me). Last night I ate cheesy mashed caulifllower, grillled smokey chicken breast and a green salad with real bacon, parmesan, full-fat salad dressing and sunflower seeds. For dessert I had mocha cream and strawberries.
I have lost a lot of weight, down three sizes, have taken up and enjoy bellydancing, and I haven’t had a blood sugar spike since the week I started, in early February. AND, I have plenty energy for my construction/painting job.
If there’s anything I miss, it’s mashed taters. The cauiflower is good, but it ain’t no “mocktaters”!
Yeah, that’s me, Rushgeekgirl. I think I’ve seen a few other Dopers (or people with the same usernames as Dopers) over there as well.
I really love the mock mash potatoes, but it could be because I really love cauliflower. I’ve always liked mashed potatoes well enough, but it was no where near my favorite food.
I love this board!
So much support and great advice-I really appreciate all your help! First off, a report-I overcame the urge, and Saturday I went to the club and amazed myself by swimming 40 laps with almost no stop, in 45 minutes (the first evidence of the famous extra energy I’ve been promised), and then weighed myself-6 lbs down in 5 days! Woo-hoo!
Khadaji,norinew, good advice, but I actually have almost no sweet tooth-I haven’t had a candy bar in years! Not so Mr. singular-he is the chocoholic in this relationship. I did makepanna cotta as a dessert, and it is just sweet enough for me. But my cravings are for crunchy-and Greywolf73, that microwaved pepperoni sounds perfect! I love pepperoni, and as soon as I get off induction, I was planning on getting some-who knew it could actually satisfy that crunchy urge too! I can’t wait!
Rushgeekgirl & DeadlyAccurate, I haven’t tried the cauliflower taters yet, but I’m definately going to join that bulletin board right away and get the recipe-I love cauliflower! I remember fried cauliflower from my first Atkins experience in the 70’s, and I’d just forgotten it!
Thanks again, everybody!