TOM and cravings
 

So I have been doing the IP plan for a few weeks and felt great then I just had a really bad week, but I maintained pretty well but its time to get back on plan. However, I have TOM this week and all I want is Milk Chocolate Chips.. Just wondering if you guys have any tips on how to handle cravings, getting back in ketosis, and resisting the urge to cheat. Thanks for the support, you are all inspiring!

I have found that tea with stevia has been my go to when cravings hit. I don't know what it is about it...I think it is just having something to "sip" on while watching tv or browsing online.

Also- wait 15 minutes before you eat something off plan. Tell you a little story that happened to me on the weekend! We were on our way home from the lake and we stopped in a little town at the grocery store to find something for dinner. I got my husband a sandwich, myself a whole rotisserie chicken (took off the skin and ate the breasts! haha) and my daughter a bag of cheezies to munch on. BIG mistake. The darn cheezies bothered me the rest of the entire trip home (about 45 min drive) I wanted them sooooooooo badly! I told my husband to throw the darn bag out the window but he wouldn't because heaven forbid we waste some food! So I kept saying to myself you don't need them...you don't need them...skinny feels better than eating cheezies! And within 10-15 minutes I had moved on and could care less about the cheezies anymore. :) So cravings do pass. It is a difficult 10-15 min but if you can get through it- you will be so happy with youself aftewards. :)

Jojo - I feel like a freak because I'm always craving. I think about cheating so much I sometimes expect to gain weight even though I've been 100% OP! If you are really about to go off plan, try having a restricted bar. Even if you've already had your restricted for day. That is better than going off plan and knocking yourself out of keto! For me the caramel crunch bars are so delicious, they are just like desert. I take tiny little nibbles and sip water/coffee in between to drag it out. It's also TOM for me, I'm grumpy and I just ate my bar. Now I wish I had about 4 more of them LOL. If you are doing IP they have chocolate covered soy puffs, you might try those. I have never tried them but I know they are small like chips, you can suck on them to drag it out. Best of luck to you!

Also whenever I think about cheating I think about how I'll feel in the morning, when I step on the scale and I wonder, what would the scale say if I HADN'T cheated yesterday?? And look, you're almost into the 150
s! I'll be there soon too I hope :)

I try to find IP products that help with my cravings... have you tried the choc soy puffs? You get the choc and the crunch...

I make bread out of the potato puree when I want a 'sandwich'.. maybe freeze the choc pudding and pretend its ice cream?

There are also many non-IP products (alternatives) that may help your cravings with staying within the limits of IP...

Hope this helps!

This was a timely post for me, as I just finished AF.

When I started IP, I hadn't had AF/TOM in a VERY LONG TIME. I wasn't aware of when it was starting or what my symptoms were. The first few months that I had it, I found that the day it started I was a monster. I couldn't help myself from going off plan, it was a very bizarre problem. But every time my will power wavered and I 'cheated' it resulted in my period starting.

Now, I've learned that when I start to crave like crazy, start to go crazy and find myself wavering for the foods that normally don't tempt me...it's for a reason.

I don't know how to get through them yet, it's something I'm still working on...but I will say that giving in to them SUCKS big time. Setting yourself back a week, having to work to go back into Ketosis, getting through the withdrawal of carbs again...it all sucks and is not worth it. Next month, I'm going to have to really be aware and remind myself that it's not worth it.

Good luck...stay strong.

Wow guys thanks for the responses, I feel better now knowing I am not the only one! You guys have awesome stats and this definitely keeps me motivated! Luckily my TOM symptoms have subsided.. .would having the ocasional second restricted when the TOM cravings hit throw me out of ketosis?

And coloradogirl.. I know, the almost 150s is very exciting territory! Keep up the good work!!1:carrot:

I've been lucky not to have cravings so far.. but I always have some Chocolate Soy Puffs handy (drooling just thinking about it) as well as the Cran-Granata bar. I love the White cheddar ridges and have use them as croutons in my big lunch salad. When I started the IP, everytime I was thinking about the "other bad" food I was eating, I would drink water with enhancers (MIO, aquasmart, ICE) and the thought was gone !!
Good luck to you !

WCR as croutons... That is frickin genius.

I have had an extra restricted and it didn't throw me out of ketosis. I just wouldn't do it everyday.