After having stalled for a few months past my first week of induction I cut everything out and went on another induction. I cut out completely splenda, aspartame, caffeine. Only veggies was one romaine salad a day. I finally moved off of my stall and went down another 6 pounds!

As a reward (yeah, I know...) I got some carb smart ice cream bars from the grocery store. Lesson learned, I'm sure these are great for an occasional treat but my box was gone within 2 days. Then I bought another one the next grocery trip, lol.

Even fake sugars get the munchies going and bring the cravings back. And I haven't seen any loss the last week 1/2. So back to the induction drawing board, I really don't mind the stall or find it painful to go back to induction, just learned something new! I am at least happy to report I didn't bounce back up at all, which had been happening in the past few months.

Maybe further down the line I can incorporate occasional treats when I'm closer to my goal or have more self control (I'm speaking as if either of these things are possible, lol, maybe this time!!)

Sugar substitutes gave me headaches so I don't use them anymore.

I'm very addicted to diet soda and I'm starting to think that is why I'm so addicted to sweats. I actually get hypoglycemic when I don't drink a diet soda in the morning I'm having a real hard time giving them upl
Canadianwoman I love your avatar!

Thanks Carrie. When I saw that pic of Marilyn eating a bunless hotdog I had to have it.

I used to be a diet pepsi addict but a year ago I gave them up cold turkey. I have not had one since. It was tough at first but as time passed it got better and I felt better.

Oh yes!!!Sugar alcohols=major digestive issues for me!!!!!

From what I've read it's not just the negative effects of sugar alcohols (which are indeed awful for many) but also how the body reacts to other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, splenda, etc.

For many of us, when your body tastes sweet - at the moment of the arrival on the taste buds, your body secretes excess insulin to deal with the arrival of sweet -- note that this is WAY BEFORE the food can be properly digested & the body realizes it's fake sugar, not real sugar. That is one reason why a lot of people on low carb have a really hard time with diet sodas and sugar replacements in desserts, coffee, etc -- your body is still giving the exaggerated insulin response (not to the full extent of eating carbs, but still, well beyond what the 'induction type' foods will give you.

I do think that for some people this effect is greater than for others, but I think if someone is using a lot of artifical sweetener and unhappy with their weight loss or stalled, removing these items for a few weeks is a good strategy.

...and for those who haven't tried the "seriously dark" chocolates - 80%, 90%, - even 99% and 100% for the truly brave, they can be really excellent but your taste buds need to be used to no sugar for them to not taste bitter. Lindt is making a 99% now in the US too. Another option is mixing pure cocoa powder (unsweetened) into some marsacpone cheese (in Italian foods stores, it's used for tiramisu) - this is how I handle the chocolate craving. You probably could try with cream cheese, although it might be too tangy.

I've cut out all sugar/substitutes. I just can't handle the sweetness, it causes huge cravings for me. I still drink coffee, but I get a small Americano with nothing added.

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible. If I really need a bit of sweet (like in the mock danish) I use a pinch of Splenda or sometimes a pinch of stevia. It's been almost a year now and I'm pretty used to it.

I never thought of using marscapone. When I occasionally get a craving for chocolate, I mix 2 TBS of coconut oil with 1 TBS of pure cocoa powder, spread it on a silpat and freeze it. Then break it up into pieces. Tastes like dark chocolate. I can't eat the whole thing though...I forgot chocolate has caffeine in it and with such pure chocolate, it gave me that unpleasant buzzy jittery feeling when I first ate too much.

That coconut oil idea would work too, but I'm not a huge fan of it, and I find the marscapone easily at my local grocery. It doesn't take much to get the fill of chocolate.

There are also some chocolate bars that are available that are 99% or 100% -- an acquired taste to be sure, but if you already liked dark chocolate and you've gotten out of the sweet habit (including artifical ones) they can be good in small quantities.