Greetings from Melbourne Australia . I am fine adhering to the BSD lifestle during the day but find that I crave chocolate or some form of snack after I have had my evening meal. Any suggestions to curb these cravings would be gratefully appreciated .

I have had great success to date having lost approximately 13 kg’s in the last 12 weeks but have rently found my resolve being tested.
Thank you for your assistance

Regards

Cameron

Hey Cameron – Wow, fabulous results so far! You must be justifiably really pleased with yourself.

Personally think that cravings are largely in the mind, rather than the body, so diversionary tactics might work – find a way to take your mind somewhere else, maybe going for a walk, or reading, or drink another glass of water. Alternatively, save enough of your cal and carb allowance to allow yourself a square or two of very dark chocolate, a few nuts, or a small portion of yogurt and berries in the evening.

In case it is your body asking for something extra, check you are including enough fat in your meals, to help with feeling sated; also check you are keeping your hydration up too.

Finally, if all else fails try brushing your teeth, as we rarely fancy eating anything immediately after cleaning our teeth and it will probably give you time to focus on something other than a snack.

Hope you find an answer that works for you, but it seems to me you have the BSD cracked!

Hi SunnyB thanks for the advice. Drinking plenty of water but still mindful of fats so will change that up a bit ( many years of avoiding fats takes some getting used to)

Will try the brushing teeth method if will power alone does not work.

Appreciate your suggestion, thank you

Hi Cameron, we are all different but I am eating 90% dark chocolate after meals (1 square per meal) and still losing weight,. I find I can’t eat much of it as it’s so rich. I nibble it to make it last and concentrate on it completely. It’s lower in carbs than 70%. I cant eat any higher % than that, but if I get too accustomed to the 90% I will ‘allow’ myself chocolate but at a higher %.

It’s all headology isn’t it 😂😂 – can’t be doing without my chocolate.

Although as I progress I find it isn’t the sweetness, it’s the fat I crave, so I may have a swig of cream (tablespoon) or some creme fraiche or yoghurt instead and I find that solves the feeling of needing ‘something else’’ as well.

Hi Cameron,
You could try a technique I suggested on the Mindfulness forum:
Close your eyes and imagine you are eating the thing you are craving; really imagine it – the taste, texture, smell. Imagine enjoying every bite and feeling satisfied. Then open your eyes and see if the craving has diminished or even gone.
The theory behind this technique is that the subconscious doesn’t know the difference between reality and imagination, so with a craving (as opposed to real hunger), the ‘imagined’ treat could well be just as satisfying..
SSB

My technique is to have a small cup of warm milk with some cinnamon in it – somehow the cinnamon tricks my brain into thinking I’m eating something sweet, and there’s some evidence (according to the BSD book) that cinnamon helps to regulate blood sugars.

Lots of antioxidant properties too, Alibalibee! 🙂

Thank you all for your posts and suggestions. I will definately give these a go and get back on track. Been really strong for the majority of the last 13 weeks and don’t want to succumb and fall into bad habits which in turn will become dead behaviours.

Appreciate all your support
Regards

Cameron

Hi I’m going to be slightly different here as you are at the 12 weeks which is when i went back to a normal calorie count but still kept to BSD principles and have still lost weight but much slower pace. I too like to have a treat after dinner not always but sometimes just want something and I worried I would ‘crave’ for so long that I would give in. My go to treat would be avacado cacao powder (not cocoa) almond milk almond butter chia seed splash of maple syrup whipped up with ice – healthy chocolatey ‘milkshake’ yum! Three months ago I started having more fruit and will have something after dinner. BUT this is because I had a good habc1 result at 12 weeks. Now three months after introducing more fruit into diet my habc1 last week is now 37 and my ldl dropped and hdl increased. I’m great believer in good carbs vs bad carbs and have never kept to less than 50 per day. I keep experimenting and it seems to work for me. So you need to see what works for you as we are all so different- maybe like me you will be able to tolerate more fruit as a sweet treat but go slow with it. And if not, my chocolatey milkshake does work

Hi, just for info, I tried the imagining technique twice today – once when my oh was eating a scone with black currant jam and clotted cream and again when I met my friend in Costa’s and there was a range of cakes and biccies – and I can honestly say it really does work – after imagining eating these temptations, I was able to resist completely without even a pang!
SSB

Thanks for your replies and support. I am going to introduce some frozen berries as an after dinner snack and also try the imagery if I crave chocolate etc. I am considering reverting to 5.2 from the start of December but may just continue on the BSD until the new year and then change.
My hbac 1 has improved from nearly 8.0 to 6.1 and I am no longer taking am/pm insulin so this is definitely working for me. I am confident of getting through this craving period and continuing on my way to my goal of 72 kg’s and controlled diabetes management.

Thanks again to you all. Your support and advice is invaluable

Regards

Cameron