Sugar addiction/no willpower!

[loopyloou]

I have been eating low carb for just over a year on and off, but I'm really struggling at the moment. Unfortunately things are a bit difficult at present (dh out of work, no savings to fall back on) and I'm feeling quite stressed and anxious.

I keep trying to get back on track, but have no willpower and am comfort eating. However, now I can't seem to get enough sweet stuff and today for example I have had low carb breakfast, lunch and dinner but also a (very) small toblerone, a small dairy milk bar, a mini magnum and a bag of pork scratchings. I feel like I can't satisfy my chocolate cravings anymore. I sometimes wish I hadn't started eating the low carb way, as at least before I didn't crave chocolate this much.

Last week I was sticking to low carb until yesterday but had this fat stomach which doesn't go down, no matter how well I eat. It's frustrating and that's when I lose the plot. I haven't been weighing myself as I thought that way I could spare myself the frustration of not losing weight, but due to my bloated stomach I am still frustrated.

I think I may have to accept that now is not the time for me to eat this way and hope that maybe if I eat what I want the cravings will return to normal? Become less of a problem.

I'm not sure what I'm asking for here. I guess some advice ...

I hope if I try to eat low carb a lot of the time my diet will still be healthier than before. I have no cravings for potatoes, pasta or bread, it's just chocolate really!

Sorry, I know I sound pathetic. I think it's partly a bit hormonal, partly tiredness - been working six days a week and can't sleep in the heat - and partly worry and anxiety.

I know that the cravings are meant to lessen with time, but I have tried this for over a year and the cravings don't go. They did lessen last year, then at Christmas I ate some chocolates etc and since then I can't get rid of the cravings.

By the way I don't have much to lose. I'm 5 feet 7 and weigh 10 st 10 or thereabouts, I wanted to get down to 10 stone and also lose my round stomach as i look 6 months pregnant!

Are you craving sweets, or chocolate?

If chocolate - have you tried really dark chocolate? Lindt's 85% is about 20g carbs for 100g, and just a couple of squares (so 4g carbs) might be enough to give you the hit, as it sounds specifically like choc rather than sugar generally you're craving. Green & Black's 85% is a bit nicer but a bit higher in carbs.

Yes, it's chocolate that I'm craving.

I have bought Green & Blacks 85% before but prefer small bars as otherwise I might eat the whole big bar.

Have you tried supplementing with en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_deficiency_(medicine)magnesium?

Chocolate is a good source of magnesium; it's possible that your body is trying to tell you something.

magnesium, sorry

Hmm I don't know. I do get foot and leg cramps since low carbing and I am dizzy often, but put that down to low blood pressure. I have some magnesium spray I spray on my legs but I keep forgetting to use it. Or should I take tablets?

Although to be honest I still think it's greed/sugar addiction!

Cramps, dizziness, and a strong craving for chocolate are all associated with magnesium deficiency. Chocolate's got about 3x the amount of magnesium as practically any other food, but it's still only about 40% of your RDA, a whole bar of Green and Black's, so if you're low it would make sense that you are both eating chocolate and craving more.

If I were you, I'd listen to my body and try eating some dark chocolate every day for a few weeks and supplementing with chelated magnesium. If you start to feel better, maybe that's it, and you can taper off with the chocolate and keep supplementing with magnesium. You might find you only need to take supplements around your period.

I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice.

Thank you Any recommendations for good magnesium supplements? - ideally not too expensive as am having to watch every penny at present and also not one that will affect my stomach (have read magnesium can cause diarrhoea).

Thanks

You get diarrhea when you're trying to excrete excess magnesium so if you get that it's because you're not deficient; so that's a clear sign there's something else going and you can stop taking it.

I don't have a specific brand I can recommend, sorry! I had a quick look on amazon and this seems a good price. Or if you already have some oil try using that (lots) first, before you buy anything.

The other classic method is Epsom Salts in the bath. Like, half a kilo in there. www.justasoap.co.uk/bath-time/bath-dead-sea-epsom-salts/bath-salts/ But there's not really any good evidence for this working tbh.

Do you drink fizzy drinks? That's what makes me crave sugar.

No, no fizzy drinks for a long time. I only drink black (decaff) coffee, water and sometimes a glass of wine.

It's the fact that, yes, I used to eat junk, but in normal amounts. Now I seem to crave chocolate and I can eat a bar of dairy milk and fancy another straight after. It's never enough.

I guess I've still cut lots of sugar out of my diet by no longer eating cereals, jam, taking sugar in my tea (and I drank a lot of tea!), not baking cakes or biscuits, not eating processed stuff, not drinking juice anymore.

I used the magnesium spray liberally last night. I think I'll use it up first. H&B have magnesium capsules, 150 mg I think for £5, so I might try them after that.