About the nature of cravings...

[Zoe]

I was wondering, given the circumstances (i.e., being a vegetarian who doesn't cook and can only eat tuna and very rarely other kinds of fish, but I force myself to do so because I hate fish), how can I tell whether my cravings are due to the fact that the food I introduce into each rung is not "appropriate" (carb-wise) or due to the fact that I like the taste, so I crave eating more of that because it's much more "pleasant"?
For example, even if I'm starving, I cannot eat more than two maximum three cans of tuna a day, but I know for sure that I can eat huge quantities of nuts.

Thanks

[not2late]

Re: About the nature of cravings...

I was wondering, given the circumstances (i.e., being a vegetarian who doesn't cook and can only eat tuna and very rarely other kinds of fish, but I force myself to do so because I hate fish), how can I tell whether my cravings are due to the fact that the food I introduce into each rung is not "appropriate" (carb-wise) or due to the fact that I like the taste, so I crave eating more of that because it's much more "pleasant"?
For example, even if I'm starving, I cannot eat more than two maximum three cans of tuna a day, but I know for sure that I can eat huge quantities of nuts.

Thanks

Cravings can be due to unstable blood sugar. It's only one symptom of blood sugar instability.There's a huge chart in Chapter 12 or 13 of DANDR that lists blood sugar instabiity symptoms. So you might want to review that.

When you go on OWL, you add the OWL food to your typical Induction menu. That Induction menu generally doesn't have food that is "new" to you, because you ate that food for at least 14 days. Your Induction menu becomes your "control" menu. The OWL food becomes the experimental food. If you add OWL food X, and you stop or slow your weight loss and/or you experience any of the blood sugar instability symptoms listed in the chart, then you remove that OWL food from your menu for a couple of days, and reintroduce it again. If you still encounter problems, then you know it's the OWL food that's doing it.

As for tuna, if you hate a food, why eat it? There's no need to force yourself to eat foods you don't like. Atkins gives you a wide variety of food choices. As a vegetarian you can eat seitan or tofu as your protein sources. Or at least eat another variety of fish. I limit my tuna consumption for 1 very important reason: mercury and heavy metal contamination.
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

Granted I'm not a pregnant or lactating woman, nor am I a young child, but better safe than sorry, imo.,

[Zoe]

Re: About the nature of cravings...

[QUOTE=not2late]
As for tuna, if you hate a food, why eat it? There's no need to force yourself to eat foods you don't like. Atkins gives you a wide variety of food choices. As a vegetarian you can eat seitan or tofu as your protein sources.

Thanks for the response not2late I've never heard of seitan before and I am not sure I've seen it at all at my local supermarket here in the UK.
I used to eat vegetarian sausages and burgers, but I think they stall my weightloss, so I have stopped eating them.
I don't like fish in general, and since I have been told that I should treat tofu like cheese (i.e., not eat liberal amounts as I would do with any other protein food source), there's no other way where I can get protein from except for tuna

[Elizellen]

Re: About the nature of cravings...

How about shrimps and prawns?

[Zoe]

Re: About the nature of cravings...

How about shrimps and prawns?

Thanks for the suggestion Elizellen, but I don't like them either. Do you think I could increase the quantity of tofu from week to week? Each packet of 250gr has 0 carbs (Cauldron). And a last question: What's your opinion about vegetarian sausages and burgers or other meat-like products? Is there any anecdotal evidence that they can stall weight loss or trigger cravings?

Thanks a lot!

[not2late]

Re: About the nature of cravings...

Here's the FAQ for vegetarians: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6729

As for those meatless products...it really depends on the ingredients. Many vegetarian meat substitutes include things like wheat flour or some other grain. So it depends on how your body reacts to these specific additives.

Seitan is wheat protein or gluten. If you have a food intolerance to wheat protein, then seitan might not be the best protein for you.

If you aren't opposed to eggs, you can use egg protein (the whites) as your protein source too.

[Zoe]

Re: About the nature of cravings...

Thanks a lot! That was very helpful