Does this happen to anyone else?

[maggerson]

So for the most part, I eat pretty well - decent amounts of protein and veggies, relatively limited carb intake (I'm diabetic, so y'know, there's a good reason to stick to a Paleo-ish eating style).

However, once every couple months my body just goes into "I need chocolate ice cream and cookies for a week" mode, and I seem to lose all sense of control over food intake and what I'm eating. Pizza, ice cream, weird vending machine snacks - I can't inhale enough of it.

Needless to say, I feel like crap for ages afterward, and my blood sugar is usually all messed up (I have to take more insulin than usual to cover the bad foods). Apart from the diabetes-specific stuff, does this happen with anyone else? Do you guys have weeks like this, and is it a recurring thing?

I do pretty well at getting back on the wagon, I just can't imagine why this happens so regularly. Bleh.

[Horsedog]

So for the most part, I eat pretty well - decent amounts of protein and veggies, relatively limited carb intake (I'm diabetic, so y'know, there's a good reason to stick to a Paleo-ish eating style).

However, once every couple months my body just goes into "I need chocolate ice cream and cookies for a week" mode, and I seem to lose all sense of control over food intake and what I'm eating. Pizza, ice cream, weird vending machine snacks - I can't inhale enough of it.

Needless to say, I feel like crap for ages afterward, and my blood sugar is usually all messed up (I have to take more insulin than usual to cover the bad foods). Apart from the diabetes-specific stuff, does this happen with anyone else? Do you guys have weeks like this, and is it a recurring thing?

I do pretty well at getting back on the wagon, I just can't imagine why this happens so regularly. Bleh.

Totally. About 3 years ago, I noticed that I started to feel like ass by day 2, though, so my binges started shrinking in duration. Now, I'm usually back on track within 24 hours. I'm not sure if the cravings will ever really go away. Frankly, I enjoy satisfying them every once in a while:)

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Oh yeah. I'll be good for 2-3 weeks then one day I'll just snap and et like 3-4 donuts in a sitting or something then ice cream later. Usually doesn't last mroe than 24 hours. I do my best to control myself though.

[coonskee]

This is complete theory, but when you started eating more paleo/learned you were diabetic, did you completely cut out sweets and junk food, or did you do it gradually? Maybe scaling yourself back (i.e. allowing one 'cheat' day a week, where you have dessert or some chips or whatever) will help you avoid Epic Binge Mode?

Also, you could try making 'paleo' desserts to satisfy the cravings. Making meringue is REALLY easy, and I think that there are certain sweeteners that are okay for diabetics to eat. Meringue only uses egg whites and sugar (6 egg whites and 1.5 cups (eek!) sugar, so probably .75 cups sweetener); whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then add sugar/sweetener in slowly and continue beating until stiff peaks form. You can use one of two methods to bake: preheat the oven to 350F, then put the meringues in and turn off the oven, leaving them to bake for 5 hours; OR, preheat to 275, cook for ~1hr, then turn off and let sit in the oven for another hour.

Edit: Yes, I know that sweetener is kind of controversial

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Btw, today was one of those days. I had 4 donuts at work and felt like crap until I could get to the gym.

[Horsedog]

...until I could get to the gun.

A gun seems like an overreaction...what about going to the gym instead?

[maggerson]

Oooh, I never considered meringue being an okay thing to eat! That's a brilliant idea.

I actually had a lot of trouble working myself into the Paleo diet, because prior to that (and my diagnosis), I had been eating horrendous food but, since I was an undiagnosed diabetic, I was still losing tons of weight. My brain is still really messed up about food, I think, and honestly I'm kind of glad I'm not the only one who has times like this.

Oh, NFers, you make me feel like less of a freak and I'm so grateful! Thanks guys.

[Photobrandon]

This is just a guess, but if your daily carbs are low enough it could be glycogen depletion leading to the cravings. The occasional carb refeed every 6 weeks or so might prevent the sugar binge cravings. Or the occasional (once every week or every other week) planned cheat meal, as coonskee mentioned. The best time to have your cheat meal, if you do go that route, is within 4 hours of working out, as your insulin sensitivity will be best then, so even diabetic your body should handle it better than otherwise.

One of my favorite mostly healthy cheat meals/desserts is Banana "Ice Cream". Take 2 bananas, peel them and chop them up finely, and place them in the freezer for an hour or two. Then blend in a blender or food processor with a tiny bit of milk or almond milk (and by tiny I mean like 1-2 tbsp), a splash of vanilla, and even a bit of protein powder if you like. Mix in a couple of chunks of unsweetened dark chocolate if you like as well. Or some cinnamon works well too. Its yummy. If you want to freeze the bananas ahead of time you can, but you need to let them defrost for about 30 minutes or so or they won't blend.

[empeg9000]

I still get occasional cravings even though I have been paleo for about 7 months. I usually indulge a little if I really need it if I am on a weekend getaway or something.

[Blaidd]

Maggerson, it happens to me every now and again too (and i don't have a sweet tooth - don't even like chocolate). I have learnt that dried cranberries are sweet enough to put me off sweet things for a while and they're pretty paleo-friendly. The meringues are also nice with a sugar free berry coulis.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

A gun seems like an overreaction...what about going to the gym instead?

autocorrect FTW.

[Horsedog]

autocorrect FTW.

[Corbab]

It's happened to me a few times. I've been primal for over 6 months now, and I still get the occasional ravenous craving for all things flour-based. Sometimes, it's just a case of nothing else in the house, so I eat one thing, and then use that as an excuse for another, and on and on... Recently, they've been coming less and less frequently, and I can avoid them almost entirely, so long as I stay full on paleo-approved food.

[Seabright]

One of my favorite mostly healthy cheat meals/desserts is Banana "Ice Cream". Take 2 bananas, peel them and chop them up finely, and place them in the freezer for an hour or two. Then blend in a blender or food processor with a tiny bit of milk or almond milk (and by tiny I mean like 1-2 tbsp), a splash of vanilla, and even a bit of protein powder if you like. Mix in a couple of chunks of unsweetened dark chocolate if you like as well. Or some cinnamon works well too. Its yummy. If you want to freeze the bananas ahead of time you can, but you need to let them defrost for about 30 minutes or so or they won't blend.

OMG, this is brilliant! Can't wait to try it!

On the binging-and-eating-chocolate-chip-cookies-pastries-donuts-french-fries-and-general-garbage-every-now-and-then front (*raises hand*) me, too, as well, also. For me, the initial kick-off of a cookie is quickly followed by the oh-what-the-hell phase in which I shove everything I can into my gaping maw. Then the remorseful jeez-I-am-so-stupid phase. Then the well-let's-get-back-to-it phase rescues me. 'Bout every few weeks or so.

[Jiigigaw]

My family has lived paleo for some time now, and I just wanted to toss in some info really quick. Many women make a mistake and go really low carb with a paleo diet. This is typically a bad idea as women need to maintain a diet a bit heavier than men in carbs. My wife's experince reflected this. When she matched me, her ketones skyrocketed in her urine, she was drained, and she was constantly having insane cravings.

When she introduced foods that I limited that are still 100% paleo (Sweet potatoes, squash, fruit, heirloom potatoes, etc), she perked right up and no longer craved the junk food. I find that the blog I have posted below is a great resource for women that go paleo. The author of the blog is very intelligent and is loaded with good information. Good luck fighting the cravings!

http://www.paleoforwomen.com/

[Merentha]

The same thing was happening to me - I'd see my roomie and one of our friends going for an ice cream run on movie night and feel soooo deprived. It led to fairly regular (monthly?) binging on dark chocolate. I stay pretty close to 100% primal for uh, digestive reasons -- even when I binge, I don't screw around with grains. But ohhhh, I wanted the ice cream.

So, I let myself have it. It's only once every couple of weeks, it's gluten free, and if I'm not feeling totally deprived from totally depriving myself, I'm perfectly happy with two scoops of mint ice cream, no toppings. And that much of a sugar pulse doesn't make me feel bad (though I do tend to go to bed reeeeallly early on those nights.)

Weirdly, the day after I find I've usually lost a chunk of weight. I'm not advocating an ice cream diet or anything, honest - but I do think sometimes carbing back up for a day can be beneficial.