Lisa,

You've done a great job figuring out a few things that might contribute to your cravings. Any kind of sweetener evokes beta endorphin, and beta endorphin withdrawal can contribute to cravings. So yes, the xylitol would contribute to cravings for me.

Another thing to take a look at is amount of food and activity level. You are very active, and when I increase my activity, I include protein / complex carb snacks. If I don't get enough food, it can definitely lead to cravings. Have you tried adding in any snacks?

Hope you are able to figure this out. I am so thankful to not struggle with cravings on a daily basis...it is so freeing!

Colette

: Thanks Kathleen for offering your
: help, I do appreciate it! In
: reviewing my food journal I did
: see a few items that may be the
: culprit and I wanted to run them
: by you to get your thoughts &
: see if I was right in my thinking.

: Rather than listing all my meals, I
: did find the following that may be
: red flags:

: 1. Salad dressing: has 6 grams of
: sugar per serving (I eat a salad
: every day for lunch)
: 2. Beets: 4 grams of sugar per
: serving (I add beets to my salad
: each day- 1 serving)
: 3. Xylitol: I do use this in lieu of
: sugar in my coffee (about 2x's a
: day, 1 tsp. each)

: With that said, it looks as though
: I'm actually consuming about 10
: grams of sugar (dressing and
: beets) at lunchtime. Could this
: small amount actually be throwing
: me off?

: As for Xylitol, what are your
: thoughts on using this substitute?
: I believe it does not affect the
: body in the same way as consuming
: sugar does (no affect on insulin),
: however am I tricking my brain
: into craving something sweet once
: again?

: Thank you for your help!
: Lisa