Ron,
I too suffer from this insane craving for sweets.  But giving in and eating them doesn't actually satisfy.  This is the truly frustrating part of it all.  If somehow I could eat a sweet thing -fruit, dried fruit, candy - and be satisfied, that would be one thing.  But it doesn't.  I pace the kitchen as well - questioning my sanity the entire time.  Even when I'm well-disciplined on a paleo diet, I have not been able to lose this nagging craving.  It feels as though it comes from the brain and not the body.  Is this sugar thing related to alcoholism?  I've read that alcoholic's in rehab have incredible sugar cravings.  What is driving us?
gale



----- Original Message ----
From: Ron Hoggan <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, August 3, 2008 1:15:36 AM
Subject: Re: Cordain Bashing why??? RE: Newbie Question - Organ Meats

Hi Ashley, 
You said:
> That was me.  It definitely *wasn't* the initial shift into ketosis,  
> this was months into me eating paleo, and I was eating a LOT of  
> fruit.  It wasn't ketosis cycling either, I've done that 
> several times  
> since and it gives me a headache but not muscle weakness.

Okay. Clearly I was wrong on that point. 

(snip)  Often when I got home my main  
> meal would be a turkey leg (virtually no fat at all) and some 
> veg, and  
> the first thing I'd do after eating one would be to raid the fruit  
> basket to satisfy the crucifying hunger it gave me.  When I 
> started my  
> first permanent job (in an office this time), I used to binge 
> on dried  
> fruit to try and get some energy, but I would still have days 
> where it  
> was a physical effort to get out of my chair.

Okay..... I'm convinced that the problem was insufficient fat, but why would
you go to that extreme? Cordain recommends 25% fat. It appears that you were
eating very, very little fat. 


> Anyway, back to me.  Eventually I abandoned the lean meat idea.  It  
> was pretty scary, seeing how everyone was (and is) saying 
> that eating  
> animal fat will give you a heart attack down the road, but I figured  
> if the Inuit lived healthily off a diet of almost pure meat and fat,  
> the fat-heart theory *must be wrong*.

I certainly agree with you there. 

> 
> So I started eating loads of mince meat, fatty pork leg 
> joints etc.  I  
> went way out the other way - I'd hunt through every pack of meat in  
> the supermarket looking for big slabs of fat, and anything I 
> fried got  
> soaked in dripping.  Result - no more hunger or muscle weakness.
> 
> Maybe for some reason I have higher fat requirements than 
> most people  
> - my metabolism isn't in the best shape, although it's a lot better  
> than it was.  But I'm absolutely certain that it was lack of 
> fat that  
> was doing it, and not in any way related to ketosis.  And the 
> lack of  
> fat was solely down to following Cordain's recommendation of eating  
> lean meat.  

I do remember something about that in some of his writing, but most of what
I've seen of his says 25% fats. 
If I remember correctly, he is focused on omega 3 & 6 and unsaturated fats.
I've always considered that a miscue. I find that I am my healthiest when I
eat all kinds of fats. 

> Hence (a) my cautious attitude to his 
> interpretation of a  
> paleo diet and (b) my almost fanatical habit of reminding anyone  
> embarking on a paleo (or low carb) diet to EAT FAT.

Like you, I embrace fats. Maybe they aren't the best choice for everyone,
but they do seem to be better for me. I usually carry about 5 pounds more
than I need, and it is on my torso. I can lose the belly in a week just by
reducing my carb intake. 

Unfortunately, I have a strong attraction to sweets. I miss them terribly.
After a meal I will get up and wander around the kitchen trying to see
something that will quell my sweet tooth. When I do break down and eat
something sweet, I unleash a daemon that keeps after me to keep on feeding
it. I suspect that is the root of much of the obesity out there. I can
certainly sympathize.

Although fats seem to provide me with all the energy I need, and I savor the
flavor of fats, I sure wish it was true that carbs are our friends. :-)

Best Wishes,
Ron