Hello, low carbers!

I'm six weeks in and doing really well. This diet is really tailor made for guys; for some reason all the men I know that do it are more easily successful than the women.

Anyway, I'm writing because my Achilles heel was chocolate. And the thought of not eating chocolate was kiling me when I started induction. But the success was astounding (12# in induction). So, I began searching for chocolate that I could eat without kiling my ketosis. Well, let me just say, Oh, the JOYS of maltitol!!!

There's a gaggle of great chocolate and other sweet treats sweetened with this and other sugar alcohols. I've done exhaustive taste and quantity testing (oh, the things I put myself through for science!! )and I have found some GREAT stuff. My favorites are:

*Pure DeLite dark chocolate bar (0g net and indistinguishable from Godiva, maltitol sweetened)
*Russell Stover sugar free Orange Creams ($2.99 for a 6oz box, 5 of them is 1g net, dreamy, maltitol and sucralose)
*Russell stover raspberry creams (same deal as the orange, 4 = 1g net)
*Estee Sugar free Gummy Bears (best bears I ever had, including sugar sweetened, 0g net)

Oddly, you'd think that the Hershey stuff would be the best, but I like it least. they use Lactitol, another low-absorption carb, bit it leaves a minty burn on your tongue; interrupts the flavor significantly. Except the Reese's cups, which are great, but 3g net per serivng. the PB masks the minty thing.

Anyway, a warning for the uninitiated: There is a little warning on the side of the sugar alcohol-sweetened stuff:
EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION MAY CAUSE A LAXATIVE EFFECT.

Take this seriously, folks. Really. Trust me on this one.

But, on the bright side, for those of you who get thrown towards the "backed up" side of the spectrum, this phenomenon can work to your benefit, used judiciously.

As to the truth about the low net effect, as an experiment, I ate about 90-100g of "gross" carb chocolates (oh, the torture) it was about 5g net. My ketone levels over the next 18 hours did not budge from 60mg/dL. YAY!!!

Only real downside to this stuff is expense. But, oh, so worth it. Atkins is EASY now.

Anyhow, cool forum, I've been lurking.

Hi, everyone!

Cheers!
Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor
Visit Llarion's Lair!
- Do not meddle in the affiars of dragons; for you are crunchy; and go well with ketchup

If I get a chocolate craving, I make a shake with a bit of heavy cream, some unsweetened cocoa powder, some decaf coffee, ice, vanilla, egg white powder, Splenda and mix in my blender. I also have used SF chocolate syrup, but I am out of that right now.

Cost Plus has a lot of Torani SF flavors in stock right now. I was at the one in Schaumburg and St Charles. Unfortunately, neither one had SF chocolate in stock.

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/154
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

Phil,
Hi and welcome to LCE
Congrats on the 12#s WTG!!!

Glad you can tolerate the chocolate treats with the maltitol...you are a lucky guy For many of us, it effects the blood sugar as if we were eating the "real thing", and can cause a stall in weight loss you would not believe. I'm sure many more folks will post on this subject as it is one of those YMMV things...
But, for us chocoholics who have to come up with other ideas, my fav is an ounce of whipped cream cheese, a tsp of cocoa powder, some splenda, and a couple drops of vanilla. Roll it into a big ole "bon-bon", then roll it in some chopped almonds, and there ya go....yummm!
just my $.02

Bon Appetite'

Shelley

sg
***********
"if it ain't broke,
don't fix it"

You wanna know the weirdest thing?

This avowed chocaholic found giving up chocolate the EASIEST part of this WOE!

I almost NEVER have, or crave, chocolate...and that was one of the first cravings to go away. Of course, my craving for potatoes is never far (and potatoes are the FIRST thing I run to when I cheat), but chocolate, as much as I used to eat it/crave it/love it, doesn't get me.

I highly recommend to all of you chocaholics: don't have even the sugar-free kinds for two weeks, and see if you get past the craving! I think it's worth not tempting fate with the sugar alcohols, for sure.

Emelia

"We can only learn to love by loving." - Iris Murdoch, Irish writer
294/208/174 since 25-Nov-01

You should feel lucky that the maltitol doesn't stall you. It does many people, myself included.

Although, as Emelia said, I've shocked that my desire for chocolate has diminished on this woe. I still love it. I love a good piece of dark choco but I don't quite crave it the way I used to. I can go 2-3 weeks without chocolate now and it isn't a big deal. Other times, I may have some 2-3 times in one week. Depends on my mood.

As for the cravings, there are better ways to enjoy choco than the maltitol bars. They taste ok but nothing is better than REAL chocolate taste.

I don't eat the maltitol chocos very often. Usually I'll do one of two things if I want some chocolate. First, I'll whip up some cream and add a little splenda and unsweetened cocoa powder to make a quickie mousse. It tastes great and no side effects.

If the weather is cool, I'll sometimes make hot chocolate. Water, heavy cream, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, sweetener, and a pinch of salt and you've got the best hot coco you've ever tasted.

Congrats on your loss so far! Sounds like you're burning a hole in that scale of yours


LCE Member since 2001
http://www.ilovelowcarb.com
Low Carb & Loving it!

Welcome, Llarion! Thanks for being willing to be a guinea pig for the public good. I had a pretty bad stomach ache after eating just two pieces of CarbSense Belgian chocolates a few months ago.

Fortunagely, Like Emelia, my chocolate cravings decreased hugely after starting this way of eating.

However, I do still indulge in an occasional wafer of ultra dark, high quality chocolate. My first choice is 82% cacao Michel Cluziel Amer chocolate. It has hardly any sweetness to it, but the chocolate flavor is so intense that a tiny bit is all I can eat at once. I eat about 5 to 6 grams at a time. So, a bar of chocolate will last me for weeks. Alas, it is becoming very difficult for me to find Michel Cluziel chocolate or any 80% cacao chocolates in retail stores now. I found a place to order on line, but the shipping is exhorbinant ($11 for orders under $50).

~~~Teelbee

"remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic."

174 (Mar. 2002 highest weight)
164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135.5/137-134

Hi there..

Yes, I've tried all the cocoa alternative stuff, I tried making chocolate mousse, and I found a recipe for a cheesecake thing, but so far I have't been able to really embrace them. That really stinks that some folks are stalled by maltitol. I wonder if there is a direct correlation between the body's ability to quickly metabolize those types of carbs and that person's general level of resistance to ketosis. Hmmmm...

I'm very very lucky in that regard. In my 4th week, we had a party, so I decided to just take the day "off". I went completely bonkers, and consumed between 400-500g of net carbs. chips, s'mores, you name it. I tested myself at 10AM the next morning, and as you might guess, not a trace of ketones. But, I ate induction style that day, and tested again 12 hours later and was at 80mg/dL already!! So, I lived induction style for two days more, as the book recommends after a deviation, and I've been fine since. Didn't gain an ounce. I think the only thing that keeps me from losing faster is I don't drink enough water (though I know I should) and I don't get enough exercise (two days a week, 1 hour of intense martial arts, but not enough in between).

Cheers!
Phil "Llarion: The Jazzinator" Traynor
7/20/03 - 244/217/185
Visit Llarion's Lair!
- Do not meddle in the affiars of dragons; for you are crunchy; and go well with ketchup

Hi, Phil.

Check this out, re: sugar alcohols.

http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/products.htm

Assuming this theory is correct, I am one of the people who DOES have the enzyme to digest most sugar alcohols. They shoot my blood sugar levels right up, just like an equivalent amount of sugar. ... and I DON'T get a laxative effect.

The only exception to the whole family of sugar alcohols is a relatively new one, erythritol. (I had a long post on my self-tests and resulting data on the old forum.) This one does NOT do a thing to my blood sugar and still no laxative effect. The reports from people who usually DO get a laxative effect from sugar alcohols is that it's absent with erythritol.

The more we know, the better off we all are. As Barb's signature says "Knowledge is power."

Maggie
5'1"
Atkins since '98 (160)
Maintaining nicely (110)

Redhead until further notice!

I like the Russell Stover's sugarfree stuff - the toffee sticks are like Almond Roca in taste, and the French Mints are quite good.

As others have reported, one of my happiest discoveries after being on induction a few days was that not only my CHOCOLATE tooth, but my entire SWEET tooth had apparently been extracted! How nice! I used to RUN for the chocolate Viactiv chew right after dinner, to satisfy that chocolate/sweet craving. I dumped the box after starting Atkins.

Now, maybe 3 times a week, I'll have ONE toffee stick, or ONE mint, and that does me. I don't eat enough for the laxative effect to kick in and it never sets off a craving, so this works really well in my case.

Keep up the good work and report back on any additional "scientific experiments" in the name of low carb research!

Char

Don't squat with yer spurs on!

Hi.
My name is Bright and I'm a recovering chocoholic.



Seriously, I could sniff choloate out anywhere in the house or the building at work. And during a prementrual week, forget it! Withholding any from me could cause you serious harm. My lack of chocolate cravings on the WOE has been a surprising bonus.

Here's a couple of other things you might want to try when you need a fix:

Canfield brand S/F Chocolate Fudge Soda. If you can find it (our local Kroger carries it), it's fantastic. Add a tablespoon of cream and you're in heaven.

For those of you whose craving come from PMS, try eating sharp cheddar cheese instead of chocolate. The same enzyme (or whatever it is) that makes us crave chocolate at that time is also found in cheddar cheese.



Always eat your veggies first!

I love M&Ms. I usually NEED them. I use to keep a large bag in my desk drawer and would eat a couple handfuls a day. Although this WOE has decreased my need for M&Ms I still sneak one every now and then.

In a more 'legal fashion' I buy reddi whip. The Chocolate tastes like McDonalds Ice cream. I put a small amount in a dish and add a sprinkle of Hershey’s cocoa powder (usually used for baking), just enough to add the chocolate flavor but not enough to get the bitter after taste.

I also use the plain reddi whip and sprinkle cinnamon on it.

Fall 2002- 193
LC since August 2003
183/176/150

hi and congrats to those that no longer have the chocolate cravings. I want some soooooo bad but I know if I eat it I will over indulge. I don't think this craving will ever leave. This is only my 4th day of induction. Two whole weeks of this........

Shay
205/205/150

Hi, Star.

Reddi whip is probably not you best food choice on this way of eating. I know it looks as if it's only a couple of carbs, but for what size serving? Also, last I looked it was full of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated (trans) fats.

You can make great whipped cream from heavy cream and a mixer with a little splenda and drop of vanilla.

Just a heads up FYI.

Maggie
5'1"
Atkins since '98 (160)
Maintaining nicely (110)

Redhead until further notice!

Have you ever tried mixing whole milk ricotta with coco powder (unsweetened) and splenda and vanilla? It sorta tastes like chocolate pudding (thicker but quite yummy!!)

Jackie

I've whipped up whipping cream with cocoa powder & splenda & that helps with the craving for me.
Does anyone have a good cheesecake recipe though? I've tried a couple & they just aren't that good.