Warning: this post mentions mental health and eating disorders.

Tldr, I think cravings is physical (bacterial) and mental (addiction, coping mechanism). Too much life stressors might be contributing to cravings, which means you need different strategy other than just repressing urge to eat sugar.

I write this long post because I see a lot of cravings related discussions, like is it ok to cheat, or how do I deal with cravings, etc. But the more I read them and reflect on my nearing 2nd year, I realise some cravings can't be solved with simple solutions. Here's my observations, ideas and tips on sugar cravings. I'm also a bit autistic and get really passionate about my special interest which is this diet.

I think there are 2 main reasons to cravings.

1. BACTERIAL

1 is bacterial, where gut bacteria that uses sugar are not killed, and they're still calling out for them. This calling feels like it comes from the core of your body, because it's affecting your insulin. When you satisfy the craving, every bite tastes alove and it feels freaking amazing like you found love, and you can go on with life until the next blood sugar drop.

2. MENTAL

Then there's mental which is your mind (not body) remembering sugar as coping mechanism to deal with stressors in life. Like your mind subconsciously remembering the motion of opening a wrapper and crunching on sweets whenever your boss yelled at you. This memory happens so fast that instead of your body registering it as a memory (or trauma response), it confuses with craving. The difference to bodily craving is that when you do eat sweets, the sweet itself doesn't physically feel great (tastes bad, body feels bad, or sometimes doesnt taste like anything interesting), but the action of the eating process feels familiar and thus, able to cope with the chaos that is happening to you. So no matter how much sweets you eat, it doesn't scratch that itch fully, but it helps you pass the moment.

Now here are some alternative, more complex reasons that may apply to some people.

EATING DISORDER

I also think for some people, sugar addictions can cross over with eating disorders. Like if you have shame and guilt towards sweets, this will backfire in some way. Binge eating is a form of eating disorder, where self worth and food has an unbalanced relationship. Sugar can definitely be a crutch for some people. In this perspective, sugar craving is something to be talked about with a therapist.

ADHD

A curious perspective I've recently opened my mind to is ADHD. I know a few ADHD friends who have unhealthy patterns of eating snacks as a crutch to deal with their hyped up nervous system. They need stimulation, like chewing and crunching on something. Or the extreme zing of sour candies on their tongue. One of them actually don't like sweets all that much, but because her sensory needs are best found in sweets, she sometimes confuses her sensory needs as craving sweets. It's difficult for her because then her insulin spikes and she has the worst sugar crash, which makes her depressed, so she needs sugar to feel warmer... The mixed signals are difficult to understand and because of her ADHD, this in itself becomes a stressor...that then restarts the whole cycle of binge eating etc. For her, sugar craving has different meanings for different times, and they can overlap.

HOW TO KNOW WHAT YOUR SUGAR CRAVING MEANS, AND WHAT TO DO.

Take time breaking down exactly how your craving feels, when and where it starts. If it is insulin related, keep going with strict carnivore. Resrarch protein and fat ratios and keep adjusting the diet. CARNIVORE DIET IS CUSTOM MADE. You may eat the same species cow, but no diet is ever the same!

Check in with how you emotionally feel about your craving. Do you feel shame? Guilt? How does your body respond to this emotion? Do you feel repulsed or secretly hunger for it? There is nothing wrong with any of your observations. But if there is discomfort, accept it and rewire by thinking about how you would like to perceive it and do it from a positive place. Got ADHD, and sugar craving might be sensoral need? Choose sugar free options candies and gums! If you need professional counselling or doctor's opinion, please do. Their entire job is to help you develop new skills and strategies, not just heal you.

SUGAR AS MEDICINE AND GIFT, NOT A RIGHT OR REWARD.

Consider rewriting what sugar means to you. We've been programmed to relate sugar to rewards and comfort since childhood, and a lot of this goes on subconscously. Society has trained children to prefer sweetened cold medicine/toothpaste, because instead of perceiving illness as underlying issue and need for healing, society believes children don't deserve it, when the issue has nothing to do with their ego in the first place. Essentially, sweet-tooth has become something to fulfill egoically.

People eat sweet pancakes for breakfast to start their day. But do we really need cheerleaders for breakfast? Are our days that bleak to need them? If it's not that, why would you want blood sugar spike after you just got up? Either way the answer to sweetened meals don't make sense.

Sugary substances were once used as medicine in the old days for specific issues. It was supposed to be rare in the wild for a reason. Craving what should be medicine should make alarms go off already. Do what you will with this.

CONCLUSION

I thank you if you made it this far. I believe that we can achieve anything as long as we commit, but commitment shouldn't require grueling force. If carnivore is too difficult to commit, there may be underlying reasons that may not be limited to blood sugar or gut biome. And look, no shame. Carnivore IS supposed to help you re-evaluate your life, your values, your choices. Changes are inevitable in carnivore. But all changes lead to the best version of yourself.