Wow, you sound like you are exactly where I was a year ago. How did I handle cravings? Well, I don't have some secret for you, but I can tell you that I was in such physical discomfort from my symptoms, that pain really kept me focused. Even though they all got worse before they got better, I managed to take some comfort even in that because it told me the book was right and things were progressing as they should. I saw the initial worsening as a good sign, and it was.
I had so much unbearable pain during bowel movements I thought I had an anal fissure, I had constant horrible vaginal itching, my heartburn was all day and night and always flared up my asthma along with it, I'd have gas all the time...things like that, at their absolute peak in terms of discomfort, can keep you on the program. It was also the beacon of hope that my asthma could be much better than it was, which at the time was so bad I used Prednison just as a normal part of controlling it. Bad news, and of course it just worsens the underlying condition.
In the beginning, I just made sure I had a bunch of meals figured out that I knew I'd like and that would be allowable, and I never stopped myself from eating. If I wanted to eat 4 bowls of puffed millet with Rice Milk (which the book doesn't allow but my doctor did and it worked fine), I'd have it. I just kept the meals small in size and very frequent, and I tried to keep busy. The first few days I also felt kind of flu-ish, so I rested a lot.
I used to have bouts of insomnia every so often and never knew why, but in retrospect I'm sure it was related to the Candidiasis. I took 5 HTP, my husband did too, and it seems pretty effective and seemingly harmless. But once you get your body back in balance you won't need it anymore. It's certainly not cheap!
The book does not talk about ways to make it "livable" in terms that most people identify with. It's very strict and very extreme but the condition itself is extreme and causes such a myriad of other major health problems, it takes something that rigid to win the battle. The alcohol definitely has to go, there's no way to even make a dent in a Candida problem while still drinking. I know for me that meant not going out and socializing, and my boyfriend and I never went out to eat and hardly ever went to movies because for me the temptation would have been too great. But I treated this like chemotherapy or some other life saving treatment and made it the center of my life at the time. I know not everyone, or very few people, can relate to that, it doesn't seem so serious. But those symptoms and side-illnesses were controlling my life and ruining my quality of life, so I threw myself into getting back a sense of health and feeling truly good inside and out. I'd forgotten entirely what it felt like until I got it back with the diet, and I felt better than I ever have in my life.
It's a huge sacrifice, it's a lot of work, but there are lots of great foods you can eat. You are supposed to make sure to eat only until you are almost full and never more than that, but you can eat lots of small meals to help with cravings and hunger. But over the first week or two you'll find your body adjusting and as you are absorbing more vitamins and nutrients from your food, the cravings will subside and your hunger will too. But in the initial startup, don't worry about calories or fat grams or any of that. It's a low fat diet by nature. Make sure you do eat the ration of veggies to protein they suggest, or veggies to grains even. Experiment and have fun with spices and the recipes in the back. But if you are really serious about being truly healthy and strong you have to committ and just decide you will stay on it. Know, too, that it's not permanent. It takes a different amount of time for everyone. Some people are ok in months, others that over a year. But I managed to start introducing fruits within 6 months, just in time for the great summer harvests.
I wish I had more secrets or answers for you, but it's so different for everyone. My motivation was pain, because I'd let it get so bad before I knew what was going on. My lower back would get so bad I had to just lay flat on the ground like an old lady or something. It was terribly frustrating and it got to the point where I had so many problems it was overtaking my life.
I can tell you I skipped the cultured vegetables and I never ate sea vegetables, just not my thing. After a month or so on the program I did add the kefir recipes they suggest, and that became my favorite breakfast. I made it with a kefir powder mix I got at Whole Foods, and goat's milk. I'd make the kefir as directed and once it was ready, blend it with unsweetened vanilla powder and some stevia for a morning smoothie. It's a great way to implant billions of good cultures, just like probiotics. So there's that to look forward to. And as time went on and I was able to stretch outside the prorgam, I'd blend the kefir with frozen strawberries and MAN those were good smoothies.
So it's not totally without joy. But the first few days are killer. I'd say to look at it one single day at a time. Just get through one whole day. Don't worry about another one, not even in the recesses of your mind. Just tackle one day and see how it goes. That's not so bad, is it? You can do one day, right? So when you get the book, read it. Put it down. Reread it a day or two later, plan out your grocery trip and what you're going to have as meals the next day. Plan 5 or 6 small meals, and the next day stick to it like glue for just one day.
That's about the best advice I can give you because it's how I got through it. But I'm always here to cheer you on and talk shop about it, never hesitate to message me or email me. I know it's a really long hard road but it's not as bad as you think. You can still have things like chicken and steak and roasted veggies, lots of salads, yummy grains like Millet and Buckwheat (which are now my favorite things to eat)...it's an adventure, you'll see,
Take care!