I tried this a while back and quit because I thought it was making me crave food when I wasn't hungry. Spent a lot of time in Dr. A's Vitanutrient Solution over the weekend, and he sounded really convincing about the value of this amino acid, and I tried it again.

Bam. Back in the food, when there is no other reason I can think of to want to eat and don't normally. Breakfast of fried eggs, and two hours later, can't stay out of the lettuce. This is NOT normal for me.

Anyone else notice this effect from acetyl L-carnitine and have any suggestions?

Why don't you try the L-Carnitine tartrate? It's cheaper than the acetyl type....and it's more likely to give energy and break down fat storage in quite a few people. I tried the acetyl type for a few months (when I found a good sale...) and discovered that I didn't seem to get as much energy, so I switched back. Mind you...I never had any cravings on it; I just didn't feel as well or energetic as I did with the other kind.

I haven't but I will definitely keep an eye on it.

Well, here's a theory - it may be poop, or a good theory, I don't know...

Carnitine at least is supposed to help speed up the metabolism IIRC Atkins saying. So, what if your metabolism was actually kind of bad (hence the weight gain), and now your metabolism is better, and your body's telling you 'hey - you - I'm done with breakfast... need more fuel now!'

Now if you're already in ketosis that kind of throws a whole different spin on things.

No way I can pin weight gain on metabolism in the face of total calorie intake over my life...

I'm trying to work with "real hunger" and that's what I get when I think my body's "done with" whatever I ate last. That's not the feeling I get with the ALC--it's much more like the carb / insulin "never enough keep going still not full" feeling.

One of these days I'm going to get into brain chemistry and see what's happening. I am currently looking at the 5-HTP / carbs raise serotonin; if there's not enough s. you keep eating theory. Waiting delivery of a recent order of 5-HTP to see.

What bugs the **#&)( out of my is how SOMETIMES, and it's only been after I've been ill, portion control is effortless and I feel totally satisfied and walk away and don't want to eat again and lose weight like rocks falling down a hill, and then the rest of the time, I fight to not clean out the fridge, HC or LC. The freedom lasts about 2-3 weeks after a major illness, and then something happens and it goes away.

LC is part of the solution, but not all, at least not for me.

Hi CS_Carver:

I've never had this effect with the ALC.

I'm not like most people either b/c high saturated fat makes me hungry. It always has. Maybe b/c saturated fat tastes too good. You may have to fiddle around with your macronutrients to figure out what works best for you. Myself, I don't feel hunger at all when I eat high protein, low carb, high Omega 3 or mono fats, low saturated fat. But I cycle my carbs so I'm only eating like this 3 times/week. It might be hard to do on a daily basis.

Also, I find working out (lifting weights with moderate cardio) really curbs my appetite better than anything.

Good luck figuring it all out.

Wanda

I take just "plain ole" L-carnitine (from Vitamin World) and it helps me to control cravings. Last year I stopped taking it thinking I would save money and my binge tendencies came back with a vengance. I have much better control over what I eat and what I desire to eat while taking L-carnitine.

Just my experience.