I think that everyone's case is different and you should do what works for you. There's a lot of conflicting information out there and you'll just drive yourself crazy trying to figure it all out lol. I've had very minimal cravings and hunger pains and I'm just taking it one day at a time..I do think that adding stuff to the water (like lemon,salt etc) does take away from the intensity of the cravings but also takes away from the full benefits you could receive on just water. That's just my personal take on it.