2nd time in keto - why won't it work?

(Sonia A.) #2

I think you need to up your fat intake and decrease the amount of protein you eat. The fat will satiate you and prevent you from going for carbs.

One way to increase your fat is to load up a bulletproof coffee. When I started keto, I put 60 g of butter and 30 g of coconut oil in my coffee. You can also eat as much fat bombs as you want (provided they’re really fat bombs and not protein bombs). Eat the fattiest meat you can find and add fat to all your veggies.

While trying to be fat adapted, you shouldn’t worry about calories. Your only goal is to keep your carbs as low as possible, your protein moderate and your fat very high.

You can do it and it’ll get easier with time. Cravings will go away. Good luck :blush:.

(Kate) #3

Have you had your fasting insulin tested? When I have had super cravings come back I find myself wandering to the fridge or cupboard looking for something. My blood sugars were normal/low at the time. The high insulin was making my blood sugars look great but it was masking the hyperinsulima. The only way I get myself back on track with cravings and ketosis is fasting or an egg fast. With the egg fasts I am back into Ketosis within 3 days.

(Sonia A.) #4

I forgot to ask you if you’re taking artificial sweeteners. Sometimes it can increase your cravings. Maybe you should eliminate them for a time and see how you feel.

(Elizabeth) #5

No I don’t take them, I eat a paleo diet :blush:
I’ll try increasing the fat, I can do more fat in my coffee!

(Elizabeth) #6

I haven’t had it tested this year. I thought of fasting, but it’s a struggle if I’m not fat adapted.

#7

How much glutamine are you supplementing and are you counting that in your protein total? Glutamine is converted to glucose very easily and may be preventing you from getting over the hump.

(Elizabeth) #8

Well I’ll be! I was taking about 6g a day, I read that it helps a lot with carb cravings. Now that I have researched it a bit more, it seems that it helps with the cravings because it converts to glucose easily… therefore giving me my drug… I mean carb fix. Thank you for the slap in the face @carolT !

(VLC.MD) #9

Ask Santa for a Keto Christmas this year !
Good luck

(mike) #10

On top of cutting out the glutamine try not snacking in between meals. That just helps keep insulin up, especially if a fatty meat snack. Remember, Protein has a high insulin response.

Just read this post @Richard, might be a good read.

(Richard Hanson) #11

Hi Liza,

It is easy to focus on serum glucose levels because that is trivial to measure, but it is important to remember that the true concern is the level of insulin.

If you are starving and craving carbs, that is characteristic of a standard calorie restricted diet when a person is not keto adapted. Protein also engenders a surprisingly large insulin response and eating protein in an attempt to curtain cravings for carbs may not be helping.

If you are not in ketosis, I would make certain your net carbs are below 20g/day, and I would cut back on protein, perhaps less then 50g/day or even 40g/day. I would quit snacking because just eating will generate an insulin response even if you spit the food out and if you are having a hard time eating fat, then just eat fewer total calories until you are keto adapted.

I am personally quite sensitive to protein levels and I find it quite difficult to eat 1600 kcal/day while keeping both net carbs below 20g/day and protein below 50g/day. Obviously, you must make your own choices, but when I get to my maximum carb and protein macros I simply am done eating for the day without regard to the total energy content of the food I have consumed. While in ketosis, the rest of my daily energy can easily come from my fat deposits and I find it helpful to think of the utilization of stored fat as part of my daily macro ratios.

I hope at least some of this will help you achieve your goals.

Warmest Regards,
Richard

(Elizabeth) #12

Thanks @mikpaq and @FatMan , I have been lowering my protein at dinner and adding more fat at lunch. I had another gallstone attack recently which makes me think that I am still not digesting all of the fat that I eat.
After some research, I have decided to spend some time and love on my liver. An unhappy liver may be the cause of my hunger, cravings, bad breath, very dry skin and fatigue. I am currently fasting while taking liver support herbs and I’ll do another gallstone flush. Fingers crossed that this will help “reset” a few things.

(Bunny) #13

…and never mix any kind of sugar with protein, and if you do eat sugar, eat it alone!

References:

  1. Why sugary drinks and protein-rich meals don’t go well together

  2. Is mixing sugar and protein the biggest mistake you’ve made?

Why we stall
(Justin Cain Hoffman ) #14

How do you do an egg fast? Sounds lovely! I’m an egg addict.

(Rob) #15

This is a good one but others exist on the internet.

(Justin Cain Hoffman ) #16

Thanks a bunch Cap’n.

(Brian) #17

I’ve wondered just how much something like an egg fast can really do for someone experiencing a plateau. I haven’t tried it yet. But one thing that does come to mind is that when you’re doing an egg fast, and you’re basically only consuming eggs, and a very limited list of ingredients to go with them, it would definitely cut out a lot of the incidental sources of carbs that one might normally eat that might not add up to a whole lot but still do add up.

So is it the fat and protein of the eggs that is doing the good stuff? Or is the absence of all of the other stuff that’s really doing the good stuff? Or a combination?

It doesn’t really matter, it’s just what came to mind.)

:slight_smile:

(Kate) #18

This is where I got the concept. http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/my-severe-hyperinsulinemia-has-dictated-i-go-on-a-high-fat-low-carb-eggfest/7447

I hit Ketosis pretty fast doing it, whereas I was out for a while before doing it.

I breathe I’m hungry recipes definitely saved me after a few days especially with dinners.

(Rob) #19

It’s basically ZC and has very good macro combinations for P/F. If one accepts that ZC folks seem to be able to go on for long periods healthily then this should be good for 5 days even without supplementation as a shock to the system if nothing else.

You can do the same thing with bacon… though 30 days intrigues and scares me in equal measure :open_mouth::thinking:

(GINA ) #20

Fatigue, dry skin, and near-impossible weight loss are also symptoms of a thyroid problem.

It is very difficult to get good testing and treatment. Most doctors are as clueless about thyroid as they are about nutrition.

(Melanie Armistead) #21

Nora Gedgaudas recommends Gymnema to help with carb cravings (4mg, 3 times/day from memory - heard it on one of her primal body, primal mind podcasts)