4th day in, feeling ok but SO confused!

#1

Hello all,

Today is my 4th day on keto diet. I have not started feeling any of the keto side effects other than a really bad headache on the 2nd day; I cut my carb intake down to 20gr and so far, I dont have any cravings, I eat my meals not bc I’m hungry, but because I want to hit my fat/protein intake and I pretty much feel ok; however, I’m SO confused. I thought it was ok for me to eat 3 meals/day and snacks, as long as I am within my macros, but I just read about all these posts about “not eating/fasting” so Im not sure how could I get all my fat/protein in if I’m not eating…Can anyone help me figure this keto thing?

(karen) #2

Intermittent fasting (eating only during specific hours) or extended fasting (not eating for 24 hours or more) are definitely not required for ketosis. They’re not recommended for people just starting out, who need to balance their systems, maybe do some metabolic healing, and figure out their satiety signaling. And they’re never a required part of a keto diet. But they can help maintain ketosis and weight loss, a lot of people like to do some form of fasting to help the process along after they become more fat-adapted. (It’s loads easier to extend the time between meals when your body gets good at burning its own fat!!)

(LeeAnn Brooks) #3

Fasting is something that should happen gradually and naturally.

Start by cutting out snacks and sticking to the 3 meals a day. You don’t have to cut calories, just add onto your meals.

When you get to the point that you don’t feel hungry, start to limit your feeding periods. For example, skip breakfast, eat 2 meals, one at 12ish, one at 7ish. But make sure you’re eating enough during the two meals to not be hungry.

From there many go to OMAD or Extended Fasting (EF).

The point being is that limiting the amount of time you eat limits insulin production, and insulin is what makes us fat. Also EF doesn’t harm your metabolism like restricting calories on a daily basis will.