So Iv been on keto since April 16 2018 and have lost 20 pounds so far but I would like more clarification on some things . 1) I get confused because people tell me to make sure I have enough calories in a day yet I don’t really eat as much as I used to so I don’t always hit my calorie goal which is around 1200-1300 . I think mostly I hit like 900 because again I don’t eat a lot or I eat the same things throughout the day- mainly I eat avocados , salad (with fatty keto approved dressing ) , cheese sticks , hard boiled eggs , tuna with mustard and I add oil in it . That’s honestly what my day consists of every day. So I get worried when people say oh your metobolism will slow down or be bad or whatever if you don’t get enough calories . So which is it? 2) fasting or not eating when hungry . When I wake up sometimes I’m really hungry ( I usually wake up at 6am and start to get hungry around 8 but don’t eat until 9 or 10 am, some days I wake up tho and my stomach is just rumbling ) , I hear people say it’s okay to ignore the hunger and just drink liquids until later (preferably start eating at lunch ) but this also confuses me because I thought not eating when you are hungery messes up your metabolism ???
A few questions
Oh I also forgot to ask - fat adaption . How do I know I’m fat adapted ? I haven’t cheated so far and have always stayed in ketosis according to my keto monitor . If I have chiplote once would that kick me out lol I’m scared to try
Calorie restriction is different than EF. If you’re eating daily, Extreme calorie restriction will cause metabolism to slow down and reset your BMR. And 900 calories IS Extreme. Meaning it will eventually take much fewer calories just to maintain weight. So if you’re using restricted calories to lose weight, you will have to lower even more, which is unsustainable.
Calories really only matter in so much as you aren’t starving yourself. You may not feel hungry, but that’s because you’ve limited calories too much for too long.
Extended fasting, however doesn’t have the same effect. Since the lack of eating never raises insulin levels, your body simply processed stored body fat for energy. It actually helps heal your metabolism. I know that sounds contrary, but it’s all due to the insulin reaction. Daily feedings that are too low in calories still trigger insulin, so it damages the metabolism.
If you are really having such a hard time getting calories in, maybe you should look into alternate day fasting. Eat every other day. The only thing is, on your feeding days, you need to really eat. Do not restrict on these days.
Or you need to slowly start ramping up the amount you are consuming. 900 calories is not healthy no matter what diet you are on.
I don’t eat less calories on purpose I just eat the same foods and my caloric intake just ends up being less
The end result is still the same whether done intentionally or not. It will take some changes on your end if you want to fix your metabolism.
There’s a learning curve in understanding hunger and satiety signals. For many of us, we start down the ketogenic yellow brick road never having felt true hunger or satiety. Hunger in the morning is pretty common and as you work towards becoming fat adapted, if that hunger lasts for more than 10-15 minutes, it might be a good idea to eat a meal. If you’re hungry within a couple hours after eating a meal, it’s a good sign you didn’t eat enough.
@Anniegirl9 explained it pretty good, and to recap. There’s a HUGE difference between giving your body s little at a time throughout the day, giving it s bunch in one shot, and not giving it anything at all.