Am I fat adapted? 2.5 months in

#1

Been on keto diet for 2.5 months, and I still get hungry every three hours or so during the day. I stay below 20g carbs/day. I haven’t lost or gained any weight. I feel good overall but I still feel like I get a drop in blood sugar levels about three hours after a meal, I get grumpy and want to eat. I wouldn’t say my stomach is empty and growling at that time but I feel tired and the previously mentioned symptoms. I eat a little sweetners with almost every meal, could that be the problem? Am I not fat adapted? I use the ketone urine strips sometimes, and they are always positive for ketones.

#2

I should probably add that I don’t have diabetes. Also, my goal is to get healthier and to lose weight!
I eat a lot of fat (~75%) and even if my meal is 600+ kcal I still get hungry again in a couple of hours.

(Mike W.) #3

Are you craving specific things when you’re hungry?

(Jane) #4

The sweeteners shouldn’t affect your ability to become fat-adapted but they can stall weight loss in some if you are having an insulin response to them.

Do you have sweeteners at other times besides meals such as in your coffee/tea or diet soda?

Are you snacking between meals?

Again, as long as your carbs stay low you will eventually become fat-adapted. But your weight loss will be more affected by the amount of insulin produced. They are interrelated in that once you are fat-adapted and your hunger subsided a bit it makes it easier to go longer w/o food and IF to lower your insulin response.

Longer fasts are helpful for weight loss, but not necessary.

(TJ Borden) #5

It might be. I RARELY use sweeteners now because I found they totally screw with my satiety. Just a little bit will turn me ravenous. That’s just my n=1, but I’ve also noticed that many on the forum that have said they have no satiety signal also say they use quite a bit, usually in drinks/sodas.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #6

I would have to say, out of experience, that you may not be fat adapted yet.

You should be able to go much longer than 3 hours without feeling hungry.

Are you tracking your carbs?
I do not use sweeteners at all, though I don’t believe that’s related as Jane said, though it may hinder weight loss.
I knew I was fat adapted at 6 weeks as I could go 24 hours without thinking about food at all. I used to get grumpy also, I almost forget what that feels like now. My moods are so stable.

(Jane) #7

I hadn’t thought about sweeteners making you hungry until @Baytowvin mentioned it affected him that way.

You could be fat-adapted but not getting the benefits. Try cutting them out at one meal/one day/one week - whatever you can manage or work up to - and see if you can go longer w/o getting hungry.

#8

@MiKetoAF Some meat and cheese containing foods, decaf Coffee with cream (been doing decaf only for many years), but also “sweet” treats such as choczero chocolate.

(Mike W.) #9

You’re craving meat and cheese?

#10

@Janie I usually do water only in between meals out of fear of insulin!

#11

@Baytowvin maybe that’s it! But they are hard to give up… I’ll try though

(TJ Borden) #12

It can take time, and there’s no rush. This is a lifestyle, no reason to suffer (I was going to say marathon not a sprint, but I don’t do either so it would seem disingenuous).

I gave up soda first, but still made sweet treats for desert. Then slowly cut back on those too. Eventually you just lose your taste for them. I know it seems unbelievable, but this is coming from a guy that would down three packs of movie theater size candy before the previews were even over.

#13

@ava_ad0re that sounds amazing! I wish I could do that.

#14

@MiKetoAF yes, especially taco ground beef with cheese, sour cream and avocado, yum! I could eat it every day, drool… I make the taco seasoning myself so no hidden sugars.

#15

It took me a few months to become fat adapted. And it didn’t happen over-night. It was more of a transition than an on-off switch. It has kept improving too.

One of the secrets for me is to remain busy. I have a long history of disordered overeating. Many things besides internal physical cues can make me feel hunger. That’s where keeping busy comes into play - when my mind is on something else, I don’t hear or see those erroneous suggestions to eat.

#16

@Alexia yeah, I have a history of overeating too, mostly sweets. It’s probably the endorphins released that my body craves.

(Candy Lind) #17

Before you break down & eat something, take some salt & drink a glass of water, & wait 30 minutes. You might just need one or the other. Salt will often revive you if you’re feeling tired. And try eating a bigger meal to see if your satiety signals kick in. You really might need more than 600 calories for it to kick in. I rarely eat a meal under 800 any more (I do one or two meals per day). As an historic over-eater, this works better for me.

#18

@CandyLindTX thank you, those are great tips. I’ll try that. Maybe some bone broth to extend time between meals

#19

Us carb addicts take a little longer to get the hang of living without the dopamine reward of a rise in blood sugar, and sweeteners can just tease the brain with the promise of something that never eventuates. It might be worth doung some research unto carb/sugar addiction

(Running from stupidity) #20

As a journalist, I don’t like these “if you’re not doing it you can’t talk about it” rules. #NOTATALL!

Analogies are your friend, embrace them as you would a supermodel (not a stick one, a real person-shaped one).