I’m the same way in that if I eat 3 times a day to satiety I gain weight. I just eat one meal a day and it really helped me and when I started eating I would look at the clock and I would eat for 1 hour and when time was up I would stop, I think I need to get back to that again. I can over eat without trying I think my hungry full switch is still jacked up, I don’t really get hungry and it takes way to much to feel full. If I kinda plan out my meal for the day helps when I can stop when I’m supposed to but it’s not always easy. Dairy kills my weight loss if I over do it. I would try fasting and listen to your body and just see how long you can go until you actually feel hungry and not want to eat. I always want to eat but I’m never hungry. I also found if I eat anything before dinner I tend to over eat for the whole day it’s like I wake up something and can’t get enough food. Tracking what you eat helps so you have something to look at, I found my carb counts were way off from what I thought they were. And gaining 10 pounds in 1 day does suck (been there a lot) but it’s just a little set back you can get past it.
Asking for help is not my thing... But I need it now
I am sorry. I hear your frustration. Hopefully an eating disorder therapists/specialist can offer some tools to help you. Any decent ones in your area? I assume you have identified your triggers? I also found for me that boredom is a huge eating trigger as is general negative thinking/feelings. To counteract that, I started TM (Transcendental Meditation); it has been a HUGE stress reliever and made a big difference for me. Giving yourself the gift of forgiveness, self-love and kindness is not easy. I hope you find something that works for you. Good luck and hang in there. 
I came into this topic because I noticed someone tagged me.
I’ve always been a big guy and was diagnosed as a T2 diabetic in 2010. I’m 6’5" and started (reduced calorie) keto when I was approaching 700 pounds at the end of 2016. At the end of 2017, I had dropped to about 465, but have been between 465 and 500 since. But I no longer use insulin or metformin and my blood sugars are under control. And I’m no longer ravenously hungry all the time.
If I ate that food you listed on a daily basis, my weight would definitely go up. My eating issues these days are from bad habits – large portion sizes and eating at habitual times instead of eating when I’m hungry. And an occasional keto snack. On months I track what I eat, I lose weight. And I try to set my goal at 1200 calories, but often went to 1600 or so.
I live in a retirement community where most meals are provided, so it’s difficult for me to track foods accurately. But my eating today was:
- 7 am: Large “everything” omelet (typically between 7 and 10 oz)
- 11 am: Quest protein cookie (a crime of opportunity, not need)
- 3 pm: Shrimp stir fry, no rice, about 6 oz of shrimp and various low carb veggies
- 9 pm: Cup of popcorn (my bad!), low carb chocolate cupcake
Most of the protein servings here are between 3 and 5 ounces, so I often ask for double portion. For example, today my to-go order was “Shrimp stir fry, no rice, double shrimp”.
I do cheap and easy keto meal preps based on the proteins that are on sale in a given week. But my portions are often too large when I fill the containers.
On the list of things you struggle with, I can relate to the depression, emotional eating and sleep disorder (not sleep apnoea in my case but my sleep rhythm is a mess). I’ve had to learn to accept that when I’m stressed and / or my depression is kicking my butt, I simply do not lose weight. Even if I’m super disciplined, my body clings to that weight (which I believe is cortisol related but I have no evidence). Add emotional eating to the mix and it can go wrong quickly. So I consider maintaining my weight during stressed periods as a win.
Some things which have helped me:
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When my depression is bad I never feel satiated, so eating to satiety doesn’t work. I know what my portion sizes are when I’m feeling OK, so I cook the same amount and try to walk away / distract myself at the end of the meal e.g. sometimes I’ll read a book in a hot bath - difficult to get to the fridge from the bathroom and the bath is relaxing
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I realised that I only crave carbs when I’m stressed / depressed and my body has become sneaky about the carbs i.e. it starts lowkey like craving milk (which I don’t otherwise drink) and gradually builds up. By the time I crave crisps or pizza, I’m in a really bad place emotionally. I’ve started being mindful of the early symptoms and (try!) look after myself to bring my stress levels down. Recognising these cravings as a symptom of my illness also means I’ve learned to forgive myself for having them and for sometimes acting on them.
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I don’t allow myself to become starving. If fasting causes you to feel starving at lunch, then stop for now and try again later. I was struggling initially to control my eating at night until I started packing a snack for the way home. I drive to work, so when I leave the house I put my snack in the car and leave it there (taking it into the office means I eat it at some point during the day) and every evening I’m so happy to see that snack
It takes the edge off my hunger so I cook and eat more reasonable portions when I get home.
I’m a petite woman, so I can’t realistically judge the amount you eat. However it looks like you may be eating fairly high fat. What I wish I had understood earlier is that the only thing necessary for ketosis is to limit carbs, and the most effective way to lose weight is to eat low carb with moderate (not high) fat. That is because you want as much energy as possible to come from stored body fat, not fat that you eat. On the other hand, your need for protein and vitamins / minerals doesn’t change when losing weight i.e. don’t try reduce calories by reducing protein and veg because that is asking for a defiency. Instead, leverage your fat intake, which means your macro ratios should be very different to someone that is maintaining their weight.
I started losing weight more consistently when I made my meal focus meat/fish + veg, with fat as an optional side (home-made mayo, creme fraiche, bearnaise sauce, etc.). The hungrier I am, the more sauce I serve myself. When I feel less hungry, or the meat is very fatty, I can sometimes go without the sauce (not often but it happens).
I hope that something I mentioned helps. It might take a while to identify your particular triggers and find solutions that suit your lifestyle. The important thing is to not give up. You’ve come so far already, I’m sure the next success is waiting just around the corner!
Okay, I have a long story myself, but let me summarize. The foods I was eating I was allergic to. When I cut EVERYTHING out except meat water and black coffee (and recently black coffee), everything was easy.
So, if you want some advice I know will work, but you have to MAN UP to do it for 7 days.
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Eat only ONE type of meat per day. Eat until you are full. I will sous vide a Chuck Roast for 72-96 hours and it eats like a ribeye. I pat it dry and TORCH it!
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Only drink water and black coffee
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Only eat 2 times per day, limited to what you can eat in 60 minutes (get it down to 30 minutes). You can use salt and pepper, avoid everything else.
NO Artificial Sweeteners ,no NOTHING Else. Do this for a SOLID 7 days.
Without variability in the food, you will find it hard to overeat.
You will be basically going carnivore, which is anti-inflammation.
You will start losing weight.
Take your BLOOD Glucose and Ketone levels every morning.
And WHEN this works for you, your cravings should be 99% gone, so push it for another 2 weeks. And let the results keep coming in.
Why does this work? First you get tired of the same food without the flavorings, etc. So you learn what FULL means, vs. “STUFFED” (I was 307 and ALWAYS Hungry). I hit 185 and am maintaining about 190 (my goal).
Next, without anything else in your diet, you should be able to transition to OMAD (One Meal a day). Do it. Once there, stay there as long as you can, until you feel you can easily skip a day of eating. (My neighbor waited 6 months, and did not start fasting until he was at his goal weight. Now he skips eating every Thursday because he loves how it makes him feel. You will get there).
Finally, removing everything makes it easier to understand where your pitfalls might be. Once a week, you can pick ONE MEAL and ADD ONE thing to it, that you might want to have. BUT Do not eat it more than that one time for the entire week, and keep a food diary and a log.
Peanut Butter gave me migraines 2 days after eating it. Some fish gave me back pains (like Jordan Peterson) about 3-5 days out (I believe it was the oils, as I did pickled herring). Mushrooms and Olives caused me to gain 2.5 lbs in water weight overnight.
NOBODY will know what foods are kicking your butt right now. I had to remove:
- Eggs Whites, ALL Dairy, Butter, and GHEE (Allergic)
- 3 Brands of Coffee (Causing migraines or weight gain)
- All Vegetables, especially anything remotely green! (Cauliflower and Sweet Potato are
tolerable in small amounts. Like 2-4 tablespoons) - Avocado (each one I eat, I gain 1 lb of water weight the next day)
FYI, according to 23 and me, I have more Neanderthal DNA than 86% of their clients. Not sure if that means anything, but I am assuming it is related at this point.
I would NOT wish this on ANYONE. I love vegetables. I just cannot tolerate them.
And I am struggling to find a coffee that works for me. It may turn out I simply cannot have it!
The best elimination diet ever!
Good Luck!
That may suggest you are not eating enough. It isn’t a good idea just to skip breakfast for you. I don’t think it is a calories game at all, I think it is a fat and protein game and changing your metabolism game so you don’t crave food because you are satisfied with what you eat.
I think you need to make sure you are eating enough healthy fat with your meals.
Rather than intermittent fasting, fasting is good because you are not hungry after a day or so I found. If that is not for you, it may be a lot better to just eat when you are hungry rather than try to put yourself on a theoretical intermittent fasting schedule that just makes you feel deprived and eat more cause you are hungry later in the day. I hope you are eating a lot of bacon and eggs!
As mentioned by somone above, Jason Fung’s Fasting book is a good to read for inspiration and information on fasting and IDM have a lot of info on his blog.
Keep on, you will get going and not recognize yourself in a short while once you get a handle on it.
It’s just a matter of finding what is right for you.
If you find you are really struggling, Intensive Dietary Management supervise and they are good. They tell you what tests to get and send them the results and they work with you. Because you have a lot going on with your health that may be a good bet for you in order to get going with the peace of mind of experts working with you.
If you are tight financially, IDM do have a lot of information on Dr Fungs blogs that is free.
The fact that you have got off your diabetes meds is a bit of a miracle and indicates you can do this with the right information and informed support.
You are already a bit of a hero in my book for not giving up!
Sometimes the Keto diet can cause endocrine issues as your body becomes acidic. Have your thyroid checked. Your issues sound very similar to mine. 9 weeks in I got sick. My numbers were still in the “normal” range but I had all of the thyroid issues. I’ve been working on trying to get my body into an alkaline state. Some women develop issues with the acidic state. My thyroid needs a little more carbs than some. I am carb cycling which seems to be helping and am going to do an alkaline detox soon.
Just my thoughts.
Maybe, roast your own coffee?
I roast 1# of green coffee beans every week.
They’re far better than anything you can buy in the store.
I realize this an old thread but I just had to respond to this comment. I did some googling and found out that I take at least THREE different meds that are apparently raising my insulin. A benzodiazepine, a drug called geodon, and Benadryl of all things! I can’t lose weight to save my life. Zero carb, extended fasting, nothing was working. I even made the comment to my son recently after my last fast that it didn’t seem like my fat was being burned. It felt like I was dying. Thanks, Alec, for making me aware of this!! I will be kicking the Benadryl and geodon for sure!