Constant Hunger in Adaptation

(Benny) #1

Hi guys, newbie here…
I’ve been on Keto for 10 days now eating 2500 calories per day from butter,eggs,
coconut oil,olive oil, grass fed beef,sardines,salmon,mackerel,avocado,cheese,
macadamia nuts,nutritional yeast,
b vitamins,magnesium,pink Himalayan salt,broccoli,spinach,kale,heavy cream…
I have absolutely no energy,feel lethargic yet constantly hungry, every 2 hrs I’m starving although I’m eating close to 200mg of fat each day!
This is really frustrating! I’ve no problems at all fasting while on a high carb diet while still having lots of get up and go so why do I crash so much now I’ve switched to fat?
I know it’s early days but I’ve no energy at all.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

You may need more protein, instead of more fat. Try it, and see if it helps with the hunger. Various recommendations are floating around, but try to get between 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg of lean body mass, and see if that satisfies your hunger. Fill in with fat—there’s no goal to reach, except satiety.

Part of the lethargy is inescapable. Now that you’ve cut off their glucose supply, your muscles are limping along on ketones. But if they aren’t being forced to burn glucose, what they really prefer is to burn fatty acids, and it’s been so long, they’ve forgotten how. So there are certain changes that need to take place at the cellular level (one of which is healing all those damaged mitochondria and producing new ones), and that just takes time. One of the ways you’ll know they’ve made the switch is when your energy returns.

Just hold on for a few more weeks. You’re doing fine.

(Benny) #3

Ok,I’ll try that.
The lethargy is something I’ve not experienced before even while eating junk food.
I thought that by eating all the fat I’d feel more than full yet i’m the opposite!
I also checked out a few links beforehand so got a few recommended foodstuffs in to try and combat the “Keto flu”
I’ll add more protein…Thanks for the reply :+1:

#4

i am jealous that you didn’t get the lethargy on a carb-heavy/junk food diet. and glad to hear you have things to battle keto flu (if you get it)

(Carl Keller) #5

I recommend moderately fatty steaks, pork and chicken thighs to keep your hunger in check. Fish is much higher in protein than fat and while the oils and butter are nice additions, calories that you can chew might do better to help you reach satiety.

It’s not easy in the beginning but it’s definitely worth the effort to keep trying.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #6

Can I just add that you are going through carb withdrawal and any withdrawal (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, sugar) can cause lethargy and depression short term. Even though I was really excited to start this way of eating I sort of mourned the loss of pastry and sugar, if I’m honest and there were days when I craved them, in the beginning, and I was really dragging. Chicken broth, tea with cream and a bit of 100% cocoa helped ease my transition. Hang in there. I also eat plenty of protein and average amounts of fat and keep my carbs under 20 g and now I don’t have those issues with lethargy.

Also, I tend to crash a bit after eating nuts. That’s just me but keeping a food journal can help you identify how things effect you.

(Consensus is Politics) #7

For me, that was a sign that I wasnt getting enough salt. Any idea how much you are getting? Have you had any muscle cramps at night? I would get the most unusual cramps, like nothing I’ve ever had before. Muscle on top of my foot. Cramped up sonbad my toes curled, upwards! The muscle on frontnof my shin (i never really knew there was one until this happened) cramped up, causing both feet to twist outward, making me look like Charlie Chaplain heading to the kitchen to grab a bottle of salt water :woozy_face:

(Benny) #8

I’ve no muscle cramps as i’m supplementing with all electrolytes and eating lots of vegetables,avocado etc.
I’m still hungry all the time though and although i take magnesium,potassium,himalayan salt and more i still feel really really tired and dizzy all the time! it’s so frustrating.

(Scott) #9

If you have only been eating keto for about ten days your not even close to being fat adapted yet. Give it time because it will take some time.

Be sure to tally up the carb value of all of these because you may be getting more than you think.

(Benny) #10

Yeah, im here for the long haul. I just wanted to go down the veg route as to get the vital nutrients in as to hopefully help my procession. I agree with some other posters that say there is also a lot of conflicting info online. more salt…less salt…more fat…less fat…more protein…less protein… I myself just want to feel well and healthy. I’m changing diet for the feel good benefits not weight loss but have felt constantly awful for 11 days

(Cathy) #11

If you are hungry - eat. Make sure it is low carb enough and don’t worry about the rest. You can refine later. Right now it is most important to get into ketosis and stay there. Sometimes the problem is the appetite suppression that comes with ketosis. It feels a bit strange and can be interpreted as hunger. You need to relearn what hunger actually feels like. It is part of the process!

(Scott) #12

Don’t get me wrong, I eat veggies daily. I keep the root ones to a bare minimum or zero. After that it is usually a small serving of asparagus, Brussels or broccoli with dinner. I aim for 20 carbs from veggies and incidental here and there carbs. That leaves 30 carbs from wine and light beer if I so choose. <50g seems to be my sweet spot.

(Consensus is Politics) #13

When I started keto this time around (long story) I decided to go zero carb, as as close as possible. I eat virtually no veggies. I do on rare occasion eat some kimchi, or maybe a little grilled onion to accent my meal. When I do its maybe as much as 10 grams of carbs.

I initially did it this way to get into ketosis faster. Once I was sure I was fat adapted (waited about 6 months to be sure :thinking:) then I allowed for slightly more carbs. But even then not over 20 grams a day.

I have tested my metabolism after being on keto for about a year. I ate a meal with a lot of carbs, pushing upwards of close to 100 grams. I did see a spike in BG, about 150, and two hours later it was about 120. Jumping on the stationary bike took it under 100 in about 20 minutes. As far as I could tell I went right back into ketosis, and never felt any different.

(Benny) #14

I guess I never expected it to be so hard.
People say add more cheese and cream is good satiating then the next one says dairy may be holding me back. I’m trying to mix it up a bit but finding a diet or way of lifestyle that should be easy is certainly not. For each bit of advice - add higher protein,fat or whatever the next bit of advice is I may be having too much protein fat etc
Confused is an understatement.
I appreciate all advice but have absolutely no energy and feel unwell yet have constant hunger.
Since this switch in lifestyle I’ve gained 5lbs.

(Consensus is Politics) #15

You cant have too much fat. Your body should signal you that you have had enough, barring of course any health issues that would effect satiety signals.

Protein just needs to be enough to maintain current muscle mass. If you are building muscle, increase it a bit. Otherwise protein should be about 1 gram of protein per kg of lean muscle mass. That can be varied up and down a little. You could double that, and not interfere with ketosis.

Carbs, really the most important thing of all, must be kept low. Very low. The reason for this is insulin spikes, or elevated insulin over time. When insulin is up, ketosis stops. Zero fat burning. Only fat storage. Insulin has two major purposes, to rid the body of Blood Glucose, and to make the body store the excess as fat. There might be some other minor thing that it needs to do, but I am unaware of that at this time. Still learning. But insulin does affect other hormones. When those are outa whack, the all sorts of problems hings can get jacked up. Insulin is like the King Pin of hormones. It will effect ghrelin and leptin, hunger signaling and satiety signaling. If those two are out of whack, you will feel like you’re starving, and never feel like you ate enough.

A really good book to read which explains a lot of this is The Obesity Code, even if you arent doing keto for fat loss, its worth reading it to see how insulin acts in the body. A good 30% of that book is footnote references to studies, et. al.

(Scott) #16

I just aim for <50g carbs and ignore all the static. I am very patient so after a three month stall I made a minor adjustment two or three weeks ago and this morning hit a new recent low weight on the scale.

(Benny) #17

I just can’t get by the lack of energy and frustration.
I’m eating fat fat fat and protein with loads of supplements yet I’m shattered. Going on for 2 weeks and feeling just the same.
Brain fog,lethargy,weight gain and constant hunger.
I’m definitely more hungry more regularly than I was eating rubbish :exploding_head:
I’m trying to be positive and thinking that tomorrow it all might change.
I read about mental clarity,extra energy etc yet I’m the opposite. I’ll stick with it though and have decided to give it 3 months. What if I’m 3 stone heavier and still have no energy by then though?
It’ll be the life change that destroyed my mental as well as physical well-being.

(Cathy) #18

I am sorry to hear that you are suffering this much. Most people will at very least, have a bit of weight loss from fluids - loss of glucose stores. I think your descriptions of how truly opposite and really bad you are feeling, warrant a doctor’s visit. Get some blood work done and go from there. Wishing you the very best outcome!

(Benny) #19

Thank you very much for the reply…I am trying this diet as I hear of all the amazing life changes it has to offer…all good. 3 weeks ago I felt good,had boundless energy and hadn’t been to the doctor in over 20 years. I’m amazed there ain’t thousands on here mentioning the same things. Think I’ll just go for fruit and veg with lean proteins in future.

(mole person) #20

@Bh1974 you’re in keto adaptation. Feeling awful in the first month is very normal. My husband was even worse than what you are describing. People are very different in how bad adaptation is. For some it’s just a lack of oomph at the gym and others are much more negatively affected. It does go away though. You do need to give it another two weeks minimum though or you’ve just been suffering for no reason.

Keto works because your body undergoes big metabolic changes. those changes just don’t happen overnight. And in the meantime you’re not getting the fuel source that your body is used to, and so you suffer. Nearly everyone feels great though after the transition period.

Even your lack of weight loss is not really abnormal. Some people are just starving all the time when they switch off carbohydrates. And you may not lose weight until this hunger level diminishes. However, once your body switches to metabolizing fat easily and efficiently your hunger will diminish markedly.