Frustrating week

#1

I know the answer is KCKO so I’m just looking for a little commiseration here.

I’ve been strict keto about 2.5 months. I did my first 48 hour fast last week and felt fantastic. I could have gone longer but I was mentally ready to eat.

Ever since then, I’ve been HUNGRY. Even now, a week later, I’m HUNGRY. I’ve been eating keto and not restricting calories.

I really wanted to do another fast starting today, so I made sure to really feast last night. I couldn’t even make a full 24 hours. I’ve just been SO HUNGRY. Aaaah.

To make it worse, I’ve been gradually gaining since ending the fast last week. I’m now up almost 3lb from my fasted weight. And I’m having a period, so that’s super fun.

(TJ Borden) #2

Although fasting is something we have done as a species for hundreds of thousands of years, it’s not something that’s been common for many of us (especially in western cultures) for several generations. It takes tome to build a fasting muscle, and it’s important to remember that the balance to fasting is feasting. It’s okay to eat, in fact it’s important too. As you fast more and more, your body will learn that a few days without food is nothing to freak out about and will ease on building stores back up afterwards.

Weight fluctuations of a few pounds are generally water weight, which comes and goes easily with any changes or stresses that your system is dealing with. Hope this helps a bit, but as you said, you already knew the answer; KCKO.

(Wendy) #3

Good for you doing 48 hours! I’ve not done much more than 24.
I find some days I’m just hungrier than others but it all seems to even out in the end. That’s why some days I eat 2 meals, sometimes only 1, and some days I eat breakfast too.
The whole female cycle just adds to this I think. I hear about the cravings right before all the time. So just ride this out like you are and it will all be fine after a bit.
I flunctuate with weight like this all the time but it drops back down every time.
KCKO you got this!

(Running from stupidity) #4

Man, can we change the question, then? Please? :slight_smile:

Won’t that also be a factor in the weight gain? #manquestioningnotmansplaining

#5

It definitely can be a factor. I have an IUD and hadn’t had periods in about 8 years until I started keto, so period-related stuff is doubly frustrating because I’m not used to it!

(Running from stupidity) #6

Yep, fair enough then!

("Don't call it calories, call it food") #7

I want to eat carbs all day long before my period. I get seriously seriously hungry. I hold weight and water during my period. Then the day after it ends, back to pre-period weight.

Last time I just ate more carbs and it still went back to normal (though I am new to this and I only have a small sample size!).

Maybe it’s fasting, maybe it’s hormonal. Maybe try fasting week 1 of your cycle and see if it does the same thing as it did before your period.

(Adriana) #8

I share the same experience. I feel super hungry from three days leading up to my period until it finishes, and I also retain water; this has happened to me always (even pre-keto).

#9

This gives me a lot of hope! Thanks!

#10

Yup me too! Except for me it’s like two weeks of pre-period annoying bloating and cravings, followed by two weeks of goodness. Rinse, repeat. LOL

I find the schedule of when I can fast and when I have to eat all the things is a slave to my cycle. Just the way it is, so I deal with it.