How much to eat - newbie

(H) #1

Hi… this is my millionth question (not quite!) and I’ve read loads and there doesn’t seem to be a set answer— maybe that’s the answer!!! But I’m wondering what people do at the start when their appetite starts to give.
I’m 2.5 weeks in and naturally a greedy person. I could eat quite happily even if I’m not hungry - usually carbs obviously.
So I was quite surprised when, after about a week my hunger did subside. Now I’ve been having the bullet proof coffee for breakfast and then Waiting for lunch and then dinner, no snacks and a few cups of tea.
This all adds up to between 1250-1400 calories depending on how much cream or Mayo I have…
The thing is I’ve read that some people say if you don’t eat enough you won’t lose weight and others saying that the whole point of keto is that your body tells you when ira hungry… but that confuses me… cos if I’m full and i’ve only had 1400 so I stop or have more?

Incidentally those calories are what I used to have when working to a calorie deficit but I’m trying to let that go and focus on Health first, weight loss after… though I’ve about 10-15lbs to lose to fit neatly into BMI.

People seem to have different views on this subject but if anyone has any tips that would be great… FYI I’m 5’5 and 150lbs if that means anything!!!
Thanks :pray:

#2

Your energy requirements don’t change because you went keto, only the source changes. Hard to say without knowing the basics of you like how active you are, are you working out etc but 1200-1400cals isn’t much at all either way.

No reason you have to pick one over the other.

Many here will tell you if you’re not hungry then don’t eat. Maybe that’s ok, maybe it’s not. I did that and severely under ate because of it, doing that long term slowed my BMR. Not a good situation. For others that works fine. Our hunger / satiety signals don’t always work right, keto or not. The Bulletproof coffee is absolutely a meal, so don’t think of it as just a coffee. If you’re making it the traditional way you’re looking at around 300-400 calories almost all from fat which keeps many full for a while, especially if it’s C8 MCT Oil you’re using.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

If you only have ten or fifteen pounds (4.5-6.8 kg) to lose, they are going to come off slowly no matter what you do. If you are eating low-carb and satisfied by the amount of food you are eating, then you probably don’t need to worry about it. You could, however, try to eat a bit more at meals and see if that stimulates appetite, of if you are really not hungry.

(H) #4

Thanks for this! I’m definitely prepared to experiment, though I wanted to eat into the 15lbs a bit first.
I lost 4lb the first week… guessing water… nothing the second and seemed to gain 1.5 this week so far, though it may settle out and I’m trying (after a lifetime) of trying not to be a slave to the scale, though it’s difficult…
I don’t want to up my food and end up eating too much… I guess that’s where you have to work out what works individually though!!

(H) #5

Thanks! I love the coffee I put cream and coconut oil it works out to about 350 but does keep me satisfied for about 4-5 hours.

I’m not massively active as I sit in an office five days a week. I go swimming 3 or so times a week and horse riding plus walking about a bit. I’m certainly no Olympian but I’ve always had to curb cals as a rule because of my thyroid being under active. But part of doing this is to try to sort that out too… if I can.

I did try eating to 1800 at the weekend but felt very bloated then which is really the reason for the question - I can’t work out whether you push through that to get cals up!

#6

It seems this amount isn’t too little for you then, definitely don’t force more… I would continue and see what happens. Eat if you are hungry, don’t worry about calories unless it drops more, that wouldn’t be good. Don’t keep your energy that low if you happen to want more, of course. Get satiated, not too much, not too little :slight_smile:

But if you want to be more active and to eat more (and at some point you will want to maintain anyway) and you can’t with your current food choices and timing, change something. Most of us have food items less and more satiating, I definitely eat more if I simply add another meal…

#7

This is, or can, be a big problem for some folks. Watching it too closely. … And it’s also why I’ve always personally stated that “Time always tells a better story”. The scale can jump by pounds daily, much less hourly, so one shouldn’t pay too much attention to it in the long run. Its an ok device to help track things but there’s sometimes other things going on that don’t always show on the scale. Some might feel loss in the way their clothes fit, but the scale itself may not have changed for a while.

For me, I weigh once a week (Sunday mornings) just for record keeping purposes. But I don’t use it solely as a guide as to if things are indeed going well or not. Just another tool in the box really.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #8

As noted, 1200-1400 total calories per day doesn’t sound like much. However, as you can see from this chart from Phinney’s Virta Health, it might be right. Depending how much endogenous fat you’ve got to work with. I think the key is if you don’t feel hungry all the time you’re probably doing fine. Hungry before meals is OK, just the way to tell you it’s time to eat. Hungry all the time is not OK, it’s the way your body tells you to eat more.

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Bloating at the start -hard stomach feeling
(H) #9

Thanks! That’s a really interesting graph. And I guess I’m still at induction stage at only 2.5 weeks in too.
I think I’ll just try to stick to the eat when hungry rule and see what happens with that. I like eating less at night to be honest which is what has seemed to have happened the last few days. If I don’t lose in a week or so I might readjust and take it week by week… I guess as long as it’s not a gain you can afford to play with it a bit! I do feel healthier and more energised already which is the main thing!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #10

Keto is a process of metabolic normalization. Years/decades eating SAD does damage and it takes time to fix it. Frequently, other stuff takes precedence to weight/fat loss.

Bloating at the start -hard stomach feeling
(H) #11

This is what really appeals to me about it.
2.5 weeks in and I’m already waking up earlier, feeling better and drinking tons of water. It’s also encouraged me to stop drinking (I know you don’t need to but for general health!)
One of the reasons I’m so keen for it to work so I don’t fall of the wagon but I’m loving it so far and tbh I haven’t even missed bread, chips etc which, before this, only a few weeks ago, I would have said I could never live without!

#12

Is drinking tons of water a good thing? Are you feeling very thirsty? If so, perhaps you should test your blood sugar to see if you have diabetes. If you do have diabetes, it’s a good thing you’re doing keto!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #13

Thirst is our built-in water meter. Drinking to satisfy it is good. Drinking some arbitrary amount not so much. Keep in mind, though, that the daily total water intake between individuals can vary quite a lot due to a multitude of individual variables. Just because so-and-so says “a liter of water is plenty” they’re actually saying “I drink a liter of water and find it sufficient”. You may or may not. Conversely, when someone claims “I drink tons of water” what are they actually saying? “I drink more water than I did before”? Maybe. And they probably are simply because keto enables more water throughput than high carb eating. You have to drink an awful lot of water before you get into trouble. Peeing every 15-30 minutes is usually the first warning to back off.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #14

This is good advice. We generally need a bit more salt on a ketogenic diet, which generally also entails drinking a bit more. Given the individual variability involved, you are right to suggest listening to our body rather than drinking to some arbitrary target.

It was Prof. Tim Noakes, the marathoner and sports physiologist, who first suggested that runners should worry about hydration, and now the sport drink manufacturers’ advice has gotten so extreme that runners have started landing in the hospital with messed-up electrolytes from over-hydration, and a few have even died. (I remember reading “By the time you feel thirsty, it’s too late; you are already in dire need of water,” and thinking that couldn’t be right.) Prof. Noakes has publicly apologised and started recommending drinking only to thirst.

(H) #15

Thanks for this. I don’t have diabetes (I do test it every now and then and it’s always fine). I think it’s just because of the upped protein and fat and with it, salt.

(H) #16

Thanks. I’ve always drank a lot, either in the form of water or tea (and then more water because tea is a diuretic!). I’m a three drinks at a time type of person but I’ve cut out cordial, which I used to drink litres of, in favour of water. I do feel more thirsty but o do think it’s because I’ve been eating more salt because the diet is more savoury.

(H) #17

Thanks! What is your view of Amy Berger since I’ve been reading quite a few of her posts and her book and what she says about lessening fat intake (when you have fat to lose like I do) in favour of higher protein is a good thing.
Your posts seem to lean to the science aw well which is why I’d be interested to know your thoughts!

(Jenn) #18

My personal approach (as a 40yo woman, 5’5" with a current weight of 180lbs and a goal weight of 150lbs) is I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m satiated. If I’m not hungry enough for a meal, I simply wait until I am. Some days I’m naturally inclined to consume 800 calories. Other days it’s 1,500. But I’m losing weight, so I know it’s balancing out.

I come from a background of disordered eating. Periods of extreme calorie restriction followed by weeks-long binges. Keto has really helped me reconnect with my body’s hunger and satiety cues :grin:

(H) #19

Thanks!! This is really helpful and similar to what I’ve been doing. I’m 40, 5’5 and 150 but I want to lose the last 15 ideally. I was 198 way back when and though I’ve managed to keep that off (I’d gotten down to 135) I’ve wrestled between 135-150 for the last few years.
I was the same with the calories up to this week- I feel more hungry and have needed to go up to 1600-1700 every day - the natural curbing doesnt seem to have happened as easily this week!

(H) #20

Thanks!! This is really helpful and similar to what I’ve been doing. I’m 40, 5’5 and 150 but I want to lose the last 15 ideally. I was 198 way back when and though I’ve managed to keep that off (I’d gotten down to 135) I’ve wrestled between 135-150 for the last few years.
I was the same with the calories up to this week- I feel more hungry and have needed to go up to 1600-1700 every day - the natural curbing doesnt seem to have happened as easily this week!