Hunger after a year on keto - fat not satisfying

(Paul Butler) #1

Hi All,
I’ve been Keto for over a year now and lost 20kg.
Each week I normally do a combination of fasts in length of 44hrs, 20/4, and 16/8 (fasting every day).
Previously after diner meals I normally have some dark chocolate (90%) or more often pork crackle to feel full. This has got me through the year.
In the last few weeks (month), after eating my main meals and then after dinner snack (Above), I’m still hungry.
I cook in olive oil, add butter to my veggies, have the pork rind, eate butter straight and still hungry.
It gets so hard, that I’m tempted (and sometimes give in) to eating the carb-age in the cupboard that my kids eat.
Anyone else had this and have recommendations.
Thanks

(bulkbiker) #2

Eat more for your meals?
Sounds like you aren’t eating enough so getting hungry later… what’s your goal weight? Are you near it?
Maybe that your fasting regime is hindering and not helping?
Just some random thoughts…

(Trudy) #3

I’m at goal and will be following this post. I’m eating a lot more and have gained a couple of kg. Definite increase in appetite!

(Carl Keller) #4

The increase in hunger is our body’s attempt to recover some of the fat we lost. The only thing that helps me put the hunger to rest is eating fat along with protein. Fat by itself, won’t do the trick.

What I find remarkable is how my leptin signal behaves now. I literally can eat twice as much food as when I was first fat adapted, before I approach satiety. But I do stop myself when I’m at reasonable and practiced amounts of food… and a short time later, I’m content.

Is this how my leptin is supposed to naturally behave? Or is it a reaction to all the OMAD and EF I was doing; my body simply expanding the fuel tank in anticipation of long periods without eating? Or is this my body’s plea to add some of the precious fat it lost?

The good news is I am at maintenance weight and doing a pretty good job of maintaining. I’m just sometimes astounded at how much fatty meat I can put down when it’s in front of me. I can destroy 20-24 ounces of prime rib without a problem… but I know I can stop at 16 and not be hungry 15 minutes later.

(Allie) #5

Eat more food with the meal?

(Karen) #6

Protein is more satisfying. In ketosis you can eat more protein. Plus while we eat a lot of that to get ourselves fat adopted, later you should eat a bit less to allow that to be used from your body.

(Karim Wassef) #7

I found with my body that it stops at certain weight/fat levels and tries to “hold”… this is usually a memory effect where I had been at this level for a few years in my youth… having gotten back there, my body seems to want to “hang out” here.

So it’s a set point and it’s not comfortable going lower. Like Carl said… it wants to regain to stay at that level.

For me, that weight is 183 lbs … I started at 255 and got down to 160 and then gained to 183. The difference is that the last 23lbs gained were recomposition with a lot more muscle.

Higher protein + resistance training gave me more mass so I’m more comfortable with my size and weight.

I went from a size 46 belt (255lbs) to a size 32 belt (160) and now still a size 32 belt (183). Same waist but 23lbs more redistributed and recomposed.

Now I feast and fast every week to stay balanced. I eat fat and enough protein to keep my muscle gains.

Also, there are some keto foods that trigger my hunger- for me it’s almonds… I love them but they’re not my friend. I also try to go simple - one ribeye steak no frills… done.

So I go OMAD + one food only. This is more mental than anything. It’s like fasting in terms of control. I get to enjoy my steak with butter and then it’s done… mentally I know I will only eat again the next day. That “finality” helps me move on and the hunger subsides.

I see these hunger signals as temporary roadblocks.

(George) #8

This might be more of a mental thing. I too do weekly combinations of different fasting methods and am sure to use butter and olive oil along with other fats and proteins.
You’ve been keto a lot longer than I have, but I notice that when I have access to snacks, I feel hungry after dinner, whereas if I didn’t buy any snacks at the market and don’t have access to anything to indulge in, I’m not hungry after dinner.

(Karim Wassef) #9

Also … get snacks that you get tired of. I can only eat so many pork rinds before I just can’t any more… lol

But almonds… they are like a waterfall of temptation and it’s pleasure based, not hunger based.

#10

Are you eating enough? Do you have any more weight/fat to lose?

#11

I’ve heard the argument, but I’m not convinced fat is the most satiating macronutrient. I’ve also heard that protein is the most satiating. Perhaps this is something that varies individually.

I’ve tested myself on this by consuming isocaloric meals consisting almost exclusively of a single macronutrient: fat bombs, protein shakes or carb juices. What I’ve found is food volume is the most satiating for me. Therefore I focus on whole food sources of fat, protein and carbs. So in practice, I eat 1-2 lbs of nuts or seeds, 2-4 lbs of animal protein, half a dozen avocados and 5-7 lbs of vegetables a week. On a typical day, I probably eat 2000-2500 calories in roughly 2 lbs of food.

#12

Amber O’Hearn talks about this in her recent appearance on Primal Edge Health. The short version is that fat is easily the most satiating and satisfying. Fat doesn’t raise insulin, it suppresses ghrelin, and it promotes the release of CCK.

(Erin Macfarland ) #13

Try increasing protein in the form of yummy cuts of beef- ribeye, burgers, chuck- this seems to increase satiety more than anything else I’ve found.

(Running from stupidity) #14

FTFY

#15

Wrong. This was not her anecdotal experience. She was referencing ItsTheWoo who did a series of blog posts on the subject. I suggest you check them out. You might find them enlightening.

(Running from stupidity) #16

Ah yes, you explained that clearly initially.

However, irrespective of that, there’s any number of people here for whom that is NOT the case, so declaring it to be so is pointless (at best).

#17

I certainly find protein way more satiating than fat. Other people find fat satiating & others prefer fibre/bulk.

#18

Yes, and cico is the bottom line. Hormones are irrelevant, amirite?

#20

Where did he say that?

#21

My point, from the beginning, is that fat is the most satisfying and satiating due to it’s hormonal effects.

Eating more protein is only going to help if you aren’t eating enough protein to cover turnover. That’s pretty rare in our protein obsessed society.