Hunger and not so great relationship with food

(runner1974) #1

I have been doing this WOE since 1/1/2018… Most of the time I do great… I have a bad relationship with food and I am trying to correct that. There are some days that I am so hungry and other days I could care less… I exercise daily and started running more because of my relationship with food… Does anyone have any advice as to what helped them change their outlook with food?

(Liz ) #2

I have been Keto 13 months and I am still learning how to heal my relationship with food. It’s an ongoing process for me with better days and worse ones. But the best thing has been to really think about it, examine it, give myself a lot of compassion and keep trying to learn to eat for sustenance instead of for entertainment or comfort. Sadly I don’t think anything is as comforting or fun as food lol but that’s just too bad for me. The things I do to replace eating even when I’m not hungry are reading, sewing, writing to friends, etc. But if I end up binging I don’t get down about it because it’s always keto foods. I figure it revs up my metabolism :slight_smile: Good luck to you as you find your way.

(runner1974) #3

Thank you for sharing that with me… It’s nice to know I am not alone… I ordered 3 books from the library to help me out… I am really trying to sort this out but a lifetime of bad will take some time to work out.

(Liz ) #4

I think that’s really it, taking the time to learn your triggers, some coping techniques, being gentle with yourself, knowing that at least while you are keto, eating wildly out of control probably won’t do much harm. And maybe you’ll experience a bit of an improved mental state, I know I have less anxiety on Keto than before. It’s not gone but it’s definitely quieter. There are other threads about eating disorders on here, I don’t have them at hand but put in some search terms and see what comes up. You are certainly not alone.

(Doug) #5

Good for you, Runner. :slightly_smiling_face: I am so sure of how the exercise helps.

Totally hear you there. It can be a long process. It can even be eternal vigilance, i.e. temptation may never go away completely. We do learn and get better at things with practice and as time goes by; to an extent, truly knowing something is to do it.

Many decades of excess behind me. “A lifetime of bad” – oh yeah… I cannot yet totally face making this way of eating a “permanent lifestyle change without exception.” Staying away from carbohydrates is good for me, even essential, but the best I can do for now is take things one day at a time, string some really good weeks together, etc.

We’re not robots, but strict adherence is a good thing, and there are many really admirable people around here who are great at that, Liz being one of them. I think it’s also always going to be a matter of degrees, to an extent - as imperfect as I am, I know this way of eating works well, and it’s the only “diet” that has ever even remotely worked for me - the others would all crash and burn after 3 or 4 days. Compared to doing nothing, I am far ahead, farther, really, that I ever thought I’d get.

(runner1974) #6

Thank you both :slight_smile:

(Liz ) #7

(Thanks for the kind shout out @OldDoug :blush: )

I meant to add, I know it’s hard to trust hunger signals after experiencing eating disorders but Keto can reset them & I am learning to believe it when my body says EAT. I just make sure it’s keto friendly.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

This has been important to me, too. I still get sugar/carb cravings after a year of keto eating. The difference now is that they are clearly just cravings, because my satiety signaling is now just so clear. There are days when I want more food than others, and I have found, as you have, that as long as the food is ketogenic, there’s no problem. Particularly since now I can tell the difference between needing more food and craving sugar/carbs (yay!). :bacon:

#9

It’s sort of comforting to know I’m not alone. Though I do think not many people have such bad relationship with food as me. It has developed lately, past year or two. I did eat a lot of carbs before, had fast metabolism, didn’t do a lot of damage. As I started to age into my 40, my metabolism slowed down and I had to resort to exercising, going to the gym, running - quite extensively. Nothing wrong with that. Past few months I have tried to have only 3 meals a day, no snacks and even 2 meals sometimes. On the days when I work I keep my mind occupied and seriously don’t care about food that much. It’s on my days off when I’m at home I have nothing else to do and constantly snack - if I have a bad day - binge. Like yesterday. I think no member of this community has seen the amouts of bad carbs I’ve consumed. I simply ate everything possible I had around me - packets of biscuits, bread, fruit cereal bars, sandwiches, numerous toasts for breakfast, throughout the day the same. I wondered if I can trigger diabetes or some pacreas attack. The thing is, I don’t get normal signals of satiety. I feel full the same with small or big amounts I et. Don’t stop when I’m full. I eat for a chewing reflex. Tried many chewing gums, they help only for a few tens of minutes. So a massive binge yesterday. It happens now once or twice a week. the rest of the days I’m moderate or even quite healthy eater. The binges ruin everything I sweat for in the gym and I then have horrible low confidence feelings and depressed. I’m not talking of trespassing a few carb grams a day, the amount od like over ten-fold of keto carb intake. And the problem on those days off is that I am lazy to start doing something and bored, just sitting and staring at interntet because it’s easy. I am aware I can start a hobby, do housework, go out, etc. Just really lazy and/or unmotivated to do anything. Sad but true. Can anyone help? My small motivation is to keep my figure slim but that is slowly getting out of hands.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #10

@lenore If you keep carbohydrate under 20 grams a day, and keep your protein moderate, you can safely eat enough fat to never feel hungry. I don’t know how long you’ve been eating a well-formulated ketogenic diet, but it takes a while to become fat-adapted and to get one’s satiety signalling sorted out. In the meantime, what worked for me was to simply not worry about the quantity I was eating, so long as I was eating only protein and fat. It took a while for my body to reorganize itself, but after a few weeks my appetite began to decline, as my body was assured of a steady energy supply, and sixty pounds came off over a period of several months, with absolutely no effort on my part.

If carbohydrate foods are a temptation to you, get them out of the house and stock up on keto-friendly snacks, such as pepperoni, pre-cooked bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cheese (if you can tolerate dairy), and pork rinds. Also, I find that if I am eating fat to satiety during meals, the urge to snack is greatly diminished. Since I live with other family members, I can’t eliminate carbs completely from the house, but the others are pretty good about not waving their pasta and pastries around in front of my face, lol, so the cravings (which have continued) are at least manageable.

#11

I haven’t actually got to the stage where I got even into proper ketosis, I’m new to this but had tried about 10-12 times, just reducing the carbs. I think even with something like 70 g which I was nearest to 20g I was quite succesful and it did bring me to a state that others describe here as ketosis, the day and the next one just felt different - senses and mentally better. But each time after a day of that I slipped - I just get into that state where I feel relief I’ve gone considerably far and therefore deserve a treat. That’s where it all starts - with one o two biscuits or bread then going into a mania. I can’t sustain it. I have the least willpower out of all people I’ve ever know. It’s mental, I know. I find excuses and the least resistance ways possible in everything I do in my life. On the other hand, when I’m in good mood I can find a lot of energy to persist certain time - like doing hard excercise, weights, running. Simply, extremes.
I should throw all carbs away, yes. But I’m the type of person that even if I don’t have it in the house I am able to go out to the nearest shop and get something convenient and unhealthy when the cravings call, any time. I need a brain replacement.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #12

LOL! When I was first getting sober, I remember people telling me that A.A. was trying to brainwash me. One old-timer said, “Of course! A brain like yours needs washing!” :smiley: :joy:

(Insert witty quote here) #13

I just want to say congrats on getting sober! That’s truly amazing. <3

As for everyone else…I’m with you. That’s all. I have trouble with food and eating habits. I cannot seem to make keto “stick,” even though I know how good it is for me. So, no advice, just support over here. :slight_smile:

(Raj Seth) #14

You need a lobotomy and replace with BACON😂

(Raj Seth) #15

Let that treat be pork rinds! Or bacon, a fatty piece of ribeye, or a dripping piece of chuck shoulder, or a few ribs.

(runner1974) #16

I am sorry I am just seeing this now… I wish I had some good advice for you… I know how much of a struggle it can be…