Overeating when not fasting

(Jack Bennett) #21

This was a little overpriced Justin’s single serving pack that I impulse purchased… straight from the jar, all bets are off :joy::laughing:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #22

Here are a few things to think about in this regard:

  • Be sure you are getting enough protein. You need a certain amount, in order to maintain muscle and bone mass, and to provide a pool of amino acids for building up tissues. In the usual scheme of things, the body does not metabolise amino acids, instead using them for structural purposes and as a source of nitrogen, which, in the form of nitric oxide, helps relax the walls of blood vessels and keep blood pressure properly regulated.

  • Once your protein intake is at an adequate level, your appetite should be a reliable guide to how much fat to eat—as long as you are keeping your carb intake low, of course. The reason is that if we eat very little carbohydrate our blood sugar and our insulin level stay low, thus permitting our fat tissue to yield up fatty acids to be metabolised, and also permitting our satiety hormones to work properly.

  • Don’t fear calories as such; from the body’s point of view, what kinds of food we eat are much more important than the amount of food we eat. The metabolism can adjust quite radically to match intake. This is basic endocrinology, but it tends to get ignored in discussions of obesity and fat loss. Furthermore, it’s easier to burn fat when we eat enough food, because the body has mechanisms to help preserve our resources when we are starving. It will only allow those resources to be used in times of abundance; during famines it hunkers down in order to see us through.

  • You might consider waiting to fast until it starts happening accidentally. Fasting is much easier if we are fully ketoadapted first.

  • Examine your reasons for fasting. Fasting is primarily important for a process called “autophagy,” in which the body tears down old and damaged proteins and recycles their component amino acids into new proteins. If your primary purpose for fasting is simply to lose excess stored fat, fasting might be helpful, but is certainly not necessary; many people lose large amounts of excess fat on a well-formulated ketogenic diet without ever having to fast.

(Jane Srygley) #23

Thanks so much for all of that, Paul. I am fully ketoadapted or otherwise I would get crazy headaches when I fast.

I am fasting because of Jason Fung, following my version of his ADF protocol. I do OMAD on Sunday and 2 30ish hour fasts during the week. I tried doing the fasting without keto and that’s when I got the crazy headaches mentioned above. I had to go back to keto first, then I was able to start working slowly into fasting again. Ironically, I got interested in Jason Fung because I wanted autophagy, but now that’s a secondary concern. I want to heal my body, period. I think fasting does so many things to accomplish that, including but certainly not limited to giving my body a break from being bombarded with insulin. Dr. Fung doesn’t require keto, so I thought maybe I could get away with a greater variety of foods in my diet… but nope no such luck :confused:

(Troy) #24

What I do now, kinda related
After a 24 hour fast for example

I do a small pre OMAD feed
Today, I had 4 slices of bacon and a small bag of pork rinds
Then, about an hour later, eased in to my meal
Helps me to not be so ravenous :smile:

Changing up my WOE here and there
Fun

I was then satiated just fine
Had some pork ribs and some melted garlic butter for dipping

Good Luck

(Nasir) #25

I am almost in exact situation. Fast for 70-100 hours while away and then think of food constantly on way back home. Difference is though that I struggle to not pick up a 320g mixed nuts tin from services and finish it before I get home.

(Natasha) #26

Yes, I have experienced the same thing. During an extended fast I feel really energised and almost euphoric with very little appetite I enjoy that feeling. However, I have noticed that once my fasting ends my appetite comes back with a huge vengeance and it makes me feel out of control and disordered around food - that becomes a worry for me given my history of (undiagnosed) eating disorder. For that reason I am very careful about fasting now and tend to not do anything more than 20:4.

I also have a tendency to overeat keto foods - I just love eating! What I have found helps is plenty of fat and protein from meat sources. For example ground beef or pork belly will keep me satiated for longer time than lots of other food so then I find I can more easily handle regular 18:6 or 20:4 intermittent fasting which don’t seem to cause me the same issues as the longer fasts do.

I hope you find something that works for you!