Really hungry

(Jean) #1

I have been on keto 4 months and down 40lbs. Always keep my csrbscaround 12-15. This last week I am really hungry and guessing not enough fat . Been eating mostly processed food like cheese pepperoni cheese strings etc . Some steak and chicken . When I tried peeing on a strip the colour came out as low or moderate colour . Just was nice not being hungry . Don’t know if boredom eating ?

#2

I think you answered your question for yourself. Get some less processed food in your diet. Eat a good fat steak, some chicken thighs, vegetables with lots of butter. Keto is for sure about low carbs, but it’s also about real food.

(traci simpson) #3

I concur!

#4

I agree as well.

Do you like avocado? I find that helps me stay feeling full.

Also, how is your water intake? That is a biggie for me. Sometimes I don’t get enough if I am not actively thinking about it.

(traci simpson) #5

I have a strange relationship with water. I feel really bad if I don’t get my usual amount.

(Jean) #6

Drinking water , yes sometimes just busy and eat quick stuff . Usually pretty good about broccoli and cauliflower etc . Sorry no avocado is a big no . Thought that cheese and pepperoni etc still had enough fat

(Alec) #7

Your body is doing something that needs some extra energy. Indulge it. Eat some more. Becoming sensitive to hunger signals is approaching keto mastery. You’re doing really well!!

(Carl Keller) #8

You can expect your hunger to come back, in full force, after you’ve lost a lot of weight. It’s our body’s logical response to continuous losses. What’s key is making the proper response when it starts becoming noticeable.

I discovered eating more for a few days a week made doing OMAD or 2MAD the next day much easier. Feasting is pretty much the same as pushing our hunger reset button and doing this took the constant idea of wanting to eat, out of my head.

And I also agree with this:

Eating with this in mind is much more satisfying to me and real food keeps me from being hungry for longer amounts of time.

(Alec) #9

Carl, did you mean fasting?

Re-reading, maybe you did mean feasting…???

#10

Side note…I just read this to my mom who is stalled right now. There’s an idea to try. She’s also going through fighting mouth hungry (not genuine hunger) problems.

(Carl Keller) #11

I did mean feasting. Feasting and fasting is pretty much how our ancestors ate for eons. We loaded up after a successful hunt and we buckled down when our dinner was faster or smarter than we were.

(Natasha) #12

I am currently down 70lb and have recently been experiencing the same increase in hunger. I really don’t like the feeling of being hungry and on the look out for food again after all these months, and it is beginning to concern me. I only weigh very occasionally, so I don’t know what is happening with my weight loss but honestly I am not looking forward to the next time I weigh.

I haven’t got any advice to offer really, I’m just a joining the club! I heard one of the podcasts where Carl talked about eating just pork belly to satiation as a OMAD thing. I thought about trying that, or maybe an egg/butter/HWC fast for a couple of days in the hopes of resetting things.

I’d be interested in hearing about any successes you have. Take care and good luck!

(Alec) #13

Third rule of Keto Club: eat fat to satiety. If hungry, eat. Just not carbs. Don’t leave yourself hungry unless you are on a clear and deliberate fast.

(Natasha) #14

I think that this is my issue. Even despite all these months and all the disappeared poundage, I am afraid of overeating calories… I know, I know! It’s awful! This is where 25+ years of totally disordered eating is kicking my butt. I’m so scared of falling off the wagon and getting out of control again. I think what I can’t fully get my head round is trusting that I would feel satisfied if I ate according to satitety, rather than just starting up a fire that I can’t control once it begins raging… I actuallu know I am being irrational and disordered and that I need to approach it scientifically/experimentally and see objective results to remove the underlying fears and emotions.

(Alec) #15

I am in the very same boat. I have to remind myself consciously to satisfy hunger. My default instinct is still “keep calories low”. But I know intellectually now that this is counterproductive.

For example, right now I am not feeling well, I think I have a virus of some type. Very low level discomfort, not feeling great. I have been feeling hungry. So I am feeding, even feasting. I am sure my body is working overtime on kicking the virus’s arse: I need to give it the energy it is craving to support the effort.

(traci simpson) #16

For me, I have a hard time eating a large meal at one time. Eating until I’m satisfied could be like 3 eggs and that’s it because my stomach is like “enough” but then an hour later, I’m hungry again.

(Natasha) #17

That sounds like an excellent strategy. I definitely want to learn to not only listen to but also begin to trust what my body is saying. So glad it hasn’t given up trying to communicate despite my failure to listen and respond all these years.

Really hope you feel better soon :blush:

(Natasha) #18

I wish I had this problem! Mine is the opposite… it seems to take a extended amount of eating time plus a large volume of food before I get those types of signal!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #19

@jt2018 I guess I have a slightly different take on this subject. I view ‘hunger’ as a signal of negative energy imbalance. If you think of weight loss as a purposely induced negative energy imbalance, hunger is a good sign. It’s your body telling you it’s ‘eating itself’ to make up the imbalance, which is exactly what you want it to do. Of course, you want it to do so in a controlled and efficient manner eating stored fat and not muscle. So it’s a balancing act: enough negative imbalance to induce endogenous fat burn, but not so much as to induce survival mode.

You said: “4 months and down 40lbs” yet you describe your experience as really hungry. That tells me that although you are in ketosis you are not yet fat adapted. By keeping your carbs sub-20 for the past 4 months you have forced your metabolism to burn fat. But it does not like it, refuses to do it efficiently and is letting you know. You don’t mention your age, but whatever it is you ate SAD all those years and have been eating keto 4 months. Don’t expect miracles and you won’t be disappointed.

Some people report that it took them 6 months to a year to get fat adapted! That simply means it takes each of us an amount of time to retrain our cells and organs to burn fat instead of glucose; the old glucose craving for some takes a very long time to die, and only dies kicking and screaming. You still have ketones in your urine which indicates that your liver is overproducing ketones to compensate for the inefficient fat burn. Once fat adapted, your liver ketone output will decline to better synch to your energy requirements. Thus, fewer and fewer ketones will show up in your urine.

That’s good, too. High blood ketone levels indicate a positive energy imbalance which, just like glucose can cause multiple problems, including weight gain. Until fully fat adapted you have to be careful how you address your ‘hunger’ issue. If you eat enough to stop the ‘hunger’ you risk putting yourself into a positive energy imbalance where you will not only stop losing, you will start gaining again as your metabolism stores the excess energy.

I know it goes against the consensus on this forum to “eat to satiety”. But I think if you don’t maintain at least a slight negative energy imbalance you will not lose weight consistently or at all. Once totally fat adapted, the hunger signal gets very weak and fat burn very efficient. You may find it hard to believe now, but eventually you will struggle to avoid a negative energy imbalance because you simply forget to eat!

(Jean) #20

Thanks all this discussion has been a really good discussion and putting me back in a good headspace and the over reaction to getting out of ketosis and eating too much