Recommendations for methods of checking ketosis?


(Robin) #41

Oh, glorious night eating! It’s an addiction all of it’s own! I finally gave mine up when I noticed how MUCH Better I sleep now. But I still sometimes have to fight the urge to raid the fridge at 10 pm. It’s getting easier but the mental urge is still there. I eat up and go look for a project… the other night, so cleaned the bathroom! LOL


(Shelly C) #42

Thanks for your experience but mine is not before going to bed - it is pretty much EVERY time I get up in the night to use the bathroom (usually at least 2 times - up to 4 times a night). I just have no control then. I binge so badly that I don’t even chew the food I am eating and my throat hurts in the morning. Not to mention that I feel awful about myself in general. It is absolutely the worst thing I have had to deal with in my life and I just can’t get control of it. I can sometimes make it 1 or 2 nights without going to the kitchen but that’s about it. I have tried so many different approaches to stop - creating a monster in the kitchen, trying to tell myself that there is poop in whatever food I want to eat (all ideas I have gotten from internet browsing on the subject) - I’M NOT HUNGRY - I don’t feel a desire to eat - it’s like I’m on autopilot straight to the kitchen. I’m so tired of it and I have lost all hope that I can fix it. It is so sad.


(Robin) #43

Do you take a sleep aid of any sort? Some can cause you to eat up and do things. I have stories!


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #44

I’m finding it helpful to remember that sometimes the urge to eat is actually a sign of thirst. If that’s the case, when I drink something and reevaluate, I find I’m not actually hungry. Off course, sometimes I really am hungry, but that happens less frequently than you might expect.


(Bob M) #45

Salt sometimes helps too. I can take salt under my tongue, and that can help. Not always, though.


(Shelly C) #46

I never took a sleep aid in my life until about 2 weeks ago. I started taking one because I’m also tired of waking up 2-4 time in the night to urinate and I thought it might help that but it hasn’t. I thought if I could stop waking up to urinate, maybe the night eating would stop as well. I stop drinking any liquid around 6 and don’t go to bed until 11-12. So, I don’t understand why I am waking up so much to use the bathroom in the 6 hour sleep window.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #47

Does it help any, if what you eat is low-carb? It’s harder to binge on meat than on potato chips, I find. And in any case, if you’re bingeing on protein and fat, then the effect on your insulin will be minimal.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #48

This could possibly be a sign of lack of sodium. Try getting a bit more salt in your diet; it certainly helps me.

I also found that the lower my carb intake, the better my bladder capacity.


(Shelly C) #49

I eat low carb - under 20 grams a day. My husband is also low carb so we don’t really have too much in the house that isn’t low carb - no potato chips in this house. A lot of times, though, it’s peanut butter - by the spoonful - almost choking myself. Other times hard boiled egg, bacon, cheese, pork rinds - really anything I can get my hands on for the very short time I am in the kitchen. At this point, I am also uncaring about the effect it has on my insulin and way more concerned on the effect it is having on my head and my day-to-day life and thoughts about myself. I have considered trying hypnosis, acupuncture, or other methods of alternative medicine but really not sure what route to take at this point. I have signed up for an online support group meeting scheduled for this Monday with National Alliance for Eating Disorders and I am hoping to learn some things from it that will help.


(Shelly C) #50

I don’t think lack of sodium is an issue - my intake is at 5 grams a day


(Shelly C) #51

I apologize if I seem dismissive of suggestions - I certainly don’t mean to be. I also apologize about not really knowing how to use this forum so I am probably posting improperly. I mostly read in here because I don’t want to upset people by not understanding how to use it properly. Thank you for all your support and suggestions.


(Robin) #52

After going thru all of your posts and re-reading between the lines, I think the support group may be a great start for you.
“…way more concerned about the effect it is having on my head and my day-to-day life and thoughts about myself. I have considered trying hypnosis, acupuncture, or other methods of alternative medicine…”

You are wise to seek support for your mental well being first. Good call. And good luck! :vulcan_salute:


(Shelly C) #53

Thank you Robin


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #54

These are healthy, keto-friendly foods, so I don’t see any harm in bingeing on them.

You are probably not eating enough during the day. Try eating when you are hungry, don’t stop eating until you stop being hungry, and then don’t eat again until you are hungry again.

In other words, eat according to your body, not according to the clock, and don’t count calories. At first you will probably eat more than you think you should be eating, but your hunger and satiety hormones will eventually sort themselves out, and your appetite will drop.


(Paul) #55

Hi Annoula,

I started following a ketogenic lifestyle 4 years ago after my doctor told me that I was pre-diabetic (insulin resistant). It was a huge change for me I had horrible eating habits.

Early on I struggled staying away from my worst enemy - ice cream.

Long story short, for me, daily testing with a glucose/ketone meter provides a strong mental anchor for avoiding cheating/breaks. I tested intermittently before, but since I started daily (morning) testing 14 months ago, I’ve been in continuous ketosis.

Obviously, this may not work for everyone, but it has been a powerful tool for me and is worth every penny.

Paul


#56

Hi @Paul, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Our stories are similar in that I started keto from a pre-diabetic stage AND that ice cream is probably my biggest weakness! That and onions, I guess. Separately, I rush to add :wink:

The words “strong mental anchor” resonate with me, and you’ve put your finger on good reasons for it – when I ‘slip up’ I end up simply uncertain if I’ve done so within reasonable bounds that my body is tolerating well, or if I’m actually slipping out of ketosis.

I’ll investigate availability and price of a meter and strips and if it’s affordable (tough times) I think I’ll give it a try.


(Shelly C) #57

Thanks Paul for the recommendations.

I wish I could get to the point in believing that bingeing is ok but I don’t believe I ever will, keto friendly food or not. For me, bingeing shows of lack of self-control. I am what some would call a black or white kind of thinker. So, let’s say that I’m an alcoholic and that I have quit drinking but I binge on beer but not liquor because beer doesn’t make me act like so much of an a**. Maybe I am wrong to compare and think of my food bingeing this way, I don’t know.

I have, however, seen a lot of discussion about night eating and its correlation to not eating enough calories during the day. I will take that suggestion and yesterday added more food to my meals. I will admit that I was pretty uncomfortable after both meals and didn’t add a lot.

I have, for over 2 years, ate like you suggest - eat until satiated and stop, eating again and until satiated and stop and so on and so forth. The
peculiar thing to me is that I am never really hungry but I eat anyway because I know I need to eat.

Another peculiar thing is that I can be in the kitchen all day cooking and baking and never binge, snack, etc. I have an overabundance of self control during the day but none in the middle of the night.

I know seeking help from a modern medical practitioner (i.e. nutritionist, psychologist, etc) will not be to my benefit since I feel, based on internet research into seeking help, most believe keto is a “fad diet” and that fasting is detrimental to health. I feel they would suggest my first step in fixing this would be to stop both and I am not now or ever will be willing to take that advice. This WOE has certainly had more benefits in my life that this one hurdle I am dealing with now.

Thanks again. I do appreciate you taking the time to pass along your wise words.


#58

Tracking calories/macros consuming <20g carbs per day and not dying = ketosis.