Stalled....or...?

(Katie) #1

I have had the problem of not being able to eat enough to prevent my body from thinking it is starvation mode. I am just not hungry. “Eat till you are sated”…well, try as I may that happens about 800 calories!!! I was trying to fill that gap with fat. But, I still stall. I think because my body is then running on the fat I eat instead of the fat I carry around.

So…my tactic has been to fast. This will bring my metabolism backup, but…it makes my appetite even less. After a 4 day fast, I couldn’t even stand to look at food…so I just went another day (total 5 days). I know I need food at this point as I am feeling a bit faint and light headed (I recognize this from years of working multiple days on my feet straight). But, I almost feel sick at the thought smell of food.

Ok…how do I get my stomach stretched out enough to eat 1500 calories a day? Even when food is OK, I just cannot eat very much

Do you think if I eat 800 calories a day my body will get used to it and not start to act starving?

How do you stuff yourself way past full?

(Robert C) #2

Start a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan at medium heat. Before it smokes add 3 beaten eggs and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil that has been infused with your favorite spice (dried pepper works well). Stir in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Finish cooking the eggs and add half a diced avocado – stir in. Plate and top with one ounce of cheese. About 860 calories for one not-too-filling calorie dense very Keto meal. You can do the same substituting some meat (bacon, sausage, hamburger etc.) for the avocado.

Since you are having trouble eating, it is best to use some spice that will make it more hyper-palatable for you. (I prefer cayenne pepper - spicy things make me want more spicy things.)

You should do this twice a day on your eating days to avoid ruining your metabolism.

(Susan) #3

@RobC recipe is terrific, try that =).

Another idea that I have found that has been working for me is making a tea or coffee, and adding it to the blender, with a lot of icecubes, and 1/2 Heavy Whipping Cream (400 calories and healthy fats) and chopping that in the blender. It is a delicious drink, and very Keto. It tastes delicious. I have been making that with my 1pm Lunch meal, and making food as well. I drink most of it after eating, like a desert =). Herbal teas are nice to do this with as well, I often use Celestial Seasoning’s Black Cherry Berry Tea. It tastes sweet to me, without adding any sweeteners, as I stopped using them in early June =).

I find 20:4 TMAD works better then OMAD, as I could never get enough calories in one sitting. I have lunch at 1pm and then supper at 4:30.

I just did two fasts of 48 hours and 75 hours and the scale did not move at all either time. Eating enough calories is important, as long as you keep to 20 grams or less of carbs, and get the extra calories from healthy fats and proteins =). Best wishes in breaking your stall.

#4

Hi @Katiekate, I know this isn’t the usual advice on here, but if you have excess body fat right now (not sure if you do), I would fast until your hunger really kicks in. What makes you think your body thinks in starvation mode? When you need to eat, your body will definitely let you know. Obviously if you’re dropping into super-low body fat percentages and still not hungry, something’s wrong, but if you have body fat to burn and you’re not hungry that means - congratulations! - your leptin/leptin receptor mechanism is doing its job beautifully.

I know there’s fear of slowing down metabolism, but from what I’ve seen,
lean + very active is just a dramatically different metabolic situation from overweight and/or insulin resistant. I.e. I think someone can fast a lot, eat at a deficit (of external calories) until she’s down to a lean weight and then be in a very different metabolic state when it comes to maintenance, especially since there’s probably 1) significant metabolic (and other) healing that happens along the way and 2) a natural increase in activity.

@Momof5 Susan, I don’t want to put doubts into your head about your current plan, but that’s what comes to mind for me when I see your recent posts as well. Those lovely high-calorie days can do their job if they’re spread way out (once every 5 days or so) and if the food is concentrated into an even shorter eating window. I don’t think it makes sense to worry about metabolic slow-down or forcing in extra fat when you still have fat on your body. The primary concern should be keeping insulin low and increasing those lovely walks of yours as you feel better and lighter.

[disclaimer for both of you: I haven’t seen all of your recent posts so this might have all been covered ad naseum already…]

(Susan) #5

The thing that happened with me was I was eating about 500 calories a day (as I was only hungry for that much, was full) and then fasting often, and I did that for 2.5 months, and didn’t lose anything.

As soon as I increased my calories a lot, I started losing weight. Then I tried to throw in fasting again, and no weight loss.

#6

ugh - that’s really frustrating. It makes sense that a sudden increase in calories would kick your metabolism into gear but I wonder if you just have to keep going back and forth. [I don’t quite understand how 500 cal days + fasting days would keep you at a stall for 2.5 months. What’s your body living on?! That was with no spiking of insulin during the fasting times? That’s maddening…]

I’m experimenting with dry fasting (for health reasons) but a lot of folks seem to find it helpful for increased fat loss. There are people who do it for days at a time (!!) but others who do 23-hour dry fasts (basically just do dry OMAD, so rehydrating when they have their meal) and that seems to work well. I’m not particularly recommending it, just mentioning it in case you hadn’t heard of it. My personal experience is that on the days that I’ve dry fasted, my heart rate variability (and other markers that I track) noticeably improve and they stay higher for several days afterwards.

(Susan) #7

I am guessing that it has to do with all my years of anorexia/bulimia and yo-yo dieting that I did from 11 until Keto… so my metabolism was totally messed up.

I tired OMAD during the 2.5 month stall (sometimes just because I forgot to eat, I was never hungry) and I tried just carnivore, and no dairy, and always kept my carbs at 20 grams or less. When I increased the fats and proteins, I lost 5 pounds in 6 weeks, so that was good! Then when I didn’t lose for 2 weeks I thought I would throw in the fasting (48 one week) and just finished the 75 on Sunday evening. So, now I am going to do the increased calories, with keeping carbs below the 20 still and not going to fast for a bit. Once my body is adjusting, and I feel I can, I will do the Fasting again, as I like it and also want the Autophagy =).

I think what it all really comes down to is how different all of our bodies are! Thank you for all your ideas though; I really appreciate it, and I hope that all of us get losing again and meet our goals =).

(Katie) #8

I spend the fall/winter/spring in the desert. I do not have enough solar power for blenders, microwaves, etc. (hair blowers and stuff like that or a no go too). Freezer? Ice cubes…what luxury.

Sounds like a great idea…next summer when I am back in S&B I will try it.

I have another 30 lbs to loose, and I have stalled for the last 6 weeks. It is becoming discouraging. I almost never eat move than 5-10 carbs a day…usually straight carnivore.

I am going to try Chaffles for the first time. I collected a bunch of recipes… see if that helps.

(Susan) #9

Good luck. Katie, I hope that you can get it all figured out and get the scale moving for you =).