The Late Night Monster just woke up

(Robin) #1

When I began keto 20 months ago, I gave up snacking after dinner and it has served me well. And it wasn’t hard because I wasn’t hungry or craving. Well I have finally landed fully in Carnivore (except many morning coffee w/HWC). Been there 2, maybe 3 months. Suddenly find myself wanting to eat more often, including late at night. Sometimes I give in because all I have is meat. And it has not noticeably changed my scales or my sleep.
Is it common to feel hungry more often in Carni?
And if I am not having negative results from a late night drumstick, is that detrimental in any way? (I rarely eat before late afternoon and so that’s my one substantial meal.)

#2

It happened with me, yes.

By 2-3 months into Carnivore, I was only eating steak and eggs.

I’m not advocating it for anyone else - but for me, it was useful for me to understand that I could trust my body when it wanted more food. My reasoning was that if the only food I could have was ‘more of the same’, then I must be hungry to want more, as the food won’t be a different taste or sensation.

The other sign for me is if I think about non-Carnivore food. This is only on Carnivore (this didn’t happen on Keto or other ways of eating). When I’m satiated, other foods have no appeal. None at all.

So if I’m watching a film or tv or reading a book and think, “Oh yes, a plate of X sounds good,” - then I know that I’m hungry. It’s not as strong as a craving - it’s just a fleeting ‘huh, yeah, that would be nice’.

If I eat a meal, the thought immediately disappears and the ‘plate of X’ is no longer appealing at all.

So yeah. I’d advocate eating if you’re hungry - forget the eating window; let your body lead you.

(Robin) #3

Thanks. That’s exactly how I feel and what my gut instinct is telling me. Just needed to know a slippery slope wasn’t sneaking up on me.

#4

No worries - it’s good to ask questions.

I definitely ask a lot of other people, and it’s so useful to hear other Carnivores say, “Yes, I’ve been there - I recognise that.”

(Linda ) #5

Yes exactly what happened to me @ 2 or 3 months in but I did start gaining in put that down to keto and the calorie striction I was doing to get theast 20 off…
Then my move to nebraska didn’t help lol…

But yes if your hungry eat I try not to snack but occassionally I’ll eat a third meal if I don’t lose the hunger maybe you can add a Little extra to your main Meals …but if it’s not affecting you I see no reason to worry about it…

(Robin) #6

Yes, such comfort in those words… “happened to me too”…

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

The long-term carnivore experts I’ve read all advise getting three meals a day, and avoiding fasting. So you probably simply need more food (meat). And I can’t think of a detriment that you could experience from eating more. As long as it’s just meat.

So no fried chicken, no chicken-fried steak, and especially no chicken-fried stake, either, because it would be all carbs, if it were a wooden stake. :rofl: (Sometimes I just slay me!)

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

The long-term carnivores all say that many of them gained weight early on, but then after six months or so, the weight started coming off again.

(Linda ) #9

I was just watching a YouTube where Ivor Cummings was the guest discussing leptin resistance he said when we lose alot of weight our leptin lvl goes low and suddenly we are extra hungry …and this is something to watch its often what causes people to gain weight …so im assuming that’s why I started gaining

(Stickin' with mammoth) #10

I was a coffee carnivore for a long time with no appreciable results. The instant I began fasting in the evenings by skipping dinner, my clothes became looser. Now, I go to bed hungry every night, sometimes uncomfortably so, but it’s the only thing that works.

(Robin) #11

Yes, quitting later eat helped boost my weight loss in the beginning with keto. Plus loved the loss of issues like heartburn and gert etc etc etc. That hasn’t been an issue since the beginning.
I’ve also found that my RLS has left the building and I haven’t been doing the magnesium and extra salt anymore. Seems things just keep getting smoother and easier. (Knock on wood.)

(Robin) #12

I’d forgotten that many of them eat 3 meals. That actually sounds okay to me now. Less at individual meals but more often. I can do that, and maybe find more joy in my meals again, since I’m not trying to cram it all in at once.
And I now have “fried” everything. AIR fried, and usually only spices added, maybe a bit of butter to aid with the crisping. That beautiful machine has me “cooking” again. Never say never.

And affirmative… you slay me too.

#13

No you are fine. Perfectly normal changes in zc and many of us have gone thru exactly your issue.

Your body is truly having monster changes inside it and while this repair and healing is happening, it can easily trigger DEMAND for some food at whatever crazy time and it is normal. Key being it demands…you listen. If your body is quiet and calm and stable in your eating times, then you have hit your good spot on eating, and your body truly wants nothing else and never signals you. But when big signals hit, yes you respond with good a ol’ drumstick for sure!

I can always tell ‘all in zc people’ who take the plan to heart and hold it strong, we all follow certain changes and experience the same thing, be it on diff. time lines in the journey for each of us, but the same experiences, so that means you are on the ‘real zc’ journey for sure and doing great!!

@Septimius
Your post are thru the roof fabulous and are exact zc true experiences and great advice in them! ZC rock star!

@Azi
you said: But yes if your hungry eat I try not to snack
–This info is spot on. Carnis don’t snack, we eat a meal, now if that meal is small then so be it, but it is always best never to just start ‘on zc snacky type stuff’ cause that never satisfies us and we tend to eat more snacking out in a way, with like deli meats like salami, or dependence on some cheese, or pork rinds some eat…just fry up a steak or hit up some leftover burgers and eat til full…just stop when happy.

You also have some of THE best zc advice thru experience I have read on the board!! Knowledge and advice thru living the plan!

@Aqua_chonk
this is what will make zc not long term sustainable for you. No one can do this for long. Eh, a few but 99.5% can’t. Hence many jump the zc ship for sure. Key is eat at all times, even if gaining a bit in the beginning cause your body wants to repair/heal/correct hormones and more and ‘this entire zc process’ IF manipulated to a tough issue like going to be starving each night to hit some forced weight loss won’t be sustainable. Cause in the end, you lose it all you want thru this manipulation and then when you ‘hit your happy number on the scale’ and body you desire, but can you then live a life with going to bed each night hungry? One key thing is thru the process of whatever it takes for an individual on this plan it is all about eating to heal to make our lives comfortable and satisfying with eating what we need each day and being happy about it, and then we get long term results.

Just thoughts cause many zc people have gone your way and in the end, can’t keep it up. But if you are one who can do this, more power to you on your results and being happy in your eating plan! You might be in that category of one that found your best way to make it work.

Only more time down the road will show how long term works of course.

------------So I give a resounding yes it happened to me too!
It leaves. Could take a bit, flip around on you some, be a tad crazy when you get irked with ‘feeling ya need to eat’ at a late time or even get with it early morning too…just go with the flow. All normal.

My weirdo was morning. I never eat before 11 easily in my whole life. Hate morning eating but into zc after about 6mos to a year I found me
starving like a bear waking from hibernation early AM - like 5am I wanted a giant ribeye steak and a big mess of wings. And yes, I ate it :slight_smile: which kinda threw me into an uncomfortable eating pattern of when my meals were wanted and irked me kinda, but in the end, I got thru this and I am a set in stone (right now) 2 meal per day gal. I love this reliability of my life on an eating plan. But it could change :slight_smile: never know HAHA but at least now I walked thru that and if it hits again, I got the experience to know to go with the flow and just be calm thru changes.

Great thread.

Key to zc. EAT! Don’t eat when not wanted. It can’t be any simpler :slight_smile:

(Robin) #14

Thanks! Great post, all around!

(Stickin' with mammoth) #15

I look forward to that day.

Tell me about it. I’m hoping the next few months bring gifts of healing.

(Stickin' with mammoth) #16

Watch me.

#17

Cool and I will, cause your journey will be fascinating to me vs. what zc guidelines are all about to make this lifestyle on term and all those that walked it to success not ever implying your personal protocol, you might be that unicorn which is fab :slight_smile:

(Marianne) #18

Yes, such a blessing after suffering from both for a long time! I used to take Prilosec like an antacid, even though that’s not how it’s supposed to work. Only thing that would touch my severe heartburn.

(Marianne) #19

The only thing I’ve cooked in our air fryer is chicken wings. What else do you make in it - I am interested.

(Marianne) #20

I’ve been carnivore for a year this month. Do you think I am fully adapted? When my body signals wanting to eat, I eat. That’s usually two meals a day, sometimes three if I still want more after the first one.