Tips on feeling hungry in first week or 2

#1

Back on keto as of 2nd January.
Going great so far apart from the expected bloating and constipation.
Any tips of how to control hunger pangs between meals? I’ll end up going over my limit if I keep snacking on peanuts, peanut butter etc
Just had bacon, asparagus and avacado for brunch around 11am and already (12.20) finding myself looking for a snack!!

#2

Also how does everyone feel about sugar free coke?
It’s definitely helping for sugar cravings just now but should I try and wean off it?

#3

You are a newbie (oh wait, is it true if you just restarted? maybe it is), you shouldn’t worry about calories at this point if ever. Eat enough. If you can’t eat bigger main meals, eat more meals. Snacking on peanuts may not be the best idea, it doesn’t satiate me personally… Figure out your best, most satiating food items if you tend to overeat just because you are hungry. In my case, not too fatty meat is the best. A decent amount, not just a little bit… At least when I am properly hungry for a decent meal. I tend to get hungry moderately quickly again unless I had an OMAD sized meal but a decent meat dish doesn’t make me want snacks 1-2 hours later…

If you get hungry, eat :slight_smile:

Sounds a not substantial enough meal (some people on this forum could eat a pound of bacon at once easily but I suspect you didn’t do that)… Either eat more proper food for your first meal or just eat more later, whatever suits you best. Not everyone can eat a bigger meal early, not even I. If I eat lunch, I always need a serious of small meals, not convenient but if I get hungry at 11am, I eat at 11am and accept the consequences… Fortunately it’s easy to grab some food quickly if one is prepared.

I look at it as some addicted newbie thing… Most ketoers here are health-conscious and well, it’s not food… It may or may not interfere with your goals but even if it helps or inevitable in your case, it would be best to keep it at the minimum and look at it as a very temporal crutch.
It’s a bit like sugar alcohol for me. I couldn’t just not sweeten my food ever but I trained myself out of it in most cases. I can drink unsweetened drinks just fine, that was the first step. I don’t even consider not sweetening desserts a need for everyone, I did it due to carnivore but I understand people wanting sweet desserts here and there. But drinking sweet drinks all the time (some of us drink tea or coffee a lot…) or soda at all… I personally can’t consider it good for most of it. But it’s really individual, it may or may not be triggering, our idea about healthy food and sticking to it is different, we may get something special from certain items etc.

(Edith) #4

You can try making yourself some fat bombs or deviled eggs to get you through the hump. I used to mix coconut oil with my peanut butter to make it way more fatty. Macadamia nuts are also very high in fat compared to peanuts and peanut butter. Unfortunately, they are very easy to overeat, too. It’s better to eat more protein with your fat than carbs.

You may want to watch this video with Dr. Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist turned healthy food advocate. I’ve been on and off non-caloric sweeteners for years but I recently listened to an interview with him and that got me to finally quit the sweeteners.

#5

Got it, I’ve 4 cans of cozy zero left, I will finish those and stick to my fizzy water.
Ok so a later and bigger meal will go a longer way I will definitely try that going forward

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #6

Constipation is a sign of insufficient sodium. Try eating a bit more salt.

Yes, eat more. If you need to snack, make it something low-carb and eat more at meals.

If you are eating sufficiently low-carb, your insulin level drops and stops interfering with your appetite hormones. Since you are eating mostly protein and fat, insulin is no longer forcing your body to store fat, and so you can safely satisfy your hunger.

At first, it will seem like a lot of food, but you are likely to find, as I did, that your appetite suddenly drops, and hunger goes away. But the key is to eat more, not less.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

If it’s helping you eat low-carb, that’s good. As a short-term support, the non-sugar sweeteners are fine. But they can cause metabolic damage over time, so the goal is to get off them over the long term.

(Harriet) #8

I don’t know if this will work for everyone but I just made this discovery for myself and I’m surprised, really surprised. I know that we’re told not to worry about calories but as a 58 year old menopausal female with mobility issues (hence no meaningful exercise) calories are an issue if I want to lose weight.

Ground chia seeds (or soaked but apparently they’re just as good nutritionally if ground and no need to wait) really curb my hunger and not just for a little while.

Some background, I’ve been thinking that I’m a little low on omega 3. I’ve had a few health issues, whatever. Point being, I don’t eat fish, maybe the odd can of tuna but I simply cannot stand oily fish, can’t get around the smell and other stuff. I’m allergic to crustaceans and flaxseed. I take a fish oil supplement but I’ve had a nagging thought I need to increase my omega 3.

So guess what? Chia seeds are an excellent source of omega 3, added bonus, fiber (I can use a little help in that department, too). I picked up a bag of chia the next time I was in the supermarket and the very next day was going to be out most of the afternoon. I didn’t have time to make a meal so made up a little Greek yogurt (stores around here carry a 10% fat variety by Cabot) some vanilla, cinnamon and a tablespoon of ground chia. That and my breakfast were all I had all day, 825 calories 70f/25p/5c. I had that yogurt around 1:00 and I simply wasn’t even a little hungry for the rest of the day. At All.

Like you I’m getting back on the wagon and the hunger can be tough but since Monday I’ve been having just one tablespoon of chia a day (I found a recipe for strawberry keto chia pudding) and it’s still working.

I was so tickled I wanted to share with someone. This was the perfect thread.

(Robin) #9

I have an opinion about diet soda that may not make sense to anyone else. Some people can eat technically keto food, (like Diet Coke or egg bead) that tastes like the real deal and can do that forever without cravings.

Others (me) need to give up even the imitations. As a recovered alcoholic and former smoker, I can’t handle an alcohol-free version of a “drink” or a nicotine-free vape.

My brain is as addicted as my body.

(Joey) #10

This ^^^ … but you are eating things with more carbs than is advisable (e.g., nuts) at this early stage in your metabolic transition.

Eat as much as you want to satisfy true hunger. But only carb-free choices.

There’s a difference between cravings and hunger and that’s part of what you will discover as you make your way toward a much healthier body. :vulcan_salute:

#11

Yes, of course. Calories matter even for a young one, I never could lose fat without eating little myself, very logically (due to long term overeating my “little” isn’t very little but it feels so to me).
But when one goes keto, even if it’s a restart, I don’t think most of us should add that extra burden… Being careful with fat to keep the calories not too high, sure but a calorie deficit, especially for a woman without much height/bulk/activity? That’s probably tough unless one gets satiated with little enough. It should come later if fat-loss is the goal and great if one can do everything but I as a hedonist (and a very patient one) would be quite pleased with just sticking to the rules in the first weeks. While trying to do it right macro wise too but hunger demands food and it’s quite possible it will calm down later (mine never does but it may get easier if I do the other things right).

Wow, lucky with the chia seeds! Tricks don’t work for me, my body demands my high protein and high fat for satiation - but timing and food choices still help a little bit. We should know ourselves and do what we can!

Hunger and satiation varies. Even I have lowish-cal days sometimes. And less and more hungry periods (my body still demands lots of food but it’s amazing not to be very hungry ever. and a bit annoying when I start to forget what hunger feels like).
These things change, maybe just the start was tougher. Or you just do it better know, remember/figure out things that helps you!

Fiber is a common thing that helps, I heard a lot about that.

Keto versions taste nothing like the real deal to me or the texture is off, that may or may not help… If i want to real thing, nothing else could suffice. But if I have something remotely similar in big amounts, I may be okay with less of the real thing :wink: But it’s best to try to find a keto something we are content with, similar or not, whatever works for us. I can understand a very successful imitation may not be any good…

Why would it be necessarily a problem? I ate banana with chocolate on keto in the beginning as I needed it… :smiley: It was so minimal carbs that couldn’t bother me, sweetness isn’t my problem either, it was the vegs that made me hungry… But I couldn’t eat even less of them either… Sigh. We gotta do what we gotta do.
Even said so, nuts may be problematic. They are for many of us. The carb content is usually tiny - not for all and not in huge amounts… They may be not satiating at all, nearly impossible to stop… But they surely work well for some. It wouldn’t be my idea to eat when getting hungry as they are useless to me that way but it’s me (and many others). I would never worry about the carbs in them (it’s the fat for me) - but some people should.

There are almost no carb-free choices, it’s super restricting for most of us. I find pure carnivore restricting enough (hence I rarely do that, just stay close) but taking away all my items with carbs? That’s the vast majority of them! Animal carbs are fine for me anyway…

Indeed. Even cravings and appetite/desire are different I suppose… Though close as they both are desire. Hunger isn’t, at least not to me, that’s appetite though that is used instead of hunger sometimes or the amount of food we want so it’s confusing… But I looked it up, it’s the desire and not all of us live a life where there is a strong correlation. There are various types of hunger too, I believe we need to figure these all out in trickier situations. The lucky ones just do keto and reach their goals moderately easily…

(Harriet) #12

I hear you. I’ve recently realized I need to up my protein a pinch. It’s a bit of a balancing act when your calories are low but much of this lifestyle is paying attention to your body and listening to what it calls out for. I crave certain veggies, I know carnivore wouldn’t work for me even though I’d like to try it. I wouldn’t make it a week. Sugar, fruit, cake, never missed it. Broccoli, can’t go without.

(Geoffrey) #13

Bacon. Keep a pound of bacon cooked up in the refrigerator and snack on a few slices when the urge hits you. You could even spread a little cream cheese on them as well.

(KM) #14

Jerky or meat sticks (without sugar) are a good snack to keep on hand if a fridge and bacon aren’t practical for you. Zero carbs and a good salt boost.

(Alec) #15

Peanuts and peanut butter are bad… avoid.

My advice is if you feel hungry, eat a steak, whatever time of day it is. If you don’t want to eat a steak, then you aren’t really hungry, it is something else.

#16

I can be VERY hungry without being able to consume any meat. It’s rare though, I need to reach meat aversion and it’s way harder after years on/off carnivore-ish :wink: Meat is good. If I don’t try to live mostly on it, at least. Some of us need variety to avoid meat aversion/boredom.
(It’s another thing that I had egg aversion and dropped my intake to 6 a day… As I had to eat eggs, what else? But eggs are super versatile. Meat is different, always similar to itself, no matter how I cook it.)

I met plenty of people who wasn’t okay with eating meat every time they got hungry.

Though if we have a variety of meats, it can help a lot. Not in everyone’s case but even if I don’t want my normal meat, I may be fine with some processed meat or some very different kind of meat. Many are against the processed stuff but it’s fine if they still can eat something else when they need food. I depend on my small amount of processed meats, I do avoid a bunch of problematic ingredients but still have plenty of nice options I even find very tasty.

(Olivier) #17

Happy New Year
Here I could only share my experience, when I am on ketosis I can fast for 24h without being hungry but as soon as I am off ketosis like after Christmas/New Year I am craving for foods and my stomach is noisy.
It last for one or two days then it is gone.
I know it and just accept it waiting or eat a bit of cheese or ham if I need to.

You will learn to listen to your body, and understand it better with time.

As Paul mentioned sweeteners, even natural like stevia, will damage your body metabolism.
Be careful, even if sweeteners do not affect/increase glycemic it does not mean it doesn’t increase insulin level!
That is a common misconception, only blood glucose is under the radar but that is not what matters really.

Good luck on your journey to health :wink:

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #18

Not to mention causing mitochondrial damage. :scream:

(B Creighton) #19

I’ve had very little to no cravings on keto. Right after Christmas I had some of the stuff given to me, but after the first two days when it was gone, I went back to keto, and actually, I have not been hungry at all. However, I am going back to my regular workouts, and eating lots of protein. In fact on Thurs, after my yogurt, egg & cheese breakfast, I kind of forced myself to have a lunch(I don’t usually eat lunch), and then I didn’t really want dinner… I just felt full all afternoon, when all I had for lunch was a protein smoothie… Ok admittedly it was very high in protein, but just not really hungry at all. Saturday, the same thing. The hemp milk and avocado had a little fat… I don’t necessarily recommend a lot of meat protein unless you are trying to build muscle, but with just a little fat all that protein is very satiating. I use Orgain protein powder, some whey isolate, some BCAAs, etc, but you could just go with pea protein, if you aren’t working out, and you can make yourself feel full in all likelihood. In fact I have trouble eating all my of my protein goal amount. Peanut butter or peanuts are definitely too carby for me on keto. Occassionally, I will use about a cup of a nut mix I make for “lunch” during keto… well pistachios, pecans, and almonds, which I mix with raw sunflower seeds and unsweetened coconut and a few organic raisins… I have started adding hemp hearts as well. However, that mix is too carby to eat every day, but it does kill the snack pang I sometimes got my first year. Other things I did was to eat a grass-fed beef hot dog or beef sticks… I no longer used dried beef anymore,however, as I am to keep down my oxLDL. Prosciutto and cheese worked.

Don’t know what you had for breakfast, but I eat a high protein breakfast when doing keto. These days that is a home-made raw goat or A2 milk yogurt with xylitol and erythritol/monk sweetener and berries, followed by pastured eggs and A2 cheese or uncured bacon. That will typically hold me over to dinner. If that doesn’t work for you, try adding the protein smoothie I discussed for lunch… Then I am just not hungry.

Avoid all artificial sweeteners. Not only are they bad for you, but food tests indicate they can drive food cravings and weight gain. Aspartame creates some formaldehyde in the body. Sucralose kills off your gut microbiome. In many people just the sweet taste causes the body to produce insulin in anticipation of the sugar rush, which will then cause blood sugar to drop and the hunger pangs and cravings.

#20

That brunch is not enough and clearly why you’re hungry! You’ve just started so eat fatty meat & fish, eggs, buttery & cheese to your delight until you’re no longer hungry, and stop. When you get hungry again have some more until you’re no longer hungry.
You need to give your body the time to adapt.