Unexpected and unexplained HUNGER, what gives?

(LAURA) #1

Keto=12 months
SW: 265
CW: 159
Goal: 140-150

Veteran keto friends, in the last 3 to 4 weeks, I’ve have been experiencing HUNGER, something I haven’t really truly felt in months. I’ve been keto for a while, doing IF and OMAD. But in the last few weeks (2 or 3 weeks), I’ve stopped losing weight and I am hungry outside of my feeding window (20/4). This is totally abnormal for me. Usually, I can drink a big bottle of electrolytes and I’m fine… Not anymore. I’ve had 3/32 ounces of water/electrolytes and I’m sitting here thinking about how long until I hit my feeding window.

I’m not stressed out, I’ve had good sleep and I’m not on my cycle, so it’s not hormonal. Not sure what is going on. Anyone else go through this struggle? What did you do/try?

(LAURA) #2

Note, 20 total carbs per day is my goal. Just fyi.

(Linda ) #3

If your kept the same pattern of eating it maybe that your body has now adapted and now using it against you…try switching times and fat/ protein lvls just to keep it guessing…unfortunately the body seems to constantly fight us to regain its stored fats…

(Ellenor Bjornsdottir) #4

My suspicion is that you aren’t eating enough.

#5

My question is this…is it truly unexplained? In that what has changed? Is it mental cause you are around food now and had tight control but feel you can lift that a bit maybe? Is it that you hit goals and feel wonderful and think, hmm, I can eat whatever now and this makes one hungry? Remember there are a ton of ‘non-bodily issues’ that can truly make us hungry in a split second…that smell of someone cooking food around us, that sight of someone eating old fav foods we gave up around us and our own demons of ‘I now want’ and more.

Now this is just a thought and suggestion and more LOL so kinda think of all of your big picture.

Plus you probably are not eating enough now if as your body healed are you moving more and full of energy and things like have changed?

I would think more of ‘what has changed’ vs. thinking it truly is a body connected trouble.

I hope you get my drift on my post :slight_smile: It never is all about the body and every cue in a way, the mind and all come way into play thru our changes also…or that combo of both ya know.

just thoughts thrown out for ya :wink:

(LAURA) #6

All good questions. All valid questions I should ask myself.

For me, I work from home, so I’m not overly stressed with life. But my kids are home and yes, they are eating/cooking and making food around me. It hasn’t bothered me in the past but it very well could be.

I was listening to a podcast last night by Ivor Cummins and he said that women who lose a lot of weight, especially over 40, can experience a low leptin issue… But I thought the goal was to lower insulin and leptin. But without leptin I won’t feel full.

I know the weight loss is a mental game that I will have to play forever. I am a food addict. Being keto has given me control. But, I do need to keep on guard.

Maybe I need to switch up my OMAD or go to a 2MAD for a bit. I usually just have dinner with the family, which makes it easy to eat one meal.

Hmmmm, you gave me some things to look at and think about. Thanks!

(LAURA) #7

You could be right. I usually eat until full during my feeding window but maybe I’m not getting enough.

(LAURA) #8

I am stuck in a routine. With these stay at home orders in place in my state, every day is the same as the day before for me. So, maybe I need to change my pattern.

#9

now that is key.
kids home and on ya…oh yea I get that :slight_smile:
kids wanting this and that for meals and they get bored and want this and that, oh yea I get this……

truly I think it is a home in and things are different situation for you and one we think we can easily blow thru and then find ourselves in a darn bad spot and wonder why?

Yes 2 meals per day. Eat on plan food that works for you at all times and never against you. YOU know you and if you on plan is needed more then darn right you eat.

ONLY time we do wrong is if we allow the crap to come back. If we go into the carb zone bad. IF you eat all your keto food that suits you and you need it, you will ‘never be wrong’ ya know. You ate on plan and your body will be happy and your mind says, I ate :slight_smile: and I am cool with just that without guilt or shame or whatever that equals eating off plan.

All on plan foods are allowed as you need them and never give that a negative thought. :slight_smile:

I know and can feel you got this, you will work out the routine in your life and bob and weave on plan as you need…you truly got this and I don’t think for a second you don’t!!

#10

During my weight loss of 95 pounds, I went through repeated stalls and periods of ravenous hunger. I don’t want my body to think we have a period of starvation, it just tries to hold on to stored fat. I feed my hunger and my stalls, with meat, fat and veggies. I still try to stay under 20 carbs, but exceed it at times then with more veggies. After a while, I start losing a bit and then I go back to losing consistently and being free of hunger. I see it as normal. Your body has different needs than your mind. The trick is to stay with approved types of food, and low carbs, and it matters where the carbs come from, I think.

(LAURA) #11

I am staying on plan. In a year of keto, I’ve had ZERO cheat meals. I’ve not splurged on holidays or birthdays. I’ve keep myself in ketosis pretty much since July. I am actually afraid to eat carbs that are not veggies. I don’t do “prepackaged” keto food either. I like to cook and make most of my meals from scratch.

I have thought about having a cheat meal though. I read somewhere that staying in ketosis non-stop isn’t good for women over 40. But my doctor told me it was fine to stay keto 24/7. I don’t know… I did feed my hunger today. I was hungry at noon and ate a pickle and 2 hard boiled eggs. Then at 3 pm I ate a meat and cheese tray from Starbucks. Then dinner tonight, steak salad. More food than usual, but all on plan. My blood sugar was 86 60 minutes after dinner and my ketones were 1.5…I guess I just need to stick to the plan and work through this.

Someone said it could be low leptin but isn’t that the plan? To reduce insulin and leptin?

(Ellenor Bjornsdottir) #12

the goal is to lower insulin and make leptin work again.

#13

I don’t know how much cheese and meat you ate but 2 eggs… Oh my, that’s is nothing, I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it’s enough for anyone when hungry, of course, we are very different but still… Maybe you need to eat more now and then.

I am a woman over 40 as well, I personally change my ways only if my body tells me (be it carbs or the size of my eating window). It prefers very low carb. If I get every nutrients I need, what could be the problem? I surely don’t need carbs… (My inner hedonist loves to enjoy them occasionally but not my body, that just handles them.)

I think you do things right. Just eat if you are hungry. I don’t always understand my body either… Once I had a month when it wanted +1000 kcal (my activity was slow as usual). So it got it. Good thing I don’t gain fat in that situation… Normally I just do isolated higher-calorie days. They just happen. It’s not a problem.