Tracy, For the most part I am ZC. I still struggle with food addiction thoughts from time to time. If not for my strong desire to reach my next weight goal, I might cave to the old programming. Sometimes I just want to snack mindlessly, like I used to do when I could get away with it.
Like you, I am stalled with my weight, but I have lost another inch off my waist over the last few months. I enjoy some buttered broccoli once in a while, but most of the time I just can’t be bothered to make a vegetable side dish. When I stick to just eating beef, I don’t notice any cravings. I get bored with just beef, so I include a variety of meats, and cheese. Nuts are a real problem. I can’t stop with eating just a little, and then I just want to snack on them every day. I have tried fasting for anywhere between 1 and 7 days. All it seems to do is increase my thoughts about food, and I just want to eat and eat for days after fasting.
What works the best for me? ZC, for sure, not too much protein and plenty of fat with the meat. Usually this means 1 meal/day, but I will eat a 2nd meal if I really want one. I hope this answered your questions.
Vintage Ladies Keto Klub
Hey everyone, I’ve been a serial lurker here on the forum for a while. I’m 53 years young and have been Keto since July 2017. Starting weight was 283, A1C was 6.9 and fasting glucose was 111. Being diagnosed as pre-diabetic was devastating, even though I knew I was heading that way. Getting told was like a punch in the gut. I had been trying to eat clean for several years prior to 2017, but not cutting the carbs all that much. 2017 was a year from hell with the death of a dear co-worker, my father, my sister-in-law (who was my age) and a friend’s husband from cancer. Then I got the above diagnosis. After a few minutes of cussing and swearing, I made the decision that I HAD to do something. I jumped into Keto aiming for 20 grams of carbs or less. I’ve been pretty successful so far. I’ve lost 63 pounds as of this morning (down to 220). It has been challenging at times, and I’ve plateaued a few time. But, every time I stall, I tell myself that my body is healing something that I can’t see, but my body feels is more important than losing a few pounds.
I’ve have a few NSVs - my vision has improved, I can trot down stairs, instead of holding a railing because my balance has been wonky for years. I can actually cross my leg and put my socks and shoes on! Sometimes focusing on and acknowledging the little things can help you stick to the path.
That being said, I’ve had some issues. My first 3 three-day fasts were absolute busts. I didn’t lose a pound on any of them. My blood sugar “normalized” on those fasts, but nothing budged. It wasn’t until the 4th fast that I actually lost a few pounds and didn’t regain them when I started eating again. There has been talk of feasting before and after a fast, which is what I did on the 4th fast. It seemed to work. I’m hoping to do another 3-5 day fast in the next two weeks.
My current stats are : weight -220, fasting glucose - 72, BP - 104/74 most days. I still have at least 70 pounds to lose, but, as they say, it took me years to get to that weight, it may take a while to lose it!
I’m currently doing some research into circadian rhythms, to see how they may impact weight.
wow! Great job on the fasting, I’ve only made it 16 hours so far. But I do the same thing after fasting, feeling like I need to eat excessive amounts of food. What’s up with that?!?! Then I get frustrated thinking I just ruined all the good I just did not eating. Anyone have any insights on that?
Joan - I too ate too much. Interestingly I was not all that hungry at the end of my baby, 4 day, fast. But once I started eating, I ate a bunch. Too many veggies and had some GI issues.
That’s my goal to get at least a 48 hour fast in, next week. My son is visiting this week and I’m doing my best to keep to my eating plan. But I still struggle with that feeling full, I seem to be ok until I start eating, then I just don’t want to stop.
I know that Dr. Fung and Megan Ramos talk about the feasting after fasting being as important, and maybe if I pay more attention to what I eat to break my fast, the day after might not feel so much like compulsive eating. I will say that I have to be busy to get past my usual 16 - 18 hours IF. It’s easier to do during my busy work week than it is on the weekends when I just want to chill. But then I have to deal with the stress eating urges. LOL!
The Obesity Code podcast is a great resource for fasting info. Plan what you are going to eat after the fast so that you know you’re getting enough without having to trust yourself to know when enough is enough. Good luck! 
Joan, Fasting, for the most part is stressful on the part of my brain that believes I need a ready supply of food for survival. I try to tell myself this is good for me. I push the negative “starvation” thoughts aside, thinking if I ignore them they will go away. Once I get through the fast and open the food eating dam up, I eat my usual keto meal, and then I keep thinking about finding something more to eat, even though I’m certainly not hungry. I have to fight these snack craving thoughts for several days after a fast. I’m hoping my brain will learn that fasting is a good thing, because I believe it can do so much good.
63lbs!! Amazing job! 
Loved this post because it’s important to take time and relish the NSV’s on the Keto road!
Yes, thank you. I get bored with just meat too, but I also feel fewer food cravings, which is awesome. I’m going to see how far I get this time without eating any veg, and see if there’s a difference. At least half of the time I check, my ketones are less than 0.5, so hopefully I will see that number rise on ZC. I think I’m one of the unlucky ones who needs to keep the carbs ultra low to see progress. So, here we go, my own n=1 carnivore experiment.
New here and was lurking gathering info for the last week or so on tips, recipes etc. 5’5 42yo sedentary (12h work days sitting) with arthritis, GERD, high bp, cluster headaches, premenopausal/hormone issues, and a wonderful food addiction… Grrrrr. 
Did Keto about 12 years ago to lose weight and it worked great but I only did it temporarily to get to a goal which was around 145. My weight has always fluctuated 
Fast forward to 2018 after the holidays, I was at my highest weight since I had my last child 15 years ago of 215 last week, in pain with lots of health issues. I had trouble being very active at all aside from basic walking which ended with joint pain and headaches daily.
I have been needing to make a lifestyle change for some time and am one week into Keto and am down about 8lbs. A few months back I went to a lower calorie no processed food diet and that worked well at reducing my weight from 212 to 208 in about 20 days but there was a similar amount of meal prep/shopping involved and still I wanted to eat more and had cravings/still addicted to food.
I’d been planning on going back to dieting after the New Year but upon going to the doctor for eczema issues and finding my bp was elevated 152/100 I looked into Keto and found it was probably the best choice for me. I am not on medication for my BP and was trying to avoid it so am still monitoring. On occasion it is still elevated but definitely not as high. So there’s that small victory. I take birth control due to heavy unbearable periods, fibroids, cysts, PTLS. I can only hope once I loose enough weight that will not be necessary any more.
I am looking forward to cheat meals still and have not decided whether or not I will eat what I want for Valentines dinner my DH and I have planned. It is up in the air so far because I am happy with the progress I have made. Might try a fast if I do, though I am not sure if that is the best option??? I remember before when I was ketoing that they weren’t nearly as satisfying once the addiction passes.
I used the calculator to see what I should be eating and stuck with that for a few days while the cravings hit hard and I became very irritable. I actually had not wanted to eat in the mornings after the first two days at all until today.
I look forward to feeling better and staying motivated/on track and am thankful to have found this nook of the forum. Love the support that is here. Learning lots just reading others experiences. :)
If you’re still having cravings, eat fat to satiety. Ignore the scale. Ignore the calorie count. Low carbs, eat fat to satiety. It’s SO MUCH EASIER to imagine sustaining this lifestyle when the cravings go away!!
What’s wrong with a beautiful steak, medium-rare, slathered in butter, along with a salad with Blue Cheese (or other low-carb favorite), and some garlic sautéed spinach (also with butter)? You can have wonderful, lavish, fat-filled celebration meals in this way of eating, with no guilt, and no feeling terrible the day after.
Part of the addiction I can only assume. I am not getting the chemical release so it changes the way I feel about eating certain things. I love rib eye medium. But I don’t look forward to it as much as I once did knowing I could have it with a coke and loaded baked potato or pasta because the chemical release from the carbs/sugar is gone. Not feeling terrible is the key. And I have been eating more fat when I do want to eat anything I am craving along with looking into low carb desert alternatives. I still love butter! :)
I am not hungry. Which is a good thing. And I am still eating, just not enjoying it or looking forward to it like I would previously. I don’t think anything is wrong with that. I actually think it is a good thing. Part of getting over the addiction and transitioning into a new lifestyle where food isn’t my driving focus.
I have been ignoring the calorie count the past few days because once I wasn’t hungry I was struggling to find things I actually wanted to eat and had to force myself to eat a hand full of nuts or a piece of cheese/salami due to the nausea. And yes I can look at sustaining it much easier now than the first few days. I am definitely feeling better.
I’ve really noticed eating habits, every time I come home from anywhere I “think” I should eat. Even when I’ve just been out to eat. Well I should probably eat something, runs through my head many times per day. I am still struggling with the evening eating tho. It is much better than a few months ago but I still get that eating machine going at night. I think my brain is slowly learning that not eating all the time is ok and good.
Joan, The night snacking thing, and all snacking in general has been the toughest part for me. It’s just fun to have something in my mouth all the time, and gum doesn’t cut it. Snacking just has to be unlearned, like all the other self-destructive habits we acquire. It gets easier and easier, as time goes on. My go to is peppermint or spearmint tea in the evenings. I used to make myself a keto hot cocoa, but either the cocoa or the stevia messes with my blood sugar. I just quit drinking it and went to the mint tea.
Cravings, habit and true hunger. I still have some problems here.
Cravings: I still want crunchy salty. Pork rinds are OK, but not a chip, or Cheeto, or dorito. I would eat these until I felt sick.
90 second or cloud bread is OK, but not a fresh chewy bagel, or hot crispy toast, with cinnamon sugar.
90% dark chocolate squares are OK, but not milk chocolate almond toffee.
Habit: something sweet after a meal. Something pastry with mid morning or afternoon tea or coffee. Food for every occasion…the focus of every occasion.
Hunger: I consume a good balanced keto meal. I know I’ve had enough I
My tummy feels happy, and yet I could eat, AGAIN. Really?? Not sure why I don’t feel full. Fat is high. Calories high. Go figure.
K
I’m glad that you found it too.
Everyone is a snowflake, but we can share what has worked for us, and what hasn’t, and maybe our experiences will resonate with and help others.
I have a sadly addictive brain chemistry, and have been battling food addiction for as long as I can remember. The people who owned the candy store in my beighbourhood were my favourite people growing up. 
I do well when I can abstain from something, but you can only go so long without eating food! LOL!
So, I have been keto since March 2017. In all that time I have not had a grain of sugar that wasn’t in extremely small quantities and found in something like bacon. I am actually afraid of what would happen if I were to indulge in a sugary treat now. I have been satisfying my sweet tooth quite well with keto treats using predominantly liquid stevia. Those can trigger some food issues for me too though, sadly. I am currently abstaining from them, and it’s tough, but I’m starting to lose my Christmas weight, so YAY!
My strategy for getting through the heavy cravings for the past year has been to stuff myself with high fat keto foods. I stay away from nuts most of the time, but when the really big cravings come, usually from stress or sadness, that’s when I will indulge in nuts, ketosis be damned because they’re sure to knock me out for a time. 
I figure that I can’t “cure” my addictive nature, but as long as I stay away from the mother of all triggers, sugar and white flour, and instead eat keto treats, I can stay on a better trajectory. Most of the time I am pretty even emotionally, which is proof positive that this is the best WOE for me. I’ve gotten over trying to do it perfectly, and now just try to do it the way it works for me. I’d like to lose more weight (have lost 60, want to lose at least 30 more) but I have let go of that too. If I can’t keep it off then I’m not interested in losing it in the first place. I have lost and gained too many times to do that to myself again. So, I am plodding along and doing what works for now, and that is to stay away from the big triggers and stay as keto as I can every day. It’s worth it to me to keep off the weight I’ve lost, and to hang onto the even moods and mental clarity.
So, I wish you good luck on your journey, and we will be here to “listen” and to help in any way we can by sharing our own diverse experiences. 