Why am I still hungry between meals?

(Sue ) #1

Hi all! So I dropped down to @20 net carbs a day 2 weeks ago and was doing @40 net carbs for 2 weeks before that. The ketone pee strips are DARK which I think means I’m doing this correctly. I feel like I’m eating the right things, but I’m HUNGRY between meals! I’ve been able to avoid snacking, but I’m tired of the tummy rumble. For example, today I had:

Breakfast: Coffee with splash of heavy cream, slice of bacon, 2 eggs cooked in bacon grease with 3 grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese, a few hot pepper rings and avocado. (Delish!)

Lunch: Can of tuna with plenty of full-fat mayo on top of leafy greens, with sugar-free pickle chips plus cup of coffee with heavy cream, dash of Swerve and a sprinkle of cacao nibs and 10 salt and vinegar almonds.

That was 2.5 hours ago and I’m starting to get hungry again. What can I do to last longer between meals? Am I going too light on the fat? So many of you talk about being able to go all day without eating and I want to get to that point of feeling satisfied most of the day.

(Little Miss Scare-All) #2

Do you also eat dinner? Were you hungry between breakfast and lunch, or just lunch and beyond?

(Sue ) #3

I do eat dinner - I usually eat 3 meals within a 9 or 10 hour window although I’d like to drop to 2. Today I was a little hungry before breakfast (not too hungry) and right before lunch as well.

(Little Miss Scare-All) #4

I would suggest adding more fats to Lunch. You don’t have to go banana sandwiches with the fats, but try adding maybe another half avocado and see how you fair. Add a little at a time until you find your golden ratio.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #5

I would also suggest drinking some Ketoaide, water, or something similar. Sometimes its easy to confuse being truly hungry and just needing to drink something. I usually find that I can get past the “I’m a little bit hungry” feeling by drinking some water or green tea.

(Alec) #6

Your first job on keto is to become fat adapted. This can take weeks to months. While this is happening, I would recommend that when you feel hungry, eat, but make sure it is mostly fat.

Avoiding snacking is good advice in general, but not if you are hungry between meals. Hunger is a signal your body wants fuel, and you should provide it when you are still becoming fat adapted.

What you should find is over the next few weeks as you become more fat adapted your hunger between meals will go down, hopefully and eventually to zero. Essentially you will then be eating your own body fat between meals as you have good access to that body fat. This is what happens when you fast when fat adapted, you are just really good at converting body fat and using it for all your energy needs.

Well done, and KCKO!

(Sue ) #7

Thanks, you guys are awesome!! I will try to up my fluid intake and eat when I’m hungry, for now.

#8

Hunger before meals is timed by your body, given that you have the meals at the same time every day. This hunger doesn’t mean that you need food, so having a cup of tea or water might staunch it. If you still feel very hungry, eating is the better choice. It takes some time before your body catches on to the amount in calories at each meal and stops sending all the hunger signals.