Low carb for a week

swithrow656

got news from the doctor that I am pre-diabetic. So I am trying a low carb diet.

Some days are good and I only feel hungry around meal times. Other days I'm a bottomless pit of hunger.

Is that normal? What should I do on the bottomless days? (Not trying keto)

AngInCanada

Are you tracking? What are your stats and what are your calories and macros set at.

I know you've said you are not trying keto but I've tried lowish carb in the past and have always been hungry. I am on week 6 of keto and have very minimal hunger and its usually right before my next meal. I have a hard time consuming my 1500 calories. So maybe it would be worth looking into

deksgrl

Do you have an idea of how many carbs you are eating? And does it vary from one day to the next? It may be that you are more hungry after you have had higher carbs, and you are not abnormally hungry after having lower carbs.

KnitOrMiss

When you lower carbs, you must give your body fuel, and the only other choice is to increase fats. Protein is not fuel. So, on the bottomless days, eat more fat. Your body will adjust in time. But going low carb for a week does not let the body adjust. It requires a minimum of 4-6 weeks to see the effects of low carb eating. Not ketogenic eating, just regular old low carb. Make sure you get enough water, salt/sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

Fats first
Proteins second
Carbs third

In order of priority of need... Good luck.

Also, I started out just low carbing it, but my carb cravings didn't go away until I dropped my carbs. I started around 100 grams of total carbs, and I couldn't shake the cravings until I got to about 50 total carb grams daily... You'll need to adjust and find your own personal sweet spot. Mine is much lower due to a number of conditions...yours may be higher or lower - you'll have to try to see. I suggest starting around 100 grams of carbs, dropping 10 grams at the beginning of each week, (so week 1 is 100, week 2 is 90, week 3 is 80), until you feel good, your cravings are manageable, and you lose weight.

For me, the upper part of your threshold is where you should aim.

professionalHobbyist

The end of diabetes

Good book

I reversed my diabetes. Prediabetes can be beat quite often

wabmester

There are three aspects of low-carb that kill hunger: protein, low ghrelin (via ketones), and increased leptin sensitivity (via reduced insulin).

Protein is a no-brainer. Eat eggs and meat, for example, and see if you're still hungry.

Ketones help by reducing ghrelin, and the lower your carb and higher your fat intake, the more you'll make. Even if your carbs are at 100g, you'll still make them, just in a lower quantity. Find what works for you.

The increased leptin sensitivity may take a while. But you'll know when it hits because you start losing an interest in all foods, not just carbs.

If you're still getting hungry now, focus on protein.

DittoDan

swithrow656 wrote: »

got news from the doctor that I am pre-diabetic. So I am trying a low carb diet.

Some days are good and I only feel hungry around meal times. Other days I'm a bottomless pit of hunger.

Is that normal? What should I do on the bottomless days? (Not trying keto)

Ditto about the carbs. If you're not tracking, forget about the diet being successful. This in not a casual way of eating. Start at 100 grams carbs a day for a week and check your blood/glucose (BG). If you're still are high and out-of-range, drop down another 25 to 75 grams carbs a day for a week, repeat until your sugar levels are in range.

I hope this helps,

Dan the Man from Michigan
How I got Off of Diabetic Prescriptions Drugs Since I Started Keto
Blog #13 DittoDan's Milestone's, First's And Good Changes Since Starting the Ketogenic Diet
It's Ketogenic or Bariatric! How I Found the Ketogenic Diet

swithrow656

My sugar has been in range since I started last week. I do track everyday. I'm around 30 to 50 net carbs. Tried eating more fat today and that did the trick. God bless guacamole! I am going to stick to it. Saying yes to a healthy life.

Now to figure how to add in cardio and weights. Should I give my body another week? Or go for it? Is it ok to work out on low carb? Silly question I guess

fzermer

swithrow656 wrote: »

My sugar has been in range since I started last week. I do track everyday. I'm around 30 to 50 net carbs. Tried eating more fat today and that did the trick. God bless guacamole! I am going to stick to it. Saying yes to a healthy life.

Now to figure how to add in cardio and weights. Should I give my body another week? Or go for it? Is it ok to work out on low carb? Silly question I guess

Adding exercise is always a good thing. Add exercise for fitness and strength but control your weight through your diet. After all, we eat every day, but we don't always exercise every day.

KnitOrMiss

swithrow656 wrote: »

My sugar has been in range since I started last week. I do track everyday. I'm around 30 to 50 net carbs. Tried eating more fat today and that did the trick. God bless guacamole! I am going to stick to it. Saying yes to a healthy life.

Now to figure how to add in cardio and weights. Should I give my body another week? Or go for it? Is it ok to work out on low carb? Silly question I guess

Most folks dropping their carbs that low find that they have decreased effectiveness in workouts until their bodies better convert to working out - usually 4-6 weeks. So try working out if you like, but if you feel weak, tired, or ravenous, take a break and give your body more time to adjust.

CoconuttyMummy

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

swithrow656 wrote: »

My sugar has been in range since I started last week. I do track everyday. I'm around 30 to 50 net carbs. Tried eating more fat today and that did the trick. God bless guacamole! I am going to stick to it. Saying yes to a healthy life.

Now to figure how to add in cardio and weights. Should I give my body another week? Or go for it? Is it ok to work out on low carb? Silly question I guess

Most folks dropping their carbs that low find that they have decreased effectiveness in workouts until their bodies better convert to working out - usually 4-6 weeks. So try working out if you like, but if you feel weak, tired, or ravenous, take a break and give your body more time to adjust.

I agree with Knit. Going low-carb is a big change for your body and i think its best for there not to be added stress from more exercise just while your body adjusts. Id say go easy on yourself at the very start of this WOE and invest your time and energy into weighing and logging all your foods (and relevant drinks) and getting your macros right. Your diet apparently has way more effect on your weight & body composition than exercise does, so its important to really commit to getting that right and allow your body to start feeling good with the changes before stressing the system with heavy exercise. To be honest, you may not feel much like exercise when starting out on this WOE anyway. Some people do say they feel great almost immediately they go low-carb, and you may be one of those lucky ones!, but for the rest of us it can take a week (or several) to really adapt and feel physically tip-top.

Best of luck. Learn as much as you can and dont be afraid to ask any more questions you may have. The peeps in this group are happy to share their knowledge and experiences. I would have been lost without them lately