The Wildest Thing...

Vowder
Vowder Posts: 378 Member
I've been doing a low carb thing since January. Learned about ketosis and LCHF in March and have been focusing on carbs since then.

Today I went 23 hours between meals.

Didn't plan it. Didn't expect it.

Didn't have breakfast because I was behind. Wasn't worried about missing it since I have been learning about I.F.

Just kept putting off lunch because I was busy at work. Next thing I know it was 2:00 then 3:00 then 4:00. At 6:30pm I left for home.

At dinner I suddenly realized I have not eaten for 23 hours. Wasn't really that terribly hungry.

Had a hard time believing that you could really go that long that easily. Had a good healthy dinner tonight. Wild. I would have bet against me in the past!

Why doesn't doesn't I.F. crush your metabolism... is it just because you are fat adjusted? Is that why people who are on a high carb diet struggle with fasting? I know I couldn't miss any meal.

Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    To be fair, it sounds like it wasn't entirely down to diet. Staying busy helps with it a lot. Most of the time you hear from people who can't control their eating compulsions, they have entirely too much free time on their hands.

    As for the metabolism thing: if it only took 24 hours for the human body to start dropping off from a lack of food, we'd not have survived as a species to make it to this point.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Being busy just keeps the mind preoccupied. The body is what gets hungry. In my high carb days, I couldn't imagine skipping a meal. I would've been in a frenzy thinking about food and had a literal growling stomach regardless of how busy I was. Now if I get too busy and even when I fasted for 46 hours, I never got a growling stomach. I will feel hungry at some point and being busy helps to ignore it, but the point is, I CAN ignore it if I need or choose too.
    Though I don't recommend cooking dinner for other people when fasting... I did have about an ounce of protein twice during my fast. A little cheater I am. :wink:
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
    Vowder wrote: »
    Why doesn't doesn't I.F. crush your metabolism... is it just because you are fat adjusted? Is that why people who are on a high carb diet struggle with fasting?

    Google "Dr. Jason Fung Intermittent Fasting." I think you'll find the answers to your questions there.

  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    Before LCHF I wasn't able to miss a meal, unless I was fasting for medical reasons, but I wasn't happy about it!

    It's completely opposite now!

    My family (mom, dad, sisters,) don't understand it, I didn't either when I was starving to dang death eating high carb!

    Being busy does help. But you're still making the choice not to eat!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Awesome. :)

    I think, for me anyways, it came down to changing blood glucose levels. I had reactive hypoglcemia. About 1-2 hours after eating my BG will drop. When it was a high carb meal, the drop was big and I ended up with the shakes and cold sweats. Now when I eat LCHF. BG does not go as high or drop as low. No big BG swings so no ravenous hunger.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    I don't know how it impacts your metabolism actually, I haven't thought about that portion much. I do see my cravings change when I go low carb vs higher carb. Higher carb my brain says "more sweets, more bread!!" And a little while later - "I'm still hungry!", and LC it doesn't give a crap. IIRC carbs, glucose, sweets all process VERY quickly making you hungry faster while fats and protein process slowly which allow you to not feel hungry for awhile.

    Some further reading about how the body processes each:

    http://www.virtualmedstudent.com/links/healthy_living/understanding_how_the_body_burns_carbs_proteins_fats_simple.html
    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/digests-first-protein-carbohydrates-fat-10384.html
    http://www.bornfitness.com/fix-your-diet-understanding-proteins-carbs-and-fats/
  • happydance1978
    happydance1978 Posts: 1,489 Member
    Sometimes I have to force myself to maintain every 4 hrs of eating even if it's just an avacado half. This was not how I was before the change. I'm loving the energy of LCHF.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Sometimes I have to force myself to maintain every 4 hrs of eating even if it's just an avacado half. This was not how I was before the change. I'm loving the energy of LCHF.

    Wait... Why eat every 4 hours if you're not hungry? Did I misunderstand?
  • Foamroller
    Foamroller Posts: 1,041 Member
    IF = Freedom from feeding. OP, I have similar experiences as you. On HC macros the glucose rollercoaster made me sooo hangry. I really enjoy that I often forget about eating nowadays. Plus the added benefit of catecholamines mobilizing energy from STORED fat is what I want anyway. It's really weird how NOT eating reduces appetite for me. Could be more BHB, could be leptin/ghrelin regulation? I'd like to know why I feel less hungry :)
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    I was wondering if I "heard" that wrong too @Sunny_Bunny_!

    Unless there is some medical condition that require one eats every four hours there isn't a reason to eat every four hours.
  • happydance1978
    happydance1978 Posts: 1,489 Member
    My Dr suggested to maintain blood sugar levels.I was coming off Meds. Like I mentioned since the switch my levels have maintained and I don't force though...I love that I'm officially NOT hungry all the time.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    So glad you're getting past that too! Congratulations