Starving immediately after eating
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LauraCoth
Posts: 303 Member
So far I've managed to keep my carbs down below 60 and now they are at around 40 per day. My calories are at around 13-1400, give a little. I've been fine for a couple of weeks now, but all of a sudden I'm starving AFTER I eat (far more than I am prior to meals), which makes no sense to me at all. I drink loads of fluids, keep my protein intake up, and try to get good fats into me (tonight I had butter on cauliflower and over half an avocado with my chicken). What's with the hunger? Do I need to increase fats? I'm more concerned with getting stable on the diet before really trying to lose weight than I am with quick losses, so I want to get it right.
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I'd recommend upping the fat a lot! It keeps the cravings away.0
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@LauraCoth I keep cashews in the house, car and office to eat right after eating if I am still hungry. If the feds say a woman needs 1800-2000 calories daily on average if one is moving much greatly under eating? The nuts are high in good fats and protein with some carbs. Four pounds last me 7-10 days normally. I like to eat if I am hungry.3
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I agree on upping fat intake. Although I will also add, that this happens to me sometimes. I figure it's just my stomach that's a bit "late". So I wait 20min before eating again, and usually by that time it's registered that I'm full.
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In addition to upping your fats, try different combinations of fats and proteins, I don't mean different ratios, but different foods. I find some foods leave me more satisfied than others, even if the calories and macros are the same. It will take some time to create a menu that works for you.9
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I would specifically focus on carb creep and artificial sweeteners. I had to dramatically increase my calories (well, for me!) from 1300-1400 at first (loose goal) to 1800-2300 depending on activity once I went lower carb. I felt more full, more satisfied, and continued to lose weight (at least at first, until I stalled my thyroid). Personally, I'm loosely aiming for that 50-ish range myself these days, trying to find a better path for me...
But my theory is always, "If you are truly hungry, eat." Some days we are naturally hungrier than others - too many internal factors, plus activity, plus sleep, plus hydration, plus hormones, plus thyroid shifts, etc....to know when we're hungry and not. If you take your calorie deficit and calculate it out over 7-14 days as an average, I bet you'd still come out at a deficit.
Also, for me personally, restricting calories when I'm truly hungry is as foolish and a gateway to disordered thinking - as eating when I'm not hungry, etc.
I try to figure out if the hunger is in my head/body (craving) or my stomach (real). Generally, if I make more healthy offers to my stomach, and it's equally as excited as it was for whatever the hunger triggered in the first place, I generally find it to be real hunger. I check to see if it's boredom, stress related, etc. I drink water, sometimes I get up and move first. But if it's real hunger, I feed it. Period...9 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »I would specifically focus on carb creep and artificial sweeteners. I had to dramatically increase my calories (well, for me!) from 1300-1400 at first (loose goal) to 1800-2300 depending on activity once I went lower carb. I felt more full, more satisfied, and continued to lose weight (at least at first, until I stalled my thyroid). Personally, I'm loosely aiming for that 50-ish range myself these days, trying to find a better path for me...
But my theory is always, "If you are truly hungry, eat." Some days we are naturally hungrier than others - too many internal factors, plus activity, plus sleep, plus hydration, plus hormones, plus thyroid shifts, etc....to know when we're hungry and not. If you take your calorie deficit and calculate it out over 7-14 days as an average, I bet you'd still come out at a deficit.
Also, for me personally, restricting calories when I'm truly hungry is as foolish and a gateway to disordered thinking - as eating when I'm not hungry, etc.
I try to figure out if the hunger is in my head/body (craving) or my stomach (real). Generally, if I make more healthy offers to my stomach, and it's equally as excited as it was for whatever the hunger triggered in the first place, I generally find it to be real hunger. I check to see if it's boredom, stress related, etc. I drink water, sometimes I get up and move first. But if it's real hunger, I feed it. Period...
This. This is what's happening to me because I've been calorie counting for so long. I tend to ignore my hunger cues because "Ze calories!!!!!!". And I really shouldn't. That's disordered thinking. Workin' on it.
For me the difference between hunger and cravings is, cravings are usually " mouth hunger" and for something specific. While actual hunger means a growling tummy and you don't want a burger or chocolate you just want FOOD! Any kind of food.2 -
Particularly after dinner, when I've eaten to satiety, I still want more. For me it comes from years of eating to the point of "feeling quite full." I try to quietly talk to myself, and if that doesn't work, I munch on a few nuts or cheese to appease that inner voice. Mostly that works but it is something I have to work on, more so at home. In a busy restaurant, with friends, there are more distractions.1
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Shadowmf023 wrote: »...
For me the difference between hunger and cravings is, cravings are usually " mouth hunger" and for something specific. While actual hunger means a growling tummy and you don't want a burger or chocolate you just want FOOD! Any kind of food.
This! I tell myself, "if I'm not hungry enough to eat (or attempt to eat!) 100% dark chocolate, it isn't hunger I'm dealing with."
I use dark/baking chocolate as my gauge because I truly despise dark chocolate - the darker, the worser! - so if I'm hungry enough that I'm legitimately considering it, that says something real!6 -
Shadowmf023 wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »I would specifically focus on carb creep and artificial sweeteners. I had to dramatically increase my calories (well, for me!) from 1300-1400 at first (loose goal) to 1800-2300 depending on activity once I went lower carb. I felt more full, more satisfied, and continued to lose weight (at least at first, until I stalled my thyroid). Personally, I'm loosely aiming for that 50-ish range myself these days, trying to find a better path for me...
But my theory is always, "If you are truly hungry, eat." Some days we are naturally hungrier than others - too many internal factors, plus activity, plus sleep, plus hydration, plus hormones, plus thyroid shifts, etc....to know when we're hungry and not. If you take your calorie deficit and calculate it out over 7-14 days as an average, I bet you'd still come out at a deficit.
Also, for me personally, restricting calories when I'm truly hungry is as foolish and a gateway to disordered thinking - as eating when I'm not hungry, etc.
I try to figure out if the hunger is in my head/body (craving) or my stomach (real). Generally, if I make more healthy offers to my stomach, and it's equally as excited as it was for whatever the hunger triggered in the first place, I generally find it to be real hunger. I check to see if it's boredom, stress related, etc. I drink water, sometimes I get up and move first. But if it's real hunger, I feed it. Period...
This. This is what's happening to me because I've been calorie counting for so long. I tend to ignore my hunger cues because "Ze calories!!!!!!". And I really shouldn't. That's disordered thinking. Workin' on it.
For me the difference between hunger and cravings is, cravings are usually " mouth hunger" and for something specific. While actual hunger means a growling tummy and you don't want a burger or chocolate you just want FOOD! Any kind of food.
@Shadowmf023 - For me, if I offer my "hunger" reasonable compromises (like I want darkish chocolate - 60% or I want 2-3 doritos, but I offer it eggs or berries with some cream or 85% dark chocolate), and it whispers or screams at me that no, it wants whatever and throws a three-year old tantrum, I know it's not real hunger. If it accepts the alternative, I know it's more likely to be real hunger (but could still be boredom/stress/etc.Particularly after dinner, when I've eaten to satiety, I still want more. For me it comes from years of eating to the point of "feeling quite full." I try to quietly talk to myself, and if that doesn't work, I munch on a few nuts or cheese to appease that inner voice. Mostly that works but it is something I have to work on, more so at home. In a busy restaurant, with friends, there are more distractions.
I did barely sweetened tea for a while, so I'd get that more "full" feeling, a tiny hint of almost sweet, but still allow me to stay on plan. But yup, those are good go-to snacks to take that former "overeater" EDGE off... Great compromise, @supergal3 ... It will great fun when you realize you don't need that ... appeasement ... anymore. 2 -
@KnitOrMiss -
I never knew hunger could throw tantrums... 2 -
@Shadowmf023 - Mine does. It's an angry little temperamental thing. Like a PMSing moody teenager!!! When "it" doesn't get what it wants, it throws a little inner tantrum, trying to convince me. Sometimes I want to cry, too, because it's not fair I can't eat what I want and stay healthy, but yeah, that's life. If I can get a good mental example of a TV or cartoon person doing the same, I'll share it... LOL But seriously, my inner carb-addict-hunger-witch is a sociopathic crazy person. I have to keep her locked up with low carb, or she'll recruit Pinky and the Brain and try to take over the world or something. Surely I'm not the only one?8
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »@Shadowmf023 - Mine does. It's an angry little temperamental thing. Like a PMSing moody teenager!!! When "it" doesn't get what it wants, it throws a little inner tantrum, trying to convince me. Sometimes I want to cry, too, because it's not fair I can't eat what I want and stay healthy, but yeah, that's life. If I can get a good mental example of a TV or cartoon person doing the same, I'll share it... LOL But seriously, my inner carb-addict-hunger-witch is a sociopathic crazy person. I have to keep her locked up with low carb, or she'll recruit Pinky and the Brain and try to take over the world or something. Surely I'm not the only one?
Lol mine doesn't throw a tantrum. It just takes over my entire body. And makes me binge on carbs.0 -
Things that are known to trigger hunger
Artificial sweeteners
Increased exercise
PMS
Too little fat intake
Carb creep
Simply not eating enough
Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance causing blood sugar swings
And eventually it seems hunger increases as body fat gets lower. Though that would probably be less sudden.3 -
Are you eating ANYTHING sweet before these meals? IE water flavorings, sugar free food sweetened with splenda/aspertame, or fruit? Fruit especially for me spikes my sugar cravings and makes me way more hungry than if I hadn't eaten it at all. The keto/low carb pyramid says they are ok in moderation, which is true, but for me they drive my cravings bonkers.2
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You've gotten great advice! A couple of other things to throw in there.
I need to CHEW. BP Coffee and various shakes just don't stay with me very long. Even soups made with cheese and cream. I know many swear by BP Coffee but it doesn't work well for me. I fill fuller when I eat and chew my calories rather than drink them.
Generally speaking... Because a lot of LCHF foods are calorie dense - often I'm eating smaller volume of food. Sometimes I miss that volume. A big *kitten* salad is the best thing for keeping carbs low but volume high for me.
Also for me, avocados - they keep me full like nothing else whether on eggs or on a salad or whatever.
I didn't see where you listed your weight but you may want to increase your calories. Often I think MFPs calories are low.
Lastly, I'm insulin resistant and hunger is a BIG problem for me. It's probably the biggest reason I began LCHF.1 -
If I am in hunger mode and have eaten to my macros for the day... dill pickle to the rescue! The flavors are so intense, the crunch so satisfying that I feel better almost immediately. 4
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You've gotten great advice! A couple of other things to throw in there.
I need to CHEW. BP Coffee and various shakes just don't stay with me very long. Even soups made with cheese and cream. I know many swear by BP Coffee but it doesn't work well for me. I fill fuller when I eat and chew my calories rather than drink them.
Generally speaking... Because a lot of LCHF foods are calorie dense - often I'm eating smaller volume of food. Sometimes I miss that volume. A big *kitten* salad is the best thing for keeping carbs low but volume high for me.
Also for me, avocados - they keep me full like nothing else whether on eggs or on a salad or whatever.
I didn't see where you listed your weight but you may want to increase your calories. Often I think MFPs calories are low.
Lastly, I'm insulin resistant and hunger is a BIG problem for me. It's probably the biggest reason I began LCHF.
I'm totally the same, BPC doesn't even come close to providing me with satisfaction, its like drinking empty calories to me. I like my fat in solid form, eating chicken breasts topped with butter or cream doesn't satisfy me as much as just eating the fattier chicken thighs with no sauce; I'd trade an avocado for creamy salad dressing any day if I was forced to choose (fortunately I'm not lol). But I really like to eat, that's kind of what got me into this mess, so I know well enough not to drink my meals, that leads me to binges... we all have our own demons though
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I do note that on my macros on the days I log (which isn't every single day) I usually hit about 60-70 grammes protein, 40-50 carbs, and about 70-80 fats. I also keep up the sodium because I'm still getting cramps without it.
The good news is that although I still look like I have a couple of bowling balls on my chest, my pants are looser. Though it has to be said, I honestly didn't need to lose weigh on my legs.
I don't have a lot of weight to lose. I'm a small, thin fat person -- a tiny frame carrying about 20 pounds of fat that just doesn't want to budge. People say I look fine, but I actually have rolls of fat on my stomach. Calorie counting alone won't work for me any more because I no longer have the iron will I used to have and so grain products have to be off the menu. And I won't go to the gym right now because past experience shows me that muscle plus fat = much larger body. I hike instead. It's more fun and sometimes you run into a bear.2 -
Oops. Posted before I meant to.
As for the advice, thank you all.
I do avoid all artificial sweeteners except for some stevia in my morning coffee. Aspartame cause my chronic sinus inflammation to get much worse, so I gave it up a while back. I can handle lack of sweet pretty well except for my coffee. I even sometimes put a teaspoon of brown sugar in it just to live dangerously. No dessert is fine but I draw the line at my coffee.
I also avoid high sugar fruits and stick with berries now.
I will up the fats a bit and see if that does the job. If I think about it, that seems to be what my brain says I want. Last night I hoovered a tablespoon of almond butter before bed and that actually helped quite a lot. Plus, yum.1
