Did you experience appetite suppression and mental clarity with keto?

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  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I've been keto (or LCHF for a day or two here or there) since spring of 2015. Early on in the diet, after the first two weeks and until about 7 months, I found that ketosis did lower my appetite but it wasn't all of the time. My calories were set at 1420 (I was 190lbs at 5'8") but my caloric intake averaged out to 1500kcal. Some days were 2000 or even 2500 kcal but other days were as low as 500 kcal. Most days were within a couple hundred kcals of 1500.

    Once I stopped logging, my calories naturally went up and I hit 2000kcals. I found when I want to eat in a deficit that logging is needed or I will eat more than I need. While in ketosis I find eating in a deficit MUCH easier than if I eat a lot of carbs, but I still need to keep an eye on intake and limit myself somewhat. I just wasn't getting hypoglycemic hunger shakes or hangry anymore.

    I am one who noticed a significant cognitive improvement. Disturbingly so. Even my husband noticed. That's enough to keep my in ketosis for life right there. The cognitive improvements did not happen right away though. It took at least a month, closer to two, before the improvements became obvious to me and those who are closest to me.

    Perhaps share your diary with people in the Low Carber Daily MFP group. They can give you tips and ideas like making sure your sodium is 3000-5000mg per day to avoid electrolyte imbalance which could hide any cognitive improvements behind the symptoms of fatigue, headaches and general feelings of unwellness. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

    Good luck.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Fat doesn't fill me up. Protein, fiber and starches are for me.
    Omg, me too! I thought I had to be the only one that wasn't "satiated" by eating fat.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited October 2016
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Fat doesn't fill me up. Protein, fiber and starches are for me.

    Yup, me too.

    I will say that before I was into good habits about eating times (when I am I am pretty content no mater what I eat for meals), eating low protein at breakfast was an issue, so changing from something like a bagel or plain oatmeal to a higher protein option (vegetable omelet with low fat cottage cheese) helped. If I didn't know better I might assume that was due to carb cutting, since the omelet has a lot fewer carbs, but in experimenting, just adding protein powder or some smoked salmon and veg on the side with oatmeal or making a (very high carb and low fat, often) smoothie with some fruit, lots of veg, and protein powder and yogurt will be every bit as filling as the omelet. So I think what helps me is having protein and fiber -- many people have breakfasts that are quite low on protein. On the other hand (from experimenting), a lower protein, higher fat breakfast tends to work worse for me than a lower protein, high carb one.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    I should add, that I haven't done keto or even gotten to low carb. My body does not respond well to low carb diets. The lowest I got was around 170g and I thought I was going to die and my workouts suffered so bad, it was terrible. And I doubt it's a sodium thing because I regularly eat 4000 to 6000mg + .
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    I should add, that I haven't done keto or even gotten to low carb. My body does not respond well to low carb diets. The lowest I got was around 170g and I thought I was going to die and my workouts suffered so bad, it was terrible. And I doubt it's a sodium thing because I regularly eat 4000 to 6000mg + .

    It might have been sodium, in part. Sodium needs go up when you go lower carbs so if you are already at 4000-6000mg per day, you may need to go higher.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    The diversity of experience is very interesting, especially IMHO endurance athletes doing keto. FWIW, my sweet spot is 100g protein, 50g fat and 25g fiber with net carbs <100g. That's low-ish carb, but not keto by any measure. I feel good and function well if I hit these minimums even when my calorie intake is too low. My problem with keto was more lifestyle..... many catered business lunches, work travel, just too many meals I could not control. 90% of catered business lunches were sandwiches, and picking out the meat only calls attention to yourself in situations where it's best not to look odd. Better to eat the sandwich, rearranging it to omit half the bread.
  • bininj
    bininj Posts: 77 Member
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    Canned sardines tuna or salmon in oil. Eat the whole can. Cook meat in butter. Cream in coffee. Cream cheese on ham. Fresh veggies every day. Keep carbs low. Result - NO hunger, no sugar cravings, stable blood sugar, stable triglyceride level, PLUS regular weight loss.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    workinonit1956 wrote: »
    I didn't feel good on Keto, plus after 4 months my hair started shedding:( I did lose while eating very low carb, but it wasn't sustainable for me because I just feel better eating carbs and I regained rather quickly.
    We're all different, but I find IF to work wonders for reigning in my appetite and letting me stick quite easily to my calorie goals.
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I'm another one who found IF to be better for appetite control than keto/low carb.

    I'm also not fond of low carb's effect on athletic performance. I didn't like waiting to become fat adapted. That was too much time to be losing muscle mass, imo.

    I used to wake up and not be hungry for many hours and water fasting for a day was easy. I tried IF in the past and while it didn't go with my particular lifestyle it was pretty easy. Now I'm so ravenous that I can't imagine to not be able to eat something for many hours. But like I said in the previous thread that I made I really doubt it's just regular healthy hunger. But I was hoping keto could still be a temporary solution...
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    Bearbo27 wrote: »
    Slightly off topic...How is your protein intake normally? If I don't consume enough protein, I become super hungry.

    No, I really doubt it's my protein intake. I tried different macro ratios. I tried 40% and 50% protein, I tried lowering my carbs to 30%. I tried upping my fat. My fiber intake has been pretty significant, too (like 50-70g daily.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    I've never done it but I certainly have reduced starchy carbs hugely. What I have found though is that I need those starchy carbs in combination with my fat and protein to stay sated. Not a lot but a few mouthfuls at least. If I don't I quickly start mooching for something else to nibble on and my workouts suffer.

    It does take some experimentation to find what works though!
  • Yoyo_Fitness
    Yoyo_Fitness Posts: 84 Member
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    When you say 20g of carb, do you mean net carb? otherwise you will starve yourself!! anything under 50g of net carb would put your body under ketosis, but less would speed up the process. taking MCT oil would help. I have been feeling great with the cyclic ketogenic diet. The key is to find your sweet spot - some do well with very low carbs continuously, but women need more so that the hormone production will not be affected. I've been experimenting with 2 days low carb, 3rd day, re-feed, but only moderate amount of complex carb like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, white rice (120-150g net carb). most of the carb should be eaten in the evening. Fructose (sugar from fruits) I limit to 25g a day even on the re-feed day. It is important to take the best quality fat as well - not all the fat is the same. I only eat grass-fed butter (I process it into ghee), olive oil, sesame oil and so on. Theoretically you can eat as much as you want, until your body says stop. Start the day with a cup of Bulletproof Coffee and you can continue an intermittent fasting, i.e. your body continues to burn fat. Add at least 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter, and 1tsp - 2 tbsp of MCT oil to give your brain a boost. if you are writing a thesis, you will be able to maintain such a mental clarity! if you do it right, you won't get hungry. if you do, eat some eggs with butter. as long as you don't eat carb, it does not break the ketosis and your body will continue to burn fat instead of sugar, and your body will stop craving for sugar.
  • VeganRaptor
    VeganRaptor Posts: 164 Member
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    I felt terrible- constantly low energy, nausea, irritability, difficulty concentrating, increased anxiety. Horrible time and I will never try it again :P
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Yoyo_Fitness wrote: »
    When you say 20g of carb, do you mean net carb? otherwise you will starve yourself!! anything under 50g of net carb would put your body under ketosis, but less would speed up the process. taking MCT oil would help. I have been feeling great with the cyclic ketogenic diet. The key is to find your sweet spot - some do well with very low carbs continuously, but women need more so that the hormone production will not be affected. I've been experimenting with 2 days low carb, 3rd day, re-feed, but only moderate amount of complex carb like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, white rice (120-150g net carb). most of the carb should be eaten in the evening. Fructose (sugar from fruits) I limit to 25g a day even on the re-feed day. It is important to take the best quality fat as well - not all the fat is the same. I only eat grass-fed butter (I process it into ghee), olive oil, sesame oil and so on. Theoretically you can eat as much as you want, until your body says stop. Start the day with a cup of Bulletproof Coffee and you can continue an intermittent fasting, i.e. your body continues to burn fat. Add at least 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter, and 1tsp - 2 tbsp of MCT oil to give your brain a boost. if you are writing a thesis, you will be able to maintain such a mental clarity! if you do it right, you won't get hungry. if you do, eat some eggs with butter. as long as you don't eat carb, it does not break the ketosis and your body will continue to burn fat instead of sugar, and your body will stop craving for sugar.

    Plenty of people eat less than 50g of carbs. You don't have to be net carb at below 20g. I work with a few people who can't eat above 20-30g total due to medical issues being exacerbated by carbs.

    The bold is not true. It largely depends on if you get full off of fats or not. So for some, eating unlimited fats is beneficial and others would eat well above your maintenance calroeis.

    And as a point of semantics, if you eat large amounts of fats, fat oxidation goes up. But this should not be confused with burning body fat. Even I, at 250g of carbs, can increase fat oxidation if I increase total fats in my diet.
  • Yoyo_Fitness
    Yoyo_Fitness Posts: 84 Member
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    Psulemon, what I wanted to say in bold was that the hungry feeling is 'real', and not one of those sugar cravings I used to get when I was eating lots of sugar (from fruits for example). so when I am full, I just stop eating. I am just happy doing what I've been doing, that's all I wanted to say, but I am still experimenting with the amount of carbs I should take, and how often I should re-feed myself. People should just try and find out what suits them the best. I still maintain my calories to gain healthily in my pregnancy coz I don't want to gain too much. so far my body is in a good balance!
  • todduga
    todduga Posts: 18 Member
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    Tried it for a few months and HATED it. My run distance suffered immensely and I felt terrible all the time. Just wasn't for me.
  • RowdysLady
    RowdysLady Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Catawampous wrote: »
    Ok first let me preface this by saying I am am not promoting this way of eating. I am only leaving information as it pertains to ME with regards to the questions asked. I have been at this for about 3 weeks now so in the time frame of the OP's problems. I will not provide any type of evidence to support my claims because again, these answers only apply to ME. So as long as we understand that ... here are MY answers as they apply to ME ;)

    I started looking around for something that would help control my hunger. I get especially ravenous at certain times and could never understand why. Someone, I can't remember who, posted something about being extremely hungry after breakfast. Breakfast was oatmeal. Something we shared in common. From there, I started researching. I'd never even heard of Keto before. The more I dug in, the more I liked what was being said. Being an information sponge, I read a LOT on it and decided to use myself as my own experiment. I am a pretty cynical person when it comes to huge claims. I've fallen for them before and am not likely to do so again.

    Appetite reduction ~ Yep. Definitely. I would say within the first 48 hours I noticed a huge difference. It kept getting better and better as time went on and now I can say I am rarely hungry. I do not feel that "OMG I am so hungry I want to eat hubby's arm" feeling. If I am feeling hungry at a time when I normally don't, I look at my diary and most often it's because my fat intake has been too low.

    Mental Clarity ~ Some. I don't have that 2pm to 4pm mental "man I'm tired" feeling I use to get cluttering up my head. Or that "I just want to go to bed" feeling after dinner. I do have issues with focus and dyslexia and some reading comprehension challenges. I am not seeing a huge swing in this at this particular time. I don't know that I will either. But I do believe that part does take some time. Like a matter of months vs weeks.

    Being Keto/Fat adapted ~ I can't answer that for you as I think it's based on individuals. But based on what I've read on this, it can take months also.

    Conclusion ~ For ME, it's working so far. I feel happy, healthy, there is a definite upward tick in my moods and a general feeling of well being.

    OP your thesis is important. Since you've already tried it and didn't have success, maybe you should try it at a time when something as important as this isn't on the table. Just my opinion of course. You do You!

    I hope my answers help you out some. Good Luck on your thesis!!

    I could quote this almost to the letter. For me...
  • btrsun10
    btrsun10 Posts: 37 Member
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    Again, this is based on ME and MY experience, no one else's.
    LCHF is working brilliantly for me. In the first week of seriously lowering my sugar and carb intake, my hunger totally vanished. My 2pm post lunch slump disappeared and I didn't feel the need to go to bed as soon as I got in from work.
    I lift heavy weights 3-4 times a week and am progressing every week. I walk (fast) 6-7 times a week for approx. an hour and am finding my fitness levels are increasing as I'm not constantly out of breath. Just to add - I've always done this level of exercise.....these are not new to me but I am getting better at them and I'm filled with energy.
    My hair is shiny, I keep getting asked if I've had it done which is a lovely bonus. My dry skin has cleared up.
    I'm steadily losing weight and inches.
    LCHF works for me as I love cheese, butter, cream, peanut butter, nuts, eggs, bacon, meat. I was never much of a fruit eater so don't miss it at all. The things I love are things I avoided in the past because it had been beaten into me that fat is bad. Turns out it is not bad for ME and I'm so happy about this - feels like every day is a cheat day.
    I eat approx. 1800 cals a day and am very very satisfied.
    Honestly, carbs do not fill or satisfy me. I was always left hungry and looking for the next thing to eat.....usually more carbs and then the vicious cycle continued.
    This is just a post to tell you how it is working for ME. I understand it does not work for everyone but for ME I see this as a very sustainable WOE.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I need lots of vegetables especially starches (potatoes, sweet potatoes, grains, rice, lentils, beans) to keep me full. Remove these from my diet and not only am I hungry, im going to be a cranky *kitten*. If theres ever a day when im lower carb you can guarantee ill have an unpleasant attitude and will be real snappy.

    Not for me!

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