Hello, really struggling

Nicole9187

Hello, I'm new to this part of MFP. I was a vegetarian for about 20 years, I really hate the taste/texture of all meat. Then I went to this Chinese dr. that does nutritional response testing...she basically told me to cut everything out (grains/dairy/artificial sweeteners/soy) it all sounded like something else I had heard (paleo & primal) so I've been attempting to eat that way for the last four weeks. It seems I can go 3-4 days and then I lose it. The biggest struggle I have is I am still VERY hungry. It's like my appetite is insatiable. But I have struggled with that for many years. Now I'm trying to pay attention to my body, and I know that there are times I'm not just hungry but I feel hungry and that it's just my mind wanting me to eat. However, yesterday (into my third day) I lost it again, I know the problem, I went out and tried to socialize with friends and didn't eat anything for several hours, so by the time I got back home I was ready to eat anything and everything. So I did the worse thing and went to Olive Garden. I've read from these forums to increase fat, which I am doing--I ordered MCT oil and am waiting on that, in the meantime I'm drinking coffee with 1 tbsp. virgin coconut oil and 1 tbsp. butter (which btw I think it tastes discussing) and after I drink it...I'm still hungry. I'm spending tons of $$ on organic, grass fed foods and I'm just feeling very defeated.

I found a link from the keto calculator and adjusted my MFP macros to that about two days ago. Even though I ate crappy last night I had my fat loaded nasty coffee this morning.

Does anyone experience that same appetite issue? I feel like if it were not for that I would be okay. My mom thinks I should go get an appetite suppressant until I get this under control because even she can eat the same thing I do and be full for hours.

Golightly17

A backstory: I was a vegetarian and then a vegan for sometime. Unfortunately, my system sort of imploded. Thyroid issues, hormonal issues likely stemming from soy and food allergies to name a few. I initially went pescatarian and now follow a primal diet. My blood work results have gotten better and better, grains and soy are not part of my diet. It was emotional to venture back into eating meat, but worth it for my own health.

That said, I think that everyone is different and you may very well be able to function in this lifestyle while abstaining from the usual vegetarian mainstays. Fats in coconut oil and MCT are awesome and satiating. I make my own version of bulletproof coffee in the morning pre workout and am never hungry until the afternoon. As far as appetite and grains, soy etc. if you were instructed to avoid them due to an allergy, your appetite should naturally decrease. A lot of times, myself is included in this, we have a high glycemic response to foods that we have a sensitivity or reactivity to.

Mark's Daily Apple is a good resource that has helped me, maybe check it out.

Hope that was somewhat helpful!
-Kate

Nicole9187

Yes I have checked out marks daily apple...slightly overwhelming with all the info LOL.

So let me ask this, your own version of the bulletproof coffee keeps your satisfied/full. Did that happen right away or did it take some time? Because I just drank some high fat coffee but I'm hungry and that was about an hour ago. It never made me feel "full" or satisfied.

The dr. did not say I have an allergy exactly, she just said they are bad for us to eat and cause inflammation (so I guess an allergy like everyone else?). I understand this will take me sometime because I am changing my eating habits pretty drastically...but man this is HARD!

I also started crossfit and between both I think I'm going nuts~!

jayrudq

BPC can be satisfying. My suggestion to you is to up the coconut oil in it, I add So Delicious coconut cream (a really excellent non-dairy creamer that is low in calories) to mine also, and use an immersion blender to mix it. I have also added cocoa powder and torini vanilla sugar free syrup (I know, but a little goes a long ways). It is very rich and very satisfying. If you are hungry, I can only suggest added more healthy oils and nuts to your diet.

I understand the desire to "cut out" these things from your diet. But, if it isn't working for you, it isn't the right diet. The most successful diet is the one we can stick to. I would make every effort to restrict yourself, it that is your desire, but I wouldn't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen 100% - and maybe you want to go for 80-90% of the time. That way, you don't lose it, but plan it. You should not be miserable. Miserable = failure. And your Dr. may have set you up to fail without even knowing it.

Good luck to you.

kiramaniac

I loved the bulletproof coffee from day one, and it worked great for me for satiation. I do add unsweetened cocoa, so it's more of a mocha. I also use an Aerolatte to mix it, so it gets a bit frothy.

But if I didn't like it, I wouldn't drink it. Switch to something you do like. Do you like coffee with heavy cream? Drink that. Do you like fat bombs? Have those. Are you an eggs and bacon girl? Make the program work for you, otherwise t won't be sustainable.

How long have you been on low carb? It can take some time (a few weeks) to stabilize and lose those carb cravings. If you have to pick one (CrossFit or LC) I'd focus on the nutrition piece first. When I started LC I was doing CF once a week. I'm now a year in and go 3-5x per week. But my nutrition still takes priority over CF performance.

Golightly17

I'm there with you, it is overwhelming doing a diet overhaul!

The bulletproof coffee helped my appetite right away. I use coffee, MCT and full cream. The MCT oil may be more helpful to you, essentially the same healthy fat of coconut oil but concentrated. Go easy on the MCT at first, it can make you jittery or cause gastro discomfort. Also, coffee can have an effect in insulin and appetite so be conscious of how you're feeling.

Did you have a blood test for food allergies? I had an extensive test done and it placed my reaction levels into categories. I wasn't necessarily epi pen allergic to certain things but for example had a class II or more reaction to a food. That causes inflammation and over time, especially if eaten on a regular basis, can cause a huge problem. It can be a chain reaction- inflammation due to reacting to a certain food can also effect your thyroid and hormones.

Crossfit is a good step! Intense exercise can help to suppress appetite. With the stress and appetite due to everything, I would recommend a few supplements to check out: magnesium, thiamine and glutamine.

You'll get there!

kiramaniac

You may want to check out "The Primal Blueprint" by Mark Sisson.

Rei1988

How Long have you been doing low crab/keto?

-Try cut out any processed foods!
-Don't drink the BP coffee if you find it nasty ( personally I don't like it either, I just put heavy cream in my tea)
-Make sure the coconut oil you buy is Organic, Unrefined & cold pressed. (Costco has a good one)
-Drink plenty of water & get enough salt
-are you still eating fruits?

Nicole9187

Okay so to answer a few questions, I started this overhaul on August 13th, however I do not stick to it for longer than 3-4 days at a time. I have cleaned out my cupboards so that there is no problem there.

I started adding the coconut oil (which is organic and unrefined) to my coffee about 4 days ago, I was looking for something that would make me feel full. It has yet to do that. I ordered the MCT oil and that should be in in a few days. I'm drinking lots of water. I've increased my fat by making fat bombs (which I find disgusting as well, but tolerable), and I'm not eating fruit anymore. I was also eating red potatoes but it was suggested I cut those out. I know sweet potato is an option, but I'm, not a big fan so I go without. I've read the primal blueprint as well as the paleo solution. The hardest part for me is eating meat. I'm eating eggs and bacon

Nicole9187

Oh I started crossfit before seeing the dr. and I go 2x a week. I have not had any blood work for food allergies.

Rei1988

There is such a thing as vegetarian keto.... if you still don't want to eat meat. (though I don't support vegetarian/vegan lifestyle).

I would say you just have to stick it out for a couple of weeks to let your body adjust into ketosis. Other wise you'll have to start over & over again!

Other option is to see your doctor, see if there is any hidden conditions you have.

Golightly17

I forgot to mention, there's a great vegtarian/vegan recipe blog that has great recipes including a section that specifically avoids soy, etc.

www.ohsheglows.com

camtosh

I also started crossfit and between both I think I'm going nuts~!

Exercise will make you more hungry! On my workout days, I want to eat more. Try raw macadamia nuts -- 12 of them are 220 cals (just looked it up) and fill me up pretty well for a while... Drink lots of water, and think about whether it is the habit of eating or real hunger that is driving the urge to nosh?
Good luck with it. It is worth it, and so are you!