No carb cravings - am I doing it wrong?
BarbieAS
Posts: 1,414 Member
I've gone low carb several times before in some fashion - South Beach, just a general attempt at keto, whatnot. I like it and I don't usually find it difficult EXCEPT that I love fruit too much to stay really low full time, so I try to schedule a few times per year to get myself solidly into ketosis when there's no good fruit in season, then try to stick under ~60-75 carbs after those 2-3 weeks by adding back basically only fruit and a little yogurt (though, inevitably, that does go off the rails at some point and I start over...but you get the picture).
Anyway, today is day 3 of my annual spring keto attempt. Days 1 and 2 I was at 32 net/37-40 total carbs - veggies, a serving or so of nuts, and then your various gram or two here and there in whatever else I'm eating (meat, cheese, a little sugar free jello). Every other time I've done this, I've been ready to stab someone in the face for a piece of toast by day 3 (which obviously goes away by the end of the week), but this time I'm not feeling that at all. I actually feel no different than I felt on Sunday before I started. I know I'm a little high on carbs to get me into ketosis, but for some reason I'm struggling with keeping the number down this time and I was hoping that somehow this was good enough. Do I need to try to force down the carbs even more? Or am I just getting lucky this time?
TL;DR - are carb cravings (or lack thereof) a good indicator of whether my body is working into ketosis during an "induction" phase? Is 32 net carbs too high for this to be worthwhile?
(For reference, I'm a 5'5" 33 year old woman with about 60lbs to lose to hit the top of a healthy weight range and a TDEE of about 2300, give or take a bit. My calorie goal is 1550.)
Anyway, today is day 3 of my annual spring keto attempt. Days 1 and 2 I was at 32 net/37-40 total carbs - veggies, a serving or so of nuts, and then your various gram or two here and there in whatever else I'm eating (meat, cheese, a little sugar free jello). Every other time I've done this, I've been ready to stab someone in the face for a piece of toast by day 3 (which obviously goes away by the end of the week), but this time I'm not feeling that at all. I actually feel no different than I felt on Sunday before I started. I know I'm a little high on carbs to get me into ketosis, but for some reason I'm struggling with keeping the number down this time and I was hoping that somehow this was good enough. Do I need to try to force down the carbs even more? Or am I just getting lucky this time?
TL;DR - are carb cravings (or lack thereof) a good indicator of whether my body is working into ketosis during an "induction" phase? Is 32 net carbs too high for this to be worthwhile?
(For reference, I'm a 5'5" 33 year old woman with about 60lbs to lose to hit the top of a healthy weight range and a TDEE of about 2300, give or take a bit. My calorie goal is 1550.)
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Replies
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Seems like a good 'problem' to have. If you're not craving carbs then you're doing something right. If the weights starts coming off then you've found your sweet spot carb wise. I wouldn't overthink it
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Lack of cravings or appetite means it's working.
I've been doing low carb for 2 weeks now and it has totally killed my appetite, as well as cravings for anything sweet. I eat about 20-30 net carbs a day. Mostly protein, fat, nuts, eggs, and a lot of salad. I have no urge to snack. I have also lost 4 lbs in those 2 weeks. So I must be in ketosis (haven't tested myself) and so far it is working...0 -
Thanks to both of you! :flowerforyou:
See, usually I DO get to that total lack of cravings stage, but it's only after a day or two of super hangry gimme a donut type stuff, which usually falls somewhere in day 2-4 for me. I'm now mostly through day 3 with nothing like that, so that was what was concerning me that I was wasting my time. And, I've definitely been HUNGRY, which is actually what's causing me to exceed my carb goal - the fact that there's only so much meat and cheese I can stomach in a day combined with still wanting to stay within my calorie goal has led me to reach for nuts and veggies when I'm feeling hungry more often than I typically would in an induction phase. (ETA: I've been hitting my other macros pretty well - 109/117 grams of fat and 101/107 grams of protein, and I didn't change my calorie goal - on which I'm usually pretty satisfied - just my macro ratios, so I don't think adjusting any of my goals would help with hunger.)
I think I'll stick it out for a few more days, try to keep working on the carb levels, and do a weight check in a couple of days - if I'm down at least a few pounds of water weight, I can probably safely stay the course (right?). Thanks!0 -
I hear ya. I get sick of meat and cheese too. Plus I think cheese has been keeping me from losing more to be honest, so I'm trying to eat less.
Try eating more eggs, I usually have 2-3 for breakfast, whether I scramble them or hard boil.
I've been eating a lot of salad. I usually do romaine, with a pouch of tuna or I grill up chicken breast. I add shredded cheese, french fried onions, sliced almonds, and I make my own ranch dressing from the hidden valley packet with milk and sour cream. It is yummy plus super filling and all of it is low carb.
For dinner I do meat with a vegetable like green beans, cauliflower, etc.
Almonds or any kind of nuts are good to snack on too.0 -
Another good snack is low glycemic veggies smothered in butter. Gets your fiber and fat in the same sitting without increasing your protein. 0
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Sounds like its working well for you, atkins always talked about finding your "critical Carb number" and you may have found it, that place where you lose weight , and feel good0
