New to keto...why am I SO hungry?
tastethis
Posts: 68 Member
I've noticed that on the days that my carbs have been a lot lower (under 30) that I just feel ravenous. Just insatiably hungry. Is this normal? Is it something that will stop happening once I'm in ketosis? Do I need to eat more fat when this happens? I feel like a hungry hungry hippo (literally!)
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Fat is responsible for satiety. Eat cheese. Whip a spoonful of coconut oil in your morning coffee.
Also, for someone starting on keto, only a carb target of 25 grams or less will guarantee ketosis. Once you're keto-adapted, then up to 50 grams is possible.
You have to go hard to start with, or you just stay in perpetual keto flu.
EDIT: Unless you're "easing yourself in" to keto, which I hear may be better for the ladies.0 -
Are you eating foods you like, or are you forcing things down just to make your macronutrient numbers. I follow a diet plan that has me eating the foods I love (bacon, veggies fried in butter, full fat cheese, cream, etc). I HATE fake foods, like bars, powders, etc. if I ate fake stuff, I'd be craving real food.
Also, I need to stay in perpetual 25 grams or less carbs a day, and my %fat at about 70%. If not, I will get hungry again.
Good luck.0 -
Right now I guess you could say I'm easing into it. I'm getting a feel for the diet and then I'll try harder to stay lower on the carbs. I don't ever force myself to eat anything just to hit a number, but I might reserve myself from eating to stay below one. I won't be devastated if I'm not in ketosis right now, because I'm still trying to learn what recipes work for me, etc.1
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Fair enough.Right now I guess you could say I'm easing into it.
I jumped in with both feet, myself, with <25 grams from day one... but I hear that this approach can cause a sort of hormone-storm in some people, particularly women.
If you notice negative effects of a low-carb diet, definitely take the time to ease yourself in.
But, that being said, if all is going smoothly other than the ravenous hunger (which, if we're close to our macro targets, is obviously just our stomach's playing with our heads), then I see little reason to extend the time you're in the keto flu phase.
Personally, I'm fighting to get through the flu phase ASAP, so that the sense of well-being that kicks in when I'm keto-adapted helps "set the hook" of this lifestyle.
Also... you may be creating the false hunger by eating 30+ carbs one day, and less than 15 the next.0 -
Fat is responsible for satiety. Eat cheese. Whip a spoonful of coconut oil in your morning coffee.
Also, for someone starting on keto, only a carb target of 25 grams or less will guarantee ketosis. Once you're keto-adapted, then up to 50 grams is possible.
You have to go hard to start with, or you just stay in perpetual keto flu.
I agree with the comment about fat for satiety, but the statement about "only a cab target of 25 g or less will guarantee ketosis" is not accurate. Some people will achieve ketosis with higher carbs - especially with exercise burning up glycogen stores. Atkins also described individuals that were resistant getting into ketosis, even at very low levels of carbs. This is where he prescribed the fat fast. Also, if an individual is keeping carbs low (below 25 g), but eating high levels of protein, they also may not get into ketosis because excess protein converts to glucose. There are certainly guidelines that give better results, but there are no guarantees.
OP - don't worry about calories initially. Eat high fat foods. Your appetite will subside. be sure to also supplement electrolytes, which will help with the carb flu. Drink a cup of salty broth. I used to carry a Baggie of pre-cooked bacon in my purse for emergencies. it will get better. Keep Calm and Keto On.1 -
It is, actually, for 99% of people trying keto.... the statement about "only a cab target of 25 g or less will guarantee ketosis" is not accurate.
Sure, some people can get into ketosis at 40 grams or even 60 grams of carbs a day... but for the average person, 25 grams or less will guarantee it. As Dr. Stephen Phinney says, "When in doubt, lower carbs."
Weigh the benefit of eating those measly 20 or 35 extra grams of carbs a day against reducing your odds of getting into keto, is really what I'm trying to convey here.
As for protein levels affecting ketosis... I give MFP ketoers the benefit of the doubt and trust that they've done at least enough research on this diet to (a) have run their numbers at the Keto Calculator and (b) be trying to work the 35/60/5 ratio.0 -
I drink a gallon or more of water per day. That really helps with the cravings. I also find if I eat to few calories I get really hungry no mater how many times I eat a day0
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I am on a doctor prescribed low carb diet consuming 25g a day or less. I was told NO dairy which is ok. However, I am having a hard time with breakfast. If I eat yogurt or cottage cheese and count those carbs and plan my day accordingly will I be ok?0
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D, I think you will be fine. Some people use up their carbs at breakfast, others at dinner. So long as you plan your meals and don't go over, I don't see how that could be a problem. Have you considered meats like sausage or bacon for breakfast? Or eggs?0
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Yeah, I've done sausage and bacon but just can't do another egg. I've done fried, egg salad, hard boiled, scrambled with and with out veggies. Lunch and dinner are easy for me no worries there. However, breakfast is my downfall.0
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http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breakfast1/r/lowcarbpancakes.htmHowever, breakfast is my downfall.0 -
I found this part in an article a while back. You might want to up your protein for the first couple of weeks and when you're not that hungry anymore you can lower it to the % you're aiming for.Lyle McDonald
Lyle McDonald, in his book The Ketogenic Diet explains that because of the metabolic adaptations which happen as the time spent on a ketogenic diet increases, the daily protein requirement is higher during the first three weeks on the diet than it is once the body has adapted through ketosis.
His calculations are based on what studies have shown about brain glucose requirements when carbohydrate or food intake is restricted.
At the beginning of a ketogenic diet, the brain requires a larger amount of glucose. To spare muscles from being converted to glucose to supply the brain, a dietary protein intake of 150 grams per day is suggested to minimize the loss of muscle mass to glucose production.
However, after 3 weeks on a ketogenic diet, the body has adapted to ketosis and the brain is using ketone bodies for fuel for the most part. This adaptation means a much smaller amount of glucose is needed for brain function. At this point, the daily protein requirement drops significantly, and only about 50 grams of dietary protein are needed per day to spare muscle mass. (He notes that intense exercise or a higher carb intake would alter these recommendations to some extent).
In the real world, I've found a good indicator which alerts me that I'm not eating enough protein - my eyes get very dry, especially at night. Eating more protein resolves the issue for me. I believe this has to do with the body reducing mucus production when protein intake is too low. (Lucas Tafur talks about this here).1 -
I'm new to it as well, on my third week of 15g< carbs - I know how you feel! Some days I just feel like nothing will fill my stupid stomach except BREAD. But in the end I just end up grazing on little bits of cheese, ham and broccoli, and that's reasonably filling. Also, cucumber is your friend. There's nothing in it but it makes you full. Ha.0
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I went to go look at your diary but it's closed. How many calories are you taking in? You also said that you're kind of easing in which is understandable. I more or less eased into keto too. I did notice when I had something particularly carby/sugary that I would feel hungry constantly. Even if it fit into my overall macros for the day. It may be contrary to what many are telling you but I didn't try to get it all right at first. What I would do (and you can ignore this
) is find my bmr and tdee. Then use the keto calculator and set up your macros. Eat above your bmr and under your tdee (a lot of ketoians do not count cals but it helps me for a variety of reasons) Keep your carbs, especially sugar, low. I found I had trigger foods. I would eat something and I would either binge that day or I would feel like I was starving. Try to get your protein and fat in with your fat being higher than your protein. If you are hungry, eat. Search out lc recipes and snack on fatty protein. 0 -
I know that when I first started, I didn't count "calories" per se, I only counted carbs. Some people like that approach because it's a little more relaxed but it will still get you into ketosis. If you're feeling ravenous, you're almost certainly not getting enough fat, once you get going on this diet hunger goes way down. Of course everyone reacts differently at first but I'm sure that if you stick to it, your hunger will start to diminish soon. What the other posters have said is great, coconut oil is definitely helpful in decreasing hunger and adding fat, try adding some to your coffee or cooking your food in it. Also, when I first started I ate a lot of nuts as snacks to kill my hunger, just make sure they are LCHF such as pecans, macadamias or brazil nuts. Good luck and let us know how you're doing!0
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While this works on a functional level for some people, it would still be good to at least track your protein target.I know that when I first started, I didn't count "calories" per se, I only counted carbs.
It is easy, I have found, to go waaaay under your protein target without noticing, and when that happens you risk the following:
-- muscle wasting.
-- hair loss
-- fatigue, lethargy,
-- intestinal upset
-- psychological changes.
-- lowered immune function
-- poor calcium absorption, so weaker bones0 -
I've noticed that on the days that my carbs have been a lot lower (under 30) that I just feel ravenous. Just insatiably hungry. Is this normal? Is it something that will stop happening once I'm in ketosis? Do I need to eat more fat when this happens? I feel like a hungry hungry hippo (literally!)
I found that in the first two weeks it was beneficial to just track an not worry about my calories at all. I tracked to see where my macros were but didn't worry too much about it other than the carbs. I found that as I got closer to the end of the two weeks my calories stabilized at 1600 (perfect deficit for 1 lb a week loss for me), carbs stayed under 20 net carbs, fat was around 65% and protein was perfect levels to maintain my lean body mass. I just kinda naturally got really close to this and only had to make slight adjustments to meet everything.
Cheese and bacon were really the savior for me. Every time I craved carbs, I would eat bacon instead (I love bacon), this usually happened at night for me. When I was hungry but in between meals I would eat .5 to 1 serving of cheese. Doing this for the first two weeks regulated everything perfectly!
Good luck!0 -
The only reason I suggested tracking calories is because the days that I did not have enough calories or even carbs in by 2-3 pm are the days I experienced keto flu symptoms. I wasn't hungry so I wouldn't eat much and then I'd feel sick by that afternoon. If I hadn't been tracking then I would never have figured out that I needed to eat more. I never worried about going over. If op is getting less than 1200 cals in and is picking up 30g of carbs that are her trigger it may be why she is feeling hungry all the time. Keto truly is an appetite reducing way of eating and I don't feel like anybody should be reaching the end of their day feeling deprived.0
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I am on a doctor prescribed low carb diet consuming 25g a day or less. I was told NO dairy which is ok. However, I am having a hard time with breakfast. If I eat yogurt or cottage cheese and count those carbs and plan my day accordingly will I be ok?
Look for yogurt with active cultures in it. It eats up a lot of the sugar, so the amount of carbs you are nowhere near what you're seeing on the label. I still get to enjoy my key lime Greek yogurt0
