octobubbles wrote: »

FIT_Goat wrote: »

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I do believe most people get a "reduced hunger" when going to keto, but primarily because their previous hunger levels were way too high. I think it's better to say that hunger more closely aligns with physical need. I am more hungry than most because I need more calories than most people. I am still losing weight, and I don't exactly have tons of weight left to go. When your weight is off to one extreme or another, your hunger is proportionately off to the inverse extreme. Someone who is under-weight will be hungrier than their ideal intake and someone who is over-weight will be less hungry than their ideal intake. As your weight returns to the natural weight your body desires, your appetite adjusts to return to the amount needed to maintain that natural weight. When I was heavier, I experienced the "disinterested in food" days much more frequently than I do now.
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I actually considered messaging you directly about this, but you prompted the question here, so here it shall go!

So, my increasing suspicion, which your statement seems to support, is that there's no need to adjust to a 'maintenance' WOE once we reach our goal weight. In a perfect world (where we let ourselves be driven by hunger/satiety in the stomach rather than the like in the mind), when we reach the optimal weight for our body, our body's hunger will maintain itself.

Would you agree/care to comment?

I would agree with that. So long as we've removed anything that disrupts or screws with our hunger signals*, and we've learned to trust them and not a calorie number we've made up for ourselves, there is no need to change anything to move into maintenance. You'll just slowly slide into it. *Note: Some conditions may make hunger signals harder/impossible to accurately judge for some people.

Of course, many people tend to freak out as this happens. They get maybe 10 pounds away from their goal and suddenly notice the weight loss is slowing down. Sometimes it even appears to have stopped or gone up (because scale weight is highly variable and people don't look for month-to-month averages and trends, they look week-to-week at best, and often day-to-day). They then notice that their calories have gone up. "Oh no! I need to start restricting my calories to keep my weight loss going at the rate I wanted," they automatically assume. And, we end up with people proffering wisdom such as, "not counting only works when you've got a lot to lose, when you get closer to your goal you will need to count or you'll stop losing."

The only change I made, when I went to maintenance, was a mental one. I consciously told myself that I wasn't going to care what the scale said unless my trend-line rose above a certain number (that is, I gained a fair amount and kept it on). I would eat as much or as little as I wanted and remind myself that I wasn't trying to lose. My calories eaten did see a small spike (from about 2000-2200 to 2400-2600), as I had been trying to only eat when my body demanded it. Now I was eating whenever I felt "a little hungry." I was still eating to hunger cues, I just was more willing to eat right away instead of waiting to see if I was "really" hungry.

I Absolutely agree. I watched that video that DittoDan suggested. I think it's Dr. Attia, but it's posted the the blog by jason Fong... I don't know who it is, a 8 part series that's fascinating and he says exactly that. That's why CICO is so difficult. Science aside, the calculators say to maintain my svelt (not) 225lbs at 5'4" I need to eat around 2500 calories a day. I reduced it 1200. And now, on the keto diet.... Some days and I have to purposefully eat another meal even though I'm not terribly hungry just to make the calories. Thankfully I LOVE the fat. Cheese and butter. So, I enjoy the eating of that meal anyway. But could easily, even at 225lbs live on 1000 calories a day this way.

wheatlessgirl66 wrote: »

gsp90x wrote: »

But could easily, even at 225lbs live on 1000 calories a day this way.

Would it be beneficial for those of us in that weight range to eat 1000 or fewer calories a day, since we have so much stored fat already on hand for our bodies to burn? As long as we're eating balanced macros and not hungry?

You're asking me a dangerous question, because I don't feel comfortable recommending that anyone "aim" to eat that low. But, if you're getting ample protein (say around 100+g/day or so) and you are truly eating as much as you physically desire. If that's where you end up, that's where you end up. So long as you don't refuse to eat more and raise the calories as your desire goes up and/or the weight goes down.

Also, the above paragraph is based on the assumption that you are not actively using things (or doing things) that will blunt your natural appetite (weight loss drugs, more than 3-4 cups of coffee/tea a day, drinking 2 glasses of water before eating if you feel hungry, etc.). If you have some sort of physical or other condition, which you know of, like a diagnosed or suspected eating disorder, that is another situation where I would encourage you to aim for higher calorie goals than your body may seem to be asking for.

Edit: I guess the real determining question, for me, would be, "How will you react when your body is asking you to keep eating after you've already had 3,000 calories in a day?" If you'd be willing to go with that on the days it happens, then I would say you would be ok going with the 1,000 calories on the days when that is all your body wants. If you're not going to really accept the ups as well as the downs, in desire, then I would say you need to dampen the downs a bit... much like you would dampen the ups.

One of my faves...sauteed chicken with onion, mushrooms, green bell pepper. Once cooked, add Franks hot sauce and shredded cheese, topped with a few banana peppers

Thanks, @KnitOrMiss--Seems it's best keep my goal of around 1400 cals/day. My approach to carbs, protein and fats is the same as yours. Keeping carbs corralled is the hardest thing. It's so lovely to eat fats to feel full--it works! Thanks for sharing your perspective!

stillonamission wrote: »

I don't know if it is weird... but I did have a new coworker ask about my lunch. Another coworker said responded by telling her I follow a weird 'food thing'.

2 eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1 tablespoon mayo & salt - the best!

Simple and amazing thank you for this! Literally was licking the bowl afterwards LOL!