Keto - Total loss of appetite

JFahm123 wrote: »

I’ve been on keto for two weeks, and randomly my appetite left my body. I cannot even force myself to eat; sometimes I go full days without eating and only drinking water and then I realize I ate nothing so I try to eat something at the end of the day, is this bad?

Enjoy the loss of appetite. It usually does not last to the same degree for more than a few weeks.

I'm all for following hunger signals. Eat if hungry and don't if you are not, but try to make sure you are getting more than your minimum protein needs. Protein is needed to help preserve lean tissue which is extra helpful in the early days of keto when the body might use protein to help create more glucose for fuel.

JordisTSM wrote: »

fb47 wrote: »

nvmomketo wrote: »

JFahm123 wrote: »

I’ve been on keto for two weeks, and randomly my appetite left my body. I cannot even force myself to eat; sometimes I go full days without eating and only drinking water and then I realize I ate nothing so I try to eat something at the end of the day, is this bad?

Enjoy the loss of appetite. It usually does not last to the same degree for more than a few weeks.

I'm all for following hunger signals. Eat if hungry and don't if you are not, but try to make sure you are getting more than your minimum protein needs. Protein is needed to help preserve lean tissue which is extra helpful in the early days of keto when the body might use protein to help create more glucose for fuel.

I disagree, if the OP is eating under 1200 calories on a regular basis because her body doesn't signal that she is hungry, at that point it can be dangerous. I would say calories first, then protein.

I would probably let it play out for a little bit longer. When I first started Keto I spent a week or two struggling to eat more than 800 calories per day. Got some advice from the Keto group to not panic and give it a bit more time.

I’m now averaging about 1,400 calories per day so my appetite did come back albeit much more manageable than before I started Keto.

Of course this is merely my n=1.

That's what I was thinking, although I did not make it very clear.

I think it is often helpful to try to follow hunger cues, within reason of course. A few days of low calories are generally not dangerous. Many days is.

If the OP is aware of the risk, and not ignoring hunger in order to eat very low calorie, a few days is probably not dangerous.

Getting in protein is helpful to reducing lean losses. Carbs or fat is a good energy source but I'm presuming the OP wants to lose weight and probably has extra body fat that can be used for energy on those unusually low days.

Ymmv

If this lasts, something needs to change. Extreme undereating for prolonged periods of time is very harmful. Two weeks is already pushing it, but I would go for a week more maximum, after which you need to do something about it. You could increase carbs gradually to find your sweet spot where you can comfortably stay within calories but without undereating. Maybe low carb is a better fit for you than keto carb levels.

karen8787 wrote: »

ketosis kills your appetite. not only are you not hungry, the thought of eating or looking at food can feel revolting. so how you are feeling is actually normal and common. keep some ready to eat food in the fridge...a bowl of chicken or egg salad, boiled eggs, something...so you can at least get some bites in of food every so often. that way, you are not forcing yourself to sit down to a meal that you can't even stand looking at.

Umm, I've heard many people say keto reduced their appetite, but I've never heard anyone else say it "made the thought of eating revolting" and I'd say feeling that way would be incredibly unhealthy. There's no reason not to enjoy eating.

OP, occasionally not eating quite enough in the beginning is fine, as your body acclimates to the new way of eating. But this concerns me:

JFahm123 wrote: »

I cannot even force myself to eat; sometimes I go full days without eating and only drinking water and then I realize I ate nothing so I try to eat something at the end of the day, is this bad?

If you are eating at a deficit most days and barely eating anything on other days you would be depriving your body of the fuel it needs. If this has already been going on for a couple of weeks, and you still can't force yourself to eat more than a little something at the end of the day, I would start to think about making a doctor's appointment to make sure there isn't a physical reason you can't eat. There's a difference between loss of appetite and I can't even force myself to eat.

JFahm123 wrote: »

NovusDies wrote: »

New2ket0 wrote: »

I’m the same I’ve been on it a week, some people do fasting routinely on keto and it’s a way of life ( religion) for some.
I’m sure someone more experienced with keto and fasting can help on here.

Also do you have bulletproof coffee because that does and is intended to make you feel full and effects your appetite.

I have been on Keto for a week is the new "I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express" apparently.

Don’t quite get this comment; I do not drink coffee

The series of commercials suggested that anyone who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express felt so amazing that they felt like they could accomplish anything - so suddenly they were an expert in everything.

WinoGelato wrote: »

karen8787 wrote: »

ketosis kills your appetite. not only are you not hungry, the thought of eating or looking at food can feel revolting. so how you are feeling is actually normal and common. keep some ready to eat food in the fridge...a bowl of chicken or egg salad, boiled eggs, something...so you can at least get some bites in of food every so often. that way, you are not forcing yourself to sit down to a meal that you can't even stand looking at.

This doesn’t sound like a very positive testimonial toward keto at all. Between this and likely getting the keto flu - I’m not sure why anyone would ever want to undertake something that makes them feel like crap AND makes the thought of eating feel revolting.

Agreed. If this happened to me there is no way I would still be on Keto. Thankfully I’m finding the opposite. Lost my sweet tooth but properly cooked meat is like nectar.