Keto to control hunger

I know there is a huge following and a group on here for this. And I’ve done keto before. Just had some general questions. I’m currently doing a whole grain low fat clean eating diet. No sugar or artificial sweeteners. But I get SO hungry! I eat breakfast at least twice and about 7 meals/snacks a day. I wanted to try keto for a couple of days to see if it reduced my appetite to help me stay within my calorie range. Every time I’ve done keto before the cravings were intense so I was not able to continue. It would lead me to binge on things I had cut out of my diet. Is there any easy way to get through that phase? A supplement to take?
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Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    What about a more balanced macro ratio instead of cutting back on one single macro?
  • IsabeausRose
    IsabeausRose Posts: 129 Member
    What about a more balanced macro ratio instead of cutting back on one single macro?
    I’ve done a 40/30/30 ratio and that didn’t work either. Keto was the only time I got down to 3 meals a day and could go hours without eating.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,023 Member
    edited October 2018
    I know there is a huge following and a group on here for this. And I’ve done keto before. Just had some general questions. I’m currently doing a whole grain low fat clean eating diet. No sugar or artificial sweeteners. But I get SO hungry! I eat breakfast at least twice and about 7 meals/snacks a day. I wanted to try keto for a couple of days to see if it reduced my appetite to help me stay within my calorie range. Every time I’ve done keto before the cravings were intense so I was not able to continue. It would lead me to binge on things I had cut out of my diet. Is there any easy way to get through that phase? A supplement to take?

    Different people find different foods/macro combinations satiating. For me I need to get at least 90g of protein and hit my fiber goal, regardless of carb level. Beans and potatoes are the foods I find keep me full the longest. I don't find fatty foods filling (I can easily overeat nuts, cheese, cream based desserts, chicken thighs, etc) so keto wouldn't work for me.

    If you generally find keto-type foods filling, it could help you. Or maybe you just need low carb and not all the way to keto levels? I do believe that when you start out on keto you need to make sure you increase your salt intake to ensure electrolyte balance, but I'm sure others with experience doing keto will be around shortly.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    If you did not increase you sodium to 3000-5000 mg a day when you last went keto, that could have caused the problem. Electrolytes are lost through low insulin and glycogen. If you don't replace them it can cause fatigue, BM issues and nausea. In some, the fatigue is interpreted as hunger. Studies have shown that large fatigue can lead to eating about 500kcal extra a day - presumedly in search of energy from food.

    There is 2300 mg of sodium in a teaspoon of salt. If you drink a couple of cups of boullion a day, eat salt tablets, make salty keto-ade or simply eat a half teaspoon of salt a couple of times a day (on top of normal salt on food) it could make a difference. get enough water too.

    My other thought is to eat a bit more at first. Some find that simply switching to keto without worrying about calories for a week, helps them settle into the diet without any hunger. Get used to the foods, and smaller food volume, first, and then cut calories. Too few calories will cause hunger too. Make sure you eat enough - I would start with at least 1500 kcal.

    Good luck.

  • IsabeausRose
    IsabeausRose Posts: 129 Member
    skbohanon wrote: »
    My experience with keto was that I had to give it about 5 days to get the carb dependent vibe out of my system. it's going to vary by person depending on how much carbs you fed your body. After that my body solely relied on the fat and I stay very satiated. My best suggestion would be to not give up. One of the things that made a difference for me was putting heavy cream in my coffee. That eventually turned in to my breakfast. Also, I would look more to adding MCT oil, avocado oil, organic butter to EVERYTHING you possibly can. Eat more fatty cuts of meat. That's going to increase your fat intake (and thus satiation) in a big way.

    I would also research ways of overcoming the "keto flu" as some sources of ways to push through the cravings and get to the other side. Good luck!
    Thank you for your advice I appreciate it. I just need to make it through the initial transition phase. I’ve got pickles and butter which are supposed to help with cravings as well as l glutamine

  • IsabeausRose
    IsabeausRose Posts: 129 Member
    xmarye wrote: »
    I've done low carb and keto in the past. I found that after a couple of days the cravings would go away. Make sure to eat plenty of vegetables and fats to fill you up. You might want to supplement with magnesium and potassium. Don't overconsume water, as it will flush the electrolytes you already have in your system. I also combined with sort of an IF (intermittent fasting) protocole because I found that way I was able to eat more in a given period. You still have to eat less calories than you burn though, it's not magical. I lost 35lbs at one point doing this diet. And I didn't gain all the weight back when I started eating carbs again!

    Now though, I find that after having three kids my life changed and it makes it harder (whether it's physically or mentally) for me to stick to. It can get complicated eating different from my family, I make lots of dishes that I just couldn't have altogether, even though they are really healthy because of the amount of carbs from vegetables. For this reason, I have decided to take a more balanced approach. I still tend to eat more fats and less carbs, but it works well for me right now.

    My macros tend to average to 20P/35C/45F and I feel very satisfied and not deprived at all. Most of the carbs I have from from veggies, fruits and a few whole grains. My strategy is eating a smaller portion of the main meal I am making for the family, with a huge salad on the side. I can easily fit a square of chocolate, or a freshly baked muffin like I did this week without freaking out about it. It just isn't the main focus of my diet now. I really try to focus my meals around salads or veggies and follow portion control for the rest and it's working wonderfully well! I am still just 1 week in, but I like how things are going for now. :smile:

    Good luck on your weight loss journey ox

    Thank you x I’ve done well on the diet before it’s just the cravings that get me. But I heard they last 2 weeks at most.

  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    OP, do you see yourself living ketosis the rest of your life? Just asking?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    OP, do you see yourself living ketosis the rest of your life? Just asking?
    Well I can’t live like I’m living for the rest of my life it’s making me so miserable that I have such a voracious appetite and all I’m doing is gaining weight. This is about my emotional health and self esteem and what eating healthy means to me personally. I may like fruit but it’s just not good for me it messes with my blood sugar and makes me hungrier than before I ate it. So yes, I can do this long term if it truly makes me happy and able to sustain a healthy weight. It’s like asking yourself if your willing to count calories for the rest of your life. We each have to do what is healthy and sustainable for us.

    Are you eating enough calories?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    OP, do you see yourself living ketosis the rest of your life? Just asking?
    Well I can’t live like I’m living for the rest of my life it’s making me so miserable that I have such a voracious appetite and all I’m doing is gaining weight. This is about my emotional health and self esteem and what eating healthy means to me personally. I may like fruit but it’s just not good for me it messes with my blood sugar and makes me hungrier than before I ate it. So yes, I can do this long term if it truly makes me happy and able to sustain a healthy weight. It’s like asking yourself if your willing to count calories for the rest of your life. We each have to do what is healthy and sustainable for us.

    Does this resonate with you?

    https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/

    binge-low-calorie-diet.jpg
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    What were you eating when you tried keto before, and what did you crave? How many carbs/net carbs did you allow yourself? How long could you stay on it before binge-ing? I’ve noticed on here that a lot of people seem to try to make keto even more restrictive than it already is, and if you’re one of them it might be worth another shot. Otherwise, maybe it would make more sense to try to incorporate the foods you found so sating on keto into a diet that isn’t so restrictive.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    OP, do you see yourself living ketosis the rest of your life? Just asking?
    Well I can’t live like I’m living for the rest of my life it’s making me so miserable that I have such a voracious appetite and all I’m doing is gaining weight. This is about my emotional health and self esteem and what eating healthy means to me personally. I may like fruit but it’s just not good for me it messes with my blood sugar and makes me hungrier than before I ate it. So yes, I can do this long term if it truly makes me happy and able to sustain a healthy weight. It’s like asking yourself if your willing to count calories for the rest of your life. We each have to do what is healthy and sustainable for us.

    I don't know your weight loss history, or what your goals are, but I will let you on a few things. After weightloss, you are going to be hungrier. The research says this. It's not just insulin. It's a cascade of other hormones as well. Leptin, ghrelin, ppy, ect... they all change! Read the literature. I am trying to maintain a 220lb weight loss. 13 months on... longest 13 months of my life. Let me tell you. Maybe I am n=1 on this, but my hunger and satiety are waaayyy off. Seems to be a pattern I see here. I hope keto works for you. Best wishes.