Low Carbs and never hungry, is this normal

Hi all,

For the last 2-3 months, I have been increasing my fitness and eventually going from couch to jogging 30 minutes about 4-5 times per week, generally doing 3-4km overall.
But I am a pretty big fella weighing in at 107kg and 6 ft tall.

Over the last 2 weeks, I decided to drop sugar & carbs as much as possible from my diet. (Not that I was dieting, my calorie intake wasn't really that high lately) Just typically had Sandwiches, Banh Mi, Toast, salads etc. I am averaging 30-50grams of carbs per day and instead loading up on fats and proteins.

In this period I haven't eat anything till 3pm everyday (very late lunch like a chicken salad) and finish the day with a light dinner after my jog at around 9pm (with perhaps 2-3 eggs, small yogurt etc). Drink black coffee, tea and lots of water. I drink nothing else. I rarely get hungry, have absolutely loads of energy, sleep well and can kick off my day without effort.

I haven't weighed myself or anything, but I have definitely lost some weight in the last 2 weeks. Just wondering why in the last week especially I have been feeling extremely energetic when some days I don't even have more than 1,000 calories - and I am completely fine with that. Do sugar & carbs (or one of them) really make that much difference? I was always under the impression that carbs is what provided energy! Confused!

Yours Truly
Superman

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Replies

  • Psaksenatovris
    Psaksenatovris Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks, I am measuring carefully so pretty confident with the calories. Can you explain with this is dangerously low when it feels so right? Or point me to some good articles?
  • Psaksenatovris
    Psaksenatovris Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks for the replies, makes sense.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,581 Member
    Thanks, I am measuring carefully so pretty confident with the calories. Can you explain with this is dangerously low when it feels so right? Or point me to some good articles?

    Measuring is not the same as weighing. Are you weighing everything you consume?
  • Psaksenatovris
    Psaksenatovris Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks, I am measuring carefully so pretty confident with the calories. Can you explain with this is dangerously low when it feels so right? Or point me to some good articles?

    Measuring is not the same as weighing. Are you weighing everything you consume?

    Yes, definitely.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    If you are pretty confident that you are eating around 1000 cals, eat more, as that would not be healthy.

    Very low carb does kill some people's appetites or just make them uninterested in food, which can make it easier, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't still eat sufficient cals. If your hunger signals aren't working, use your logging to make sure you eat enough (at least 1500 for a man). It shouldn't be hard to find ways to do so, and if you really feel like you CAN'T eat that much, you should see a doctor.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    edited August 2019
    Well, yes it is. The increased protein helps. The severe lowering of the carbs makes the "reward" value of your diet "less". Would state that a whole food vegan diet would probably just as effective. OR a lower reward diet that contains whole food carbs such as fruits, potatoes... ect...high protein of course.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Thanks, I am measuring carefully so pretty confident with the calories. Can you explain with this is dangerously low when it feels so right? Or point me to some good articles?

    Measuring is not the same as weighing. Are you weighing everything you consume?

    Yes, definitely.

    If you are weighing ALL of your food and having trouble meeting your minimum calorie needs, add calorie dense foods: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
  • MoxyLeigh
    MoxyLeigh Posts: 433 Member
    edited August 2019
    If you've limited carbs that much you've likely gone into ketosis, which means you'll be burning ketones for fuel rather than glycogen (carbs, to oversimplify). Some people find ketosis suppresses their appetite quite a lot. You should still aim to consume a healthy amount of calories though. It sounds like you're really low, particularly given that you're jogging 4-5 times a week.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    It's not unusual for someone to change their way of eating (WOE) and temporarily experience decreased appetite.

    However, do weigh yourself in the near future and if you haven't lost as much weight as you'd expect to given that deficit, you are likely eating more than you think, which is also not uncommon. If you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public we can help you troubleshoot: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    If you are losing as expected, then do eat more.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Thanks, I am measuring carefully so pretty confident with the calories. Can you explain with this is dangerously low when it feels so right? Or point me to some good articles?

    I read an article about how the chemistry of the body can be changed when going low carb that results in euphoria and a loss of appetite. I am not sure of the validity of the article because I am not a biochemist. However, if your feeling of euphoria is chemically induced obviously trusting it to determine your general state of well-being would be unwise.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    edited August 2019
    NovusDies wrote: »
    Thanks, I am measuring carefully so pretty confident with the calories. Can you explain with this is dangerously low when it feels so right? Or point me to some good articles?

    I read an article about how the chemistry of the body can be changed when going low carb that results in euphoria and a loss of appetite. I am not sure of the validity of the article because I am not a biochemist. However, if your feeling of euphoria is chemically induced obviously trusting it to determine your general state of well-being would be unwise.

    It's kinda strange, I accidentally went lower carb, just cut out all processed carbs, nothing but fruits and veggies, increased my protein, and still limited fats, but close to 30% range. After an "adjustment" period of what I thought then was severe hunger, I had none. There was a state of euphoria. I was 400+ pounds then. Had No issues until I dropped under 240 or so. So, I unintentionally lowered carbs and REWARD value. There is a lot of evidence that a lower reward lower carb diet causes weight loss. I could have done the same on a high carb whole foods vegan most likely. I guess I am just going to start having to post the studies that support my statements! Lol
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    Okay, come do my best Ace Ventura impression. To backup my statement I'll say these things. First off, when one looks inside the studies of high protein diets, one sees a spontaneous reduction of calories in obese individuals by 600 to a thousand calories a day. That is when protein is around 30% of total calories. If one looks inside of bland liquid diet studies, there is a reduction in calories to near starvation level diets with no hunger. Inside Kevin Halls most recent study on processed vs. Unprocessed diet, people on an unprocessed diet, the lower reward value, ate an average of 400 calories a day less than people on a process diet. N equals 1 experience, as well. I also work in a highly controlled environment, where food and activity are controlled as close as one can get, outside of a research setting. I have seen men go from 400 lb to 240 lb with little hunger issues. The diet that get is actually very healthy. It's high in fruits vegetables beans lean meats with some added fats. It does not taste very good, so far less rewarding than what they had on the outside. Most of the people, have to get jobs that require activity. Is all this coincidence? Possibly. I think it lines up with many of the Rat and monkey studies I've seen as well.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    I felt fine , walking 20km a day and hiking, and then my hair started falling out, my period stopped (not a huge concern for a guy), I started getting dizzy and weak. I thought I was doing the right thing because I wasn’t hungry and felt fine until my body finally started showing me I wasn’t. I got my bloods done and a lot of things were deficient. Nutrient deficiencies take time to show up and sometimes years to fix. Just do it properly.

    Oh agreed... you also have a settling range to where your body will tell you to STOP. Been there.. trying to fix that...