Keto and hunger
rmac18
Posts: 185 Member
I’m about 4 months into Keto and while I don’t check much I am likely almost always in Ketosis. At first I was never hungry and didn’t really have to think much about calories. After 3 months I went thru a spell where I was seemingly always hungry and to really had to manage calories, I upped my daily calorie goal a bit and was more conscious about what I ate. Based on some stuff I read on MFP forums I thought that might mean I was “fat adapted”, which I’m not sure I totally understand... This week I’m not hungry at all. I find myself skipping lunch or eating it so late that I don’t want dinner. I get late in the day and I’m at like 800-900 calories and I almost always workout for 40-80 minutes per day. I typically only have coffee, creamer and MCT Oil for breakfast which adds calories and fat but no substance. So worrying about eating too little I end up eating pecans, pork rinds, adding MCT oil to tea or something like that which aren’t very filling but add a bunch of calories and look good in the macro balance. Then it seems 30 minutes later I’m a little hungry and I can eat something if I want to but I don’t feel like I have to. Any thoughts on why my hunger signals are so messed up right now ???
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I’m about 4 months into Keto and while I don’t check much I am likely almost always in Ketosis. At first I was never hungry and didn’t really have to think much about calories. After 3 months I went thru a spell where I was seemingly always hungry and to really had to manage calories, I upped my daily calorie goal a bit and was more conscious about what I ate. Based on some stuff I read on MFP forums I thought that might mean I was “fat adapted”, which I’m not sure I totally understand... This week I’m not hungry at all. I find myself skipping lunch or eating it so late that I don’t want dinner. I get late in the day and I’m at like 800-900 calories and I almost always workout for 40-80 minutes per day. I typically only have coffee, creamer and MCT Oil for breakfast which adds calories and fat but no substance. So worrying about eating too little I end up eating pecans, pork rinds, adding MCT oil to tea or something like that which aren’t very filling but add a bunch of calories and look good in the macro balance. Then it seems 30 minutes later I’m a little hungry and I can eat something if I want to but I don’t feel like I have to. Any thoughts on why my hunger signals are so messed up right now ???
hey rmac-I don't have an answer but am a month behind you and experiencing the same. Several days last week I didn't even complete my days because my calories were so low. Not too concerned because I know it won't be long term. The pork rinds and pecans are not going to fill you up. I use that stuff when I crave to "munch" something, not fill me. You can always try a protein shake to try and satisfy hunger. I like the Premier Protein chocolate. High in protein and very low in carbs although others here may tell you to just use real food. I too have read the "fat adapted" info but I apparently have some kind of mental block about processing how that works, lol. Let's hope someone has some ideas. BTW if I remember correctly you should be ready for your next set of blood work? Do tell.1 -
I think thats what people use fat bombs for..... To bring up their calories.
As for hunger, I am just under 3 months in and I go though the same thing, some days I am not hungry at all, and I will go until lunchtime before I even consume a single calorie and generally I make myself eat lunch because I know I wont get hungry until about 3pm....
And as for fat adapted.... some say it is is a myth... but apparently it just means that your body has learned that you will generally eat low carbs... so if you happen to eat carbs (and burn carbs) and then stop carbs again, you will be back in ketosis really quickly...1 -
hey rmac-I don't have an answer but am a month behind you and experiencing the same. Several days last week I didn't even complete my days because my calories were so low. Not too concerned because I know it won't be long term. The pork rinds and pecans are not going to fill you up. I use that stuff when I crave to "munch" something, not fill me. You can always try a protein shake to try and satisfy hunger. I like the Premier Protein chocolate. High in protein and very low in carbs although others here may tell you to just use real food. I too have read the "fat adapted" info but I apparently have some kind of mental block about processing how that works, lol. Let's hope someone has some ideas. BTW if I remember correctly you should be ready for your next set of blood work? Do tell.
NRS- thanks for the reply, Maybe this is nuts but I am somewhat fearful of letting my calories go too low and slowing my metabolism or causing a plateau. At some point I expect to plateau and just have a month or so where my decides it needs to settle in at this new weight. At least I’ve experienced that in the past counting calories diets before Keto. That said I don’t want to trigger it unnecessarily by just not eating. Thus my thinking is to throw back a few handfuls of pecans to stay above 1,200 calories. It just feels like my hunger mechanism is kinda broken lately. I don’t really like the shakes all that much, at least the ones I’ve tried.
As for my blood work I see the doctor the week after next and I’ll share the results for sure. I got poison ivy working in the yard and had to take prednisone which spiked my BG for a few days but I’m pretty confident I’ll still be good on A1c.0 -
EelkoDoesKeto wrote: »I think thats what people use fat bombs for..... To bring up their calories.
As for hunger, I am just under 3 months in and I go though the same thing, some days I am not hungry at all, and I will go until lunchtime before I even consume a single calorie and generally I make myself eat lunch because I know I wont get hungry until about 3pm....
And as for fat adapted.... some say it is is a myth... but apparently it just means that your body has learned that you will generally eat low carbs... so if you happen to eat carbs (and burn carbs) and then stop carbs again, you will be back in ketosis really quickly...
Eelko - thanks for the reply. I bought some of the Fat Bombs from the store but they kinda suck. I don’t really care for the sugar alcohol taste. I saw an interesting recipe from Emma and maybe I’ll get the gumption to test my culinary skills and try to make a batch. The reality is most of my Keto meal prep is grilled meat, fresh or microwaved cruciferous vegetables, salads and a cast iron skillet to whip up some cheese sauce or maybe mix some meat and vegetables with Alfredo sauce. Not a ton of variety but it’s fast, simple, tasty and has predictable results. I think you may be right about Fat Adapted being a simple bounce back state and I was overthinking it.0 -
I struggle a lot with keeping calories up. For one, one of the medications I take as a migraine preventative is known to kill appetite. And second, as someone who is very immobile because of chronic pain I just don't move around much most days.
With that said my go-to foods when I need to get a bit of calories in are a decent sized chunk of sharp cheddar or a couple servings of natural peanut butter. Yeah, there's a bit of carb there but I can usually allot for it most of the time.
If I want to avoid the carb creep I'll whip up some tuna salad. Tuna itself isn't many calories but there's plenty in mayo. Oh yeah, and another easy calorie thing is bacon. Slap a few slices on a foil lined cookie sheet and toss it in the oven. Easy calories without making me feel overly stuffed.2
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