Not Hungry......slow Weight Loss?

[speedygt03]

Hey Everyone-
Just another question. Lately I havent been hungry at all. At lunch I try to have a salad but i eat a couple bites and it makes me feel sick, so i just eat celery if im REALLY hungry but then dinner sometimes doesnt happen either. So everyday I have my sausage for breakfast and usually no lunch with dinner --or a lunch with no dinner and tons of water. I havent noticed a slow loss or stall but im just curious b\c it says in the book to not go more than 6 hours without eating. Should I be forcing myself to eat more often, or just wait until im hungry.

also, can you have regular tea? or does it have to be decaf? Thanks!

[Ensifer]

When I first started induction over a year ago I had a similar problem. Between the natural appetite suppression of ketosis and the large amount of water I was consuming, I rarely found myself hungry. You do need to make sure, however, that you are getting your daily caloric needs. If you body slips into "starvation mode" you will have a hard time loosing weight. Perhaps you can try having several small meals throughout the day, as opposed to 3 larger meals. Also, I find that my appetite returns after a good work out.

- Tom

[Finelly]

For starters, I wouldn't have ANYTHING with caffeine if I was having that kind of appetite problem. Caffeine can shut down the appetite as much as it can trigger carb cravings, so just avoid it like the plague right now.

You may not have noticed a stall yet, but if you eat consistently below your bmr, you will go into starvation mode and your body, in an effort to survive, will stop letting go of fat and water.

It's REALLY important to be eating right now, no matter how bad your appetite is. I tend to go through this phase every few weeks, and then have a period of ravenous appetite, then return to none. What I find to be helpful are the following tips:

1. Forget the meals thing. Eat every 2 hours or so. Eat small things that have lots of fat and protein. For example, I might have flax seed cereal with cream at 6 a.m., then 2 devilled eggs at 10, then some cucumber with dressing at noon with a couple of tablespoons of tuna salad in mayo, then at 2:30 have some cheese or meat, then at 4 have some olives and a chicken leg, then at 6:30 or 7 have an egg dish, then have an additional something at 9 or 10. If you work at it, you can get your calories up and keep your body functioning ok.

2. Find things that are pallatable. In other words, don't try to eat what you would normally think is a good meal. If it's hard to choke down meat, go with eggs and cheese. If salad really gets to you, fry up some veggies or blend a bunch in the blender for a soupy thing.

3. Spice it up. For some reason, though I am a person of generally bland tastes, adding cayenne pepper to my veggie soup or extra dill to my tuna salad will actually help me eat it and enjoy it.

4. Take your supplements religiously. This is the time to be making sure you have a multivitamin, B-12, fish oils.

5. Avoid soda and coffee and caffeinated tea. They all reduce your appetite even further or make you feel full when you need to eat.

Hope this helps!

[burtonator]

Don't skip lunch. Having a balanced blood sugar level is one key to Atkins. If you skip lunch you'll lower your blood sugar level (even though it's low) and then you'll really start to crave..

Also skipping can cause you to slow your metabolism so don't do that.

Kevin

[Shelly Lynn]

i agree with most of these relpy posts. when i started the first time to i was not to hungry. i even for got to eat a couple of time. but you have to remember that your body is changing on the inside. you need to make sure you have your regualar meals even if its a salad. or tuna with mayo or what every you like on induction, but you have to eat. you are trying to retrain you body to eat normal and eat the normal amounts of food. good luck. let us know how it works. just make sure you are drinking your water to.

shelly