A Question About Hunger

[reneewl123]

I've been doing Atkins for three days and am losing fairly well, but I'm keeping calories at about 1500. It's a struggle! These people who say they have to force themselves to eat...how long did it take you to feel that way? When I go a few hours without food, I get a weird gnawing feeling like my body is trying to consume itself from the inside out. Please help me figure out why I'm so abnormal! *L*

Renee

[reneewl123]

Oh, I should mention I am in deep, deep, very purple ketosis. I thought that was supposed to make me less hungry!? *S*

[Brook]

It's not the lack of ketosis that's your appetite issue, it's the LACK OF FOOD!!

If you are hungry - EAT.

Choosing to keep your calories that low, especially if it's uncomfortable for you, is unnecessary. The amount of fat you eat on this way of eating will become self limiting. Many people feel like they are nothing but an eating machine when they start, and that's okay and totally normal. You're concentrating and focusing on food and it's very natural for you to find yourself thinking about it all the time. As the way of eating gets more natural to you, you'll find yourself needing to think about it less and less. It happens quite a bit sooner than you might think.

Ketosis is like being pregnant, by the way. You're either there or you're not - the degree of it isn't the issue.

So again, if you are hungry, EAT!

~Brook

[cleochatra]

Hi, Renee! Don't put too much stock in the ketosticks. There's some controversy over whether or not they're all they're cracked up to be. Dark purple could mean you're in deep ketosis, ate a lot of fat that's just been processed, or that you're dehydrated. Some say regardless the color, you're in the same ketogenic state. It's one of those things. If you're like me and like all the pretty colors, go ahead and use them. Just don't be too concerned about the colors, as there are many signs of ketosis that people note minus the little urinary rainbow strippy guys!

In induction, calories don't matter, so don't count them.

I know this will be a stretch for anyone who's used to counting calories, but the point of induction in the first 14 days is to de-tox from carbs and to switch your body over from a carb-burning machine to one that burns fat for fuel.

As such, save calorie counting for the later stages of Atkins. Right now, eat when you are hungry. Take those cues from your body. Just stop eating when you are no longer hungry (not full, just no longer hungry). You will find your stomach will naturally shrink in size and that you will naturally be less hungry as time goes by.

[dreamof145]

Renee, I understand what you are going through. When I first started Atkins, I was hungrier than I thought I should be. I was told to take my meals and divide them into 5-6 meals instead of 3. I also drank more water in between my meals and this kept my stomach fuller and I wasn't as hungry. For times when I felt I needed to grab food (I think it was a habit of just eating even when I wasn't hungry)...I had small baggies of cut-up celery, green peppers, chunks of meat (2-3) and cheese. These were like a snack between meals. I counted it all out to make sure I was getting my ratio's correct, but it kept me satisified. I was eating the same amount, but in less portions at each eating...so my body felt I was feeding it all day long. After I became used to eating this amount, I went back to 3 meals a day.

Have you taken your measurements and recorded the weight and how you feel in a diary? This helps too. You will see the progress you are making and be able to see what emotions trigger the times when you feel the hungriest. If it is 1/2 hour before dinner (which was my trigger time) you can plan to take a walk at that time or do some exercises or visit ADBB instead of thinking about eating. We don't realize it but I found that most of the time I felt really hungry at the same time each day. (again...I think it was just a strange habit)

[Becky Sue]

Hang in the Renee! You have recieved the best advice. Try to not get to uptight, try to relax.
Are you drinking enough water. If your pee/ketosis is real dark, you may not be drinking enough water.
8 -8oz. of water per day, plus 1-8 oz. glass of water for every 25 pounds you need to lose. so drink up. Sit back and enjoy the shrinking that is going on within you.
It just takes time for everything to all come together and you are still early in the new WOL(way of life).
Welcom to ADBB! WE are so happy you joined us!

[xven]

I know what your talking about. I lost track of keeping calorie count as soon as I hit ketosis. That thing drives me insanely hungry. So to subside, I eat. Doesn't matter at the moment, I'll learn some control as I go along. But yes, I know exactly what you mean.

[reneewl123]

Thanks for all the good advice, everyone!

Renee

[2big4mysize]

congratulations you are in ketosis. now you need to see if it is a food driving your hunger or as the others suggested a lack of cals. keep a log of what you eat when you eat and how you feel before and after you eat and how long it takes for your hunger to come back. then see if any one food appears every time you are hungry later if so you have a blood sugar swing caused by your metabolism not being able to handle a food you can identify the food

Also you might be thirsty as you didn't say how much you were drinking. hunger and thirst controls are side by side in the brain and some times youget spillover. Try drinking a glass of water and waiting 20 min when you are hungry. if the hunger goes away you were thristy if not eat. Atkins is a natural diuretic process between the foods and the proteins so you will need more water then before.

Happy low carbing.