Loss of appetite

[Wishfire]

Now I know it's normal to not experience that ravenous feeling on Atkins but....for the past 5 days i have consistently consumed below my BMR (on averagy by 300/400 cals)

i eat 3 meals a day (though breakfast is a struggle as i am REALLY not hungry when i get up) plus a couple of snack, and my percentages are roughly right....

should i stick with the "eat till you're satisfied" rule? or should i force myself to eat something else?

[Carb Addict]

I will attempt to give my 2 cents . I know that a by-product of this way of eating is the lack of appetite. Dr. Atkins recommends staying between 1000 and 2000 calories a day. It is tough sometimes to want to eat but you have to do it to keep the magic of the body going. When I first started, I really struggled with eating enough fat. I also hated eating carbs and would consistently stay below 10 grams of carbs a day. You kinda have to get in the mind part of the diet and understand that you are still fueling your metabolism and not wanting your body to go in the starvation mode. You will never keep the weight off until you learn to eat correctly. Use fitday and try and stay in that caloric intact range. You might find re reading the DANDR book a good source of info and motivation. Good luck.

[Wishfire]

thanks CarbAddict

I have read the book, both versions (my first time on atkins was before '02) and i'm sticking to everything ie. legal foods, 2 cups of salad + 1 cup of veggies, water intake even...ugh....exercise!

my only problem is, if i stop eating when i am satisfied like the good doctor said, according to fitday, i'm not eating enough :s

[brandywine1241]

I don't think 400-500 cals below BMR is going to hurt you. If you really need to up your calories, try adding an extra pat or two of butter or some more olive oil on your salad. Don't worry if your fat percentages go up - as long as you are getting all your veggie carbs and a reasonable amount of protein.

[Wishfire]

Originally Posted by brandywine1241

I don't think 400-500 cals below BMR is going to hurt you. If you really need to up your calories, try adding an extra pat or two of butter or some more olive oil on your salad. Don't worry if your fat percentages go up - as long as you are getting all your veggie carbs and a reasonable amount of protein.

thanks
i'm not so keen on butter but i'll try using some more olive oil today
i never thought i would have to worry about not enough calories

[Porcelain]

Same thing happened to me and is still happening to me. I struggle to keep my calories above 1200. I wanted to get more calories without actually eating more food so I started out by taking my allowed 3 ounces of heavy cream a day -- I would just measure it out and drink it, not whip it up. It tastes good to me. Then I started taking a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil you can use it to cook with but it is easier for me to just take a spoonful and drink some hot tea afterwards. Also, I started taking a spoonful of flax seed oil. It tastes pretty nasty but I recover quickly. And lastly, I ventured into the nut rung and tried me some almond butter that I ground myself at the grocery store. The first day I had it and put it in fitday, I had also had a large piece of ham. I noticed that the ham was only one calorie more than two spoonfulls of the almond butter!! I also purchased some macadamia nuts but I only eat 5 or so at a time.

[not2late]

Congratulations, you are in ketosis/lipolysis.

Follow the 6 hour rule: don't go more than 6 waking hours without eating something. When you do eat, choose high fat foods along with protein and carb. Remember: Atkins is a high fat diet, not a high protein one.

If you are really worried about not eating enough, eat small meals 4-6 times a day. For example, one mini meal could be an egg salad with 1 cup of mixed greens, another mini meal could be a chicken "melt" (diced chicken mixed with a small amount of mayonnaise, with an ounce or two of cheese melted on top, use veggies like red pepper strips, zucchini rounds or cucumber slices as dippers), another meal could be a couple of chicken wings with celery sticks and Blue cheese dressing, another meal could be a cheese omelette, etc.