Not wanting to eat

[Nick9973]

Well, I never thought I'd say this... but I am not hungry. In fact, I feel very full. I haven't eaten anything different off my menu, but all of a sudden I feel like I can't take a bite of anything. I barely ate my lunch just now (I really had to put in some effort to finish it) and I am stuffed. And I don't just mean that I'm pleasantly full until the next meal. I have felt full upon waking up this morning. Is this a normal feeling? Should I just keep on going and eat when I'm not hungry?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[monica3311]

You should eat when you are hungry, but if you aren't hungry all day that could be a problem lol! I'd say still try to do 3 meals even if you aren't hungry, don't want to go into starvation mode. I'm having the same problem, I took a few bites of my salad for lunch and had to force myself to eat the rest. Let me know how it goes for you.

[losetocruise]

Sometimes the words of Dr. Atkins are conflicting. On the one hand he said only eat when you are hungry. On the other hand he said not to go more than 6 waking hours without at least a small meal. So I would only eat if you are hungry unless it has been 6 hours and then if not hungry, I would eat a small protein snack. But lots of water regardless!

[Nick9973]

Thanks! A friend of mine just told me that this feeling is a side effect of ketosis and that it should disappear by the end of my second week. It's just strange because I don't remember this feeling the first time I did Atkins.

[Minofex1]

You may be doing this already, but it may help to do some cardio or some other type of exercise which will cause you to exert some serious energy. Maybe you should go for a walk if you are on campus. I see that you are a grad student. That may help get your metabolism firing so you can comfortably eat.


I wish you success!

[MoreStylish]

Originally Posted by Minofex1

You may be doing this already, but it may help to do some cardio or some other type of exercise which will cause you to exert some serious energy. Maybe you should go for a walk if you are on campus. I see that you are a grad student. That may help get your metabolism firing so you can comfortably eat.


I wish you success!

Exercise has the opposite effect on me. After I am done exercising, I am not hungry - at all!

[Nick9973]

I do intense cardio for 1 hour every day and weightlifting for a 1/2 hour every day. It is not helping... and actually curbs my appetite even more. I'm learning to deal with this feeling, but I think it is also partially caused by the lack of variety in my diet. I think I may be getting burned out.

[sallyseachange]

I'd ditto Losetocruis's advice. Small protein and high fat snacks are the way to go if not hungry after six hours.

[Greeneggs&ham]

I am in the process of re-reading DANDR. I came across the information discussed on when to eat. I have not (yet) found anything suggesting eating when not hungry, but have found several places where Dr. Atkins says the opposite -- eat when you are hungry, and you will likely be hungry less often. While he states that one can lose weight on this WOE while eating more than the typical caloric intake of other diets, many will find that they consume the same or less calories of low-fat diets while remaining "full."

With that in mind, I plan on focusing on knowing when I am truly hungry versus "socially" hungry (festivities, boredom, etc). At the former times I will eat until full, but not stuffed. My hope is to find a balance somewhere between starvation and stuffed that maximizes weight loss by combining fewer calories with the so-called "metabolic advantage."

Just to allay your fears that I am moving towards a minimalistic calorie diet, I had 2 eggs with an ounce of cheese and 1/4 cup of mushrooms for breakfast -- hardly starvation!

[gman]

Nick-
You're doing well on diet, exercise and results. This is a good question. I also feel less hungry after I work out and at some meal times I don't finish a small salad. Our stomachs are getting smaller could be part of it.
I agree with the small fat and protein snacks. Try a slice of swiss cheese or turkey. It's easy to have around in the fridge and you can add mustard or mayo if needed. Lots of fat in the cheese ... just watch how much but a slice or two a day is not a problem, I use fitday.com. When out and about it might mean buying a sandwich and holding or tossing the rest. Hope this helps.
Glenn