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am I taking low carb too far?

T

the_anticarb

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Hey guys

As the regulars will know I have embraced the low carb thing a lot recently after years of eating what I wanted, addicted to junk food etc.

The problem is I think it may now be affecting me psychologically as I have cut down a lot on not just carbs but all food and no longer experience the desire to eat, unless I am very hungry eg after exercise.

This has been happening more and more over the past month and I am worried that I may be developing some sort of eating resistance. I have lost a lot of weight and although I am not desperate to lose more weight I wouldn't mind losing a few more pounds however I will still then be in a healthy range for my height.

The weight loss is not really the issue though, the issue is that I seem to have switched off to food and no longer want to eat anything, most of the time. When I get very ravenous then I kind of 'break through' this feeling and I can eat.

To avoid hypos I have not been taking any insulin, only my metformin, and checking my bg's to ensure they remain in normal range (they are).

Not sure what's going on or why I can't eat but I just can't seem to bear the thought of eating. If desperate I can have protein shakes though which are easier for me to manage and practically no carbs as made with soya milk/protein.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

AC
 
Hi anticarb, the weight loss and the loss of feeling hungry are very natural in low carbing. Once you get over your initial carb cravings then you simply do not feel hungry!! You know yourself however that you do have to eat regularly throughout the day but you will find that you can eat a lot less than you used to.
 
Hi anticarb
It sounds like you have switched off most of the harmful feelings. You are keeping well, which your BG tells you.
Why would you want to let food dominate your life again?
Hana
 
I have just posted a bit about Leptin - apparently it is Leptin that controls a lot of other functions including insulin release and the ghrelin hunger signals. The constant overeating seems to end up creating not only insulin resistance but also leptin resistance. The leptin resistance is then not responding properly or giving us the right signals.

I have had a think about why you may not be hungry and am wondering now if in some way your body is now responding better to the signals. It may seem weird that you don't want to eat like you did before, but maybe because you are now eating a (hopefully) better diet your body is getting better nutrition from what you do eat.

We are so 'programmed' into eating at certain times of the day and at least three times a day, yet if you look at different cultures that are healthy, they often only eat when they are hungry which may be perhaps only once or twice a day.

Because you are hungry after working out, that would suggest that your body is demanding food because it needs an energy top-up. If your body is now getting more energy from ketonic fat-burning perhaps you need to up the carbs a little in order to slow down that process as you are getting towards your desired weight.

It would be preferable to still try and acquire the carbs from good nutritious sources rather than anything processed or stodgy - how about an apple here and there, or other fruit? You might find that if you can settle in to a higher nutrition and slightly higher carb level that your hunger triggers will then settle into a better routine. I usually start the day with an apple - easy food and I can eat the packaging! :lol:

Are you getting enough proper protein? Shakes are one thing but they are processed and do not benefit the body in the same way as the real McCoy - meat, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese.

I have found now that I don't need to eat anything like the amount of food I used to - now my body is getting a much better level of nutrition from my diet. I make our dinners generally a lot lighter and smaller than I used to.

If you have a look at the Leptin thread and check the first link - diabetes health - of the selection I loaded for Ken in the 6th posting down from the top, it makes very good and interesting reading - how the longest lived both in the animal and the human world are the ones that get their optimum nutrition from the least food.

Digestion drains such a lot out of the body, the less we need to eat, the better. Funny isn't it, everybody likes a bargain. They just love to think that they have got something valuable for a very little price, but when it comes to food we are often paying a huge price for nothing but rubbish. Now ain't that daft!
 
Thanks guys maybe I am worrying about nothing, just thought for a moment perhaps I am getting anorexic! Although not many anorexics eat sausages, cheese, bacon etc do they!

But seriously it seems I no longer have the full range of hunger signals, but only two - not hungry and ravenous. There are no inbetweens at all! As I am still wanting to lose weight I don't mind tooo much (although have just bought lots of clothes in smaller sizes) but the other day I could feel my body getting weaker and still couldn't eat, so it feels like there's something not quite right with my appestat.

I will see how it goes, maybe it is just getting used to this new way of things, one things' for sure this is a complete 180 degree turnaround from the days of yore - hallelujah to that!
 
AC, I have just been reading in Ron Rosedale's book that if the body is used to burning sugar and we go into a low-carb diet without adding much in the way of good fats, in order to try to continue sugar burning the body may end up breaking down muscle protein to provide more sugar.

I am wondering if that is why you have been feeling weak?

Although I haven't yet got to the actual diet pages it seems that he is advocating good oils like olive oil, fish oils, coconut oil, but not too much in the way of saturated oils.

It seems to me that even within the realms of low carbing there are right ways and wrong ways of going about it.

If I come up with anything else that is relevant as I read through the book, I will let you know - check 'The Leptin Link' thread too as there may be other stuff of interest on there.
 
Hi anticarb, brilliant that you've managed so well with the low carbing and have managed to reduce your medication and get your BG levels so well controlled. All I would say from a dietitian's point of view is that you just need to make sure that your reduced hunger doesn't mean that you miss out on a balanced diet. The eggs, cheese and bacon are fine but mkae sure you're including plenty of vegetables and some fruits too, as well as things like lentils and pulses to ensure you're getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep it healthy and your energy levels stable.
 
HI Mrs P - I am finding I have virtually no appetite but taking a berocca each day for vitamins. Today for example I've tried to eat some fish and salad but could only manage a few mouthfuls, then later had the inside of an egg mayo sarnie (ie no bread) and then came home a few hours later and tried to eat salad, prawns and cheese but could only manage one slice of cheese really. When I try to eat, I just can't seem to manage more than a few mouthfuls. It's not that I am depriving myself but I just seem to have switched off my appetite.

This has been going on for several weeks now and I've lost around 8 lbs, which is fine as I'm still wanting to lose some weight anyway, but do you think I need to worry about this? Today's eating was fairly typical of where I am at the moment. I get the odd burst of ravenousness, to which I will eat, but they are getting few and far between. I'm prob averaging around 600 cals per day.

Thanks for any help

AC
 
Hi anti-carb, in a nutshell, yes, 600 calories a day is far too low for anyone. For any dietary regime to be sustainable and beneficial, it must be balanced and provide your body with sufficient calories and nutrients. Assuming there are no underlying medical issues, a bare minimum of 1,000 calories a day, probably more depending on gender and exercise patterns. The weakness you've been experiencing is almost certainly because your body simply isn't getting enough energy to function, particularly if you are exercising, and you will be missing out on vital minerals and vitamins essential to good health. You could try introducing small amounts of carbs back into your diet to try and kick start your appetite. Some low carb fruits such as berries in your protein shakes, a few oatcakes with some cheese perhaps? I don't know what your BG levels are like and you may find these foods cause small rises but at this stage, I think it is more important that you start eating again. Rather than 3 meals a day, try and graze and have say 5 - 7 small snacks throughout the day, making sure you have some protein, veggies, good fats each time. Include some fruit or oatcakes on at least two or three occasions.

Please do PM me if I can be of any further help.
 
I have just read that apparently being in Ketosis suppresses the appetite - which is great to a certain extent if you want to lose weight but I would suggest that if you are getting towards your goal weight you may need to reintroduce a few carbs. It is good to be in Ketosis - but not too far into it.

Whatever you do don't start eating grains and starches. You may well find that that would throw you back into a wild uncontrollable craving. Far better to get your carbs from fruit and some starchy veg - as it is full of fibre it is far less likely to spike your blood sugar too.

If you can up your carb intake with the fruit and veg you may well find your appetite returning. If you don't eat enough food your body will start to digest itself, and your muscle strength will be compromised - including your heart!
 
Whatever you do don't start eating grains and starches. You may well find that that would throw you back into a wild uncontrollable craving. Far better to get your carbs from fruit and some starchy veg - as it is full of fibre it is far less likely to spike your blood sugar too.
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AliB, not all grains and starches are the devil's work! Eating small amounts of high fibre complex carbs within an overall restricted daily carb allowance is unlikely to induce wild and uncontrollable cravings. Whereas many fruits are far more likely to create spikes due to their easily absorbed high sugar content.
 
Believe me Mrs Pugwash - I've been there. Followed the low-carb, higher protein to the letter - the minute I added back in the highly addictive grains and starches I couldn't stop and the weight piled back on (not to mention the wild BS swings!).

If you are able to limit it to a small amount then good on you, but I, like many Diabetics, have major problems with carbohydates.

What I am learning is that a craving for carbs is often the body's way of trying to balance brain chemistry. The brain can use either glucose, or amino acids for fuel, like L-glutamine. If it can't get enough of the acids then it will revert to glucose although it is an inferior fuel (from what I understand, L-glutamine is also used for cell repair). Strong signals are asking for fuel and we provide it, but it is not always what it is actually asking for!

So now I am concentrating on making sure I am giving my body high quality fuel - veggies, fruits, meat, fish, nuts and fats. There are millions of people living very well - and healthily on no grain diets all over the World. I won't die without them.


A/C - I have just picked up that apparently a lack of vitamin B1 and Zinc can suppress appetite. Apparently anorexics have this problem because they obviously eat so little. Perhaps you need to up your calorific intake more with a bit extra fats and protein. B1 is in yes, pulses and grains, but is also available from seeds, meat, eggs and veggies. Zinc is in eggs, meat and things like sunflower seeds. Apparently we Brits tend to be quite deficient in zinc.

It is a natural immune booster too. I remember when I was working for a large bank and spent 6 months with a virtually permanent cold that seemed to be going around all the time. Eventually I started taking zinc and never caught one again all the time I was there. Amazing.
 
hi all - my appetite seems to have come back (not sure I entirely wanted it to - i lost a much needed seven pounds) think it was all linked to stress of moving recently, as straight after the move I felt like eating again (and it hasn't gone away) so I put it down to stress related rather than the content of my diet. I was taking a daily berrocca but now eating normally again, eating loads of veg so prob getting my vits from that.

Thanks for the advice everyone though.
 
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