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Hunger

NicoleC1971

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Messages
3,450
Location
Epsom
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hello any low carbers out there. Asking for a member of my low carb group whether it is normal to feel ravenous after the first few weeks on low carb? She is still hungry although I've said she needs to eat plenty of protein at her meals then only snack if necessary.
Anyone have solutions or suggestions as to what might be causing her to feel hungry in week 7 of the course. She is overweight and has a fair bit of stress in her life.
 
I hate to say it as it sounds like the "caring professions attitude", but if still hungry they are either not sticking to it, or are not eating low enough carbs for the body to burn fat. So instead of switching to burn fat it's calling out for carbs.
Or needs more fat to fill up.
 
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I wouldn’t expect someone to feel ravenous after 7 weeks. A few random thoughts without knowing much more:

- Is she getting enough fat?
- Is she eating enough full stop?
- Is she well enough hydrated?
- Has she gone low enough carb to benefit from fat burning?

I had plenty of weight to lose when starting out and did allow snacks until I naturally got to the point of not needing them. Frankly, if she’s hungry it’s going to really make adherence difficult until she’s had sufficient results for her to really ‘buy-in’ to sticking at it / start really enjoying the way of eating so I’d say sticking to low carb is far more important at the start than worrying too much about snacking.

For what it’s worth I don’t subscribe to the ‘I’m never hungry on low carb’ school of thought. In my mind eating when not hungry isn’t a good idea, so it makes sense to get hungry before eating, but it can be difficult at first to distinguish between the body wanting something at its ‘usual’ time and real hunger. Took me a long time to reach that point though.
 
I would make sure she understands that dietary fat doesn't make you fat. I find a coffee with cream fills me instead of snacking and by having this to drink instead of eating something, I got out of the habit of having food between meals.

Also is it hunger or thirst? It's easy to mistake the signals.

Ah, so she's in week 7. Is her diet lacking in 1 or 2 nutrients?

Or maybe she has dieted many times before and always 'failed' in week 7. (This was me once upon a time)
 
Thanks and yes I've emphasised the fat but old dietary habits die hard! At least her blood sugars are going downward so I am emphasising that with her whilst also mentioning that she does need to take it to the next level.
 
Antje77 said:
Why not suggest she join the forum herself instead of relaying?
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I will definitely be doing that though they also have a What's App group. Just wanted to get other low carbing type 2 's take on the hunger issue as hers seems unusual for someone who swears she sticking to real food, no starches or sugars.....
 
NicoleC1971 said:
I will definitely be doing that though they also have a What's App group. Just wanted to get other low carbing type 2 's take on the hunger issue as hers seems unusual for someone who swears she sticking to real food, no starches or sugars.....
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What about asking her how many calories she's having?
She might simply not eat enough.
 
When dieting down I do this trick.

prepare a big container of skinless chicken breast and bags of leafy greens. I make a rule, when ever I’m hungry, I can eat all the chicken breast I want.

I’ll sometimes feel ravenously hungry and I’ll open the fridge and see the chicken and be like eeeewwww, I’m not that hungry. Then I’ll know it’s just my mind playing games. If I’m really hungry, I’ll eat it blissfully
Lol
 

Love that idea LaoDan, not sure I would ever feel eeeewwww though as I looove chicken!
Great idea to keep something in the fridge ready though
 
I never buy chicken breast alone - it is either a whole chicken or a Kg of thighs, as I find the fillets so tasteless. I cook chickens the other way up to most people for all but the last half an hour or so, then I turn them onto their backs and lower the heat a little. I use a halogen oven and they seem to cook very well, but it is not the same as with a large cooker.
 
The idea is to have something nutritious, but not necessarily super appetizing. That separates the “eating because you’re bored” and “eating because you’re actually hungry”

if I have hard boiled eggs and cheese on hand, that would be way too easy to graze on.
 
I've been saying the same thing about hunger in the years I've been in and out of this forum - and that is - as it's a major part of your metabolism, and one's particular hormonal combo, and it's at basis a sensory 'feeling' - it's feeling can differ hugely between individuals. Does a particular kind of appetite and hunger experience run in one's biologically related family for instance? It may be that your friend ,@NicoleC1971, just has very active hunger hormones that run in her family... Or, this is how her particular metabolic chaos plays out, if it is that.

And how many folks don't acknowledge the role of 'comfort eating'? (Thinking about your mention of her stress lefels.)

Something I do like to remind folks is that we would be a very odd species indeed if we did not have good clear hunger signals. And, which may be going on for Nicole's friend - she may be having carb withdrawals. (If I am around some fries or licorice allsorts or a belgian ice cream I don't think my carb withdrawal/sugar addiction etc has been tamed at all, and it's been 8 years since I started low/er carbing, for instance.)

But I do feel hunger very keenly, and so do biologically related family members, and it doesn't seem to be related to actual caloric intake. I eat lots in the morning, and have an afternoon tea, and if still hungry a small dinner, and do the fats and protein number and that means I'm not longing for food too much, and means I don't need or even feel like eating at night, so that works for me (and my current 'window of eating' IF regime).

Anyway - my point - hunger is a feeling, and people differ quite hugely how they feel and express feelings. Even cultures/whole groups of people, as we know, lest we forget.
 
AloeSvea said:
But I do feel hunger very keenly, and so do biologically related family members, and it doesn't seem to be related to actual caloric intake.
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Is it related to blood sugar though? If I'm hypo I feel very hungry indeed....
 
I have noticed when i feel hungry these days and check my bloods its usualy around 4.5. I have usualy been active so its a meaty top up or something then i am good to go for a few more hours
 
We are all different - I used to get ravenously out-of-my-mind hungry pre-low-carb when I was calorie-counting, which was almost all my adult life. Now keto and IF, hunger happens but it feels different and is not as distressing, merely uncomfortable. I am normally on brunch and dinner, but will eat extra between those times if necessary. No way could I have gone IF when calorie counting, and I wouldn't be able to fast for longer than I do with low-carb.

My husband says he never feels hungry, but he's a grazer and gets through much more food than I do! He's also thin, and not diabetic.....
 
Eating low Carb i get hungry, although it doesn't nag and will go in time.
Eating Carbs i get hangry, it's almost a mad craving, i can't shovel food in quick enough
 
Missed the suggestion about cream and flax? Can you clarify please! I will take something to her.
 
NicoleC1971 said:
Missed the suggestion about cream and flax? Can you clarify please! I will take something to her.
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Just the standard full fat greek plain yoghurt (or coconut milk, or other milks/creams) mixed about 100g to 1 2 or 3 tablespoons milled flaxseed or chia seed and left overnight to thicken. Serve instead of porridge arpt breakfast, or add berries instead of dessert. Totally flexible to taste.
 
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