A positive note

[Feelingfortyisntfun]

I had carbs after having reduced/ majorly. It may have been coincidence but whilst eliminating the carbs I felt more energetic and appetite majorly reduced no “I will eat everything in the bread bin moments”. Reintroduced carbs ok, and appetite is back with vengeance. Maybe coincidence maybe closer to the monthly time.

So I am going to aim to reduce again. I have high cholesterol and bowel cancer in my family so I’m not happy about cutting out vegetAbles but being a lot more careful with total carb intake in future. May be a challenge to stay in ketosis (I think I must have been in ketosis because I never lose my appetite!!) with veggies in there.

Anyway wanted to report back some success which I don’t think I’ve ever had before. It’s less about weight loss but more that not feeling like I want to eat everything is such relief!

The appetite thing not a coincidence! @biwi and @stuntnun are much better at explaining the science than me, but eating low carb keeps your blood sugar levels stable and so you don't get the cravings due to blood sugar level dips.

And low carb does not mean no carb, you can definitely eat veggies, in fact you should aim to eat lots with every meal, just make sure they are low carb veggies, broccoli, spinach, salad, celeriac, cabbage etc and avoid the carbier veg like potatoes, carrots, parsnips.

If you're insulin resistant then eating too many carbs, even while remaining relatively low carb, can result in more hunger. As Starsky says, your blood glucose levels aren't as well controlled and your body releases too much insulin causing a sudden drop in blood glucose which triggers hunger. There are lots of low carb vegetables and some, for example mushrooms, are essentially unlimited on low carb. Fill up on salads and leafy green vegetables and you will be getting plenty of dietary fibre and vitamins/minerals too. It might be worth experimenting with intermittent fasting since that can also reduce hunger levels. A 14-16 hour overnight fast three times a week is enough to give health benefits. I personally find my appetite throughout the day is much lower if I wait until around 11 a.m. to have my first meal of the day.

Really useful thanks I didn’t think I was insulin resistant but having reintroduced carbs (silly season) I’m back to overeating and craving foods, which honestly went away when I actually stuck to lower carb admittedly I probably had half pint skimmed milk at breakfast but apart from that it was usual meals without carbs so fish , veggies, pesto, salads, cheese and tons of olive oil.

It is day before tom today but back in the carbs and eaten everything in sight.

Hi, I have been low carbing all year, find it pretty doable except about 48 hours before my period when I cannot resist. A day into my period and the carb cravings go away again. Don't be too hard on yourself, give it another day and you will get back on track.

This is such a thoughtful post on a day I’ve been struggling! 🙏

I used to be like that Westwing but it went away after a few cycles.

Well I caved and stupidly just before my Tom. I’m going to go back the start- no cheats to see if I can recreate what I think I experienced before.