What can you do if you're fatigued and hungry on low carb?
The answer to this and other questions - for example, what else can you do to lose weight, and can low carb reverse heart disease? - in this week's Q&A with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt:
Fatigue and hunger
Hello, thank you for this website!I have two questions:
- I have been conscientiously and continually doing LCHF since Sept. 6th 2016 (I've tried off and on for 6 months.) I got my whole family to do the 2-week challenge as my birthday gift. I am finally doing pretty ok with cravings, but I continue to be extremely fatigued all the time. A 15 min walk with my dog causes me to have to lay down for 30 min. I don't know what to do. I need to lose about 75 lbs (34 kg). I eat between 9-17 net carbs daily and a good amount of fat.
- My (adult) daughter is doing this with me. She eats an average of 12 carbs a day and has a good amount of fat. The problem is that she is very hungry within an hour after she eats (ex. an egg with butter and cheese, turkey sausage, and snap peas). I've given her different "fat bombs", nuts, and coconut manna, these help only for energy, not hunger. She eats macadamia nuts daily. She wants to continue but is tired of being so uncomfortable.
Carlina
- Do you get enough fluids and salt? I'd highly recommend trying to get some more, for example a cup of bouillon 2 times daily. It could cure the problem instantly - then you could do it less often.
- If she gets hungry within an hour of meals I'd suggest eating more fat. You may feel you're eating a "good amount" but it may be that she simply needs more. On a low-carb diet the main energy source is fat, and if your daughter doesn't have a lot of excess weight to lose that fat will have to come through what she eats. So add more fat. Here are suggestions on how to do it.
Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt
Can you reverse heart disease eating this way? If so, when does it start?
Thank you so much for this site! I've found it extremely helpful in getting my health back. While not officially diagnosed as diabetic, I've been eating sugar and high carbs for three decades now and have many of the of the insulin resistance markers. As a result, at 51 years old I'm sure I have some heart disease. Can it be reversed eating HFLC? If so, how soon does the reversal start?Maureen
Good question - the answer is we don't know for sure but it's possible. The Shai study in Circulation 2010 showed regression of atherosclerosis after two years of LCHF advice.
If all risk factors are under control and normal - blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol profile, body weight, no smoking etc - then it's likely that heart disease will stop progressing and maybe even start healing.
Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt
What else can I do to lose weight?
I have followed your diet religiously for the last month. I have lost only 5 lbs (2 kg). I then made sure to cut out what little fruit I was eating (1/2 cup of berries) all dairy (no yogurt) and all nuts a handful or less of pecans. Oh, I added your intermittent fasting twice to three times a week. Yesterday I got on the scale and I gained a pound. My husband has lost 25 lbs (11 kg) on this diet in a month with eating the fruit, yogurt and pecans. Any thoughts on this?Anne
My first thought would be that weight loss is very unfair - some people (especially men) have it easy while some people (especially women past 40) do not.
Using a scale once a week is a bit tricky though, as the results may vary several pounds from one time to the next, even if it's just a few hours in between. So it's still possible that you're slowly losing and that you'd keep losing by continuing to do what you're doing (it sounds like the right thing). Here are more tips, if you have not yet tried them all: How to Lose Weight.
Best,
Andreas Eenfeldt
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More Questions and Answers
Many more questions and answers:
Read all earlier questions and answers - and ask your own! - here:
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