“How do I stop when full?”

Can I finish what’s in the fridge? How do I stop when full? My husband is losing weight but I’m not?

These and other questions are answered this week by our food-addiction expert, Bitten Jonsson, RN:

How do I stop when full?

Hi Bitten, I am very much enjoying my LCHF eating but am struggling a little. I totally understand the advice about eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full, BUT with a history of ‘dieting’ in my earlier life I am struggling to release myself from weighing everything, logging everything and eating everything I prepare in order to ensure my carbs are below 30 g and my ‘fat’ is high enough. How do I escape this and trust that if I stop half way through a plate of carefully measured food that I am getting enough nutrition?

Thanks so much, Catherine

Catherine, some of us have by ”dieting” and “on and off the wagon” and or being a volume addict, i.e. wanting the heavy fullness in the stomach, thrown our satiety out of balance. I do not know for how long you have been eating LCHF, but it will take a long time before your body will trust you. When I work on a patient with food plan and biochemical repair it will take 12-18 months. And during that time it is very important to learn about and understand our addictive brain. Obsessing with numbers (calories, carbs, ketones etc) can also be addictive. We lose living and enjoying life in the chase of numbers.

I suggest that you add more tools to your recovery. Join our group on Facebook, there’s so much knowledge and support. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full is not the best advice for us addicts as the signal is broken. Many of us need professional help to create a food plan until the signal is restored. If that’s the case, email me and I will help you to get in contact with professionals.

My best,
Bitten

Can I wean off old way of eating, finish what’s in fridge?

I have a lot of foods, like seeds, yogurts, grains, honey, Mecca, frozen cake and biscuits (homemade) – can I finish those off at same time as introducing keto or is it best to throw out my lovely cakes and start all in one go?

Sadie

Sadie, I know the feeling but that will keep your insulin high and no start on recovery. I would throw it out or give it away and start clean.

Good luck,
Bitten

Not losing!!!

My husband and I are both doing the keto diet, eating the exact same foods which are the recipes from Diet Doctor. We are together 24/7 and he is losing weight but I’m not, I have lost 2 inches off my waist in a week time but no weight. What’s my trouble?

Thanks, Susan

Susan, I know the frustration, Your trouble is first being a woman. You are not telling me your age but here is my experience. When eating “normal” carbs and sweets, usually we women prefer sweets and eat more of it. So when we start LCHF/keto we may have a higher insulin level. Men have more muscle mass and that counts. Our hormones will also make it take longer to lose weight. Everyone is biochemically unique and maybe you need a different “fuelmix” than your husband.

As you notice there may be several factors included here. Gut flora may also play a role. The first thing I tell everyone is to never compare yourself with someone else. Start doing some biohacking, which means trying different fuelmix within the LCHF/keto food plans. And it takes longer for us to lose weight, so stay on the bus, the scenery will change.

My best,
Bitten
 

Earlier Q&A

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