Keto Hunger Pangs: Is It Normal To Be Famished?

Starting a ketogenic diet can be challenging, and it's normal to experience increased hunger, especially in the beginning. This may be due to several factors, such as carb addiction, sleep deprivation, stress, dehydration, or even boredom. To combat hunger on keto, it's essential to increase your intake of healthy fats, ensure adequate hydration, get enough sleep, manage stress, and stay mindful of hidden carbs and artificial sweeteners, which can trigger sugar cravings.

Hunger Due to Carb Addiction

In modern times, this can lead to a carb addiction, as people often consume high amounts of added sugars and grains without realising it. On a keto diet, when we abruptly cut out most sources of carbs, our bodies can release hunger hormones, leaving us craving the sugar we're used to.

This hunger is only temporary and is essentially a sugar craving. The microorganisms in our gut, known as the microbiome, play a role in this. When we cut out sugar, certain harmful yeasts and bacteria that are accustomed to being fed sugar and insoluble fibre die off, triggering feelings of hunger and craving.

To overcome this, it's important to stick with the keto diet for a week or two until these sugar-craving microorganisms are replaced. Additionally, it's crucial to avoid artificial sweeteners, as they can still trigger sugar cravings and make them even more intense.

Instead, focus on increasing your consumption of healthy fats, which are a key component of the keto diet. Aim for 75-80% of your calories from fat, ensuring you're getting enough fat to feel nourished and satiated. Include foods like ribeye steak, lamb, pork, fatty fish like mackerel and salmon, and healthy fats like high-fat keto cheese.

By addressing hunger due to carb addiction and making the necessary adjustments, you can successfully transition to a keto diet and reduce those pesky hunger pangs.

Hunger Due to Sleep Deprivation

Sleep and health are closely intertwined, and sleep deprivation has been linked to overeating and obesity. When you don't get enough sleep, your body produces less leptin, a hormone that suppresses hunger, and more ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger. This hormonal imbalance can lead to increased appetite and cravings for food, specifically carbohydrate-rich foods.

If you're feeling hungry while on the keto diet, it's important to examine your sleep patterns. Are you getting enough sleep each night? Sleep experts generally recommend 7-9 hours of sleep per night for most adults. If you're falling short of this range, consider implementing strategies to improve your sleep duration and quality. This may include practices such as mindfulness meditation, yoga nidra, or breathing techniques.

Additionally, the quality of your sleep matters too. Blue light emitted by electronic devices can disrupt your natural circadian rhythm, so it's advisable to limit screen time before bed or use blue light filters. Creating a relaxing bedtime routine, such as reading a book or listening to soft music, can also promote better sleep.

By addressing sleep deprivation and improving your sleep hygiene, you may find that your hunger levels while on the keto diet become more manageable. However, if you continue to experience intense hunger, it may be due to other factors such as stress, dehydration, or not consuming enough fat or calories.

Hunger Due to Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety can be mistaken for hunger pangs when adapting to the keto diet. Studies show that chronic stress and high cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in the blood increase the hunger hormone ghrelin, which has been linked to weight gain and obesity.

• Physical hunger starts gradually, while emotional hunger can be sudden.
• Physical hunger is felt in the stomach, whereas emotional hunger is felt in the head.
• Physical hunger comes in waves, but emotional hunger is a sharp craving.
• When physically hungry, you are open to many foods to satisfy your hunger. With emotional hunger, you usually crave a specific type of food, often high-carbohydrate junk foods with low nutritional value.
• Physical hunger can be satisfied with a certain amount of food. Emotional hunger often leads to overeating and feelings of guilt afterward.

If you notice that you are engaging in emotional eating, it is important to be mindful of your behavior and educate yourself on making different choices. Paying attention to your triggers can help you become conscious of them and enable you to make different choices when you are in the middle of overeating.

• Create a self-care practice: engage in physical, emotional, mental, financial, relational, and spiritual activities that support your holistic health and overall well-being.
• Get enough sleep: Sleep deprivation can trigger overeating. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
• Practice meditation, yoga nidra full-body relaxation, and breathing techniques to manage stress and anxiety.
• Exercise: Physical activity suppresses the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin and increases feelings of fullness.

Mistaking Dehydration For Hunger

When you first start the keto diet, your body flushes fluids as it metabolises the glucose stored in your muscles. During this time, it is easy to become dehydrated, and your body may mistake this dehydration for hunger.

Researchers believe that for hunter-gatherer ancestors, hunger and thirst were more closely linked, and these signals remain in modern life, despite easy access to food and drink.

Living a sedentary lifestyle can also increase your hunger. Interestingly, exercise suppresses the hunger hormone, ghrelin, and can increase feelings of fullness.

How to Avoid Dehydration on the Keto Diet

• Start your day with a glass of water and try to drink around eight glasses throughout the day.
• Keep a glass of water nearby to remind you to drink.
• Buy a tracking cup or download a water-tracking app.
• Stay hydrated with low-sugar broths, juices, sports drinks, and popsicles.
• Eat water-rich whole foods such as leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados, cucumbers, and celery.
• Drink at least 2-3 litres of water per day.
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
• Keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip throughout the day.
• Set reminders on your phone to remind you to drink water.
• Infuse your water with fruit, herbs, or vegetables.
• Drink water before and after meals.
• Avoid sugary drinks.
• Eat hydrating keto-friendly foods such as leafy greens, avocados, and cucumbers.
• Monitor your urine colour. It should be pale yellow or clear if you are well-hydrated.
• Try an IV for severe dehydration.

Not Eating Enough Fat

It is normal to experience increased hunger when starting the keto diet, and there are several reasons why this might be the case. One of the most common reasons is not consuming enough fat.

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb, moderate-protein diet. While it can be challenging to increase fat intake, especially if you are used to restricting it, it is crucial to ensure you are getting enough. Fat should make up around 70-80% of your daily calorie intake when following a keto diet. This may seem like a lot, but it is essential to provide your body with its main source of fuel and help you feel full and satisfied.

• Start your day with a fatty coffee: Add butter, MCT oil, or other healthy fats to your morning coffee.
• Eat more fatty and nutrient-dense foods: Include keto-friendly meats like ribeye steak, lamb, and pork, fatty fish like mackerel and salmon, and healthy fats like high-fat keto cheese.
• Add butter to your vegetables: Vegetables taste great with butter, and it's an easy way to increase your fat intake.
• Use different fats for different flavors: Experiment with various fats like lard, tallow, duck fat, and nut oils to add flavor and variety to your meals.
• Top dishes with oil, dressing, or butter: Drizzle oil, dressing, or melt butter on top of your meals to boost fat intake.
• Snack on high-fat foods: Choose snacks that combine protein and fat, such as hard-boiled eggs, cheese, or nuts.
• Add fat to your coffee or tea: Try blending in coconut oil, butter, or heavy whipping cream for a warm and comforting way to increase fat intake.

Remember, it is essential to listen to your body and ensure you are getting enough nourishment. While the keto diet can be effective for weight loss and improving health, it is crucial to adjust your fat intake to meet your body's needs.

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