Where Did the Hunger Go?

A lack of hunger is one of the benefits of a pretty high-fat, medium-protein, and (relatively) low carbohydrate food path (aka modified ketogenic food plan). It is also quite weird, and so unlike how I've eaten--and been driven to eat--all my life. And now that I've been supplementing my minerals (particularly magnesium, sodium, and potassium), I don't have cravings anymore, either.

There's also a certain mechanistic quality, which is curious, as well. It isn't to say that I don't look forward to eating certain foods, like salmon, for example. But it does mean that I eat because I know that's something I need to do, versus something I'm driven to do by cravings or sugar crashes/insulin rushes. I generally eat two meals a day, with the occasional snack, such as pork rinds or blueberries. (When I feel like a snack, in fact, I know it's time to eat).

I try to keep my meals about four or more hours apart, primarily so I can keep as low a level of insulin in my bloodstream as possible, one of the tools I learned from Dr. Bernstein's The Diabetes Diet. Though I'm not a diabetic, I was once diagnosed as insulin-resistant, meaning my body's cells had a diminished ability to respond to insulin. Or, as Laura Dolson says, "Insulin resistance happens when the cells essentially don't open the door when insulin comes knocking." This is a major reason I began eating low carb. Anything I can do to not boost insulin unnecessarily, I will do. 

For the same reason, I also make a point of not starting a meal with a carbohydrate, unless it is a slow-acting one, like spinach or salad greens. The one exception is if I'm going to the gym to lift within an hour or so of eating

Staying Ahead of the Hunger

I remember getting major surgery several years ago. I came to, screaming and howling, in my hospital room. A nurse, standing nearby, turned and said, "Press the button." "What?" I yelled. "What button?" She replied, "The one in your hand."

I looked down and there it was--a little plastic thing with a tail snaking to the morphine pump. And press I did.

If the mouse is me, then the cat is hunger!

After the morphine had dulled the pain (and a smile replaced the grimace on my face), she stayed to feed me chips of ice. She also told me something of great value: "Try and stay ahead of the pain."

That advice is extremely relevant now. That is, if I stay ahead of my hunger, I can avoid many types of pain--like fatigue, poor food choices, and that crushing urge to press the nearest carbohydrate into my mouth, and quickly. 

In the video in yesterday's post, Dr. Merritt talks about the value of staying ahead of hunger, and how not doing so causes excessive adrenal wear and tear. One tool she suggests is eating every two to three hours (Bernstein suggests eating every four hours, but doesn't encourage snacking, as Merritt does). 

For me, hunger was the signal to eat, and now learning to eat without it is difficult. Eating high fiber veg, and protein- and fat-dense foods means I'm satiated for quite a while, and may not be hungry when it's likely a good time for me to eat. There are times when I'm just not hungry--even as I reduce the amount of food I eat.

I wonder what other people who low carb do with this challenge?

Updated: Should I Eat Sucralose While Low-Carbing?

The answer, for me, is no: sucralose makes me hungrier and less satisfied with the food I eat. I also feel swollen when I consume it.

In my recent review of Dr. Bernstein's The Diabetes Diet, I mentioned that he was a big user of artificial sweenteners, and that they--particularly liquid sucralose--featured prominently in several of the book's recipes. I like sweets, and am trying to keep my carbs low, so bought a smallish bottle of liquid sucralose (the powders, such as Splenda, contain a small amount of dextrose, a sugar; the liquids, such as DaVinci syrups, do not) at a local discount store. 

This was not my first time at the sucralose rodeo. I used it last year, mostly in cups of tea. At the time I was eating a fair amount of carbs, so I didn't notice whether the sweetener (which the body does not digest) was affecting my weight or the way I felt.

Da Vinci syrup.

Artificial sweeteners are a contentious issue among low-carbers. Here, the Hardcore Chef (in a bit of a glib manner) lays out some of the pros and cons; note, especially, the reports of sucralose's effect on gut flora. Sucralose, even in a flavored syrup, tastes nothing like sugar, and the taste isn't particularly satisfying. My mouth feels cheated whenever I consume an artificial sweetener ("But where's the sugar?!?" it seems to be saying).

This week, I've used sucralose in tea (again) and an avocado-based mousse (which is normally sweetened with mashed dates). I've already noticed several changes after I started using it. First, my body seemed congested, swollen, as if I was having some systemic inflammation. And I was hungrier and not (as I have been) satiated by medium-fat and -protein meals. In fact, I craved carbs. Yesterday, I exceeded my daily carb limit (but about 15 grams). I've also not lost any weight.

I trust my body: No more sucralose for me.
6/22 Update: Ack! I forgot that I made a recent batch of salad dressing with sucralose. After just 4 bites of the salad (and mind you, I used less than 2 tablespoons of the dressing on it) I started getting a headache and--this was weird--begin feeling like my body was swelling or thickening. Then my stomach began to get funky.
This was all very curious--until I remembered the Hardcore Chef's mention of headaches as problem for some who consumed sucralose.
So, down the drain went the salad dressing. I drank a lot of water, took some taurine and B-vitamins, and will soon be eating some sauerkraut to boost gut flora likely decimated by the sucralose.
I'm especially pissed, however, as I'm doing my weekly weighing tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure the news won't be good.