I believe my body is in a starvation mode and I need suggestions to help get out of it. I have been using fitday.com and I am really struggling to get my calories up. On average I am consuming 1100-1200 calories a day. I know I need more, but I am just having a hard time eating. I have never had a problem "not" being hungry until now. I usually have about 60-70 % fat, 20-30 % protein, and 5-7% carbs. Two weeks ago I decided to increase my carbs to 25g, but I am hanging around 20g. This is really frustration. My husband took me out to a steak dinner last night. I had a salad and maybe 1/3 of my steak. This morning I had good intentions of starting the day right with a good breakfast of scrambled eggs, leftover steak, mushrooms and cheese. Well I ate only about half and just can't take another bite. I'll save it for later if I get hungry. What a shame it was really good. I drink 10-15 galsses of water daily. I try not to skip meals, if I do it is usually dinner and that happens once or twice a week. Those darn ketostix drive me crazy. On the 4th day of induction I got a nice pink color, then it went to a trace for a week or two and now they are negative. I was playing around what time of day to use them, but I think I am not going to use them until I can start eating better.

The easiest way to sneak in more calories is with fat. More mayo, more butter, more salad dressing, more macadamia nuts

Lack of appetite does happen. When I was in "diet mode" I thought this was a good thing -- oh, goody! I'm not hungry! I only ate 600 calories today! You're obviously way past that stage -- good for you

I remember reading Marlaine's journal when she was about a month into the WOE and seeing high calorie numbers but not very much food and I asked her about it -- macadamia nuts, she said. (You might look through her journal for some menu ideas. She eats six small meals a day and none of them sound overwhelming, so you might get some ideas there.)

Good luck!

One word: Fat!

It's very easy to sneak it into your meals and it delivers a whopping 120 calories per Tablespoon so 3 - 4 a day should take care of your calories nicely.

That said, you are probably losing normally at a rate that is right for for your goal weight. Generally, 10% during induction and 5% a week thereafter if all goes right. It seems like stalling is normal after a 3 - 4 weeks as your body gets adjusted to your new way of eating.

Ketostix are not a reliable indicator of ketones = weight loss. They also read dietary fat. It's best to go by the pant-o-meter or an article of clothing that you would love to fit into as an indicator. Taking measuerments is also advised. You can be losing inches while no weght loss shows up on the scale.

Have you moved out of induction and into OWL?

Karen

alto that sounds like a good suggestion. I was trying to add cream cheese on celery, but that gets old. I love nuts and will be going to the grocery store sometime this weekend. You are right about not thinking of this as a diet. I have been yo-yo dieting for so long and I am determined to never do that again. I loved breads and pastas and I now realize they aren't good for you. Funny thing is I don't miss them that much. I was always a meat lover, but deprived myself because "too much" was a bad thing.

Karen, yes I have been in owl for 2 weeks now. I started by adding strawberries or raspberries in cream, but then this huge decrease in appetite hit. I haven't measured yet this week.

I used cream, cream cheese, nuts, etc. to up the calories. I just loved to whip cream, add a little peanut butter and some cream cheese and Splenda and eat it--sort of like a peanut butter pie.

I also love whipped cream with Splenda and walnuts. Walnuts are great because they have omega 3 oil in them.

I am now up to an average of 2000+ each day. I haven't really started to lose much yet, but I can feel my body changing shape. Just went to the doctor and you can read his suggestions in my thread on this forum or in my journal.

My problem now is that I am dairy intolerant and have had to find ways other than cream for my fats.

Check my journal for the recipe for Almond Quick Bread. It is loaded with calories (not carbs) and is great spread with butter or peanut butter or cream cheese.

Carol

I really enjoyed reading your journal. I am going to take your suggestions into consideration. I am having chicken wings tonight so that will up the calories. I will try not to obssess so much. That will be difficult, but you have given me hope.