Cheese Guilt...

[Persephone33]

Just started this way of eating, hoping it will help curb my cravings and carb/sugar dependence!

Just wondering though, do people find they just ended up binging out on cheese, especially during the induction phase? I just ate about 600 calories worth of cheese in one go. It is kind of hilarious but at the same time I do feel a bit ashamed and disgusted with myself!

I do understand the whole premise of ketosis etc. but as far as I understand it, it is still a fact that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will put on weight. However, calorie counting is not generally done on LCHF. I was advised to eat until I was full - I was hungry and I really fancied the emmental I saw in Lidl. I ate as much cheese as I needed until I felt full. I can't help feeling that is wrong.

I suppose I could easily put away 600 cals in pasta and sauce in one meal, but would probably feel starving afterwards. And I suppose I did only have a salad for lunch - albeit loaded with toasted seeds, cashews, parmesan and tahini dressing. Nonetheless, it was a salad. I know I'm not supposed to be calorie counting but i can't help that either. A lifetime of being 'calorie aware' and feeling deep guilt and shame when eating things like cheese.

Would love to hear peoples' experiences and thoughts on this, and any crucial info I am missing.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

I think we all go through the guilt stage, Persephone, but you soon get over it and the novelty will wear off. In a very short space of time you won't need to eat tons of cheese, because you just won't be hungry.

I have cheese at most meals, come to think of it

[Persephone33 in reply to moreless]

Yes I am just going to give it some time. Like a few others have said, it's about regulating the appetite and getting my body to work in a different way. I guess I might not have weight loss right away and I might overeat at first, but hopefully this will go away in time!

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Persephone33]

Exactly! Just take your time

[Lytham 3 stone]

Ha ha this sounds so familiar, in fact one day moreless pointed out that I was having cheese five times in one day ! Lol love it! Now I do try not to have it on lunch and dinner but it doesnt always work out that way! x

[Persephone33 in reply to Lytham]

Did you find eating more cheese had any affect on your weight loss?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Persephone33]

I ate plenty of cheese and lost over 7st. Stop worrying

[Persephone33 in reply to moreless]

awesome!!

[Lytham 3 stone in reply to Persephone33]

I love all the cheeses and cream and full fat greek yoghurt, just had keto pizza, have you tried it yet, omg amazing ! x

[Vale57]

Oh yeah! My sister is sort of edging towards LCHF. But couldn't handle having something with me on Sunday. She had packed herself a little salad with a little cheese and a few nuts. She said 'Is this good as my main meal, I have got cheese and nut on it' I told her that if that was a main meal, she needed to get some mayo on the salad and she could have a lot more cheese and an egg. PLUS that it wasn't enough as, it was, for her main meal, unless she was on a fasting day (5:2)... I don't think she believes me. lol.

MY go to snack in case of feeling too hungry is strips of cheddar dipped in mayo.

NO it won't work if you if you eat a lot more that you burn! but, as said, the novelty wears off! You then still enjoy the cheese and butter and double cream etc. but no longer feel you want to have so much of it, and you feel full, so don't have the urge to binge out on other things. Personally I think you have to allow it a few weeks. with possible gains until you adjust. but once your fat burning kicks in ... you're off!!

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

ha ... yes, we all got it. Cheese guilt!

Remember on LCHF most of your daily energy is coming from fat, so 600kcal worth of cheese is pretty much to be expected. As others have mentioned, the novelty wears off quickly and your appetite will do slightly less weird things over the coming days/weeks. The guilt disappears quickly, too ... along with the flab

The calories thing is probably better expressed this way:

"If you are putting on weight, you are eating more calories than you burn".

That might seem like a hair-splitting distinction, but the point is that your calorie intake is entirely determined by your appetite. Your calorie burn is likewise decided mostly by your body's own inscrutable processes. You have very little long-term control over either calories-in or calories-out.

If you are driven to eat more calories than you burn - such that you're packing away more bodyfat than you could possibly need - then by definition your diet is unhealthy, because it's disrupting your appetite.

[lucatree]

Hi TheAwfulToad , can you help me with this query, if your calorie intake is determined by appetite, why then can I eat a large meal, and feel full but still want to grab for a bag of crisps afterwards? It's so frustrating for me.

[amykp Visitor]

It is because a large meal containing carbs or even protein causes insulin to be released. Insulin is the "hunger hormone". It makes you want food, and IMHO, it especially makes you crave carbs.

If you want to do an experiment, try eating a ton of only fat. For example, have a huge cup of bulletproof coffee--that's coffee with MCT oil and ghee...a LOT of MCT oil and ghee. You won't crave anything for quite a while, because you won't release insulin.

Then have the same calories-worth of, say, toast.

By the way, a keto diet made me lose some weight. A keto diet plus intermittent fasting (plain tea w/nothing for breakfast, waiting as long as possible for my bulletproof coffee, then the first "meal" even later) made me lose so much weight I am now actually trying to gain. Just FYI!

[Love100cats]

Why is cheese so addictive? I'm not a cheese lover but my husband is. He's supposed to be very careful because of heart and diabetes BUT every morning I find cheese crumbs on the worktop. He says it's mice! But how do they get the fridge open, a plastic box then and the knife to cut it? And most amazing they wash the knife and put it away! 😋 All this is done in darkness without a sound. Clever? It's a good job I've not got the same addiction! We could scare each other to death in the middle of the night.

[sunny369]

I think the cheese guilt thing settles down and you stop feeling the desire to eat a whole block at one sitting That said I do love cheese! I often take some cubes of cheddar or feta and olives to work in a tupperware box. If I fancy something later on when my co-workers are breaking out the coffee and biscuits I nibble on cubes of cheese. If I wanted the whole lot I would eat them but I often find a few cubes are enough, and no biscuit cravings

[StartingTheJourney]

How you feel is what really matters. If you feel okay then it was what it was, and move on. If you feel guilty, then next time eat a little less of the cheese and spread it over a couple of days.

Bottom line, the choice of diet has to work for you and you feel comfortable with it, otherwise you are just goIng to be in a cycle of personal battles

[Persephone33 in reply to StartingTheJourney]

I agree. I think you have to feel like you are nourishing your body and not practicing a kind of self harm. Sometimes overeating can be a bit of a self destruct mechanism, if you know what I mean. I feel best when I am eating lots of vegetables and healthier/cleaner fats. The cheese was cheap Emmental from Lidl, I always find their cheese a bit greasy and sickly. If it was a really good quality vintage cheddar, I think I'd feel differently and probably not feel the need to eat as much of it. It didn't feel like 'good food' and wasn't particularly enjoyable. Anyway. I haven't been tempted to do this again.