So what I’ve come to realize is that when my blood glucose spikes sharply after a meal, not only am I hungry soon after this meal but I also have elevated hunger for the new few days. Causing me to overeat. This can be detrimental if you are trying to be on a caloric deficit and can become a vicious cycle. When glucose spikes, as it returns back to baseline levels, it causes you to feel hungry a lot sooner than what you may be used to on Keto. Especially if you are already fat adapted.
The moment I became “fat-adapted” it was very noticeable for me. It was roughly 1-month into Keto and my hunger levels dropped dramatically. Or at least how far I could go between meals. For the record, I eat 2 meals per day on most days. I simply skip breakfast and eat between 2PM and 6PM as part of a 20/4 intermittent fasting schedule. 90% of the time, this is just routine for me and fairly easy now. I’m not starving and my energy levels are actually higher this way.
Over time, I’ve noticed that every few weeks I’d have a period of 2-3 days where I would be a lot hungrier than usual and I would eat a third meal very late outside of my 20/4 schedule. For example, this past weekend I got out of bed at 1AM to make scrambled eggs. I’m not normally hungry this late at night. Before Keto, I was hungry every 3 hours. So why do these periods of increased hunger happen? or maybe they happen to you more often?
They appear to be caused by my blood glucose levels spiking due to something I ate no matter whether it was “keto friendly” or not. For me, I haven’t yet figured out what it was but I now have a CGM(Continuous Glucose Monitor) on my arm that will help me figure it out. Whether my trigger is a spike in glucose beyond 105, or simply just any quick +20mg/dL spike. Keep in mind, I am not diabetic and my blood glucose is most often range bound between 75 and 90mg/dL. My average blood glucose level over the past month, according to my NutriSense CGM is 83mg/dL.
I’m currently trying to figure out what caused my most recent spikes.
Here are some meals that caused my blood glucose to spike quickly.
Meal 1
Image 1: 2x La Banderita Street Taco tortillas, 2 Eggs, 2 Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links, Cheese, Smashed Avocado.
Image 2: The same, except using a larger version on the same tortilla.
Image 3: Wedge Salad with Iceberg Lettuce, Bacon, Red Onion, Cherry Tomatoes, and Blue Cheese Dressing.
Calories: 978
Net Carbs: 14g
2HR Glucose Reaction: +19mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
Meal 2
2x Bratwurst Dogs: 2x La Banderita Street Taco Tortillas, 2x Johnsonville Bratwurst Sausages, 30g Sauerkraut, 3tsp Spicy Mustard, 40g Bell Peppers, 26g White Onion, 34g Red Onion.
Calories: 612
Net Carbs: 8g
2HR Glucose Reaction: +21mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
Meal 3
3 Sausage and Egg Tacos with Asparagus There was a 3rd taco not pictured. 3x La Banderita Street Taco tortillas, 3 Eggs, 8g Cheddar Cheese, 3 Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links, 14g Red Onion, 105g Asparagus.
Calories: 531
Net Carbs: 9g
2HR Glucose Reaction: +18mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
Meal 4
Tortilla Wrapped Cheeseburger: 2x La Banderita Street Taco tortillas, 1/3LB 80/20 Beef Patty, 1 Slice of Cheese, 3x Slices of Roma Tomato, 40g White Onion, 1 Leaf of Romaine Lettuce.
Calories: 533
Net Carbs: 5g
2HR Glucose Reaction: +20mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
Now here are some meals that did not cause my blood glucose to spike.
Meal 1
IHOP 2x2x2 + Avocado: 2-3 Scrambled Eggs, 2 Sausage Links, 2 Slices of Bacon, 1/3 an Avocado, 1 Leaf of Romaine Lettuce. 2 Cups of Coffee with 1 Packet of Splenda and 1 tbsp Half & Half each.
Calories: 619
Net Carbs: 8g
2HR Glucose Reaction: -7mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
Meal 2
3 Tacos with Meat & Eggs: 3x La Banderita Street Taco tortillas, 2oz of Carnitas Pork, 1.5oz of Ground Beef, 90g Avocado(not pictured), 30g Sour Cream, 28g Cheddar Cheese, 2 Scrambled Eggs and homemade salsa.
Calories: 747
Net Carbs: 4g
2HR Glucose Reaction: -7mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
Meal 3
Ribeye Steak with Cauliflower Mash & Veg: 8oz Grass-fed Ribeye, Cauliflower Mash topped with Cheese, Broccolini, Asparagus, Baby Bella Mushrooms.
Calories: 783
Net Carbs: 13g
2HR Glucose Reaction: +8mg/dL
CGM Pre-Consumption
CGM Post-Consumption
So what caused the glucose spikes?
Was it the low-carb tortillas? The Onions? Does it make a difference if the onions are grilled? The Bell Peppers? Was it the sausage? or simply the combination of things?
I do realize that my blood glucose never went outside of normal levels 70-140mg/dL. That is not what this is about. It’s about what causes a sharp, steep rise rather than a small and gradual rise.
Stay tuned as I isolate and test each of the individual ingredients over the coming days. In order to get the most accurate data, it’s best that I conduct only 1 single test per day while fasted. Yesterday I ran a few tests all on the same day, 2-3 hours apart, which I’m not sure I fully trust so I’ll be redoing them. One per day.