LESSON #4 – Calories Vs. Appetite on Keto & Intermittent Fasting

Let me clear up some confusion about calories vs. appetite on keto and intermittent fasting.

Timestamps
0:00 Calories on keto
0:15 The mainstream recommendation for calories
1:25 Other factors
1:53 Don’t eat unless you’re hungry—explained
3:25 What to eat
3:38 Autophagy
3:58 A few ways to know if you need more nutrients
4:22 A big benefit of keto and intermittent fasting
4:48 How to know if you’re doing it correctly

There has been a lot of confusion for keto and intermittent fasting beginners concerning calories, as well as the concept of not eating unless you’re hungry.

The mainstream recommendation for calories per day is:
Female — 2000
Male — 2500

But, of course, the mainstream recommendation doesn’t take into account that you’re doing keto and intermittent fasting. When you’re doing keto and intermittent fasting, you’re switching your fuel source to your own fat calories. So, it’s not just about the dietary calories you’re consuming. It’s also about including the calories that are on your body as stored fat.

There are other factors to consider, as well, such as:
• Age
• Metabolism
• Stress
• Activity

In the past, I’ve said to not eat unless you’re hungry. But, I want to add a few things to clarify this. If you don’t have energy, your mood is off (you have anxiety, depression, or grouchiness), or you don’t have much strength, you may be missing fuel or nutrients.

When you eat, it’s important to make sure you’re consuming nutrient-dense foods. After you eat, you’re going to be fasting, and you need to make sure you have enough nutrients to run your body on.

When you’re fasting, you’re going through autophagy, which is a process where you’re body is becoming very efficient. Autophagy also slows down the need for nutrients.

A few ways to know if you need more nutrients:
• You’re losing hair (you may need more B vitamins or trace minerals)
• You’re losing muscle mass (you may need more amino acids)

How to know if you’re doing keto and intermittent fasting correctly? Pay attention to you’re:
• Appetite
• Energy
• Mood
• Strength