I need some other perspectives
Hi there! First time posting here. I actually reactivated my account just for this post because I'm in need of some perspectives other than my own. Some info about me: F/37/50kg/170cm. I’ve been underweight my whole life. I had a “peak” when I was younger (between 17–21), around 56kg, and I felt great when I looked in the mirror. After 21, I lost about 6kg over the course of 3 months, presumably because of my migraine medication at the time (Sumatriptan and Topiramate, back then I didn’t read package inserts). Since then, I’ve stayed at 50kg whether I wanted to or not. I’ve tried “fattening diets” several times for a few months, but nothing happened, and at some point I just gave up, accepted it, and learned to love myself again. I always struggled with gaining weight, but at the same time I basically didn’t eat breakfast for 20 years (except during diet attempts). On top of that, because of night shifts, I unintentionally ended up fasting for the last 10 years, first meal at noon, second/last meal at 6–7pm, nothing in between. I’m not really new to keto, I work in the medical field and my husband has been doing keto since 2018, so I do know a bit about it. Right now I’m not really doing keto, but I’m seriously considering it. At the end of September I started eating something for breakfast (just fat and protein, no carbs), mainly because I wanted to optimize vitamin D (+K2) absorption. At noon I eat at the hospital, also almost no carbs (max ~20g if any), and at home it’s usually meat and fat because of my husband. I say it’s “not keto” because once a week I ate pasta (my kryptonite), but the last time, a week ago, I didn’t feel good the next day. The first reason for the low-carb intake this past month was hemorrhoids. I was losing a bit of blood every day and I’m not in the mood for anemia or surgery, so I hoped keto would reduce inflammation. The second reason was massive bloating, especially after bread, potatoes, or desserts, even when I didn’t overdo them. So after a month (with, let’s be honest, about 3 cheat days), I’ve already seen improvement with the hemorrhoids. I’m not quite where I want to be yet, but it’s a lot better. Also, no bloating/gas, go figure. A big plus is that I’m not freezing all the time anymore. I used to have constantly cold hands, I suspect I was in a calorie deficit. I also have more mental clarity and I’m calmer in the mornings. Sleep is still shit, but it has been that way for years, maybe because of the 24-hour shifts, also according to my husband I move a lot in my sleep. Of course, I now have the same problem everyone has at the beginning: the damn carb cravings. They’re still there! I’m dreaming about sweets I don’t even like. I should mention I don’t want to eat sugar substitutes because the newer studies aren’t looking too great, and besides that, they make me bloated, so they’re a no-go. Are there other alternatives? Does it get better with time? I don’t want to quit, but at the same time I do, if that makes sense. I’d like to gain some weight, but most people do keto for the opposite. I’m just a bit overwhelmed with the cravings and I think I need a bit of support.
Posted Nov 1, 2025, 7:51 PM UTC