Low carb eaters - a question

[kristenk]

I'm currently reading It Starts with Food and have been trying to reduce my carb consumption the past several days. I've been doing pretty well so far.

I have a question, though. I've noticed that I'm sometimes hungry shortly after a meal even though during the meal I felt full and really didn't want to eat another thing. One example was dinner tonight. We had breakfast for dinner tonight, so I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit (kiwi, strawberries, mango). I felt full when I stopped eating, but felt hungry (not famished, but sort of hungry) about 1.5 hours later. Is this something that will go away eventually? Do I just need to eat more? If so, how do I do that if I'm full when I stop eating?

[123LuckyMom]

I would eat a bit of cheese or some nuts. You might want to up your protein consumption and lower your fruit consumption. It's highly unusual for more protein and good fats to make you hungry sooner than carbs! Carbs burn off quickly and make you hungry sooner. My guess is that you didn't have enough protein to ride you over, so I'd have a little snack.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

yeah, i agree with PP. add some more protein and healthy fats. i am never ever hungry after eating mostly just protein and fats. carbs spike my insulin levels like crazy and make me feel hungry so fast, it seems.

[o_mom]

I don't know, but I'm watching the answers here. I find that if I eat a low carb meal, I feel just as hungry an hour later as if I ate nothing but carbs. OTOH, if I eat a more balanced meal with whole grain carbs, I can go 4-5 hours without feeling hungry.

[JElaineB]

Fruit is not low carb. So you're getting a pretty good size bolus of sugar when you eat fruit. That affects your insulin levels just like any other sugar. And the end result is hunger a short while later. I agree to increase good fats and protein and prioritize over fruits and starchy vegetables. Fats especially are good for satiety and do not increase insulin.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Fruit is not low carb. So you're getting a pretty good size bolus of sugar, when you eat fruit. That affects your insulin levels just like any other sugar. And the end result is hunger a short whole later. I agree to increase good fats and protein and prioritize over fruits and starchy vegetables.
yeah, this is a good point. i'm not technically doing low carb anymore, though i'm doing paleo which is similar (fruits are allowed but no other sugars, no grains, no dairy which takes out most carbs anyway). when i did strictly low carb, the only fruits i ate were strawberries and other berries. maybe pear every now and then. not sure about kiwi or mango but things like grapes and bananas are dfeinitely a no-no as they have a lot of sugar and are very high on the glycemic index.

[brittone2]

Yep, I have this effect with fruit. I think you may need to play with the breakdown of fat/protein/etc. The fruit can be a hefty dose of sugar, particularly anything tropical like pineapple, mango, etc. You may find you need to experiment with things to figure out what works best for you. Many people need to add additional fats in those early weeks in particular in order to stave off hunger. Before thinking this won't work for you, I'd urge you to jot down or be attentive to how you feel with different % breakdown between fat, protein, sugar/carbs.

eta: I tolerate small amounts of berries well. In the beginning I think it may be helpful to really reduce fruit (of course, continuing to eat lots of green leafy and other vegetables) so you can see how you feel, and then when you have a better grasp on things consider adding in the lower sugar fruits.

[specialp]

Yep, I have this effect with fruit. I think you may need to play with the breakdown of fat/protein/etc. The fruit can be a hefty dose of sugar, particularly anything tropical like pineapple, mango, etc. You may find you need to experiment with things to figure out what works best for you. Many people need to add additional fats in those early weeks in particular in order to stave off hunger. Before thinking this won't work for you, I'd urge you to jot down or be attentive to how you feel with different % breakdown between fat, protein, sugar/carbs.

eta: I tolerate small amounts of berries well. In the beginning I think it may be helpful to really reduce fruit (of course, continuing to eat lots of green leafy and other vegetables) so you can see how you feel, and then when you have a better grasp on things consider adding in the lower sugar fruits.

Very similar to me. Fruits are almost as bad as cereal to me for making me hungry later and tropical fruits and melons are the worst for me. The only fruits I seem to tolerate well are a small apple with peanut butter or grilled and served on a nut salad and berries with plain greek yogurt.

ETA: In addition to what others have said about fat and protein balance, I would also add in vegetables to help with the hunger. When we have breakfast for dinner (usually a crustless meatless quiche) I will serve roasted broccoli or roasted asparagus which has been tossed with olive oil.

[crl]

I don't know, but I'm watching the answers here. I find that if I eat a low carb meal, I feel just as hungry an hour later as if I ate nothing but carbs. OTOH, if I eat a more balanced meal with whole grain carbs, I can go 4-5 hours without feeling hungry.


I feel this way too. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Catherine

[daisysmom]

I would eat a bit of cheese or some nuts. You might want to up your protein consumption and lower your fruit consumption. It's highly unusual for more protein and good fats to make you hungry sooner than carbs! Carbs burn off quickly and make you hungry sooner. My guess is that you didn't have enough protein to ride you over, so I'd have a little snack.

Having done Whole30 a few times, I would bet that your blood sugar was sensitive to the fruit consumption and it rose, then crashed, so what you felt wasn't really hunger so to speak (though I know, it DOES feel like it) but a bloodsugar dip. You can still have fruit as you read from the book, but depending on how sensitive your body is to carbs and what you ate like before, you may really have to up the fat and protein at that meal to compensate.

[daisysmom]

I don't know, but I'm watching the answers here. I find that if I eat a low carb meal, I feel just as hungry an hour later as if I ate nothing but carbs. OTOH, if I eat a more balanced meal with whole grain carbs, I can go 4-5 hours without feeling hungry.

I have gone through Whole30 with a bunch of friends in real life. Almost all of them feel better and have less cravings eating paleo (plenty of veggies, moderate friut, healthy meats and fats, no grains or added sugar). But some of them just never felt full/satisfied/better. So I agree... it isn't for everyone.

Even on paleo, I have a feeling 15 minutes after every meal (unless I am eating on the run/busy/distracted) that is a want for something chocolate/sweet. It is just a craving though, I know it, but it is hard to resist. 44 years of eating like that has me programmed. So I have to really distract myself to get through that. But I can really tell how differently and satisfied I feel an hour later (versus if I eat pizza, cake, donuts, cereal etc. and an hour later I feel like I need another meal).

If I didn't feel better and more satisfied, I honestly wouldn't eat low carb/whole 30.

[123LuckyMom]

I know (though I can't remember where I read it) that, biologically, it takes two full weeks to break your body's addiction to sugars. That's why South Beach, for example, has a two week period with no fruit, no grains, no dairy-- basically only meats and low glycemic index vegetables. After that, you can add in whole grain carbs, dairy, and fruit. I would do something like this to avoid spiking your sugars and to break your body's addiction.

If you do, I recommend drinking a TON of water and taking something to combat unpleasant digestive side effects. I recommend Calm. I put it in herbal tea.

PETER GILLHAM'S NATURAL VITALITY, Natural Calm - 8 oz http://amzn.com/B000WVYB8Y

For chocolate cravings, which I used to get, too, even though I had never been a chocolate fan, I would eat a couple of dark chocolate chips. It did the trick without putting a lot of sugar in my body. I also use Stevia occasionally, and cup of hot milk with a bit of real cocoa and a packet of Stevia is a nice treat, too, and very filling!

[kristenk]

If you do, I recommend drinking a TON of water and taking something to combat unpleasant digestive side effects. I recommend Calm. I put it in herbal tea.

PETER GILLHAM'S NATURAL VITALITY, Natural Calm - 8 oz http://amzn.com/B000WVYB8Y

Oh, dear. What type of unpleasant digestive side effects are we talking about? And just because eating only meat/low glycemic veggies? Or something else?

[123LuckyMom]

Oh, dear. What type of unpleasant digestive side effects are we talking about? And just because eating only meat/low glycemic veggies? Or something else?

Constipation. Low carb can also mean low fiber-- and no fruit, remember! It's hard when you're making a big change to your diet for your body not to have a bit of trouble adjusting. After your body gets used to it, this doesn't happen any more. At least not to me.

[brittone2]

Yeah, I never had any GI issues with LC, but some people take a while to adjust.

[kristenk]

I can't say that I'm doing Whole30 because I'm sure there's all sorts of stuff in food labels that I'm not watching out for right now. Like, I know that the bacon that I purchased had sugar added to it, but all of the packs that I looked at did and I ended up buying one that was "certified humane." Plus, I'm only 1/3 of the way into the book and haven't gotten to the chapters on specific things to eat/avoid and most of my info on that stuff is from old threads here or random googling!

In any case, I'm really trying to avoid breads, white potatoes, corn and dairy. I haven't been avoiding fruit but I don't think I'm having a lot of it. I know I need to increase the amount of green veggies that I eat. I haven't been snacking between meals.

I'm feeling pretty good so far. I've noticed that I'm going to bed earlier but not feeling super tired and sluggish in the early afternoon. I'm definitely going to try to stick with it and tweak things here and there as needed.

[123LuckyMom]

I'm not a Paleo eater, but I believe in snacks!!! I eat with my toddler, so I'll have breakfast, then a little snack mid morning, lunch, a little snack mid afternoon, and then dinner. Typically I don't snack after dinner. A snack is usually something protein-- a cheese stick, some nuts, a bit of leftover dinner meat, some roasted chick peas, some edamame. That kind of thing. I don't like to let my blood sugar drop or to get hungry.

[sste]

I am not paleo or low carb as it is now popularly defined! But I eat lower carbs than the average american and slightly lower than the typical dietary recs.

I agree that of the fruits you mention mango and kiwi (and the tropical ones in general except grapefruit which I believe is more moderate) are high in sugar. I still eat those fruits but smaller portions, more occasionally, etc. There was a recent epid. study finding a correlation between eating apples, grapes, and blueberries and not developing diabetes-type 2. So, I would personally not cut out those fruits and in general I am reluctant to eliminate any fruits entirely (except dried and bananas which I don't care for anyway). Esp. in favor of increasing the serving size of bacon and eggs on your plate.

My understanding is that as much as half of the protein you take in converts to carbs --and perhaps more if your body needs it. So, you can have insulin increases from protein but they are usually lower and later than a straight carb insulin spike. I wonder if that is why you could be feeling tired and hungry a couple of hours after the meal?

Omom, both protein and fiber give you a feeling of satiety. My sister is now in a medical weight loss program and they really push the fiber -- including some all fiber things, supplements, cereals?? I cannot recall- that while they may not be low carb I believe basically exit your body with minimal carb impact. That may explain in part why you feel full longer with a balanced meal.

Healthy fat (and our scientific evidence for what is healthy fat to date has centered on unsaturated fats like olive oils, avocado etc) is important . . . but it does actually keep your blood sugar high if it is going to be high to begin with from something else you ate. So while it doesn't spike blood sugar in large quantities it can prolong a spike on most people.

Also, if you are feeling dramatically better eating low carb I think it is worth getting your blood sugars evaluated at your next dr's appointment. There are alot of people, a frightening share of the population, that have diabetes or prediabetes/insulin resistance. In my mind it seems plausible that people one of the reasons *some* people feel a night and day difference is they are now controlling through diet their undiagnosed prediabetes or even diabetes. In many cases you can continue to control with diet but you have a doctor monitoring you to make sure to catch early any worsening of your blood sugars (if that is an issue) and also to keep an eye on your cholesterol (make sure they are using the new guidelines which are in some ways more generous).

HTH and good luck with the green eating!

[echoesofspring]

My experience when I get more serious about being low carb or doing the SB or Whole 30 is that the first few days I am hungrier and then usual (that calendar in the whole 30 that talks about what you might be experiencing each day is really true for me for at least for the first few days), but then it tapers off. And I totally have that experience of wanting something else 15 minutes later, as a PP mentioned. But it does gets easier, and then I've started noticing I'm just less hungry in general all the time.

Depending on why you are doing the diet, for me I find the SB phase 1 easier to adapt to than the whole 30. I'm about to do a push between now and the end of the year to lose a little bit more weight and my mantra is going to that if I eat a meal or snack it has to include a veggie. I figure I can't go wrong that way...