Do macro proportions affect hunger levels?

LeonCX

I know the "always hungry" posts pop up every half hour. Sorry. At 1700 calories, I still find myself very hungry at the end of the day.
I use the default macro percentages. 50/20/30
Coffee for breakfast. I find eating breakfast makes no difference regarding my problem.
male, 5'6" 350
Default MFP calories recommendation: 1950
My question is - would tweaking my macro proportions maybe have an effect on reducing my hunger? In other words, would lowering my carbohydrate a bit, but keeping my calories the same - maybe help? Or more fat? or protein? Or does it really not make much of a difference?
And how about the timing of meals - does that affect hunger levels? Is my only solution to increase my calories?
Any experiences and opinions appreciated. Thank you.

The_Enginerd

It will vary by individual, but generally yes, protein and fats are more satiating than carbs, especially simple carbs/sugars. Getting enough fiber also helps with satiety.

AliceDark

Macro percentages and meal timing definitely impact my personal hunger levels. There isn't a right or wrong way to outline your day -- you just need to play with things until you figure out what works for you. In general, I feel more satiated when I increase fat and protein, but only to a certain point. If I go too low on carbs at any one meal, I end up shaky and sick. I would maybe try something like a 40/30/30 split, or 40/25/35 (C/P/F) and see how that feels to you. Make sure you're being fairly balanced in each meal, too. Changing your macros won't really help you if you eat all your protein in one meal

The_Enginerd

Also, in terms of timing, some find it helps to munch throughout the day, some do just a few large meals, and some do things like intermittent fasting. Try them out and see what works best for you.

You may need to eat more as well. At 350 lbs, you should be able to lose at a reasonable pace eating more than 1700 calories. My lowest was 1850 (came out to about 2100 calories/day with exercise).

NoelFigart1

LeonCX wrote: »

I know the "always hungry" posts pop up every half hour. Sorry. At 1700 calories, I still find myself very hungry at the end of the day.
I use the default macro percentages. 50/20/30
Coffee for breakfast. I find eating breakfast makes no difference regarding my problem.
male, 5'6" 350
Default MFP calories recommendation: 1950
My question is - would tweaking my macro proportions maybe have an effect on reducing my hunger? In other words, would lowering my carbohydrate a bit, but keeping my calories the same - maybe help? Or more fat? or protein? Or does it really not make much of a difference?
And how about the timing of meals - does that affect hunger levels? Is my only solution to increase my calories?
Any experiences and opinions appreciated. Thank you.

I would be hungry and miserable all the time at 50% carbohydrates. I bump up the fat, eat more protein and don't eat grains. (I do eat carbohydrates in the form of veggies. I eat a lot of veggies because they're good and versatile and tasty).

A breakfast of oatmeal and fruit will have me starving by 10 in the morning. The same amount of calories of bacon and eggs and I'm good till noon.

I don't fear the fat, but there's a lot of controversy about that right now. Do your research, and I'm talking recent medical journals, not pop magazines.

LeonCX

Thank you everyone so far. I try to help a lot in the "techie" category, people having problems using the tools, etc. It is very nice to be given good advice myself. And I see the forum format is changing again as we speak.

Francl27

You got to find what works for you. Bacon and eggs will leave me starving 2 hours later, but oatmeal and nut butter will keep me full for 3-4 hours. I need complex carbs to keep full (with fiber) and the whole low carb thing was a disaster for me.

Also, if MFP tells you 1960 and you're eating less and are hungry, eat the 1960 calories! You're supposed to eat back exercise calories also. It's not really surprising that you're hungry if you don't.

Basilin

How active are you? That makes a big difference. Perhaps 1700 isn't enough for you if you are very active; and personally I find MFP calculations are not 100% reliable. To maintain weight it says I should eat 1600 cal, but I maintain weight and feel full eating 1200. MFP is only a guideline and you have to experiment to find what is best for you!

I agree higher fat and protein than carbs/simple carbs will help. Try upping protein to 35% and carbs to 45% and see what that does. I find that having a good mix of all three macros, a variety of different types of food (dairy, meat, grain, veggie, fruit) within every meal helps me feel fuller for longer; partially because having that variety helps meet those balanced macros and also increases your chances of having balanced micro-nutrients as well.

So, 1 cup cheerios, 1/2 cup whole milk is going to make me hungry in an hour:

182 calories
6.1g of fat (saturated from mostly milk, unsaturated from oats)
27.4 g of carbs (starch, a little sucrose, fiber from oats, lactose from milk)
7.2 g of protein

I'd want higher protein and lower carbs to start my day!

So instead, for 181 calories, I have 1/2 cup cheerios, 1/4 cup whole milk, 1/3 cup blueberries, 1/3 cup peaches, and 2 slices of extra lean turkey bacon. Not only a more interesting meal, but:

4.3 g of fat (saturated from milk and bacon, unsaturated mostly from fruit and oats; adding more sources for different fats but lower fat overall)
22.7 g carbohydrates (starch, sucrose, fiber from oats, lactose from milk, then sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose and galactose plus fiber from fruit; a more complex mix of sugars and soluble/insoluble fiber overall that will give both "quick" and long term energy)
10.5 g protein (more variety of amino acids from three different protein sources instead of two)

Of course, 181 calories isn't enough for one meal to me (probably double all that for my girlish figure) but you get the idea.

Chief_Rocka

To a degree, yes.

I think people on this site make too big of a deal out of hunger. You can minimize it to an extent, but the bottom line is that when you're eating fewer calories than you burn, at some point during the day you're going to have to ignore your body when it says "can i haz moar foodz?"