Question re: food/feeling full/etc

Kohanai

Is it possible to look at the below numbers and be like "Yes Mel, being over in Protein by 28g and Sugar by 21g is absolutely why you feel so overly full right now!"

Calories Carbs Fat Protein Sodium Sugar
MFP goals (w/o exercise) 1,320 165 44 66 2,300 50
Actual food (w/ exercise) 1,397 174 43 94 2,450 71

Overage 77 9 -1 28 150 21



Ok, I've been doing this (logging/watching food) for a while now, and I'm feeling a little strange this evening. I, of course, went over on my macros today and ate some of them back. I am SO DARN FULL it's *almost* gross. not quite. I'm just... so full.

Anyway, the question. I've not felt like this in a while, but I've gone over by much more both on days I work out, and days I don't. Is there a specific reason (if you're just looking at the numbers) that I feel this way? Or, is it just a mix of eating 3 hours ago/being tired/the kinds of food I ate/not the best decisions/luck of the draw? No amount of research has helped me figure this out, except "fiber and carbs make you feel full!" Thanks Google. So, is it that sweet potato and all-in-one shake at dinner that did it?

Kohanai

I apologize for the TERRIBLE formatting.

kommodevaran

A good diet, not individual foods, will make you feel full/satisfied. But also be aware that excitement over new diet/weightloss/newfound willpower can make you ignore some hunger signals and feeling of missing out on your favorite foods, which often tends to backfire.

fireruler

Only thing I can think of (depending on how you ate today and what you have eaten before) is the difference in what you ate. Some days, I have noticed that I have burned through my calories and do not at all feel satisfied. On those days, I look at what I ate and realize that the foods that I was eating were empty calories and things that will make my blood sugar spike and then I have no fuel for later. Additionally, many companies have made their food tasty by making them food that your body craves more of regardless of satiety. These foods you will continue to eat until you are bursting without realizing that you are full until it is too late.

I have noticed that on days that I try to ensure that I am meeting my macros and focusing on nutrient dense foods, I usually feel fuller and have the feelings that you are describing than on days where I eat trash. Ex: (crappy one but what I have in front of me that I can show my process of thinking) I can eat 1/4 cup of roasted and salted almonds for less calories than it would take to eat one Krispy Kream donut. After I eat the 1/4 cup of almonds (30g in weight, which have 16g of fat, 6g of protein, etc) I feel much more full than the donut (49g with less of everything).

Foods that are nutrient rich are going to make you feel more full and satieted much quicker than foods that are designed by the companies to make you want MORE!

All of this could be an exercise in futility based on your experience for this day on what you ate but I have found that on days that I eat healthier and try to reach my macros, I feel more full than the days that I eat whatever I want.

Some other reasons (after reading your numbers again after having written my little essay) is the fact that certain things take longer to digest and breakdown than others. Your body has to work harder to break down protein and fats than it does to breakdown carbs and sugars. This can make you feel like you are fuller for longer and make it harder to get the extra things you need in. Honestly, the best way to do it is make yourself feel good while attempting to match your macros and eating enough but not too much.

amusedmonkey

I would take a note of it (does protein help me feel full?) and experiment with that, but not take this one incident as fact. Humans tend to see patterns where there are none. Getting too excited about what could be a random blip would set you up for an emotional rollercoaster when you have hungry days and increasing protein doesn't help. The week after my period my appetite is usually lower. I feel full faster and on lower total calories. The week before my period is the exact opposite. When I first started and before noticing this pattern it was an emotional rollercoaster, one day I'm like "yes! I can do this for life!" and another day I'm like "this is too hard, why do I even bother?". After a while, I learned to take each day as it comes. If it's a normal day, I'm doing my normal stuff. If it's a hungry day, I just tell myself it will pass, if it's a "full" day, I enjoy it but don't count on it to last or let myself get complacent.

Spotting patterns takes time and extermination. Always be on the lookout to learn something new about yourself, but don't get complacent and think you have it all figured out. Even 5 years later I still encounter situations where I don't have my diet figured out yet.

Kohanai

Thanks ya'll! Apprecaite the insight.

I'm going to go with me just not paying this close attention to myself all the time. So, there's really no way for me to know if this really is "first in a while" or not.

I've got a good handle on ensuring I eat good food and reasonable portions (finally). So, I guess it's time to move on to step two, which is focusing on how foods make me feel, the energy/fulfillment they provide, and ensuring I'm sticking to overall *better* choices. That shouldn't be too hard, but I'll keep what you said in mind about it taking a while to figure out diet @amusedmonkey

lightenup2016

kommodevaran wrote: »

A good diet, not individual foods, will make you feel full/satisfied. But also be aware that excitement over new diet/weightloss/newfound willpower can make you ignore some hunger signals and feeling of missing out on your favorite foods, which often tends to backfire.

I disagree. Particular individual foods make me feel fuller when compared with others. Most include protein, but also some fat and carbs. Also depends on where I am in my cycle--week before TOM I can't eat enough food, and the week after, I fill up quickly. I don't think it's just about having a "good diet". My experience, anyway.

lemurcat12

If you are interested in examining why you feel full, I'd look at fiber (in place of sodium or maybe sugar).

amusedmonkey

Keep in mind I'm in no way saying that you shouldn't notice how certain things affect your diet. In fact, it's very important to a sustainable diet, I just hope you don't get discouraged if at one point you feel all that confident.