Anyone else experienced this phenomenon?

MsCzar

Once upon a time, I used to regularly order a large sweet tea from McD's with every order. One time, they gave me unsweetened tea instead. I thought, no problem, since I am on my way home, I'll just add sugar then. It was real eye opener seeing just how much sugar I had to dump in to reach the level of sweetness I had come to expect from their sweet tea.

Xerogs

Speakeasy76 wrote: »

I was surprised that not only did I really not care for them, I actually would have rather had my homemade healthy apple muffins I had made earlier in the week, or even one of the apples. Then, the rest of the day yesterday I just seemed to be craving food, having that "unsatisfied" feeling of like I wasn't really hungry but "needed" more to eat. I don't eat a lot of high sugar, refined flour treats like this anymore, and when I do I can really tell the difference in how my body responds. I mean, I'll still eat them if I really want it, but I almost always feel worse physically afterwards.

Insulin response?

Eating highly processed and sweetened foods can cause blood sugar to spike for me, this usually leads to always being hungry and overeating the same foods that initially caused the problem. I've also got some gluten sensitivities that make my physically unwell and mentally sluggish but that doesn't typically manifest into overeating.

There is a "bliss point" when the right combination of salt, sugar, and fat are mixed into foods that can stimulate your body to crave them more even when you might not normally like that food. Fast food and processed food manufacturers have this down to a science but even homemade items can hit those triggers.

I love red and/or green chile breakfast burritos but the flour tortilla and other heavy carb load ingredients cause issues for me so I just refrain or make myself a lower carb green/red chile omelet. I can still enjoy the omelet and chile without the mental fog and heartburn plus I don't crave burritos all day.

If you physically feel bad after eating something then listen to what your body is telling you.

rheddmobile

johnrsinger452 wrote: »

I think a lot of this is a combination of conscious and sub-conscious confirmation bias that we all have as a desire for our chosen choices and actions to be right. Yes, a cider donut doesn't have a high satiety index and isn't going to fill you up. But eating one (or something similar) while otherwise consuming your normal diet isn't going to make you extra hungry or feel physically worse, at least not in the small quantity you state. You simply actually did like the donut and would like more (it's not a crime).

That you added "I actually would have rather had my homemade healthy apple muffins" is a good indicator that you're needing to reassure yourself that your healthier eating choices are better. And there's nothing wrong with that. If giving up sweets and treats were so easy, we wouldn't need to put so much effort into actively eating healthy and watching our consumption.

We all in some way play the mind games with ourselves, such as "I almost always feel worse physically afterwards" which may be true for a larger scale eating of unhealthy food that your body isn't used to, but doubtful after a small indulgence. It's a way we mentally attempt to tell ourselves not to make that choice again. If you actually did feel considerably worse, you probably would not continue to do the same again and again.

Actually refined carbs spike bg causing an insulin rise, and insulin causes hunger. It’s such a well known phenomenon that asylums used to punish inmates with insulin injections and not allowing them to eat afterwards.