Question on fiber (I think) again

ppdes

So basically, I believe this has got to do with fiber ...

I've been consciously eating/opting for relatively fiber rich food and I noticed, I feel full/ less hungry for longer period of time in general, though my energy levels have not dipped or anything. Wonder if this is good or bad and secondly whether I should keep on eating despite of not feeling hungry... Because I have upped my workout starting today and I expect to need more energy.

yarwell

fibre is generally regarded as "a good thing" and if you're looking to lose weight not eating when you aren't hungry is a reasonable strategy.

You don't give much away with your closed diary and it may help to state your dimensions, calorie intake, exercise regime and objectives :-)

ppdes

My main issue is body fat loss and blood sugar control which is why I am eating fiber rich food - to help me with blood sugar part.

I have made my diary public now.
I am a vegetarian and I eat mostly home made food - so I record item wise and create recipes many a times since these recipes are not available on MFP. That will not give exact idea of how much fiber is being consumed - mainly since websites from where I copy this data may or may not have information on fiber.

I am maintaining this diary to just make sure that I am prioritising protein rich food over carbs which is what I totally struggle with and which is another problem for sugar sensitive people.

Though I know I have increased my fiber -I have started eating raw veggies, peas, carrot etc which earlier I wasn't really eating.

My objectives - to achieve 10% weightloss to reduce risk of prediabetes/diabetes
Reduce the body fat percent from 31 to around 22-25% which I feel I can maintain over a longer period of time
to increase vitamin D levels - which I am told the fatloss will also support - in addition to the supplements that I am taking.

Exercise regime - So far in primary stages. I am on MFP since last 3 weeks. I walk at medium pace for at least 30 minutes daily, strength training - usually twice a week and from today I began Jillian Michaels 30 day shred program. I expect that I'd need more energy as its an intense program - but I haven't felt much hungry/ additionally hungry because of the new workout today. So my question - if I dont feel hungry, should I still keep eating?

yarwell

if I dont feel hungry, should I still keep eating?

Not necessarily. You are typically overeating carbs and on quite a few days overshooting calories, so it appears you can eat less.

Having more fats would help offset the carbs - fat free milk has more carbs than 2% (semi skimmed) or full fat milk.

If you get to a point where you don't feel hungry at all, then it would be wise to maintain your eating to provide the nutrition you need. In general we've lost the connection between hunger and eating, so I'm all in favour of restoring it rather than eating for social / emotive / boredom reasons alone.

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

Fiber is an indigestible carbohydrate.

It regulates blood glucose and insulin levels, which is probably what gives you the "full" feeling for a longer period of time. Fiber is an extremely important nutrient, probably the most underrated nutrient in everyones diet, but like anything more does NOT equal better. You should aim to get about 35-65 grams of fiber in a day, depending on weight and daily caloric goals. Once you start having too much fiber in a day you will feel extremely bloated, and it will start stripping away nutrients from your digestive track.

ppdes

Umm... well, I do, sort of feel bloated from time to time. Though my fiber intake has never exceeded 30 gms I think and 25 gms is what I have targetted currently. (My earlier intake probably was 5-10 gms per day)

I suppose I will increase my intake only if I feel that I am low in energy. My diet is carb rich and it IS in fact a concern for me. I really do struggle to incorporate more proteins - I am so used to consume carbs in majority and that has become a habit / thats what I tend to stock at home mainly - so it requires change of habit /lifestyle from my side and that's not very easy at this point. Also I keep on worrying about being short of energy if I don't eat enough.

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

Umm... well, I do, sort of feel bloated from time to time. Though my fiber intake has never exceeded 30 gms I think and 25 gms is what I have targetted currently. (My earlier intake probably was 5-10 gms per day)

I suppose I will increase my intake only if I feel that I am low in energy. My diet is carb rich and it IS in fact a concern for me. I really do struggle to incorporate more proteins - I am so used to consume carbs in majority and that has become a habit / thats what I tend to stock at home mainly - so it requires change of habit /lifestyle from my side and that's not very easy at this point. Also I keep on worrying about being short of energy if I don't eat enough.

What are your daily macronutrient goals ?

You definitely should be consuming more carbohydrates than protein, I am losing weight with a 2:1 carb/protein ratio. You should have no concern about a moderately high carb diet. When I try to gain weight (for muscular hypertrophy purposes) I eat a very high carb diet and get no problems whatsoever

yarwell

More fats is the way to reduce carbs within the same calories. Step away from those "low fat" or "diet" options which replace fats with carbs.

rotill

As a vegetarian, you need to look into protein and fat rich options. But it's not hard to get enough of either, as long as you eat whole-grain and brown rice, legumes, beans, nuts and avocado. If you also eat milk and eggs, you have a very easy source of both in eggs, cheese and milk.

If you stick to whole grain and unpolished rice together with raw vegetables, you should also get enough fiber to keep your blood-sugar in check, unless you are really sensitive.