No processed carbs = uncontrollable hunger?

Camellian
Camellian Posts: 6 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I am on my first day of giving up processed carbs. I have:
almonds
pecans
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
watermelon
strawberries
parsley
spinach
dandelion greens (my guinea pigs got me hooked on these!)
carrots
celery
vegetarian refried beans (I know, that's cheating, but only a little)
milk
eggs
air-popped popcorn (no butter/oil)

All of which I can eat as much of as I want to. And I feel like I am *starving*. I have never been this hungry before in my life, not even when I was fasting. It feels like toast/pizza/some other bread product is the only thing that can make me stop being hungry.

...why do I feel like this? Is it a "give your body a few days to adapt to the change and then you'll feel OK" thing, or a "nobody can live on that, you need to add _____" thing?

(Please do not tell me to add meat. I am a vegetarian! ;-) )

Replies

  • Mande_G
    Mande_G Posts: 599 Member
    What about adding steel-cut oats or rolled oats? Brown rice? Quinoa?
  • ouryear002
    ouryear002 Posts: 325 Member
    What about minimally processed carbs, like steel cut oats, brown rice, whole grains? It looks like you don't have a lot of fiber, which will help you feel full.
  • james3302
    james3302 Posts: 119 Member
    Try some oatmeal or something with alot of fiber. If you are still hungry then it's all in your mind. My minds does that sometimes. Tells me I;m hungry when there's no way that I am.
  • Sara1978
    Sara1978 Posts: 213 Member
    Yeah, I think you need some fiber in there, and maybe some more protein as well. Some of my favorites for "filling up" include:

    Baked or microwaved sweet potato (lots of fiber in sweet potatos! lots of vitamins! lots of goodness!)
    Wasa Multigrain crispbread
    Lentils (protein + fiber!)
    Greek yogurt (really high protein!)
  • spuzo
    spuzo Posts: 50 Member
    (Please do not tell me to add meat. I am a vegetarian! ;-) )

    I was wondering this when I read your list. Ive cut out most carbs but the meat/fat keeps me feeling full now - first day was just horrible! I was so ravenous.

    Quinoa is a great grain - and it has a lot of protein in it.

    I agree with the suggestions of steel cut oats - you can mix those with nuts/seeds. Also, if you eat dairy you can add some greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
  • iphy
    iphy Posts: 1 Member
    My guess is pprotein is a big part of your problem. The only foods with any serious protein on your list are eggs and nuts. I'm a vego too - and did low carb for a couple of years (with reasonable success - lost and have kept off 10kg for 2 years). After years of eating way too much carbohydrate a lightbulb went off for me when I started finally eating protein with the LC diet. I'm not low carbing any more but I still have protein shakes or eggs etc for breakfast which I find makes a huge difference to how hungry I am during the day.

    With the very restricted list of foods you have - I'd try a big serve of scrambled eggs for breakfast? And 30-50g roasted almonds (yum!) for an afternoon snack...

    Also noticed you had milk on your list - does it extend to cheese? While it's evil on the calorie front , sometimes if I'm really starving I find a 50g chunk of cheese will stop me in my tracks (though need to remember 50g cheese can be ~200 calories). What about tofu?
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