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So, I think carbs make people hungry.

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motown13
motown13 Posts: 688 Member
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About 3 weeks ago I started eating LCHF.

What I noticed is that I am eating way less food and am not hungry.... OK, that is expected, they say. But I went deeper into it, and I think I was eating the same amount of protein, and maybe a wee bit less fat, but also had all the carbs - up to 100 a day - and was always hungry.

So basically eating the same way or close, just without the carbs, and less hunger. Not sure how.

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  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
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    Carbs absolutely make me hungry. I used to eat like every 2 or 3 hours. When I discovered that by eating LCHF I could go 5, 6, 7, 8 hours between meals I felt like I had super powers. You'll hear a lot of people saying "there's no magic to eating low carb" but as far as I'm concerned, being not hungry was magic for me. Hunger always wins out eventually.
  • MimiOfTheLusciousLawn
    MimiOfTheLusciousLawn Posts: 2,212 Member
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    I'm sure the lack of hunger has been one of the keys to making this lifestyle sustainable. I can't imagine going back.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    MimiOfTheLusciousLawn wrote: »
    I'm sure the lack of hunger has been one of the keys to making this lifestyle sustainable. I can't imagine going back.

    The lack of constant hunger and cravings is what drew me to Low Carb in the first place :+1:
  • makaryan11
    makaryan11 Posts: 40 Member
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    I can eat whole pot of rice in one sitting and still be hungry, a small stake will fill me up and keep me full for hours. IT IS MAGIC!
  • motown13
    motown13 Posts: 688 Member
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    No, what I am saying is that I could eat LCHF, and be fine... eat that way PLUS add carbs, and I would be hungry.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    I used to be able to eat bread and butter, a 20 ounce steak, french fries, a salad, and maybe a dessert as well. I would be horribly stuffed at the end, but I could get it all down. Now, I sometimes find myself unable to finish a 16 ounce steak. Even though that is all I am eating!

    If I add in carbs, my appetite goes right back up to where it was. I can't be satisfied. Keep the carbs away, and I eat a reasonable amount and my weight stays (or returns to) a normal level.
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
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    The absence of whole grain carbs triggers cravings for me (as do the presence of some fats - bacon, for one). People respond differently - but from an ease of sustaining, this is one of the more challenging ways of eating I've tried. (For now, I don't have a lot of choice because of insulin resistance - I still have a teeny window of hope that my insulin resistance will drop low enough once I am in the normal weight range that I will occasionally be able to quell the cravings by eating some bread.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Oh yeah! Carbs = hunger. The lower I keep my carbs the less hungry i am.

    I have a bit of an exception with sweeteners. Stevia may not have carbs but when I have too much sweet, I get a bit hungry too.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
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    It's an insulin thing. If my daughter didn't take her insulin injection until after eating dinner, she would almost immediately be hit with feelings of hunger. Even though she had just finished dinner and wasn't hungry. The insulin triggers it
  • WhatLouAte
    WhatLouAte Posts: 155 Member
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    Yes they made me hungry, I could eat a big bowl of pasta, be stuffed and want to fall asleep and 2 hours later want more! Never ending cycle there for me.
  • CoffeeSalty
    CoffeeSalty Posts: 38 Member
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    The hunger I feel when eating carbs as opposed to not is hugely noticeable. Carb hunger = kill for food NOW! Hunger on keto = minor inconvenience.

    Carbs definitely make me ravenous.
  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
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    I've noticed similar results as well. Thanks for posting @motown13.
  • totaloblivia
    totaloblivia Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Carbs definitely do not seem to fill me up - I can eat a big bowl of pasta and still not feel satisfied: my stomach is full but my mind still wants more - sweets. This mechanism was explained in one of the low-carb books I read, but I can't remember where. I think it was something about insulin as @Sunny_Bunny_ suggests. Maybe it was for prehistoric days when we needed to fatten up for the winter - eat lots of carbs that don't fill you up so you keep eating to fatten?

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