What do you find filling?

lorib642
lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
I have trouble staying within my calorie target because I get too hungry.

I have heard protein helps you feel full longer. Is this true? That is the macro I probably don’t get enough.

I find fat satisfying but so calorie dense. If I don’t measure I could eat too much.

Some people say volume. Eat lots of veggies. I do eat them.

I am working on increasing protein.
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Replies

  • gpanda103
    gpanda103 Posts: 189 Member
    I found the best strategy for me is to find a way to volumize a high fat meal. A little bit of a fat source can go a really long way in my meals
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited June 2022
    "What do you find filling?"
    Starchy carbs mostly but for me taste is also just as important as macros.

    "I have heard protein helps you feel full longer. Is this true?"
    For some people yes, for some no. Pretty sure my son could eat a whole cow if nicely cooked. :hushed:
    The whole this or that particular macro is satiating is pretty much over-generalised and over-stated. When you look at published lists of top ten most satiating foods all macros tend to be represented. Often with mashed potato at #1.
    Water and fibre content has a big impact. As is having to chew.

    "That is the macro (protein) I probably don’t get enough."
    On its own that's a good reason to experiment with increasing protein.

    "I find fat satisfying"
    I don't at all in very palatable forms such as nuts and cheese, can eat a mountain of those delights!

    Perhaps look at foods and meals rather than macros to find your personal best choices?

    Also worth looking at timing, eating less (or nothing) early in the day means I get to eat more in the evening when I tend to get far more hungry. Breakfast for me is completely optional but I feel very deprived restricting in the evening.


  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Today I made pilau with lots of veggies and a few shrimps. I know many people will eat their arms off from so much veggies and rice. I feel full from it. So yeah, it's very individual.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Thanks everyone. I will have to look over the list of high protein foods. I am 5'5" 170 lb and lucky if I hit 60 g protein. I do eat meat, mostly poultry and eggs.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,532 Member
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I will have to look over the list of high protein foods. I am 5'5" 170 lb and lucky if I hit 60 g protein. I do eat meat, mostly poultry and eggs.

    I would argue that 60 grams is sufficient nutritionally (I think the recommendation is, I think, .5 to 1 gram per pound of lean (muscle and bone not including fat) body mass. But yeah, I've found increasing it definitely helps with staying full.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    As far as filling foods, protein does fill me up the most effectively. Things like eggs, yogurt, shrimp, turkey, etc. That being said, there is some produce that can be filling as well, like bananas, and higher volumes (but relatively low calories) of carrots, cauliflower, etc. Drinking a glass of water before or while eating can also be filling.
  • naturallykat
    naturallykat Posts: 115 Member
    Out of interest, what's your starchy carb and sugar intake like? I find that I'm far less hungry when I eat less than 30g added sugar per day, and keep my carbs away from white potatoes,pasta and rice and more towards moderate portions of buckwheat, quinoa and root veggies.

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,907 Member
    edited June 2022
    lorib642, are you getting any exercise? If I don't take a walk for an hour, I cannot stay in calories - and believe me - in the 15 years since I've lost my weight I've tried every possible permutation of food.

    Hang on, keep playing with it.
    I'd also say if you haven't taken a Maintenance Break in a while, try that.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    For me it's: hit the macros. Get the right amount of micros, too, like potassium, calcium, iron, sodium, fiber. It's all important. If I stay away from [my] treat foods, I'm good. If I start in on them, no amount of exercise or good nutrition helps. I'm just not able to eat some foods in reasonable portions. The end.

    If I don't take that walk, all bets are off.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    Fats fill me up the most. Protein rarely does.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,531 Member
    Carnivore here. If my Fat and Fiber macros are low, I'll get hankering for something else. Fast food places, Processed food, sugary foods like treats, "white" starchy like rice, will leave me craving big time. If I eat 4 different veggies at an early dinner then that stuff stays with me lots longer. So.... add a bit of corn to your beans and/or peas to your salads, etc. I'll get 100 gms of veggies in at breakfast, too. Definitely get your fat grams in, too. I personally like to "see" my fat so I like the butter to sit on the top!
  • cbiggs1861
    cbiggs1861 Posts: 9 Member
    I have been adding chia seeds and an egg white (stirred in once taken off the heat) to my oatmeal and hemp hearts to salads for boosts of protein. I also like the Good “whole” % cottage cheese with some berries in it. It does have some fat but also protein. Beans and lentils are a good source of protein too
  • sybillabryson
    sybillabryson Posts: 58 Member
    I add nuts or nut butter to whole fat greek yogurt. I feel full for several hours after eating this. I agree with others who said this is highly personal, also probably changes for the individual day-to-day as well. Sometimes i wont feel satisfied until Ive eaten a bunch of salt. haha. Dont be scared of fat though, i started feeling much better losing weight when i added fatty foods back in.
  • perryc05
    perryc05 Posts: 206 Member
    Boiled eggs are quite filling and not many cals. Try having a few of those in a row. I think they need some salt.
  • sonofray
    sonofray Posts: 2 Member
    I kind of have a “kit of tools” that slowly develop for certain situations in my new way of eating (I realize now that especially at my age my body has changed and whatever changes I make are gonna be forever. Sigh)

    If I want something sweet it grab some sugar-free gum or a diet soda (i know, don’t say it) and just as importantly - distract myself with a task

    If I’ve eaten well but I’m still hungry - air-popped (or microwave popper) popcorn is my jam. 3 cups+ is around 100 cal and that’ll appease me. Tons of raw veggies or a can (52 cal) of green beans work too (my kids make fun of me sitting there with a cold can of GBs and a fork).

    Throughout the day if I need protein bump I grab half a Pure Protein bar (100 cal), a boiled egg (60ish cal - I have tons ready all the time) or one of my favorite sausage sticks (40 cal)

    … and distract myself! The meals I used to look forward to and honestly built parts of my life around are gone and I’m slowly getting my head around that!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    I can't say that any one particular things "fills me up". I'm pretty satisfied with three balanced meals per day and an afternoon snack. All of my meals generally have a protein, some fat, a starchy carb, and either fruit or a vegetable and I'm usually in the neighborhood of around 30+ grams of fiber per day.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    I'm Team Volume, but as a vegan I also keep an eye on my protein as well. I average about 60-70 g of protein a day (usually from soy-based products or legumes), and 8-10 servings of veggies for about 45 - 60 grams of fiber a day.
  • Ari_ofAthens
    Ari_ofAthens Posts: 5 Member
    Protein tends to be the most filling for me, I have found that a can of tuna can go a long way, especially combined with a nice big salad. Eggs are pretty filling for me as well.
  • Countandsubtract
    Countandsubtract Posts: 276 Member
    Lima beans
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,145 Member
    Protein and carbs are the most filling for me. Fat doesn’t satisfy me much at all unless I eat a ton. My go-to breakfast is wheat crackers with some kind of sliced deli meat and a thin cut slice of cheese cut up Lunchable-style and it keeps me going until about 4 o’clock or so most days.