Satiety problems

(Jane Srygley) #1

I don’t get full unless I REALLY overeat. I can easily down a half a jar of almond butter or peanut butter. If I’m eating carb-intensive items, it’s much worse… but fat doesn’t seem to fill me up. I can eat a LOT of cheese, like 4 oz easy even if I’ve eaten something else already. Protein seems to be the only thing that fills me up. I can only eat so much hamburger, only so much chicken, etc… I will say that veggies are in that category as well, though the satiety doesn’t last long. This is why when I’m told “just eat to satiety” I’m like… BUT I’LL EAT 3000 CALORIES!!! Because I have and I will.

Anyone else struggle with this? Any ideas for how to manage it? I’m thinking I just need to have a lot of protein in the mornings so that I can be a bit more chill throughout the day. Eggs don’t satisfy me much either. I only want to eat so many, but that’s because I don’t want to keep going. I could easily down like 4 chaffles!

(John) #2

So don’t try to get full. Try to get not-empty, enough to tide you over to the next meal. Also - a jar of almond butter is not a meal. Try to eat actual meals.

You might want to try learning to experience the feeling of being empty, even hungry, and not responding to that feeling, at least to learn that you can choose to eat or not eat.

(Allie) #3

So eat more protein if that’s what your body needs. Some days I eat over 3000 calories, some days less than 1000. Depends what my needs.

(Bob M) #4

I just listened to Amy Berger, and she said that if you’re hungry enough to eat more steak and vegetables, you’re hungry. If you wouldn’t eat that, but you’re still hungry, that’s basically a desire for carbs or something else. She says it better than I did:

Anyway, maybe you need to eat 3,000 calories? Maybe your body lacks the nutrition it needs and is trying to get it back? See if you can move toward meat and veggies and that’s it for a while. For me, I have a list of things I avoid because they make me overeat and get hungry: nuts, yogurt, anything sweet, anything high in fat and sweet, etc. Maybe cheese triggers you? (It does not seem to trigger me.)

#5

I’m with you. For me the “eat to satiety” advice has never been useful. I can easily eat a 1000 calories more than I need, day after day. And there are plenty of us who really rely on getting sufficient protein to get full; fat is not the miracle macro for us.

I make sure to eat plenty of protein and let the fat take care of itself. I really think it’s almost impossible to over eat protein (though there are a few N=1s around here who have a different experience, it’s not generally the case).

I measure and track what I eat. If I seem to gotten all of what I need on a particular day, it gives me an external measure to really consider whether I need to eat more or just want to, because something is good. My calorie intake can still fluctuate quite a bit day-to-day. I DO NOT restrict to an exact number–there is so much more at play than CICO, obviously. But keeping an eye on it is helpful for me.

(Wendy) #6

I agree that protein is pretty hard to over eat. I can feel fill with either fat or protein but can appreciate that we are all different. Variety can also make it easier to eat more so maybe making fewer different things can be a help.
I believe fasting or time restricted eating helped me really learn satiety signals. Now if I indulge in too much I will definitely feel ill. I use to be able to eat much more.
I think many people expect to feel overfull instead of just satisfied as in I’ve had enough I don’t need to eat any more, instead of I can’t eat any more.

(Joey) #7

@AuntJane Sometimes I also struggle with figuring out whether I’m sated or not. Here’s a suggestion that has helped me sort things out a bit…

Don’t expect instant satiety signals. It probably takes a little time for the hormones (ghrelin, leptin) to be released and for the brain to be affected accordingly. So slow down just a bit. Wait 5-10 minutes after having eaten a good portion of the meal on your plate - then see if you feel the same level of hunger you did when you first sat down.

If so, then fine. Keep going. If a bit less “ravenous” after 5-10 minutes, then begin to slow down. Then wait another 5-10 minutes. How about now? Still not sated?

It’s been a helpful way for me to better rediscover what true hunger and satiety feel like. Rushing through a plateful of food was a long-established habit of mine and re-training myself to infuse a bit more time for my body to react has been of some help in reconnecting with the sensations that are so important to managing how much I really need to eat to reach satiety.

Hope this helps a bit.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #8

@AuntJane I’m in a similar place. I never get particularly hungry or satiated. I often just forget to eat and I seldom feel so full that I couldn’t eat more. I feel cold and/or weak when I need to eat. When I don’t need to eat I get easily distracted by other activities. These aren’t very precise signals so here’s what I’ve done.

I count calories. This on a sub-15 grams of carbs per day and a keto high fat to protein ratio. Eating essentially the same stuff to the same ratios over 2+ years, I have determined by trial and error how many calories I need to maintain my weight. If I eat 1-200 calories less for 3-4 days I will lose weight. If I eat 1-200 calories more for 3-4 days I will gain weight. It works for me.

Disclaimer: Please dear readers do not accuse me of advocating CICO here. I understand fully that the human metabolism and energy processing are far more complex than advocates of CICO admit. I merely state my own observations. I’ve been in ketosis for 99% of the last 2.5+ years (since Jan 4, 2017). I did not have any serious metabolic problems to deal with. I have simply discovered that eating a fairly strict keto diet enables me to modify my weight by eating a little less or more for a few days. That is all. I know some folks report the exact opposite: that they lose by eating more and gain by eating less. Which is very interesting and proof that this is not simple stuff we’re dealing with.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #9

I’m also someone who needs plenty of protein to feel sated. I also don’t get the “full” feeling until at least 20 minutes later which isn’t helpful when I could eat an entire meal with seconds in 7 minutes. At this point I can eyeball based on volume what will satisfy me. I start with meat, add veg and maybe some sauce or cheese but the brunt of my meals is meat. Sometimes I crave a mixing bowl full of salad and I eat it, but those are the nights I want a bedtime snack within 2 hours of dinner.

I also think I’m hungry when I’m thirsty or am craving salt.

I think if I was worried about overeating I’d prep my meals with enough food in each and try that for a few days. Maybe you’re getting the sated message slowly (or not at all) and definitely eat meat and veg and eliminate the higher carb/sweet stuff for a while. Someone on here always says if they don’t want a hard boiled egg then they really aren’t hungry, it’s how he measures it. I like that idea too.

(Erin Macfarland ) #10

I used to really struggle with satiety too when I’d attempt to “fill up on fat,” which is common advice for people eating LCHF. I too could eat jars of nut butter, cheese in huge amounts. The thing that seems to consistently work for me is really eating as much fatty steak as I need to feel satiated. Ribeye, chuck eye, even chuck roast. There seems to be something about steak that kicks in the feelings of full (but not nauseatingly full…) give it a try!!

(hottie turned hag) #12

Erm you are a lightweight :grin:
I have eaten a 16oz jar of almond butter in a DAY.
A pound of pecans, ditto. I’d bought 4lb on a great sale and ate them all in a week.

I CANNOT HAVE NUTS. I keep shoveling them in. I now avoid.

Before I went “almost-carn” I was eating 16oz mozz per DAY. Plus other things.
A pound of bacon in a sitting? Hellsyeah.
8oz pepper jack cheese? Erm, ya.

I still lost and never gained! I did stall though.

I had to go “almost carn”. Broke the stall. I never overeat steak.

#bingebrags

#13

Oh, thank you for sharing this! :slight_smile: I felt soo much better when I read it. I never buy peanut/ almond butter because I know that if I have this at hand it is over. Nothing can stop me until I see the bottom of the jar. Last week I decided that I deserve a little bit of peanut butter and I made the huge mistake to buy 1 jar of about 12 oz (350 gr). I ate it all the same day … I felt sooo ashamed…

But now I feel better knowing that I am not alone who does such things. :innocent:

(hottie turned hag) #14

:smile:

Ya, sister that’s how I roll.

I never binged pre keto. Never. This nut thing is only since keto. Now I just don’t have it in the house.

#15

Same here :slight_smile:

(Jane Srygley) #16

OMG #twinsees!!! LOL That is me exactly. Anything ultra fatty with low protein doesn’t fill me up no matter how much I eat. Yesterday, my first day back on the keto wagon, I ate over 3400 calories. The first 2800 did nothing to fill me up so I finally ate 8 oz of 80/20 hamburger with some dill pickle slices and suddenly SATIETY ACHIEVED! I honestly am a wannabe vegan (sorry I know that’s a dirty word around here) so I hate that, but I have got to heal this body and no amount of plant food fills me up either. Maybe my body is just telling me I’m an omnivore, like it or not… :sob:

(Allie) #17

And here.
Can’t have nut butters in the house.

(Jane Srygley) #18

There are some things that if I buy pre-portioned packages, I can restrain myself. I tried this with almond butter, little 1-oz squeeze packs. Yeah they were gone reeeeally quick… So if I really want peanut or almond butter, I’m going to have to purchase one fairly pricey squeeze pack and only one.

(hottie turned hag) #19

More like triplets. @Ilana_Rose suffers from a similar malady and is now strict carn.

I too am a reluctant meat eater; I was vegetarian for 8 years for animal advocacy reasons and must greatly disconnect to eat meat.

One of my kids (female aged 36) is a lifelong -never had meat, not once- vegetarian now 7+ yr vegan and is a paragon of health and vitality and lean muscle so I’m not one of the anti vegan crowd that’s for sure.

I’m all about what works for one does not work for all.

Trust me if I could eat just veg I would do so; unlike my daughter I fare poorly on a vegetarian diet.

(Bob M) #20

You’ve mixed two things up there. Vegetarians aren’t vegans. The former can eat some animal products, the latter can’t.

I don’t eat nuts other than macadamia nuts because (1) I overeat them and (2) they are high in PUFAs (which coincidentally cause your fat cells to be insulin sensitive, increasing your hunger; or at least that’s one theory).

(hottie turned hag) #21

Er…re-read, please!
A lifelong vegetarian NOW 7yr vegan is what I wrote :neutral_face: