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Does anyone else have this experience with food and appetite?


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The recent threads about meat and sugar and various food discussions got me thinking about this.

 

When I eat meat, my body tells me very clearly when I've had enough. I eat meat frequently (because I've found that I need to in order to feel my best), but I never devour a huge hunk of it at a time. My portions are quite reasonable, because when I've had enough, my desire for it simply vanishes. Until the next meal. :)

 

Same with rich, fatty foods. When I've had enough, my hunger for it is simply gone. And in both cases, this happens at what I would consider to be a very reasonable portion size. I'm not saying I have to be stuffed!

 

But with sweets and starches, that isn't true at all. My body doesn't seem to know when I've had enough, and I could gorge myself on these foods. I don't, because I consciously limit them, but it isn't because I'm no longer hungry for them like with fat and protein. In fact, it's *almost* the opposite: the more I eat of them, the more I want! This is especially true with sweets. When I successfully avoid them, I stop craving them. But if I slip and eat them again, I want more and more. I can eat a huge amount of a starch-based meal (pasta or bread) and not feel full. I feel much better overall, much healthier, when I limit these kinds of foods. But that limiting has to be a conscious choice because I seem to get no help from my body in this.

 

Does anyone else have this experience? Or am I just weird? Is this indicative of some metabolic difference related to why some people say they have to eat meat to feel healthy, while others say they can't tolerate meat?

 

Just curious.

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For breakfast I can eat a couple of eggs and feel like I have had plenty. If I eat cereal I can down half the box and not feel satisfied (or hungry 1/2 an hour later).

 

That's me exactly! Plus, with the cereal, my blood sugar would be crashing a couple hours later and I'd feel worse than if I had eaten nothing at all.

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My husband has been doing the South Beach diet. And it operates under the principle that when you eat plenty of lean meat and unsaturated fats, you will automatically eat less. And he's lost 50 pounds this year. His weight loss stalled when his wife (ahem) got too lazy and started making pasta for dinner again. :D

 

When I was a kid, I would often have this insatiable appetite for sweets (ok, I still do). But, when it seemed to get out of control, my mom would tell me to eat an egg. It never failed that my cravings would disappear when I got a little protein inside of me.

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I agree with the OP.

 

I can eat a l cheeseburger and know when I've had enough. (I picked cheeseburger because I've been craving it lately, I do mean any meat though)

I could eat my body weight in mashed potatoes and keep eating. Honestly, simple carbs reek havoc on me. I'm very sensitive to them.

 

I'm much more comfortable and happy with a couple of scrambled eggs with diced veggies in it for breakfast than any other breakfast food. The others don't satisfy me and make me sleepy. Pancakes are the worst.

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When I was a kid, I would often have this insatiable appetite for sweets (ok, I still do). But, when it seemed to get out of control, my mom would tell me to eat an egg. It never failed that my cravings would disappear when I got a little protein inside of me.

 

I keepmy own jar of peanut butter in the cupboard. When I want something bad (always carbs,) I have a spoonful or two. The fat and protein do the trick. I also keep a jar of peanuts in the van for the same purpose. :001_smile:

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I keepmy own jar of peanut butter in the cupboard. When I want something bad (always carbs,) I have a spoonful or two. The fat and protein do the trick. I also keep a jar of peanuts in the van for the same purpose. :001_smile:

 

I put the peanut butter on celery so that I can get a nice crunch out of it as well. A different crunch than Pringles, but definitely a healthier one. My peanut butter contains "peanuts" and "salt" only.

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I put the peanut butter on celery so that I can get a nice crunch out of it as well. A different crunch than Pringles, but definitely a healthier one. My peanut butter contains "peanuts" and "salt" only.

 

 

Don't say Pringles! Ack! You said it! That's one- non food I love. They are horrible, absolutly horrible...but oh...sometimes...

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Don't say Pringles! Ack! You said it! That's one- non food I love. They are horrible, absolutly horrible...but oh...sometimes...

 

Okay, just repeat after me . . . ."Pringles are wall paper paste formed into wafers . . ." "I stopped eating paste in first grade and will never go back!"

 

HTH ;)

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Wendy, I was wondering if he has an article on his website or a book where he lays out his "plan" -- a program of what we should eat. Everything I'm finding on the website is about why low-carb is healthy and why the "healthy eating" we've all been taught actually isn't healthy at all. I'm in agreement there, so I need to move from the "why" stage into the "how" stage. I've used the program in Life Without Bread before with tremendous success. But I am wondering if/how his differs. (In Lw/oB you simply restrict your carb intake to 72 grams per day, and let your hunger be your guide on fats and proteins. Simple but effective.) Do you know if that info is available on his website, or if I would have to buy one of his books? And if the latter, do you know which book?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

He has a ton of info on his website.
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Did you ever see this video?

 

Something to think about:

 

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/event_details.php?webcastid=21216

 

Wow, that was so good! I've been needing a kick in the butt lately to get back on what I know is a healthy diet, and that sure provided it! How do you find all these great videos? :D

 

Also, I'm curious if there is a certain low-carb plan/program/diet that you follow or would recommend? As I mentioned in a post to Wendy, I've used Life Without Bread before with great success, but I am curious about others and how they compare. I know I'm not interested in anything that advocates low-fat (like South Beach) because it only makes sense to me that fat is a healthy source of fuel, and that man cannot live on protein alone. So, that leaves Life Without Bread, Atkins, and . . . ?

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