I have recetnly started a low carb diet, and I am enjoying the food and different recipes etc they are really tasty, but I feel hungry a lot of the time.
Does anyone have any tips or advice on how to feel full on a low carb diet?
Are you eating enough protein and fat? My advice is to be sure to eat your protein with a reasonable amount of fat. Be sure to eat lots of lower carb vegetables. There is a list on about.com, http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/wha.../a/whatveg.htm.
I am less hungry on a low carb diet than when I was eating low calorie, low fat so I suspect that you simply are not eating enough.
Don't be afraid of the fat! It helps to keep you feeling full. Add a little butter to your eggs and veggies. Eat LOTS of vegetables.
Take an extra minute or two and prepare your meal so that it looks enticing. Sit down and really enjoy it. I've surprised myself with what I can do with a simple chef salad! I've even taken pictures!
Broth/bouillon, or soups - I do kindof know that "full" thing you're talking about - and like the others I'm not afraid of fat and eat plenty of protein, but my years of low fat dieting had me overeating large portions of veggies all the time and with the switch to low carb there is nothing you really eat in such volume. So soups, broths, etc can help give some of that bulk. I adjusted away from that pretty quickly, by the way.
Second on the eating lots of vegetables! It was a key element I was missing when I first started. To put it delicately "gassy" vegetables will leave you feeling full. I love broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and am still amazed when I add them to my meal how full I feel and how few calories they are adding.
How long have you been doing it? I found that it took a while for my body to adjust and my hunger signals to dissipate, even when my protein intake was adequate. I do agree that making sure you have enough fat helps immensely. If you do eat cheese, I find that one 80 calorie stick of old cheddar will quell most of my pangs. Just don't over do it on the cheese!
Also don't forget to drink enough water throughout the day. Amazing how often hunger is actually thirst.
I second fats. I use coconut oil now almost daily now. Amazing full feeling.
But I have to say hands down low carb high fat is by far the most full I have ever felt.
Million times more full then when I eat bread and other non veggie carbs.
My guess is not filling full is the transition period and the hunger is old carb cravings. But once your body adjusts, the body gets what it needs on low carb so the hunger naturally goes away. Would not have believed it either if I wasn't living it.
Last edited by diamondgeog; 02-10-2014 at 08:20 PM.
The first week that I went very low carb (<20g/day) I let myself eat whatever I wanted so long as I stayed under my carb goal and under my protein goal. Excess protein can be converted to glucose which can prolong your adaptation period, so it's important to watch out for that. Now I find my appetite is naturally diminished and I can comfortably stay under that goal.
There are good suggestions here for the different kinds of hunger that you can find- broth is a good idea if you want a full stomach with few calories. Plus it will give you lots of electrolytes which you can lose easily on a low carb diet. Veggies are good as long as you are staying under your carb goal.
Fats fats fats. Don't be afraid of them. I start the morning off with bulletproof coffee, which is a mix of cream and coconut oil for me. Snacks are usually high fat, too, like cheese sticks or cream cheese with celery. Fat is the single most important part of satiation on low carb. Protein is not going to do it.
Any tips for feeling full on a low carb diet
