AIBU to feel constantly hungry on a low-carb diet?

@Violetwall thank you for telling about the resistant starch - I had absolutely no idea and that's incredibly useful information for the GI

This is the argument I always come back to.

People largely regard a low fat diet as nornal and common sense but low carb as a fad.

Just be a bit careful, it doesn't work like that for everyone - I tried the resistant starch trick when I had gestational diabetes and was testing my blood sugar 4-7 times per day, and didn't see a big difference between fresh and reheated carbs (my blood sugar went up really similarly from the same portion, regardless of if it was reheated). I do know some people in GD Facebook groups who swear by the reheated carbs trick though, and who see a big difference in their numbers if the only have reheated carbs.

This is bollocks. And quite mean.

Bread isn't calorie free if you freeze it first or toast it. What are you saying?

This. We are all different metabolically. I feel best on loads of veg, some fruit, with lean protein and complex carbs. The keto advice, which clearly works so well for lots of people, to fill up on fat makes me feel queasy but still ravenous. I need fibre.

What kind of carbs are you still eating?

I would be ravenous if I have white flour (bread/cake/pasta), white rice or sugar in my diet at all.

When my carbs consist of veg, pulses, beans, berries and nuts, I can go significant stretches without feeling hungry. (I’m low carb, but not quite keto, and intermittent fasting.)

I feel best on a ‘dirty keto’ but it’s difficult to sustain. Back on it now and the first few days can be tiring but it knocks off half a stone in two weeks. Thankfully I don’t have a sweet tooth. I find stronger flavours helpful, so I might make a tzatziki or pesto to have with something like cauliflower florets if I’m snackish. You also can make a muffin pancake type thing with eggs and Greek yoghurt if you’re craving carbs.

@Touty are you going to come back to your thread?!

I’d suggest it’s not working for you if you are hungry despite eating 350g of meatballs, which is circa 500 calories / 60g protein. Assess if you are drinking enough and eating enough fibre (essential on a low carb diet).

I don't think you can say it's not working, as it sounds like you've not really been doing it properly!

As PP have asked, what are you eating/drinking in a typical day?

Exactly that. Low carb means forgetting about calories. That’s the beauty of it, it’s so simple. Eat plenty of protein and fat, don’t eat rice, pasta, anything made with flour or containing sugar. It’s much easier than counting calories.

You think it’s bollocks to correct someone who posts that the human body doesn’t need fibre???

Same. Protein leaves me craving carbs. Everyone is different, it's simply untrue to say that one food category is more satisfying than another.

How active are you? I eat virtually no carbs (by that I mean potatoes, pasta, bread etc) but I do no exercise due to chronic illness. You may actually need more carbs if you are so hungry.

my diet consists of lean protein, mountains of veg, pulses, nuts, seeds, olive oil, yogurt, fruit.Fruit and veg and pulses so constrain some carbs.

Regarding fat, most people in the UK need more ‘good l’ fats as found in nuts, seeds, avocado and oily fish. Conversely, many people have too much of the fats found in red meat, pastries, butter, cheddar etc.

You can still eat low carb and be in a calorie surplus and therefore put on weight

You have to be aware of your calorie need and intake if you want to lose weight

Low carb just means (for many, not all) that you can sustain a deficit for longer because you dont get quite as hungry

You have to be aware of your calorie need and intake if you want to lose weight

I lost three stone on low carb without thinking about calories once. That’s the entire point of it.

It’s not really the point -as above its that for some people protein fills them up so that they eat less foods ghat cause weight gain.

however got can still gain weight. Protein doesn’t negate the science of a calorie deficit.

I was in hawksmoor last night and a steak and salad is 850 calories. That’s extremely high for a dinner for someone who wants to lose weight and eating like that regularly wouldn’t support weight loss in most people.

I must be unique then.

Yes because by luck, you were eating less than your calorie requirements. You were in calorie deficit, you wont have lost weight otherwise. You were doing CICO even if you werent aware of it

You could have been unlucky and eating too much and then be bemoaning why you cant lose weight when you're eating low carb.

Where's your veg @Touty?! That's poor nutrition.

What about fluid intake? How much are you drinking each day?

At least a third of what you eat should be veg and Ryvita isn’t part of a low carb diet. You need at least two litres of water a day too.

I can't speak for that poster but when i did low carb, I lost 2 stone easily and didn't have a calorie deficit.

I ate around 1600-1700 calories a day whereas before I was eating around 1200-1400 (and not losing weight).

If you low carb properly, there is no calorie deficit and aiming for one can slow down your weightloss.

I always knew when I wasn't eating enough because the weightloss slowed down.

When you low carb/keto properly, it pretty much tips everything you've ever been told about dieting on its head. And it can take people some time to get their head round it.

It's far more common to not lose weight because your calorie intake is too low on a low carb/high fat diet than the other way round.