To feel more satiated after eating carbs?

[StrangeAntics]

It seems to go against the, er....grain a bit these days, but I guess we are all different!

Late last year I thought I'd try out reducing processed carbs/wheat for a few months to see if it would ease my sinus issues (it didn't change anything). During this time I ate lovely balanced meals with plenty veg and lean protein, fruit, yogurt, and healthy fats only.
It tasted heavenly, but even though I made sure to eat decent portions, I still felt hungry within an hour or two of having eaten it.
This was all unprocessed and 'healthy' food btw.

By the end of the experiment I had gained 4lbs. I am slim and fairly fit (am very active) so it wasn't a worry, but I certainly noticed it. I was also more tired and cranky.

What struck me as odd was when I went back to including my bread and pasta (usually wholegrain or just sourdough/pizza dough) with the same veggies and good fats, I lost the weight again and always felt full and satisfied for hours after my meals. A result I wasn't expecting!

An example of the lower carb - carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, leafy greens with lean roast chicken breast or white/oily fish. Teaspoon of mustard or homemade pesto, etc.

Example of higher carb meal - 1 serving stonebaked pizza base topped with fresh tomato, peppers, basil, rocket, courgette, with pesto, mozzarella and a side of tuna or ham. Both 'diets' had roughly equal calories and portion sizes.

I hear the opposite online quite often, that the higher carb meal leaves people feeling ravenous and not satiated. I don't experience any kind of issue with blood sugar or cravings and tend to eat less over all when I eat more carb. I know the web is full of bogus misinformation regarding nutrition, but the low carb thing does seem to be pretty popular all around.

Is there a reason I do better eating like this or am I an anomaly? Or is it because I balance it with lots of the veggies, etc?

I’m the same as you and don’t feel satiated without some carbs. Protein just doesn’t fill me up.

Same. I have a low sugar muesli or piece of toast in the morning with my eggs/yoghurt else I feel hungry

I experience the same.

Same here

I’m the same. I had a very weird experience when my partner and I lived with in-laws while saving for a house deposit.

Mother in law had everyone on slimming world meals. No snacking as was a guest. Never been so simultaneously starving and yet went up two dress sizes. DP did the same. It was so embarrassing.

She got me some lovely clothes for Christmas and I had to send back and get size up. They still didn’t fit 😱

Moved out and went back to copious carbs, eating whatever I want. Not healthy half the time to be honest. Back to a size 8. Two kids later and many decades on. Still a size 8.

Was a very strange experiment. But yes these ‘diets’ are not good.

I lose weight any time I hugely reduce carbs (my issues in life are cereal and bread addiction!!), and easily get to my dream weight and size, but I’m miserable. We need carbs, their actual function is providing heat and energy, who wouldn’t want that?!😅

I am very slim but I love food and cutting out carbs would make life joyless for me.

I wouldn't feel full enough without them so its exceptionally rare that I'd go without. I also never skip meals though, regardless of the size or composition of the previous one.

My relative is overweight and cutting out carbs is the only way he loses it, though.

Carbs are the best!

Yes! It’s took me a while to figure this out but the high protein diet doesn’t work for me. I’m back to “eating normally” and lost weight. Same calories with both ways of eating.

I would never feel full on lean cuts of meat. I eat fat in my diet, cut out as much sugar and carbs as possible and feel great, with lots of energy!
I focus on my health rather than numbers on a scale and I'm the healthiest I've ever been!

I don't really like carbs; bread, rice pasta all leave me cold, even potatoes! So I don't often eat them as parts of a regular meal. But every so often it's like my body is screaming out to me that I NEED CARBS and I have to eat a couple of slices of toast or some pasta or something. Then I don't want them again for ages. I don't understand why I don't weight about six stone (I'm 9 stone at 5'6, so a decent healthy weight and fairly slim)! I don't even like chips very much!

I think the point is you want the heat and energy from stored fat ( if you are overweight).
I do agree about feeling better having some carbs in the diet.
However the issue with lots of carbs is that it’s easy to snack or overeat them. I make sure it’s a single slice of toast only otherwise I’m tempted to make a sandwiches whenever I feel hungry ; 2bits if bread, butter, filling maybe a sauce/mayo/chutney.

I’d rather be fat than cut out all carbs.

Thing is for me, I actually preferred the taste of the lower carb meals but never felt satisfied. Fat and protein never fill me and I am hungry shorty after. It doesn't make sense as they are supposed to be such healthy foods.

I know there are some very silly info wars online regarding exclusion diets and nutritional obsessions, but even doctors (on reddit admittedly) keep pushing the 'all carbs are BAD' ethos.

Also, when I don't eat carbs I tend to eat a lot more meat than I am happy with, too.

Glad I am not alone tho!

I think we’re just all different. I don’t eat carbs because things like bread, pasta, lentils, sugars etc make me bloat horribly and just feel less satiated. I was away in Galicia last weekend and the bread was amazing and kept on being brought in an unrelenting supply to the table in restaurants, so I ate loads of it. I came home over 3kg heavier in four days. Pretty much all water weight as have lost it all in the week since by being back on eating only protein and vegetables, and feel much more satiated after meals.

I suppose the difference is I don't eat loads of it!
Just an 80g slice of sourdough pizza base or a serving. of wholewheat spagetti really leaves me full.

It's interesting how we differ with this, cos I could eat fats or blocks of gruyere until they're coming out of my ears and never feel 'done'.

Another thing I don't understand is all the talk about corrupted wheat, that it is sprayed with chemicals, etc.
Surely our vegetables are too?
Some people have a very bad reaction to wheat, including celiac and wheat sensitives, I guess one would know if that was causing issues though.

I must admit a lot of the stuff I have read online about wheat has bothered me a bit, and I wish there was a more definitive, scientific consensus for those of us who are not allergic/sensitive.

I see carbs as the main part of the meal, if that’s missing then it’s not really a meal.

I'm with you, OP. I feel physically weak and shaky if I got too low carb.

I don't go overboard with them - too many and I'm not full for long and constantly picking. I need a good balance of protein, carbs and (healthy) fat to feel optimal. I think we all run differently, which is why diet can be such a minefield.

Just reading another thread where someone says there is evidence that wheat clogs arteries, causes heart disease and inflames the entire body. No link to the studies though.

Perhaps the british heart foundation have been bought out by big aggie!

Is this 'new wheat', or something about modern farming methods that are causing the problems? Because humans have eaten wheat for millennia.

Yeh, probably new wheat, but it is hard to find info from reliable sources.
I am also presuming we have new apples and tomatoes, as they have changed also in recent years. And let's not forget meat, not the cleanest industry either.

The stuff I have read about carbs seems to encompass 90% of the internet, with a terrifying amount of hysteria and misinformation. The 'science' people spout about it seems to come from nutritional guru's on youtube, who have convinced people that doctors and health organisations are lying to protect big pharma.

I think it is largely a class war tbh, although no one will come out and say that! (I am not including mumsnetters in this statement btw, this place is relatively sane compared to the rest of the web!)

If people don't jive with carbs or don't want to eat them, that's great, but polluting other people's minds with pseudo scientific horror stories is just so unnecessary.

I've heard everything from 'starch will kill you' to mixed nuts and mushrooms are poisonous. The language is very emotionally weighted.

I find that with low carb, the key to satiety is in eating a moderate amount of fats. Yes, protein will fill you to an extent, but you need that fat for satiety. In theory, if you eat enough protein, it should stop you from overeating on the fat.

I tried that and didn't really feel satisfied, just stuffed - then hungry again soon after.
I think it must be a really individual thing?

You do you