http://mendosa.com/satiety.htm

also the Glycemic Index

Works for me too (skinny Type 2 with reactive hypoglycemia) without the carbs I don’t get the carb cravings, just “normal” hunger. It seems to have improved over time also, I used to need to manually adjust my BG with carb/fat snacks while doing stuff but I’m finding much less need to do that and fewer liver dump highs and near hypos on a primal-type balance of protein fats and low carb veggies, my BG has become so even that I seldom bother to test it nowadays.

Doesn’t always work though. Some days I can put away more carbs than I expected. The other day I definitely didn’t get away with a pub lunch despite some tramping up and downhill. Yet another day my liver went off on one for no apparent reason, my fasting BG was up (which seldom happens) and after my usual high protein moderate fat low carb breakfast I had a nasty BG spike but after that was over I stayed below 110 the rest of the day.

Most of the time though, keeping the carbs down and the insulin on a tight leash works wonders on both energy levels and hunger.

Tim: I’ve had my gallbladder out and I can eat plenty of fats (nb. coconut oil is especially good for those without gallbladders). Tell your partner to build up the fats slowly. If still having problems, swedish bitters and/or ox bile supplements can be taken to help digest the fats. Without plenty of fats, your partner is in danger of nutritional deficiencies as many vitamins are fat soluble.

Mark (& others): how many times a day should a primal person eat? I used to eat 6 smaller meals a day, but have since read that that line of thought came from the bodybuilding industry and that it actually makes metabolism, insulin resistance and blood sugar problems worse (and not more stable as previously thought). Seems that 3 meals a day with no snacks is the way to go? Keen to hear what others do…

Jason.

The primary explanation for reduced hunger with less carb goes to the heart of society’s current weight problems. Carbs, basically sugar, has been proportional to fat and protein in every meal in nature (animals and plants) for millions of years and is part of our DNA. Sugar and starches (grains, potatoes) have been relatively recent introductions in the millions of years of humans have been around. The rise of sugar in your blood after a meal (glycemic index) signals how much you ate. So when you eat a 1,000 calorie meal with carbs/sugars way out of proportion to what nature intended, the body thinks you ate a 10,000 calorie meal by the massive rise in the sugar level, and the body responds by trying to absorb every calorie you ate, store any excess as fat and by pouring in insulin to digest a much bigger meal than you ate. Result is that you are very soon super hungry again and your body is thoroughly confused. And you eat and you gain weight. So if you want to get really hungry you should eat some fries, a loaf of white bread, 3-4 donuts or perhaps some mashed potatoes. Scary stuff. The diet that has carbs, fat and proteins in proportion to how nature created humans makes sense, in other words a diet low in carbs/sugars.

JJ

She was super happy about a Special K snack bar that she had found. She made a statement along the lines of, “I’m so glad I found these bars, because I’m eating healthy AND it tastes like candy!”

No wonder. I took a look at the ingredients and it might as well been classified as candy (and this was the plain bar, not the ones covered with chocolate). All I can think is that she looked at the total calories and the low-fat sticker and decided that’s all that was necessary for it to be healthy. Did I ever really think like that?!? I honestly don’t know. My generation has been brainwashed.

(For interests sake, the ingredients were cereal (of which the 2nd ingredient was sugar), then 3 other kinds of sugar, then vegetable oil and hydrogenated oil, then a list of artificial items I don’t care to list here!)

So depressing! Real food! Real food!!!

Last summer while training for the ironman I could eat 1000 calories of sugar (e.g., a whole box of organic toaster pastries) and then go out and run – no GI distress at all. A similar amount (or less) of calories from fat and protein gives me indigestion and a big bloated stomach. My activity levels are intentionally way down from IM levels, but I still get out for an hour or so most days (weights, long walks, some moderate- or high-intensity biking or running). I don’t do any dairy except for some occasional plain yogurt.

The SoG