No carbohydrate = still feel hungry after eating. Why?

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been eating significantly less carbohydrate than I used to, for a variety of reasons. I’ve all but cut out standard bread and avoid pasta, carby sauces, etc. I’m not doing an official diet or anything like Atkins, just modifying what I already do.

The thing I’ve noticed is that I feel incredibly hungry after a meal if I don’t have carbohydrate. Last night, for example, I had a very hearty, protein-heavy meal - a huge grilled chicken breast with melted cheese on it, a ton of steamed broccoli and kale on the side, a lot of water to drink. I was pretty hungry before eating, and though my stomach felt physically full, I didn’t feel sated after dinner - I still felt gnawing hunger even though I could feel a full stomach at the same time. This went on for about an hour and a half after eating - my stomach was even noisily growling, like when you’re legitimately hungry. It actually took a carby snack - a granola bar - to finally make it stop.

What’s up with that? I don’t think I’m ignorant of basic nutrition, but that seems really out of whack to me. Is this something that the no-carb Atkins people experience?

2

“A ton of steamed broccoli and kale on the side” is hardly no-carbs. It’s better carbs than bread and pasta, but it’s still carbs. If you want to do Atkins, do it right and read the book(s). The first two weeks (the induction phase) should be extremely low-carb, then you gradually introduce low-glycemic-index carbs. If you do it right you won’t be hungry. In fact, it’s the only diet that doesn’t leave me hungry.

3

I beg to differ. Carbohydrates are the body’s primary energy source, and cutting back carbs beyond a minimum amount (usually considered 50% of total calorie intake) will result in nutritional starvation even if total calorie or satiation food mass is sufficient.

Want a cite? From Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance, Sixth Edition (the most widely used exercise nutrition textbook in the United States), pg. 15 (“Role of carbohydrates in the body”):

Carbohydrates primarily serve as an energy fuel, particularly during high-intensity exercise…Adequate carbohydrate intake helps to preserve tissue protein…Components of carbohydrate catabolism serve as “primer” substrate for fat oxidation…The central nervous system requires an uninterrupted steam of carbohydrate to function properly

That being said, all carbohydrates are not equal. Simple carbs, and especially processed carbohydrates like processed flour and refined sugar, tend to spike blood sugar levels quickly, resulting in an accelerated insulin response and concomitant exacerbations of the nutritional regulation cycle. Complex carbohydrates, such as those found in whole grains and pulses, many vegetables, and some fruits, are digested and broken down more slowly and thus satiate longer and do less to stress the body’s natural regulatory cycle. Adding a cup of brown or whole grain rice to your meal (and possibly reducing some of the cheese) would make that meal both more nutritionally balanced and more satisfying.

Low carbohydrate diets are generally only medically recommended in the case of extreme obesity or insulin regulation problems. A diet with the appropriate balance of carbs but with sufficient bulk for satiation but a reduced calorie density, combined with moderate aerobic exercise (extending to the anaerobic regime if the subject is sufficiently fit) is generally the best way to lose weight

BTW, a “huge grilled chicken breast” is only about 30% protein by mass, and the cheese is probably 20-30% protein as well, so that meal may not be as protein heavy as you think. The broccoli, while filling, is about 90% water and 3% dietary fiber (and almost 3% protein) by mass, and so doesn’t actually contribute much calorie-wise (although it has a lot of nutrients and definitely a good vegetable to eat). Ditto for kale. So basically, you had a big chicken breast with cheese, and a lot of water with the equivalent of a multivitamin. Still wonder why you felt hungry?

Stranger

4

I started what’s more or less Atkins two weeks ago (yes, I read the book). I can’t say I feel what you describe after a meal, though I do notice that although I am full after a meal, it’s a different kind of full. Less, “Ah, that hit the spot!” I’m probably missing the carb/sugar rush.

I don’t regard it as a bad thing. It’s just different.

5

What do you consider a protein heavy food and why does protein by mass matter? 100 grams of chicken breast has 0 fiber, 0 carbs, about 3 grams of fat and about 22 grams of protein. That’s pretty protein heavy and probably just as much as the OP thinks.

6

Most people are under the impression that anything meat is essentially all protein; in fact, most muscle tissue is substantially less than 50% protein. Nor is a protein dense diet particularly healthy or necessary even for training regimes which focus on developing muscle mass. Although the body can synthesize a small amount of carbohydrates from protein this tends to produce a lot of toxic byproducts that then have to be excreted.

Not to criticize the o.p., or at least, on that choice; a large grilled chicken breast is certainly a healthier choice than many other meat selections, and should be an adequate protein source for anyone who is not doing intensive bodybuilding. Extra protein is typically just excreted, so whether it is more than sufficient isn’t particularly relevant provided that there is adequate carbohydrate balance to digest the requisite amount of protein. The notion of just cutting out carbohydrates almost entirely, however, is essentially equivalent to starvation diets, and ultimately just about as effective.

Stranger

7

In my experience, most people realize that many cuts of red meat are heavy in fat, but I digress.

I hear those claims being made, but again, in my experience, the typical “bodybuilders don’t need as much protein as they think they do” advice doesn’t seem to be true. When I up my intake to at least 1 gram per pound of body weight, I make the most muscle gains. I know tons of bodybuilders that will tell you the same. I don’t think that doing this comes with any substantial health risks.

8

I don’t do Atkins but I’ve substantially cut my carb intake to probably only about 30-40% of my total daily calories (on the recommendation of a trusted physician friend of mine who works actively on the obesity epidemic), and, I have to say, I actually feel more sated and for a longer period of time when I just cut the hell down on carbs. I used to be very wary of fad diets, and I’ll never do Atkins myself, but just watching the carbs has made significant decreases in my waistline (about 30 pounds since September) and not left me hungry.