Too Full on Portion Guide Portions/If I don't eat it all, I'm hungry 3 hours later.

[calista]

Good afternoon! I finished my Whole30 in early February and feel great! Since then, I've continued to east mostly Whole30, but have added a few things back in {enough to know what gluten does to me - it's always ALWAYS a bad idea - and that dairy and beans are okay to eat in small amounts and only occasionally}. While doing the Whole30, I stuck to the portion guide and noticed something: When I eat 3 eggs {or a palm-sized cut of meat}, a fist size each of starchy veggie and green veggie and a thumb's worth of fat, I'm usually full about halfway through the meal. My body says to stop eating.

 

So, I've listened a few times. And I'm hungry 3 hours later.

 

I tried it again a few times after my Whole30 was complete and noticed the same thing. So, more often than not, I eat the rest of my food {usually it's an egg and about a cup of veggies} and am very full {but not carb stuffed like I would be if I ate a plate of pasta}.

 

I should note here that I'm drinking enough water - about 75 ounces a day. So, I know it's not thirst :-)

 

Has anyone else dealt with this? What did you do?

[GlennR]

Silly question: what do you typically eat first during a meal? Protein, fat, starchy veggies, green veggie? Each sends different rates of satiation to the brain.

[calista]

That's not silly - I typically start with the protein, eat a few bites of that and then move over to the starchy veggies and eat a few bites of that. And then the other veggies and so on. I kind of rotate around my plate. Should I try eating the veggies first?

[GlennR]

Might be worth it to give it a try. Green veggies don't make you feel full quite as fast as the other three, so you might be able to get through your meal without feeling full halfway through. I'd also suggest eating the starchy veggie last, since, in my experience, it makes you feel full rather quickly. 

[calista]

Thanks, Glenn! I tried it this morning with my green beans, sweet spuds, sausage and coconut oil. HUGE DIFFERENCE! I ate the green beans first and then rotated my way through the sausage and spuds. I feel satisfied and satiated without feeling overly full. Thank you so much for the suggestion!

[ultrarunnergirl]

A couple of other things to try:

• Eat before you drink coffee (if applicable). It's an appetite suppressant.
• If three eggs is too filling, switch it up. Eat meat & veggies with an egg or two. We just sautee everything in one pan, then top it with egg(s).
• Try less bulky vegetables. Maybe onion, spinach, mushroom, tomato rather than broccoli, cauliflower, green beans. Less chewing.

[GlennR]

Thanks, Glenn! I tried it this morning with my green beans, sweet spuds, sausage and coconut oil. HUGE DIFFERENCE! I ate the green beans first and then rotated my way through the sausage and spuds. I feel satisfied and satiated without feeling overly full. Thank you so much for the suggestion!

 

Great!

[calista]

Thank you, ultrarunnergirl! I always do eat before I drink coffee in the mornings. My cup of coffee is long gone by the time lunch rolls around too. I saute everything in one pan {veggies, spuds and eggs or meat} and it works great! Great idea to change it up! I'll try that! I'll try less bulky veggies too. I usually eat spinach nearly every morning for breakfast, but I ran out and haven't made it to the store yet. I've noticed the full feeling with spinach too, but I'll try it again! :-)