hi there,

does anyone know how to attain the feeling that the stomach is full? that's something i don't experience when i go low carb...

Are you eating plenty of fat? Fat has a very high "satiety value" and is very useful at making us feel nice and full.

Fat is also the source of our fuel, so it is important to keep the levels high. Around 70% of our calories need to come from fat when we start low carbing, gradually lowering it as we add carbs.

Rosebud

what fat do you eat? from pork or beef or chicken? chicken has minimal fat i think...

Have another read of DANDR, Jtan.

As Dr Atkins says, you can leave the fat on pork, beef and lamb, and you can eat the skin of chicken - which has lots of fat.
It also helps to add butter to your vegies, and use a fatty dressing on your salads.
And stir fries are a good way to add plenty of oil to your meals.

And remember to avoid anything that says it is "low fat." Apart from the lack of fat, low fat products tend to have added carbs.

Do you use Fitday? It's a good way to find out exactly how much fat you are getting.

Cheers.

Rosebud

I know what you mean about not getting that same "full" feeling. Even though I eat plenty of fat (my 70% ratio daily) and eat a wide variety (and quantity!) of foods, I don't get that overstuffed feeling I used to get after sitting down to about 12 people's servings worth of rice .

I do sometimes miss that feeling, though I've come to recognize that it wasn't me actually feeling "full", it was me feeling so full I was close to bursting Somehow I came to associate *that* feeling with being full, so I'd feel hungry if I didn't feel that way. Learning to listen to my body telling me when I'm really full has taken a bit of practice.

Absolutely make sure you're eating enough fat - fitday is a great way to keep track - and try to get good at listening to you body and figuring out when you've really eaten enough to be full. I know eating until satisfied but not stuffed did take some practice for me

Wynter

where do you guys get fatty stuff beside from pork?

A lady mentioned on this website not long ago about dipping your meat in melted butter. IVe started doing that and it does taste great. If Im not feeling full I continue to eat fatty stuff or low carb stuff. Atkins says eat until your full.

I get most of my fat from olive oil, mayo and butter. In the mornings I'll cook my eggsin olive oil and usually add either butter to the top, or make an omlette with mayo. For those who eat cheese that is also high in fat.

Avacados and salmon are both great sources of heart healthy fats. After induction coconut and other nuts can also be good fat sources.

The best thing to do would be get an account at www.fitday.com it's free and will help you keep track of what your eating.

I agree too that the full belly feeling your looking for may not be fullness and satisfaction, but rather being stuffed. Remember to stop eating just when satisfied. That means not to the point you can't handle a single bite more and your tummy is stretched, but rather when you feel that you've had enough to get past the hunger and you'll have no problem surviving an hour or two until next meal or snack time.

Your body has saiety switches for fat and protein, not for carbohydrate. to trip the switch eat something with fat and protein and a little fiber wouldn't hurt. for example chicken sausage and a cucumber spear.

can i therefore conclude that fats are appetite suppressant?

Not really. Fat satisfies the appetite, rather than suppresses it. And that's the beauty of this WOE. We can eat all we want (within reason) of nice, filling fatty foods.

Rosebud

I've found, aside from the fat and protein, that a good amount of veggies leaves me feeling quite full. Broccoli or cauliflower are more satisfying to me than salads, probably because they're cooked and hot... maybe that part is "mental"...

That being said, I've had to re-train my body to learn what "full" is.. like the others, I mistook "stuffed" for "satisfied".

I've been keeping a journal recently to help me see what makes me feel full and what will leave me HUNGRY.

Something that I've noticed is that having soup with my meal helps me feel fuller longer. Often, combining a lc soup with a meat-focused salad helps. There are several good recipes for both lc soups (I recommend the cream of spinach) and salads at www.atkins.com. Oh -- his soups want you to add his thickener. I experimented with soy protein isolate (from the health food section), which is cheaper and -- I suspect -- probably the same thing.

Warmer thing seem to be more satisfying, too, at least now that the weather is colder -- warm vegetables versus cold, for example.

Another thing I've noticed -- I've got to get fat in at my morning meal to feel satisfied. In addition to eating an 'approved' breakfast, I'm adding a tbs. of avocado to my meal -- just eat it straight. It is lc and seems to help a lot.

Food is an appetite suppresent. Think of fat as a food and not a by-product although it is never eaten as a course. However, it is a neglected part of the food pyramid. Feeling full and being hungry take on a new feeling when you low carb. It is a gentler fullness and a gentler hunger. If you eat enough food but still feel hungry, move away from the dinner table for 5 or 10 minutes and see if the hunger subsides.