(no subject)

[tugrik]

Okay, here's a weird one...

After a few weeks of lunchtime experimentation, I've determined that if I go home and eat something simple and veggie-laden... such as green-beans-and-pasta, or veggie stir-fry... I don't get hungry until quite late in the day. If I eat fastfood at lunch, I'm hungry again by the time I'm leaving work.

The quantity of either type of food doesn't seem to matter. The effect on later-in-the-day hunger is the same. That's the weird part.

This might be one of the keys to my terrible dietary habits. I can eat fast food, and be hungry again quickly, even if it's a big nasty pile of greaseburgers or Taco-bell CHON. It's easy to get fastfood. Combine these two things and you have a way to take in a ton of calories waaaay too often. This is quite the opposite of what I used to hold true... that if I tried to eat veggies/salads/etc for lunch, I'd just be hungry the rest of the day.

Experimentation will continue... but this time more towards other veggie-lunch options. I think I can (and should) let up on the fast-food side of the equation for a good long time. Oh, and for those who read the earlier entry: the no-food-past-9pm thing is working. No acid problems at night, more perky in the morning, and less calories consumed over the day. I'll keep that one up; I really like the results.

Comments

[amilori.livejournal.com]

Part of the reason behind the speed of onset of hunger is due to the ease of digestion. Most fast food is high in carbohydrates/starch (potatoes, bread, rice, etc.) which is processed very quickly & therefore triggers the onset of hunger very quickly. Vegetables, since they are more complex chemical structures, take longer to digest. Since they also contain larger amounts of fiber, they keep the "full" feeling around longer. This is why, even though the calorie count and the *sugar* content may be higher in a piece of fruit than in a bag of chips (for example) the fruit will satisfy the hunger for a longer period of time.

Slowing down when you eat (remember being told to chew thoroughly before swallowing?) also allows the first food that you eat to reach your intestine before you finish the meal, thus triggering the feeling of satiation before the stomach can signal that you are "stuffed" (hence the difference between "satisfied" and "full").

[scyllacat.livejournal.com]

What she said. Although I also believe that, since having more vitamins and things your body can use in the food (not "empty calories") helps you metabolize more efficiently, you're actually being fueled more and it should probably help you burn fat by allowing the body to turn it into energy.

Recent studies show (as they say on the ads) that lower calories actually lead to longer life span. That the body uses a LOT of resources metabolizing our fuel and giving it extra it can't use is very bad for it, even if we aren't overweight.

I'm very proud of you. Keep on going!