Question:
Why do I stay fuller longer after a protein drink than after solids?

Ok, here's what happened.....for breakfast this morning I had a double protein drink that gave me 40g of protein and I wasn't hungry at all the entire morning....for lunch I had some crackers and braunschweiger (sp?) at noon, and by 2pm I was starving.....WHY???????? I had the protein drink around 8:30am. I'm 11 months post and have lost 115 pounds. Anyone else experience this? This was the first time I've had a double protein drink breakfast...maybe I should do it more often!! Thanks for the help.    — Nicole L. (posted on February 3, 2004)

February 3, 2004
Whey protein SATISFIES. It turns off the Wanna Switch. Can give you hours of peace from food thoughts. Part of it is having protein and the OTHER part is that whey has this property embedded, too
   — vitalady

February 3, 2004
I drink the new carb countdown low carb chocolate milk every morning for breakfast. It has 12 grams of protein in a cup. I usually don't eat until lunch time. The protein in it keeps me happy until lunch. I have only been doing this for a few weeks and at 18 months post-op have dropped 5 lbs by just doing this. Good luck!!
   — Sharon1964

February 3, 2004
It's the crackers. Refined carbs make you hungry. Blood sugar surges, then crashes. Combining it w/ a protein helps (which you did by eating the braunshweiger), but if you're super sensitive, you'll still have problems. Protein alone won't do that. If I eat eggs for breakfast, I'm full forever. If I eat oatmeal, forget it, I'm starving by 10:00 AM.
   — mom2jtx3

February 4, 2004
Original poster here....I talked to my trainer yesterday about this and she said basically the same thing, but she also said she wants me to eat carbs in the morning for breakfast (1/2c grape-nuts, oatmeat, etc..), and she wants me eating something every 2 hrs. This seems to go against everything I've been doing for the past 11 months....anyone else? She wants me to eat more fruits/veggies along w/the lean protein, which is good, but why the increase in carbs?
   — Nicole L.

February 4, 2004
Does she know you've had WLS? and if so, is she a trained dietician in the needs of a WLS patient? If the answer is no, then I would basically ignore what she says about food and do what my doctor said do. Well, come to think of it, I'd ignore it anyway and follow my doctor's orders.
   —  SCbabe B.

February 4, 2004
Hmmm, I see you just joined a gym last month (congrats! great move, it's really helped me a lot), and I'm guessing it's the personal trainer who told you to increase your carbs? Hmmm. Well, I'm guessing a typical personal trainer, who may be wonderful, will not have a lot of knowledge about WLS or food addictions. (Too bad Teena Adler is not your personal trainer. :-D). My understanding is that, if you're undertaking a muscle-building program, and/or doing a lot of "cardio," you will need protein AND carbs. Your body's gotta have enough fuel to burn, after all. I can't see the magic in what time of day you eat them, unless it's around the time you work out. (As an aside, I note that crackers weren't what the trainer recommended -- I know, I know ... "neener, neener," but I'm just saying!).<P>I address this little dilemma by doing a fruity protein shake after I work out, meaning, I have a fruit smoothie with protein powder in it after working out, instead of my plain protein shake (which I drink the rest of the day). If you're beginning a new workout regime, it's another step in your journey. You'll be hungrier, your metabolism is adjusting, and you'll be re-tooling your eating habits accordingly. Don't be afraid to experiment and see what works for you, but what you did for the first 11 months (if you weren't exercising) is not necessarily what's going to work now, because you're working out now.
   — Suzy C.

February 4, 2004
As others have posted, carbs do have an addictive quality and make you crave more carbs. I have seen this so clearly with my own eating. Shakes also satisfy me for a long time. I think it is the protein, but I also find that they kind of make me feel yucky so I don't want to eat. I also ask myself - am I really hungry? OK, if so, have some more protein shake.... that often helps me distinguish between true hunger and a "craving" or eating out of habit. Pre-op I always ate a snack at about 3PM, now I find that I still "want" food then, but I'm really not hungry.... and if I ate something starchy earlier then later I want more starchy stuff. It's so hard. I thought that the surgery would help me more with this, but there are still a lot of food issues going on in my head that I have to deal with. That's just me (sorry, now I'm rambling about me and not answering your question) but yes, I have noticed this, and I've been drinking protein shakes for breakfast for just this reason. Good luck to you!
   — w8free