Focusing on fiber rather than calories has finally made me lose weight
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
For years I struggled to lose weight. I’d focus intensely on calorie intake and trying to maintain a deficit in order to shed pounds. I just never could sustain it because I’d always be starving and it’d blow up my workouts due to lack of energy and due to always being hungry. Fast forward and I go to the doctor and was told I had high cholesterol. The natural remedy of course is to consume a lot more foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats. So I began eating a large amount of fiber and focusing on getting my required grams in without counting calories at all. Lo and behold I’m melting away pounds.
If you look at foods that contain lots of fiber, yeah, they’re healthier and are naturally low cal, so it makes sense you’d lose weight. But by focusing on max fiber in take I never find myself hungry anymore. High fiber foods are just naturally filling even though they’re low in calories. This kind of diet whereby the focus has been on fiber rather than calories has been way more sustainable. |
Anonymous
| Share what you eat! I struggle to get 25g/day. |
Anonymous
Breakfast 1 cup Costco frozen berries and enough water. Blend until a smoothie like consistency. Add 2 tbl chia seeds. = 10 g fiber Handful of walnuts + almonds = 3 g fiber Apple = 4 g fiber Natto = 4 g fiber Lunch Tuna or Sardines Cup of water with psyllium husk = 10 g fiber 1/2 avocado = 7 g fiber Dinner Carrot soup topped with pumpkin seeds = 1-3 g fiber Black beans = 4-8 g fiber 4 oz chicken or salmon Small salad = 1-2 g fiber Dessert Fruit plate = 2-4 g fiber There’s no way I ever feel hungry eating like that. 45 g of fiber and you’re always feeling full. |
Anonymous
|
Do you really eat 45 grams of fiber each day?
I’m really impressed with you OP!!! Congrats on your weight loss and thank you for sharing this. |
Anonymous
I mean no of course not. Some days have good days, some days I have bad days. Some days I cheat. But for the most part I probably do consume 20+ grams of fiber on my worst days. Eating fiber is just so filling I never struggle with hunger anymore. The more soluble fiber you consume, the less hungry you are in general. I focused on calories for way too long and didn’t just focus in on trying to dramatically increase my fiber intake. |
Anonymous
| I’ve been going to a nutritionist who focuses on fiber intake and I have had the same experience. It’s really a game changer. |
Anonymous
| I've had a similar experience. I also learned I had high cholesterol and made major dietary changes to address it. I am also tracking calories, but adding fiber and protein has made a huge difference. I average 27 grams of fiber a day from food, plus a few extra grams from psyllium. |
Anonymous
| Gross! |
Anonymous
| It looks like you are also eating low in calories and protein. |
Anonymous
| I wonder what will happen when you start eating carbs/normal amount of calories again. good luck. |
Anonymous
Why would she? |
Anonymous
Right that it is low in calories, wrong that it is low in protein 1 serving natto = 34 g protein Chia seeds in smoothie = 3 g protein Handful almonds and walnuts = 4 g protein Sardines = 14 g protein 1/2 avocado = 2 g protein Pumpkin seeds = 1-2 g protein 4 oz chicken = 34 g protein Black beans = 7 g protein Grand total is almost 100 daily grams of protein, which is way more than sufficient. They recommend 0.8 g of protein per kilo of body weight: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096 For a standard adult weighing 70 kg, that means you only need 56 g protein. The above example of my typical day is almost double the recommended needed for protein intake unless you’re a body builder or something. Foods like Natto are a nutritional powerhouse chock full of protein and fiber. And if you’re ever falling short, it’s not hard to add something like whey powder to something like the smoothie or a bowl of oats for extra protein. |
Anonymous
| Even simpler, avoid carbs especially sugar. Enjoy protein, whole food fats, and fiber/vegetables. |
Anonymous
| So you just eat sides of natto and black beans? I can’t really eat like that. |
Anonymous
Natto alone in the morning, yes. The black beans are for dinner with something like chicken. |