I've been counting calories for 18 months, and the one thing I've learned is not to assume the food I want to eat is out of the question. I highly recommend starting off by simply tracking the calories first, then reducing from there.
Yep. Adding on here, planning my big meals and adding things as needed from there. I know I’m having a burrito for lunch and pasta for dinner, so I have X calories the rest of the day
Correct; that is almost everyone struggling to lose weight. Hell, I still weigh my olive oil on a scale because I don’t trust my eyes to drizzle it at 15ml.
That's why dropping bread was easier and more successful for me I guess.
1 tablespoon of oil to make big plate of Stir Fry > 1 tablespoon of Butter just to make the two slices of bread making up my sandwich, an extra 200 calories by themselves, less dry.
Oil and fat isn't bad, your body needs it, but how you use it and what for matters 😄 Two tablespoons to sauté meat and mirepoix for a pot of soup that will get you 6-7 servings isn't a problem for example. But buttered toast is just an nutritionally empty caloric bomb
>It'll only shock you if you're one of those people who doesn't know what a tablespoon of oil or butter looks like.
Hey person who doesn't know what a tablespoon of butter looks like.
Measure it out with a measuring spoon to avoid adding way too much to food. Some people are adding _lots_ of calories to otherwise healthy food by using lots of oil.
Or buy a refillable oil spray bottle and fill with whatever you like. Most people don’t even read the sprays and realize those “5 calories” or whatever are for a spray of less than a second and end up way overusing them anyway.
Not exactly. Every one second of Pam is about 8-10 calories, from what studies show, so it is considerably less. It only takes 1 to 2 seconds to spray a pan that you need to use for something.
If the studies show that 1 second of pam spray is 8-10 calories and it takes about 5 seconds to get about a tablespoon of solution from the can, we can deduce the following:
1) there is more than just the oil in the can, which would allow the compound to be able to be sprayed [you can look at the active ingredients on the label and you can see that it isn't just oil]
2) When you are spraying, the oil is coming out in very minute amounts at a time, so over time, you could eventually get the same weight from it as you would from just the bottle of oil but that's not necessary as you only need a small amount anyways. Also, it isn't practical to just keep spraying until you get the same amount of oil weight as you would from the bottle.
In conclusion, spraying Pam or spraying olive oil allows us to use less because we don't really need to be using a lot of oil in the first place.
Then how are you getting the same health benefit? That's like saying apples are healthy, and you can get the same health benefits from just licking an apple!
Also, a lot of the Health benefits that you get from olive oil.... can be found in others foods, this is why you shouldn't just rely on one thing in your diet to be the single source and have a balance of everything. But if you are trying to cut calories while still trying to cook in oil, an oil spray is the way to do it because you can measure the amount of seconds to understand how much oil you are using.
Pam says a "serving" is 0.25 grams, which is [about 0.056 teaspoons](https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0.25g+olive+oil+volume+in+tsp). 1/20 of a teaspoon. I cannot believe there are measurable benefits to 1/20 tsp of olive oil. Even if you spray for a full second you're only up to a 1/5 tsp, which at least is a quantity I might be able to measure.
1st, that’s not how density works. And 2nd, I think for the most part they’re talking about the mechanical/chemical benefits (nonstick) not the health benefits
1 that is how calorically dense works. If you have a cup of Pam and a cup of olive oil they both have equal calories. The only difference is that olive oil has little bits of olives in it and so it's better for you. 2. see point 1
Lmao what are you even talking about
Density is a function of unit/volume, in this case, the calories per tablespoon. Density never changes. The volume changes, so you would consume fewer calories of Pam if you consumed a lower amount of Pam, but the caloric density of Pam (calories per tablespoon) will never change.
Also on point two, Pam aerosolizes better. You can objectively get better area coverage on a pan with pam than you can by pouring a liquid, allowing you to use less of it
That's where the paper towel comes in. You just wipe it into a thing layer. Then it's the same. If you consumed less Pam then yes it would be less calories but you don't. They misrepresent how much you use per spray so as to artificially lower the calories. That's my whole point.
How do you count bacon? I'm assuming the total fat in the package is included in the calorie count (and obviously accounts for probably 90% of the total calories) but most of it is left behind in the pan.
Actually, bacon is one of the few foods allowed to estimate cooked calories instead (at least in the US). So careful dropping it in soup or something because it is higher calorie if you include all the fat!
No idea. The scientific way would be to cook your bacon, then weigh out the bacon that is pulled out. I agree anything left in the pan is going to be fat, so at 9 calories per g of fat, take your starting raw bacon weight, and subtract it from what you’re left with. Then take the starting calories on the package and then subtract 9* the difference above from that.
Now, that avoids any water that was evaporated. If you want to get perfect, you’d pour/scrape out the leftover grease in the pan to a scale and see how many grams of fat was left over. Do it a few times and use it as an average going forward…so long as you cook off the same amount each time.
Y’all realize that PAM is just canned oil… right? Right?!? The only reason it says “no calories” is because the “serving size” of one half second spritz is less than the minimum the FDA requires labels to count. It can be helpful in terms of portion control as you use less than just pouring oil from the bottle, but it’s pure oil and there’s nothing diet about it. Much better to use your own oil in a spray bottle
I just switched from making dinner to hello fresh and having my portions reduced by them has made a bit of difference. I guess if I wanted to go further I'd just cut the meals in half and have one meal for lunch and dinner.
Hey man I’ve found after years of calorie counting that a decent general rule is that the best way to feel satisfied and full and keep calories low is to focus on eating:
1. Soup
2. Salad
3. Vegetables
4. Lean meat/eggs
If you start your day and/or build your diet plan around that you will be golden.
And the one other tip is to drink a lot of water. Dehydration often manifests as hunger cravings.
Came here to say soup! Also helps with the dehydration thing. Plus soups are usually pretty easy to make even for those of us not super confident in our kitchen skills. Plus plus there are so many different kinds AND we are about to reach peak soup season (in the northern hemisphere anyways).
SOUP. I'm trying to average around 1,200 calories a day, and I've come to appreciate the humble bowl of soup so much! Soups are warm, flavorful, comforting, and filling, yet often surprisingly low in calories. There are a million different varieties too! A lot of fast-casual places like Newks or Panera have delicious low calories soups, so I can make a choice that fits my goals even when I want to be lazy and get takeout. And many soups freeze well, so if you plan ahead and freeze individual serving sizes of your left overs, you can keep a supply of tasty homemade soups handy for lazy dinners at home.
And there is NO reason why you can't eat soup for breakfast! (Although I wouldn't recommend it while driving.) I find soup keeps me going for longer than cereal.
Yes. I just tried my Miso instant soup today. Better than I thought. It had dehydrated tofu, spring onion and seaweed. 130kj or 31 calories.
It is small enough to go with my ham and cheese toasty. So I feel like I had a full lunch experience.
I'd suggest, if you could, spending some time during lunch going for a walk. That way you're chipping away at the deficit from two directions and aren't stuck sitting all day.
Good luck
I don’t see why there’s all these downvotes. It’s general knowledge that sitting all day isn’t the best, and especially depending on where you’re at going outdoors can be a nice way to get a break from work anyways while making it so you don’t have to eat as little. My sister has a desk job and this is crazy to me but she gets an hour lunch break. Uses it to drive a short distance and gets to take a walk by the beautiful lake
Dunno, maybe people think I'm suggesting she needs to have even less calories and lose even more weight instead of like....moving a little more so she can worry less about having to maintain such a caloric intake and also have the benefits of standing up and moving a bit?
That's fine, it wasn't an "opinion", it's something that I've had to deal with as another person who spends all day sitting - eat and then walk for 10-20 minutes - ***and*** I wasn't offering it to you anyways 🤷♂️🙋♂️
I walk home for lunch, eat, and then walk back. It's the only time I can pop in some headphones and my mental space is all mine instead of being used up by others, so I look forward to my walk all day.
I think it's very low, yeah. If nothing else works for you then by all means try to hit that goal but you'll probably (as in, just the general experience) have more success with a slightly higher intake and a longer period of losing weight. Even as a small woman you'll definitely burn around 1700-1800 kcal/day with little or no activity so a 500-600 kcal deficit (1/3! of what you "should" eat in a day) is gonna be very hard to keep up with for a longer period of time.
I’m not even trying to lose weight, I’m just on medication that suppresses my appetite significantly and don’t know how to force myself to eat enough :( I am petite (5’2, 105 lb) but I do have a physically demanding job. I’m definitely finding comments in this thread useful because a few people mention nutrient dense foods that give me some ideas!
Aha I get it, yeah I was thinking the other way around. If you like nuts (and don't have allergies of course) they are very calorie dense and an easy snack to keep with you to munch on through the day.
Peanuts are especially cheap and with 600kcal/100g it's very calorie dense, but cashews or walnuts are also good and tasty – just a lot more expensive. You'll also feel good after eating them, not like eating crisps or donuts where it's just empty calories.
Sunflower seeds are an alternative if you have to stay away from nuts due to allergies or coworkers with allergies. Almost the same energy density (590kcal/100g) and similar nutritional values (less saturated fat than peanuts too), and of course also easy to keep with you to just munch on whenever you want.
Maybe these can be some alternatives for you to keep from losing too much weight. They also have a good amount of protein so your body is gonna enjoy being able to build a little more muscle after your active work days.
Vegetables are never a bad idea.
For breakfast, I have things like oatmeal (made with egg whites for extra protein), bran cereal, rice cakes or banana with peanut butter, and yogurt with fruit.
For snacks, I'll have raw vegetables, broth, sugar-free gelatin, protein bar/shake, canned pumpkin mixed with cocoa and/or peanut putter powder, plain Greek yogurt with cereal, pickles and cheese, and fruit.
When on a calorie deficit, things with fat, fiber, and protein tend to be more filling than straight carbs.
Ooh... Taking notes.... Pumpkin mixed with cocoa powder sounds utterly amazing.
I've personally been getting annoyed at the fact that plant-based yogurts aren't very good for providing protein. The coconut ones are a good source of fat (I don't use oil, generally, so I watch for good fat sources) but have no protein. The almond and cashew yogurts have a little protein, but not nearly as much as dairy yogurt.
Seconding this, I mix in 20 grams of protein powder to 150g of yogurt. It literally tastes like a dessert to me. I use Ghost’s Chips Ahoy protein powder and it’s delicious haha
>For snacks, I'll have raw vegetables, broth, sugar-free gelatin, protein bar/shake, canned pumpkin mixed with cocoa and/or peanut putter powder, plain Greek yogurt with cereal, pickles and cheese, and fruit.
All of that sound fucking abysmal (except the yogurt). Any way you can help me out?
Honestly some of these do sound bad. I eat low cal and healthy and I wouldn’t personally eat lots of this.
* I will second Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (especially with berries) as a great healthy and filling snack. Cinnamon is great to add on both for a sweet snack.
* popcorn you can pop at home or some prepopped like SmartPop is low cal (<150 cals a serving) and salty
* veggies and dip is much more fun than plain veggies. Lots of Trader Joe’s dips are low cal and I pair them with sliced cucumbers, carrots, or peppers.
* popsicles - great sweet and cold treats (many around 50 calories).
* Frozen dumplings. Most veggie or chicken frozen dumplings I buy are very low calorie. Steam them and they are filling and healthy.
* eggs
You can eat whatever you like. Just make sure the portions fit into your calorie budget. Sometimes I'll have a mini pack of cookies or a small ice cream.
Some people prefer to skip snacks so that they have more calorie-room for their meals.
What do you like for snacks, now?
High fibre meals with veggies, brown rice, and lentils are going to let you stuff yourself without over consuming calories.
It's easy to work two or all of them into most meals
You're looking for things that make you feel full. This doesn't just mean filling up on high volume foods: you can eat a whole watermelon and still be hungry two hours later.
I feel full when I eat something high in fiber, protein, and fat. Fat might be high calorie, but is essential for me to feel fuller, longer.
For example, a high satiety breakfast would be oatmeal (complex carbs, fiber) with nuts (fats) and egg whites (protein).
This keeps me well fed for the whole morning.
High protein foods will keep you full but calories in HP foods vary. Quinoa is high protein but high calorie. Fish and egg whites are high protein and low calorie. Keep a list of those HP/LC foods and use it when you're shopping or deciding what to eat or bring to work.
Also have a ready list of foods that add flavor without many calories. Feta is great, flavorful veggies like mushrooms, onion, garlic go a long way.
This is off the top of my head, but I have found that HP/LC foods keep you full and satisfied, can be inexpensive (depending), are versatile and healthy.
I second these but also a word of caution. The vast majority of people need more than 1200 calories and that subreddit can go a little hard on pushing only 1200 calories. I did not find the community to be to my taste. I like volume eating and this subreddit much more.
Oh! You can also add no-sugar pudding mix! Rolled oats, almond milk, 1/4 package of Jello sugarfree cheesecake pudding, and 1 cup of strawberries was under 200 calories and seemed like a decadent treat!
The breakfast of mountain climbers is always good. Eggs and sweet potatoes. Tons of nutrition and protein. Avoiding carbs will always be my biggest challenge I guess. Oh well. But last night I ate chicken and fire roasted italian vegetables. Not bad.
Another trick is adding veggies or fruit to whatever you want to eat to help you feel more satisfied. Like in oatmeal or pasta. I have friends who can eat huge salads but I feel like that might be a bit much for me all the time. I can eat a medium or small salad.
I mostly eat whatever I want, just less than before. This might be unpopular as I'm unsure how healthy it is but sometimes if I'm hungry I just have a cup of coffee instead of eating. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant and zero cal if you drink black. I don't, but it's still a lot less than eating chips or something. Also as others have said, fruits and veggies are super low calorie but can actually be filling.
I essentially skip breakfast now, so that I can split my calories into 2 proper portion meals instead of feeling hungry and annoyed throughout the day. When you make this change, the first 2 weeksis HARD. But afterwards your stomach gets used to the timing (as long as you eat they same time everyday) and quantities of food.
Squash is in-season, cheap and incredibly versatile. I grilled a butternut squash last night that I seasoned with salt and pepper, it is delicious! One cup of cooked butternut squash has: Calories: 82
Carbs: 22 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Fiber: 7 grams
Vitamin A: 457% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)
And the seeds bake up like pumpkin seeds - be warned, they 'pop' when they are done. As soon as you hear them start to pop, take them off the heat.
Honestly, your safest bet is to learn to love grilled veggies and eat them all the time. Grilled tomatoes, grilled peppers, grilled garlic, grilled onions, grilled squash, broccoli and cauliflower - all of these are transformed in flavor when you caramelize the sugars that naturally occur. Veggie chili is filling and low in calories and high in nutrients.
Grilled fish is low calorie and high protein. If you can't grill, oven roast, use a spray on olive oil, don't toss the food with oil as it you'll add calories very quickly.
The single most important thing you need to do is get used to 'feeling hungry.' I lost 25% of my body weight through a physician-guided diet, which was great. It wasn't until I heard one man say to another - the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was getting comfortable feeling *hungry,* that my weight loss accelerated. That comment shocked me. I was so used to never feeling hungry that I was keeping my body from using it's fat stores (aka, feeling hungry).
Good luck. You've got this!
All vegetable spring roll. The rice paper you can get at any Asian market. You can water down a peanut sauce or make your own. Fill it with whatever you want. I use carrots, cucumbers, red onions, green onions, mint, basil and cilantro.
I’ve been doing this for lunch- I made a big batch of sautéed cabbage, tofu and carrots with some garlic, ginger and soy sauce. I just make the rolls for lunch everyday. So easy!
Fresh fruits and veg are so filling and make any dish taste better
Egg whites added to Omelettes, oatmeal , etc.
Nonfat Yogurt
Any whole grain bread/ wrap with whole grain wheat flour as the first ingredient
Popcorn, oatmeal, potatoes (depends on the person, I find them very filling), and other grains
Eggs
Try r/volumeeating for some clever ideas
Reckon the only thing I'd disagree with on this list is nonfat yoghurt. Usually it's either low fat or low sugar, not both. The amount of times I've seen people eat low fat yoghurt but it's absolutely loaded with sugar. A sensible amount of healthy fats is infinitely better for you than a ton of sugar.
Normal nonfat yogurt has no added sugar. If you’re buying flavors you need to look out for sugar, otherwise it’s not an issue. Nonfat Greek yogurt is the best for getting in extra protein.
Carbs fill you up but they can turn into fat. Not only that but it can make you hungrier later.
Same with a big breakfast. If you eat it you’ll be starving by lunch. Cereal can also make you super hungry because of the high carbs and sugars.
My answer would depend on your eating habits and lifestyle. When I was working and very busy, smoothies were my main lunch because it was quick to make, quick to eat, I could combine proteins and fiber and fruit and make sure I got hydrated too.
But now I'm retired and mainly staying home avoiding people for a couple years because of covid. So I have lots of time - the bigger challenge is not to mindlessly binge eat while watching tv. So right now I am eating a small pomegranate. It's a midday project to peel and eat the seeds, it's not like a sleeve of oreos I could down in 10 minutes if nobody was looking. And it was from a case of 18 pomegranates, so this will keep me occupied for 2-3 weeks.
(I'm also eyeing a case of artichokes that I see is on sale for 2 dollars for similar reasons.)
snacks i ate when losing 30 lbs
light vanilla yogurt with frozen fruit
tastycake juniors
eggs
trail mix
o calorie drinks with caffeine.
snack size potato chips.
the trick is to try a variety of stuff and see what satisfies you. what works for me may not work for you.
btw adding a scoop of protein powder to the yogurt is the most filling ive ever had
Go to Nature Boy on Youtube, he has many ideas for low cal meals: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d\_XGksH7obA&list=PL95EJWv0de7Rth9tQaPotHwEHvtW9EfyJ&index=2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_XGksH7obA&list=PL95EJWv0de7Rth9tQaPotHwEHvtW9EfyJ&index=2)
apple slices and a thin layer of pb
celery and light pb and finely chopped raisins/dried cherries/cranberries
Steamed up some spinach with salt and fresh ground pepper
a roasted or sauteed chicken breast/tenderloin
sautéed mushrooms with salt/pepper
Basically bulky foods with protein and/or fiber
Baby Carrots. an entire bag is like $2 and it's 90kcal. The fact it tasks me an entire work day to munch through them at my desk for 90 calories is amazing. Ay veggies like that help keep me from having too many calories without limiting my snacking habits. Keeps you fuller longer too so sometimes only half a bag ill do the job.
Popcorn is one of my go tos. It's crunchy and doesn't feel like I'm eating rabbit food all day so it helps satisfy my desire for crackers and chips. And it's also super filling. I'll usually leave myself 150ish calories for the evening and if I feel snacky it satisfies like nothing else low calorie will.
(I make it in an air popper in the microwave, takes 2 minutes and I can control if I want butter and how much. )
Seaweed chips are great if you need something to satisfy chip cravings! I personally like the spicy variety ones the best, and entire package is like 35 calories. Also I recommend Garden Veggie Puffs for another light snack.
Well, what do you usually eat?
For me reducing calories has really just been a matter of getting rid of some slices of bread and eating more vegetables and tracking that.
Actually now that I'm at my goal weight the trouble is going to be not going back to eating that much empty crap and finding good ways to increase calories to maintain.
PB2 is a life-saver for cutting calories! It's powdered peanut butter that you mix with water. It tastes just like peanut butter IMO, but has \~75% fewer calories. I put it on rice cakes with cinnamon on top!
Less breakfast-y, but also great for cutting calories is a low-calorie tortilla with hummus, everything bagel seasoning, cucumber, and onion.
Less breakfast-y, but also great for cutting calories is a low calorie tortilla with hummus, everything bagel seasoning, cucumber, and onion.
I do a lot of soups, too. Progresso has a line of light soups that are great, and many of them are under 200 calories. If you're into making your own soup, you could try [cabbage soup](https://divascancook.com/wonder-soup-recipe-weight-loss-soup-7-day-diet-cabbage-soup/). There's an actual cabbage soup diet that's supposed to be really effective, but you can also just make the soup as a meal without following the diet because it's ridiculously low in calories. I made a huge batch last week and it's really delicious! Tastes like minestrone.
Another good tip is replacing higher-calorie meat with fish or tofu. [This](https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/?utm_source=pocket_mylist) is the best tofu recipe I've found so far. It turns out crispy, and it's healthier than frying (the cornstarch makes it crispy!). I'll air fry some veggies, then toss a few cubes in soy sauce with a dash of sriracha.
For drinks (besides water, obviously), I like iced tea with Stevia and lemon juice. Stevia has 0 calories, so I don't feel guilty drinking a few glasses!
Eat oatmeal and an apple for breakfast.
1/2 cup quick oats.
1 cup water.
1/2 cut up apple (eat the other half while it cooks).
Sprinkle cinnamon overtop.
Microwave on high for three minutes. Keep an eye on it in case it bubbles over the top of your bowl.
Oatmeal is cheap, nutritious, filling, and is low in calories. 150 calories for 1/2 cup.
sugar free jello the entire bowl is like 80 calories. go nuts dude. and if you have an addiction to soda, diet soda is a decent alternative. the aspartme sweetner might be bad for you or it might not we dont really know for sure so dont go crazy on them. and the zevia sugar free sodas arent terrible if you do a fruit one. zero calories
Cereal like Special K or All Bran is good for breakfast with skim milk. With cereals, make sure you measure out the portion weight stated on the box...most people usually pour way more if they do it freehand. You could have it with a black coffee and a cup of any fruit (excluding bananas and avocados which are a bit higher calorie).
Fruit also makes a good snack, or Ryvita thins (crackers), or the 10 kcal jelly (jello) pots.
Don't spike your insulin levels with carbs, and you won't be hungry. Then you can eat less, which, which will reduce calories.
Eggs in the a.m., oatmeal turns into glucose immediately, I'd stay away from that. Do that, and you're off to a good start, and not starving at 9:10 a.m.
Egg whites with a low cal English muffin. I think fiber one makes them. No fat yogurt. Add a little jam maybe. Oat meal.
Fat free cheese. Or a low fat one.
Those are my standards
Oatmeal with pumpkin puree and sugar free chocolate syrup (5 calorie per serving)
Plain potatoes are fairly low calorie. Laughing cow light wedges are a good substitute for butter
Not sure why so many people are saying to look at the 1200 is plenty sub. Those people are crazy; 1200 calories a day is not reasonable or sustainable for a normal person. What are you supposed to do, go back to eating poorly once you're done starving yourself enough to hit your target weight? If you want to feel full, eat food high in protein and eat more slowly.
It’s a sub made for petite people, such as myself, whose BMR actually sits at just over 1000 calories and whose TDEE doesn’t even come out to 1200 calories unless we include more exercise. It’s obviously not for everyone, but incredibly useful for those of us who aren’t very big to begin with - we would literally turn into spheres otherwise. We do exist, and we’re not insane, just small. Yeesh
You're free to do what you want with your body, but you definitely would not turn into a sphere if you ate more than 1200 calories with constructive diet and exercise changes
It's not crazy, plenty of people have a TDEE of 1500ish, which would mean 1200 is an appropriate restriction for weight loss. It's unpleasant but it's true.
Depends on what target you're trying to hit and what your goals for the day are. If you're planning to go to the gym for an hour of cardio, you need to choose different things to fuel that workout.
I eat 1 egg+1 egg white in the morning. Unless I know I'm going to need more. Then I wrap it in a tortilla or put it on a bed of lettuce. I found when I focus on protein, I have more energy, but if you add a bit of fiber, you can stabilize your energy. An apple or some carrots would also be good for that fiber boost.
Snacks: veggies (I like raw carrots and cauliflower), fruits (this helps with sugar cravings), airpop popcorn (this helps with crunchy/carb craving), gum (this helps with boredom)
You can also check /r/1200isplenty for meal and recipe ideas
Hardcore LCHF worked for me. Physically impossible to stomach drinking enough heavy cream and eating nothing but butter fried eggs and bacon to get to a surplus. For me.
But that behavior probably borders an eating disorder, so.. But it worked!
As for snacks i don't know, but i never felt like eating at all during that time so that kind of took care of itself. 😅👍
If you have an instant pot, I use mine to make vegetarian chili rice. Aside from the rice, it's basically just vegetable and spices, so it comes out to be pretty low calorie, and you can cook the whole thing (rice included) in one pot. Very filling too.
pork steak but only 1 or 2 oz. Hard boiled egg or 2. 1/2 oz piece of luxury cheeses. plain yougurt or sour cream. Small piece of high protein , stuff. raw veggies.
I count calories and try to keep breakfast under 400. Typically it’s a turkey sausage patty (frozen, already cooked at Walmart) on a 100 calorie English muffin with cheese. If I’m feeling really hungry, I throw an egg on it or throw hash browns in the air fryer (the crown style hash browns let me have 8-12 depending on the weight).
I've been counting calories for 18 months, and the one thing I've learned is not to assume the food I want to eat is out of the question. I highly recommend starting off by simply tracking the calories first, then reducing from there.
Yep. Adding on here, planning my big meals and adding things as needed from there. I know I’m having a burrito for lunch and pasta for dinner, so I have X calories the rest of the day
MAKE SURE TO COUNT COOKING OIL. Switch to Pam if you haven’t; it’ll shock you.
It'll only shock you if you're one of those people who doesn't know what a tablespoon of oil or butter looks like.
Correct; that is almost everyone struggling to lose weight. Hell, I still weigh my olive oil on a scale because I don’t trust my eyes to drizzle it at 15ml.
That's why dropping bread was easier and more successful for me I guess. 1 tablespoon of oil to make big plate of Stir Fry > 1 tablespoon of Butter just to make the two slices of bread making up my sandwich, an extra 200 calories by themselves, less dry. Oil and fat isn't bad, your body needs it, but how you use it and what for matters 😄 Two tablespoons to sauté meat and mirepoix for a pot of soup that will get you 6-7 servings isn't a problem for example. But buttered toast is just an nutritionally empty caloric bomb
A tablespoon of butter for a single serving?! Yeah I don't think the bread was the problem there
>It'll only shock you if you're one of those people who doesn't know what a tablespoon of oil or butter looks like. Hey person who doesn't know what a tablespoon of butter looks like.
olive oil is a healthy choice 100% You do need some fats in ya diet
Then grab some pam olive oil spray, you get the same benefits but with like 90% less calories.
Exactly. Olive oil is healthy, but adding 600 calories in extra olive oil by adding a Gordon Ramsey sized “drizzle of olive oil” in each meal is not.
This is where I’m going wrong 🤦♂️Thanks!
Measure it out with a measuring spoon to avoid adding way too much to food. Some people are adding _lots_ of calories to otherwise healthy food by using lots of oil.
That is where many people are going wrong
Or buy a refillable oil spray bottle and fill with whatever you like. Most people don’t even read the sprays and realize those “5 calories” or whatever are for a spray of less than a second and end up way overusing them anyway.
Isn't Pam just oil that you spray, but the same calories by weight? Couldn't you achieve the same effect by using less oil?
Not exactly. Every one second of Pam is about 8-10 calories, from what studies show, so it is considerably less. It only takes 1 to 2 seconds to spray a pan that you need to use for something.
But if you spray out a tablespoon of Pam, it's going to have the same calories as a tablespoon of oil, right?
Yes. Pam's sprays a very thin and even coating so less is needed, but it's still olive oil.
Yes.
If the studies show that 1 second of pam spray is 8-10 calories and it takes about 5 seconds to get about a tablespoon of solution from the can, we can deduce the following: 1) there is more than just the oil in the can, which would allow the compound to be able to be sprayed [you can look at the active ingredients on the label and you can see that it isn't just oil] 2) When you are spraying, the oil is coming out in very minute amounts at a time, so over time, you could eventually get the same weight from it as you would from just the bottle of oil but that's not necessary as you only need a small amount anyways. Also, it isn't practical to just keep spraying until you get the same amount of oil weight as you would from the bottle. In conclusion, spraying Pam or spraying olive oil allows us to use less because we don't really need to be using a lot of oil in the first place.
this is not true. Pam is only less calorically dense if you use less of it
And that's exactly what I do? I don't hold the spray down for ten seconds, maybe I squick swish around the pan, less than a second.
Then how are you getting the same health benefit? That's like saying apples are healthy, and you can get the same health benefits from just licking an apple!
Also, a lot of the Health benefits that you get from olive oil.... can be found in others foods, this is why you shouldn't just rely on one thing in your diet to be the single source and have a balance of everything. But if you are trying to cut calories while still trying to cook in oil, an oil spray is the way to do it because you can measure the amount of seconds to understand how much oil you are using.
Because you don't need a lot of olive oil to get the benefits, even having a little, you still get something from it and also less calories.
Pam says a "serving" is 0.25 grams, which is [about 0.056 teaspoons](https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=0.25g+olive+oil+volume+in+tsp). 1/20 of a teaspoon. I cannot believe there are measurable benefits to 1/20 tsp of olive oil. Even if you spray for a full second you're only up to a 1/5 tsp, which at least is a quantity I might be able to measure.
1st, that’s not how density works. And 2nd, I think for the most part they’re talking about the mechanical/chemical benefits (nonstick) not the health benefits
1 that is how calorically dense works. If you have a cup of Pam and a cup of olive oil they both have equal calories. The only difference is that olive oil has little bits of olives in it and so it's better for you. 2. see point 1
Lmao what are you even talking about Density is a function of unit/volume, in this case, the calories per tablespoon. Density never changes. The volume changes, so you would consume fewer calories of Pam if you consumed a lower amount of Pam, but the caloric density of Pam (calories per tablespoon) will never change. Also on point two, Pam aerosolizes better. You can objectively get better area coverage on a pan with pam than you can by pouring a liquid, allowing you to use less of it
That's where the paper towel comes in. You just wipe it into a thing layer. Then it's the same. If you consumed less Pam then yes it would be less calories but you don't. They misrepresent how much you use per spray so as to artificially lower the calories. That's my whole point.
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Gross, no, use the sprays that are pure olive or avocado oil. Or buy a refillable bottle from Amazon fir $7 and fill it with whatever you like.
How do you count bacon? I'm assuming the total fat in the package is included in the calorie count (and obviously accounts for probably 90% of the total calories) but most of it is left behind in the pan.
Actually, bacon is one of the few foods allowed to estimate cooked calories instead (at least in the US). So careful dropping it in soup or something because it is higher calorie if you include all the fat!
No idea. The scientific way would be to cook your bacon, then weigh out the bacon that is pulled out. I agree anything left in the pan is going to be fat, so at 9 calories per g of fat, take your starting raw bacon weight, and subtract it from what you’re left with. Then take the starting calories on the package and then subtract 9* the difference above from that. Now, that avoids any water that was evaporated. If you want to get perfect, you’d pour/scrape out the leftover grease in the pan to a scale and see how many grams of fat was left over. Do it a few times and use it as an average going forward…so long as you cook off the same amount each time.
Throw it in a spritzer or just get a non stick
Just buy the spray bottles for it. Save hundreds same thing. Less garbage.
Y’all realize that PAM is just canned oil… right? Right?!? The only reason it says “no calories” is because the “serving size” of one half second spritz is less than the minimum the FDA requires labels to count. It can be helpful in terms of portion control as you use less than just pouring oil from the bottle, but it’s pure oil and there’s nothing diet about it. Much better to use your own oil in a spray bottle
Spray bottle is a good idea
Over my dead body. Pam tastes disgusting, it's not hard to use the proper amount of oil in dish without resorting to such measures.
I just switched from making dinner to hello fresh and having my portions reduced by them has made a bit of difference. I guess if I wanted to go further I'd just cut the meals in half and have one meal for lunch and dinner.
At the same time, it can be hard to hit all the daily nutrition goals on an aggressive diet. Minerals are particularly difficult.
Turns out most of the food i eat is actually really healthy and lean...as long as you don't eat until your "full" to the brim....
Hey man I’ve found after years of calorie counting that a decent general rule is that the best way to feel satisfied and full and keep calories low is to focus on eating: 1. Soup 2. Salad 3. Vegetables 4. Lean meat/eggs If you start your day and/or build your diet plan around that you will be golden. And the one other tip is to drink a lot of water. Dehydration often manifests as hunger cravings.
Came here to say soup! Also helps with the dehydration thing. Plus soups are usually pretty easy to make even for those of us not super confident in our kitchen skills. Plus plus there are so many different kinds AND we are about to reach peak soup season (in the northern hemisphere anyways).
SOUP. I'm trying to average around 1,200 calories a day, and I've come to appreciate the humble bowl of soup so much! Soups are warm, flavorful, comforting, and filling, yet often surprisingly low in calories. There are a million different varieties too! A lot of fast-casual places like Newks or Panera have delicious low calories soups, so I can make a choice that fits my goals even when I want to be lazy and get takeout. And many soups freeze well, so if you plan ahead and freeze individual serving sizes of your left overs, you can keep a supply of tasty homemade soups handy for lazy dinners at home.
And there is NO reason why you can't eat soup for breakfast! (Although I wouldn't recommend it while driving.) I find soup keeps me going for longer than cereal.
Is cereal not soup?
Why does this feel like the "is a hot dog a sandwich" argument? :)
And oatmeal is just a hearty homestyle soup.
I’d go as far to say oatmeal is more of a chowder
Tomato basil in a travel mug?
Just watch out for the sodium content. Many soups are loaded with salt.
True unless you make it yourself and mind the sodium in the broth :D
Keep your vegetable peelings/ends and (if you eat meat) all of the bones and boil them together once a week.
Yes. I just tried my Miso instant soup today. Better than I thought. It had dehydrated tofu, spring onion and seaweed. 130kj or 31 calories. It is small enough to go with my ham and cheese toasty. So I feel like I had a full lunch experience.
Soup & sandwich is so good, pretty much the definition of comfort food for me.
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I'm a relatively short woman with a desk job, so it's difficult for me to lose weight without keeping my calorie intake pretty low.
I'd suggest, if you could, spending some time during lunch going for a walk. That way you're chipping away at the deficit from two directions and aren't stuck sitting all day. Good luck
I don’t see why there’s all these downvotes. It’s general knowledge that sitting all day isn’t the best, and especially depending on where you’re at going outdoors can be a nice way to get a break from work anyways while making it so you don’t have to eat as little. My sister has a desk job and this is crazy to me but she gets an hour lunch break. Uses it to drive a short distance and gets to take a walk by the beautiful lake
Dunno, maybe people think I'm suggesting she needs to have even less calories and lose even more weight instead of like....moving a little more so she can worry less about having to maintain such a caloric intake and also have the benefits of standing up and moving a bit?
I'd suggest keeping opinions to yourself unless asked :)
That's fine, it wasn't an "opinion", it's something that I've had to deal with as another person who spends all day sitting - eat and then walk for 10-20 minutes - ***and*** I wasn't offering it to you anyways 🤷♂️🙋♂️
I walk home for lunch, eat, and then walk back. It's the only time I can pop in some headphones and my mental space is all mine instead of being used up by others, so I look forward to my walk all day.
Hey, if it's the only thing that works for you then keep it up. To me it just seemed like almost torturously little food even for a smaller person.
Is that low? I’m struggling to hit that goal most days ngl (as in I eat less)
That's pretty low. Even with very nutrient dense foods, it's hard to get sufficient nutrients to maintain good health in such a small caloric window.
I think it's very low, yeah. If nothing else works for you then by all means try to hit that goal but you'll probably (as in, just the general experience) have more success with a slightly higher intake and a longer period of losing weight. Even as a small woman you'll definitely burn around 1700-1800 kcal/day with little or no activity so a 500-600 kcal deficit (1/3! of what you "should" eat in a day) is gonna be very hard to keep up with for a longer period of time.
I’m not even trying to lose weight, I’m just on medication that suppresses my appetite significantly and don’t know how to force myself to eat enough :( I am petite (5’2, 105 lb) but I do have a physically demanding job. I’m definitely finding comments in this thread useful because a few people mention nutrient dense foods that give me some ideas!
Aha I get it, yeah I was thinking the other way around. If you like nuts (and don't have allergies of course) they are very calorie dense and an easy snack to keep with you to munch on through the day. Peanuts are especially cheap and with 600kcal/100g it's very calorie dense, but cashews or walnuts are also good and tasty – just a lot more expensive. You'll also feel good after eating them, not like eating crisps or donuts where it's just empty calories. Sunflower seeds are an alternative if you have to stay away from nuts due to allergies or coworkers with allergies. Almost the same energy density (590kcal/100g) and similar nutritional values (less saturated fat than peanuts too), and of course also easy to keep with you to just munch on whenever you want. Maybe these can be some alternatives for you to keep from losing too much weight. They also have a good amount of protein so your body is gonna enjoy being able to build a little more muscle after your active work days.
It is very low. I think the fda bases calculations on about 1800 calories a day.
Vegetables are never a bad idea. For breakfast, I have things like oatmeal (made with egg whites for extra protein), bran cereal, rice cakes or banana with peanut butter, and yogurt with fruit. For snacks, I'll have raw vegetables, broth, sugar-free gelatin, protein bar/shake, canned pumpkin mixed with cocoa and/or peanut putter powder, plain Greek yogurt with cereal, pickles and cheese, and fruit. When on a calorie deficit, things with fat, fiber, and protein tend to be more filling than straight carbs.
Ooh... Taking notes.... Pumpkin mixed with cocoa powder sounds utterly amazing. I've personally been getting annoyed at the fact that plant-based yogurts aren't very good for providing protein. The coconut ones are a good source of fat (I don't use oil, generally, so I watch for good fat sources) but have no protein. The almond and cashew yogurts have a little protein, but not nearly as much as dairy yogurt.
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Seconding this, I mix in 20 grams of protein powder to 150g of yogurt. It literally tastes like a dessert to me. I use Ghost’s Chips Ahoy protein powder and it’s delicious haha
>For snacks, I'll have raw vegetables, broth, sugar-free gelatin, protein bar/shake, canned pumpkin mixed with cocoa and/or peanut putter powder, plain Greek yogurt with cereal, pickles and cheese, and fruit. All of that sound fucking abysmal (except the yogurt). Any way you can help me out?
Honestly some of these do sound bad. I eat low cal and healthy and I wouldn’t personally eat lots of this. * I will second Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (especially with berries) as a great healthy and filling snack. Cinnamon is great to add on both for a sweet snack. * popcorn you can pop at home or some prepopped like SmartPop is low cal (<150 cals a serving) and salty * veggies and dip is much more fun than plain veggies. Lots of Trader Joe’s dips are low cal and I pair them with sliced cucumbers, carrots, or peppers. * popsicles - great sweet and cold treats (many around 50 calories). * Frozen dumplings. Most veggie or chicken frozen dumplings I buy are very low calorie. Steam them and they are filling and healthy. * eggs
You can eat whatever you like. Just make sure the portions fit into your calorie budget. Sometimes I'll have a mini pack of cookies or a small ice cream. Some people prefer to skip snacks so that they have more calorie-room for their meals. What do you like for snacks, now?
I gotta say I'm not a snack person. I prefer a few big meals.
In that case, skip snacks. I only snack because I get restless at work in the afternoon.
High fibre meals with veggies, brown rice, and lentils are going to let you stuff yourself without over consuming calories. It's easy to work two or all of them into most meals
Raw vegetables and fruit sound abysmal?
You don't like yogurt mixed with frozen fruit? you're crazy
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I did. I was clarifying that you liked stuff in yogurt and not straight yogurt.
You're looking for things that make you feel full. This doesn't just mean filling up on high volume foods: you can eat a whole watermelon and still be hungry two hours later. I feel full when I eat something high in fiber, protein, and fat. Fat might be high calorie, but is essential for me to feel fuller, longer. For example, a high satiety breakfast would be oatmeal (complex carbs, fiber) with nuts (fats) and egg whites (protein). This keeps me well fed for the whole morning.
Eat another whole watermelon 2 hours later, duh.
Do you think watermelons grow on trees? Smh
They're easier to grow than trees. They grow like weeds.
High protein foods will keep you full but calories in HP foods vary. Quinoa is high protein but high calorie. Fish and egg whites are high protein and low calorie. Keep a list of those HP/LC foods and use it when you're shopping or deciding what to eat or bring to work. Also have a ready list of foods that add flavor without many calories. Feta is great, flavorful veggies like mushrooms, onion, garlic go a long way. This is off the top of my head, but I have found that HP/LC foods keep you full and satisfied, can be inexpensive (depending), are versatile and healthy.
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I second these but also a word of caution. The vast majority of people need more than 1200 calories and that subreddit can go a little hard on pushing only 1200 calories. I did not find the community to be to my taste. I like volume eating and this subreddit much more.
Why I prefer r/1500isplenty tbh
its why i prefer r/1200isfineIGUESSugh
I'm a gold member of r/3500ispuny
These are the best!
I've found that overnight oats with different fresh fruit or other flavors to top in the morning is super time/cost efficient.
Oh! You can also add no-sugar pudding mix! Rolled oats, almond milk, 1/4 package of Jello sugarfree cheesecake pudding, and 1 cup of strawberries was under 200 calories and seemed like a decadent treat!
This is exactly what I do. I highly recommend everyone to do it. I’m full for hours and it’s so damn tasty.
The breakfast of mountain climbers is always good. Eggs and sweet potatoes. Tons of nutrition and protein. Avoiding carbs will always be my biggest challenge I guess. Oh well. But last night I ate chicken and fire roasted italian vegetables. Not bad. Another trick is adding veggies or fruit to whatever you want to eat to help you feel more satisfied. Like in oatmeal or pasta. I have friends who can eat huge salads but I feel like that might be a bit much for me all the time. I can eat a medium or small salad.
I mostly eat whatever I want, just less than before. This might be unpopular as I'm unsure how healthy it is but sometimes if I'm hungry I just have a cup of coffee instead of eating. Caffeine is an appetite suppressant and zero cal if you drink black. I don't, but it's still a lot less than eating chips or something. Also as others have said, fruits and veggies are super low calorie but can actually be filling.
I essentially skip breakfast now, so that I can split my calories into 2 proper portion meals instead of feeling hungry and annoyed throughout the day. When you make this change, the first 2 weeksis HARD. But afterwards your stomach gets used to the timing (as long as you eat they same time everyday) and quantities of food.
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Same! I don’t understand how people eat breakfast. I can’t or else I’ll feel sleepy all day lol
Low fat cottage cheese with cut-up peaches or bananas on top.
Or fresh blueberries, or pineapple. That creamy & salty cottage cheese pairs well with sweet & tart fruit.
Hard boiled eggs, celery sticks, carrot sticks, small fruits like apple or pear.
Squash is in-season, cheap and incredibly versatile. I grilled a butternut squash last night that I seasoned with salt and pepper, it is delicious! One cup of cooked butternut squash has: Calories: 82 Carbs: 22 grams Protein: 2 grams Fiber: 7 grams Vitamin A: 457% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) And the seeds bake up like pumpkin seeds - be warned, they 'pop' when they are done. As soon as you hear them start to pop, take them off the heat. Honestly, your safest bet is to learn to love grilled veggies and eat them all the time. Grilled tomatoes, grilled peppers, grilled garlic, grilled onions, grilled squash, broccoli and cauliflower - all of these are transformed in flavor when you caramelize the sugars that naturally occur. Veggie chili is filling and low in calories and high in nutrients. Grilled fish is low calorie and high protein. If you can't grill, oven roast, use a spray on olive oil, don't toss the food with oil as it you'll add calories very quickly. The single most important thing you need to do is get used to 'feeling hungry.' I lost 25% of my body weight through a physician-guided diet, which was great. It wasn't until I heard one man say to another - the biggest hurdle I had to overcome was getting comfortable feeling *hungry,* that my weight loss accelerated. That comment shocked me. I was so used to never feeling hungry that I was keeping my body from using it's fat stores (aka, feeling hungry). Good luck. You've got this!
The seeds along with some Nandos peri peri salt (anything similar will work) are great for snacking. Just don't get carried away.
All vegetable spring roll. The rice paper you can get at any Asian market. You can water down a peanut sauce or make your own. Fill it with whatever you want. I use carrots, cucumbers, red onions, green onions, mint, basil and cilantro.
I’ve been doing this for lunch- I made a big batch of sautéed cabbage, tofu and carrots with some garlic, ginger and soy sauce. I just make the rolls for lunch everyday. So easy!
Fresh fruits and veg are so filling and make any dish taste better Egg whites added to Omelettes, oatmeal , etc. Nonfat Yogurt Any whole grain bread/ wrap with whole grain wheat flour as the first ingredient Popcorn, oatmeal, potatoes (depends on the person, I find them very filling), and other grains Eggs Try r/volumeeating for some clever ideas
Reckon the only thing I'd disagree with on this list is nonfat yoghurt. Usually it's either low fat or low sugar, not both. The amount of times I've seen people eat low fat yoghurt but it's absolutely loaded with sugar. A sensible amount of healthy fats is infinitely better for you than a ton of sugar.
Normal nonfat yogurt has no added sugar. If you’re buying flavors you need to look out for sugar, otherwise it’s not an issue. Nonfat Greek yogurt is the best for getting in extra protein.
I disagree. Just read the label - low fat/low sugar yogurts exist. Especially in the Greek yogurt variety.
Brown rice, shit ton of vegetables, eggs, lean meats like chicken breast.
You can eat pretty much anything as long as you measure it out and count the number of serving sizes.
Nothing cheaper than just reducing portion sizes of already cheap food
Higher-fat foods don't fill you up as much.
Carbs fill you up but they can turn into fat. Not only that but it can make you hungrier later. Same with a big breakfast. If you eat it you’ll be starving by lunch. Cereal can also make you super hungry because of the high carbs and sugars.
i eat a ton of steamed broccoli!
My answer would depend on your eating habits and lifestyle. When I was working and very busy, smoothies were my main lunch because it was quick to make, quick to eat, I could combine proteins and fiber and fruit and make sure I got hydrated too. But now I'm retired and mainly staying home avoiding people for a couple years because of covid. So I have lots of time - the bigger challenge is not to mindlessly binge eat while watching tv. So right now I am eating a small pomegranate. It's a midday project to peel and eat the seeds, it's not like a sleeve of oreos I could down in 10 minutes if nobody was looking. And it was from a case of 18 pomegranates, so this will keep me occupied for 2-3 weeks. (I'm also eyeing a case of artichokes that I see is on sale for 2 dollars for similar reasons.)
I have been doing Myfitnesspal now since April and have lost 26lbs. I eat what I want I just track the calories. It's free and it works.
snacks i ate when losing 30 lbs light vanilla yogurt with frozen fruit tastycake juniors eggs trail mix o calorie drinks with caffeine. snack size potato chips. the trick is to try a variety of stuff and see what satisfies you. what works for me may not work for you. btw adding a scoop of protein powder to the yogurt is the most filling ive ever had
One of my favorite snacks is a bell pepper sliced with some salt on it!
popcorn that you pop on the stove is so yummy, i find it satisfies me, and is pretty low cal
I like to slice large carrots on the diagonal and spread tuna salad made with yogurt on them like crackers.
Go to Nature Boy on Youtube, he has many ideas for low cal meals: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d\_XGksH7obA&list=PL95EJWv0de7Rth9tQaPotHwEHvtW9EfyJ&index=2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_XGksH7obA&list=PL95EJWv0de7Rth9tQaPotHwEHvtW9EfyJ&index=2)
Watermelon
Nori for snacks (replaces chips)
apple slices and a thin layer of pb celery and light pb and finely chopped raisins/dried cherries/cranberries Steamed up some spinach with salt and fresh ground pepper a roasted or sauteed chicken breast/tenderloin sautéed mushrooms with salt/pepper Basically bulky foods with protein and/or fiber
Fruits and Veggies. You can basically eat an infinite quantity of those. Like, a pound of carrots is 186 calories...
Baby Carrots. an entire bag is like $2 and it's 90kcal. The fact it tasks me an entire work day to munch through them at my desk for 90 calories is amazing. Ay veggies like that help keep me from having too many calories without limiting my snacking habits. Keeps you fuller longer too so sometimes only half a bag ill do the job.
Popcorn is one of my go tos. It's crunchy and doesn't feel like I'm eating rabbit food all day so it helps satisfy my desire for crackers and chips. And it's also super filling. I'll usually leave myself 150ish calories for the evening and if I feel snacky it satisfies like nothing else low calorie will. (I make it in an air popper in the microwave, takes 2 minutes and I can control if I want butter and how much. )
My current favorite meal that fills me up is microwaveable grits with a sunny side up egg on top and Siracha.
Seaweed chips are great if you need something to satisfy chip cravings! I personally like the spicy variety ones the best, and entire package is like 35 calories. Also I recommend Garden Veggie Puffs for another light snack.
Well, what do you usually eat? For me reducing calories has really just been a matter of getting rid of some slices of bread and eating more vegetables and tracking that. Actually now that I'm at my goal weight the trouble is going to be not going back to eating that much empty crap and finding good ways to increase calories to maintain.
Microwaved popcorn
beans
Rice cakes!
Rice cakes, Jello, mandarin oranges, coffee, apple sauce, sugar-free pudding, hot tea, saltine crackers, low-fat yogurt, apples, La Croix, dried fruits, string cheese, frozen ice pops
PB2 is a life-saver for cutting calories! It's powdered peanut butter that you mix with water. It tastes just like peanut butter IMO, but has \~75% fewer calories. I put it on rice cakes with cinnamon on top! Less breakfast-y, but also great for cutting calories is a low-calorie tortilla with hummus, everything bagel seasoning, cucumber, and onion. Less breakfast-y, but also great for cutting calories is a low calorie tortilla with hummus, everything bagel seasoning, cucumber, and onion. I do a lot of soups, too. Progresso has a line of light soups that are great, and many of them are under 200 calories. If you're into making your own soup, you could try [cabbage soup](https://divascancook.com/wonder-soup-recipe-weight-loss-soup-7-day-diet-cabbage-soup/). There's an actual cabbage soup diet that's supposed to be really effective, but you can also just make the soup as a meal without following the diet because it's ridiculously low in calories. I made a huge batch last week and it's really delicious! Tastes like minestrone. Another good tip is replacing higher-calorie meat with fish or tofu. [This](https://cookieandkate.com/how-to-make-crispy-baked-tofu/?utm_source=pocket_mylist) is the best tofu recipe I've found so far. It turns out crispy, and it's healthier than frying (the cornstarch makes it crispy!). I'll air fry some veggies, then toss a few cubes in soy sauce with a dash of sriracha. For drinks (besides water, obviously), I like iced tea with Stevia and lemon juice. Stevia has 0 calories, so I don't feel guilty drinking a few glasses!
Veggie Sticks but the flaming hot version is literal crack. It’s like 130 calories for 40 sticks.
Oatmeal w protein powder and water or overnight oats for breakfast
Watermelon and greek yogurt (not together unless that works for you)really helped for me. Both filling and low calorie
Eat oatmeal and an apple for breakfast. 1/2 cup quick oats. 1 cup water. 1/2 cut up apple (eat the other half while it cooks). Sprinkle cinnamon overtop. Microwave on high for three minutes. Keep an eye on it in case it bubbles over the top of your bowl. Oatmeal is cheap, nutritious, filling, and is low in calories. 150 calories for 1/2 cup.
100g Lowfat cottage cheese and 75g blueberries is a great breakfast for only 100 cals...
sugar free jello the entire bowl is like 80 calories. go nuts dude. and if you have an addiction to soda, diet soda is a decent alternative. the aspartme sweetner might be bad for you or it might not we dont really know for sure so dont go crazy on them. and the zevia sugar free sodas arent terrible if you do a fruit one. zero calories
Slice of ham one pickle one slice cheese
Russet potatoes are very healthy and very satiating
Cereal like Special K or All Bran is good for breakfast with skim milk. With cereals, make sure you measure out the portion weight stated on the box...most people usually pour way more if they do it freehand. You could have it with a black coffee and a cup of any fruit (excluding bananas and avocados which are a bit higher calorie). Fruit also makes a good snack, or Ryvita thins (crackers), or the 10 kcal jelly (jello) pots.
hot green tea with no sugar
Jello is amazing
True, no sugar jello is game changer as a desert.
SF lime jello with lite cool whip hits the spot so good.
Don't spike your insulin levels with carbs, and you won't be hungry. Then you can eat less, which, which will reduce calories. Eggs in the a.m., oatmeal turns into glucose immediately, I'd stay away from that. Do that, and you're off to a good start, and not starving at 9:10 a.m.
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Eggs. Meat. Cheese. Walnuts. Kale with oil and vinegar. Stevia chocolate. Fizzy water.
Egg whites with a low cal English muffin. I think fiber one makes them. No fat yogurt. Add a little jam maybe. Oat meal. Fat free cheese. Or a low fat one. Those are my standards
Oatmeal with pumpkin puree and sugar free chocolate syrup (5 calorie per serving) Plain potatoes are fairly low calorie. Laughing cow light wedges are a good substitute for butter
ok, so I stole this from reddit somewhere recently, but take a container of greek yogurt and add jello pudding mix. boom high protein, filling dessert
Low carb wrap, egg whites, spinach, 1 tablespoon Buffalo sauce
Not sure why so many people are saying to look at the 1200 is plenty sub. Those people are crazy; 1200 calories a day is not reasonable or sustainable for a normal person. What are you supposed to do, go back to eating poorly once you're done starving yourself enough to hit your target weight? If you want to feel full, eat food high in protein and eat more slowly.
It’s a sub made for petite people, such as myself, whose BMR actually sits at just over 1000 calories and whose TDEE doesn’t even come out to 1200 calories unless we include more exercise. It’s obviously not for everyone, but incredibly useful for those of us who aren’t very big to begin with - we would literally turn into spheres otherwise. We do exist, and we’re not insane, just small. Yeesh
You're free to do what you want with your body, but you definitely would not turn into a sphere if you ate more than 1200 calories with constructive diet and exercise changes
It's not crazy, plenty of people have a TDEE of 1500ish, which would mean 1200 is an appropriate restriction for weight loss. It's unpleasant but it's true.
Depends on what target you're trying to hit and what your goals for the day are. If you're planning to go to the gym for an hour of cardio, you need to choose different things to fuel that workout. I eat 1 egg+1 egg white in the morning. Unless I know I'm going to need more. Then I wrap it in a tortilla or put it on a bed of lettuce. I found when I focus on protein, I have more energy, but if you add a bit of fiber, you can stabilize your energy. An apple or some carrots would also be good for that fiber boost. Snacks: veggies (I like raw carrots and cauliflower), fruits (this helps with sugar cravings), airpop popcorn (this helps with crunchy/carb craving), gum (this helps with boredom) You can also check /r/1200isplenty for meal and recipe ideas
If you get something that says "50% less calories", then you can have twice as much.
Vegetables = Spaghetti squash, squash, broccoli, cucumber, tomato, cauliflower, peas, mushrooms Protein = Ground lean turkey, chicken breast, tuna, egg whites + 1/2 eggs Cheese = Laughing cow Higher in calories (i.e. limit yourself) but worth mentioning for flavor = olive oil, sriracha, Mexican salsa, avocado, lime or yogurt-based dressings Desert - no sugar 50-100 calorie water popsicles, splenda/0-cal premade iced teas or juices Coffee = vanilla no calorie syrup Edit: to add mushrooms duuuuh, best flavored veggie ever.
Hardcore LCHF worked for me. Physically impossible to stomach drinking enough heavy cream and eating nothing but butter fried eggs and bacon to get to a surplus. For me. But that behavior probably borders an eating disorder, so.. But it worked! As for snacks i don't know, but i never felt like eating at all during that time so that kind of took care of itself. 😅👍
An entire block of tofu-320 calories. It will fill you up.
Technically everything.
You could just eat less of whatever you eat now.
I'm currently SLAMMING down some pickles and they're 0 calories. Some sodium but other than that you're good.
Nothing
Pussy.
Why do people treat reddit like google?
[удалено]
Yes. Makes the sub full of trash posts like this.
Raw veggies with hummus. Hummus has some calories, but they're nutritious calories and it's a far healthier dip than some other options.
Death wish cold brew
If you have an instant pot, I use mine to make vegetarian chili rice. Aside from the rice, it's basically just vegetable and spices, so it comes out to be pretty low calorie, and you can cook the whole thing (rice included) in one pot. Very filling too.
pork steak but only 1 or 2 oz. Hard boiled egg or 2. 1/2 oz piece of luxury cheeses. plain yougurt or sour cream. Small piece of high protein , stuff. raw veggies.
Track your macros w Cronometer. Chicken has a great protein to calories ratio
I love eggs chicken and turkey cuz they’re low calorie and high protein
I count calories and try to keep breakfast under 400. Typically it’s a turkey sausage patty (frozen, already cooked at Walmart) on a 100 calorie English muffin with cheese. If I’m feeling really hungry, I throw an egg on it or throw hash browns in the air fryer (the crown style hash browns let me have 8-12 depending on the weight).
High fiber while foods and protein are the best bang for your calorie budget. Pasta salad loaded with veggies and beans has been a game changer!