General tips?

DarkEyedWhich

Hi all!

My first week and I lost 6lb so very happy with that and my clothes are so much looser!

I'm wondering what sort of things you guys eat to stay full and how you handle choccy cravings?

Jo xx

Chef_Barbell

I include chocolate and treats into my daily calories.

Gena575

Yep. What others have said. I work treats into my day. I have ice cream, chocolate or some other sweet thing near daily. If I'm low on calories left, the Blue Bunny fudge pops are great for 80 calories.

For fullness, I've worked with my natural tendencies. I'm good with light breakfasts (most days a Quest bar because it's easy and helps me hit protein goals) and basic lunches of a sandwich, fruit and a single serve bag of chips. That leaves me with a nice large dinner. For me, I need to feel physically full in the evenings. If my entree is calorie dense, I use a salad as a side for bulk. Or roasted/sautéed veggies work too. If I'm having a leaner roasted protein for dinner, then I have a more calorie dense side like mashed potatoes or buttered rice.

I always try to leave at least 100 calories for a TV snack. I know I'll want it, and feel like I'm "dieting" without it. I refuse to feel like I'm on a diet. That feeling makes me drive through Diary Queen and order some giant Blizzard.

kgirlhart

I find protein helps me. I eat eggs almost every morning and I notice I tend to be hungrier when I don't eat them. I also like to eat Greek yogurt. My favorites are the Chobani Flips. They typically have around 200 calories and 12 grams of protein and a lot of them have chocolate chips in them. That satisfies my need for protein and my desire for sweets at the same time. I also like the Fiber One brownies. The lemon bar and coffee cake flavors are good too. So either the brownie or the Flips help me with the chocolate cravings. Really though since I have something chocolate almost every day of don't really have cravings. You can do it. Just eat things you like, don't eat stuff you don't like, decide which things are worth the calories and get a food scale and weigh as much of your food as possible.

JoshD8705

Stay hydrated. I keep a gallon jug, and finish it every day. Meal prepping has helped me a lot, and protein shakes are like a desert for me. If you can just stop drinking soda, or reduce them to maybe 2 for the week. I reward myself with 1 meal out for every 10lbs lost. If I had a cheat meal every week I'd probably talk myself into more cheat meals, so I like this method for now. Baked, boiled, or steamed foods. Find good seasonings, and if you can learn to love garlic, and peppers you can keep things from getting boring.

divcara

Congrats! I eat for the most part every 3.5-4 hours. Egg whites & oatmeal for breakfast, chicken/lean turkey with brown rice/pasta/ezekiel bread for lunch & dinner. I throw potatos or sweet potatos on a george foreman grill and crisp as my "french fries."

For my dessert fixes, it's usually a Quest or Oh Yeah One protein bar, or a protein shake. I don't eat much dairy anymore because my body doesn't seem to handle it very well, but when I did, I would get fat free greek yogurt and stir in a chocolate protein powder, or unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, sugar free maple syrup, and that was a decent "dessert" fix. I also like ezekiel bread french toast with egg whites, unsweetened almond milk, sometimes I add pumpkin puree, and the sugar free maple syrup (not everyone likes the fake sugars, but that really helped me cut on sugar when I need a sweet fix for the minimal amount I use.) I use low sodium ezekiel bread. That's a breakfast that keeps me full and that doesn't feel like "diet food" - I really like it.

tryett

I still eat chocolate also, only now it's dark chocolate. A smaller piece satisfies me, or I get o e of the dark chocolate flavored Kind bars. Kind bars are awesome for a treat. I still eat ice cream, my favorite is pistachio. I also discovered Pizzelles are fairly low calorie from another member.

As far as staying full, proteins, fats and fiber does it. (Kind bars have all three).

jvanessa89

To stay full, try to eat a lot of protein and eat enough fiber and healthy fats. I eat 2 scrambled eggs most mornings with a side of fruit and sometimes peanut butter toast with cinnamon on it. Or I'll do greek yogurt with fruit and granola. Both these breakfasts keep me very full. For snacks when on the go I like cashews or almonds or a string cheese and I love bananas. A typical dinner I like is baked chicken breast with sweet potato and a side of asparagus or broccoli. Salads keep you full because of the fiber but I would add some kind of protein to it like eggs, chicken or beans. Drink a lot of water all day long!!!!

For chocolate cravings I like dark chocolate.. the higher percentage of cacao is better for you. Stay away from ones with too much sugar. Or you could do a chocolate flavored protein shake or munch on some chocolate flavored granola.

icemom011

I find that a few semi sweet dark chocolate chips satisfy my chocolate cravings most nights, and its low calorie, so no reson not to enjoy it

JDixon852019

Use a food scale to ensure you are logging accurately.