Low Calorie High Quantity Ideas?

RachelDanae350

I enjoy nothing more than mindless snacking or getting that contentedly full feeling, but basic fruits and vegetables don't seem to do the trick and the only other low calorie option I've found is pickles... Anyone have something they buy or cook that might fill the void?

seska422

Pickles used to be a go-to for me as well until I started watching my sodium. My "something to keep my hands and mouth busy" go-to is now a 16 fl oz cup of tea with a 20-calorie packet of sugar.

My old "contentedly full feeling" was actually when I'd eaten more than I really needed and yours might be too.

What I do now is have one meal per day with high volume (a Lean Cuisine plus an entire bag of steam-in-bag veggies without sauce) and the rest of the time I eat smaller meals and snacks slowly and drink a glass or two of water while I'm eating to make my stomach more full.

It took me months to figure out a way of eating that worked for me. It takes experimentation. Don't try to do everything at once. Slowly reduce your portions. Make a lower calorie (but still satisfying) choice here and there. It all adds up.

comptonelizabeth

Pop corn? Is that low calorie - I'm not sure as I'm trying to gain, not lose!

doogledoggle

for evening snacking i make a whole diet jelly...and i eat it ALL. While its not the healthiest option...it stops me eating mindlessly..and provides me with 500mls + of fluid i guess.....i eat with a teaspoon so takes ages...sometimes i add berries, sometimes light evaporated milk. About 30 calories without any extras.

esfoster5

RachelDanae350 wrote: »

I enjoy nothing more than mindless snacking or getting that contentedly full feeling, but basic fruits and vegetables don't seem to do the trick and the only other low calorie option I've found is pickles... Anyone have something they buy or cook that might fill the void?

Low calorie, high quantity? Potatoes. They'll fill you up. You can season them, but no butter or oil or anything like that.

If you think potatoes are too high calorie, here's the thing: if you're hungry, it means you're not eating enough.

awkwardbae

carrot baked fries
broccoli with either butter (tiny amount gives awesome taste) or cottage and pepper
home made popcorn
chestnuts I think 100 grams are 200 calories and they taste amazing
sweet potato fries or baked sweet potatoes
cabbage vegetable soup with lemon (love it)
try some cauliflower recipes from pinterest, never tried them but some of them could work

generally if you look for quantity- low calorie, stay away from sugars, grains and fats. Go for soups, vegetables, salads. They can be extremely tasty if made properly

Gallowmere1984

esfoster5 wrote: »

RachelDanae350 wrote: »

I enjoy nothing more than mindless snacking or getting that contentedly full feeling, but basic fruits and vegetables don't seem to do the trick and the only other low calorie option I've found is pickles... Anyone have something they buy or cook that might fill the void?

Low calorie, high quantity? Potatoes. They'll fill you up. You can season them, but no butter or oil or anything like that.

If you think potatoes are too high calorie, here's the thing: if you're hungry, it means you're not eating enough.

Not entirely. I'm a formerly fat Irish/Scottish kid. I can throw down on potatoes all day and still want more. They are actually a huge part of what got me fat early in life. Even as a kid, O would shun candy and the like, but give me a bag of redskins, russets, or Idahos, and I'd show you how I became obese. And yes, I've always eaten them plain and whole, just baked or microwaved, skin and all.

RachelDanae350

I've just found Konjac or "Miracle Noodles". I love Asian food so I can't wait to try them!

katorihanzo

I know just what you mean, I learned early on in this process (about 3 years ago) that it was really useful for me to have something in the house that I could mindlessly eat when I felt the urge. For 90% of my week I'm able to eat what I've logged in advance and move on with my life but sometimes I just want to snack on something salty and crunchy while I binge watch Netflix.

-Popcorn is the best for this. I usually make it on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil. I either top with a bit of melted butter and salt, or a bit of melted coconut oil and seasonings. A big bowl that takes me a long time to eat is under 300 calories. Those popcorn seasonings add a lot of flavour and have almost no calories. You don't have to put oil or butter on them but it helps the salt to stick.

You can also buy big bags of extremely low calorie popcorn in the store. Avoid Smartfood - its delicious and not terrible for you but should still not be mindlessly snacked on. I like Boom Chicka Pop, 4 cups of the salted one is 140 calories.

-Pistachios are surprisingly low in calories for a nut and if you buy the ones you need to shell you won't eat as many. Plus they're more nutritious than popcorn.

-Rice cakes with jam. Crunchy and sweet and low calorie.

-Low calorie yogurt - seriously, an entire large container of silhouette is like 100 calories or something.

-Homemade pita chips - One of my favourites. I found a brand of pita that is only 70 per (most are more like 140 per, though that's still not bad) and I cut it into small triangles, brush with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and bake until golden. Salty, crispy, so flavourful. Tzatziki or baba ganoush are very delicious and low calorie dipping options. Baba ganoush is nutritious as well. Hummus is also good but a bit higher in calorie. Two whole pitas makes a gazillian chips.

-Rice Krispies - You can eat a big bowl of rice krispies with skim or 1% milk for very few calories. Eat with a teaspoon to take your time.

Can you tell that I am passionate about snacking? And that I definitely don't watch my salt intake?

Edit to add: With any of these, however, it's still good to portion before you sit down to eat mindlessly eat them, especially with the pistachios and pita chips.

RachelDanae350

I just bought an amazing all natural strawberry jam and hadn't figured out a way to eat any without blowing my calories so I am loving the rice cake idea, going to buy some asap!

jgnatca

Low calorie foods at their essence are either puffed up with air or plumped up with water. I need some crunch to satisfy my craving so I lean towards air.

Any of the air puffed cereals will work. The Bulk Barn may offer some exotic alternatives.

I've been experimenting with Knox gelatine. You may flavour with Mio.

To allow for some mindlessness I suggest you pre package and pre measure so you know exactly what you are getting.

TrevorRitter71113

Bell peppers, and salsa

rejectuf

Any raw vegetable will fill you up quickly.

Be careful with nuts. While it's a good source of protein and fat, they are very calorie dense. Not a good source for something that you can just go nuts on.

If you're not concerned about sodium, pickled anything is fantastic. Doesn't have to be cucumbers... okra, cauliflower, carrots, radishes... they're all delicious! If you have a dehyrdrator, make some of your own vegetable chips! Thin slices of tomato are actually awesome when dehydrated to crispy.

Consider salsa or a well seasoned vegetable puree rather than traditional dips.

RachelDanae350

Also just found lavash wraps - holy cow! So huge for so little calories, I'm gonna find so many ways to take advantage of these:)

akelarae

A soup with lots of veggies. Costco has a vegetable barley that is 80 cals a cup and it's great. Stir fry with lots of cabbage...you can be really satisfied on that.