Tips & Tricks: Food Hacks
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snickerscharlie wrote: »myfitnessjourneyto180 wrote: »Anyone makes certain foods high in volume, good taste, and low in calories?
Here are mine:
Zuchinni Pasta (5-10x less calories than normal pasta with a huge volume)
PB2 Peanut butter (1/2 normal peanut butter calories and good taste)
Protein fluff (protein shake, diet soda, xanthan gum: it's less than 150 calories with tons of fluff)
Aspartame-free diet soda
Coffee with water and artifical sweeteners (not the healthiest but literally 0 to 5 calories)
Shrimps (20 for 60 calories, super high protein, and cooked with low oil and 0-calorie spices is heavenly)
Also do you guys sometimes forget to eat and sometimes binge on junk food to meet the calorie limit?
Here's what I do:
3 junior chickens + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1200 calories)
2 junior chicken + mcchicken + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1300 calories)
3 junior chickens + small fries + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1500 calories)
* Note: I round calories up to the nearest hundred for the benefit of the doubt and to prevent under-estimation.
What's wrong with aspartame?
Besides the fact that it's hard to pronounce? I'm not sure if the science is concluded on this, but some say that aspartame is actually bad for you. Anecdotally, I've heard that it actually makes you want to consume more sugar and/or can lead to things like cancer.
Best case, the science is inconclusive about long-term impacts and eating aspartame can trigger some unspecified level of potential risk. Worst case, it actually is bad for you.
Aspartame is *the* most scientifically studied sugar substitute on the planet. The science is definitely 'concluded' on this, and since it's been around since the mid '60's, long term studies have also been done.
If you want to learn about aspartame, (rather than relying on fearmongering blogs or anecdotal 'evidence') I highly recommend reading this thread written by a biochemist MFP member:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1
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myfitnessjourneyto180 wrote: »Anyone makes certain foods high in volume, good taste, and low in calories?
Here are mine:
Zuchinni Pasta (5-10x less calories than normal pasta with a huge volume)
PB2 Peanut butter (1/2 normal peanut butter calories and good taste)
Protein fluff (protein shake, diet soda, xanthan gum: it's less than 150 calories with tons of fluff)
Aspartame-free diet soda
Coffee with water and artifical sweeteners (not the healthiest but literally 0 to 5 calories)
Shrimps (20 for 60 calories, super high protein, and cooked with low oil and 0-calorie spices is heavenly)
Also do you guys sometimes forget to eat and sometimes binge on junk food to meet the calorie limit?
Here's what I do:
3 junior chickens + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1200 calories)
2 junior chicken + mcchicken + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1300 calories)
3 junior chickens + small fries + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1500 calories)
* Note: I round calories up to the nearest hundred for the benefit of the doubt and to prevent under-estimation.
Where are you finding 20 shrimp for 60 calories? Are those the itty bitty tiny ones? (In which case, why bother?)
I mean, yes, they're good and low-calorie, but they're not *that* low calorie. Like, I ended up buying the 60-70s at Whole Foods by accident (I like the wild-caught frozen ones, and that's what they had), and 80 grams was 56 calories ... but even that wasn't 20 pieces of shrimp!2 -
rheddmobile wrote: »um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
Actually for me pasta is evil. I'm diabetic and I wish I could eat it but I can't.
However, even people who are not diabetic may want lower calorie alternatives when dieting.
my brother is a diabetic and has been for over 40 years...he eats pasta.
I get you have to watch carbs but veggies are carbs too...
Lower calories is one thing but total substitution is something else....
I choose 2% milk over whole for calories or I choose lean beef vs reg beef for calories...
I find "food hacks" are for those are low calorie diets because they "think" that is the correct way when in fact it often back fires on people...
If you give up the foods you love/want to lose weight what happens when you are done? add them back in and gain again???
not teaching yourself about moderation and portion control by doing this...so you are going to be on a yo yo for a while until you get a handle on the reality which is this...
You have to lose weight in a way that is totally sustainable for the rest of your life.9 -
aspartame is a migraine trigger for me...that stuff is the devil...ditto for msg and sodium benzoate...nothing they are in is worth 3 days of agony, ever7
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snickerscharlie wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »myfitnessjourneyto180 wrote: »Anyone makes certain foods high in volume, good taste, and low in calories?
Here are mine:
Zuchinni Pasta (5-10x less calories than normal pasta with a huge volume)
PB2 Peanut butter (1/2 normal peanut butter calories and good taste)
Protein fluff (protein shake, diet soda, xanthan gum: it's less than 150 calories with tons of fluff)
Aspartame-free diet soda
Coffee with water and artifical sweeteners (not the healthiest but literally 0 to 5 calories)
Shrimps (20 for 60 calories, super high protein, and cooked with low oil and 0-calorie spices is heavenly)
Also do you guys sometimes forget to eat and sometimes binge on junk food to meet the calorie limit?
Here's what I do:
3 junior chickens + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1200 calories)
2 junior chicken + mcchicken + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1300 calories)
3 junior chickens + small fries + lots of water to lessen your craving for more (1500 calories)
* Note: I round calories up to the nearest hundred for the benefit of the doubt and to prevent under-estimation.
What's wrong with aspartame?
Besides the fact that it's hard to pronounce? I'm not sure if the science is concluded on this, but some say that aspartame is actually bad for you. Anecdotally, I've heard that it actually makes you want to consume more sugar and/or can lead to things like cancer.
Best case, the science is inconclusive about long-term impacts and eating aspartame can trigger some unspecified level of potential risk. Worst case, it actually is bad for you.
Aspartame is *the* most scientifically studied sugar substitute on the planet. The science is definitely 'concluded' on this, and since it's been around since the mid '60's, long term studies have also been done.
If you want to learn about aspartame, (rather than relying on fearmongering blogs or anecdotal 'evidence') I highly recommend reading this thread written by a biochemist MFP member:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1
Thanks! I don't drink diet sodas myself because I feel like they just make me thirstier but I do use the occasional Splenda in my morning coffe.1 -
rheddmobile wrote: »um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
Actually for me pasta is evil. I'm diabetic and I wish I could eat it but I can't.
However, even people who are not diabetic may want lower calorie alternatives when dieting.
my brother is a diabetic and has been for over 40 years...he eats pasta.
I get you have to watch carbs but veggies are carbs too...
Lower calories is one thing but total substitution is something else....
I choose 2% milk over whole for calories or I choose lean beef vs reg beef for calories...
I find "food hacks" are for those are low calorie diets because they "think" that is the correct way when in fact it often back fires on people...
If you give up the foods you love/want to lose weight what happens when you are done? add them back in and gain again???
not teaching yourself about moderation and portion control by doing this...so you are going to be on a yo yo for a while until you get a handle on the reality which is this...
You have to lose weight in a way that is totally sustainable for the rest of your life.
I agree with you. To be honest though, it only takes me 15 minutes at most to make zuchinni pasta and it tastes literally exactly like pasta, and personally, just a bit bitter with that extra crunch. In terms of volume, I can have 4 LARGE plates of zuchinni pasta and It reaches less than 400 calories. By the way this including my package of small shrimps which come with 20shrimps for 60 calories (seems unbelievable, but you can find them if you search hard enough). The taste is amazing and it's not like I'm depriving myself of anything. It's many simple thing. PB2 instead of normal peanut butter. Lower calorie bread. Diet soda. Very similar enjoyment, but you lose weight. If I want mcdonalds though, I'll have it, but 4 junior chickens is my calorie limit for the day XD2 -
When I have an urge to binge - I try to low calorie it too! Have you tried healthy noodles? It's like soy based noodles that are only 50 calories for a WHOLE packet. Super low carb non-fat. They sell it at Costco so I make spaghetti out of it
I'll look into those. An entire zucchini is like 50 calories too and it can make a huge plate of pasta XD1 -
myfitnessjourneyto180 wrote: »Zuchinni Pasta (5-10x less calories than normal pasta with a huge volume)
PB2 Peanut butter (1/2 normal peanut butter calories and good taste)
Protein fluff (protein shake, diet soda, xanthan gum: it's less than 150 calories with tons of fluff)
Aspartame-free diet soda
Coffee with water and artifical sweeteners (not the healthiest but literally 0 to 5 calories)
Shrimps (20 for 60 calories, super high protein, and cooked with low oil and 0-calorie spices is heavenly)
I do a lot of the same things as you. I haven't tried zucchini pasta yet but I do really like spaghetti squash! PB2 and protein fluff are saviours when you get that late-night sweet craving. I'm not a coffee fan, but I'm an avid tea drinker. I have tons of different flavours of David's Teas and they keep me satisfied between meals! Sometimes I'll make my own matcha lattes with almond milk and stevia as well.
Technically, you can make your own almond milk and supposedly it tastes heavenly. Also, you should try zucchini pasta. It's amazing!
P.S. the volume-to-calories is crazy
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/22/fc/34/22fc34d0d21cd92a2ee551b00332e081.jpg0 -
rheddmobile wrote: »um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
Actually for me pasta is evil. I'm diabetic and I wish I could eat it but I can't.
However, even people who are not diabetic may want lower calorie alternatives when dieting.
my brother is a diabetic and has been for over 40 years...he eats pasta.
I get you have to watch carbs but veggies are carbs too...
Lower calories is one thing but total substitution is something else....
I choose 2% milk over whole for calories or I choose lean beef vs reg beef for calories...
I find "food hacks" are for those are low calorie diets because they "think" that is the correct way when in fact it often back fires on people...
If you give up the foods you love/want to lose weight what happens when you are done? add them back in and gain again???
not teaching yourself about moderation and portion control by doing this...so you are going to be on a yo yo for a while until you get a handle on the reality which is this...
You have to lose weight in a way that is totally sustainable for the rest of your life.
Different diabetics react to foods differently. For example, I can eat quite a lot of fruit with no blood glucose spikes, but not everyone can. I can eat potatoes all day long but not rice. Your brother's experience has no relevance to me. I know from testing that I can eat about 1/3 cup of cooked pasta without a spike, which isn't nearly enough to satisfy me.
It doesn't seem to occur to you that different people love different foods than you do, and are making these swaps by choice.12 -
rheddmobile wrote: »um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
Actually for me pasta is evil. I'm diabetic and I wish I could eat it but I can't.
However, even people who are not diabetic may want lower calorie alternatives when dieting.
It actually stuns me that 4 people "wooed" this. I have a blood glucose meter, I am not guessing about how much pasta I can tolerate, I know exactly.12 -
um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
Of course pasta is not evil. Some people really desire more food volume, however, so lower calorie options are very helpful strategies for them. For some, a gigantic serving of veggie noodles is more satisfying than a much smaller volume of regular pasta.
It is just fine to experiment with such ideas. When I was losing, I tried lots of ways to eat fewer calories as a way to facilitate the MFP daily calorie recommendation for me in a sustainable manner. Things like black coffee (without cream or sugar) and plain yogurt were perfectly acceptable to my taste buds. I'm glad I tried them because they were painless calorie savers that I incorporated into my diet. Some strategies that others use aren't pleasing to me (e.g. many fat free items), but I'm glad I gave them a shot.
I lost 30 lbs and have been maintaining since 2015. I am a small, middle aged woman and need to be mindful with food (calorie) intake. As such, I'd be extremely hard pressed to eat fast food as the satisfaction level to me is not worth the high calorie counts. But not everyone shares my opinion or lifestyle.
I admittedly have yet to try zucchini noodles, because I don't have a "noodler" but must do so since I have monsters in my garden!7 -
My food hacks is just not to eat things I'm not really in the mood for.
That being said, 20 shrimps is definitely not only 60 calories. Unless they're ridiculously tiny. Maybe. Still doubtful.
PB2... I like it. But I'm full longer if I put peanut butter in my oatmeal vs PB2, so it's worth the extra calories (and good fat).
I'm definitely in the 'if I really want pasta, nothing but pasta will do' camp though. I mean, it's like mashed cauliflower - tasty, but not a substitute when you crave the real thing... that's why I don't like the whole 'food hacks' mentality. It's not a substitute, it's just another meal option. And all the diabetic people I know do eat pasta, just in small quantities and with plenty of protein and fat (but again, I know nothing about being diabetic).
About zucchini noodles, frankly cutting them in cubes is just the same for me, my spiralizer is a pain and it just tastes the same anyway... and it's not bad, but won't kill the pasta craving.
The only hack I can really think of is using lower fat ground meat and cheese in dishes. It's still tasty and usually doesn't make that much of a difference taste-wise.5 -
myfitnessjourneyto180 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
Actually for me pasta is evil. I'm diabetic and I wish I could eat it but I can't.
However, even people who are not diabetic may want lower calorie alternatives when dieting.
my brother is a diabetic and has been for over 40 years...he eats pasta.
I get you have to watch carbs but veggies are carbs too...
Lower calories is one thing but total substitution is something else....
I choose 2% milk over whole for calories or I choose lean beef vs reg beef for calories...
I find "food hacks" are for those are low calorie diets because they "think" that is the correct way when in fact it often back fires on people...
If you give up the foods you love/want to lose weight what happens when you are done? add them back in and gain again???
not teaching yourself about moderation and portion control by doing this...so you are going to be on a yo yo for a while until you get a handle on the reality which is this...
You have to lose weight in a way that is totally sustainable for the rest of your life.
I agree with you. To be honest though, it only takes me 15 minutes at most to make zuchinni pasta and it tastes literally exactly like pasta, and personally, just a bit bitter with that extra crunch. In terms of volume, I can have 4 LARGE plates of zuchinni pasta and It reaches less than 400 calories. By the way this including my package of small shrimps which come with 20shrimps for 60 calories (seems unbelievable, but you can find them if you search hard enough). The taste is amazing and it's not like I'm depriving myself of anything. It's many simple thing. PB2 instead of normal peanut butter. Lower calorie bread. Diet soda. Very similar enjoyment, but you lose weight. If I want mcdonalds though, I'll have it, but 4 junior chickens is my calorie limit for the day XD
and that's fine but now I wonder about the volume eating...seriously who needs to eat 4 big plates of anything?
8 -
um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
I agree with this but will note that you can add zucchini noodles to regular pasta without missing a beat. You don't even notice that it's there since the zucchini takes up the sauce flavors. You can get the same satisfaction from the pasta at half the calorie load with no sacrifice in taste or experience (assuming you use a 1:1 ratio).
I scoffed at this until I tried it. I'm a huge carb nut but thinks that this works really well.
I was just going to say this. The zucchini just sneaks right in there and adds a veggie. I tried it and liked it.3 -
um well if I want pasta I eat pasta...if I want coffee with sugar I drink coffee with sugar.
I don't see the point of subing out food I love for something that is subpar...
why not eat the pasta? it's not evil....
as for forgetting to eat etc no I don't forget to eat and I don't binge on "junk" to reach calorie limits.
I eat food...if it happens to be from McDonalds so be it...it's not "junk" it's calories.
I agree with this but will note that you can add zucchini noodles to regular pasta without missing a beat. You don't even notice that it's there since the zucchini takes up the sauce flavors. You can get the same satisfaction from the pasta at half the calorie load with no sacrifice in taste or experience (assuming you use a 1:1 ratio).
I scoffed at this until I tried it. I'm a huge carb nut but thinks that this works really well.
I was just going to say this. The zucchini just sneaks right in there and adds a veggie. I tried it and liked it.
this I might try...1 -
I am full fat ranch dressing lover but rarely can fit the 1/2-1 cup serving that I want to eat on my salad into my calories so now I take a 1/2-1 cup of salsa and add 1-2 T of ranch dressing into it and then pour it over my salad. Gives it a great southwest ranch kick without all of that full fat ranch calorie and fat.3
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KickboxFanatic wrote: »I am full fat ranch dressing lover but rarely can fit the 1/2-1 cup serving that I want to eat on my salad into my calories so now I take a 1/2-1 cup of salsa and add 1-2 T of ranch dressing into it and then pour it over my salad. Gives it a great southwest ranch kick without all of that full fat ranch calorie and fat.
really 1/2 cup - 1 cup of dressing???
wow
why not dip your fork in it then in the salad? you won't be getting near to 1/2 cup...then there is no change really5 -
KickboxFanatic wrote: »I am full fat ranch dressing lover but rarely can fit the 1/2-1 cup serving that I want to eat on my salad into my calories so now I take a 1/2-1 cup of salsa and add 1-2 T of ranch dressing into it and then pour it over my salad. Gives it a great southwest ranch kick without all of that full fat ranch calorie and fat.
really 1/2 cup - 1 cup of dressing???
wow
why not dip your fork in it then in the salad? you won't be getting near to 1/2 cup...then there is no change really
This. But yeah i use salsa on salad to...but i use 1-2 tbsp tops and just stir in the lettuce or whatever first and then add the toppings and maybe some cayenne pepper if i want the spicy delicious salad xD Not many calories in salsa though so you do you try sour cream in the salsa if you gota mix it, Yummy. Sometimes ill even use ranch powder mix with it. High salt but yummy. Rare though i enjoy the flat stomach lower sodium gives me xD 0
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