Why is this so filling and so low in calories?

Nowayjose54

I've done this before on past diets and it seemed to work really well. Now, after recovering from not being able to walk for a while, I find myself needing to lose weight again and I've made some homemade chili. Here are the ingredients:

Oil, 1 tablespoon: 120 calories
Red onion, 50 grams: 20 calories
Yellow onion, 200 grams: 80 calories
Red bell pepper, 200 grams: 80 calories
Tomato paste, 1 small can: 150 calories
Garlic, 3 gloves: 13 calories
Kidney beans, 3 boxes: 900 calories
Fire-roasted crushed tomato, 1 box: 210 calories
Chili powder/other spices, 5 tablespoons: 106 calories

I just sautee the pepper, onion and garlic until soft and browning, then I add the crushed tomatoes, beans and tomato paste. I fill the empty crushed tomatoes box with water and add to the pan. Then I add all the spices slowly to taste. I used chili powder, chipotle powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

Total for recipe: 1679 calories
Divided into 6 bowls, weighed out equally: 280 calories per bowl

I just ate half a bowl and I'm stuffed. I did make it a bit spicy with some cayenne so I drank half a bottle of water with it, but how is something so filling so little calories compared to any meals I can buy prepared or frozen? I don't get it. Am I missing something that adds calories? It's delicious too!

lynn_glenmont

Do the prepared or frozen versions you buy have meat or cheese in them? Both would have a higher ration of fat than the beans and veggies that make up the bulk of your recipe.

Other than that, I'm wondering about the kidney beans, as I've never bought them by the box (just dried in bags, or cooked in cans). Were they dried or cooked? Did you weigh them dried or cooked? Where did you get the nutritional information for them?

Everybody's satiety is different, but for me, 150 kcal of cooked kidney beans, 60 kcals of cooked tomatoes, 17 kcal of onions and 13 kcal of bell pepper is a reasonable amount of food for a meal -- not tiny, not huge. If I were hungry for a full meal, I wouldn't expect half of that to leave me feeling stuffed.