Quick + Cheap Weight Loss Tips

boy_in_blue

I have been using MFP on and off for a couple years now, but I always end up right where I started. Does anybody have some easy + cheap meals I can use for supplements for my high calorie breakfasts and dinners? I don't eat lunch, so that's not a problem, but every morning the first thing I do is get a big bowl of sugary cereal (which is probably one of my big problems) Right now I'm 183 lbs and 5'0". My goal is about 130 lbs. Please help!!

melissaaridgeway

First off, enjoy the sugary cereal but...measure it first. Food scale is most accurate, measuring cup can at least give you a ballpark idea of how much you're consuming. Measure your milk out too.

Losing weight is all about calorie deficit. Check your BMR to see how many calories you need to consume daily to maintain/lose weight.

https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html

Once you know what your goal is, factor in your sugary cereal calories and then go from there. If that means you eat a lighter dinner to compensate, then you'll have to work on figuring that in.

I wish you the best of luck friend! Make this health journey the last one you ever start.

AnnPT77

For me, sugary cereal is not filling: Is it filling for you? If not, that can increase later appetite, or lead to portion creep on the cereal. The official serving size (on the package) is less than what most people will serve themselves when not calorie counting.

Remember that for breakfast, you needn't eat official breakfast food. Just recasting that may help.

But, to answer your specific question:

One thing I find very filling is oatmeal with plain Greek yogurt, thawed frozen berries, cinnamon, and a bit of blackstrap molasses to sweeten. I use old-fashioned oats, and microwave them (use a very large bowl or it will overflow when it boils). Some people like overnight oats, where you put the oatmeal in a jar/bowl with some liquid and seasonings in the fridge overnight. There are many recipes on the web.

On days when I'm rushed, I like an Ezekiel pita with peanut butter, plus a class of lowfat or nonfat kefit.

On the web, you can also find many recipes for breakfast burritos or egg muffins (it's like a crustless mini quiche made in a muffin tin) that you can make ahead, freeze, and zap in the microwave for breakfast.

A lot of people here like scrambled eggs (or eggs some other way, or just egg whites) with veggies and maybe a lean meat or calorie-efficient cheese mixed in.

Even just a good commercial Greek yogurt (lowfat or nonfat) with some oats or other grain mixed in (for filling fiber) can be quick and tasty, or maybe yogurt with an apple or other fibrous fruit on the side.

Some people like smoothies for breakfast: Blenderize some liquid or yogurt with veggies, fruits, maybe protein powder, seasonings, sometimes ice - again, lots of recipes on the web. Personally, I prefer a breakfast I can eat, rather than drink, but that's not universal.

I like to drink my coffee with a good bit of hot, frothed skim milk - it feels luxurious, and adds some protein.

The MFP blog area actually has quite a few calorie-efficient recipes, including breakfast foods. You can find recipes here:

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/recipes/

There's even a section there of breakfast recipes.

Just a few ideas.

springlering62

I enjoy high protein pancakes almost every morning. One batch is enough to reheat for four or five days. Red velvet with zero cal caramel sauce is a particular fave.


OTOH my husband, also an MFP user, makes himself a big plate of egg whites, toast and grits every morning. He still enjoys cereal, but a measured portion, as an after dinner snack. If he had it in the morning, he’d go hog wild because he likes a large breakfast in front of him

We also each get an Apple fritter every Sunday morning. He carefully cuts a fritter in half and saves the rest for the next morning.

What about a bowl of cottage cheese or yogurt with a gram or two of cocoa and a small spoonful of meusli or granola. They’re calorie bombs but a spoonful adds a lotta pleasure for 20-30 calories.

Toast and fruit?

Lidl has some very nice flavored oatmeal packets- hot chocolate or carrot cake. Maybe experiment with something besides sugary cereal.

What about leftovers scrambled into eggs, over toast, or simply reheated as is?

If you think of cereal as the “only” thing you can have for breakfast, you’re boxing yourself in. You’ve gotta break habits to break molds!

springlering62

This plate is 333 calories including coffee with (skim milk) froth, zero cal Walden Farm’s caramel syrup and a fine scraping of easy homemade Greek cream cheese. Includes about 22gr protein. Some folks (me!) find protein way more filling than a carby bowl of cereal.

Bonus: I roll them up and eat them with my fingers because I can wistfully imagine they’re Little Debbie’s Swiss Rolls that way. Yeah. How many years have I been saying that? It just never gets old and neither do my pancakes.

cwolfman13

I'm not a cereal guy...most mornings I either have Greek yogurt (170g) with 27g Autumn Gold Granola and a drizzle of honey or a few scrambled eggs. Both are very quick and easy. Dinners...this time of year my wife and I make a lot of hearty soups and stews...when it's nicer weather we grill most of the time and have some kind of grilled meat, poultry, or fish with a veg side...sometimes a grain or starch, sometimes not depending on where we are calorie wise.

SafariGalNYC

I find if I eat more protein in the morning .. it is more satiating. Eggs or smoked salmon/avocado or herring are staples for me most mornings.

2 hard boiled eggs are 140 calories. I make a batch in the beginning of the week and it’s quick and easy.

mtaratoot

Another vote for oats with yogurt. It may be an acquired taste, especially if you're used to sugar cereal.

I use Nancy's plain yogurt. Very few ingredients, and has a very nice sourness. I was using full fat for a while, and for now am using low-fat (2%). I don't do the non-fat; I think it doesn't help me stay full.

A full portion is 170 grams of yogurt and 50 grams of uncooked rolled oats. Lately I've just been doing a half serving as I'm eating more frequently for another reason that doesn't have to do with weight management. I let this sit for ten minutes to two hours for the oats to hydrate. You could easily prepare them the night before. You get a nice mix of fiber, fat, and protein. It fills me up. A full serving fills me up for quite a while. A full serving with low-fat yogurt is just shy of 300 calories and has 16 grams of protein. That's 50% more calories than one cup of frosted flakes with 0.75 cups of skim milk. Frosted flakes would fill me up for... five minutes. I bet a bagel I could eat a whole box in one sitting. And now I want a bagel.

I have a special place in my heart for frosted flakes. When we used to go visit my grandparents in another state, my grandfather always had a bowl of frosties for evening snack. Both my sister and I have extremely fond memories of sitting down at the table with some melamine bowls and having that evening frosted flakes treat. I still have some of the melamine bowls, and she does too. I should get some frosted flakes and relive old times. But just not for breakfast. It's more of a snack food for me.

westrich20940

You do not have to change or take away the foods you currently eat or like.

So think about this, do you like having sugary cereal for breakfast? Measure it (how much cereal and milk are you using) and then log how many calories that is. Then you said you don't eat lunch and eat dinner later. What are you eating for dinner? If you can, I'd maybe make sure you are consuming a reasonable amount of sugary cereal (even if it's 1.5 or 2 servings, which is more like what people are actually pouring into their bowl)....and think about some additional things you can *add* to it to make it better at keeping you full. Like, add a yogurt. Or boiled egg. Some additional fat/protein that can keep you more satiated.....

How many calories are you *currently* consuming per day (as accurately as possible)?

Your maintenance (without intentional exercise - unless you have something other than a desk job) is ~17-1800/day (the only stat I don't know is your age, so I just picked 27... shouldn't make *too* much difference but feel free to calculate your maintenance calories with your current personal stats). Where are you currently compared to that?

So.... maintenance say 1750 and BMR is ~1500.....so I'd shoot to consume 1600 calories per day --- and as far as activity/working out - you don't need to do a 'work out routine' at home. You can simply just go for a walk each day for like 20 min, especially if you currently aren't doing much anyway.

It would help if you didn't go out to eat - but I think there are plenty of pre-packaged foods that can be convenient at the grocery store to throw together without 'cooking'. I get par-boiled rice (I just simply am bad at making rice myself, but you could alternatively bulk cook rice - or couscous, or quinoa, or whatever...protein pasta even). I add some sort of protein that's either pre-done or I prepare in bulk (like I get a rotisserie chicken, take it all off the bone and portion that out through the week). Or I get a smoked salmon filet. Throw in a side of veg (which you can also just get a frozen/microwave bag or something) and some sauce.....easy to log since it's mostly pre-packaged food.

COGypsy

I'm another one in the pre-packaged camp. My "home cooking" consists almost entirely of microwaved frozen ingredients. I keep frozen vegetables and pre-cooked frozen meat on hand and get rice or pasta that's either frozen or pre-cooked in a bag. Scoop of each, a dollop of some kind of flavoring (I just can't choke down vegetables without a little added "flavor") a few minutes in the microwave and dinner is made. It's not gourmet, but it's cheaper than delivery and gets the job done. Sometimes I switch out bagged salad for the frozen vegetables, but those get a little calorific with the toppings and dressing if you don't plan it out ahead of time.

1BlueAurora

I like to have 2 scrambled eggs with cheese on top, maybe with a slice of buttered toast and/or 2 slices of bacon when I have time to cook breakfast. The protein of the eggs lasts longer for me than boxed cereal (which makes me feel less energetic around 10 am). I understand you don't eat lunch but grabbing a granola bar mid-day might help you maintain energy and give you the calories you're trying to add in. There's nothing evil about a sugary breakfast if you log the calories and adjust the rest of your eating to reach your goals.

boy_in_blue

Thank you so much for all the support and great ideas! I really appreciate it!