What do you do to stretch your calories?

BarbieAS

I try to drink a lot of water, eat plenty of fat, protein and fiber, and get a minimum of 4-5 servings of fruit and vegetables during the day (often much much more), and yet too often I find myself going over my calories simply because I'm HUNGRY. Usually it's worst in the late afternoon (even after my planned afternoon snacks are gone) and after dinner (even if I plan for something little before bed). 100-200 calories here and there of unplanned snacks definitely adds up. I think with a little careful planning (planning more filling meals and/or giving myself more wiggle room for unplanned eats) I can reduce the calorie damage a little more, but I need your best tricks for foods you eat and swaps you make to help keep you as full as possible while maintaining your deficit.

martyqueen52

I stick with a lot of vegetables, roasted and friend in a skillet. Carrots, tomatoes, zucchini.

I eat a lot of salads too, not because I'm watching my figure but because I truly love spinach / salad mixes.

Danon Light & Fit Yogurts are a huge staple too

Protein cheesecakes work for me too. 800 calories for a whole cake which I always polish off in one sitting of Game of Thrones, lol.


Egg whites a low in calorie and you can get a lot of them. I stick with the carton whites for simplicity sake, granted they are a but more but worth it to me.

JoRocka

i load my food to the end of the day.

I can deal with morning hunger pains very easily for some reason- but by the time I get to the afternoon- I'm ravenous and cant' do it.

So. I just chose to not eat in the AM- and typically start eating around 1 PM.
I drink coffee all morning

and popcorn.

Veil5577

The same way I stretch my money... look at the amount I have, then curl up into a ball and cry. :sad:

kinkyslinky16

I do the same as JoRocka. I only eat like a banana or some blueberries/blackberries and 100 cal yogurt or something. I don't eat much in the morning because I'm usually not hungry, I only eat so I can take some meds/vitamins. Today I had some grapes, cherries, and a hard boiled egg. Total calories: 175... and I had a bowl full of grapes/cherries (100g each).

Lizzy622

I try to eat bigger meals and only have one snack a day. I also like to bulk up meals with lots of extra veg for not many calories. I add a ton of celery, peppers and onion to my chili or carrots and celery to my chicken salad.

fit_rox

My most recent swap has been using almond milk instead of regular milk. I drank about 2-3 cups of 2% milk; can't stand fat free dairy (used to be over 300 calories) but now almond milk is around 40 calories a cup.

I agree with the posters above on filling in with veggies; they can be prepared in stir fries, baked (ie: kale chips),

I'll drink hot teas or have water with lemon juice and stevia throughout the afternoon if I'm ever craving something. If I'm still hungry I'll eat a snack and disregard my macros.

bcattoes

I can deal with morning hunger pains very easily for some reason- but by the time I get to the afternoon- I'm ravenous and cant' do it.

So. I just chose to not eat in the AM- and typically start eating around 1 PM.

This is similar to me on days that I work. Though I often don't eat anything until 2:30 - 3:00. On the days that I get hungry earlier, I usually have a V8, which is only 70 calories but will usually fill me up for a while. And, it gives me 2 servings of vegetables.

This time of year on the weekends I usually work outside all day so I eat a big breakfast whether I'm hungry or not, because I usually won't have time to eat again until the sun goes down.

JoRocka

Yeah- on my weekends- or days off- I'm typically busy doing things- so I stuff something down the pie hole and I have dance class for 3 hours- then my workout- so I have close to 2500 calories to fill by dinner- it's glorious- pizza and beer still hitting a mad crazy deficit for the week WINNING!!!

I am much more of a food grazier at work- even if I"m at home sewing- I still don't eat till later- my hands are busy so I don't even think about being hungry till I have to go work out then I'm like- damnit.. I need food!