Low cal, filling, pile your plate up foods?

I'm a week in to 1,200 cal and still hungry. Probably my brain playing tricks on me.

My problem is, I love a big portion of food and if I have a little portion, I feel hard done by!

So - are there any tasty, low cal foods? eg. sweet potato?

The best meal I have found at the moment is turkey, veg and brow pasta (only a little) Colemans bake with some low fat cheese on top.

Any ideas?
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Replies

  • MissCheese
    MissCheese Posts: 195 Member
    Finely dice a couple of streaky bacon rashers and fry without added oil in a large wok.
    When lightly browned add in 60g of fine beans cut into 1cm lengths. Cook stirring constantly for a couple of minutes.
    Add half a head of savoy cabbage finely shredded and cook again for a couple of minutes.
    Add a dash of boiling water to steam off the veg. Once water is evaporated it's cooked!

    Serve with protein of your choice, my current fav is fresh pan fried haddock fillet. I usually fry in Fry Light one cal spray.

    This is a huge plate of food especially if you do a little plain mashed sweet potato on the side.

    ETA: I had this exact meal on Tuesday with 150g of boiled sweet potato which I mashed. It totalled 385 calories, 41g of carbs, 7g of fat, 41g of protein and 11g of fibre.
  • pinkjellybaby
    pinkjellybaby Posts: 12 Member
    Finely dice a couple of streaky bacon rashers and fry without added oil in a large wok.
    When lightly browned add in 60g of fine beans cut into 1cm lengths. Cook stirring constantly for a couple of minutes.
    Add half a head of savoy cabbage finely shredded and cook again for a couple of minutes.
    Add a dash of boiling water to steam off the veg. Once water is evaporated it's cooked!

    Serve with protein of your choice, my current fav is fresh pan fried haddock fillet. I usually fry in Fry Light one cal spray.

    This is a huge plate of food especially if you do a little plain mashed sweet potato on the side.

    ETA: I had this exact meal on Tuesday with 150g of boiled sweet potato which I mashed. It totalled 385 calories, 41g of carbs, 7g of fat, 41g of protein and 11g of fibre.

    Thanks, this sounds nice! Will give it a try.
  • Shellza
    Shellza Posts: 38 Member
    bump for recipe :)
  • These are so yummy one of my favorites - quinoa and black bean lettuce wraps

    http://keepyourdietreal.com/food/appetizerssnacks/quinoa-and-black-bean-lettuce-wraps/

    Here is another salad that I love - I use feta instead of goat cheese

    http://www.healthygreenkitchen.com/strawberry-almond-and-goat-cheese-salad.html
  • Feta is goat cheese ;-)
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
    Feta is goat cheese ;-)

    Not quite - feta is usually made with sheep's milk, or in some cases a combination of sheep and goat. If we're talking 'proper' Greek feta anyway!
  • frankiesats
    frankiesats Posts: 114 Member
    If i'm hungry I stock up on the low calorie vegetables - tinned carrots are about 26calories for the whole can, brussels, cabbage, broccoli etc. You can pile these foods up with protein like chicken etc. :)
  • Hev_uk
    Hev_uk Posts: 82 Member
    I have a side salad with almost every meal. I pile half my plate with leaves which usually only adds about 20 cals, then perhaps a tomato for another 20 cals and anything else I have. Then I serve my protein with a sauce which acts as a salad dressing. A low cal dressing would also work and not add too much. This way I can still fill my plate but with adding very few calories and it helps towards getting my 5 a day of fruit and veg
  • kellybean14
    kellybean14 Posts: 237 Member
    i like making pasta primavera with loads of broccoli, bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, yellow squash, etc., and skimping on the noodles.
  • salzej01
    salzej01 Posts: 125 Member
    Bump.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    Broccoli (2 cups isn't that many calories). Side Salad with fat free dressing. Stirfry peppers and onions with a bit of Red Hot Sauce.
  • SwimTheButterfly
    SwimTheButterfly Posts: 265 Member
    Bump:flowerforyou:
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    These are so yummy one of my favorites - quinoa and black bean lettuce wraps

    http://keepyourdietreal.com/food/appetizerssnacks/quinoa-and-black-bean-lettuce-wraps/

    Bump for this recipe! Yum!! Thanks:-)
  • Try making stir fry with an entire bag of broccoli slaw and some ground white meat chicken. You can have a heaping plate of that for next to nothing. I tried 1200 calories for a week and was miserable and hungry the entire time. Good luck with the 1200 calorie thing.
  • rmrosen83
    rmrosen83 Posts: 12
    Spaghetti squash! We will have an enormous plate with sauteed mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and low sodium pasta sauce. We even top it with fresh parm and the whole heaping plate is around 220 calories!
  • Devlyn_P
    Devlyn_P Posts: 294 Member
    Spinach and Feta Egg White Omelets all day long.
  • GurleyGirl524
    GurleyGirl524 Posts: 578 Member
    I love to pile my plate up with steamed veggies!!
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    I use huge piles of broccoli or spinach with turmeric and cumin mixed in. Low cal and tasty and feels almost curry like...
  • shar140
    shar140 Posts: 1,158 Member
    Lots of non-starchy veggies - salads, soups, etc. The person that mentioned cabbage, it's a good, filling veggie with little calories!
  • Genie30
    Genie30 Posts: 316 Member
    Bump!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Eat more calories. MFP grossly underestimates activity level. Unless you have something monitoring your activity level, you are eating well below TDEE and will lose both fat and muscle.
  • Amara15
    Amara15 Posts: 211 Member
    Bump
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    Common theme here...vegetables. I like omelets loaded with sauteed veggies. I also eat frozen California veggie mix (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) like it's going out of style. I will eat a whole bag with one meal. Try topping with fresh basil and lemon juice.
  • I try to skip the carb lately! Have a big portion of a lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish, etc...) and then a ton of veggies with it. I like cooked veggies rather than raw, so I continuously try new recipes for flavourful veggies (brocolli with chicken broth and lemon juice, parmesan roasted cauliflower, garlic green beans, etc...)

    Try eating on a smaller plate so that your portion looks bigger.

    In my opinion, if you want to eat the same foods that you have always loved, then you have to learn how to eat smaller portions on food. I tend to eat a piece of fruit for "dessert" after almost every lunch and dinner now as well. This makes me feel like I got dinner and dessert! ;) It's all kind of a mind game...

    Also - try to get foods that fill you up longer, rather than being lower in calories.
    I personally find the following foods more filling: greek yogurt 0% fat with extra protein, banana, any lean meats, oatmeal, etc...

    Good Luck! ;)
  • DiannaMoorer
    DiannaMoorer Posts: 783 Member
    Squash is incredibly low in calories and soooo good for you. Zucchini, yellow, spaghetti squash,etc.
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
    I'd be really hungry with only 1200 calories too. Consider increasing your calories.

    After that check out http://www.hungry-girl.com/
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Stir fry! Just a little healthy oil, a little lean protein (meat, shrimp, tofu, nuts) and a HUGE pile of chopped veggies. Quick, easy, low-cal, delicious, nutritious and you can eat a huge plate full.
  • glenbabe
    glenbabe Posts: 303 Member
    bump
  • JennetteMac
    JennetteMac Posts: 763 Member
    A pack of rice noodles, a pack of beansprouts, carrot, courgette, mushroom, red pepper. No need to use oil, stem the veg first, with a little soy sauce, add the beansprouts then noodles for 2/3 mins. Huge plateful, under 300 calories. Add chicken or tofu for protein. Works for me.
  • ashlysnd
    ashlysnd Posts: 70 Member
    .