High Volume Low Calorie Meal Ideas?

2

Replies

  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I'm 92lbs down and I must say I still eat very hearty portions. You do need some portion control with a lot of meals, but my dinners always consist of some nice meat and mounds of veggies. I stick to a lot of green veggies. You can have loads of those for very little carbs and calories... Green beans, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, mange tout, asparagus. I eat salad stuff in abundance too lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers etc.
    .
    Tuna or chicken salads are good options. Low calorie and lots of filling protein!

    Soups are a go to staple for me. Pea and ham provides lots of fiber from the peas and some protein, and I also love chicken noodle soup. Both under 300g per bowl and lots of filling protein.

    You can't go wrong with a good portion of any lean meat plus plenty of veggies. Keeping the carbs moderate (35%/120g) helps my hunger levels massively. Enough to feel satisfied but my blood sugar aren't all over the place, causing me to be constantly hungry!

    Eat 20-30g of fiber per day and get 8+ glasses of water in. Eat a sensible amount of calories so you don't feel too deprived. I'm usually around 1700 but been less recently as I've been sick...

    Get yourself a beginners cook book. Need to keep getting new ideas to keep you motivated and on track.

    Good luck.

    Zara
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    Subscribe to Cooking Light, it is the best decision when it comes to cooking real food. It teaches you how you can reduce certain ingredients to make anything heathier. They do a lot of comfort food makeovers and provide nutrition info for complete recipes so you don't have to add. Most of their recipes are in MFP too!
  • 32mandy1979
    32mandy1979 Posts: 4 Member
    My thot is to pack the recipes with a bunch of extra veggies. For instance, if you make roast, instead of the boring white potatoes go with color. Sweet potatoes, peppers, onions, ect. Green giant makes some frozen boxed veggies with seasonings in them that are low cal and taste great! I have the same issue. It is hard to be satisfied off of a serving of no matter what it is! Good Luck!
  • coolvstar650
    coolvstar650 Posts: 97 Member
    Does anyone have any ideas for high volume low calorie meals?

    This week I made some cornbread (cornmeal mix with water in place of the milk and one egg), baked tilapia in the oven with some salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder (no oil on the pan, use cooking spray) AND some veggies. I really like Birdseye Normandy mix. But this week I had some other veggies.

    On my regular sized plate I put a large piece of cornbread, 8 oz of tilapia (which is a lot) and a big pile of veggies...total for the plate just under 500 calories. This is a MASSIVE amount of food, really tasty and good for you. :)
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    Grilled veggies like squash, zuchinni, onions, cabbage, carrots, celery are all yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • GoTeamMeaghan
    GoTeamMeaghan Posts: 347 Member
    I gotta go with stir-frys, soups and anything involving spaghetti squash (only 42 calories per cup!)
  • curlydigs
    curlydigs Posts: 7 Member
    Great idea:smile:
  • bigswany
    bigswany Posts: 3 Member
    Vegies are your friend. Unfortunately when it comes to proteins and carbs you need to exercise portion and proportion control. Snack on fresh vegies, use your imagination and create new combinations and use new vegetables, even use a non-fat unsweetened yogurt for dip. In time you will look forward to this new regime and begin enjoying a whole new you. I used to LOVE ice cream, now I will mix frozen berries with non-fat unsweetened yogurt and mush in a super ripe bannana and sprinkle cocoa powder on top. Hits the craving right on and nutritional toooooooo! Good luck, I am down 65lbs and lovin it.
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
    soups/stews,stir frys,salads and yes roast dinners! all packed with tons of veg! :blushing:

    oh and another one,
    sliced red and green cabbage as thin as you can cover with lemon jucie and virgin olive oil is better in a huge bowl.chicken/turkey shredded,marinated into strips(i normaly do chineese flavour),and put into cut open toasted pitas and stuff full with the cabbage and the meat and whatever sauce if ant you desire i use chilli! :bigsmile:
  • rel12345
    rel12345 Posts: 34 Member
    bump for later
  • kcritter77
    kcritter77 Posts: 162 Member
    Bump!
  • kimmy_1432
    kimmy_1432 Posts: 40 Member
    Thanks everyone, these are some awesome ideas! I'm working on my portion control but its been hard. (I grew up in the south, nuff said)

    Making spaghetti squash-sagna and zucchini tots for dinner!

    http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2009/12/spaghetti-squash-sagna/

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/07/zucchini-tots.html
  • JustineMarie21
    JustineMarie21 Posts: 437 Member
    This is probably an obvious answer but vegetables always bulk up meals and they're delicious. When i make a sandwhich I pile on the spinach/lettuse. It doesnt change the taste because it doesnt have any so your left with a sandwhich that loks huge. Also when making macNcheese pile in the broccoli and or cauliflour. Im sure there are tons of other ideas/ recipes.
  • supergirljen
    supergirljen Posts: 98
    Sure portion controll is important, but come on. As a big person you are used to bigger meals, so as u change ur habbits its good to have some meals that feels like alot but isn't.

    Right! :noway: ...Portion control will come with the weight loss.
  • ChrissyC1985
    ChrissyC1985 Posts: 406 Member
    Get slightly smaller plates. Not trying to be snide. It helped me. Our plates get pretty big in America. Eat a smaller portion on a larger plate. Plate size making you feel full is all in the mind, so using a mind trick is helpful.

    This i do. also use smaller cutlery when i can find it too (not talking child size but we have some that's not as bulky and big as the rest)-makes everything look bigger on the plate and in my head.
  • letjog
    letjog Posts: 260 Member
    YOu need to stop stuffing your face and belly till you're full.

    You should eat until you're not hungry any more.

    Buy a food scale for portion control, full up half of your plate with vegetables, and don't have seconds.

    Sorry.
  • knitincrazee
    knitincrazee Posts: 22 Member
    Yum!
  • Mikeplusamy
    Mikeplusamy Posts: 9
    Just Wanted to say Hi, and Low Calorie Diet Works Lost over 20 lbs in one Month....
  • deedster_a
    deedster_a Posts: 91 Member
    I make lower calorie tuna salad, but instead of putting it on bread I mix it with coleslaw mix. This makes a big serving for not many calories. You can even use canned tuna, coleslaw mix and low calorie asian or balsamic salad dressing.
  • bigswany
    bigswany Posts: 3 Member
    Another great tip is to keep your dressing on the side and dip your fork into it then into your salad greens. Really controls how much dressing you use and you get all the great flavor in every bite.
  • purplecharm
    purplecharm Posts: 446 Member
    roasted vegetables - zucchini, eggplant, red onion, red peppers, mushrooms...coated with olive oil and seasons....put in the oven for 15-20 minutes on 400 degrees. Very filling and low calories.
  • BalmyD
    BalmyD Posts: 237 Member
    Also Hairy Bikers diet recipe Jambalaya

    serves 6 341 cals per person so 2046cals for the lot so if your only cooking for 2 just do a third or half the recipe.

    * 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
    * 100g chorizo (we like picante)
    * 1 tbsp olive oil
    * 1 large onion, roughly chopped
    * 4 slender celery sticks, cut into
    * 1cm slices
    * 2 small green peppers, deseeded
    * and cut into 2cm chunks
    * 5 large ripe vine tomatoes
    * (about 475g)
    * 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
    * 1 tbsp paprika
    * ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
    * 1 tsp dried thyme
    * 1 tsp dried oregano
    * 2 bay leaves
    * 200g long-grain rice (we often use
    * the easy-cook version)
    * 450ml chicken stock, made with
    * 1 chicken stock cube
    * 100g cooked peeled king
    * prawns, thawed if frozen
    * 6 spring onions, sliced (including
    * lots of green)
    * flaked sea salt
    * freshly ground black pepper




    Preparation


    1. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, removing any excess fat, and season them with salt and pepper. Skin the sausage and cut it into 5mm slices. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or non-stick sauté pan and fry the chicken for 3 minutes over a medium heat until lightly coloured. Add the chorizo and cook for 30 seconds more, then transfer the chicken and chorizo with tongs to a large plate or tray.
    2. Tip most of the oil out of the frying pan and chuck it away. Return the empty pan to the heat and turn the heat down to low. Stir in the onion, celery and green peppers and cook for 8?10 minutes until well softened, stirring occasionally.
    3. Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes. Cut them in half and remove the green stem ends, then roughly chop the rest of the flesh - no need to deseed.
    4. Stir the crushed garlic, paprika, cayenne, thyme, oregano and bay leaves into the frying pan and cook for 20?30 seconds, stirring. Increase the heat and add the chopped tomatoes and any juice that has collected on the board. Cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are well softened, stirring regularly.
    5. Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, add the rice and cook for about a minute, stirring. Pour over the stock, season with a pinch of salt and lots of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes or until the rice is just tender and most of the liquid has evaporated or been absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally. The rice should still be pretty saucy at this point, so if your rice takes longer to cook, you may need to add a little more stock.
    6. Stir in the prawns and spring onions and cook for about 2 minutes more or until the prawns are hot, stirring regularly, then serve.

    I made this last weekend and it was really tasty and filling. Mine was very saucy because I used two cans diced tomatoes with the juice instead of 5 fresh tomatoes, but we liked it that way.
  • veddar79
    veddar79 Posts: 205
    As already mentioned but can't say enough: chicken breast and 25 different spice/marinade combinations
  • tomthayer58
    tomthayer58 Posts: 1
    Baked fish, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, and start with a salad
  • blainepoe
    blainepoe Posts: 27 Member
    YOu need to stop stuffing your face and belly till you're full.

    You should eat until you're not hungry any more.

    Buy a food scale for portion control, full up half of your plate with vegetables, and don't have seconds.

    Sorry.

    I guess MFP can close up shop now. This overeating issue has been solved!

    Back to the OP. Try to explore the healthy options you like until you find what fills you up. It's different for all of us. I can eat steamed broccoli about everyday. The mind tricks work well too. Healthy filling snacks to curb hunger between meals, eat slower and take smaller bites, and stop before you are full so your brain can catch up with your stomach. All the best on your journey.
  • Ideabaker
    Ideabaker Posts: 514 Member
    I make lower calorie tuna salad, but instead of putting it on bread I mix it with coleslaw mix. This makes a big serving for not many calories. You can even use canned tuna, coleslaw mix and low calorie asian or balsamic salad dressing.

    Love this idea! Am always looking for ways to use coleslaw mix, and this salad sounds like a winner!
  • chadya07
    chadya07 Posts: 627 Member
    my favorite two recipes and they freeze great and double or triple great. (i portioned them for lunches and froze them when i had a regular job for my lunches)

    Braised Chicken

    8-10 bone in skin on chicken breasts (or skin off is fine)
    2 stalks celery, diced
    2 carrots, diced
    1 onion, diced
    1 can of chopped tomatoes
    1 can chicken or vegetable stock
    1/2 cup white wine
    2 tbsp flour
    1 tbsp oil
    salt and pepper to taste.

    heat oven to 375 degrees. in a stock pot or deep pan heat the oil. place chicken and flour in a bag and shake. brown the chicken on both sides. remove and set aside. in the same pot add carrots, celery, and onions and saute until soft. add wine, deglaze (scrape the pan with a plastic or wooden spatula to get the flavor off) add tomatoes and stock. add salt and pepper. place the chicken in a proportionately sized casserole dish. 13x9 usually. pour the liquid and veggies over the chicken. cover and bake until tender. (up to one hour? i forget... sorry)


    Chicken Caccitore

    8-10 chicken thighs
    1/2 cup green olives
    1 jar pasta sauce (tomato based, whichever you like)
    2 bell peppers, 1 inch diced
    1 sliced onion
    1 cup halved mushrooms

    heat the oven to 375. brown the chicken in a skillet. move to a large casserole or dutch oven. mix all remaining ingredients together, pour over the chicken. bake uncovered until tender.
  • jennylsapia
    jennylsapia Posts: 236 Member
    I totally understand your frustration!! Lots of good advice! I have found that using a smaller plate helps. Also plenty of veggies and salads. And to those who say portion control will not come with time....are full of it! If you are looking to lose the weight fast (which is unhealthy) then no it wont work without portion control. But if you are looking to do this healthy then yes, after a matter of time your portion control will become easier. When you go from eating 2000-4000 calories to 1200, it is a shell shock on your body so yes trick it into thinking it is eating a lot! Good Luck!
  • ericarfloyd
    ericarfloyd Posts: 93 Member
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/stuffed-pepper-soup.html

    one of my favs...also had tons of leftovers to boot

    That looks amazing! I'm making that this weekend!!!!
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
    There are some very filling carb-rich meals, like soup, but what I've found is nothing is as filling for me, nor keeps me full as long, as meals with a decent quantity of fat and protein in the mix. If looking just for carb-rich foods, foods/ meals rich in fibre should help fill you the most I suspect.

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