is chili made w turkey still bad for dieting?

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tifsimmons91
tifsimmons91 Posts: 84 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
so i really like to eat chili especially when its really cold out, but idk if i should eat it or not when im trying to lose weight. i made it pretty basic: fit active turkey, chili beans, kidney beans, stewed and diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and onions and then the chilli powder and 2 tsp sugar... is it still really high in calories?
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Replies

  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I don't think chili is bad for dieting at all! What you are describing sounds like a well rounded chili that is full of great nutrition... Turkey is lower in fat, so you may lower your overall calories from there. I would worry more about any toppings you add like sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips etc. before I would worry about the chili itself.

    Enter your recipe in the recipe builder and you will be able to see how many calories per serving. Then just work it into your overall calories for the day!

    Edited to add: My chili recipe is under 300 calories per 1 cup serving. Totally workable as dinner with a nice garden salad...
  • christylynn622
    christylynn622 Posts: 43 Member
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    You should put your recipe into the calculator to find out. If it's within your calorie limits, go ahead, though not sure what 2 tsp of sugar does for the recipe. We make ours with either lean ground beef or turkey, beans, yellow/red/green peppers, jalapeno, onion, fresh tomatoes, a small can of tomato paste (not sauce), and seasoning. A lot of veggies and good protein.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I live on turkey chili with beans for lunch. I make a huge batch and freeze. I mix it up but I love my chili.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
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    Calorie surplus is the only thing bad for losing weight. I make chili with ground beef all the time both in weight loss and maintenance. As others have said, put the ingredients into the recipe builder and figure out the calories, log it, and enjoy.

  • Holla4mom
    Holla4mom Posts: 587 Member
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    It doesn't sound like it's too high in calories, but that would depend on what your daily calorie limit is and how many you have left for today. You don't have to worry about only eating what you consider "diet" foods (rice cakes, celery sticks and yogurt) to lose weight. You can eat what you want within your calories and still lose weight. You won't stick with it if you can't even eat turkey chili:)
  • DianeHuybers
    DianeHuybers Posts: 7 Member
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    I don't think chili is bad for dieting, but I know a comfort food like that is something I would struggle to regulate my portion size or stop without having a second serving.
  • flabassmcgee
    flabassmcgee Posts: 659 Member
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    MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »
    Chili with ground beef isn't bad for dieting...people need to stop demonizing food like this.

    This.
    Eat anything you like in a calorie deficit and you will lose.
  • MichelleS08
    MichelleS08 Posts: 109 Member
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    I make chilli with ground beef as well. Add your recipe on mfp yo help you calculate the calories. And help you figure out serving size. I always weigh my food and figure it out that way as well. Portion control. Also load up the chilli with veggies. Green peppers, carrots, onion, celery
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
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    My daughter is a vegetarian, so I make big pots of chili using the "veggie crumbles" that are made by various makers (Boca, Morningstar, Gardein) and in the freezer case of most grocery stores. Yesterday I had a 1.5 c bowl of it, topped with .5 c Fage 0% Greek Yogurt. 366 calories, with a whopping 25g of protein and 10g of fiber. Chili is one of my FAVORITE diet foods!

    Why did you think it would be bad? Look at the list of ingredients, even in your recipe....Lean protein, legumes, vegetables....all the stuff most people try to have MORE of!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    tifsimmons91 wrote: »
    so i really like to eat chili especially when its really cold out, but idk if i should eat it or not when im trying to lose weight. i made it pretty basic: fit active turkey, chili beans, kidney beans, stewed and diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and onions and then the chilli powder and 2 tsp sugar... is it still really high in calories?

    Add up the ingredients/quantities, and find out! :drinker:
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    My fitness instructor shared her turkey chili recipe with me! It's low in fat, high in protein and fiber. Very tasty and filling. What could possibly be bad about it?
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Like everyone says, put it in the builder! I also omit sugar (never heard of using that) and use a can of black beans too. I like to put in bell pepper with my meat and sometimes add a can of corn. Last time I made chili, it was 227 calories per serving.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    tifsimmons91 wrote: »
    so i really like to eat chili especially when its really cold out, but idk if i should eat it or not when im trying to lose weight. i made it pretty basic: fit active turkey, chili beans, kidney beans, stewed and diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and onions and then the chilli powder and 2 tsp sugar... is it still really high in calories?

    Use the recipe builder and find out. You're going to find that the vast majority of the calories are going to come from the beans...legumes are high calories. Really though, a bowl of chili shouldn't be crazy calories or anything and it's going to be a high protein and high fiber dish. I eat chili all the time and did so while I was dieting...and really, even if it was high calorie, that's where portion control comes into play.

    Also, whether you use turkey or beef is pretty irrelevant...90% lean is 90% lean

    I'm not sure why you would think chili is bad...
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Chili is bad? Texans everywhere might take offense at that.
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
    edited January 2015
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    deleted because poster deactived her account.

    hum.
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
    edited January 2015
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    deleted
  • tifsimmons91
    tifsimmons91 Posts: 84 Member
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    thank you all for the replies. i was just curious because a few people from work have told me that chili isnt a good diet meal... im pretty new to this all so i dont really know what to eat. right now im just trying to stay away from bad carbs and maintain 1200 cals
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    If you want to stay inside 1200 calories, you're going to need to learn how to calculate the calories in the foods you eat. It's going to be damn near impossible to get there by eyeballing quantities...

    Good luck! :drinker:
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
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    MomOfOneGirl1995 wrote: »
    DeirdreWoodwardSanders wrote: »
    deleted

    I'm still here...lol...

    That's so weird! I just clicked on your name and it said "user deactived her account" and when I came back to this thread, your post was gone.

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    There's no such thing as a "good diet meal" - only foods that fit within your calorie and macronutrient goals. That's the only thing you should be worried about. Chilli is high protein, filling, and tasty. I've had turkey chilli every day for lunch this week and it's kept me satisfied.

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