Why is oatmeal only good with 300+ calories of topping?

Francl27
Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
edited November 10 in Food and Nutrition
A couple weeks ago I posted that as much as I want to like oatmeal, I'm disappointed every time...

Well, this was the bomb. Unfortunately, 520 calories and I was hungry 2.5 hours later. But anyway, 1.5 serving of oatmeal, 1/4 cup of milk (added after cooking), 1 tablespoon of almond butter (which really weighed pretty much as much as a 2 tbsp serving, yay food scale), 1.5 serving of strawberry jam, and 2 tsp of sugar.

It was fantastic. I guess I'll have to reduce the quantities by 1/3 next time and be ready to be hungry 2 hours later though.

I guess it will be a once in a while thing... Kinda a bummer though. I keep trying lower calorie recipes, but it just doesn't cut it (and I hate sugar free stuff).
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Replies

  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
    I mix in one scoop of protein powder (~130 calories, 24 g protein) with oatmeal occasionally and it adds good flavor and substance without adding a lot of calories.
  • bingfit221
    bingfit221 Posts: 105 Member
    Have you tried unsweetened almond milk vs regular milk? Yes, it is not a large difference in calories BUT a calorie is a calorie.

    Plus I am anti dairy.
  • nickatine
    nickatine Posts: 451 Member
    edited January 2015
    try this is what I usually do for quick hot breakfast, 1/3 cup oats , tablespoon peanut butter , 2/3 scoop of whey , and half cub berries. about 320 ish calories 25 grams of protein 6 plus grams of fiber.
  • bingfit221
    bingfit221 Posts: 105 Member
    nickatine wrote: »
    try this is what I usually do for quick hot breakfast, 1/3 cup oats , tablespoon peanut butter , 2/3 scoop of whey , and half cub berries. about 320 ish calories 25 grams of protein 6 plus grams of fiber.

    ^^ This

    Although I am boring and just do oats & vanilla whey.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I use 8 grams of sugar for 30 grams of quick oats oatmeal. Something like 150 calories, but I eat it mixed with water so it's more of oatmeal cookie texture. Whatever it takes to get you to eat it if you actually want to eat it. Learned that from my paternal grandpa.
  • EmilyJackCO
    EmilyJackCO Posts: 621 Member
    I mix in 1/2 a cup of liquid egg whites. It makes them fluffy and makes them stick for 6-7 hours. I also mix half water & half vanilla almond milk, and sweeten with Stevia or Torani sugar free syrups.
  • reachingforarainbow
    reachingforarainbow Posts: 224 Member
    if your concerned about a lot of calories, don't eat nut butter or the jam or the sugar.

    I would use 1/2 milk 1/2 water to cook your oats, and add in some berries. (you probably should add some other kind of protein too) and for natural sweetness, sprinkle in some cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla
  • rbfdac
    rbfdac Posts: 1,057 Member
    I use 1/2 cup regular oats, use water instead of milk and add dried cranberries and 1 tbsp peanut butter and a package of stevia to sweeten. The whole thing is approx. 300 calories.

    When in a pinch, I use the pre packaged packets for 120-150 calories (usually maple brown sugar) and add 2 tbsp. of peanut butter. Less than 350 cals total.
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
    I used to absolutely hate oatmeal, but then I discovered the magic of cocoa powder and peanut butter! I add 5 grams of cocoa (1 tsp) and 15 grams of peanut butter (1 tbsp) and sweeten to taste... Delicious and only 220ish calories! (I only use 30 grams of oats, though.. But the toppings come to only 100 calories.)
  • lynndot1
    lynndot1 Posts: 114 Member
    If you don't mind the sugar, my go to small oatmeal mixture is 1/4 cup quick oats, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup milk (you could do all milk or water, I like to have the milk flavor), and just 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. It ends up being like 160ish calories. Hell you could double that and still be under 400 calories. A dollop of peanut butter is also a nice way to add flavor just don't overdo it too much since peanut butter is heavy. Or honey instead of maple syrup if you want that flavor.

    In the end it just tastes like regular oatmeal sweetened with a nice flavor. A couple drops of vanilla extract might also give you a flavor boost without any calories.
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  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    3/4 cup frozen fruit (berries are best), 1-2 tbsp maple syrup.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Why are you trying to force the issue with something you don't like? Oatmeal isn't magical or anything and you can get any of the nutrition from eating oats elsewhere.

    Personally I can't stand rolled oats and much prefer steel cut oats. Unfortunately I don't have the time or inclination to make steel cut oats often so I compromise with Coach's Oats which has a similar cooking time to rolled oats but a texture similar to steel cut...but if you don't like oats, you don't like oats...move on to something you do like, life is too short.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    Cooking with milk (even replacing part of the water for milk) and a little salt helps more than you'd think.
  • LittlePinkShotgun
    LittlePinkShotgun Posts: 101 Member
    30 g oats
    70 g frozen blueberries or frozen raspberries (depends on my mood)
    a dash of cinnamon
    water
    microwave for 2 min
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    reachingforarainbow wrote: »
    if your concerned about a lot of calories, don't eat nut butter or the jam or the sugar.

    I would use 1/2 milk 1/2 water to cook your oats, and add in some berries. (you probably should add some other kind of protein too) and for natural sweetness, sprinkle in some cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla

    Then it tastes like cardboard to me.
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why are you trying to force the issue with something you don't like? Oatmeal isn't magical or anything and you can get any of the nutrition from eating oats elsewhere.

    Personally I can't stand rolled oats and much prefer steel cut oats. Unfortunately I don't have the time or inclination to make steel cut oats often so I compromise with Coach's Oats which has a similar cooking time to rolled oats but a texture similar to steel cut...but if you don't like oats, you don't like oats...move on to something you do like, life is too short.

    No, I like it with a lot of stuff on it... that's the problem :(

    I'm out of berries, but I guess I can try replacing the jam with berries next time. I use the almond butter because at one point (ages ago it seems), oatmeal with nut butter was actually keeping me full for hours.
    EmilyJackCO wrote: »
    I mix in 1/2 a cup of liquid egg whites. It makes them fluffy and makes them stick for 6-7 hours. I also mix half water & half vanilla almond milk, and sweeten with Stevia or Torani sugar free syrups.

    I add egg whites sometimes too. I like the texture. It doesn't seem more filling to me though sadly. I used to use stevia but it seemed to make me hungrier that day when I did, so I went for sugar this time.

    I'll try some of the suggestions in this list next time!
  • bingfit221
    bingfit221 Posts: 105 Member
    @francl27 you should try sun butter!
  • mldrown
    mldrown Posts: 17 Member
    Love oatmeal - cheap, filling, healthy. I used to hate it made with water, but my tastes adjusted. I make 1/2 c with water, and vary my toppings. Dried cranberries/almonds; trailmix; peanut butter and coconut; crushed up granola bar. Yummy!
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited January 2015
    Steel cut oatmeal. Made a batch yesterday, 8 servings. 2 Tbsp brown sugar, chia seeds, 2tsp cinnamon. DH ate 3 servings yesterday, I had 1 serving. Froze 4 servings for this week. Top it with 1/2 c fresh blueberries and 1Tbsp chopped, toasted pecans 1/4 cup non sweetened almond milk. Delicious. Put it in my recipe file. 200 calories.
  • CJDaniel7
    CJDaniel7 Posts: 149 Member
    i finely chop dates, while still a sugar, totally unprocessed. I don't need it sweet, just a little very lightly sweet. And Toasted almond slices and Flax seeds. I don't add dairy unless it happens to come out dry and then I will add some homemade almond milk. Try it.
  • acheben
    acheben Posts: 476 Member
    My go to oatmeal recipe is 1/2 cup of rolled oats cooked in 1 cup of unsweetened chocolate almond milk with a spoonful of peanut butter, a banana, and a tbsp of chia seeds stirred in at the end. It ends up at around 375 calories depending on how big the banana and the spoonful of peanut butter are.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Try the steel cut oatmeal. It is less refined, has more fiber, and thus is more satiating.
  • Loves2Lift
    Loves2Lift Posts: 544 Member
    I eat oatmeal every day but I add 1/2 TBSP of Nutella (it's like my guilty pleasure) to mine or frozen berries. Either add just enough sweetness to it!! And I usually eat the Steel Cut oats....
  • Erikhulse
    Erikhulse Posts: 51 Member
    My usual breakfast is 1/2 cup steel cut oats. Once cooked, I put it in a bowl and add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and mix with my spoon. It is absolutely delicious. I sometimes use my homemade almond butter or homemade peanut butter too. One tablespoon is plenty.
  • bingfit221
    bingfit221 Posts: 105 Member
    Steel cut are also lower on the glycemic index!
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I guess I'm boring, since I can eat plain oatmeal prepared with just water, maybe a splash of regular milk and a pinch of stevia. Sometimes I get "fancy" and eat it with some Greek yogurt and honey or with banana. But I'm good w/ 150-250 calorie breakfast (FTR, I eat every 1-1/2 or 2 hours though).
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    I eat a flavored oatmeal (Doc McDougall's organic oatmeal is good, I have tried Maple and Brown Sugar or Apple / Cinnamon) and add 1/4 scoop of natural oats on the side. That is 225 calories and tastes good

    I also mix oats (1/4 scoop) with 1 container of flavored Greek Yogurt and a 1/2 scoop of protein powder - refrigerate for a few hours. It not only tastes good, it is filling, has a lot of protein, is low fat, and is less than 300 calories.
  • Uba31
    Uba31 Posts: 14 Member
    Oatmeal doesn't do crap for me either. No matter what I put on it or mix in it, I'm always hungry pretty quickly after eating!! I like to make overnight oats. Those will keep me a little more full, think it's the greek yogurt in them. Give those a try. They are super easy and tasty. My favorite using cherry yogurt and mixing in about a cup of frozen cherries. They thaw overnight and give it just the right amount of juice. Yum!
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    It's posts like this that make me happy that oatmeal gives me horrid heartburn. I'd be bummed to be hungry 2 hours later.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited January 2015
    I really don't get oatmeal. The last thing I want to be doing in the morning is messing around with oatmeal, adding hundreds of calories to something that isn't going to keep me full even during my train ride to work. Seems a lot of MFP people like it though.
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