Low cal recipes? :)

I suggest trying a protein shake as a meal replacement. Honesty, I'm loving them and keep me full for a longer period of time. This is the one I'm using and I add all kinds of yummy fruit.

I focus on getting enough fiber, protein, and healthy fats in my diet. I have found the website Skinny Taste to be VERY helpful.. tasty recipes which are light/lower in calories, but I feel good about the ingredients I'm using. I also find them to fill me up. Hope that helps!

For breakfast, I often eat 1/3 cup oatmeal, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/4 cup blueberries, and a small greek yogurt for roughly 300 calories.

Lunch tends to be a salad with a lot of low cal veggies, a protein (like nuts or seeds, or leftover meat) - something roughly 150 calories. I also add 1/3 avocado and a tbsp salsa. Then a small amount of fruit and a light string cheese. Ends up around 350 calories most days.

Snacks are usually a banana and/or 100 calorie pack of almonds.

Dinner varies more, but I measure a small portion of whatever I've cooked (really anything works, rice, beans, chicken, even steak or pasta)...the key is a SMALL amount, and then fill up the rest of my plate with veggies. Usually around 350-400 calories.

Then there's room for a little bit of chocolate/dessert or whatever else I want.

Find a few meals you like that fit within your budget and stick to them often, if you don't mind eating the same meals (if you prefer more variety, you could just create a longer list of meals--like 2 weeks' worth, and plan accordingly.

I eat a lot of veggie/meat quiche, scrambled egg whites with veggies and cheese, etc

For lunch I eat a lot of soups, stews, stuffed peppers, or chilis

For dinner I typically have sauced zoodles, stir fry, salad, chili, stew, soup, etc. I just make sure when I cook them I load them up with veggies in each dish. I probably have 50-75% veggies in each meal.

whyhelloheart wrote: »

darine19 wrote: »

A protein shake is not going to work for you if you dont workout work your muscles out your body willl take the protein and transfer it into fat in your body since you dont have muscles too be as much as this protein

That isn't even remotely true. The only way you get more fat is by eating more calories than you are burning. Protein shakes are a great alternative for someone who doesn't really know what to eat and wants to feel fuller, longer.

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And what fills me up are low calorie "stews" (for lack of a better term). I try to stick with chicken breast or lean ground turkey as the protein and LOTS of veggies. My stews over the past 6 weeks have varied between 0.5 calories/gram to 0.8 calories/gram (227 to 363 calories for a very generous 1 pound serving).

Keep it simple at first. Invest in some easy mix-and-match stuff:

Lean chicken, pork and seafood.
A small assortment of spice mixes and sauces (pay attention to the calories, those count!)
Assorted non-starchy veggies, fresh and frozen (for convenience).
Legumes (lentils are super easy since they don't have to soak...for most others, I buy packaged, but if you have the time, dry is cheaper and won't have so much salt.)
A bag of good brown rice, a couple of boxes of good pasta (look for high protein and fiber)
Potatoes/sweet potatoes, if you are including them.
Breads, if you're including them...there's plenty of low cal/low carb options in wraps and sandwich thins and the Sarah Lee 45 cal bread.

Obviously, you can add to this whatever you like, but this is the basic lunch/dinner arsenal. Pick a protein, pick a seasoning, pick at least 2 veggies, or a veggie mix, pick one starch (potatoes, legumes, bread, rice or pasta).

Pay attention to portion sizes, especially with the starches, as they have more calories. Try to load up half your plate with veggies, one quarter protein, and one quarter starch. Or use the starches as more of a garnish...sprinkle a half serving of beans in your salad, add half a serving of rice to some saucy chicken, make a sandwich with just one slice of bread cut in half and pile it really high with meat.

Weigh everything on a digital kitchen scale. Portions are often not what you think they are, and even a measuring cup is misleading.

These are my main meals for a day. All very filling and each 200-400cal.
Cucumbers are my favorite to snack on! 10cal/100g and it fulfills my crunch cravings. Great paired with a low cal hummus!!
I also drink at least a gallon of water/day! Drinking 1-2 cups before I eat to make sure I'm actually hungry, & not thirsty

myee924 wrote: »

These are my main meals for a day. All very filling and each 200-400cal.
Cucumbers are my favorite to snack on! 10cal/100g and it fulfills my crunch cravings. Great paired with a low cal hummus!!
I also drink at least a gallon of water/day! Drinking 1-2 cups before I eat to make sure I'm actually hungry, & not thirsty

Love this!!

Also make sure you're eating sensible snacks in between meals. No need to let yourself get hungry. It's very possible and still stay within your calorie limit.

150 grams of each zucchini and squash, 25 grams of onion, 50 grams of tomato, 50 grams mushroom, clove of garlic sautéed with .25 tablespoon of oil, or steamed with water. Add 6 ounces of 99% lean ground turkey, chipotle hot sauce, and mix in a laughing cow cheese to make a creamy/cheesy chipotle sauce. It's like hamburger helper except with turkey and a lot of food. Without oil it is 300 calories. Add some black beans if you have room.

I do it with rice now that I'm in maintenance muahahaha