Tips for eating less
divyatew
Posts: 28 Member
What are your tips for eating less but not feeling deprived?
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Replies
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Work the foods you love into your calories for the day
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You could try frequent small meals (or snacks), instead of full meals0
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I just try to eat more of the good things.
For example, in the mornings, I add blueberries and bananas to my cereal to make it more filling rather than getting a second serving of cereal. I've substituted whole milk and bacon for lower calorie options like almond milk and turkey bacon.
During dinner, I switch out mashed potatoes and gravy for a plain baked potato. Also, instead of eating more meat when I'm hungry after my first plate, I steam a cup of broccoli and tell myself that if I eat that and still feel hungry, then I'll have some meat or pasta.
Probably the biggest thing though is cutting sodas and other flavored drinks out of my diet and sticking to unsweet tea and water. Also, carrying around snacks with me instead of eating whatever's available. Raw walnuts, string cheese, beef jerky, and apple sauce have been great at keeping me full between meals.0 -
Eat the same foods I did before, just less!
I still have pizza, just not three pieces and breadsticks.
I have rice, but 1 serving, no seconds.
I have a single serving under 100 cal ice cream bar, not a bowl full of ice cream.
I have coffee with splenda and almond milk, not with loads of sugar, syrups, and cream.
I'm also eating at a reasonable deficit for the amount of weight I have to lose. I think too many people go too far too fast and burn out.0 -
I like to eat foods that have lots of protein and fiber. whole wheat breads, berries, lean meats, hummus.
I also do not deprive. I try to save calories ot have an ice cream sandwich in the evenings. the other night I created enough deficit to have frozen custard with a brownie.
I create the greater deficit for higher calorie foods by exercising and eating about half those back0 -
@queenliz99 @Vanyahiril @LenGray @jaqcan @moyer566 Thanks so much guys!!! I'll definitely take your advice. I've been giving into temptations recently and want to get on track so I can feel better about myself and my body!0
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food is food and does not tempt. I like to think of food as fuel. except ice cream, brownies, and cheesecake. those are heaven0
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What are your tips for eating less but not feeling deprived?
My number one tip is that you should experiment, take note of how you feel (the log you keep here really helps with this), and adjust. This is because we can tell you what worked for us what is satiating seems to vary person to person.
For example, some will suggest lots of smaller meals or snacks. That causes me to be hungrier and never satisfied. What works for me is eating no snacks but for sometimes a pre-planned one related to my workout schedule, and three normal-sized meals.
Lots of people (including me) find that including protein at all meals (and snacks) tends to help with satiety.
Some people (like me) are volume eaters and find that calories affect them less than simply being able to eat a normal-seeming amount of food, and others find fiber satiating. For both groups, it's often extremely helpful to up the vegetables and (to a lesser extent) fruit or to sub out some higher calorie sweet things for a lower calorie option like fruit. I tend to have lots of food at meals, but not many calories, because I eat lots of vegetables. It's worth also experimenting with switching up lower fiber options (like white bread) with higher fiber (like whole grain), although people vary in what helps them.
For me, saving calories for food, not using them on drinks, helps, as I don't find calories I drink at all satisfying. Again, people vary.
And as a general rule that has probably been the most helpful for me, not thinking of a "diet" as a time when you eat less appealing or "diet" food, but if anything caring more about creating delicious, satisfying meals, since I have no calories to waste. That I look forward to what I am eating (and this includes the treat I usually work into most days) has made it much easier to simply not eat throughout the rest of the day (since sometimes it seems that people these days eat constantly and food is always around).0 -
@lemurcat12 great advice! Thanks so much!!! 0
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Load up on veggies and fiber and drink lots of water with your meals. I have a 32 oz water bottle and I drink half of it before a meal and the rest after.0
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What are your tips for eating less but not feeling deprived?
Plan, plan, and plan your day, and what you're going to eat! It's like you have a certain amount of money on your budget for food and groceries, and stick to that budget and what you're going to eat. Not only will you save $$, but calories too!!0 -
@Jeanieh91 that's great advice! I'll plan my snack and dinner right now!0
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In terms of macros and how sating they are:
1. Protein
2. Carbs
3. Fat
Try to eat non calorie dense whole foods. For instance, a potato is going to be very sating versus a piece of bread. A chicken breast is going to me more than candy bar, etc.
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Volumize....veggies add volume to casseroles, sauces, soups, and stews. I love chicken alfredo (and after I've added broccoli) it looks like a decent sized portion. (Very veggie) potato salad. Add (almost tasteless) veggies to fruit salad......some peeled cucumbers do the trick.0
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I usually have one meal that I really want in a day and plan the rest of the day around that.
One meal is a salad (there are a lot of new recipes that are on the blogs I like that incorporate proteins).
My snacks are often raw carrots mini sweet peppers, cucumber, cauliflower and sugar snap peas (they add crunch). For my fats I try to keep them natural, avocados nuts and seeds with occasional use of healthy oils.
Then I check that I have enough protein and fiber and not to much salt and sugars.
If i do not have enough protein I add non fat greek yogurt some where in the mix.0 -
Do not go too low on calories. Prelog in food diary; you can add and remove foods and adjust amounts before you eat. Choose food you like. Experiment to find combos that make you happy and satisfied. Eat a variety of fresh foods from every food group every day. Do not cut any foods for other reasons than strictly medical, ethics, religion, taste, convenience or money. Learn to cook and make lots of your food yourself. Eat meals, don't snack/graze. Eat well every day, but reserve special treats for special occasions.
Get some exercise every day, but don't overdo it. Make sure you have some fun not involving food every day. Get enough sleep and try to remove stressors. Learn strategies to avoid food triggers.0 -
This is great advice. For a lot of people -- I am one -- the issue is not so much real hunger as feeling hungry because it's a time when you used to eat or you don't have anything else to do or you are procrastinating something you don't want to do or you are tired or feel bad, etc. So figure out a strategy for dealing with that, if it's only to distract yourself by getting busy. (Exercise can work too.)0 -
just eat smaller portions...it's easy...you can still eat...just eat smaller.0
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Add 'mindful eating' to the great advice already given.0
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I had to largely remove carbs from my diet before I ever felt satiated and not deprived. It took about a week of very low carbs before my cravings went away. Now I can easily skip desserts, sodas, and snacks that will not benefit my health.
LCHF doesn't work for everyone, but it worked very well for me.0 -
I definitely eat a lot more beans, veggies and fruit when I am trying to keep my calories down. I do make sure to eat at least a bit of fat with every meal now, as when I first started eating a lot of salads, smoothies, etc. without fat I found even if I was so full right after eating, I'd be hungry again in 1/2 an hour. Now I try to make sure I get about 20g of protein and at least 10 g of fat at every meal, along with a ton of low cal veggies and fruit.0
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"Less" as in fewer calories or "less" as in less food?
For fewer calories, more fruits and veggies. You can eat tons of them for very few calories. Problem solved!
For less food, I don't know how people do it. The hunger decreases after a few day or a week, but I just couldn't eat tiny amount of calorie-laden food and haven't done that.0 -
Exactly!lemurcat12 wrote: »
This is great advice. For a lot of people -- I am one -- the issue is not so much real hunger as feeling hungry because it's a time when you used to eat or you don't have anything else to do or you are procrastinating something you don't want to do or you are tired or feel bad, etc. So figure out a strategy for dealing with that, if it's only to distract yourself by getting busy. (Exercise can work too.)0 -
I record the calories in my food diary before I eat the item. It's amazing how a visual notification of the impact helps me decrease the volume of food I eat. (Except today when I ate a large banana before morning coffee and found it to be 110 calories. No wonder I wasn't losing weight at Weight Watchers any more. Not that bananas are a bad thing... )
Also I try to drink a glass of water before eating. Water is filling.
And eat more slowly. It takes 20 minutes for a brain to register a full tummy. Give your brain time to catch up.0 -
Thanks guys! 0
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