Filling Foods

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dfwmom35
dfwmom35 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Those 1200 daily calories get used up quickly. Can anyone suggest a low calorie food(s) that may help with my ever present hunger? What works for you? Quick snack items especially..

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  • lujako
    lujako Posts: 87 Member
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    Roasted Carrots (or most root vegetables) cut into bite size
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Protein, fat, and fiber. Different combinations work for different people. You will have to experiment.

    You don't want to skimp on protein or fat (in favor of tons of fiber) because they have so much nutritional value. Leafy greens are great, but you need to fuel existing lean muscle mass (with protein) & you want to absorb vitamins (fat). Just a couple examples.

    Keep in mind 1200 is MFP's default minimum before exercise. So if you intend to exercise, you earn more calories. Also, if you find that 1200 is too low, just decrease your weekly weight loss goal. It may be aggressive (unless your a really petite....or elderly).
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I never ate less than 1650. 1200 is just insane IMO (but once you eat back exercise calories like you're supposed to, it's much more doable).

    But anyway, filling foods for me - apple paired with some cheese or Greek yogurt, baby carrots, or what I just had as a snack - a big bowl of ratatouille (basically tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant, peppers cooked together until soft). Huge bowl = 120 calories.

    Refried beans (the canned stuff) are very filling for me too - perfect balance of fiber, fat, and a bit of protein (I don't buy the fat free ones).
  • Feistycat
    Feistycat Posts: 12,868 Member
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    My trainer bumped me up to 1600 cals/day. My filling foods are cucumbers, raw zucchini, cauliflower, etc., lo-fat cottage cheese, non-fat plain yogurt, 12 raw or roasted almonds (Prez Obama eats only 9, I heard him say), protein powder in almond milk, one egg plus 1/2 cup liquid egg whites for a scramble...and I no longer feel guilty about avocado!. At restaurants I order salad with some kind of meat protein on top, no croutons, dressing & cheese on the side. I've lost 50 lbs over 2 years. Oh, and I work with a personal trainer twice a week. No other exercise, although gardening requires an ungodly amount of squatting, bending, and stooping.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    I found fats kept me the fullest and protien. so greek yogurt or cottage cheese
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Boiled eggs, Greek yogurt w berries, Apple w peanut butter, tuna w fat free mayo
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    For me, protein and vegetables. Fat is the least satiating.
  • Big5BigChange
    Big5BigChange Posts: 56 Member
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    Soup. Studies show that liquids improve the feeling of fullness. Eating water combined with food (as opposed to simply drinking a glass of water) in the form of soup, means it is processed more slowly by the stomach keeping it feeling fuller for longer. Obvs stay light on the cream soups. Add beans for additional fullness-factor.
  • samiann96
    samiann96 Posts: 10 Member
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    I like roasting vegetables, especially broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus. Fills up your stomach without a ton of calories.
  • Ktjc2016
    Ktjc2016 Posts: 37 Member
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    Any lean meat, paired with lots of veggies and a little carbs on the side. perfect combination to keep you satisfied!
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
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    Omelets I'll do a whole egg plus half cup of egg whites to make it more filling for less calories. Or if you don't buy egg whites, just hard boil your eggs; I find hard boiled eggs are much more filling than fried or scrambled eggs, even if you eat the same amount.

    Dannon's light & fit greek yogurt; I love the taste, they're filling, and come in so many flavors!

    Raw veggies; asparagus, spinach, etc. All very filling for the calories per serving!

    Protein shakes; I blend one scoop of Quest powder with one cup of Silk unsweetened almond milk and ice, so for only about 130 calories I am stuffed and feel like I just indulged on a milkshake. Substitute almond milk for iced coffee (International Delight has light versions in a carton) for even more indulgence!

    More expensive options: Halo Top ice cream. ThinSlim Foods bread (seriously sits like a rock in your stomach, but can only be purchased online). Lil Buff Bakes cake mix. Arctic Zero (but a lot of people don't seem to like this, I would definitely choose Halo Top if you can find it).
  • randomgirl913
    randomgirl913 Posts: 12 Member
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    Something I found to be super filling for me is greek yogurt topped with coconut flakes, almond slivers, and some dark chocolate shavings. It's like an almond joy...
  • BodyzLanguage
    BodyzLanguage Posts: 200 Member
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    Could try cauliflower rice with a stir fry type thing. If you get the seasoning right you can eat a truck load of food for less than 500 cals. Also Greek yogurt hits the spot.
  • dfwmom35
    dfwmom35 Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you all for the suggestions!
  • mytotoro
    mytotoro Posts: 2 Member
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    Gardening this summer (in my friends side yard), has motivated me eating more vegi because I have so many and I have to eat them before they rot. Boiled but still crunchy green beans then sautéed with crushed nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, or my new favorite pecans, with a little olive oil and s&p is great as leftovers to snack or dump on your salad.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    A crap ton of veggies. Sometimes I watch people eat salads like they are afraid of vegetables. When I make mine I get out a mixing bowl, use about 180g of lettuce which is a whole box from the store. From there I could add a whole yellow pepper, tomato, sometimes the entire cucumber. Then I have something like tuna for a lean source of protein, a wedge of 35 calorie laughing cow cheese and dressing...hot sauce. 5 calories. Lunch out of a mixing bowl for 250 calories or less.

    Tonight I had those zucchini noodles. I buy them spiralized from Whole Foods. I ate the whole box...500grams.
  • heather1984adams
    heather1984adams Posts: 2 Member
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    Avocados
    Bananas
    Yogurt
    Tomato soup
    Beans
    Eggs
  • RachNRoll
    RachNRoll Posts: 192 Member
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    vegetables definitely help. I always eat a lot of broccoli and green beans for dinner (1.75gr each) because they fill me up so much. Also, when I cook minced meat I ad grated carrots because it creates volume. This way I still get a low calorie dinner, keeping the protein in place and fiber.

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