Low Calorie High Quantity Ideas?

Pop corn? Is that low calorie - I'm not sure as I'm trying to gain, not lose!

RachelDanae350 wrote: »

I enjoy nothing more than mindless snacking or getting that contentedly full feeling, but basic fruits and vegetables don't seem to do the trick and the only other low calorie option I've found is pickles... Anyone have something they buy or cook that might fill the void?

Low calorie, high quantity? Potatoes. They'll fill you up. You can season them, but no butter or oil or anything like that.

If you think potatoes are too high calorie, here's the thing: if you're hungry, it means you're not eating enough.

esfoster5 wrote: »

RachelDanae350 wrote: »

I enjoy nothing more than mindless snacking or getting that contentedly full feeling, but basic fruits and vegetables don't seem to do the trick and the only other low calorie option I've found is pickles... Anyone have something they buy or cook that might fill the void?

Low calorie, high quantity? Potatoes. They'll fill you up. You can season them, but no butter or oil or anything like that.

If you think potatoes are too high calorie, here's the thing: if you're hungry, it means you're not eating enough.

Not entirely. I'm a formerly fat Irish/Scottish kid. I can throw down on potatoes all day and still want more. They are actually a huge part of what got me fat early in life. Even as a kid, O would shun candy and the like, but give me a bag of redskins, russets, or Idahos, and I'd show you how I became obese. And yes, I've always eaten them plain and whole, just baked or microwaved, skin and all.

I know just what you mean, I learned early on in this process (about 3 years ago) that it was really useful for me to have something in the house that I could mindlessly eat when I felt the urge. For 90% of my week I'm able to eat what I've logged in advance and move on with my life but sometimes I just want to snack on something salty and crunchy while I binge watch Netflix.

-Popcorn is the best for this. I usually make it on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil. I either top with a bit of melted butter and salt, or a bit of melted coconut oil and seasonings. A big bowl that takes me a long time to eat is under 300 calories. Those popcorn seasonings add a lot of flavour and have almost no calories. You don't have to put oil or butter on them but it helps the salt to stick.

You can also buy big bags of extremely low calorie popcorn in the store. Avoid Smartfood - its delicious and not terrible for you but should still not be mindlessly snacked on. I like Boom Chicka Pop, 4 cups of the salted one is 140 calories.

-Pistachios are surprisingly low in calories for a nut and if you buy the ones you need to shell you won't eat as many. Plus they're more nutritious than popcorn.

-Rice cakes with jam. Crunchy and sweet and low calorie.

-Low calorie yogurt - seriously, an entire large container of silhouette is like 100 calories or something.

-Homemade pita chips - One of my favourites. I found a brand of pita that is only 70 per (most are more like 140 per, though that's still not bad) and I cut it into small triangles, brush with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and bake until golden. Salty, crispy, so flavourful. Tzatziki or baba ganoush are very delicious and low calorie dipping options. Baba ganoush is nutritious as well. Hummus is also good but a bit higher in calorie. Two whole pitas makes a gazillian chips.

-Rice Krispies - You can eat a big bowl of rice krispies with skim or 1% milk for very few calories. Eat with a teaspoon to take your time.

Can you tell that I am passionate about snacking? And that I definitely don't watch my salt intake?

Edit to add: With any of these, however, it's still good to portion before you sit down to eat mindlessly eat them, especially with the pistachios and pita chips.

Low calorie foods at their essence are either puffed up with air or plumped up with water. I need some crunch to satisfy my craving so I lean towards air.

Any of the air puffed cereals will work. The Bulk Barn may offer some exotic alternatives.

I've been experimenting with Knox gelatine. You may flavour with Mio.

To allow for some mindlessness I suggest you pre package and pre measure so you know exactly what you are getting.

Any raw vegetable will fill you up quickly.

Be careful with nuts. While it's a good source of protein and fat, they are very calorie dense. Not a good source for something that you can just go nuts on.

If you're not concerned about sodium, pickled anything is fantastic. Doesn't have to be cucumbers... okra, cauliflower, carrots, radishes... they're all delicious! If you have a dehyrdrator, make some of your own vegetable chips! Thin slices of tomato are actually awesome when dehydrated to crispy.

Consider salsa or a well seasoned vegetable puree rather than traditional dips.

A soup with lots of veggies. Costco has a vegetable barley that is 80 cals a cup and it's great. Stir fry with lots of cabbage...you can be really satisfied on that.