Low calorie foods that fill you up

mss342 wrote: »

I've never had chia seeds, can you eat them plain?

That might be icky. Just mix them with some almond milk overnight and the next day you have pudding. Mix in a little vanilla protein powder and it's like tapioca.

To fill up, I'll zoodle a whole zucchini and spray it with olive oil salt and pepper with a runny yolk egg over top.

No need to eat something you don't like the taste of just to get full OP -- find things you DO like and get better satiety.

Experiment and figure out what categories fill you up. For me, that's high protein (I try to hit 120-130 grams each day) and high fiber (I eat about 50 grams of fiber each day) with a decent amount of fat. Some people need high fat; some people need high carb. Even within those categories, different things fill different people up. Fiber fills me up, but apples (which an earlier poster said filled him/her up) make me voraciously hungry after I eat them. All of this to say, play around with it and figure out what works.

Things that work for me:
-Lots of veggies (I typically have a medium-sized head of broccoli for lunch)
-Eggs
-Chia seeds (I mix them in with my morning oatmeal)
-A protein shake with flax seeds mixed in
-Avocados (not low calorie, but more than worth it to me because of the high satiety they bring me)
-Canned tuna/canned chicken breast
Greek yogurt
-Almonds (ditto the note for avocados)
-String cheese sticks
-A square of dark chocolate (it tastes like dessert and gives me that dessert/treat feeling while staying low on the calories.)

By the way, some things may be higher calorie, but they are worth making room for in your daily budget because they are so filling. Experiment and find out what works best for you.

Lots of veggies! I cook a lot at home, just load up on veggies with a smaller amount of meat, get creative!

Some tips I have:

- Bulk up any meal with ground beef by adding a bunch of chopped mushroom. Offers a similar meaty texture and absorbs the flavors very well.
- Replace rice with quinoa, it has way less calories per the same quantity.
- Rice cakes with a small amount of peanut butter makes a great snack.
- Pickles. I can eat tons of them, very low calories. High sodium though, so need to watch that.
- Roasted chickpeas make a great snack that satisfy that chip craving.
- If you love chocolate, try to make the gradual switch to dark chocolate. You can eat less of it and really get that chocolate fix, and it's less calories, fat, and sugar.

Stir fry with lots of nonstarchy veggies such as muchrooms, onions, beans, brocoli etc.,
popcorn
eggs and egg whites
oatmeal with berries

So many good recommendations here!

I personally like a big bowl of mixed lettuce, cabbage, and tomato. Then I'll add Walden Farms no calorie dressing or a low calorie vinaigrette. If I need the protein, I'll add tuna.

Lots of Romaine lettuce and spinach plus some tomatoes.
I add some chicken or turkey breast to avoid being hungry.
Also apples, blueberries, and blackberries.
Works for me since 2010.

The best I've found is ampalaya (also known as bitter melon). This is a truly unheard-of wonder food, a gift from Asia. Here in Australia it is starting to become available in fruit & veg markets but hasn't made it into supermarkets yet. Or you can grow it yourself. It will grow wherever cucumbers (to which it is related) will grow.

My wife (who is from the Philippines) removes the seeds and cuts it into strips (no need to peel), cooking it with tuna, onion and egg, and serving with basmati rice. A big lump like me can be filled on this while consuming only 400 or so calories, and you don't feel hungry for many hours.

Like durian, it's an acquired taste, but once acquired, you never go back. You can remove the bitterness somewhat by soaking it in salty water for a few minutes and then rinsing.

Ampalaya is not recommended when pregnant.

Watermelon! It's only 88 calories for 10 ounces, which is about 3.5 cups. With all that fiber and liquid, it's super filling. I keep one cut up in my fridge at all times and eat it any time I start feeling hungry between meals - works for me every time. Plus it's delicious and packed with vitamins. It's a winner!

Protein! Eggs and egg whites are my go to. Lots of good oil and salt.

Homemade kale chips and sugar snap peas are great snacking foods. I find them satiating because I can make a bowl last a long time.