Good ideas and sweet treats with low calories!!

I’ve recently joined mfp again after gaining nearly a stone which I want rid off since I stop breastfeeding my youngest.
I struggle at thinking of meal ideas (preferable cheap ones) as I will likely be cooking that for me and something else for the rest of my picky eater family!! So any ideas?
Also I have such a sweet tooth, any ideas for little treats with as little calories as possible

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    zoebailey wrote: »
    I’ve recently joined mfp again after gaining nearly a stone which I want rid off since I stop breastfeeding my youngest.
    I struggle at thinking of meal ideas (preferable cheap ones) as I will likely be cooking that for me and something else for the rest of my picky eater family!! So any ideas?
    Also I have such a sweet tooth, any ideas for little treats with as little calories as possible

    Don't become a short order cook, you're busy enough. Instead eat "regular" food but in smaller portions. Add a healthy side for yourself. Picky eaters can choose to take some or not.

    Weight loss is all about calories....just figure out how to make that number smaller.

    Not sure what they have in your country - but in the US we have yummy sugar free pudding, sugar free fudgesicles. I like to buy individually wrapped Ghiradelli dark chocolate squares, and 100 calorie cookie packs.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited March 2018
    The smaller the treat, the fewer calories. But I don't think that is very useful. Most people like sweet things, and good food, and what they're used to. But poeple also tend to need some degree of variety, not just for physical health (nutrition), but also for mental health (avoid boredom). You can do a lot with mindset. You'd really have to mess it up, in order to make "unhealthy" home cooked meals. Cooking the same meal for the whole family will be cheaper, faster and easier than cooking two meals. It will also be family-friendly. Family meals can be an opportunity to try new foods in a safe setting. Getting all members involved in the planning and preparation process can create a feeling of empowerment.
  • J_Zardo
    J_Zardo Posts: 7 Member
    I like chobani Greek yogurt in the vanilla flavor with a little archer farms s’mores granola mixed in. It’s 240 calories and it’s sweet enough that I don’t crave anything else when I’m done.
  • olyamhc
    olyamhc Posts: 60 Member
    Orange Tic Tac, Halo ice cream, hot cocoa (unsweetened and with almond milk), earl gray tea (also with almond milk), or roasting my own pumpkin seeds help me with my sweet tooth and still being in a deficit.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    Smartfood Delightful sea salt caramel popcorn. You get a pretty big serving for 130 calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.
    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house.
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    Diet Coke doesn't do that for everyone. I find that a Diet Coke, especially in the late afternoons, will satisfy my sweet tooth and doesn't cause any hunger or cravings.

    If someone finds that artificial sweeteners are an issue for them, they should take that into account. But many people use them without any negative impact when it comes to hunger or cravings.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.

    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house (at least until you get to where you want to be, weight wise).
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    This doesn't happen to me, at all. A Coke Zero is actually a great thing when I am craving something sweet. Hits the spot completely and I'm satisfied.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.
    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house.
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    Diet Coke doesn't do that for everyone. I find that a Diet Coke, especially in the late afternoons, will satisfy my sweet tooth and doesn't cause any hunger or cravings.

    If someone finds that artificial sweeteners are an issue for them, they should take that into account. But many people use them without any negative impact when it comes to hunger or cravings.

    Jinx! You owe me a Coke (Zero)! :D
  • laur357
    laur357 Posts: 896 Member
    Bowl of fresh berries with a little Redi-Whip.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.
    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house.
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    Diet Coke doesn't do that for everyone. I find that a Diet Coke, especially in the late afternoons, will satisfy my sweet tooth and doesn't cause any hunger or cravings.

    If someone finds that artificial sweeteners are an issue for them, they should take that into account. But many people use them without any negative impact when it comes to hunger or cravings.

    Jinx! You owe me a Coke (Zero)! :D

    ;) Great minds . . .
  • Sparkeysworld
    Sparkeysworld Posts: 107 Member
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.
    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house.
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    Diet Coke doesn't do that for everyone. I find that a Diet Coke, especially in the late afternoons, will satisfy my sweet tooth and doesn't cause any hunger or cravings.

    If someone finds that artificial sweeteners are an issue for them, they should take that into account. But many people use them without any negative impact when it comes to hunger or cravings.
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.

    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house (at least until you get to where you want to be, weight wise).
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    This doesn't happen to me, at all. A Coke Zero is actually a great thing when I am craving something sweet. Hits the spot completely and I'm satisfied.

    I understand that this is person specific, but it does happen, artificial sweeteners are also linked to weight gain.
    https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.
    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house.
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    Diet Coke doesn't do that for everyone. I find that a Diet Coke, especially in the late afternoons, will satisfy my sweet tooth and doesn't cause any hunger or cravings.

    If someone finds that artificial sweeteners are an issue for them, they should take that into account. But many people use them without any negative impact when it comes to hunger or cravings.
    The problem with high g.i snacks is, they tend to make you want more, ever gone to get just one cookie and ended up eating all of them?
    The same goes for anything with artificial sweeteners, (aspartame etc) they do exactly the same, a bottle of zero calorie diet coke for instance, you just end up drinking loads of the stuff and probably other sugery 'naughty' things too.

    I say, if you find you can have a small amount of something sweet, go for it, but if you find you just end up eating too much of it because of the cravings, I would not only remove them from your diet, but also from the house (at least until you get to where you want to be, weight wise).
    That way when you get up in the middle of the night, if you have nothing in, your not going to eat it.

    This doesn't happen to me, at all. A Coke Zero is actually a great thing when I am craving something sweet. Hits the spot completely and I'm satisfied.

    I understand that this is person specific, but it does happen, artificial sweeteners are also linked to weight gain.
    https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

    "The difference in the amount gained between the two groups was less than two pounds . . . "

  • lolastjude
    lolastjude Posts: 5 Member
    POPCORN amazing snack!
    Also you can eat what the rest of the family eat/want just have more veg on the plate rather than carbs