Junk Food Substitutes
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JesseNichols324
Posts: 5 Member
I've recently started dieting (I'm on day six.) and I've been struggling to find substitutes that stay within my 1670 calorie goal; before I started to diet I filled myself with processed foods and binged on fast food, and now that I've started to change that I'm not sure what food to turn to, I've shopped around online looking for recipes and suggestions that both fit into my goal and my budget, but ultimately they seem pretty lack luster.
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
0
Replies
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I just buy single serves of my favorite treats. I get to scratch the itch without risking binging like I would with a family pack. A bit more expensive in the short term but compared to the long term cost of obesity, i'd say worth it for me.6
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I focus on snacks that help me meet a specific goal (generally protein, iron, and/or fiber). These days, that means veggie dogs, string cheese, roasted chickpeas, yogurt bars, dry cereal, Simply Protein, Fiber One... Occasionally, I'll go for something that's basically carbs and salt like popcorn, veggie straws, Popcorners, or toasted nori.
Also, I keep my homemade desserts to 200 calories or fewer per serving, so they're an option too. This week, it's applesauce gingerbread at 110 calories per 1/12 of an 8x8 pan.6 -
Along with 100 calorie packs of Walnuts and Almonds, i cut up Celery,Cucumber,Zucchini and Bell Peppers to eat with Hummus or all natural peanut butter. Apple is also good with peanut butter. Roasted garbanzo beans tossed with spices is good. I stay away from even small packs of cookies etc. because i can't just eat one. For dinner we have baked chicken or fish, low sodium soup and a salad. I also put black beans or tuna in a leafy salad. Shop your local grocery store ad each week so you can plan ahead. Don't forget spices. Mrs. Dash have several good salt free selections. Keep it simple. If you only shop the meat, produce and dairy departments you'll be out of the store in no time. I hope this helps, good luck. Oh, did i mention Quinoa?2
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First figure out if 1670 calories is optimal. You can't lose fast if you don't have much to lose. So what's your height and weight?
Then rethink how and why you eat. I don't think you'll be able to find low cal substitutes for junk food that are just as good. An integral part of why junk food tastes so great, is the calories. But real food has great taste too, it just takes some adjustment of tastebuds. Real food made from scratch will also come out cheaper than junk food and readymeals, especially if you plan to eat it up and avoid waste. You don't need more than a few basic recipes. Boil some rice or potatoes, bake some meat or fish, defrost some veggies. That's an acceptable meal. You can compose your own dishes with cheap and versatile ingredients - pasta, beans, eggs, canned tomatoes, onions are just some of my staples.1 -
I’ve found a few substitutes for foods I love:
- We do burger night at home now instead of takeaway night- I can control the size and toppings, and therefore the calories, by making my own.
- I’ve found sorbet a good substitute for ice cream. The one I buy is lower calorie, and in individual serving sizes.
- Fibre one brownies if I feel like a sweet treat, or a hard biscuit that’s lower calorie (just one or two- again, portion control).
- Popcorn and rice cakes I find to be satisfying if I want something savoury
I also let myself have some treats sometimes, but it’s about restraint and portion control, that way I can fit them in my daily calories (I’m on 1600 a day).2 -
I like to up the seasoning on things. Lentils are really filling and will take whatever flavor you put on them. Fish sauce (salty/umami) is a great condiment for savory dishes if you don’t mind the extra salt. Beef jerky is pretty low cal, tastes great and takes awhile to eat so it feels more filling than it is (at least to me)0
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I eat a lot of skinless chicken breasts, fish, fat free yogurt with PB2, broccoli, asparagus, etc. These are low calorie sources of protein and some good veggies. That leaves a lot of calories for fruit and junk food, which I still eat. I lost 67 pounds doing this and I am now doing it in maintenance. The last few days I have had crazy amounts as I lost a little too much and need to go back up a couple of pounds.3
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JesseNichols324 wrote: »I've recently started dieting (I'm on day six.) and I've been struggling to find substitutes that stay within my 1670 calorie goal; before I started to diet I filled myself with processed foods and binged on fast food, and now that I've started to change that I'm not sure what food to turn to, I've shopped around online looking for recipes and suggestions that both fit into my goal and my budget, but ultimately they seem pretty lack luster.
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
What foods specifically are you trying to substitute? Chips? Pizza? Cheeseburger?
Can you cook?
Why are you living off eggs and jello? 1670 calories should allow you to eat fairly normal meals. Many recipes I have found are 400-600 calories. I eat fast food one meal a week and can get something around 400 calories at most places.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day but one of those in an appropriate portion size fits in my calorie goal okay.
If your goal is weight loss and you do not have a medical condition requiring you to avoid or limit ingredients then you can eat whatever food you want that fits your calorie goal even fast food and processed foods. Make smaller changes to your diet over time.
If you do not want to eat processed foods or junk food then you will have to embrace eating lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, cooking everything from scratch. It is a choice some people make but not a necessity for weight loss.
I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot.
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/3 -
There are sooooo many delicious recipes out there that won't break the calorie bank. It's all about finding portion sizes that work for your goal.
Personally, I make a lot of:
- Soups (chicken noodle, butternut squash, ham and potato, broccoli cheddar)
- Stews, chili and curries (butter chicken is a fave in our household and lentil curries)
- Quiches (caramelized onion, ham and cheddar is my favourite)
- Overnight oats (steel-cut oats, chia seeds, almond milk, Greek yogurt, flavored protein powder and berries)
- Shirataki noodle udon (topped with green onions and soft-boiled eggs)
- Roasted veggies with chicken thighs
For snacks, we have sliced apple with PB2, veggies with homemade Greek yogurt dip, hard-boiled eggs, deli meat & cheese, almonds.
My favourite recipes websites are:
https://www.seriouseats.com
https://www.skinnytaste.com0 -
JesseNichols324 wrote: »I've recently started dieting (I'm on day six.) and I've been struggling to find substitutes that stay within my 1670 calorie goal; before I started to diet I filled myself with processed foods and binged on fast food, and now that I've started to change that I'm not sure what food to turn to, I've shopped around online looking for recipes and suggestions that both fit into my goal and my budget, but ultimately they seem pretty lack luster.
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
There are tons of healthy snack options that are packed with protein and nutrients to keep you full for longer instead of just being empty calories like chips, or what not. I have a huge sweet tooth and love making protein shakes or eating yummy protein bars (Oh Yeah and Grenade make the most dessert-esque ones in my opinion). There are also protein chips, lentil bean chips, snap pea crisps and popcorn isn't too bad if you get a 100 cal bag with some Kernel Seasons for flavor.0 -
I have a couple of closets full of subs. I buy boxes of Better Bare Oats and add containers of fresh berries or frozen. I like the combined unsweetened almond/coconut milk. It doesn't break my daily stat bank. I don't even worry about making these indiv. packages for overnight oats, I just consume. At the ready.
I have packages of Leksands rye crackers, Sourdough rye crackers and eat those on the fly with tuna packs. Kipper Snacks. I eat dried fruit, too. Nuts. Figs, plums, apricots. It's a personal preference but I like my figs and plums dried out even further. Chewy like leather so I leave the lid off in the fridge for a few days. I count out all of my tiddlywinks, drink with a large iced coffee or tea. Siggi's indv. yogurt cups. Sometimes, bags of lightly salted perfectly popped popcorn. Outstanding.
I've been drinking cases of LaCroix fizzy sparkling water. Mango, Passionfruit, Apricot and Coconut. The citrus ones have too much citric acid for my taste. Combined with the above, I'm sated.
I'm all about portable, doable and grabNgo. These are my subs.0 -
This doesn't totally taste like Doritos, but it's pretty good:
http://naturalchow.com/2014/03/healthy-dorito-flavored-popcorn/
I like a lot of the things others have mentioned. Pickles (all kinds of pickled veggies, not just pickled cucumbers) are also good, crunchy and salty. I like frozen berries mixed with plain nonfat Greek yogurt, with PB2 chocolate peanut butter powder.1 -
estherdragonbat wrote: ». This week, it's applesauce gingerbread at 110 calories per 1/12 of an 8x8 pan.
Pretty please would you share this recipe?0 -
estherdragonbat wrote: ». This week, it's applesauce gingerbread at 110 calories per 1/12 of an 8x8 pan.
Pretty please would you share this recipe?
Source: The Vegetarian Gourmet's Easy Low-Fat Favorites
Applesauce Gingerbread- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2 egg whites
- 3 tbsp skim milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil an 8" square pan or use cooking spray.
In large bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Mix well.
In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Beat with fork or wire whisk until blended. Add to dry mixture, mixing until everything is moist. Place in pan.
Bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack (I usually skip this step). Cut into squares and serve warm for best flavor.
The cookbook gives the calories at 114 per serving; 2g protein, 3g total fat (0g saturated), 21 g Carbohydrate, 121 mg Sodium, 0mg cholesterol.1 -
kommodevaran wrote: »First figure out if 1670 calories is optimal. You can't lose fast if you don't have much to lose. So what's your height and weight?
Then rethink how and why you eat. I don't think you'll be able to find low cal substitutes for junk food that are just as good. An integral part of why junk food tastes so great, is the calories. But real food has great taste too, it just takes some adjustment of tastebuds. Real food made from scratch will also come out cheaper than junk food and readymeals, especially if you plan to eat it up and avoid waste. You don't need more than a few basic recipes. Boil some rice or potatoes, bake some meat or fish, defrost some veggies. That's an acceptable meal. You can compose your own dishes with cheap and versatile ingredients - pasta, beans, eggs, canned tomatoes, onions are just some of my staples.
5'7 257lbs - I'm not in a rush to lose weight, though.0 -
JesseNichols324 wrote: »I've recently started dieting (I'm on day six.) and I've been struggling to find substitutes that stay within my 1670 calorie goal; before I started to diet I filled myself with processed foods and binged on fast food, and now that I've started to change that I'm not sure what food to turn to, I've shopped around online looking for recipes and suggestions that both fit into my goal and my budget, but ultimately they seem pretty lack luster.
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
What foods specifically are you trying to substitute? Chips? Pizza? Cheeseburger?
Can you cook?
Why are you living off eggs and jello? 1670 calories should allow you to eat fairly normal meals. Many recipes I have found are 400-600 calories. I eat fast food one meal a week and can get something around 400 calories at most places.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day but one of those in an appropriate portion size fits in my calorie goal okay.
If your goal is weight loss and you do not have a medical condition requiring you to avoid or limit ingredients then you can eat whatever food you want that fits your calorie goal even fast food and processed foods. Make smaller changes to your diet over time.
If you do not want to eat processed foods or junk food then you will have to embrace eating lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, cooking everything from scratch. It is a choice some people make but not a necessity for weight loss.
I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot.
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/
Honestly I'm trying to substitute all of the above, I'm trying cauliflower pizza crust tonight; I'm not great at cooking, but I guess I'm not terrible; I'm not averse to eating processed foods, I just have trouble getting full when I eat the normal junk food I like because of the smaller portion sizes and it takes alot of willpower to not over eat; I'm mostly living off of eggs and jello because of the convenience and the cheap price tag, that's not to say I don't eat oats and bananas and the like, though.
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This doesn't totally taste like Doritos, but it's pretty good:
http://naturalchow.com/2014/03/healthy-dorito-flavored-popcorn/
I like a lot of the things others have mentioned. Pickles (all kinds of pickled veggies, not just pickled cucumbers) are also good, crunchy and salty. I like frozen berries mixed with plain nonfat Greek yogurt, with PB2 chocolate peanut butter powder.
Yeah, I've been eating alot of pickles too - It's hard to resist the urge to sandwich them in a peanut butter sandwich!2 -
I eat pizza - I portion out two slices and walk away from the box.
A burger at home is definitely easier to control calories in than takeout
I eat real ice cream. The single serve half cup containers help me with portion control.
For me the key is to fill most of my diet with healthy foods that keep me full. (Fruit, veggies, lean protein, low-fat dairy) Then pick and choose which foods I want to spend my discretionary calorie budget on.1 -
JesseNichols324 wrote: »JesseNichols324 wrote: »I've recently started dieting (I'm on day six.) and I've been struggling to find substitutes that stay within my 1670 calorie goal; before I started to diet I filled myself with processed foods and binged on fast food, and now that I've started to change that I'm not sure what food to turn to, I've shopped around online looking for recipes and suggestions that both fit into my goal and my budget, but ultimately they seem pretty lack luster.
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
What foods specifically are you trying to substitute? Chips? Pizza? Cheeseburger?
Can you cook?
Why are you living off eggs and jello? 1670 calories should allow you to eat fairly normal meals. Many recipes I have found are 400-600 calories. I eat fast food one meal a week and can get something around 400 calories at most places.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day but one of those in an appropriate portion size fits in my calorie goal okay.
If your goal is weight loss and you do not have a medical condition requiring you to avoid or limit ingredients then you can eat whatever food you want that fits your calorie goal even fast food and processed foods. Make smaller changes to your diet over time.
If you do not want to eat processed foods or junk food then you will have to embrace eating lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, cooking everything from scratch. It is a choice some people make but not a necessity for weight loss.
I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot.
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/
Honestly I'm trying to substitute all of the above, I'm trying cauliflower pizza crust tonight; I'm not great at cooking, but I guess I'm not terrible; I'm not averse to eating processed foods, I just have trouble getting full when I eat the normal junk food I like because of the smaller portion sizes and it takes alot of willpower to not over eat; I'm mostly living off of eggs and jello because of the convenience and the cheap price tag, that's not to say I don't eat oats and bananas and the like, though.
I would suggest learning to eat a pile of low calorie vegetable with your smaller portion of higher calorie food. I can eat 2 slices of regular pizza when I have a large salad with it.
I have not done a cauiflower crust pizza. I have made a thin crust and used lower calorie toppings.
I like zucchini noodles or stuffed zucchini. I don't pretend they are spaghetti or anything other than zucchini so I don't feel unsatisfied. Zucchini boats are pretty easy. You might put your favorite pizza toppings on one.
Check out https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p11 -
I looked at the Zucchini Boats but it seemed like it would be odd, I've never had Zucchini so I always assumed it was like a firmer cucumber, I'll definitely be trying it now, though - I kinda avoid vegetables, I know it's kinda dumb, but I grew up eating unhealthy and it's kinda foreign to me, I think it's mostly a texture thing, except with tomato, the taste is the most nauseating thing... Anyways, I like "soft" vegetables like raw spinach, they don't really have crunch and the taste is pretty inoffensive and bland, so things like that are heavily preferred.JesseNichols324 wrote: »JesseNichols324 wrote: »I've recently started dieting (I'm on day six.) and I've been struggling to find substitutes that stay within my 1670 calorie goal; before I started to diet I filled myself with processed foods and binged on fast food, and now that I've started to change that I'm not sure what food to turn to, I've shopped around online looking for recipes and suggestions that both fit into my goal and my budget, but ultimately they seem pretty lack luster.
Please leave me some suggestions down below, I'm starting to get tired of living off of eggs and sugar free Jello.
Thanks!
What foods specifically are you trying to substitute? Chips? Pizza? Cheeseburger?
Can you cook?
Why are you living off eggs and jello? 1670 calories should allow you to eat fairly normal meals. Many recipes I have found are 400-600 calories. I eat fast food one meal a week and can get something around 400 calories at most places.
I prelog my food and adjust portion sizes to fit my goals. I look at calories first then meeting my protein goal. I try to eat several servings of vegetables or fruits a day. I generally have 100-300 calories for snacks.
I pair higher calorie foods with more lower calorie vegetables. I reduce calories in foods by using less cheese, less oil, lower fat milk, thinner crust for pizza. I might skip rice or bread if it doesn't fit well that day. I don't try to have doughnuts, stuffed crust pizza, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburger and a peanut butter shake all in one day but one of those in an appropriate portion size fits in my calorie goal okay.
If your goal is weight loss and you do not have a medical condition requiring you to avoid or limit ingredients then you can eat whatever food you want that fits your calorie goal even fast food and processed foods. Make smaller changes to your diet over time.
If you do not want to eat processed foods or junk food then you will have to embrace eating lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, cooking everything from scratch. It is a choice some people make but not a necessity for weight loss.
I find food ideas on Pinterest a lot.
http://www.budgetbytes.com
http://www.skinnytaste.com
http://www.allrecipes.com
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/
Honestly I'm trying to substitute all of the above, I'm trying cauliflower pizza crust tonight; I'm not great at cooking, but I guess I'm not terrible; I'm not averse to eating processed foods, I just have trouble getting full when I eat the normal junk food I like because of the smaller portion sizes and it takes alot of willpower to not over eat; I'm mostly living off of eggs and jello because of the convenience and the cheap price tag, that's not to say I don't eat oats and bananas and the like, though.
I would suggest learning to eat a pile of low calorie vegetable with your smaller portion of higher calorie food. I can eat 2 slices of regular pizza when I have a large salad with it.
I have not done a cauiflower crust pizza. I have made a thin crust and used lower calorie toppings.
I like zucchini noodles or stuffed zucchini. I don't pretend they are spaghetti or anything other than zucchini so I don't feel unsatisfied. Zucchini boats are pretty easy. You might put your favorite pizza toppings on one.
Check out https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
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