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What's your best low-cal eating suggestions?


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I need to lose weight. A lot of weight. I'm stuck in the same eating rut and its not exactly healthy.

 

So, what are your tastiest suggestions for breakfast, lunch, and snacks? Supper will still have to be cooked for the family, so I'll just try to make healthier choices and eat little portions. But, I can really shake up my eating throughout the day.

 

So, ladies, what's tasty and good for you?

 

Thanks,

Kim:lurk5: (I can't even have the popcorn, can I?)

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One of the things I try to do once or twice a week for myself is a chicken stir fry.

 

I use chicken tenderloins (just one if it is just me), cook in a wok with a little season salt and a dash of olive oil. Shred, cook with any veggies you have on hand (I usually like cabbage, onions, broccoli, snow peas, green beans, water chestnuts) cook until done, during last few seconds of cooking I add about a teaspoon or two of Teriyaki sauce and mix it around.

 

I eat this with no rice...about 3 points on weight watchers (chicken tenderloin, 0 points for the veggies) and extremely filling. One of my all time favorite low cal, filling meals.

 

HTH!

 

Diane

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Actually, with things out today, eating low cal can be pretty easy. Here are the things that help me:

 

Arnold's Sandwich Thins (very tasty and low-cal)

Pickles on sandwich (I like the 0 cal. sandwich stackers)

Mustard instead of mayo on my sandwich

100 calorie pack snacks (that way i don't eat the whole bag)

Pretzels with spicy mustard (one of my favorite snacks)

Popcorn (Yes, you can!!) either air popped or low cal small bags

Rice cakes and Laughing Cow Cheese

 

These are some of my favorites to have around. I eat baked potatoes with salsa instead of butter. You can find many healthy alternatives. Just think, veggies, veggies, veggies. I try to fill up on the veggies by either eating a salad or steamed veggies. That way I am satisfied without eating as much fattening foods.

 

You can do it by making some simple substitutions. And, drink lots of water.

WW or Fiber One Yogurt (Key Lime Pie is great!!)

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I need protein to keep me full to my next meal, so my best bets for breakfast are plain nonfat greek yogurt w/one tbl honey and one tbl chopped walnuts. It's so yummy it's like eating dessert! Eggs are also good, esp sauteed w/veggies like spinach and onions or with some salsa on top. You could add 1/4 cup low fat cheese on there if you want. I try to stay away from cereal or breads (bagels, toast, etc). Lunch could be salad (w/eggs or chicken/turkey or some chunks of fresh mozz) and lots of veggies. Oh, I also add beans to my salad quite often. A sandwich is a possibilty. I try to eat lots of veggies w/some cheese, like roasted veggies in a pita w/some fresh mozz. Or just a big dish of roasted veggies. I like canned soups because there are so many that you can eat an entire can of for about 200 calories. They are full of salt though and I don't like eating things out of cans so I'm trying to make my own more. Tomato florentine is my current fav. I try hard not to snack unless I'm really hungry; the calories just add up so fast. Anyway, I try to keep each meal around 400 calories. There are a few cookbooks out there that have suggestions for 400 calorie meals. Sometimes I do go over at dinner or if I have a glass of wine. I do write every.single.thing I eat down in a food diary, and I make sure I add up all the calories after each meal. It just keeps me mindful of where I'm at each day so I can make adjustments as necessary.

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I read a book (Gabriel Method, mentioned below) where the suggestion was to ADD nutrient rich foods rather than worrying so much about what to subtract. That really seemed to resonate with me. So I *could* eat Chex or a poached egg for breakfast, but a smoothie (pumpkin lately, but green usually) makes more sense in terms of nutrients. I also weigh alkaline causing vs acid causing (another reason to choose the smoothie).

 

Anyway, here are some websites with some absolutely delicious recipes, most easy with easy to obtain materials:

 

cancerproject.org/recipes

fatfreevegan.com

 

For a bit more adventurous (including ingredients): thespunkycoconut.com is neat

 

Now you don't have to be 100% by any stretch (in fact, Dr. Furhman of Eat to Live doesn't even suggest 100% past the first 6 weeks which will help you stop craving junk, sugar, salt, etc). But if you can aim towards MOST of you foods being nutrient-rich, that would be a great start.

 

If you do want to jump in, E2L is definitely a good start because it does get rid of those cravings. It is also a huge amount of food so you won't be starving.

 

Just basics of jumping in might be:

 

**eat lots of fruits and veggies

**limit acid causing foods such as animal products, sodas, coffee, tea

**the less processed the better

 

I really like eating this way. I feel so much better. I don't know why I relapse into eating junk when I feel lighter and cleaner this way and know I feel like crud when I eat poorly.

 

BTW, you might see if you can find it online or look it up at the store, but the cat story in Jon Gabriel's The Gabriel Method. I got some great information from his book, but I do warn that some of it is not appropriate for all people's consciences. Oh, I just tried it over at Amazon. If you put "cat" in the search box after clicking "search this book" the first result is page 10. Go back a page to read the whole story. A lot of diets have people eating so much less (usually because the quality of what they are eating doesn't match the calorie load). It might not be the best thing.

 

Anyway, hope that helps a little. We've been quite successful losing weight. Just gotta keep it up. Those websites linked above (and the ones linked to them, like plantbasedhealth.com) have lots of yummy websites. You certainly won't feel deprived while still getting what you need.

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If you do want to jump in, E2L is definitely a good start because it does get rid of those cravings. It is also a huge amount of food so you won't be starving.

 

Just basics of jumping in might be:

 

**eat lots of fruits and veggies

**limit acid causing foods such as animal products, sodas, coffee, tea

**the less processed the better

 

I really like eating this way. I feel so much better. I don't know why I relapse into eating junk when I feel lighter and cleaner this way and know I feel like crud when I eat poorly.

 

 

 

I've been following a modified Eat2Live (fish once a week) and I agree with everything you posted. When I eat something processed or laden with HFCS, the cravings and hunger tend to reappear (the next day). It makes for a tough day, but a good reminder as to why eating "clean" is so much better for your body. It takes about 3 weeks of E2L before you really start to enjoy the taste and sweetness of unadorned fruit and veggies.

 

The thought of counting calories makes me shudder. I'd rather do some research on high-nutrient, natural foods and stock my home with them and work from there.

 

EDIT: I would add tuna, chicken or lean beef for dinner and sandwich/wraps for lunch to your pantry for your children.

 

just my .02,

K

Edited by NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too
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I agree with Pamela about adding nutrient-rich foods rather than restricting yourself too much. In my diet, I aim for high-fiber - this naturally gets you more fruits, vegetables, and legumes. They will take the place of less nutritious foods. I have fruit for breakfast and sometimes an omelet (one whole egg and a couple of egg whites.) For lunch, I will usually have a salad and beans or cooked veggies and a starch.

 

For dinner, I usually have what everyone else is having except I will substitute some things. For example, last night I substituted a sandwich thin for a bun and frozen peas for tater tots. When we had tacos the other night, they had the hamburger tacos while I used whole grain tortillas and a spciy corn salad (corn, beans, green onions, mojo, and tomatoes) that was high fiber. I still eat meat almost everyday, but I really focus on the produce and fiber.

 

I have lost 18+ pounds since Sept. 13th (but I also workout 5-6 days a week for 1.5-1.75 hours each time.) Since I have really tightened up my diet, I have lost the most. Exercise is good for you, but without changing your diet it doesn't do much good for weight loss.

 

ETA: Mine is a modified Eat to Live plan as well - I just can't function on the low protein of his strict plan.

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This is a great thread! I am overweight too. Big time. I feel your pain.

 

I have decided that when I count calories I just make myself crazy then I want to eat even more junk. I decided a few weeks ago to just eat normal portions of healthy foods-nothing processed, sugary or fatty and only good carbs (whole wheat, brown rice, steel cut oats, etc) Instead, I've been eating lots of fresh veggies, fruits and lean proteins.

 

I just bought a Vitamix and have been making green smoothies in it for a few days now. They are sweetened by fruit, have no added sugar and have lots of nutrients. Yummy! If your blender can handle it, try making one with water, ice, pineapple, grapes, and a handful of spinach. I promise it tastes great!

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I have tried to change the way I eat long term rather than dieting. I have lost 15 lbs without exercising, and I'd love to lose 10 lbs more. If I think too much about food and dieting, I eat more instead of less, so it's been slow but steady.

 

The most effective thing I've done is to cut way back on sugar and carbs. I no longer drink sweet tea, which was the hardest thing to give up.

 

I eat salad as a meal several times a week, but I always add some form of protein to it. I get the little vacuum packed bags of white or albacore tuna or salmon, or I'll add some sauted chicken or hard boiled eggs.

 

I don't eat seconds as often. I try to stop and consider whether I'm still hungry, or do I just want another serving because the food tastes good. I try to avoid stuffing myself, but I don't starve myself either.

 

If I'm eating meat with sides rather than a salad, I eat probably 4-5 oz of meat and a lot of veggies. I'll eat starchy food like noodles or rice, but usually only small servings.

 

I don't buy low-fat anything. Many low-fat products contain added sugar to replace the flavor removed with the fat. There are numerous studies showing that low-fat diets don't work because we need fat to trigger the full response. OTOH, I don't fry many foods other than eggs and occasionally potatoes. I use Country Crock because it tastes pretty similar to real butter, but if I can find a brand I like, I want to switch to real butter. I can't stand Land of Lakes; it bears absolutely no resemblance to real (homemade on the farm) butter.

 

I often eat nuts and raisins for a snack because it's filling and the nuts have lots of protein.

 

Books I've liked are The Belly Fat Cure and Real Food: What to Eat and Why.

 

Now that I've lost weight, I'm flabbier than I was before, so I'm trying to work T-Tapp into my schedule. I hate to exercise, so I like the fact that the work-outs are short but effective.

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