I just read this article and I really loved it! It has great ideas on keeping full on low, low calories. Obviously this is intended to keep you feeling fuller assuming you're eating enough and not starving yourself. I'd also like to mention that I love Asian Pears. They're something like an apple and pear mixed together and a medium one is just under 55 calories. Because it's super juicy and has a lot of fiber, it also makes you feel fuller, so I thought I'd mention it here. I've been finding these at Trader Joe's but you can probably find them in other stores as well.
What do ya'll think of this article? Does anyone have any secrets they'd like to share on things that make them feel full (aside from the obvious: eat tons of veggies).
My secret is that there are no negative calorie foods - just bad science.
Foods that most often claimed to be negative in calories are usually low-calorie fruits and vegetables such as grapefruit, lemon, lime, apple, lettuce, celery, broccoli and the cabbage in your link.
Things like celery have been touted as negative calorie foods for years BUT it actually needs only about 10% of its calorie content to be digested due to its thermic effect. This is usually ignored by the writers of articles on negative calorie foods.
You CAN get a negative calorie effect but you would have to live of 0 calorie foods, like water or ice!
Low calorie, high non-starch polysaccharide foods (high fibre) are good for weight loss because they contain few calories and have a lot of bulk. So they take up space in your stomach, that makes you feel full, and they don't release many calories over a longer period of time.
That bloke was right about one thing though, you body does not know the difference in what you put in your mouth: water, sugar or low cal foods. The brain simply senses nutrient intake. That's why cigarete smokers gain weight when they quit. The cigarette which has always triggered the 'intake' button is removed and replaced with food = weight gain!
If it were easy to trick the intake button quitting smoking would be a doddle, as would weight loss. But as that is not the whole story we need to work hard at distracting ourselves from eating and ways of persuading our tastebuds and brain that low cal foods are as satisfying as high fat/sugar foods!
Sorry for the ramble, but as a sports scientist specialising in overweight and exercise I come into contact with lots of people who believe the poor science that sells magazines and diet foods and it annoys me so much I have my students write up a Myth Buster for every myth they identify during their time with me! The Myth Busting wall is crowded!
This is a really interesting article! I feel like I am constantly starving (I joke that I have the appetite of a shark because they are never full) and it really upsets me sometimes because it makes me feel like I don't have control over my body. Sometimes I'll eat and eat and eat and I still don't get full. But, I have tried to stave the hunger by drinking a lot of water, chewing gum, getting up and walking around...basically doing something to distract myself.
I posted these 2 recipe ideas b4 -but they're so reliable,tasty,and filling that I'll share again..
I make up a sheet pan full of roasted veggies primarily cauliflower and brussel sprouts -because they have so much fiber and they fill me up. I put them in a zip lock with oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar, and onions with a bit of salt and pepper - coat them and bake at 425 for app.30 minutes. They last me 4-5 days. This works with other veggies too -but these 2 satisfy the "hungries" best for me.
Although it's "another veggie" remedy -it really fends off a potential "binge attack" for me. When I get into that binge mindset -no amount of cold carrots,celery,etc. would take the place of carbs for me -BUT this veggie dish is so filling -it works for me.
The other "staple" for me when I must have a sweet - is a baked apple which I bake swimming in diet cherry soda,stevia,and cinnamon. Not only does it taste great, it's loaded with fiber and your whole house smells great while it's cooking. You can use other soda flavors of course -grape,strawberry,orange -even chocolate. i found mine at Whole Foods- more natural.
Really appreciated the article Luckymommy -thanks L.
I dislike any articles claiming they know what fills me up. Seriously, wrong every time. Might work for most people, even for 999 in every thousand, but fruit and veg make me MORE hungry. If I have nothing all morning hten have an apple Iwilll then be crazy hungry. Only exception is onions due to the strong and lingering taste.
If I were to pick something to fill me up I am better off with 1tsp of double cream than a whole plate of protein, it‘s *fat* that fills me up, not fibre, not protein. Hot food is more filling than cold strong food more fillling than tasteless (hence not such a fan of the FF dairy protien thing) Number one filling food for me would be creamed spring onion soup.
fruit and veg make me MORE hungry. If I have nothing all morning hten have an apple Iwilll then be crazy hungry.
I completely agree. When I switched to a Paleo-style diet rather than simply low-carbing it, I often attempted to fill up on greens. Spinach, in particular, had this nasty habit of leaving me sated, but with an empty, growling, uncomfortable stomach. It knocked out the mental desire to eat more - which I'd become accustomed to ignoring - and kicked the physical symptoms of hunger into overdrive.
As to staying full...I don't. I live most of my life in a minor to moderate state of hunger. I eat several times per day: if breakfast is 3 eggs, half a melon and a cup of creamed spinach, I'll pick at it over the course of 2 to 3 hours. Eat the eggs, then the spinach, then the melon. As soon as the hunger abates, I back away. When it starts gnawing again, I'll return to pick at the food.
If this sounds barbaric, it just might be. As a note, though, I don't do this strictly for my weight loss, but because I don't have a gallbladder. If I eat enough to "fill up" my stomach goes into a tizzy. This goes even further before bed: I can't sleep unless my stomach is feeling a little on the empty side.
I make up a sheet pan full of roasted veggies primarily cauliflower and brussel sprouts -because they have so much fiber and they fill me up. I put them in a zip lock with oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar, and onions with a bit of salt and pepper - coat them and bake at 425 for app.30 minutes. They last me 4-5 days. This works with other veggies too -but these 2 satisfy the "hungries" best for me.
That would last me about 2 meals - LOL! I can eat 1.5 lbs of roasted brussel sprouts in two sittings...
I, too cannot find satiety from just eating fruits or vegetables EXCEPT for the recipe above -probably because of the fat from the oil and the fiber from these particular vegetables and it's a hot dish...
Rachinma - Sometimes I have to stop myself from overindulging too -but I remind myself that I will have to do the shopping,cleaning the veggies and the baking all over again that much sooner -it usually works. I mostly have these along with my protein -which is another reason they last -but they sure come in handy when I fear a binge feeling coming on!
There are so many errors in the article that it's hard to take very much of it seriously. The negative calorie food is a total fallacy, Kitchen Basics is not slipping MSG into its products without listing it on the label, and although he claims the Big Mac has 1200 calories, in fact it actually has 540. When writers fail to check even basic information that's easily available, I tend to dismiss them.
But his basic premise that you can fill up on low calorie foods is pretty hard to argue with, and not a particularly new idea.
Oh, it's fine to post it, we just have to think critically about any and all information given to us, especially on food and exercise. Not thinking critically about questionable information is how so many newbies end up coming on here, having just finished their latest yo yo diet and wondering what is wrong with them, that they cannot live off of cabbage soup and the master cleanse, alone.
I may give that instant banana pudding idea a try sometime, that actually sounds good!
Last edited by Arctic Mama; 12-28-2010 at 03:31 PM.
And it never hurts to tell folks trying to lose weight to drink more water. So basic but so important! I forgive the author of the article for any fallacies, just because he said to drink more. I am of the camp that does fill up on veggies, and I also drink low-sodium veggie broth daily. In fact, it is bordering on an addiction.
Amazing article on keeping full!
