I am struggling big time. I am hungry AT ALL TIMES. But this is really the beginning for me and I am truly disgusted with the amount of calories I was ingesting only a week ago. Trying to keep it at 1400-1800. Trying... and I wont give up but here is my problem. SNACKS!
Does anyone have any snacks they love to use (under 100 calories) that are filling.
This is my first week doing this. Anyone else have so much trouble the first week?
Last edited by The Last Noel; 12-30-2010 at 10:08 PM.
I like to snack on apples myself. If I'm REALLY hungry and an apple won't do the trick then I have a banana. In the evening I break up a pile of lettuce and put some low fat dressing on it. If that doesn't work a slice of bread always does the trick. Hope this helps!
Our first week, it seems like our lives completely revolved around food. Trying to learn calories, what would be filling at the right times, essentially gambling to see if the calories would be worthwhile/last long enough...it was aggravating, to say the least.
It gets better, I promise. We've only been at it a couple of months now, but once you learn how your body reacts and what works for you (so...once you find your groove *grins*), you can find a lot of options that work. Also, changing the times that you eat (if possible) can factor in. Smaller meals, more frequently.
Anyway, as far as snacking goes, popcorn is one of the most satisfying munchie foods I've found, and an air-popper is well worth the $20 or so.
Mushrooms are great, especially if you can find a low-calorie dressing for dunking. Don't go crazy on the amount of dip and you'll be okay. Or, if you can eat them plain (I like 'em!), you can eat PILES of them. Similarly, Green Giant has a brand of button mushrooms (little glass jars) that are about 50 calories for the whole jar...they've got a very slight oily feel (I wish I could make that sound better), and they hit the spot when I'm looking for a slightly savory taste without all of the calories.
Carrot sticks, apple slices...things with crunch!
However, the snacking game is largely mental. If you're bored, STOP IT. Seriously. There is always something that you can be doing. Learn to knit/crochet, occupy your hands. Read.
I'm NOT a fan of gum, really (makes people resemble cows in my mind), but every now and again it keeps me from eating when I'm not even hungry. There are some pretty good flavors out there - Eliot picked up a pack of Key Lime Pie the other day...we figured it would be horrendous, and it's actually quite good.
What's a typical day's menu for you? Some people don't feel satiated without a lot of volume while others only "feel" their food if they eat a certain amount of protein, fats, or carbs at a sitting. Maybe you just need to discover what kinds of foods trip your switches and tell you that you're full.
As for snacks, mine are usually a piece of fruit and a bite of cheese or raw vegetables dipped in hummus. Through trial and error, I've found that my snacks only satiate me if they A) contain both protein and fat; B) involve chewing; and C) provide some volume. Everyone's different, though; some people eat a serving of yogurt, an apple, or a small handful of nuts and find those snacks entirely satisfying; those don't work for me, but they're still great suggestions. Others don't snack at all, and that's what works best for them.
Give yourself a little time to adjust to your smaller calorie intake and play around a bit to find out what works best for you. If you're writing everything down, you'll probably see some patterns emerge that'll point you in the right direction for subsequent meal planning.
Mushrooms are great, especially if you can find a low-calorie dressing for dunking. Don't go crazy on the amount of dip and you'll be okay. Or, if you can eat them plain (I like 'em!), you can eat PILES of them. Similarly, Green Giant has a brand of button mushrooms (little glass jars) that are about 50 calories for the whole jar...they've got a very slight oily feel (I wish I could make that sound better), and they hit the spot when I'm looking for a slightly savory taste without all of the calories.
Carrot sticks, apple slices...things with crunch!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nola Celeste
Through trial and error, I've found that my snacks only satiate me if they A) contain both protein and fat; B) involve chewing; and C) provide some volume. Everyone's different, though; some people eat a serving of yogurt, an apple, or a small handful of nuts and find those snacks entirely satisfying; those don't work for me, but they're still great suggestions. Others don't snack at all, and that's what works best for them.
All of this is unbelievably helpful. Thank you!
1)I have tried mushrooms before some time ago and I remember how filling they were. Tasty too. I think I'm going to try these again.
2) I just read in another thread that if you add fiber it helps to keep you full. I did not know that!
3) I am going to try and mix proteins and fat instead of eating only fruit or only grain which is what I am doing now.
I'm far hungrier on 3,000 calories of high-carb eating, than on 1,000 calories of low-carb (I am not advocating either calorie level). I'm just saying that what you're eating may be more important then the calorie content or even how frequently you're eating.
There really seems to be a lot of variability in what people find most satisfying. You may have to experiment to find which foods are the most filling for you (as well as which foods are appetite triggers). Hubby and I have different trigger foods, so foods one of us may find satisfying, the other may find addictive.
During time of the month, I get extreme cravings and munchies. I crave crunchy carbs, but I have to avoid them, because they only make the cravings worse. I also crave meat, which I can indulge in, but have to watch the fat content and the accompaniments. The burger and onions are fine, the bun is not (aside from a wheat sensitivity, bread and other starches tend to make me hungrier).
Raw vegggies and dip, work nicely for me.
I also find very strong flavors really satisfying (as long as there's not a lot of sugar or calories in the food)
For example very small amounts of a very strong cheese with fruit (for example very thin slices of apple with shavings of asiago or other sharp cheese).
A few really good olives or pickles with small cubes of cheese.
One of my favorite meal-foods (and I've eaten it as a snack too) is mashed cauliflower with a small amount of instant potato flakes. I account for the instant potato flake calories/carbs with my exchange plan. I like the low-carb mashed cauliflower recipes, but I find that the the small amount of potato flakes gives them a more "real" potato flavor/texture.
In general, I like to bulk recipes if I can. I add chopped veggies to spaghetti sauces. I'll use a large bed of lettuce, cabbage or other raw or cooked veggies as a bed for various dishes.
For example, I'll add green beans or chopped broccoli to spaghetti sauce and pouring it over my (mostly cauliflower) mashed cauliflower/potatoes.
For snacks I usually choose fruit or veggies. Either plain, or with a dip or as a salad. Slicing fruit very thin makes it seem like a much larger portion.
Yogurt makes a nice fruit dip (but reading labels is really important, since some are so high in calories or added carbs).
I love that suggestion for making mashed cauliflower more "potatoey" with instant potato flakes and plan on trying it tomorrow; thanks!
Thinly slicing stuff is also a great tip. I've been doing that but hadn't been conscious of why it was helping. Now that you mentioned it, though, Kaplods, I do find it a lot more satisfying to slice that apple up into thin shards; it's more satisfying to dip my hand from plate to mouth more times. It also looks pretty and is more in proportion with the small slivers of cheese I eat with it.
Snacking is so weird for me. If I eat an apple by itself, I just want more-more-more food and can't seem to get satisfied. If I eat a cup of yogurt, same thing. Apple and yogurt together, though? I'm set for hours. Go figure!
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One of my favorite meal-foods (and I've eaten it as a snack too) is mashed cauliflower with a small amount of instant potato flakes. I account for the instant potato flake calories/carbs with my exchange plan. I like the low-carb mashed cauliflower recipes, but I find that the the small amount of potato flakes gives them a more "real" potato flavor/texture.
Oooh. We've been wanting to try that for quite some time...I'm quite the potato fan, though, so I've been skeptical. Will have to give it a shot one of these days.
Something else we thought of mentioning:
Sugar peas/snap peas...they are crisp, sweet without being sugary, and take a bit of chewing. You can usually find them in bags near wherever the bagged salad is at your grocery...aside from being great on their own, they also make a good addition to stir fry.
For me what worked was going from eating throughout the whole day with lots of snacks to just having my 3 main meals. I want to know I have properly eaten when I'm done. The snacking thing just makes me feel hungrier. I find that combining my lovely veggies with a bit of fat or protein makes them so much more filling as well, like putting a bit of salad cream on my salad, having some oil and eggs in my stir fry, things like that.
I love my apples! And if I really want it to last I add a 100 calorie bag of the cocoa roast almonds - 150 calories total and that really sticks with me.
I'm also a HUGE fan of hummus (current fave is Sabra's greek olive) - 2 table spoons and as big a pile of sugar snap peas or raw broccoli as I want. The important thing is to measure out the hummus because it is yummy and easy to go overboard.
banana - 110 cals
unsalted cashews 31g - 180 cals
activia light yogart - 70 cals
basically 1 serving any fruit should be about a 100 cals or less
grilled chicken breast (I keep them pre-cooked in the frig and freezer) - 120 cals.
It's true...protein keeps you satiated much longer than carbs!
You really have to experiment. This is why logging and reflection are so important. For example, some people find small amounts of fat--nuts, oils, peanut butter, avocado--to be really sating. They just leave me starving.
For me, the secret was veggies. HUGE amounts of veggies, like a pound of carrots in a sitting, or a pound of cabbage and onions. Half a butternut squash. An entire "family size" bag of broccoli. Mixing bowls full of veggies.
Snacks
One of my favorite is a carefully measured and level tablespoon of almond butter and a long celery stick. It's like 99 to 100 calories and the healthy fats in the almond butter satisfy, which the crunch of the celery really gives me the snacky fix I need.
I started at 223lb at 5'5" at 1,900 cal without exercise for 1 months and I lost.
I think your calories are too low as when I had just started my friends told me to either do 1,200 or I won't loose, I wanted to "rebel" against rules and it made want to binge and think about food like crazy. Then I reduced to 1,800 and then next week 1,700 and now I am at 1,500 with weight of 169 lb and still no exercise and loosing. I think I would die at 1,400 cal.
Also, I eat edamame (soy) beans which are super filling and I buy those from Costco (Peggy's Premium Edamame Soy Beans) still in the pod, in prepackages microwave ready bags. I put salt and pepper on them and it really fills me up and salty taste makes it feel like junk food ;-) 140 cal - 12g protein - 4 g fiber
Starving all the Time
