Favorite diet tricks and low cal munchies?
 

I was reading an old thread that people posted their favorite tricks and tips and I was hoping to get some new ideas.

What are your favorite things?


I just drank some Swiss Mocha for 30 calories, that is pretty good.
I like spray butter - Zero Calories
Sugar free pop cycles are 15 calories!!! YEAH!!!

I like anything that is low calorie!!!! Accept celery. Gross.

;-)

Keep in mind that spray butter is 0 cal for something like a 1/3 of a second spray. Legally they can call it 0 cal that way. But if you spray for longer than that, you are consuming calories. And the more you spray, the more you get. Since it's really 100% oil, it can be a lot of calories. :)

Some of my favorite low cal snacks or things that help defuse hunger:

1 - cup of hot tea with lemon
2 - all fruit frozen popsicles (a few more cals, but all natural)
3 - baby carrots and hummus (about 200 cals for a snack)
4 - popcorn - a big bowl of popped corn is about 150 cals and very filling
5 - veggie soup. I make the equivalent of a WW 0 points soup and it makes a great filling snack
6 - a really tart crisp apple and a slice of cheese (about 200 cals)
7 - big glass of water - sometimes I think I'm hungry when I'm really thirsty
8 - a can of V8 juice - 70 cals and yummy and filling. Add some tabasco and some worcestershire and some lemon/lime juice and pretend you're having a bloody mary (w/out the vodka)

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Tips and tricks, fun!

• I keep lean proteins on hand for great, quick snacks that satiate, hard boiled eggs, roasted turkey breast, pouches of tuna. I find when I snack on proteins I'm able to avoid the munchies.
• I do veggies and hummus as well, but mine is under 100 calories. Probably PC makes her own?
• Buying the vegetables pre-washed, pre-chopped and sometimes pre-portioned is more expensive, but works well for me because I always have something on hand and ready. I'm lazy, lack the time - it's worth the money to me.
• Keeping my husband's junk food and temptations in a separate cabinet helps a ton because it's not interspersed with the good stuff. I have no business there!
• I eat from a pretty limited menu (same stuff often, just different methods of prep) really helps with planning and meal preparation. It's a no-brainer. Lucky for me, I don't get bored.
• Exercising at night works great for me because I find I sleep better and avoid the late night urge to snack.
• Buying a sweet new workout outfit helps me when my gym motivation slags off.
• I like to buy a pair of clearance or sale jeans in the next size down for motivation as well. I try them on often and get encouraged by my body's progress when the scale doesn't seem to move.
• Espresso with the DaVinci sugar free syrups are awesome when I want a sweet treat.
• Shiratake noodles in wonton broth with fresh veggies (or add an egg) is an awesome extremely low cal soup (under 100 cals) for a snack. Seriously salty though, don't do it if you have a blood pressure problem!
• Switching from Fitday PC to The Daily Plate for calorie counting has made counting so much easier and less time consuming. Thank you Daily Plate!

Yeah, but it's just garbanzo, garlic, and a teeny bit of olive oil. 1/4 cup hummus is about 140 cals, then 1 serving of carrots is 35 cals and then a serving of celery is sorta negligible - maybe 20 cals? So around 200 total.

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Oh yum! I'm missing out with my store bought junk - 2 measly TBS per serving which I carefully divvy between my veggies. No tahini in yours PC?

Sometimes tahini, but I think in general it doesn't add enough flavor to make up for the extra cals. Then again I put quite a bit of garlic in mine, so it would overpower the tahini anyway! :)

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I love hummus and carrots as a quick snack, also I always keep veggies washed/ chopped/ and ready in the fridge.
I keep some of those 50 calorie Sargento string cheese sticks on hand in case I'm craving a bit of salt/ cheese.
I will have a little packet of instant oatmeal as a filler if I know I won't be able to eat for a while. Simple harvest/ Quaker Vanilla almond is super yummy. Not as filling as a full serving of the "weight smart" packets (which are perfect for breakfast) so it's just right for a snack.

These are great tips!
I am going ot the market today. So far my list has

skinny cow
sugar free creamer
swish mocha sugar free
more veggies (I already have humus)
String Cheese
Some lunch meat packets

Thanks for the tips on the spray butter. I use gobs! That's not helping. Do you have any tips for putting on the popcorn? Is butter buds good? REmember those? :o

Oohh ... instant oatmeal. Yeah, I keep packets of that at my desk. 100 cals for a cup ... and it's filling and warm (especially important when the building owner decides to conserve money on the heat!).

I personally don't like butter on my popcorn, so it's not something I have thought much about. Maybe someone else has some suggestions? :)

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Photo Chick,

I don't like butter on my popcorn either. I never have even when I wasn't trying to eat as healthy. Everyone in my family thinks they need butter with popcorn, but not me. I'm glad someone else feels the same way.

Wilma

Diet soda is my lover.
Also popcorn and kix cereal if I feel like something high volume, low-cal.

Okay, who ever here gave me the idea for Graham crackers with FF whip cream in the middle and frozen is my hero!!!

So good!!!!

So far I am in my calorie range, but I have eaten lot of junk today trying out the goodies!

;-)

Salad tonight with spray dressing!:o

I like protein too..

hard boiled egg
string cheese
cottage cheese & fruit
rykrisp crackers with peanut butter

I take fat free pita pockets, spray both sides with cooking spray, sprinkle on some garlic salt, then bake 'em til they are crisp. Then I break them up and dip in hummus or salsa. I have to snack all day, so this is something that I can grab all day long and not feel guilty about it. Although I have to watch the hummus, otherwise i'll eat the whole tub in a day.

Do you mean Molly Mcbutter? Avoid that stuff. It is full of hydrogenated fats.
I use to use it quite liberally in the mid 90s when I was Deal-A-Mealing and I have no doubt they contributed to my 2004 heart attack.

What a great discussion! Thank you for all the great ideas.

Cheryl

Some of my favs:

String cheese
Vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries or blackberries
I just discovered Wasa crackers. Add cheese and mmmmm!
Pouch of tuna
Guiltless Gourmet tortilla chips with salsa

And of course, fruit!

I have found smoothies to be one of the best ways to start out my morning on the right foot. They're very easy to make - just toss two handfuls of ice, 3/4 cup of skim milk and some strawberries and half a banana in the blender, and you're ready to go. They're great because they're pretty filling, plus you get 2 servings of fruit right away. If the strawberries are a little tart, sometimes I add a packet or two of splenda to sweeten the smoothie a bit.

My favorites are:

frozen grapes
whole wheat pita bread (toasted w/ tzaziki dip from Trader Joes
veggies w/ fat-free sour-cream dip I make with a package of Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip
Cranberry sauce made w/ splenda (newest favorite...can't get enough!)

Right on! I'm getting a lot of great tips so far :carrot:

One thing i didn't think I would like but was SO wrong was using liquid egg substitute instead of real eggs. I like Eggbeaters. If I'm remembering correctly, it's only about 60 cals for 1/4 cup (about the equivalent of a large egg) and they are so good, I can't even tell they aren't real eggs.

I also try and keep WW or lean cuisine frozen lunches in the fridge at work, and oatmeal packets and other snacks in my desk. It keeps me from eating out for lunch! (like i did today .. TOGO's, yikes!):(

I like making my own hummus and like the Orville Redenbocker Smart Pop Kettle corn.

i've always been a HUGE fruit lover.

So most of my low cal snacks are

tangerines
nectarines
oranges

pretty much anything citrus and sweet

all of which are under 100 cals each.

And much better for you than 100cal bags and all that jazz they are advertising as being 'healthy snacks'


<3

These are great tips!!!
I jsut had a 15 stick pretzels 100 calories and a string cheese. Its 180 calories, but protien and filling. I was offererd some trail mix and said no, raced back to my desk for my own snack.
So far been doing real well today.

These are great tips!!!

Great ideas.....need to try humus and find wasa crackers!

I just found Lipton Green tea with mandarin orange pieces....awesome....a 0 cal treat.....I also add ice for a cold 0 cal drink....and it's full of anti-oxidants.


I put bazooka joe bubble-gum in my fruit bowl....great for a burst of sweetness and lots of chewing....and I always read the comic and fortune!

I also found chocolate SILK....a soy-based chocolate milk. I drink it for breakfast as I am not a breakfast eater and it's something I don't mind "eating".....plus I use a straw! Later I will have an apple or banana with eanut butter....it's a 350 calorie breakfast that satifies me until my 12 o'clock lunch....so far, it works for me and I am getting that bone-strentghening calcium and soy......and my kids love it too. I suspect my DS may have a lactose intolerance but it is lactose-free!

Ricotta cheese with splenda, a touch of vanilla flavoring and blueberries is a fanatastic protein treat that I got from the South Beach craze....it is awesome!

And yes pop corn and diet dr pepper is a party time treat!


God speed!
thinkerbell

Protein bars are my weakness, but I justify them for the high protein content. I have one for a snack at least three times a week. Usually the Balance Bar Caramel Blast Flavor (210 Cals, 15 grams of protein) or the Zone Perfect Chocolate Peanut Butter (190 Cals, 14 grams of protein). I also love to eat the 50 calorie cheese sticks with an apple (150 cals). Sometimes I will have Natures Path Optimum Power Cereal (Soy, Flax, Blueberry) mixed with vanilla yogurt -- around 200 cals, depending on how much I mix up...

Of course, for just filling the "hole", I will cut up a PILE of veggies...all kinds...and eat them. I like to cut them up at the time because it takes time, and the "prep" time is less time thinking about other food -- and then I really appreciate them when I sit down to eat. I will also make a salad and throw a handful of chicken on there and a splash of basalmic vinegar. Oh, and I also like to eat air popped popcorn for the nighttime munchies -- I like it plain.

Drinking something warm is very helpful -- I like vanilla chai tea because there is a little extra flavor in there. I add a splash of milk.

One trick I have found is to SIT down to appreciate my snacks -- so I really KNOW I've eaten them. I have three little kids and a busy life so it is easy to eat on the run, but I try to appreciate what I am eating.

For anti-munchies snacks:
Dill pickles - strong flavor but low calories.
Li hing mui - it's a Hawai'ian snack, dried plum with salt and spices on it. Very much an acquired taste, but because you have to suck on it so long to soften the dried fruit, it keeps my mouth occupied for a long time while I forget my munchies.

For an actual filling snack, I like pretzel-crackers from Trader Joe's with cottage cheese. And, when they're in season, clementines.

Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Pudding
Sliced Cucumbers with Salad dressing or tuna
Celery with hummus or peanut butter
Dry Roasted Peanuts or Almonds
FF Fudgesicle (the Blue Bunny ones)
Baked String cheese sprinkled with garlic

Omfg. I just found the most perfect snack EVAR...

And this is just the right thread for it!

Jack Links Beef Jerky 'Smart Snacks'

It's a good amount of jerky for those of us who like it (i know alot of people dont)

Here's the facts on it

Cals - 140 (FOR THE WHOLE PACK)
Cals from fat - 15

Cholesterol - 40mg
Sodium - 1060mg (lil high.. but not too bad for tastyfactor)
Carbs - 5g!!!!!
Protein - 27g!

They also have it in teriyaki and cajun flavors =D <3!

English muffin pizzas you could make a half of one for around 75-100 cals easy
Sugar free pudding or jello
Triskits with LC garlic and herb wedge
String cheese with preztels
if you want something sweet 9 hershey dark chocolate kisses
fruit and yogurt

Some of my staples are:

Apples - I'm from WA so of COURSE apples. :)
Roasted Aspargus with lots of pepper
Triscuits and Goat Cheese
Nature Valley granola bars
Mountain High yogurt with granola
Chicken breast, spinach, and mushrooms with 1 serving bleu cheese dressing
Bananas
Peanut butter and peach preserves in a tortilla
Grape Nuts
Walnuts - about .5 oz a day
Pita with turkey, swiss cheese, and shredded lettuce
V8 Fusion juice (the low calorie version)

Take out:
Subway chicken breast sandwich with pepper jack cheese, lots of veggies, pepper and vinegar (no oil or dressing)

The PBJ tortilla is pretty high calorically at 500 calories but really satisfies me when I'm in a junk food mood or want something sweet and keeps me from getting hungry for a long time.

I LOVE extra old cheddar melted on sour dough wasa dipped in salsa
apple and peanut butter
kashi mixed with yogurt
peanut butter and banana

Thanks for the Great Ideas :)

hmm.. getting some great ideas from this thread... :)


One 'trick' that I do when I'm badly craving something horrible from fast food is I go online and look up the calories for what I'm craving.. Seeing those HIGH calories in one single food makes me realize that its not worth it. ;)
(example- my biggest weakness; Taco Bell grilled stuffed beef burrito -680cals!)

mudskippersgrl What a great Idea!

Yogurt and fruit has beat out ice cream as my favorite treat!!!! A little 60-70 cal vanilla yogurt and ANY fruit!

Great ideas and tips everyone (the daily plate....com ) thank you! FB

My best low cal treats are:
Homemade chicken broth (simmered for almost 24 hours) ..fat removed
I drink it guiltlessly all day
Iced fruity herbal teas with lemon and ginger slices
Nature path puffed corn cereal 1/2 cup (for a carby treat)
Tomato juice (with moderation its really salty)
75% to 85% dark chocolat chips (for choco fix no more then 3 -4)
Boilled baby carrots (i dont like them raw)

Lalylun

We have an oil sprayer we keep filled with extra virgin olive oil. My DH sprays this on his popcorn instead of butter. Most healthy eating plans call for good fats, especially olive oil and this is a good way to get a portion of a serving. I like the flavor of EVOO and I've gotten used to the flavor on popcorn. Of course you have to be judicious in how much oil you use. ;)

We've also found we prefer the flavor of yellow popcorn that comes less expensively in the poly bags to the brand name white popcorn in the gourmet jars. And we pop it in an air popper.

As for non-food related tricks/tips...

One for me is to find places I can walk to for a reason. For example I can walk to the store or walk to school or walk to my friends house. I find that while I don't like exercising for exercise sake, I really enjoy saving gas money and walking some place I was going to go anyways.

Schumeany,

I am a protein bar freak as well! I use to do on LA weight loss and got addicted to the protein snacks to fill the hole thoughout the day. Since my center closed a few months ago I was using off the shelf bars but sometimes ended up getting ones that it would have been better (and tastier!) if I just had a Snickers bar...

A few weeks ago on iVillage, some gals were chatting about the Changing Sizes.com bars - I decided to try them and just got my first order a few days ago and LOVE them. Their Soy Snack packs are great too - the chocolate soy puffs are just like the whoppers candy - which I could die happy eating since I'm a choco-holic :devil:

Here are the stats on their bars:
Protein: 15 g
Carb: 15 g
Calories: 160

Chocolate Soy Puffs - a bit higher carbs than the others, but worth it!
Calories 160
Protein 15g
Carbohydrates 13
Fat 6g
Protein 15.0g

Sour cream and onion:
Calories 120
Fat 3.5g
Usable / Total Carbs 8.0g / 8.0g
Protein 15.0g

Thought I would pass this on!

Jenn

I know this is lame, but one of my favorite snacks is a piece of wheat bread with about a table spoon of penut butter... I had a peanut butter phobia a couple of weeks ago, but after some strong repremanding from some :nono: I've been trying to incorporate more pb into my diet. I'm trying to change viewing pb as a waste of cal and instead see it as good fat... ;)

Also try some of the other nut butters out there.

I went shopping today at my local grocery store and found hazelnut butter, sunflower seed butter and almond butter.

(The store was bought by new owners and was renovated in the last month so they have all sorts of wonderful new products now.:) )