Hi everyone! I was wondering what some of your favorite low cal but very filling foods are? I am a VERY bad dieter and I have decided I will never really eat healthy, so if I can "pre-fill" with something that maybe I just won't eat as much of the junk.

Thanks!

I've got to quote our Mel .... "tubs full of greens" ... salad greens!

Ooooh! A salad full of fabulous things can be a wonderful experience.

Have you done any reading about Volumetrics?

Fruit is really awesome to give you substance . Bananas are well known to be filling, but apples, oranges, melon, you name it, are low calorie, sweet, and filling. If you find yourself craving carbs like I do (maybe that's what you mean about the full feeling?) eating whole wheat bread is good because it gives you the fiber and grains you need (yes relatively high calorie, but also needed for energy). I personally like crisp bread like ikea's knaakerbrot.

The key is to figure out how to balance your meals. I would say, using traditional food, you want to go with the 1-1-4 ratio: 1 serving (size of your fist) lean meat/protein, 1 serving carb (again, size of your fist--potato, pasta, bread roll, etc.) and 4 servings of veggies/fruit (mixed greens, mixed fruit, steamed veggies, stir-fry veg (use that pam spray )). You say you eat unhealthily, how so? Too much fast food? Too much calorie laden sauce, too much sweet stuff, etc.? You need to analyze your food habits (I, for example, eat too much bread and savouries, so I try to fill up on fiber-high foods, like green veg and fruit) and translate your now habits into healthy habits. Like sweets? Maybe figure out how to incorporate fruit into your meals (think of using pineapple in curries, etc.). If you like fried foods, maybe try just covering a chicken breast in breadcrumbs and baking it. It's all about figuring out how to change your habits, not starving yourself or abiding to strict rules. You can reward yourself every once in a while (sort of like a good saver...every once in a while we all splurge, its just not splurging all the time, if that makes sense ).

Additionally, not low calorie but certainly good to consider: Trail mix. Lots of energy, good oils, and so tasty. As a snack it is much better than reaching for the twix

Miko-I know what you mean about not getting full from salad sometimes. I eat a huge plate of green salad almost every day. Sometimes twice. I sometimes add 1/2 to 1 whole wheat/grain english muffin, toasted in the toaster and sprayed with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and sprinkled w/ garlic POWDER (not salt). Sometimes I melt a slice of low fat cheese on top of that in the micro. It helps fill me up. At other times I add a cheese stick or a 3 oz. can of tuna, drained. Some have suggested adding "good fats" to your salad.....nuts, olive oil dressing, etc. Just need to watch the portions on these.

(I found some Oroweat English Muffins yesterday that are double fiber. 110 calories and 8 grams fiber each.)

I have been known to eat a banana before lunch so I won't fill up too much at that meal. Some say drinking a full glass of water before eating helps, too. I have also been trying to slow down my eating/chewing as that helps the stomach to feel full with less food.

I have also been trying to get my family to choose healthier snacks, etc. I buy grapes and rinse and package them in 1 cup servings (100 cal.) into ziploc bags. I am really full after eating just that many grapes.

Good luck!

Here is a link to another thread on this same topic.

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/calo...ml#post3197584

Thanks everyone. My issue is fast food. I hate, hate, HATE to cook. It's easy, pretty affordible for just myself, and fast. I love to eat all foods, but after trying so many diets and plans and failing, I have decided to try and eat less. Sooooo.... In the morning I eat breakfast. (Bowl of cerial) Then before I leave for work (At noon) I have tried eating a big, pretty plain salad. On my way to work I'll stop at Wendy's or something grab like 2 jr bacon cheeseburgers. I'm pretty full because of the salad. I usually eat some veggies for a snack at work, but about 2 hrs before I get off I am STARVING. On my way home at 6 I end up stopping at some fast food place and ordering WAYYYYY too much cuz I'm so hungry and I eat it all. Then I feel guilty and the next day starts all over. (Whew)

Maybe I will try the bread or muffins. I wonder if carbs would keep me fuller longer.

The right kind of carb will help you stay full, but watch the calories and the type of carb it is. White bread and white pasta are a short term fix. Look on the ingredients, and if it is refined or processed flour for the top ingredient, pass it up. The more 'whole' your food is, the longer it usually takes to digest. Lentils and quinoa will last a lot longer than white rice, for example.

Do you put chicken or fish on your salads? A big plain salad doesn't last long for most people. Your salads can be really good, and still be easy to fix. Here's a list of fast food salads that might help.

Also, you might want to look in the No Time To Lose Diet. It's fast and easy things for people that don't have time to cook, which pretty much leads to the same solution for somebody that doesn't enjoy cooking.

Great snacks that save me:

Cheesestick and berries

Grapes and pepperjack cheese

Boiled egg and a banana.

Apple and peanut butter

They are all low in calories, and balanced with carbs and protein to keep me full the longest.

Don't give up!

Sounds to me like you really need to break this cycle. Fast food may be cheap, quick and "easy" but is it really providing you with long term health and gratification?

If you wind up starving and then go to a fast food joint and over eat, than maybe it would be better to not go there at all. HAve some great foods at home to turn to. YEs, it takes more effort, but the pay off is BIGGER and BETTER. If it's health and weight loss you're after, SOMETHING seems as if it has to change. Maybe you should consider leaving behind the fast food. Make it a definite no. It seems to derail you. Seems you'd be better of without it.

Do some batch cooking for the week. Use your freezer. Do whatever it takes to end this vicious cycle.

Even veggie burgers are better than what you're eating. Soups are great - low calorie, healthy and FILLING. Make a big batch, freeze it in individual serving sized containers and you're good to go. Grill up a bunch of chicken breasts to have on hand. One day you could put it in a salad, the next day you can have it with some salsa and roasted veggies. Keep your home well stocked with healthy, low calorie things. Use frozen veggies if you have to. Make an entire bag at a time - roast them in the oven with lots of spices and some cooking spray.

Eating healthy won't happen on it's own. It DOES take a concerted continuous effort AND it is indeed worth the effort.

potatoes, rice, quinoa, oats, bean, and assorted veggies (cooked oil-free with no butter). eat as much as you want, when you want, your body won't store it but in tiny amounts. be aware that a lot of fat-free and low fat products have a lot of sugar. Nuts (including avacados) are high in fat, so eat those sparingly. for faster results, make as much as you can from scratch and you will be full.

Eat as much as you want? Of potatoes? Of rice? beans? quinoa? oats? beans? heck even veggies? Eat as much as you want? And your body won't store it but in tiny amounts????? I am totally confused by this.

Well certainly one WOULD feel full - but how would one lose weight by employing the method - EAT AT MUCH AS YOU WANT?

Check out hungry-girl dot com. She has a lot of ideas that are lower in calories and do not require cooking. Also look into the Eat This, Not That books. They have a lot of options at restaurants and fast food places that are better for you. You might look into Morning Star Farms products. They are in the freezer section. You can find other fast, no cook options at dietdirect dot com that might help you.

With enough research I bet you can put together a plan that works for you!

Thanks for all the tips and support. Because I know me, and I know that if I jump in head first, I will just end up reverting back to my old ways, so I am going to take it one little step at a time. I am going to start with No Fast Food! (Which is actually a pretty big step) but for 2 night in a row, after eating that crud late at night, I got very ill in the morning. So that's where I'm starting. Goal number 1: If I don't have to leave my car to get it, it's not going in my tummy. Once that becomes habbit, I'll set goal number 2. ^_^

PS- Thanks for the snack ideas, too.

Yeah, that doesn't work for me either. I have to count every calorie, even those in the 2 cups of steamed broccoli I had last night! That said, vegetables (non-starchy ones) keep me feeling satisfied longer with fewer calories and more fiber than nearly anything else!

Oh! And I just got my Shapely Secrets package today! Did the work out and now, a few hours later, I'm feeling it a little. But I bring it up because in the book that comes with it she mentions (Without of course using the exact term) volumetrics. I am so glad I found this site. Maybe now with support I can actually do this!

Thanks everyone!