I am now the proud owner of an Air Popper.

When I first started my journey, I put an end to all evening snacking and it really, really helped me to gain the control that I was so lacking.

But a few months in I re-worked my calories and put in some after dinner calories.

As I love to "relax" eat as I call it (as opposed to stress eating), I re-worked my calories again and piled on more night times snacks. And popcorn is always one of them.

Looking forward to trying your recipe Megan. Thanks!!

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. Back in June I was diagnosed with
T2 diabetes and got the blood sugar down with low carb. However, I've been trying to add more carbs into my diet so started counting calories. I decided a few days ago to try adding more volume (re-reading Volumetrics book as well as GI/GL diets) because I just didn't feel satisfied.

Love the idea of the popcorn at night mkendrick as I'm a night eater and that would be a great treat to look forward to. Also plan to try some of y'alls other ideas especially LiannaKole's cabbage/chicken recipe DH will like that one with BarBQ sauce on his.

One question about the 20 cal hot chocolate. What is the brand and where did you find it? I used to have 25 cal hot chocolate but couldn't find it at Walmart yesterday. Also like the idea of the protein powder added to it.

Thanks everybody for the great ideas you shared as it is a big help for me to get more volume and make it easier staying within my calories and be satisfied too. I've been making homemade soups lately because I read that people that eat soup especially before a meal helps them to eat less and feel more satisfied with less. I love salads before mealtime when the weather is warm in the summer, but felt hot soup would be a nice change since now that the weather is cold. I didn't know you could put sweet potatoes in soup although I had been thinking about trying it and will definitely be doing that too.

Yeah, where is this 20 calorie cocoa? I found a recipe for 20 calorie cocoa (haven't tried it yet), but that doesn't sound like what everyone's talking about.

I had to share this salad I had today! I got it at this salad bar while out with friends. I got a big bowl full of lettuce (probably 3 packed cups), 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles, and pomegranate seeds. I put half the lettuce in my bow, put one the fruit and cheese, then the other half of the lettuce, then the rest of the fruit and cheese. I like my salad goodies all the way through.

I calculated it out at:

At least 3 packed cups lettuce - about 30 calories?
1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles - 100 calories
1 pomegranate worth of seeds - 110

Total: ~240.

I thoroughly enjoyed this salad and felt very satisfied afterward. I don't like salad dressing, so I ate it just like this and was very satisfied. It was so tasty! Maybe I'm just weird, but I really liked it.

WOW thanks everybody! I am working on the hunger thing but the hot cocoa (with protein added for after a workout) and the air popped popcorn sound DELICIOUS I have a sweet tooth, so these sound like they will hit the spot.
I am a huge fan of soup and I think I will get back to making some soup, portioning it, and freezing it for when I'm hungry. I like the idea of making my own "TV Dinners" I want to explore that a little more because then I can just pop them into the microwave AND I know what's it in!

Thank you everybody, this thread ROCKED!

Thanks for all the tips!

I'm heading to the store tomorrow!

My fiance is even going to join me on my journey to skinny land! He is 6'3" and weighs somewhere around 260. Which is great, since it's hard to diet with him munching on everything and wanting high calorie foods all the time!

The brand is Nestle. And it's the Fat Free one. It's available at most major supermarkets and smaller ones too. I've also bought it by the case from Amazon.com.

I gotta say, I don't know how people lose weight and keep it off by not incorporating these filling foods into their day - the soup, the massive quantities of veggies, the hot drinks, and so on. I'm at a total loss as to how they do it. If I'm not full, getting lots and lots of volume and the food isn't delicious, there is no way on earth I could have lost the weight and kept it off, because there is no way I'd stick to my calorie allotment. No. way.

I've said this many times, I am grateful for these foods. Grateful.

I like to eat an entire package of cooked spinach - up to 10 "heads" or whatever you call an individual spinach-unit. I sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and lemon pepper on it, maybe a little lemon juice, and find it sits stoutly in my stomach like a filling rock.

The popcorn is a good idea for a snack. I love the act of eating while watching TV or movies. I may try that once I get a firmer grasp on everything else.

When I don't have veggies at hand, pure fiber cereal (the kind that looks like dog food) is super filling. Eaten dry, it takes a long time to chew and swallow. It's not salty or sugary at all so it doesn't leave me wanting more when I finish a serving.

Cheese omelet
black beans
brown fried rice
MEAT
noodle soup ( the cheap add water kind)
Sumi salad ( shredded cabbage, sesame oil,sugar, green onion, almonds, rice vinegar)
green bean salad ( onion, vinegar,beans,salt and pepper)
tangerines for evening snacks
chicken cordon bleu ( yep, the pop in the oven kind)

Breakfast I usually have an "egg mcmuffin" which is just basically one microwaved egg white, one slice of turkey bacon, low fat cheese slice on a multigrain english muffin. I LOVE this and it only comes to around 250 calories and tons of protein.

My favourite new snack is a toned down version of texas caviar: black beans and corn mixed with salsa. Great served with homemade baked pita chips (8 chips = 100 calories) and it also has tons of protein in the beans.


I'm going to try this popcorn thing again! I do have an air popper but I never use it!

This is a GREAT thread! I will comment on the oatmeal mentions - I find that oatmeal is filling but gives me a fuzzy headed, distracted feeling if I eat a large bowl. Mixing it with farina mitigates that, and bulks out the contents.

I heard a rumor once that eating a certain amount of spinach at once can kill you! Be careful!

I eat huge salads though, usually an entire head of lettuce, plus some onion and an apple cubed on top.

I have to eat a lot of my meals on the go and one that's been working great for me is this awesome oatmeal concoction I've discovered.

I take a 1/2 cup of oats, a handful of raw almonds (8-10), 1/2 -1 banana, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, and a dash of cinnamon and combine everything in a tupperware. I don't heat it, but just throw it in my bag like that and by the time I get where I'm going and eat it an hour later, the oatmeal has soaked up the almond milk and it's the perfect consistency (I'm not a fan of goopy, sticky cooked oatmeal). It's about 300-350 calories and I'm not hungry for hours!

Yes, Yes, Yes to beans, soups & popcorn. Also, I need sufficient protein throughout the day to feel satisfied. I wish that oatmeal would do it for me, because I love it, but it just makes me hungrier.

Time for me to pull out my popcorn popper! great ideas ladies

What has worked for me...

Breakfast: 1/4 cup oatmeal with 1/4 cup dry cottage cheese and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries. Cinammon to taste.

Lunch: make sure it has protein and lots of veggies. Minimal starches (like bread or rice)

Dinner: half a plate of veggies done in different ways and a serving of meat. No starches most times.

Snacks: 1/2 ounce almonds (approx 11), yogurt, fruit, more veggies, protein shake with lots of healthy stuff in it.


Lots and lots of water and herbal caffeine free tea.