Popcorn I like, what it took me a long time to figure out, my gut will handle say, popped corn using coconut oil or animal fats OK, though decidedly not the industrial oils. Butter or dairy is OK. Maybe go back to air popper, and sprinkle with some low cal spices and flavorings, hot sauce, etc.
Agreed about hydration. I drink ordinarily black tea or coffee, lots of water. Sometimes dilute salt water, is good for hunger pangs. (I did also determine that shots of Bourbon, are not necessarily a good idea to break a 24 or 36 hour fast with. They DO get the hunger juices flowing, however)
Well, I was all set to come in with “popcorn!” It’s, for me, a reliable and zesty way to ensure prompt service.
I like the air popper idea, especially with doctoring up the results according to your own tastes. Hot sauce, maybe brewers’ yeast, or whatever. Personally I just use microwave popcorn, with all of the “movie theater” labeling, but I’m really lazy and don’t have too many reasons to abstain.
Incidentally, the idea of making regular popcorn in a paper sack using some metal staples really does work just fine, if you want to avoid the noise and such with an air popper. Dealer’s choice, I’d say.
Wise decision! Not much of a bourbon fan, but same thing with Scotch or another kind of whiskey or whisky.
See, that sounds like a meal to me. But a mug of milk, with a generous teaspoon of sugar and a generous tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, and perhaps half a teaspoon of vanilla extract, or a pinch of ground cardamom or turmeric, (nuked for two minutes, stir half way through) makes a very satisfying snack.
I’m on ozempic and because of the slowing of the digestive track it causes, constipation (or the reverse) is a fairly common side effect. I’ve found that a once (occasionally twice) a week dose of miralax (suggested by my doctor) helps with this along with daily psyllium fiber capsules and adding Costco-brand benefiber to my coffee in the morning. Beyond these, I make a conscious effort to add fiber-rich foods to every meal. Some days I do better than others, but most days I do decently at 50+ grams of fiber (this was a “work up to it” number not a “woke up this morning and suddenly eating lots more fiber” situation and I’m still increasing that fiber goal over time).
On top of these, water and staying hydrated is key - you need both the water and the fiber to keep things moving through your gut. My goal is 1/2 my weight in ounces each day at a minimum.
These two things keep me fairly regular, but there was very much some trial and error getting to this point.
I eat a lot of broccoli, and have never noticed anything like this. I wonder if you might have a slight sensitivity to something in it, like people who are slightly lactose intolerant can use milk as a laxative.
Possible, I don’t know. For it to have this effect on me it needs to be either raw or barely blanched. When cooked it seems to lose a lot of its effectiveness.
Convenience or commercially prepared foods are … convenient. A little too expensive, little too many chemicals, no control over sodium level, lots of preservatives, refined sugars, etc.
Weighing different options and cost and palatability issues.
How about whole grain brown Rice as an adjunct? Easy to make, does it keep well after cooking at home? Seems to, though it doesn’t last long. It does take a long time to cook. Oatmeal (for me) is just too austere. Reminds of blisters on my heels and rocky mountain hiking, makes my sciatica flare up. If I doctor it t up, it’s still a lot of carbs. Granola is easy to make as well, and I like that, and eat a lot of mixed nuts.
Make a big pot of brown Rice, maybe 5 or 7 days at a time. Freeze and keep a reserve in fridge? Or Red pinto Beans & Rice? Eat maybe a 1/4 cup or half cup of Rice every day regardless. Obviously getting the proper mix of nutrient ratios is something that needs attention daily, it seems obvious to me now but I sure spent a long time eating without regard except after the fact.
One of the maintenance test pilots* in the unit I was in with .mil swore by a technique called “The Epsom Salt Purge”; a common complaint with the troops was that after a month long or so on a field exercise subsisting largely on army rations or MREs ( “meals refusing to excrete” was among many colorful descriptions) there were problems.
It (and even better the slightly pricier red and black/purple rices) not only keep moderately well, they do that same resistant starch formation that blunts glucose spikes that you’ve heard happens with potatoes. Cook with some oil, refrigerate, and reheat as desired.
Baseline of beans greens and rice is cheap nutritious, and helps pooping!
I usually do a pot of brown rice, keep a couple servings in the fridge, then freeze the rest divided into single portions. Use a portion, thaw a portion.
I know it’s a little bit of a joke response, but there are a handful of things I look to that legitimately changed my life for the better and Metamucil is one of them. I’ll spare you the details but it has really improved my bathroom experience on a number of levels
Whole grains have a reputation for being great sources of fiber, but relative to their calorie count they’re not so good. Obviously, they’re better than their refined counterparts (eg, white flour), but not as good as fruits and vegetables. What you’re looking for, I think, is a list of foods by fiber density (grams of fiber per 100 calorie serving). I found a table online but unfortunately the selection of foods listed is very limited and I’m not sure how reliable the figures are. The very highest food listed there is wheat germ at over 20 grams of fiber per 100 calorie serving. That’s a grain product, but not technically whole grain, since it lacks the starchy endosperm.
You can do your own calculations using data from the USDA nutrient database, though it seems to be acting kind of wonky today. The whole grains themselves have relatively paltry figures around 1.2 (brown rice) to about 3 (oats, whole wheat), because they’re so high in starch calories. Products labeled as containing whole grains (bread, instant oatmeal, etc) are usually worse since they may have other ingredients (oil, sugar, white flour, etc) that have virtually no fiber.
Most legumes, fruits and vegetables easily beat whole grains in this measure, for example, canned black beans (about 6 grams of fiber per 100 calories), lentils (7), apples (4), blueberries (5), broccoli (7), lettuce (9). Even the much maligned white potato (about 2) is on par with whole grains.
Again, it seems like my habits are resistant to change. Our bodies apparently have a remarkable ability to adapt to different conditions.
I weigh (again) about what I did in High School for several years now. Probably not the same muscle mass, I could actually stand to gain muscle (and increase weight).
Yesterday I found myself ravenous, as happens on occasion. What started as “How about a can of chili” eventually morphed into (In an extraordinarily logical, coherent and consistent thought process) a 1 lb. meatloaf with carmelized onions, mashed potatoes & gravy. It was about the best I tasted in a while. Hamburger is about 975 calories, and 75 grams of protein. There was enough fat leftover to make a good roux and with “better than bouillon” made a fine gravy. Even with “2 Servings” of mashed potatoes I was probably under 2k calories for the day.
But the reason (partially, I’m convinced) I get so “hungry” like clockwork every week or so, is an attempt to induce peristalsis. It does work. I’m glad I’m not at work, as it would be inconvenient. As an aside, some of my co-workers used to take pride in taking a dump “on the clock”. For my part, while I am not shy or squeamish (the military has not historically been an institution that places personal privacy highly, put it that way) I prefer personal hygiene to be done at home when practicable.
What is a “healthy” replacement for mashed potatoes? I’m thinking brown Rice. It would taste fine, too. I can’t think of anything else particularly.
Mashed potatoes can be fine. Include skins. Limit the added fat. Make in advance cool down and reheat (increases resistant starches which function like fiber).
I didn’t add any fat, just what is included in the hamburger. Fat is flavor, there’s no way I can make gravy without that!!
Well and the dollop of butter in the Idahoan pack. Oh, and the butter for the carmelized onion. Hm, you might have a point there. I DID use Oatmeal in the meatloaf. Only because there were no saltines or Ritz crackers available, nor stale bread etc. Not a whole lot, because I’ve found at a certain point it tastes more like grain than beef. No bueno.
Putting on my arithmetic hat on, looks to be 1.970 calories. The package on the Idahoan says “4 Servings”. Huh. I disagree. LOL. I figure if I’m going to sin, let’s do it right!
Wait, so including the oatmeal that would bust 2,000 calories, maybe 1/4 cup or so. USDA would be proud, or something.
Late to the party but I’ll add my 2-¢. After losing 30 lbs on a low carb ketogenic diet, I hit a wall. Not just no additional weight loss but being plagued by hunger and even my blood glucose started edging up again.
After much research what I’ve found online, and which certainly seems to match my personal experience, is that after an extensive period on a low-carb diet one’s body becomes so good at processing fat that eventually you can maintain glycogen stores even on virtually no carbs. In effect, even zero carbs is no longer low-carb as far as one’s metabolism is concerned, and one goes out of ketosis. At this point the mantra that food amounts and calorie intake don’t matter to insulin production is no longer true, the only way to resume weight loss is to cut calories, especially the large amount of fat that ketogenic diets typically start out with.
The only problem with that is that if you’re used to eating fat to maintain a sense of satiety, reducing it leads to constant hunger pangs. The recommended substitute is low-glycemic sources of fiber, like green vegetables. Unfortunately for me I am one of those people who is especially sensitive to bitter flavors and I have had a lifelong loathing of green vegetables. So I am now giving psyllium powder a try combined with overnight fasting (early cutoff of eating in the evening, late resumption of eating the next day), seeing if I can get back into ketosis that way. Psyllium powder works as an added ingredient to the whey protein shakes I make so that’s convenient.
Losing any significant amount of weight is not easy. Give yourself a nice pat on the back.
The advice I’ve heard is to limit your periods of “active” weight loss. Lose 10-20 lbs and then maintain your new weight. Losing weight is hard work mentally and will also drain you physically.
A ~10 week period of weight loss is enough.
Stop and smell the flowers,
It is also important to re-calibrate “normal”.
What food intake will maintain your current weight? It is not just about losing weight, you also want to be able to keep it off. The minimum for that is knowing how much you should eat. Take the time to figure that out and “recharge” mentally and physically for your next weight loss phase.
Now you can enjoy some of the actual benefits of being lighter: you are faster, better balance, better endurance. All those nice things you’ll never notice if you are in a calorie deficit.
Good luck!
To the OP (I know it is late) veggies are your friend. They are almost the only thing you can eat (practically) unlimited amounts of, they are also the only real source of fiber. Forget about pills and other supplements- veggies rule!
