So i’m trying to cut down on my HUGE American sized portions of food. However, over the last few years i’ve developed a habit of eating these humongous portions, and whenever I eat less I become insanely hungry. What are some foods that will satisfy my monstrous teenage T Rex appetite?
Pasta dishes always work for me.
Yeah, definitely pasta. Also, rather than replacing good food like pasta and bread with fruit and vegetables, why not try eating the fruit and vegetables first, so you’re already less hungry by the time you get to the bread and pasta? It really makes a difference, simple as it sounds.
Oatmeal. Peanut butter. Cottage cheese with fruit.
try soup. It’s mostly water, so you can have a big bowl of it and not consume too many calories.
Couscous! I’ve become a couscous fiend. Eat it alone, lightly flavoured, or with lots of vegetables. I find it quite filling.
Unfortunately, the meal that best bats down my appetite is a big, greasy burger from this place in town that specializes in big, greasy burgers.
I think I’m gonna go there tomorrow.
Couscous is crazy filling and tasty. Throw some pin nuts and dried cranberries in it while it is cooking for a very filling dish.
I eat less if I make sure to drink a lot, since the stomach gets physically full. Water, not soda! And if I chew or simply stop and pause between bites, since hrm… how to put this… my blood has time to realize I’m eating. Chewing (or stopping to take a sip of water) slows down the eating, so the food that’s already reached my stomach has time to get broken down and absorbed and start to make me feel “full” before I have managed to slurp the whole plate.
I’ve also learned to recognize the point when I’m full and Stop. Yes, those baby back ribs are delicious. Yes, there’s about 1/4 of the original portion left. Yes, you should clean up your plate. “Excuse me, could I have a tupperware or something?” Tomorrow’s dinner, yay!
go eat some sushi and order some bowls of rice (you get a complimentary bowl of soup)
Is couscous highly caloric? By trying to reduce portion size I’m trying to reduce caloric intake (not by much, maybe 5%), but I don’t want to eat pasta every day and pack in the calories with small portions. I remember trying couscous a while ago and I loved it. Any other ideas?
I recommend having some fresh veggies washed and precut in your fridge at all times. Carrots, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers. You can munch on those frequently with some fat free dip (available in all grocery stores). I find ruffage like that very filling. Also, a hand full of almonds (10-15) about 20 minutes before a meal will cut your appetite and give you some healthy fats in your diet.
Also, fat free croutons are a good snack with lots of flavour and relatively low calories.
Fruit and berried of all kinds.
Fat free yogurt shakes with fruit are filling.
Having said all that, if you can control the size of your portions by leaving 2 or 3 full size bites of every type of food on your plate you’ll cut about 10% of calories and in two weeks time your stomach will shrink and require less food naturally. Keep doing that and before you know it, you’ll reduce food intake, loose weight and not feel like you’re punishing yourself with a strict diet.
Hmm, well certain types of protein bars (usually the bigger ones, “meal replacement bars” etc.) can be extremely filling while not excessive in calories, however they are also extremely expensive.
Burgers, mashed potatoes, ice cream.,pizza, french fries w/ ranch.
Good grief, I have a unhealthy diet.
I find substituting any kind of grain with its whole grain equivalent an easy way to accomplish about what you’re trying to do. Sandwich on whole wheat bread vs. sandwich on white (or even wheat-y) bread, whole wheat vs. plain pasta; brown rice vs. white rice; whole wheat vs. other kinds of bagels; etc. This even applies to couscous, which is a type of pasta.
This is the principle behind Howard Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Diet–How to eat the same amount, but substitute lower calorie foods.
I second the soup suggestion, and QuickSilver’s suggestion of cut up, washed fresh veggies–they are very good and not too heavy if you use some hummus as a dip. I wanted to add that maybe you should try the “5 or 6 small meals throughout the day” approach. I find that if I snack a little on some veggies or fruit or nuts as soon as I get hungry, I don’t get nearly as hungry at any given time, and end up eating less overall. (Old MO was to eat three meals a day and be starvingly hungry and overeat at any given meal.) I also heard that eating a number of small meals throughout the day boosts your metabolism so you burn more calories, and my mother, who is a Type 2 diabetic, tells me that it’s much more healthy to eat this way because you keep your blood sugar levels constant.
FYI couscous IS pasta.