Healthy Filling Snacks

[Mlana13]

Hello all! 

I am trying to cut down on calories, eat more veggies and fruits (lots of shakes for me!) and the like in an attempt to lose weight and be healthier as a graduate student on a limited budget. I find that because of my new diet I get really hungry during the day and I am looking for calorie friendly snacks that are also filling, what are some of your favorites to buy or make? 

[Baltoscott · Accepted solution]

I try to limit myself to 4 meals/day. No snacks, or maybe better to say that the “snacks” are always scheduled.  From my POV, it is easier to feel full for a while with four bigger meals than six or seven smaller ones.  Especially when you are trying to lose weight.  But if you really want to eat every couple of hours, just divide your meals up throughout the day.  A 10 am snack could just be the 1/2 of breakfast you saved for later.

[SunsetRunner]

@Mlana13 I like to snack on carrots, pepper radish ( I am crazy about it and most of people can't understand how I can eat in such quantities ), nuts ( may be not a good idea during weight loss however, healthy fats may help you fill full ). I wouldn't recommend to eat meals on schedule though. You may find yourself just nervously checking time and waiting a moment you can eat next meal. Not a good idea in my opinion. You can snack on crunchy veggies. You may also try juicing. Dense juice made of what's good for you may be a good low-calorie snack that you can slowly sip for a longer time. Juicing worked great for me. I could sip one juice for even an hour sitting at work. It allowed me to divert my mind from thinking about next meal.

[Mlana13]

I agree with the idea of having something to sip on all day! I typically make a shake in the morning with fruits and veggies only, and that lasts me till just a bit before lunch. I think I just find that sometimes not having something solid means I have cravings a lot. 

[Baltoscott]

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@Mlana13 wrote:

... I think I just find that sometimes not having something solid means I have cravings a lot. 

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That is not unusual.  Even good-for-you liquid calories tend to be less satisfying than solid food, and less likely to keep you full for an extended period of time.  So, assuming that like me you are a fan of breakfast, you might try some of the ideas on the "oatmeal" thread here.  I like steel cut oats with some dried cranberries, 1/2 oz or so of walnuts, and cinnamon, with maybe some tomatoes or leftover dinner veggies on the side.  Alternatively I'll eat some eggs with any kind of veggies mixed in.  You could then make a lower calorie version of your morning smoothie for sipping until lunch by increasing the veggies and decreasing the fruit.  

Although I don't do it, I know plenty of people, even early risers, that skip breakfast altogether.  I have tried, and can get accustomed to doing that after a few days of missing my breakfasts, and it goes fine.  But I prefer my four meals a day plan.  This may be a little different than @SunsetRunner's "don't schedule" approach in that I seem to adapt very well to regularly scheduled meals.  So long as I stay within +/- an hour or so of my regular meal times, I am usually not hungry until about 30-60 minutes before the next meal.  Different strategies for different folks.  This means, however, that I can get very hungry if I have to wait a long time beyond the next meal time because some social event is interfering with my routine.

[Mlana13]

I was doing oats for a while actually and found it quite satisfying. I only moved over to just smoothies as the appeal of getting a lot of fruits and veggies was calling to me, but I failed to really consider the calorie intake when you do a lot of veggies (I really wanted to copy the Naked Green Machine smoothie and quickly realized how many calories that brought in!). I think I will revert back to oats in the morning and sipping on a lower calorie smoothie throughout the morning. I actually prefer my smoothies with more veggies over fruits (never thought I would say that!). Thanks for the tips!