People who decide to go on a diet to lose a few pounds find that hunger is an enormous challenge. It’s a generally accepted maxim that you must use more calories during the day than you consume through eating. You don’t want to struggle with hunger all day long, but you don’t want to overeat, either.
These foods will fill you up and keep you feeling full longer, so that you won’t experience hunger pangs and be tempted to break your diet.
1. Fish – 150 to 200 Calories / Serving
Count on fish to do a good job of filling you up while providing a nutritious, low-calorie meal. Fish is, in fact, the most filling of any meat available. Ounce for ounce, fish has far fewer calories than beef, chicken or pork.
Of course, there are pitfalls with every just about every food. For instance, fish and chips is definitely not a good idea when you’re dieting to lose weight. Keep in mind that the breading and batters so often employed in fried fish recipes are loaded with calories, and even the frying process can add calories. Try baked, broiled or grilled fish for a hot meal, or for a delicious alternative, a nice light salad with bits of cooked tuna or salmon sprinkled throughout. Spices and seasonings (except butter!) are excellent sources of additional flavor.
2. Oranges and Apples – About 40 Calories / Serving
This may seem like a surprising choice – fruits aren’t generally thought of as low-calorie, filling foods. Dieters who feel hungry don’t often reach first for a piece of fruit when they feel as if they need a snack. Low in calories, high in nutrients, vitamins and dietary fiber, these natural foods are excellent snacks for all, not just dieters.
Non-round fruits like bananas can also make you feel full, but they have about twice the calories as round fruits.
3. Grapes – 50 Calories / Serving
Grapes are excellent snacks in a weight loss diet for the same reasons as apples and oranges. A great deal of fiber is concentrated into a compact, bite-sized form. Very convenient, highly portable, usually not at all messy and delicious to boot, grapes are a nearly-perfect snack food that will keep you feeling full much longer than any commercial preparation full of processed sweeteners.
4. Whole Wheat Pasta – 300 Calories / Serving
Pasta is a filling comfort food – yet believe it or not, it’s an ideal weight loss food! There’s a caveat, of course. After all, we’re talking about nutrition and weight loss! Whole wheat pasta is much more effective at filling you up than the white pasta usually found on grocery shelves.
Because it’s processed less, whole wheat pasta is more healthful and has more fiber. Because overeating pasta is so easy to do, it’s critical that you watch serving sizes. A portion about the size of your fist should be sufficient to fill you comfortably until your next regular meal.
5. Steak – 300 Calories / Serving
No, I’m not kidding. Steak is an excellent component of a nutritious weight-loss diet. However, high-calorie steak sauces aren’t. Many high-protein dieters, such as those who follow the Atkins Diet, have been aware of this for a long time. Frankly, steak is one of the best meats available for a weight loss diet, second only to fish in terms of its desirability as a weight-loss food. Of course, the leaner the beef, the better, because your fat intake will be reduced.
Keeping a good control over the size of your portions is critical, of course. Don’t go overboard on these delicious foods just because they’re low-calorie. By all means, explore the wide world of healthy, nutrient-dense foods and try them. You should always keep control over your portion sizes, though. Soon, instead of always wearing the shape-concealing clothing, you’ll be looking for excuses to strip down and let people see the slim, trim new you!
If you found these foods interesting you might also like a list of metabolism boosting foods and Diet Solution Program review.