What foods will keep me full the longest?

[madmomma]

I have 2 and a half stone to lose but I'm not dieting cos I can't maintain it. I'm a greedy bugger so what I want to focus on the foods I can eat instead of the stuff I'll have to cut out. My blood sugar is a bit wonky so I really need to eat five times a day to keep me on an even keel. And to complicate things further I am vegetarian.
Could anyone advise me on snacks or meals that will keep my bloodsugar stable?
So far I've got lentil soup, yoghurt and fruit with oats, spanish omelette... and nowt else! I need some inspiration. Thanks in advance.x

Oh god, that's amazing! Congratulations :).

I have a great book by Dr. Lustig called 'Sugar: The Bitter Truth' and he has a great 'shopping list' at the back that traffic lights foods as green, yellow or red. And he recommends you eat the red ones 1-2 times a week, which is good for that cheeky glass of wine, or handful of popcorn.

But yeah, low carb feels like a good standard way of eating for me too. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm a cauliflower pizza addict.

PlayNice - I've never managed to get my cauliflower pizza crust properly 'dry', so that I can pick up the slices of pizza. What's the secret?

BIWI I have had a couple that I can lift up like a real pizza. I cook the base (no topping) for about 10 minutes until golden then turn over and stick back in oven for a few minutes then add my topping and in oven again until done.

It is a faff but I only make cauli-pizza occasionally.

I can't say I always have success on that front, but I roast my cauliflower instead of steaming it (you do get a few crispy bits unless you have a better oven than mine, but I don't mind that once it's blended). And the old straining it with a cloth trick! Oh, and if you don't have a pizza stone, making sure your baking tray is really hot before you put the mix on.

But I'll have to be honest and say that my best success has been with personal sized pizzas/tortillas.

What is biwi?

BIWI is the poster above who asked about cauli-pizza bases mad

Another thought - you can make coffee (if you can be bothered) by crushing roasted dandelion roots - available to buy ready roasted in a box - in a pestle and mortar. Use in a cafetiere the way you would use filter- coffee grounds. Or barleycup.

Try to get enough sleep - lack of sleep is correlated with over-eating.

Ah yes. I haven't been squeezing it out - too much of a faff I thought - that's probably why! I had thought that smaller ones might work better though, so I'll try that next time.

Def as Biwi and others have said high fat, moderate carbs and low carb helps my blood sugar. If you don't want to start with low carb then consider cutting white processed flour carbs right back and working out which carbs you can eat. I don't get on with porridge really but I do find small portions of potatoes and rice are ok occasionally at dinnertime esp when served with some meat fats etc. You could start out with making breakfast low carb and work from there.

I watched the truth about calories on i-player and about the soup thing they also recommended adding extra liquid to soup to make it more filling. They also did an 'experiment' that showed a lot of our perception of fullness is psychological so things like not eating 'diet food', mindful eating, sitting down at mealtimes, serving dishes on a smaller plate etc all might help.

I find bulking meals out with greens like broccoli or baby leaf spinach is a good way to make them more filling without adding lots of calories.

Oh shit, so sorry BIWI! I thought it was an acronym

I think I would actually cease to exist without sugar. I know it's my worst enemy and plays a part in my chronic depression, but it genuinely feels like an addiction.

I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that you would not cease to exist without sugar. It is an addiction. It's one of the most addictive substances that we have.

this is an interesting piece

That's a very interesting article, thanks.
I think if I was going to give it up completely I'd have to be locked up for a month!

That's the advantage of doing proper high fat low carb, it doesn't take a month to get used to it only a week or so, maybe less, the difficulty is in reintroducing it!

Have you tried natural sugar substitutes? xylitol, stevia and yacon syrup are good in moderation.

Try xylitol instead of sugar. Great for gums and better for sugar levels in that they are low GI. You will avoid the ever lasting cycle of sugar spike, sugar dip, sugar spike, sugar dip. It's very sugar like too and natural.

Also nuts!

Thanks everyone. I never knew xylitol was good for gums! I have pretty bad gum disease so that's good to know.

I've lost 2 stone (and kept it off) in the last year and have really changed my eating habits. My "go to filling foods" are now

avocado
ricotta cheese
multi-grain bread
sweet potato
pumpkin
spinach
eggs
coconut milk / cream
bananas
greek yoghurt
ryvita
quinoa
meat (about 100g portion as part of a meal) - either chicken, beef, lamb
kidney beans, cannelini beans, chickpeas

And I used to be a pasta queen - I never touch it now unless we are out and I fancy it (very occcasional).

Well done mutley and thanks

I'm going against the grain here (no pun intended), but ive lost 7 1/2 stone and i eat carbs at every meal. I feel my blood sugar drop without them. I only choose wholegrain versions of cereal, bread, pasta and rice, but they are still part of every meal. I know cutting sugar and low carbing may work, but I would personally find it hard to avoid these foods forever. I do however, fill my plate with loads of veg and salad and eat veg and fruit as snacks. Good Luck :)

I feel my blood sugar drop without them.
Extremely unlikely
Carbs make your blood sugar rise, they cannot prevent it dropping : only digestion and letting the intestines empty can do that.

Eggs

if your blood sugar is wonky, are you diabetic, or have you had hormones tested?

I thought i was pre-diabetic because of bloodsugar fluctuations, but ive started taking agnus castus and multivitamins and i feel much better for it. I still get hungry but it doesnt make me feel ill anymore

Whole grain carbs are lower GI and give less of a spike then white. This is because they are harder to break down.

There is nothing wrong with wholegrain carbs, they are full of fibre and minerals and they do not produce spikes in blood sugar, unlike white carbs. They are mentally satisfying and physically filling, to me. I try to eat food from every food group at a meal making it nutritionally balanced and combining a protein with a carb keeps the GI low. This has worked for me.

branleuse I've been tested for diabetes recently and all clear. Not had hormones tested - periods aren't a problem so I hadn't thought of hormones.