Weight loss food essentials

[GrampieRabbit]

I've fallen off the wagon so much these past few months and just eaten whatever the hell I want (really stressful year). Anyway, I'm back on MFP tomorrow, and I'm just doing my online shop. What does everyone think are essentials diet wise? I'm thinking eggs, low calorie wraps etc.

Bumping for the evening crowd

SPray oil. I have a good rapeseed oil one from morrisons which is 2 calories a spray. Sweet potatoes as they count towards your 5 a day.

For me it was low calorie sweet snacks. Go Ahead cookies, Fibre One bars, anything around 100 cals that I could have when cravings hit me in the evening.
I also used to eat eggs regularly for lunch and anything else high protein and I second the oil spray for cooking.

Scales!!! Judging by eye is fatal.
And after that it depends on how your dieting. Low carb/ low sugar / general calorie counting....
Eggs are brill.
Herbs & spices to bling up what may otherwise be bland.
Mushrooms are filling and low cal cooked right as are most veg.
Also depends on your "weak spot". If you're a sweet tooth - the 40 cal hot choc sachets are supposed to be good.
Savoury tooth - nuts, seeds etc

Chia seeds, beg for soups, salads. Porridge.

Porridge and soup

Fab! Got cooking spray and curly wurlys on the list (116 calories and they take bloody ages to eat so feel a real treat). Sweet potatoes, great idea. How do you prepare them? I would usually mash with milk and butter which obviously isn't great.

Loads of brilliant ideas here!

I love tomato soup so will get lots of that. Nuts too. And salads. Though I always fill my salads up with loads of goats cheese, walnuts etc which probably defeats the object a bit. But will be careful of that.

Hot chocolates a great idea! Don't know why I don't drink more of it anyway, love it.

Sugar free jelly and ice pops (the children's kind that you freeze at home) for guilt free snacking!

Ryvita - I get the wholegrain ones. I know they're a bit of a diet-food cliche, but I wanted to cut down on bread, but still like something to put stuff like mashed avocado or cottage cheese on.

it really depends on the type of diet you're doing. lots of protein keeps you fuller for longer - look at the grams of protein for items. Trek protein flapjacks are good instead of a chocolate bar, arla protein yoghurts - they're all high cal but keep you fuller for longer. Bananas and nuts for snacks. loads of eggs. If you have to have bread, use the smaller slices. Sub half your pasta for courgetti, try quinoa or cauli rice with curry etc, with lots more protein (meat/ chick peas etc) than usual in the sauce.

Bottom line is if you eat everything low cal you will be hungry and snack more, fill up on protein and less empty refined carbs :)

For me it's as much fullness as I can get for minimum cals. I don't have a sweet tooth so I go for tuna, ham, hard cheese... things I kind of need to eat as a meal as if I buy low cal 'snacky stuff' I'll just fail. Can't remember which diet it is (WW?) but there's a lot of stuff like pink and whites - wafers I think? Low cal I believe but guaranteed pathway to fail for me as it won't satisfy and I'll want more snacks. Same for the low fat mullers etc. What kind of things do you crave? Go for low cal versions of it - my weakness is crisps and savoury snacks so I try to find things that satisfy and are worth the cals.

For me it's fruit, hot sauce, low cal oil spray and lots of crunchy things to snack on (I'm obessed with carrots, radish and peppers, find it satisfying to have crunchy snacks for some reason). And I agree with whoever said scales; my portion judging is way off if I do it by eye too!

Skyr yogurt is good. 100ish calories in a 150 pot. Really helped me yesterday until dh made banana bread......