200 calories for light evening meal.

[Zoomoff]

I'm trying to change the way I eat to lose weight. I work from 3 to 8pm most days. I try to have a late lunch and then an evening meal after work. I used to eat a normal lunch - jacket spud with cheese/beans, sandwich, left over pasta dish from night before etc. - then a "proper" meal after work, which was obviously taking me over my calorie allowance. I've decided this week to eat a proper lunch and a light meal in the evening. I have 200 calories left for today.

What are your go to light meals that are also low in calories?

Thanks

I wouldn't class that as an evening meal, you won't stop feeling hungry on that. What are you eating the rest of the day and how many calories are you aiming for each day?

I try and eat the same amount, roughly, at each meal. I may go slightly under at breakfast and save that for a small snack (current favourites are cup of tea and some mixed nuts/raisins or alcohol free beer and some tortilla chips) after dinner.

Veg soup. Make your own, lots of veg, flavour with stock, the liquid fills you up.

Another vote for home made veg soup.

Small piece of fish steamed in a parcel with lots of green veg - plenty of salt and lemon juice.

Definitely soup - don't add cream or milk, just stock

These recipes from BBC food are all 200 Cals or under and seem quite filling -

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/200-calorie-meal-recipes

Thanks for the suggestions. The steamed fish and homemade soup is appealing. I'll have a look at those recipes @NoJetter.

I'm using My Fitness Pal. For my height and weight to lose 1.5lbs a week I'm on 1500 cals. I'm including a glass of wine every evening in my calorie counting.

I've tried having a light meal as a late lunch but found that I get very hungry by 7pm, can't concentrate on work and end up picking. I've done a few evenings now of a heartier lunch and lighter supper and find I'm not hungry later on in the evening.

Two boiled eggs and half a slice of toast

So I ended up having whitefish (from the freezer) steamed with red pepper and seasoning, with fine green beans and an apple.

White fish - pollock

If you aren't too hungry after a larger lunch then that's OK but a potato/beans/small amount of cheese should be around 500 shouldn't it?

That's what she used to eat. It's fine - you're using calories deficit to lose weight. I'd ditch the wine for more food though.

Give up the daily wine. That's almost as much as your evening meal. Once a week would be a treat.

Fish and veg. Or a couple of boiled eggs and an apple.

A 250ml glass of pinot grigio is 200ish calories. Ditch the wine and have some food.

I've cut down on the wine from half a bottle (or more sometimes) a day to one 250ml glass. It's my one treat - I couldn't care less about cake, biscuits, chocolates or sweets as I don't have a sweet tooth at all. At the moment, I work from home on zoom etc., don't see another person outside of immediate family from one month to the next, no shows or concerts or pre-covid hobbies to enjoy, so I'm going to carry on with a glass of wine a day. If I don't have any in the house I just have an options hot chocolate or similar. I'm aware I use it as a crutch to help me relax in the evenings but I'm trying to make changes to my life for the better and trying to do it in baby steps that are sustainable rather than an all or nothing approach which might only last a few weeks. Maybe in a month or two I'll change to a small glass of wine topped up with diet lemonade. So far I'm not feeling hungry going to bed, but that's maybe because I don't eat my last meal until at least 8.30 which is probably far later than most of you.

Zoomoff I am trying to do this too. One glass of wine or skinny g&t helps me mark the end of my working day and I personally prioritise that over sweet things so I try to work calories around it.

My issue is wanting to stick to a small dinner but having to cook big balanced/stodgy meal for the family and then sit and eat with them. I really don't want my diet to be an obvious thing - they know I'm 'being healthy' not eating chocolate for Lent and doing Joe Wicks etc which I see as positive examples but I don't want to visibly not eat, I want them to see me having a positive relationship with food and enjoying it. The soup is a great idea giletrouge thank you - I will make green soup today as well their dinner, I can guarantee there's no way they'll even touch the soup so I'll have that while they all munch their shepherds pie!

Soup (stock not cream)
White fish
Stir fry with small amount of lean meat

Occasionally add konjak noodles (be careful with volume it is calorie free because it is not fully digestible so recommend half a pack max)

cakegoblin my family have usually eaten by the time I finish work (I usually pre-cook/prepare something or tell them what to cook - all male so can't think for themselves ). We do eat together at weekends, but I can't expect them to wait until I've finished work to eat during the week. I think I'm lucky in that my working day starts around 6 hours after most people's. I have a late breakfast, a late lunch and then my third late meal is basically just a snack (but needs to be low calorie obviously). This is working so far. The weekend is going to be the test.

Sorry Zoomoff I just realised i didn't answer your original question - I was going to suggest the Fast 800 recipe book - just found Broccoli and blue cheese soup in there for 158 cals for my dinner tonight but there are tonnes of really low calorie recipes (mostly low carb) and you can portion them up so you save cooking time the next day. Every single thing we've had out of it has been great.

Thanks cakegoblin I'll have a look at that book.