Helpful foods to have while cutting

[NickleRoll]

I know there's no foods that you have to eat on a cut, nor anything that needs to be completely off-limits, but what foods do YOU absolutely LOVE/NEED on a cut? Whether it's for flavor, or volume/filling, or general satiety, is anything specific that has been super helpful for you, other than the usual stuff like chicken/egg whites/oats?

I'll contribute 3 things - protein fluff made with casein, plain greek yogurt, and shirataki noodles.

The noodles are really good in a quick soup made with cooked chicken, onion/garlic/veggies and thai stock (like chicken stock but with other flavors) -- very filling and tasty. I also add them to a lot of other lean/meat veggie dishes. Using these noodles has allowed me to stick to my macros even when there was catered lunch at the office and I indulged in two slices of pizza. Something like that used to throw me completely off my diet.

Any other diet weapons out there that I don't know about?

[AlexW1991]

I know there's no foods that you have to eat on a cut, nor anything that needs to be completely off-limits, but what foods do YOU absolutely LOVE/NEED on a cut? Whether it's for flavor, or volume/filling, or general satiety, is anything specific that has been super helpful for you, other than the usual stuff like chicken/egg whites/oats?

I'll contribute 3 things - protein fluff made with casein, plain greek yogurt, and shirataki noodles.

The noodles are really good in a quick soup made with cooked chicken, onion/garlic/veggies and thai stock (like chicken stock but with other flavors) -- very filling and tasty. I also add them to a lot of other lean/meat veggie dishes. Using these noodles has allowed me to stick to my macros even when there was catered lunch at the office and I indulged in two slices of pizza. Something like that used to throw me completely off my diet.

Any other diet weapons out there that I don't know about?

spaghetti squash, crystal light,asparagus, butternut squash, cooking my oatmeal with grated zucchini

[NickleRoll]

spaghetti squash, crystal light,asparagus, butternut squash, cooking my oatmeal with grated zucchini

I've never heard of zucchini in oatmeal! I'll have to try it. I assume you add it right at the beginning?

[fihe]

When cutting, I eat a lot of salads. They are filling if you add 0.25 cup chickpeas (~50 calories) or a hard-boiled egg (~80 calories). I hardly eat any starches, because they are quite calorie-dense. My carbs on a cut come from fruits and vegetables. For breakfast, an egg white omelette with vegetables is quite nice, and you could also add 0.25 cup shredded part-skim cheese if you like.

I also find that coffee with almond milk helps suppress my appetite.

[AlexW1991]

I've never heard of zucchini in oatmeal! I'll have to try it. I assume you add it right at the beginning?

Yep! I do 50g oats and 50g zucchini; add water; micro for 3 minutes; stir in .25c of almond milk; micro 1 more minute. It's awesome

[NickleRoll]

Thanks for this suggestion -- I made it this morning and it was delicious. I just made the oats the typical way I make them and added an equal amount of zucchini and it didn't change the flavor at all.

My banana-zucchini oats:
30g rolled oats
30g shredded zucchini
6g chia seeds
16g vanilla casein powder
a couple inches of banana (today was about 37g, from the freezer)
tiny sprinkle of salt
dash of cinnamon
a little truvia

add boiling water from the stove, stir, pop in the microwave for 60 seconds.

232 cals, 18g protein, 32g carbs, 5g fat, 7.4g fiber, 6.3g sugar




So zucchini is definitely on my diet weapons list I didn't know it was so low-calorie.

[wannabefit69]

definitely those shirataki noodles. diet pop (yes sadly) cottage cheese and those Icing flavoring things we have here in Canada, its like 5cals for a whole pack but you only need a dusting..my favorite is key lime, chocolate mint and orangiscle.

[NickleRoll]

definitely those shirataki noodles. diet pop (yes sadly) cottage cheese and those Icing flavoring things we have here in Canada, its like 5cals for a whole pack but you only need a dusting..my favorite is key lime, chocolate mint and orangiscle.

Dude I'm downing those shirataki noodles! lol. I saw someone else mentioning icing flavoring packets on the recipe thread (I think), I'll have to check them out! I was using pudding powder for that purpose but then it requires adding liquid to whatever you're eating and kinda has a funny aftertaste. Thanks for the tip!

Also I was LOLing watching Chopped last night because they got COTTAGE CHEESE as a mystery ingredient for dessert. I was like HA I know some ladies who could whip up a desert with cottage cheese no problem!

[kdiamond55]

You can use the sugar free pudding dry mix in plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese, you just stir it right in and it tastes like pudding! The cheesecake and Pistachio ones are good. I also stir PB2 into yogurts and cottage cheese too.

I like laughing cow cheese triangles, the light ones are 35 calories and you can spread on 2 stalks of celery.

The Progresso Light soups actually aren't bad (high sodium though) and they are 200 calories for the whole can which is a filling meal. No protein really though.

The 80 calorie light n fit yogurts are filling and they have a lot of tasty flavors.

If you need chocolate, the sugar free jello dark chocolate pudding cups or fudgesicle no sugar added pops are a good bet.

[nacersusaf]

Seasonings make all the difference! I have about a bazillion extracts and flavorings, and more seasoning blends than I know what do do with.

[kimm4]

My 3 staple foods:

lean red meat (gotta have my steak)
cottage cheese
almonds

[RebeccafromLA]

When cutting, I eat a lot of salads. They are filling if you add 0.25 cup chickpeas (~50 calories) or a hard-boiled egg (~80 calories). I hardly eat any starches, because they are quite calorie-dense. My carbs on a cut come from fruits and vegetables. For breakfast, an egg white omelette with vegetables is quite nice, and you could also add 0.25 cup shredded part-skim cheese if you like.

I also find that coffee with almond milk helps suppress my appetite.

What do you usually put for dressing on the salads? I have not been able to find a good low calorie dressing....

[snowbunny78]

What do you usually put for dressing on the salads? I have not been able to find a good low calorie dressing....

I'm not a massive fan of dressings, but I do like a spoonful of spicy tomato salsa with my salad. I dip my lettuce and cucumber into it. Mmmmm!

[AnnieRhi]

Egg Whites (high volume, high protein, low calorie, practically no taste means you can mix them in with almost anything)
Vegetables (high volume, low calorie, plus you get to chew them!)
Greek Yogurt (delicious)

[vanillabn]

What do you usually put for dressing on the salads? I have not been able to find a good low calorie dressing....

Try the dressings by Bolthouse Farms, they are really yummy and have really good macros!

[Pinskers]

My 3 staple foods:

lean red meat (gotta have my steak)
cottage cheese
almonds

^This. I eat homemade beef and broccoli multiple times a week. Yum!

I like throwing in brown rice and jasmine rice, too. And peanut butter. Whenever I cut, my PB consumption goes up by 50%. lol Flat Out wraps, too.

[shesprints]

Butternut squash--super-sweet, watery, tastier [to me] than sweet potato AND less calorie-dense. I like to add it to dishes that are otherwise dense, like pasta or stir-fries or curry.

[NickleRoll]

^This. I eat homemade beef and broccoli multiple times a week. Yum!

I like throwing in brown rice and jasmine rice, too. And peanut butter. Whenever I cut, my PB consumption goes up by 50%. lol Flat Out wraps, too.

Someday I want to be able to cut like you cut, lol.
Mad jealous.

[kimm4]

^This. I eat homemade beef and broccoli multiple times a week. Yum!

I like throwing in brown rice and jasmine rice, too. And peanut butter. Whenever I cut, my PB consumption goes up by 50%. lol Flat Out wraps, too.

I use a ton of PB too! No way could I do a cut without it!

[kdiamond55]

Try the dressings by Bolthouse Farms, they are really yummy and have really good macros!

Agreed! The yogurt ranch and honey mustard are super good, and only 45 calories per 2 tablespoons.

[BubsNBean]

This thread is awesome, getting lots of good ideas!!

-Bran cereal with a protein shake used for milk. Sounds nasty, but the bran is super high fiber and filling, and the protein shake sweetens it up quite a bit.
-Cottage cheese, 80 cal greek yogurt, Arctic Zero "ice cream", all kinds of high protein desserts (brownies, pudding, mug cake, cheesecake)

[vanillabn]

This thread is awesome, getting lots of good ideas!!

-Bran cereal with a protein shake used for milk. Sounds nasty, but the bran is super high fiber and filling, and the protein shake sweetens it up quite a bit.
-Cottage cheese, 80 cal greek yogurt, Arctic Zero "ice cream", all kinds of high protein desserts (brownies, pudding, mug cake, cheesecake)

^^ Awesome idea with the bran! I'm going to try that.

For me, some of my favs are
-lean steak
-cauliflower/egg white "pizza" crust topped with chicken, kale & shredded skim cheese
-kale roasted with olive oil to create kale "chips" for snacking

...and my latest evening snack obsession is 40g of brown rice crackers + hot salsa

[kimm4]

...and my latest evening snack obsession is 40g of brown rice crackers + hot salsa

Yum. I love the stone wheat crackers using mixed cottage cheese and salsa for scooping.

[NickleRoll]

What do you usually put for dressing on the salads? I have not been able to find a good low calorie dressing....

Newmans Own makes a really tasty sesame ginger vinaigrette that's 35 cals per serving and balsamic vin for 45 cals per serving.

[vanillabn]

Tried egg whites mixed with shredded zucchini tonight. PLUS the suggestion below for mixing the zucchini into oats???

I'm not joking you guys, I'm going to buy about 3983498 lbs of zucchini tomorrow...

[nacersusaf]

Try the dressings by Bolthouse Farms, they are really yummy and have really good macros!

You definitely want to make sure that, even when watching calories, you are including some sort of fat in your salads. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and need fat to be digested and used... and those are generally pretty abundant in salads. I like to use a measured amount of "real" dressing and just enjoy the full flavor, and use that fat!

Other than that, there are some dressings now by Lighthouse (I think that's the brand) called "Opa!" and they are made with Greek Yogurt. They are about 50-80 calories per serving depending on the flavor, and the yogurt gives them this great tangy flavor. They have them in the cooler section of the produce department, usually.

[ldimicco]

What do you usually put for dressing on the salads? I have not been able to find a good low calorie dressing....

'

I have recently discovered a squeeze of fresh lemon and black pepper do the trick and help bring out the flavors of everything put into the salad.

[vanillabn]

You definitely want to make sure that, even when watching calories, you are including some sort of fat in your salads. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and need fat to be digested and used... and those are generally pretty abundant in salads. I like to use a measured amount of "real" dressing and just enjoy the full flavor, and use that fat!

Other than that, there are some dressings now by Lighthouse (I think that's the brand) called "Opa!" and they are made with Greek Yogurt. They are about 50-80 calories per serving depending on the flavor, and the yogurt gives them this great tangy flavor. They have them in the cooler section of the produce department, usually.

Good point! I usually include nuts and olives for the fat, but I never did it consciously... just added them because they're tasty I'll have to check out the "Opa!" dressings...I haven't seen them.

[RebeccafromLA]

Thanks so much to all for the salad dressing suggestions. I can't wait to try them.

I have never done a cut before, but if I did, I would for sure eat a lot of this specific greek yogurt that I buy from Von's. I live in Los Angeles...not sure if you can find it elsewhere. The brand is OPEN NATURE. It is GREEK 0% FAT, plain. In 6 oz. it has just 100 calories, 8 gm carbs, and 18 gms of protein. One container alone keeps me full for a good 2-3 hours.

[AlexW1991]

Tried egg whites mixed with shredded zucchini tonight. PLUS the suggestion below for mixing the zucchini into oats???

I'm not joking you guys, I'm going to buy about 3983498 lbs of zucchini tomorrow...

You're telling me. Thank god we can get any produce year round thanks to jacked up farming