When dieting for fat loss, are certain foods off limits?
While there aren't specific foods that will halt fat loss if you eat them, there are food choices that will make dieting harder for you.
Foods that make dieting harder are low in volume and calorie dense. This means you don't get to take many bites of them (low volume) and they provide a high calorie count (calorie dense) in a small amount of bites.
So something like candy would be calorie dense. It's compact, has a bunch of carb calories, and won't keep you full. Or something like a glass of fruit juice. Again, it's compact, has a ton of calories, and won't keep you full. More examples of this would be any full fat dairy products, such as creamer or cheese. These products add up in calories quickly without much volume at all.
So when you make your food choices, especially as calories continue to decrease into your fat loss phase, food volume becomes more and more important.
This is why people often turn to vegetables and low calorie versions of the normal foods they like. These foods aren't as calorie dense and give you substance to fill up on, which are two helpful traits for dieting foods to possess.
Dieting becomes easier when you're fuller longer and also are able to take more bites and enjoy your meals. With helpful food choices, you can experience these things while dieting.
What are some of your favorite high volume/low calorie foods?
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02-13-2020, 07:06 AM #1
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When dieting for fat loss, are certain foods off limits?
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02-13-2020, 07:10 AM #2
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You'll find that most people in this forum are fully aware that no single food will stop you from losing fat, and that some foods are more/less satiating than others.
That being said, my favorite low-caloric density foods:
Massive Greek Salad Bowls
Oatmeal
Zucchini
Squash
Greek Yogurt
Strawberries"When I die, I hope it's early in the morning so I don't have to go to work that day for no reason"
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02-13-2020, 07:23 AM #3
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02-13-2020, 07:48 AM #4
High cals:
Very early on I switched mayonnaise for a really low-calorie variety. It's amazing how many calories are in just a few spoons of regular mayo. If I have a take-away kebab I'll use my own mayo at home; if I'm out then I don't have the mayo any longer.
I generally avoid chocolate because I love it and could consume mountains of it, and it's basically like blocks of hardened fat so very high in calories. I'll buy a bar now and again but I'll make it last me a few days by having a few squares every day.
My treat after my workout is one Reece's Peanut Butter cup.
If I need to bump my calories up for the day then peanut butter or mixed nuts are what I tend to use.
Low cal:
I make homemade kebabs pretty regularly from chicken and lamb, but now I throw in lots of lettuce, tomato, pickled cabbage, onion and peppers to help fill me up.
When I have chinese takeaway I'll cook a massive bowl of onion, peppers and shredded carrot to go with it.
I have zero fat natural yoghurt with a bowl of blackberries twice a day.
I've been enjoying rice cakes recently with Marmite on. Not super low in calories but not particularly high either.
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02-13-2020, 07:59 AM #5
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02-13-2020, 08:45 AM #6
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02-13-2020, 08:57 AM #7
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02-13-2020, 09:33 AM #8
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02-13-2020, 09:37 AM #9
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02-13-2020, 09:54 AM #10
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02-13-2020, 09:57 AM #11
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I've actually made some amazing savory and spicy dips/sauces with greek yogurt in place of milk, etc.
If you blend greek yogurt, roasted eggplant, jalapenos/peppers, salt, spices, etc, you can make some pretty amazing dips and spreads for toast, bagels, or even meats and for use as a salad dressing..."When I die, I hope it's early in the morning so I don't have to go to work that day for no reason"
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02-13-2020, 10:00 AM #12
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02-13-2020, 10:04 AM #13
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02-13-2020, 10:11 AM #14
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02-13-2020, 10:51 AM #15
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02-13-2020, 10:59 AM #16
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02-13-2020, 11:54 AM #17
I remember reading something recently about how mercury poisoning from tuna is a bit overblown, especially tuna products high in selenium. If I recall correctly, the selenium in fish that have high quantities of mercury has a binding or neutralizing effect on mercury buildup in the body. Any knowledge on this?
I know anecdotally that before I even read up on mercury, I ate tuna everyday and never ran into glaring problems that I know of. Probably something you'd still want to have caution with, but I do think it's nothing to be scared out of your mind about.Life is constant learning. Give advice about things you know. Ask questions about things you don't.
*Health and Wellness Coach and Coordinator for all United Bank Branches of Alabama
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02-13-2020, 12:15 PM #18
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I haven't heard about selenium in this context, but issues with mercury take time to build up in the body. It's not something you're going to notice right away, but if you do it for decades, etc, that's when you start to have problems and clearing them out takes time, some damage even being irreversible.
"When I die, I hope it's early in the morning so I don't have to go to work that day for no reason"
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02-13-2020, 02:25 PM #19
Yeah, I love Chinese food and one dish in particular. So rather than having a huge blowout once a month (which is what I used to do) I'll have my favourite dish more frequently, but cook my own veg and rice. I'm more in control of the ingredients (particularly oil and sodium) and the veg and rice is just filler anyway. It also works out cheaper.
In the UK low cal mayo is barely any different calorie-wise to regular mayo. However Heinz and the main supermarkets here do a "lighter than light" version which really is lower in calories, so I use that. I mix in black pepper and chopped garlic to give it a bit more pezzaz.
I've found that American mustard is a pretty decent and low calorie condiment for things like gammon, sausage and tuna.
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02-13-2020, 03:57 PM #20
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02-13-2020, 04:02 PM #21
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02-14-2020, 04:10 AM #22
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02-14-2020, 05:00 AM #23
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02-14-2020, 05:01 AM #24
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