When folks decide to lose weight by going on a diet, they often find that they're constantly dealing with hunger, threatening to force them off the diet. It's a generally accepted maxim that you must use more calories during the day than you consume through eating. You don't want to struggle with hunger all day long, but you don't want to overeat, either.
These filling foods are all low-calorie, and they should help you through the day without hunger pangs or overeating.
1. Fish - 150 to 200 Calories / Serving
Fish will fill you up nicely and should keep you full until the next meal, and it's also very low in calories. Fish is, in fact, the most filling of any meat available. Without consuming any more calories, you could eat a larger portion of fish than of beef, chicken or pork.
Don't assume, though, that breaded, fried fish is an acceptable food on a weight loss diet. Keep in mind that the breading and batters so often employed in fried fish recipes are loaded with calories, and even the frying process can add calories. For a hot meal, cook fish by broiling, baking or grilling it, with a minimum of added fat. A delicious cold alternative is a health light salad sprinkled with bits of cooked or canned tuna or salmon. Spices and seasonings (except butter!) are excellent sources of additional flavor.
2. Oranges and Apples - About 40 Calories / Serving
Many people are surprised to learn that many fruits are excellent choices as low-calorie foods that will help keep dieters feeling full. Sadly, most people, whether or not they're dieting, don't usually reach for a piece of fruit when they want a snack. These fruits are just plain good for you, with a host of nutrients and vitamins and natural sugars. In addition, they're chock full of dietary fiber, which is great news for dieters because it keeps them feeling full for a long time.
Non-round fruits like bananas can also make you feel full, but they have about twice the calories as round fruits.
3. Grapes - 50 Calories / Serving
Eagerly anticipated by weight-loss dieters, grapes are perfect snacks for the same reasons as oranges and apples. A great deal of fiber is concentrated into a compact, bite-sized form. Very convenient, highly portable, usually not at all messy and delicious to boot, grapes are a nearly-perfect snack food that will keep you feeling full much longer than any commercial preparation full of processed sweeteners.
4. Whole Wheat Pasta - 300 Calories / Serving
Hungry people crave pasta! Don't misunderstand - this isn't an invitation to binge out on mac and cheese or stuffed shells. For one thing, I'm talking about whole wheat pasta, which will leave you feeling much more satisfied than the processed white pasta most commonly available.
Because it's processed less, whole wheat pasta is more healthful and has more fiber. Pasta is one of those foods that you've got to maintain a strict control on serving size, though, because it's so easy to overeat. If you eat a portion of pasta about the size of your fist, that should be sufficient to fill you comfortably until your next regular meal.
5. Steak - 300 Calories / Serving
No, I'm not kidding. Steak is an excellent component of a nutritious weight-loss diet. However, high-calorie steak sauces aren't. Many high-protein dieters, such as those who follow the Atkins Diet, have been aware of this for a long time. Frankly, steak is one of the best meats available for a weight loss diet, second only to fish in terms of its desirability as a weight-loss food. Of course, the leaner the beef, the better, because your fat intake will be reduced.
Controlling the size of your servings, of course, is crucial to the success of using low-calorie foods like these. You'll feel full faster, and the feeling of fullness will lat longer, with these delicious low-calorie foods, but be careful - resist the temptation to have seconds and thirds! And of course, from time to time it's alright to eat other foods as well. You should always keep control over your portion sizes, though. It won't be long at all before you've got a beach-ready body!
If you found these foods interesting you might also like a list of metabolism boosting foods and Diet Solution Program review.
Natalie Leavenworth used to struggle with fad diets and exercise programs until discovering the secrets of effective weight loss. Now at her target weight, she enjoys helping others achieve their weight loss goals.