Filling up on veg?

GrayD

Hi all,
I am trying to loose some weight.

I am 24, male. I'm just over 13 stone. I need to be between 11.5 and 12.

Its not a lot to shift I think but its not happening.


I know my diet is aweful. I try but I am eating smaller meals all day them by 8-9 I am totally starving or if I am at the gym I don't get home until this time and am weak with hunger from all the exercise. And I'm told not to eat at this time of night but that is when I get home so its the only time I can have a proper meal.

I was told that instead of eating rubbish or preparing a big meal, I could just cook loads of veg or eat loads of fruit.

I like the idea of the veg as I like doing veg stir fries or just cooking up laods of mixed veg. Then again, I hear they are crap if you eat loads.

Can I actually fill up on veg without overdoing calories and everything else rather than doing loasd of meat or pasta?

I've read some places this is good for a diet, and other places that this advice is aweful as lots of veg = tons of calories.

I've looked up calorie content but I don't have a scales and if i cook a little plate of veg I know I will be starving in an hour again.

Am I right or wrong on this?

Serafijn

Most vegetables don't contain many calories and you would have to eat A LOT to go over your daily intake just eating veg. Fruit has significantly more, but nothing to worry too much about. I wouldn't advise just eating fruit and veg however, as your body does need the nutrients you will get from meat, pasta etc.

I usually try to see my plate as 4 parts: fill one with meat/protien; one with carbs (pasta, potatoes, bread), and the other two with veg. This will ensure a reasonably balanced diet. If you control your portion sizes and only eat as much as you need to fill yourself up you will be on the right tracks.

Regarding eating times, my understanding is that as long as you eat a couple of hours before bed it's pretty much fine.

There's loads of info in the stickies about nutrition if you want to know more.

Good luck!

rubadub

Some veg is suprisingly high in calories per portion, others are low, read the packets. Sweetcorn and potatoes spring to mind as high.

Fruit is usually 10-13% sugar, like apples oranges etc. Naturally occurring sugars but still can be high in calories. Avoid fruit juice in cartons, it is too easy to drink, imagine a 300ml glass of apple juice Vs 300g of apples. Bananas are around 22% sugar. All the sugar can mess up your insulin levels and lead to fat gain.

I eat lots of chicken. You can get packs of 2 small precooked O'Kane ones for around €7 in dunnes, that is €3.50 each, cheap as a roll, and less calories! I sometimes eat whole ones, people in work looking at me as though I'm a glutton, while they are devouring twice the calories in the form of junk!

EileenG

You can eat green vegetables till they come out your ears, and you'll be stuffed long before they affect your calorie limits. Make soup with some of them as a quick filling snack. Boiled brussels sprouts make a surprisingly creamy soup.

Forget the stuff about not eating at night. If that's when you have time to eat, and particulary if you've just been to the gym, you need to eat. The danger in night eating is mindless snacking in front of the tv, not properly planned and cooked meals.

r3nu4l

Add feckloads of kidney beans to any stirfry you are having. These have lots of protein in them and protein can help you to feel fuller more quickly. The protein can also be used to replenish and fuel you muscles post workout (assuming you are doing weights?).

I love kidney beans in stirfry, not mad on a side helping of them on their own though!

cozmik

r3nu4l wrote: »

I love kidney beans in stirfry, not mad on a side helping of them on their own though!

Yeah they are much better combined with other foods. Chickpeas are ok by themselves especially if roasted.

neuro-praxis

You can eat absolutely as many vegetables as you like. They are extremely low in calories and will actively help you to lose weight. (For example, 1kg of carrots has 410 calories, while 1kg of beef steak has 2517 calories. Not that you should ever eat that much of either food. )

Be moderate with potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips and sweetcorn. Eat small/medium portions of these. Everything else you can basically eat in unlimited amounts. Have maybe 2 servings of fruit per day.

Huge salads, loads of steamed, stir-fried or roasted veg and tons of home-made vegetable soup will nourish you and fill you up. Make sure to get your proteins in too, so that you don't lose muscle. Have lots of skimmed milk, natural yoghurt, fish, meat, chicken etc., and you should be doing great in no time.

PS Beans are not vegetables, they are legumes, and are much higher in calories. They should be considered a source of protein.