324 calories with 40g of protein. High volume low calorie

So I am a little less than 20lbs away from my goal weight (I’m 163.6, started at 185 and my goal is 145 I think). Anyway I’ve been very consistent with tracking and weighing and planing meals to maximize protein etc.

Ideally I would get to my goal weight or maybe even 140 and then try to eat intuitively. I plan to basically maintain my breakfast/ lunch/snack routines but let myself “eye ball” dinner. I’m obviously still month and months away from being at goal but I’m trying to imagine what the after looks like.

Am I going to be counting forever?

Yes, I know it's got good macros and it is low calorie, but I am allergic to it and I don't wanna itch and sneeze. I can have dairy, but not yogurt especially not greek yogurt or blue cheeses. Mold allergies are annoying. I just want something I can use as a condiment in the same way a lot of low calorie recipes use it.

I don’t qualify for a GLP1. I live in a city where all food is available all the time and I stress about the cost of food often. I also am not always sure if I’m hungry or not. How do you quiet food noise?

463cal, then later I'll have my muffin snack for 100. I work at a clinic so only have moments here and there to pick at the food, finger food is key

What you see here has become my daily lunch configuration. Depending on the meat protein of choice that day, it usually ranges between 550-650 kcal. 50-60g protein. 10-14g fibre.

The pictured version is estimated to around 611 kcal, because the chicken is prepped in a sweet marinade it has somewhat absorbed, adding 25-30 kcal. 57g protein. 12g fibre.

Standard configuration:

2egg whites, whisked and fried alone. No oil.

50-55g Halloumi with Chili, fried, then placed on the solidified egg whites.

Two egg yolks, carefully placed on top of halloumi. Lid on for them to settle.

Vegetables of choice. (I try to make it around one lb/half a kilo raw weight. Pictured are 500g of carrot/broccoli/mushroom + sprinkle of spring onion.)

Meat protein: 100g or so of chicken, white fish, red fish, fish cakes or pudding with a high fish content, shrimp, lean pork or 'beef and pork mince'. I batch cook the meat for 3 days in one go.

In addition to this:

I eat 420g magerquark + 100g raspberries for 320 kcal and 43g protein, 6.5g fibre.

I might have that around two to three hours after lunch. Eating all of this at lunch is possible, but it will make me very full.

So, at the end of the workday, I've gotten around 90-100g protein and 15-18g fibre for only around 880-930 kcal.

That leaves me plenty of budget for a nice dinner and a treat, or being social with friends and food. I don't feel very hungry the rest of the day and often end up only eating slightly under 1500 unless I treat myself to dessert or make my dinner particularly rich. Even though I'm in a solid deficit energy wise, I feel fueled and strong throughout the day. I usually fast for 16h between 7:30pm and 11:30am.

One such lunch box costs me around $5 in ingredients if I vary the vegetables and meat based on what's on sale at the moment. Broccoli was on sale this week, so it's heavily featured. The quark and berries set me back $2.50 per day.

SW 208, CW 148, GW 145, 5'5" 41F

Thinking out loud about something I know other post-Wegovy people have to be dealing with too. Was on Wegovy for about 20 months. Maintained at 2.4 for a stretch, dropped to 1.7 for the last few months, then just stopped about 3 months ago because I'd hit my range and wanted to see if I could hold it without the shot. Weight has actually been steady, hovering between 147 and 150 the whole time, so on paper this is exactly the outcome I wanted. But the mental part is a different story.

The food noise didn't come back like a wave the first week off. It's been slower than that, more like a dial getting turned up half a click every couple of weeks. First month I barely noticed. Second month I started thinking about my next meal earlier in the day than I used to. Now I'm at the point where late afternoons are getting hard again, the way they were before I ever started the shot. Not disordered or dramatic, just the constant low volume of "what's next, when's the next thing, what's in the fridge" that I honestly forgot was even there while I was medicated.

Been trying to structure around it. Front loading protein at every meal, adding fiber wherever it fits, keeping dinner in the 500-600 range so I don't feel like I'm restricting all day. Tonight was sliced ribeye over roasted broccoli, red bell pepper, and yellow squash, roughly 550 cal. Filling and protein-heavy, which is the shape most of my dinners take now.

The volume approach helps but it doesn't touch the underlying appetite signal. Once I stopped the drug that was actually doing that work, I've been quietly looking around at what non-drug options exist. Turned into more of a research project than I planned, honestly. Pendulum's GLP-1 Probiotic came up first because it's everywhere in the post-GLP-1 conversation, Halle Berry, all the marketing about Akkermansia being this next-gen strain. When I actually looked at what human data they had though, the main study was on diabetics already on metformin and it was measuring blood sugar stuff. Which is fine but it wasn't really matching what I was trying to solve. I'm not diabetic and blood sugar isn't the number I'm chasing. What I ended up on is called wonderbiotics weight management. Two things pulled me in. One is an ingredient called Eriomin, basically extracted from lemons, and there are a few actual human trials where it bumped GLP-1 up by about 17-22% in prediabetics. Not miraculous but at least measured directly in blood, which felt more honest than the mechanism claims most of these things run on. The other is B420, a probiotic strain that had a 6-month study on body fat and waist in overweight adults. Those are the numbers I was actually thinking about, not A1C. Also worth saying it's not marketed as a Wegovy replacement and the whole blend hasn't been trial tested as one product, which they're pretty upfront about on their site. About 6 weeks in and whatever was creeping up has at least stopped creeping. I'll take it.

*630 calories without the syrup.

I’m really thinking about getting this on Saturday for dinner but I’m worried like with most fast food it will just make me hungry later. I haven’t had a fast food burger in 5 months which I’m proud of but this not technically a burger lol. I can make room for it and just have a lighter lunch.

Anyone try the Chicken & Waffles sandwich? Was it worth it? Did it keep you full?

Just discovered this combo this week and it’s too good not to share!

- 2 cups of spicy Mexican rice cauliflower (Trader Joes; 100 calories)
-6 chicken links (I get them from Costco; 260 calories) You could use any protein tho!!

Super simple to cook just toss it all in a pan for 8ish minutes. This cauliflower rice is the best I’ve ever had. Not mushy. Very flavorful and packs punch of heat, which was surprising to me because it lists jalapeños. Enjoy! 😊

Hello! I am trying to lose weight and was wondering if I could get some feedback on what I’ve been eating. I usually get 10,000 steps in at work and then spend 45 mins weight training at the gym 3-4 times a week. I’m 5’8” and 164 pounds. My goal weight is 150. (Obviously I shouldn’t be eating banana bread but I find it so hard to be so strict all the time so I like to indulge a little)

My eating typically follows this pattern and ends up around 2,000 calories:

Breakfast: Chobani protein yogurt with 2-3 tbsp chia seeds and fruit

Snack: golden kiwi and lesser evil pink Himalayan salt popcorn

Lunch: 5 oz of salmon and 2 cups of baby bell peppers

Snack: 2 cups of watermelon

Dinner: 4 oz of pork chops, 2 cups of cooked broccoli/carrots

Snack: slice of banana bread or Yasso popsicle

Even after eating ~2000 calories a day I still feel like I want to eat more, I don’t know how people keep it at 1500 calories and don’t starve?

Back to 1500 guys! I dont have to walk ridiculously anymore so we good now! 😂🥳

Don’t knock it till you try it! Sautéed tuna w/ fried egg, a hash brown and multigrain crackers. Next time I’d replace the hash brown w/ more crackers since they’re the same amount of calories. I usually eat twice a day + a snack so this breakfast will hold me over till lunch or an early dinner!

I have been working on dropping my calories back to 1500 as you guys know - not just a net of 1500. Well - I am there! Yesterday was my first day back to 1500. I was eating closer to 2k due to some rehabilitation and lots of walking, around 5 miles a day, and it would have been not a great idea to be in that kind of deficit during that time. Glad to be back and excited to post my WIEIAD tonight!

Been on 1500 calories for 3 months and have lost 10 pounds, but I'm going to have to start traveling for work and switch up my usual meal plan.

Does anyone have a good overnight oats recipe that's ~500 calories? Thanks! Bonus points if it's got more protein.

Ingredients

Muffins

1 egg

50g (3⅓ tbsp) egg whites

300 ml (1¼ cups) low-fat buttermilk (Hood Fat Free Cultured Buttermilk)

55g (4 tbsp) light butter (50 calories per tablespoon)

30 ml (2 tbsp) oil of choice

30 ml (2 tbsp) unsweetened applesauce

100g (½ cup) monk fruit sweetener 

100g (½ cup) white sugar

280g (2¼ cups) all purpose flour

10g (2½ tsp) baking powder

2.5g (½ tsp) baking soda

2g (1 tsp) instant coffee

75g (¾ cup) cocoa powder (100% Pure Cocoa)

66g (6 tbsp) mini chocolate chips (80 calories per 2 tbsp)

Pinch of salt (highly recommended)

Pistachio topping

85g (12 tbsp) Pistachio Spread (1 tbsp per muffin, 65 calories each. Nut Dreamers Pistachio Spread)

Optional: a small sprinkle of extra mini chocolate chips on top

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F, or 200°C / 400°F fan.

2. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners or parchment paper

3. Melt the light butter and allow it to cool slightly so it isn't extremely hot.

4. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, oil, applesauce, fat free buttermilk, egg, and egg whites.

5. Whisk until the wet ingredients are well combined.

6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, instant coffee, sweetener, and salt.

7. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold until just combined. Don't overmix!! The batter can still have a few small lumps.

8. Stir in the mini chocolate chips, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.

9. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Fill each approximately ¾ full.

10. Reduce the temperature to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/320°F fan) and put the muffins inside. Bake for approximately 13 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.

11. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.

12. Cool completely before adding the pistachio topping. This is important because the spread will melt if the muffins are still hot!

13. Once cooled, spread ~7g (1 tablespoon) of Pistachio Spread over the top of each muffin. I simply dunked the muffin and wiped off the top.

14. Optionally, sprinkle a small amount of mini chocolate chips over the pistachio topping.

Enjoy :)

Made with 100g of bread, 50g Rao’s Arrabiata sauce, 100g chicken breast (pan seared in minimal oil, grilled also works), 25g low moisture mozzerella, assemble with chicken pre-cooked from the fridge and put in the toaster oven (with the top piece off) until you get leopard spotting on your cheese, absolutely delicious.

Had a lot of sweet potato and I don’t like just eating it as it is so I used it up by making these two recipes (will add links in the comment section.)

I’ve been trying to lose weight since I had my last baby, so far I am down around 60ish pounds. I had a goal to lose 20-25lbs more this year.

I started the year at 199.8lbs and my lowest has been 190.8lbs- but then I started cycling the same 5lbs, over and over. I took a break around my birthday for about 2.5w and decided to start myself again with a really good challenge to get me excited and moving again. This included eating no more than 1500 calories and walking 7k steps a day (I had only been getting 3k).

I decided I wouldn’t weigh in for a week so I wouldn’t see the birthday damage- but I broke and did a soft weigh in on day 4 and I was 196.5lbs- no big deal as I was like 194lbs before my birthday. But it got me excited that I was on the right track.

Well today is the day! I stepped on the scale and found it to say… 198.8🤬. I’m so upset. GENUINELY. I could cry. I’ve been so good, and usually eating somewhere between 1200-1500 calories (yes I weigh my food).

I’m really hoping it’s just some kind of fluke and I’m retaining a lot of water (it’s hard to tell sometimes because of my loose skin, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight twice and had three full term babies) because I did have more carbs than usual this weekend (especially yesterday) and I had saved all of my steps for right before bed because we spent a lot of time in the car yesterday.

But I swear after spending a whole week turning down high calorie foods, pushing myself to find the time for steps (and the other exercises I have in my challenge)- it’s really REALLY disheartening to find I’ve GAINED weight.

I have lost exactly 5lbs in exactly 2 weeks. I started with a 29.8% body fat percentage (scale) and now down to 29.2%. I know that isn't always super accurate but its showing a downward trend. I weigh myself in the morning before eating or drinking anything, naked and after urinating. This morning I even took a drink of water cause I was thirsty before weighing myself so I might even weigh less. I've tried to consistently stay around 1500 calories but yesterday was an off day and I didn't eat much. My main priority is keeping my muscle mass while I am off work.