Auruor

I'm 25, about 5'10", and have about 15-20 pounds still left to lose from my pregnancy weight that never came off (several years ago :-/). I've lost 10 pounds in the last month. I exercise a lot and I eat 1700-1800 calories a day, but I am absolutely starving between meals. Also, my weight has plateaued for the last two weeks even though I've been continuing to watch my caloric intake closely, consume lean meats and few carbs, and run 5-6 days a week (6 miles/day) and do Pilates.

I'm thinking I need to start having small snacks between meals to keep me from being so starving that my blood pressure plunges and makes me crabby. Also I think the long breaks between meals may be affecting my metabolism.

Any recommendations for healthy, filling, ideally protein-heavy, low-calories snacks? Are protein bars a good idea, or are they calorie-laden? What about nuts?

fletch8502

I am a huge fan of eating 5-6 mini-meals instead of 3 large meals. My blood sugar tends to drop quickly, and I get wicked crabby if I wait too long to eat! I also get headaches, dizzy, and just feel blah. If I eat every 3 hours, I avoid all of those yucky symptoms and also avoid making bad choices or eating too much!

My favorite mini-meals or snacks are:
- Cottage cheese with vegetables
- An apple with reduced-fat peanut butter
- Greek or low-carb yogurt with Fiber One and fruit
- Vegetables and hummus
- A smoothie with frozen fruit, yogurt, and a little juice (or peanut butter banana, yum!)
- Skim milk with protein powder
- Almonds with high-fiber cereal and raisins or other dried fruit (make your own trail mix)
- Mini-Baybel Light Cheese or Laughing Cow Cheese with high-fiber crackers

Hopefully that gives you some ideas! Congrats on your weight loss so far and keep up the good work!

livingthedream2010

hi things i tend to snack on at work are
apple and cheese
yogurt
oatmeal
almonds
lean deli meats
i find any of these to satisfy my hunger between meals, i find eating them before i get too hungry to be helpful.

AmieTest

Snacks that work for me:

Carrots
Tomatoes
Rice cakes
Laughing cow light cheese
Lean Ham (sodium high though)

Also I make a 100 calorie brownie with glaze that is awesome.

Wylie7

If I'm really hungry I usually pop a handful of almonds and that does the trick for an hour or two. The protein bars typically have a lot of calories, but will also do the trick. I started using them after a workout since I'm trying to maintain my weight right where I'm at. I also like carrots and hummus...

vsabino

Can you share your recipe for the 100-cal brownie?! Thanks!!

LisaPetri

Wow! Sound like you're doing great. Would love to know what diet you're using and the 100 cal brownie recipe.

coastalcass

you know, I sometimes just boil a dozen eggs and keep them handy. I eat the whites and throw away the yolks. if you eat one white about every hour, you will not be hungry. It is only about 20-24 calories. And you can keep them in the frig at work in the carton. :]

Yes, people think i'm weird!

rpmcduff

About 10 unroasted almonds. The healthy fat helps satiate hunger. The other suggestions above are great too. I like protein shakes over protein bars because the protein to calorie ratio is better than the bars but the bars are a great alternative when you can't make a shake. Just budget for the extra calories and try to find bars that are lower in carbs and fats. (I like the Pure Protein brand, Chocolate Chip flavor from Wal-mart.)