Lowering down on calories when starting a weight loss journey can be difficult when the most low-calorie foods are not filling.
The decision of choosing to maintain a healthier lifestyle must not leave you feeling food-deprived and sad but rather, feeling happy and proud.
Starving yourself for the sake of weight loss can actually work against you. It can slow down your metabolism, affect your energy levels and lead to a decline in your mental health.
According to Michelle May, a doctor of medicine who teaches mindful eating, drastic diets like juice cleanses and detoxing for days without eating is unnecessary because “our body is uniquely fine-tuned to detoxify and excrete toxins”. May also added that cleanses “can lead to serious complications by messing with your body’s system.”
Five easy low-calorie meals
The low-calorie meals below are meant to help you develop healthy eating habits that will make your weight looks journey feel like breeze.
Oats
Oatmeal is probably a staple grocery item in most of our households. It is also one of the easiest and healthiest breakfast meals that are guaranteed to fill you up. You can do cooked oats with the milk of your choice, topped with nuts and fruit for extra nutrition.
Bean soup
Soups are also one of the simplest meals to incorporate into your low-calorie diet. They can fill you up even more than solid foods. A simple but yet delicious vegetable bean soup you can try is this one by Martha Steward. Here’s what you will need.
- Olive oil
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can of tomatoes
- 2 cans of beans. You can use a bean of your choice, but the recipe used Callenilie beans
- 4 cups of a vegetable stalk
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Parmasiam cheese to top it off.
Garlic roasted potatoes.
Usually, potatoes are not deemed healthy, but they are a nutritious low-calorie vegetable that can be added to your diet. They can also be prepared in a range of different ways and roasting them is one of them. All you need are these few ingredients;
- Potatoes of your choice
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- parsely, fresh or dried
Roast them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. You can add lean meat and a simple salad to complet the meal.
Whole-wheat egg and avocado toast
A simple egg and avocado toast can be a quick and easy breakfast or lunch meal. Eggs are low-calorie, high in protein, and packed with vital nutrients. For a low-calorie meal, whole wheat bread will be the best option because it has a lot of fiber which helps with digestion, and avocado is known for its good fats and vitamin E. You can make this sandwich with either boiled or fried eggs, and if you want to take it up a notch you can add sautéed spinach for extra nutrition and taste
Greek yogurt popsicles
Greek yogurt is another excellent low-calorie food. Transforming it into a popsicle is a healthy way of satisfying your sweet tooth because eating dessert when you are on a weight loss journey can feel like a betrayal to all the hard work and discipline of eating healthy. However, this should not be the case because all you need is three ingredients to enjoy these popsicles.
- Greek yogurt
- raw honey
- Fruit of your choice
Put your mixture in popsicle containers and leave them in the freezer for 6 hours. You can make these ahead of time to enjoy whenever you want.