Hungry? Eat for volume.
Not gonna lie — I love to eat. I tend to eat with my eyes first, so not only do I want my meal to look delicious and appetizing, I want to see a big plate of food (like, a whole lot of food 😬) because I find that to be more mentally satisfying than a teeny, tiny plate meant for birds. This holds especially true when I am trying to stay within a set number of calories.
🙅🏻♀️ No one likes to feel hungry. It’s uncomfortable and can be a huge mental strain. If you're not satisfied soon after your meal, there’s a good chance you’re just going to eat more. And if you’re trying to lose weight, well, that’s not going to get you closer to your goals.
🍽 Get the most bang for your buck by eating for volume. This is done by maximizing the amount of food you eat by choosing whole, minimally-processed foods that are low in calories and will take up a lot of physical space on your plate AND in your belly so you can feel fuller for longer.
🧐 Easiest way to do this? Load your plate up with veggies.
🥗 Not only are they low-calorie and nutrient-dense (the more colors of the rainbow, the better), they’re also packed with fiber which can help with satiety and better digestive health. Highly-processed foods are usually high in calories, low in nutritional value, and they just don’t have a lot of staying power.
🥴 So if you find yourself with that uncomfortable, stomach-growling feeling during the day, try adding veggies to EVERYTHING you eat and you'll automatically add more volume without a lot of calories.
👉🏽 Besides just making a giant salad, here are a few things I do to keep my plates BIG and hunger at bay:
✅ Have bagged, pre-washed lettuce and salad blends on-hand to pour on top of any meal
✅ Add fresh or frozen veggies like broccoli, riced cauliflower, bell peppers, carrots and/or zucchini to a stir-fry
✅ Sneak veggies into pasta sauce or salsas
✅ Mix mushrooms, peppers and/or tomatoes into egg scrambles and omelettes
✅ Add a handful greens like spinach or kale to a protein smoothie or burrito
✅ Spiralize zucchini or spaghetti squash in place of or to add to pasta
#TLDR: Don’t be hungry. Eat your vegetables.