I'm 5'2" and sedentary, so I need to keep a pretty tight lid on my calories if I want to lose weight at a reasonable speed. So many commonly available snack options are in the 140-250 range which is way, way to much for me if I'm just looking for something to give me a little boost. I've found a few things that work great as alternatives (see below), but I'm always on the lookout for more ideas. Anyone got any small-but-satisfying snack secrets they could share?
Ginger Chews (I like the Prince of Peace ones). 15 cals each, individually wrapped (which helps me not go overboard), nice strong flavour. Great when I just want a little something sweet after a meal but don't have many calories in the tank. Also great for throwing in my pocket when I know I'm going somewhere where I'm gonna get snacky where I might otherwise end up over-eating.
English Cucumber. <10 calories for a big chunk. Super refreshing and crunchy - great with a little sprinkle of salt.
Microwavable poppadoms. If you've got an Indian grocery store nearby they'll almost certainly have them, or you can get them online. You can shallow fry them, but I just put one straight in the microwave for 30 seconds or so, and you get a hot, crunchy, savory (and optionally spicy) snack that's around 30-45 cals total (depending on the brand). And super cheap, too, if you can get them in a local store.
Japanese rice crackers or 'senbei'. I like these kid's ones, but there's more refined-looking ones for grown-ups. Usually around 50-60 calories for an individually wrapped packet of two crackers. Sweet and salty and crunchy - and you get two! Any Asian grocery is likely to have a few different kinds. Also good for throwing in pocket/bag.
Boiled eggs. Obvious, but they're a real life saver for me. I boil (actually I steam them in a steam basket - 11 mins for a dozen large eggs - cos I get more reliable results that way) a dozen a week and then have one for breakfast each morning and the rest for 70 cal snacks when I want something a little more substantial.
Peanut butter powder. This is gonna make me seem like a weirdo, but when I get an ice cream craving, I make up a serving of peanut butter powder in a tiny little bowl and then eat it off the end of a chopstick. I know this is not a cool look. But it's 70 cal, 8g of protein, super cheap, hugely delicious, and takes ages to eat (if you are willing to be a chopstick weirdo). You can throw a ~20 calorie tbspn of cocoa powder in there too (and even an extra half tspn of sugar) for something more like chocolate-peanut truffle that still comes in at ~100 cals.
Speaking of chocolate, I only recently discovered you can make hot chocolate with just water and cocoa/cacao powder (I'd always made it with milk). It is, obviously, less rich and creamy, but still sweet and chocolatey and warm. You'll want to experiment with the ratio you like best (and I find it needs fairly frequent stirring so the cacao doesn't sink). I make it in a little mini mug, with about 2 tbspns cacao and 1 tsp sugar + hot water for about a 65 cal drink.
Any other top tips you can share?
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/lk2jr5/what_are_your_low_cal_snack_hacks/
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