Been on the weight loss journey for a couple years now and the worst thing is fighting off the hunger. I will say if you plan on going the route of caloric deficit being hungry is just something that you are going to have to be ok with. I wouldn’t say you are starving but it is good to get in tune with your body and try to differentiate between hunger wants and needs. The difference between I am bored and I want to eat something versus I need to eat lunch.

The idea that I had in the beginning was to eat low-calorie options so I could eat more. This tactic is flawed in that just because you get to eat more doesn’t mean you will stay full. So I have pivoted into eating food that has a high amount of satiation. Usually upping the amount of protein and fiber in your diet will help you feel fuller longer, but I have found the secret that I don’t hear often. POTATOES!! I have never had anything I meal prepped keep me fuller longer than the potato-based meals I started making. This is not hidden knowledge though. If you google the most satiating foods you will find that potatoes are at the top of the list, and they beat out protein by a pretty decent margin. This is due to a lot of factors but I won’t go into too much detail. The basics are it’s a complex carbohydrate, a good amount of fiber, and it’s high in volume and low in calories. All factors make potatoes more filling and take your body longer to break down.

Meals I have prepped to be more potato-focused are a taco-baked potato bowl and a sweet and spicy sweet potato bowl. For the taco baked potato bowl, I prepared taco meat using ground turkey and added bell peppers, garlic, onion, and black beans served over a bed of cut-up baked potato, and topping with salsa. The sweet and spicy sweet potato bowl is made with ground beef, bell pepper, onion, and garlic simmered in a sauce mixture of Bachan’s Original Japanese BBQ Sauce, hoisin, siracha, and apple cider vinegar, served over a bed of cut up baked sweet potato. These recipes have allowed me to meal prep lunches that fit into the 500-550 calorie range which is great for my 2000 daily goal.

I’ll update you all if I come up with some new ideas, but I’ll finish this by saying SCREW CHICKEN AND RICE GIVE ME POTATOES!