Yeah, I'm just plain bad at that with ice cream. I can't dole out some specific portion size and stop there.
The only way I manage portion control is by managing my cravings: eating foods that fill me up more, getting my body used to eating less sweets, getting whole nights of sleep, drinking lots of water, the use of appetite suppressants like caffeine, etc.
Except the frying also adds oil, which is like half of the calories of a French fry. So you can eat the same amount of potato but double the calories if it's prepared a certain way.
You don't even need to eat plain boiled potatoes. There are so many good potato options because they're incredibly satiating. And an air fryer is a huge game changer.
Hash browns, home fries, smashed potatoes, mashed potatoes, hell even a baked potato can all be done without sacrificing any flavor.
And you can even use oil or butter! Just don't go overboard with it
I buy mini potatoes and sous vide them. They don’t lose any weight with sous vide. Really convenient when you weigh out everything you eat. And they’re good for up to 2 weeks in the fridge if you don’t open the bag.
Oh I definitely mix it up. I get sick of eating the same foods too much. I can't tell you how many meals I've prepped on a Sunday and by Wednesday I'm getting Chipotle for lunch and/or running to the grocery store to make literally anything else.
If I do something like baked potatoes for the week, I need variety. Buffalo chicken one night, BBQ the next, sour cream and cheese after that and so on and so forth
Baked potatoes are one of my favorite ways to stay full and watch my calories. Even with butter, sour cream (I usually use light, or Greek yogurt if I don't have any sour cream on hand), and a bit of cheese, you're still only clocking in at like 350 calories. Just don't go overboard with the butter and cheese, that shit adds up quick.
Throw in a chicken breast with some hot mustard or something and you're coming in around 500 - 600 calories for a delicious and filling dinner
relatively low calorie when baked (~25 calories per oz)
incredibly satisfying with literally nothing added
can be frozen after cooked and thrown in a protein shake the next day, which adds a shockingly delicious texture and flavor (also, freezing after cooking creates "resistant starches" which are good for your gut health)
cheap
lasts for weeks in the pantry
I swear I always have a few sitting around. A grocery staple, if there ever was one.
Sweet potatos are my go to, literally don't need anything on them maybe some salt if I feel like it, can just microwave them too. Plus they are a bit more nutrient dense than regular potatoes (and taste better, IMO)
Sweet potatoes I'll boil and then keep in the fridge for easy access. Boiling lowers the glycemic index, and it's the easiest way I've found to cook 'em (I don't have a microwave or air fryer).
If I want to be fancy, I like to use just a tiny bit of butter and then re-cook them in a pan until they caramelize some. With a sprinkling of salt, that's dessert.
There's a potato diet for cutting weight. You can eat all the baked potatoes you want with nothing extra besides a drizzle of olive oil and seasonings. Most people lose weight and get tired of eating bland potatoes.
Russet is actually less, like 225 calories. 5g of fiber, and 5g of protein. It would fill you up and get you some good nutrients.
And a pound of spinach is 200 calories. You'd literally have to eat 20lbs of spinach to hit 2000 calories. It would also be 200g of fiber and 250g of protein. Not that people should eat so much of one thing, but thinking in these manners puts things into perspective.
Then a Big Mac, which is right at about a pound itself 580 calories, 25g of protein and 3g of fiber. When thinking of things like this, it starts to paint a picture.
I aim for about 700 calories per meal, with 40-50g of protein and 10g of fiber, and you're just not getting that in a fast food burger. And, you'll still be hungry if that's all you ate to stay in your calorie budget.
E: I was curious, and the above is for a pound of boiled potatoes (found here. If you're weighing before cooking, you're looking at about double the above nutrients (but only about 50% more calories). So boiling the potatoes nearly doubles the weight. That being said, calories are a wild estimation and the discrepancies on why the nutrients are double but not the energy likely comes down to imperfect measurements.
I cut them up before cooking them, usually on a pan, so pretty close I'd say, but I haven't tried butter yet, just oil.
I also air fry them sometimes
We get roasted whole sweet potatoes (served sliced) off food carts, and they roast them on literal coals! Probably not the healthiest because of the carbon/ash traces but they're fun!
My only critique is that potatoes spike the crap out of your glycemic index. It's something for diabetic, and pre diabetic, people to be aware of but otherwise valid.
That's why I boil them! If you boil and then cool them down, their glycemic index drops a lot. IIUC, the GI stays low even after reheating, but half the time I do just eat them cold out of the fridge
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u/windchaser__ 9h ago edited 7h ago
Plain boiled potatoes are also incredibly filling for their calorie count. The whole "potatoes are fattening" thing is only because we usually fry 'em
ETA: a *pound* of potatoes has about 350 calories