Everyone who follows a weight loss plan faces several problems with hunger, but the most pressing issue that must be solved before it ruins the entire regimen is nighttime hunger. Especially now, in the time of COVID, we don’t wake up early, we don’t have jobs that keep us busy or drain our energy enough to make us fall asleep at night. This makes us night owls, wandering between movies and games, which undoubtedly calls for some form of snacking. And this leads to a ravenous hunger that is hard to control. But there are foods that satisfy hunger without causing weight gain.
Often, the night ends with a phrase like “Why don’t you get up and make us something sweet?” and in less than half an hour, a cake tray is ready—along with many other treats. Every night brings something new, as quarantine nights are the best nights for fulfilling our food dreams, at least. But for those trying to lose weight, this becomes the biggest hurdle.
That’s why today I’ll show you ideas to fill this massive void with the least amount of calories.
Is There Food That Doesn’t Cause Weight Gain?
One of the most frequently asked questions on this topic is: What foods help with weight loss?
Or, if the person is more realistic, they might ask: What foods don’t cause weight gain?
In both cases, I’m sorry to say there are no foods that make you lose weight or that don’t cause weight gain.
The whole idea is based on a certain number of calories your body needs per day, and each type of food contains a specific number of calories.
With a simple calculation: if you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your body requires.
If you want to maintain your weight, eat foods whose total calories match your body’s needs.
And if you want to gain weight, eat more than what your body requires. So, every food has a calorie count—either high or low—depending on its type.
How to Choose the Right Food for a Weight Loss Plan
There are two main factors that make certain foods better choices than others, whether you're following a weight loss plan or just aiming for better health and optimal body function through healthy food choices.
1. Calories
The first factor is the calorie content—how many calories the food contains.
There are foods that are very high in calories—just one meal of them could equal or exceed your entire daily caloric need.
So these foods are not the best choice if you want to maintain or lose weight.
These include fast food, fried foods, and ready-made meals. On the other hand, some foods have very low calories, like vegetables, fruits, boiled or cooked potatoes, and whole grains.
2. Satiety (Filling Foods)
All nutrition experts agree that what matters in food is not just the number of calories, but also whether the food is filling or not.
This is the most important point of all—filling food makes you feel satisfied and happy, gives you full energy, and eliminates feelings of hunger or deprivation.
This in turn helps you avoid unhealthy cravings that can destroy your entire diet.
So, when choosing your food, it must be filling—even if it has slightly more calories.
For example, when choosing a proper breakfast, if your options are between eggs and vegetables, there's no doubt that eggs are the better choice—even though they have more calories—because they’re more filling. So always try to choose healthy, filling foods with a reasonable calorie count.
Foods That Satisfy Hunger
Now that we understand the criteria for choosing foods that satisfy our hunger and contain a suitable amount of calories, if you feel hungry, you should eat one of the following foods or meals—like chicken breasts, cottage cheese salad, or oven-roasted potatoes. All of these are foods that satisfy hunger and help prevent weight gain.
1. Chicken Breasts
If you’re going to eat at night, there’s no need to torture yourself with vegetables and yogurt—although they’re healthy and low-calorie foods, you’ll be starving again after eating them.
So, go straight for proteins to satisfy your hunger. One whole chicken breast contains about 150 calories and will keep you full.
Meanwhile, yogurt with natural fruit and no sugar can reach 120 calories, and you’ll still be starving afterward.
So chicken breast is an ideal solution.
2. Hunger-Fighting Foods: Cottage Cheese Salad
This is one of my favorite meals. It contains a variety of nutrients, low calories, and is very filling.
However, you must add certain ingredients to the cottage cheese to make it truly satisfying.
Ingredients:
A large piece of cottage cheese, 4 crushed walnut halves, 1 grated cucumber, 1 grated carrot, 2 tablespoons of yogurt, ¼ cup chopped arugula, A sprinkle of cumin and thyme
Method:
Mash the cheese and add the grated carrot, cucumber, and arugula.
Mix the yogurt with cumin and thyme, then add it to the cheese mixture.
Sprinkle the crushed walnuts on top.
Serve and eat with a spoon—no bread needed. It tastes great and is very filling.
3. Hunger-Fighting Foods: Potato Pancakes
Potatoes are one of the most satisfying foods—and of course, they must not be fried.
There are many great filling recipes using potatoes, and this one is especially nice and tastes amazing.
Ingredients:
1 large boiled potato, 1 egg, ¼ cup finely chopped parsley and dill, Salt, cumin, black pepper, 1 tablespoon oat flour (optional)
Method:
Mash the potato with a fork, add the egg, spices, and herbs, and mix well.
Add oat flour and stir. In a non-stick pan, spray or lightly brush with oil and heat it.
Shape into flat rounds and cook each side for two minutes. Serve hot with a sprinkle of herbs.
4. Hunger-Fighting Foods: Oven-Baked Fries
For those who love French fries, this recipe is very close to traditional fried potatoes.
Take one potato, cut it into thin fry-like strips, place in a bowl, and season with thyme, curry, salt, black pepper, and one tablespoon of oil.
Mix well, then spread them on parchment paper or a non-stick baking tray, cover with foil.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then uncover and turn on the broiler for 5 more minutes.
Now they’re ready to serve with ketchup.
5. Hunger-Fighting Foods: Grilled Eggplant
Eggplant is one of the richest foods in iron and natural fats, making it very filling.
All you need to do is grill one eggplant over a gas flame. Once fully cooked, add a crushed garlic clove, half a cup of yogurt, chili powder, cumin, and one chopped hot pepper.
Mash everything together, and you’ll have a filling dish packed with nutrients—all under 150 calories.
6. Hunger-Fighting Foods: Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are among the most underrated foods and are often unfairly avoided for supposedly causing weight gain.
In reality, they’re an extremely important, very filling food. They supply the body with a high amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as a good energy boost.
Most importantly, they satisfy extreme nighttime hunger. You can always have some ready by roasting them and keeping them in the fridge.
Roast a large batch in the oven—3 to 5 kilos. Wash them thoroughly with water and a brush, then line them up in the oven side by side. Bake on high heat, flipping them occasionally.
Once fully roasted, eat them hot and store the rest in the fridge for later—they’ll always come to your rescue.
