Okay, so recently, I saw someone say that they couldn’t wait for their next payday so they could do a stuffing session, apologising that they didn’t have $40 to spare.
That seems a lot of money to me so I thought I’d make a basic guide. It’ll focus on being economic, but you can use it as a starter’s guide if you need one.
Don’t waste money and time on empty calories. Things like chocolate and other sugary foods with little bulk to them are fun to eat, but they don’t actually take up much room in your stomach and are likely to make you feel nauseous early on.
Buy in bulk. If you’re looking at actual food rather than snacks, meals made from pasta and other foods that can be bought in larger amounts are usually quite cost effective. Rice, pasta and noodles are all good. (see below for pasta recipes)
I mentioned time. Time is your main enemy. The body takes around twenty to thirty minutes to realise it is full, so eat what you can before the food wall sets in!
Variation is important. Flavours and, more importantly, textures can get old fast. Make sure you’re eating something you like and switch it up if you need to. Sweet and salty flavours work well. If you plan to eat a gallon of ice cream, keep something crunchy and savoury nearby.
Liquids are brilliant for bloating but not good if you want to fit as much solid food in as you can. After a high carb meal, a glass of water can make all the difference, but if you’re trying to gain, steer clear of drinking until you’ve eaten what you need to!
Condiments are important if you’re trying to eat a large amount of dry carbs; they break up the flavour and texture, so keep a bottle handy.
If you’re into stuffing but are trying not to gain weight, it can be done. Try loading up with low calorie vegetables that still have a lot of mass. Aside from that, certain food groups can have a huge effect on your stuffing sessions.
Protein: hard to break down. Protein will fill you up much faster than other foods, which is why people try to eat as much as possible when dieting. You wont be able to eat as much as you’d like and the food wall will last much longer.
Sugar: As mentioned before, sugar induces nausea and usually isn’t bulky enough.
Dairy: Things like ice cream can be amazing for stuffing and milk is great for cooling the heat of spicy food but it’s almost impossible to ingest high amounts of dairy without vomiting, so be careful.
Carbohydrates: these should be your main focus, especially if you’re gaining. Complex carbs like pasta, rice and bread are the best for stuffing and tend to expand once liquids are consumed. Baked goods are great because you can make them yourself for a reasonable price or look in your local bakery section for good deals. Pick up a bag of cookies or a box of doughnuts for a cheap session.
I’m a big fan of pasta. Well, I like Italian food in general; pizza is great if you’ve got some money to spare, a phone and you don’t feel like cooking. Pasta is easy to cook and you’ll probably accidentally cook more than you need to. Leftovers are great.
There’s no real way to make this but this is how I do it. It’s pretty much a blend of what my mother (a chef) and a friend I met on tumblr taught me.
herbs/spices (I use oregano, basil and paprika)
Add oil to a pot and turn the stove onto a medium heat. Add the mince a stir it gently until all of the meat has changed colour.
Add onions and stir briskly to allow the onions to cook slightly before adding the tomatoes and passata.
Open clove of garlic and crush three sections into the pot. Add a few pinches of each herb/spice (this is open to interpretation, add however much you like) and sweeten with a spoonful of sugar (more if it tastes too much like tomato).
Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for twenty minutes.
Cook pasta, serve and add grated parmesan cheese if preferred.
Sometimes I just add a little butter, cheese and oregano to cooked pasta, or I’ll add a cheap jar of sauce if I’m lazy. It’s ridiculously cost effective and perfect for stuffing.
Some BBC pasta recipes that tend to be quite healthy
So, as tempting as it may be to just go to the shop and buy a ton of junk food, that’s expensive and not that effective. Some cheap ways of stuffing include:
buying a family pack of baked goods
BREAD (really bread is just great, buy something nice from a bakery and stuff it with whatever fillings you’d like)
add cheese to everything (although cheese, especially when melted, acts the same way protein does to your appetite)
add butter to any sauces (or anything else you can)
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