One of the things I’ve found during my last two weight loss campaigns is that it was easier to lose weight if I ate more times during the day, but watched what I was eating.
Why is that? Well, skipping meals may slow your metabolism as will crash diets (anything less than 1500 calories per day). Your body will sense that you aren’t providing it with enough fuel and slow down to retain the stored energy it has (in other words — the fat you want to lose).
The other problem with skipping meals and eating less is that when you do deplete the energy you’ve taken in, you will crash and experience major hunger. That may lead to poor food choices.
What’s the answer and this Tuesday’s Tip? Those ubiquitous 100 calorie packs that are now available everywhere. The problem is finding the ones that are actually satisfying since there’s nothing worse than opening one of those bags and finding that there’s not enough there to satisfy a craving.
Which ones have I tried and found to be fairly good? Here’s a list of some of the better ones I’ve tried:
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Entenmann’s Little Bites Cookies and Cream
Sunshine® Cheez-it® Right Bites
Oreo Thin Crisps
Nabisco Cheese Nips
Oreo Candy Bites
Is there anything bad about the 100 calorie packs? Price for starters. You’re going to pay more for the convenience. Also, as you can tell from my list, the snacks on my list aren’t all that nutritious — they are for satisfying your sweet tooth.
That also means they are probably high in carbs and may only provide a temporary sugar rush.
The good part about them, besides the taste, is the portion control. You know exactly how many calories you’re taking in without having to count or measure.
What other 100 calorie (or less) things can you eat that are probably better for you? Well here’s some of the things I also munch down on:
Cabot’s Reduced Fat Cheddars (which also come in pre-packaged slices)
Polly-O Skim Mozzarella and String Cheese
Apple
Orange
Low Fat/Fat Free Sugar Free Yogurt
Strawberries (10 large)
Blueberries (1 cup)
Hard-boiled Egg
Jello Sugar-Free (one serving is only 10 calories!)
Not sure of the calories? Click here to use an easy Food Analyzer from Kraft. com.
Hope this Tuesday tip was helpful!
Copyright 2008 Caridad Pineiro Scordato www.caridad.com
I am making a correction, possibly, to my comment earlier about the FATSO movie.
The groups of weight watchers may have been called the Chubby Checkers, but that would have been bizarre, no?
Come to think of it, considering the movie and the bunch of actors in it and the writer, it may very well have been Chubby Checkers. You need a laugh, rent the movie. It’s r e a l l y funny.
Bummer, you should have told me so I could drop by! Yep, those are good snacks as well and all the dairy products help with weight loss (or at least that’s the claim). The calcium is good for women in general and also, higher levels of calcium have been shown to combat certain cancers, such as colon cancer so it’s a win-win.
LOL! That sounds like a funny scene. Of course, I could see thousands of 100 calorie wrappers lying around them in the scene!
Darnit! I forgot to tell you I did that blog post at Sasha’s blog last thursday! I’m SORRY!
I LOVE oranges which you already have. Also I dont know what the calorie content is but I love those little Breakstone cottage cheese singles and the little fruit singles they have (in the canned fruit section). It’s a nice portion and filling 🙂
There is a scene in the Dom DeLuise movie FATSO, where he’s trying to be good about his diet and calls in the Chubby Chasers to talk him out of wanting food. So they start talking about all these utterly outrageous high calorie snacks that eventually sets Dom and the Chubby Chasers into a feeding frenzy. They even rip the cabinet doors off the hinges (they’ve been chained shut) and end up eating everything in the house.
Now, if they’d had handy 100 calorie bites, maybe the woodwork could have been saved….
I so understand. I’ve been having the Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal every morning and it’s made a huge difference. I get less hungry and have more energy all morning. I highly recommend it.
Oh man… I wish I could have one of those packs. I’m having my mid-morning craving now. Agh! 🙂