The Evil Skinny Cow, and other "Light" Lies and Untruths

BajaDreamin333

Oh, how happy all of us "dieters" were the day Skinny Cow candy bars became available! We can have chocolate! Peanut butter! Caramel! Gooey caramel and chocolate in one little bag! And not feel guilty! Yum! I have realized I cannot have them in my house. Why? They're a sensible treat, at only 110 calories (give or take depending the delicious flavor you finally decide upon). It is the completely sabotaging comfort of "SKINNY". Oh yes, you can have one. Enjoy one! Fondle it in it's pretty wrapper and delight in the first crunch. But I cannot stop at one. That is the same eating behavior that got me to 240 pounds in the first place. If one is good, two is better. Hell, three is 3x better! And guess what, it is guilt free because it is SKINNY!

Don't get me wrong, 110 calories is a lot better than the 245 or 300 or 500 of a regular candy bar or chocolate fix. But I get so wrapped up in "ALLOWED" because they're lower in calories, they are no longer on the forbidden list. I need my forbidden list. It keeps me safe, and hopefully thinner.

And "light" products are doing the same damage. Light chips - heck yes! I'll have more please. In reality, I would never even think a chip is ok while I'm working so hard, but hey, they're LIGHT! Safe, OK, Allowed, please indulge. Don’t even get me started on the sodium "Light" yogurt is the worst offender, in my opinion. Yummy, creamy, dessert flavored yogurt - healthy! Sweet and almost like pudding! And yogurt is healthy right? Oh not so fast...

Many have HFCS, which for me, makes me crave more sugar. I think nothing of snarfing down a carton of yogurt as a "healthy" snack, because it is "light", "healthy" and yummy. In reality I just ate a bunch of ingredients I can't pronounce, and I'm not really satisfied. In fact, if there is aspartame in it, I’m probably going to crave more sugar in about 8 minutes. There I am, sabotaged by “light”.

Yes, I admit I have eating issues (most of us do or we wouldn't be in this battle) and I have a hard time saying no. But it is a whole lot easier to say no when it isn't available, and no matter the "light" label, if it looks like a (chocolate) duck and quacks like a (chocolate) duck, it's a chocolate duck.

So I'm cleaning out my cupboards and fridge, at least for now. Out go the "light" chips, granola bars, cookies and yes, the Skinny Cows. Into the trash with the "light" yogurt and mayonnaise and salad dressing. If it isn't naturally low in fat, sugar and calories, I'm not interested. At least for now.

Apples, baby carrots, whole wheat crackers with fewer than 25 ingredients that look like a piece of the periodic table. Salad dressing made from olive oil and vinegar. Beautiful berries and oranges when I'm really craving something sweet.

Because I personally cannot be trusted. And I'm not going to buy into anything "Skinny" unless is a new pair of skinny jeans that finally fit.

annasor70

Insightful and well written!
I so agree.... I am vegan and just because something is vegan and low fat does not always make it ok...whole foods are best and you can't beat fruit and veggies for snacks!

Unknown

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astrampe

I don't have a "forbidden list"....Not while losing 60lbs and not now.....

pittbullgirl

Did someone say Skinny cow??

Brb heading over to the freezer.
As you will see in my diary I have an Ice cream sandwich almost every single night.

Edit: Good thing I'm not on a diet.

Yup, im the same way. I have chocolate something each day. As soon as I say something is off limits, ots the thing I crave and will binge on. Sadley, it doesn't work that way with veggies

aperrillioux

I am the same way. I bought skinny cow ice cream sandwiches ONCE. And never again. Because I ate them all in one night. Sigh.

momzeeee

Yep, stick with the real stuff

bcattoes

If a forbidden list helps you stick to you goals, then have a forbidden list. I forbid anyone but me to bring Cheetos into my house. I have no control over them, so if they are there it has to be becasue I planned for it.

TS65

I'd rather have half a serving of ice cream or a small piece of gourmet chocolate made with real ingredients than whatever chemicals they put in the fake stuff. Even though you get more of the fake stuff, I find I'm MORE satisfied with LESS of the real stuff. The fake stuff just leaves me wanting more.

LadyWolf66

I'd rather have half a serving of ice cream or a small piece of gourmet chocolate made with real ingredients than whatever chemicals they put in the fake stuff. Even though you get more of the fake stuff, I find I'm MORE satisfied with LESS of the real stuff. The fake stuff just leaves me wanting more.

^^This is my thinking as well. :-)

neanderthin

It's just the diarrhea that is the dieting industry. The force is strong within that industry, and the individual doesn't stand a very good change of escape.......glad you made it.

FFfitgirl

Psych wise I think less calories= I can eat more


As for yogurt I like Kroger yogurt carb master Its low in sugar. like a third of the carbs

FFfitgirl

I'd rather have half a serving of ice cream or a small piece of gourmet chocolate made with real ingredients than whatever chemicals they put in the fake stuff. Even though you get more of the fake stuff, I find I'm MORE satisfied with LESS of the real stuff. The fake stuff just leaves me wanting more.

^^This is my thinking as well. :-)

Me three!!

SteelySunshine

I don't know what is wrong with me that stuff just doesn't appeal to me any more. My youngest daughter comments on my will power. I don't have a lick of will power. It doesn't take will power to turn down something that looks gross to me. However, if I was faced with a bowl of well seasoned air popped popcorn, we would see about my will power. I do have dark chocolate every once in a while though.

PepperWorm

I get what you're picking up, OP. There are certain things I absolutely can't have in the house or I have NO self control, chips and cookies being two of them.

However, I still don't completely push them out of my diet. I'll buy healthier ones and 'hide' them. I look in my cupboards every day, but I almost never look in my closet. Out of sight, out of mind. I'm working on it very slowly.

Good luck! You can do it.

Joehenny

So who's fault is it for YOUR lack of restrain? Skinny Cow's? Sounds legit.

Sharkington

I experienced something similar when Pretzel M&M's came out.....

JUDDDing

I'd rather have half a serving of ice cream or a small piece of gourmet chocolate made with real ingredients than whatever chemicals they put in the fake stuff. Even though you get more of the fake stuff, I find I'm MORE satisfied with LESS of the real stuff. The fake stuff just leaves me wanting more.

Have a real iced cream sandwich. They are basically the same nutrition as the Skinny Cow ones - it varies by brand a bit - but always within 10-20 calories. But cheap - like $4 for 12.

Thena81

i only buy the mint sandwiches during shark week,i need them then!! lol

TheRealParisLove

I do much better with "normal" fattening foods, too. I know it is bad, therefore I self moderate much better.

jentxyz

I think there's always a better replacement.. I still get my chocolate and sweets, but I just customize the ingredients with something reasonably healthy... just to at least treat myself, but of course not going over board.

dunlunicor

Agree with the above on the "real" stuff. I'd rather have the full-fat, full-sugar version of any treat. The "diet" versions always leave me craving - and usually binging.

The exception is chips. Can't have them in the house. If I really want them, I'll buy the single-serving - ONE of them.

bonelessskinless

Just tell your brother to hide the other 5 skinny cows and release them to you slowly

Dori_Gaga

I remember reading once: "When you hear the words 'low fat', think 'chemical **** storm'".

Diet foods are not good for you, for multiple reasons. One of the big ones is they do make you think they are 'safe' foods, and you end up over indulging because you know they are low in calories and you don't realize you are sabotaging yourself.

The second is, to make things low-calorie, they have to remove fat, but they have to replace it with something, and that something is sugar and chemicals. We all know by now that sugar is a bug culprit in weight gain, and manufacturers hide it under a list of hundreds of different names hoping we won't recognize it. Also, when you look at the ingredients of many of these things, you will find that several of the ingredients of the same item are all just different names for sugar. They do this as another way to trick you, because ingredients have to be listed in order of what there is the most of to what there is the least of. Because of this, they break up the sugar into different names, otherwise the first ingredient of many of these things would be sugar, and you would be less likely to buy it.

Also, check the serving size. By law, if something has less than 1 calorie, they can legally list it as 0 calories, even if a serving has 0.9 calories. That doesn't seem like much, but if something says 0 calories per serving and the serving size is tiny, you are actually eating calories without knowing it. Logically, the only thing that can have no calories is water, because everything else is made from something.

The most important thing to realize though, is the food industry is not your friend. They are trying to make money. Companies who make diet food don't do it because they want to help people lose weight, they do it because they know that almost everyone wants to lose weight, and that is a huge market to sell to, and the profit margin is huge. So they can sell you complete crap, that is bad for you, and loaded with chemicals, hidden sugar and false promises, and they don't care what it does to you in the long run, in terms of whether or not you gain weight, and whether or not you get sick from eating frankenfoods.

So, yeah, if you have a sweet tooth and you have a craving, you are better off indulging in a little bit of the real thing, than a whole lot of the fake stuff. And if you recognize something like diet food is a trigger for you (ie if it's in your house you will eat it till it's gone), then don't have it in your house, simple as that. You can't eat it if it's not there, so just don't buy it. Really, there is no good reason to buy it anyway. If people stop buying that **** and start buying real food, they will stop making it.

Phrick

Also, check the serving size. By law, if something has less than 1 calorie, they can legally list it as 0 calories, even if a serving has 0.9 calories. That doesn't seem like much, but if something says 0 calories per serving and the serving size is tiny, you are actually eating calories without knowing it. Logically, the only thing that can have no calories is water, because everything else is made from something.

Actually it's worse than that. If you can stomach the technical-ish reading, here's a link http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.60 but what it says is that if an item is less than 5 calories they can call it zero. That's how the brough-ha-ha over I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray got started. They were able to call it zero calories per spray so people were using 30 sprays at a time - and wondering where the extra calories were coming from. There's a lawsuit over that one now.

crazypeachs

I'd rather have half a serving of ice cream or a small piece of gourmet chocolate made with real ingredients than whatever chemicals they put in the fake stuff. Even though you get more of the fake stuff, I find I'm MORE satisfied with LESS of the real stuff. The fake stuff just leaves me wanting more.

^^This is my thinking as well. :-)

Here! Here!

if i like it enough to spend calories on it, i want to love it. flavor, fat, and all. no fake stuff for me. i'd rather eat less and enjoy more.

amandapye78

I love skinny cow... i love their ice creams. Skinny Cow works for me because ice cream is not my favorite dessert, but it does satisfy my sweet tooth without making me want more, so I have a skinny cow most nights and dont want anything else. It may not work for everyone but it does me. Without them I would be eating Oreos or something and then I would eat the whole box

bcattoes

Also, check the serving size. By law, if something has less than 1 calorie, they can legally list it as 0 calories, even if a serving has 0.9 calories. That doesn't seem like much, but if something says 0 calories per serving and the serving size is tiny, you are actually eating calories without knowing it. Logically, the only thing that can have no calories is water, because everything else is made from something.

Actually it's worse than that. If you can stomach the technical-ish reading, here's a link http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.60 but what it says is that if an item is less than 5 calories they can call it zero. That's how the brough-ha-ha over I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray got started. They were able to call it zero calories per spray so people were using 30 sprays at a time - and wondering where the extra calories were coming from. There's a lawsuit over that one now.

LOL I had a huge discussion with my sister who uses I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray because it's "calorie free". I looked at the bottle and told her it can't be calories free if oil is the first ingredient listed, as she proceeded to pump 15-20 sprays onto her ear of corn. It was a truly bizarre conversation and she never did believe me.

bcattoes

I'd rather have half a serving of ice cream or a small piece of gourmet chocolate made with real ingredients than whatever chemicals they put in the fake stuff. Even though you get more of the fake stuff, I find I'm MORE satisfied with LESS of the real stuff. The fake stuff just leaves me wanting more.

^^This is my thinking as well. :-)

Here! Here!

if i like it enough to spend calories on it, i want to love it. flavor, fat, and all. no fake stuff for me. i'd rather eat less and enjoy more.

Meh, I eat the Skinny Cow and Weight Watcher ice cream treats because I like them better than full fat ice cream. I hate the phlegmy feeling from full fat cream. It's the same reason I don't drink milk.

chubbard9

Also, check the serving size. By law, if something has less than 1 calorie, they can legally list it as 0 calories, even if a serving has 0.9 calories. That doesn't seem like much, but if something says 0 calories per serving and the serving size is tiny, you are actually eating calories without knowing it. Logically, the only thing that can have no calories is water, because everything else is made from something.

Actually it's worse than that. If you can stomach the technical-ish reading, here's a link http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.60 but what it says is that if an item is less than 5 calories they can call it zero. That's how the brough-ha-ha over I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray got started. They were able to call it zero calories per spray so people were using 30 sprays at a time - and wondering where the extra calories were coming from. There's a lawsuit over that one now.

Just whipped out my pack of gum- Trident White - "Calories: <5" The thing I hate about calories!


However, I only buy intoa few "low fat" "low cal" foods... I've switched a lot of my eating styles - potato chips -> pita chips, ice cream -> frozen yogurt, vegetable oil -> olive oil... I still indulge in the real things, sometimes, but I can control it! I do not try to say "oh this is only 50 calories, so I can have four more"... It doesn't work that way! If anything I feel guilty if I have more of the "low cal" because it means I completely removed the purpose of having that low cal food! Whats the point of buying it if you're going to eat the same amount of calories as the "real" stuff?

rubberbiscuit

I love this post. Foods which the food industry have altered to fit whatever the latest food trend is have done so much to contribute to our society getting fat. Sadly, the FDA doesn't do much to protect us from the food industry. They allow too much leeway with their labeling (ex: items can be labeled as 0 transfat and actually have transfat in them). I've been trying really hard lately to eliminate most of the altered foods from my diet. It takes a little longer to prepare, but it's so much more satisfying. A benefit is I've discovered that I really like the taste of yogurt that doesn't have all the sugars and flavorings and whatever else added to it.