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

DragonSquatter

I love the Weight Watchers and Skinny Cow ice creams. They are preportioned so I can just grab and go and fit my calorie goals very nicely.

Sounds like you have issues with self control.

angelique_redhead

I like skinny cow but I have one every few months and they don't spike my blood sugars.

mckellipgirl

I have a few foods that I can't keep in the house because of this. Chips is one, and corn bread. I love that stuff WAY too much. The others I can control myself with, that's what I'm learning. Steer clear of your trigger foods but don't deprive. That's the only way I'll stick with it.

o2bADyer

We are all different and we must all find what works for us individually. If I say I "can't" have something, I'm bound to get myself into more trouble than allowing myself to enjoy "treats" every now and again. And yes, a Skinny Cow treat is by far a better option when I'm counting calories. Portion control for me is something that is individually packaged...and I refrain from going back for more.

Good luck to everyone...success can happen -- don't give up and find what works for YOU! :flowerforyou:

SoDamnHungry

Those horrible Skinny Cow *kitten*. Making lower calorie portions that you can enjoy if you're willing to use any self control at all.

rainbowbow

You sound like no fun. I'll continue to enjoy my ONE skinny cow as a dessert every night that upholds my sanity while cutting. :P


Haters gonna hate!

toutmonpossible

Anyone who doesn't realize that "Light" foods are bolstered by adding sugars of various sorts and aren't satisfying has not paying attention or has been in denial. This has been discussed practically ever since low-fat foods were introduced, about 20 years ago.

Yooperm35

I have no 'forbidden' list. I couldn't go the next 40-50 years (hopefully) saying, "I can't eat that". If I like it, I eat it.

Yooperm35

BTW - the Unreal candies are THE BEST!

dawningr

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.

Ditto

Clovergirl143

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

Me too! I love those things! I would get the big bag so I would have some to 'snack' on over weeks...Yeah it was gone in a weekend Then I tried getting a smaller bag...And it was gone in 2 days! So I just don't buy them anymore (even though they are AMAZING) because I just can't trust myself not to shovel the whole bag into my face in one sitting

aelunyu

Sugar is your best friend when you are fit, and your worst enemy when you fat. I eat 400 grams a day. Correct that, I need 400g a day to just maintain my bodyweight.

the Sugar is Evil argument quickly falls apart when you see Michael Phelps down about 14,000 calories, of which about 50% is processed carb. That's roughly 1750 grams of sugar per day.

Sugar is your worst enemy when you sit on sugar. It's your best friend when you put it to work.

Food for thought.

soopaang

I see a lot of myself in your post. I call myself a food addict because I overeat and when a "treat" is in my house I literally cannot stop thinking about it until its all gone. Cookies, candies, Baked Cheetos--I'm salivating now--cannot sit on my shelves. About 7 weeks ago I decided to instead focus on my health rather than weight loss. This meant omitting unnatural things from my life. That is almost anything in a package and anything that claims to lighten any food. "Light" items have a lot of weird chemicals and they take away your bodies ability to be rational and know when to stop.

I decided focusing on my health meant eating natural only as humans have done exclusively until the last 100 years. At first, I was very strict to omit high fats of any kind at first and just stuck to grains, fruits and veggies. After a couple of weeks I gradually incorporated full fat items in moderations. What I have found is that, with the help of food journaling and blogging, my body and my head are communicating more efficiently. I have less of a tendency to overeat and I've even noticed that I don't snap out of anger when I might not be able to have a meal for a long stretch (traveling for graduations in the hot sun).

Its not perfect but I maintain that this is about health first and not weight loss or diet first which keeps me from overreacting when I eat a piece of cake on my birthday or the scale isn't dropping as fast as I want. Besides the mental benefits I am down over 16 lbs in 7 weeks.

This might not be for you but the lack of self control issue for me has made me "diet" and gain and lose in a 70lbs range for the last 6 years. Focusing on health first helps keep everything in perspective.

nicola1141

LOVE Skinny Cow Dreamy Clusters. And I love that they're in the little 110 calorie packs. I pack one in my lunch for work every day. But I've created this mentality that they're for work, so I don't eat them at home. Not one (because, yeah, I'd eat the whole box).

bcattoes

Having a banned or forbidden list is doing yourself a disservice. The moment I say something is banned I crave it.

Totally 100% disagree with this ^^

While I'm sure forbidden lists don't work for everyone, they absolutely do work for some of us. Recognizing your weaknesses or 'trigger foods' or whatever label you prefer works perfectly for me. If I crave it and it's not there, I won't eat it.

fwinnower

The Skinny Cow candies, by the way, are "real" candies, in that they have basically the same ingredients as the non-gourmet candies you'll find in the shop. No artificial sweeteners. They are "skinny" only because they are small portions. I find the clusters really satisfying to my sweet tooth -- 99 times out of 100, I don't need anything else sweet after one 110 calorie bag.

I'm fairly sure the same "real food" thing doesn't go for the ice cream products. I used to eat them, and like them. We have a number of really excellent ice cream places near us now, though, and I'd rather get a kid's portion (I make sure to tell them that, yes, I really do only want ONE scoop) of real, excellent ice cream once a week or so than have the skinny cow sandwiches.

lauren3101

Skinny cow sandwiches? Another awesome sounding thing us Brits are not worthy of yet. :laugh:

branson101

I agree with you. I am that way about salad dressing. I just cannot do the low-fat versions because of the taste. So, i use the regular one and make sure that I measure out how much I am putting on my salad. The biggest goal, for me anyway, is to create a way of eating that is healthier than what I was doing, that fits my lifestyle, and is something that I can actually live with for the next 60 years (if I am lucky enough to live to 100). If you ban something that you really love you will not make it long term. I love chocolate so I eat chocolate. I like skinny cow products. I have a box in my desk right now. Yes, there are nights I give into my cumplusive eating. I have to own that and get up and walk over to my bike and work that off. That upsets me because it takes away from other things that I need to get done at night. Its a learning experience.

shaypearl

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.

Ditto, Love Skinny Cow

wanderer2222

dang, girl, ain't that the truth!! I never buy a box of anything, because I know I'll eat it all in one sitting. In fact, lately I've taken to buying a 3 musketeers if I *really* need chocolate--I freeze it, so it takes longer to eat, and I incorporate the calories into my daily calorie budget. I'm using the Body Media Fit device, which is great, because you can eat whatever you want, but you have a calorie "budget" for the day. Yesterday I bought 2 subway cookies and then later I was like, "holy crap, they're 220 calories EACH????" so, next time, just one cookie, if I really need a friggin' cookie. But yeah, man, beating those cravings is the toughest part of this gig. I'd say, never keep junk food at the house, and don't tell yourself "no"--if you need a cookie, have a cookie, but then eat less at your next meal and call it a wash. My 2 cents!!

pittbullgirl

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.

Omg, someone ELSE finally gets the "phlemgy" feeling too! yay! LOL

megalin9

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.

I'm the same. While I like to think I don't have a forbidden list, I have realized there are certain things I just can't have readily available to me: ice cream, chocolate, and peanut butter. I just can't stop at the one serving size. So now...those things are for special occasions or weekend outings with my kids.

I sooooo wish I had the self control to have a delectable snack like those every single night. :sad:

kimcatus

Moderation+intelligence= happiness!

^THIS!

I think it just helps to know what satisfies you; if a Skinny Cow dessert treat does it, great. If a piece of extra dark chocolate with sea salt (YUM) does it, that's great as well. IMHO.

Everyone is different and everyone has a different approach; for me, when I first started my journey, the "light" treats were perfect! I didn't feel like I was depriving myself of treats. Now I don't crave the stuff as badly, but if I want something, I will eat it. Everything in moderation and I never again want to feel guilty about eating a certain food. For me, my relationship with food is the trigger, not the food itself.

judychicken

Bump

baconjohan

mm i Always go with the real thing" (candy ice Cream etc ) even when im in a cut..Becuse if you have a sweet tooth you might not be satisfied by the "low´carb" option, and if you dont satisfy your sweet tooth you will freakin binch big f time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

baconjohan

Thats the good thing about flexible diet, you can eat whaterver you want to and still hit em macros to make em gains

jschaberick

I just cleansed my kitchen of all the low fat, non fat, reduced calories crap I had. My kitchen is now a nutrient rich, chemical free oasis! I started eating real butter a few weeks back. When I want something sweet a small square of dark chocolate. All in moderation and all within my daily calories. I have found it reduces my craving for more and is that much tastier! real food not real science is my new eating motto!

metacognition

I do the same thing.

I'll binge on those "light" packets of 100 calories a piece until I've got some serious calories to work off the next few days.

It's easier and cheaper to just buy a bag of cookies or candy or whatever and bag them in single servings.

The food companies also make a lot of money on those light packets. Getting the big box makes more sense. Just get your hubby or a friend to hide the rest of the box if you need him to !

blandwriter

Know thy triggers.

I never have, nor likely will ever be able to, have containers of certain foods around me. If I buy a container of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, I will eat them all. At once.

Sometimes you just have to stop poking the bear.

likitisplit

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.

I do so much better with single serving ice cream and chips. It's worth the extra money for some things. And I usually get premium because why use the calories if you are going to have the total experience?