Ever switch to a 'lighter' version of a food and then discover the change wasn't that helpful?

2

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I had heard over and over and over again that whole wheat everything is the way to go and sooooo much better for you. I convinced myself to eat all my delicious home made tacos and fajitas in whole wheat tortillas and I HATED IT. Im so happy to finally of wised up. A plain flour tortillia has like 90 calories for the small size and tastes loads better then the 80 cal whole wheat cardboard like substance that is supposed to be loads better.

    I will always take the white flour ones over wheat now

    I like whole wheat better actually, but the big difference for me is the extra fiber in whole wheat stuff.

    Taste aside though, a lot of low fat cheeses are a joke... You save 10 calories on low fat feta compared to the full fat stuff... Seriously, why even bother? Same with part skim mozzarella I believe...

    The reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls too... I bought them once to save calories and was sorely disappointed, then realized they only have 10 less calories than the regular ones, and I was pissed off.

    Seriously sometimes it's just ridiculous.
  • JLgettinghealthy
    JLgettinghealthy Posts: 39 Member
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    I wish that the single-serve yogurt pots were higher fat. They only seem to come in 0 and 2%. I really love the higher fat Greek yogurts but they are only available in the big pots, and the smaller ones are so convenient.

    chobani makes these DELICIOUS "indulgent" yogurt pots. whole milk! http://www.chobani.com/products/indulgent

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member

    So, I get home, log it, and am horrified all over again to discover that a 1/4 cup of half and half has only 6.. Yes, 6! calories more than the 1/2 cup of whole milk I usually use in my coffee.

    So, for a savings of 6 calories, I've had rather "blegh" coffee for years. Seriously?! AND, realistically, I could have used less half and half and still enjoyed my coffee more than I do with whole milk. It actually was a bit too much half and half.

    You have such an awesome attitude! Good job! :D

    It's very important to eat what we like in moderation instead of trying to substitute, and this comes from a former low-fat, low-sugar, low-fat girl.

    Is 6 calories for 1/4 cup of half and half an error? 1 ounce has 30 calories, so a quarter cup would have 60.

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    mkakids wrote: »
    I'm generally disappointed by fat free, "light" etc. I went to buy cool whip (which I never would have done before, but lets face it - I don't have the calories for real whipped cream all the time, and sometimes you just want something a little creamy and sweet), and the light stuff was only 5 calories per serving less. Not worth it.

    Ever had whipped coconut milk? Not crazy low calorie, but if you like coconut....its AMAZING!

    I LOVE coconut milk. Do you whip the coconut milk yourself, or can you actually buy whipped coconut milk? I'd love to try it.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    I've felt the same way about cheeses. A lower calorie feta will never be a triple cream brie. I'd much rather eat brie when I want brie and feta when I want feta.

    That said, I have felt just fine about switching from regular Italian dressing to light Italian dressing. It's 15 calories vs 85 calories per serving, and I usually have 2 servings at a time. That's one of those cases where the fat loss can be made up for with spices.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    I wish that the single-serve yogurt pots were higher fat. They only seem to come in 0 and 2%. I really love the higher fat Greek yogurts but they are only available in the big pots, and the smaller ones are so convenient.

    chobani makes these DELICIOUS "indulgent" yogurt pots. whole milk! http://www.chobani.com/products/indulgent

    I like them... but I haven't honestly noticed a huge difference in taste with the 0 and 2% stuff.
    SLLRunner wrote: »

    So, I get home, log it, and am horrified all over again to discover that a 1/4 cup of half and half has only 6.. Yes, 6! calories more than the 1/2 cup of whole milk I usually use in my coffee.

    So, for a savings of 6 calories, I've had rather "blegh" coffee for years. Seriously?! AND, realistically, I could have used less half and half and still enjoyed my coffee more than I do with whole milk. It actually was a bit too much half and half.

    You have such an awesome attitude! Good job! :D

    It's very important to eat what we like in moderation instead of trying to substitute, and this comes from a former low-fat, low-sugar, low-fat girl.

    Is 6 calories for 1/4 cup of half and half an error? 1 ounce has 30 calories, so a quarter cup would have 60.

    No, she's correct, she went from 1/2 cup of whole milk (73 calories) to 1/4 cup of half and half (79 calories).

    Heck I think you can probably make do with 1/8 cup of half and half honestly.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    Skinny flavoured lattes. I drank them weekly for years and would always immediately have it remade if I tasted it and it tasted, well, too good, because I knew it wasn't skim and sugarfree. But one day I was on a six-hour solo drive, stopped for one, and didn't want to go back through the drivethrough or wait in the huge line in the store, so I drank it, and it was obscenely good. And I looked up the calories and it was about 100 calories different, and I just thought - seriously, for the sake of saving 100 calories a week?

    It might be different if I had them daily, but they were my Friday treat only. Totally not worth it.
  • Gska17
    Gska17 Posts: 752 Member
    Low fat cream cheese
    Fat free ranch barf
    Ditto others on whole wheat tortillas
  • aerochic42
    aerochic42 Posts: 843 Member
    low fat triscuits, turkey sausage, fake cheese,
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    I used to buy 0% fat yogurt. Blech. I can't stand the taste of aspartame so I really didn't enjoy them. Now I just buy the 2% (or higher) stuff.
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    jkwolly wrote: »
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    I wish that the single-serve yogurt pots were higher fat. They only seem to come in 0 and 2%. I really love the higher fat Greek yogurts but they are only available in the big pots, and the smaller ones are so convenient.
    I agree! My fix is that I bought a $20 yogurt maker on amazon and make my own. I use whole milk, half and half and even a bit of heavy cream and evaporated milk. I put in a cup or so of powdered milk and the stuff comes out cheesecake-thick and so satisfyingly full of fat! (and unbelievably high in protein) :blush: Yes, it almost doubles the calories but I factor it in to my day's macros easily. And I would rather enjoy a cup of yummy, good for me yogurt than force down a "skinny batch" just to save a few calories. It's all about planning. I just go a bit lighter on my other fats for the day.
    Not sure where you live, but I find single serve Liberte (Canadian brand) at Costco. It comes in either 5% or 9% - SO delicious. The 9% one is so creamy and delicious, and for 142g it's only around 190-220 calories (depending on flavour), and 9 grams of protein!
    I'm in Canada too. Thanks for the tip - I'll check them out next time I'm in Costco.
    I have made my own yogurt before, but found it a bit of a hassle.

  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    This wasn't recent, but low fat and fat free dressings were very disappointing. The lower the fat, the sweeter they were. Fat-free ranch should be banned lol. It's so sweet and just gross. It tastes absolutely nothing like ranch. It made me lose my taste for ranch altogether though, so maybe it did some good LOL.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    ShibaEars wrote: »
    I used to buy 0% fat yogurt. Blech. I can't stand the taste of aspartame so I really didn't enjoy them. Now I just buy the 2% (or higher) stuff.

    Fake sweeteners in yogurt are Of The Devil. And, you can't always tell when they are coming...I've eaten 100 calorie yogurts forever, almost always Siggis or Chobani, very nice and yum. Oh, look! Dannon has it in mango, that will be delicious! BLERGH. Stupid Splenda! Totally unnecessary and ruined a perfectly good yogurt.

    Now I have to bring my darn readers to the supermarket before I buy any new kind of yogurt. I WILL NOT BE FOOLED INTO EATING SPLENDA TWICE, YOGURT COMPANIES.
  • jillianedwards
    jillianedwards Posts: 67 Member
    Am i the only one who likes low fat cheese better? haha Probably but i like that it is almost a little bit dryer? Also for those talking about salad dressings has anyone tried the ones made out of yogurt?? They are quite tasty and usually lower in calories i have found!
  • pepperpat64
    pepperpat64 Posts: 423 Member
    edited March 2015
    No amount of money will ever make me give up real butter or mayonnaise (Hellman's FTW). I've tried just about all the light/lowfat/etc. brands out there and none of them come close to the taste of the real things, not to mention not being any healthier.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Lean Pockets have just as many calories as regular Hot Pockets.

    Yeah... my mind was blown by that one. I refuse now to buy Lean Pockets, ever. Stupid lean pockets.... *grumble grumble*
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    Am i the only one who likes low fat cheese better? haha Probably but i like that it is almost a little bit dryer? Also for those talking about salad dressings has anyone tried the ones made out of yogurt?? They are quite tasty and usually lower in calories i have found!

    I thought fat free feta was nasty, but I was really surprised by the fat free Kraft cheddar shredded cheese. I use it on my egg white muffins and it really isn't that bad at all. I don't mind light ricotta or mozzarella.

    I thought I would hate sandwich thins for burgers, but in reality, they make the burger taste better because now I taste more of the meat as opposed to just bread. Also they hold up better than I thought they would.

    I have had a lot of luck with subbing. I don't really think unsweetened almond milk makes a good sub for any kind of dairy in coffee, but I suck it up for calories. It is good in cereal though. Baking with it was a bit of a learning curve because it so thick. I had to add a lot of water to my pancake batter, but ultimately it made no real difference to the pancakes once I got the ratios down except now they have less cals.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    Definitely cheese.

    The difference between fat free and whole milk mozz is only 40 calories. The difference between part skim and whole milk mozz is 13 calories.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    I use half and half in my coffee every day (I only drink one cup a day), and if I have anything less, my reaction is, "What the crap?" I have also started using a little regular sugar instead because it's cheaper than sugar substitutes, and, other than Splenda, I can't find any that taste as good. While I don't buy into all the hype about Splenda giving you cancer and whatnot, I don't think it's a bad thing to avoid sugar substitutes so long as you're not trading it off for a ton of sugar and thus excess calories.

    I can't believe I drank skim milk for so many years! It wasn't until I had kids and we kept fattier milk in the house that I re-discovered how good non-skim milk is. When I drank whole (when my kids drank it), I could usually only drink 4 oz at a time because any more than that felt too heavy. With 1% or 2% I can drink 8 oz or even 12 oz if I need the calories.
  • rhonderoo
    rhonderoo Posts: 145 Member
    I will not give up my half and half. I've gotten the fat free half and half, and will use it occasionally, since it's not high in sugar, but for the most part, I'd rather just save calories elsewhere. I also eat butter, full fat dressings and cheeses because I try to just watch my portions and a little goes a long way. Coffee is my everything... I reload my s'bucks card monthly and will fight you over a skinny sf venti caramel latte, and my three cups a day.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    jkwolly wrote: »
    Tubbs216 wrote: »
    I wish that the single-serve yogurt pots were higher fat. They only seem to come in 0 and 2%. I really love the higher fat Greek yogurts but they are only available in the big pots, and the smaller ones are so convenient.
    I agree! My fix is that I bought a $20 yogurt maker on amazon and make my own. I use whole milk, half and half and even a bit of heavy cream and evaporated milk. I put in a cup or so of powdered milk and the stuff comes out cheesecake-thick and so satisfyingly full of fat! (and unbelievably high in protein) :blush: Yes, it almost doubles the calories but I factor it in to my day's macros easily. And I would rather enjoy a cup of yummy, good for me yogurt than force down a "skinny batch" just to save a few calories. It's all about planning. I just go a bit lighter on my other fats for the day.
    Not sure where you live, but I find single serve Liberte (Canadian brand) at Costco. It comes in either 5% or 9% - SO delicious. The 9% one is so creamy and delicious, and for 142g it's only around 190-220 calories (depending on flavour), and 9 grams of protein!
    I'm in Canada too. Thanks for the tip - I'll check them out next time I'm in Costco.
    I have made my own yogurt before, but found it a bit of a hassle.

    I'm in the US, and one of our local supermarkets carries Liberte. However there aren't many varieties for sale, and the ones I've seen appear to be 0% fat :( It's still good yogurt, but I far prefer 2% Greek to 0%. Our Costco only carries 0% Fage Greek (plain, in big tubs), 0% Kirkland Greek (plain, in big tubs), and Chobani 0% as far as Greek yogurt.

    Someone recently told me that their Costco carries full fat Fage. It's been months, and I still haven't seen it at Costco or anywhere else. I'm super jealous! Fage is my favorite, especially 2%.

    Most Greek yogurt brands that carry 0% and 2% have about a 20-calorie difference between the two. To me, the difference in taste is worth the 20 calories!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Lean Pockets have just as many calories as regular Hot Pockets.

    Yeah... my mind was blown by that one. I refuse now to buy Lean Pockets, ever. Stupid lean pockets.... *grumble grumble*

    tumblr_lpxu4eU4eC1qkf5c4o1_r3_500.gif
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    RBXChas wrote: »
    Ninkyou wrote: »
    Lean Pockets have just as many calories as regular Hot Pockets.

    Yeah... my mind was blown by that one. I refuse now to buy Lean Pockets, ever. Stupid lean pockets.... *grumble grumble*

    tumblr_lpxu4eU4eC1qkf5c4o1_r3_500.gif

    more-hotpockets.jpg
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Well I suppose there were the times of eating a chicken sandwich or a salad instead of a hamburger and discovering they are the same calorie count. Doesn't mean they are bad choices but not automatically lower calorie. Or the old days of doing the low carb/no real sugar thing and being slightly miserable all the time but not losing more weight than just watching calorie intake and eating whatever I like.
  • ShibaEars
    ShibaEars Posts: 3,928 Member
    No amount of money will ever make me give up real butter or mayonnaise (Hellman's FTW). I've tried just about all the light/lowfat/etc. brands out there and none of them come close to the taste of the real things, not to mention not being any healthier.

    Agreed. And I will always buy salted butter.
  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
    Low fat cheese...it melts weird!!!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    ShibaEars wrote: »
    No amount of money will ever make me give up real butter or mayonnaise (Hellman's FTW). I've tried just about all the light/lowfat/etc. brands out there and none of them come close to the taste of the real things, not to mention not being any healthier.

    Agreed. And I will always buy salted butter.

    Yes, we use salted butter now (soooo good and really no more calories than the other hydrogenated crap out there), but I do buy unsalted for cooking/baking.

    Also, Hellman's rules. I have it every day in my swiss cheese sandwiches every day for lunch :)
  • bainsworth1a
    bainsworth1a Posts: 313 Member
    yes there are some foods that I will not go for lower calories because I do not like the taste or texture. I prefer taking a calorie hit on real cheese versus low fat cheese.
    On the other hand I do not mind 1% milk but will not drink skim milk.
    You have to do what works for you
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    reduced fat peanut butter
    bolthouse farms anything (Other than those protein coffee drinks, theyre decent!)
    reduced fat/calorie cheese. just no no no
    low fat ice cream. just no. go big or go home.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    reduced fat peanut butter

    Oh yeah, I forgot how nasty that was. Never again. Not that it really matters though. I think the last time I bought peanut butter was like a year ago. If I am going to eat that many calories in a tbls, might as well be eating Nutella. :wink:

This discussion has been closed.