thoughts on 100 calorie snacks???

breannatrevs

I was shopping at Walmart yesterday and came across many yummy looking 100 calorie snacks. I am a sweet lover and wonder if it is harmful for me to fit one of these snacks such as the oreo ice creams, or fudge dipped bars (only 100 cals!!) into what I eat daily?

I enter them into my diary and do not go over?
What is your opinion ?

robdog316

No potential benefit, but can be used to help from over indulgeing in sweets in general. I would not use it solely for your mid meal snacks.

chevy88grl

I'm a sweet-a-holic (which is probably why I ended up weighing over 200lbs...). I was raised in a home where dessert was part of the dinner time routine. I admit that getting my sweet tooth under control has been a struggle. That being said, I allow myself to eat the 100 calorie packs. I make sure I get ones with the lowest sugar and no high fructose corn syrup. I let myself have 1 package of them a day and I journal it. I give up something else in order to have room for them in my life.

penny39

I am interested in this, too, seeing I just bought some! LOL!

AsaThorsWoman

I tend to try to not eat anything in a package... but than again I'm the one who weasel's in alcohol room.

cast59

Breanna,

There is really no issue with doing that as long as you understand that they are empty calories with no nutrition for you.
But if you have a sweet tooth like alot of people do it is not a lot of calories to give up.
Just remember that if you eat a lot of calories with no nutrition you will find yourself hungry at the end of the day even though you ate all your calories..
Hope that helps.

cfmusgrove

They are yummy, but not filling...but good for a craving.. if you are really hungry though, go for fruit or something to get more quantity of food for the same amount of calories.

khrys1

I say if you have control of yourself, go for it! I have to not buy them because I end up eating four packs! ;o)

Brett_Alan

I find them annoying if I crave a cupcake Or something like that I just get the real thing the 100 calories packs are like a gateway drug for me lol

noltes2

They are obviously not HEALTHY for you, but it's the perfect little 100 calorie treat! I use them for chocolate cravings, like the little chocolate covered pretzels!

SueInAz

They are a bit pricey for what you're getting. I'd suggest finding a treat you like and using small baggies and a kitchen scale to make your own 100 calorie packs.

rosied915

Tried them once an HAD to eat more than one pack.
That was the end of that.

funkyspunky871

I think that 100 calorie packs are perfectly fine as long as they fit in your calorie goal. Even a candy bar is fine (210 calories) as long as it fits in your goals. That being said... You're about to get to A LOT of answers telling you to eat more fruit and veggies and lean meats instead of packaged foods. I know when I want chocolate though, a banana just isn't going to cut it (unless that banana is covered in chocolate though, lol... which I've done... several times.) I'm not advocating eating only crap though; just saying that you WILL lose weight with a calorie deficit no matter what you spend those calories on. I like to think of my calories like money in a bank. I have this many calories for a day, and I can spend them on whatever I like, but once they're gone, they're gone! I know that eating my entire days worth of calories in candy and chips isn't going to fill me up; that's why I incorporate my fruits and veggies and grains and whatnot.

The only thing more I have to say is: are those little packs worth it? I'm always disappointed at how little is in one.

kristelpoole

Empty, processed calories. I'd rather have a single, rich, delicious Godiva truffle for the same amount of calories if it's sweets you crave!

miss_jamaica

I tried with those and bombed. Eating just one is REALLY hard. If you can do it, I say go for whatever treats you like in moderation.

DianaPowerUp

Empty, processed calories. I'd rather have a single, rich, delicious Godiva truffle for the same amount of calories if it's sweets you crave!

I agree. With the few calories you get to eat, better to use them for something more nutritionally dense - and that incl. dark chocolate. That's my go to now. And healthy (non sugared/no syrup added) trail mix (just nuts and berries). Your body will thank you!

DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo

I think they are a WASTE of time, energy and money....

Most folks I know dont eat just 1 pkg anyway....

finding low sugar, low fat snacks are a pet peeve of mine.... THIS IS MY OPINION for example:

I would rather meet a weekly goal & treat myself to ONE 500 calorie brownie than to eat five 100 calorie brownies in a week.... it seems that by eating 5, you aren't really changing any measurable habits and are just pacifying yourself into thinking you are eating healthy

AnnaPixie

I dont really know what 100cal snacks are specifically, I'm a Brit. But I have a sweet tooth and snack, so............

I eat a well balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner - lean meats, veggies, fruits, yogurt = nutrition!!!

But every day I have a weight watchers 90cal snack (cake or biscuit) and after dinner I have a block of ice cream - 90 cals.

If I gave up sweet things I would go crazy and eventually cave.

Good luck :flowerforyou:

kentlass

when i was losing weight the first time round(gained it all back having babies) i made sure to include a sweet treat into my calorie limits...it worked as i never binged and it kept me focused on keeping within my goals so i could have my 'treat'

definitely do it if you have enough calories free!

amerr

Like a few other people said, I couldn't ever stop myself with just one, it wasn't enough. lol I do make sure that I save some of my daily calories for a little bit of sweets though because otherwise I would start binge eating on sweets and that is not good!

Pebble321

I'm in two minds about things like this.....

On one hand, if you account for the calories it shouldn't do you much harm. There's not going to be any nutritional value in those packs but if you enjoy it, then OK.

On the other hand, I worry that continuing to eat sweet nothings (literally) is just sustaining the bad habits that got me to this weight, and will make it harder to learn good eating patterns for the longer term.

My decision has been to eat the odd packaged snack (like Special K bars with chocolate) or a small "real" treat (like 1 or 2 Dove promises choccies) or a real cake (vanilla slice is not too bad at just over 200 cals) but to aim for fruit, nuts, cheese and crackers as my regular snacks. I have a history of binging on sweets so this is a habit that I really want to change.

Ultimately it is up to you to decide whether this is a positive move forward in your healthy lifestyle journey.
Good luck!

sh0ck

They are of course better than a lot of other things you could be eating but just keep in mind that while it is only 100 calories you are still eating a lot of refined sugars/carbohydrates which aren't the best for you.

Just remember moderation.

MzBug

If you can stop at just 1 of the packets.... good for you! Better that than some other things. Unfortunatly I can't stop at 1. Processed grain products are my downfall. I eat one and I want more, and if I know there are more in the box....

ewojczuk

I think it's fine once and a while, but remember that this food does not make you feel full for long, and doesn't have any nutritional benefits, really. I've been trying to think of food as something that is fuel for my body, and this helps me make better choices. i.e. 9 oz of carrots is around 100 calories, and they take me 10 minutes to eat ... I totally feel satisfied afterwards!

ImperfektAngel

i usually have the 100 calorie dark chocolate bars from Traders Joes, I have half in the morning and if I feel like more chocolate later on in the day, I will have the rest later on in the day

melsinct

I tend to try to not eat anything in a package... but than again I'm the one who weasel's in alcohol room.

Are we the same person? :bigsmile:

tryinghard2012

Waste of calories lol. They do not fill me up; in fact they trigger my sweet tooth. Only "100 cal. snack" I eat are almonds and walnuts (raw natural).

AMBlass

I find them not very satisfying and they don't really taste as good as the real thing. It's better to just get some real desserts, like dark chocolate, to satisfy your sweet tooth. I'm getting more into clean eating, and I just don't feel that using a lot of artificial snacks can be that good for us, even if we are losing weight.

atomiclauren

I'm a "trusted source" packaged goods kinda girl but one of our local grocers carries a 100 calorie chocolate chip pack and we occasionally get it. I hardly ever eat cookies but these actually do the job (plus the ingredient list isn't all that scary)..

casi_ann

I save some calories for a small snack every day. I don't like the 100 calorie snacks because they are so thin, they have no taste to me. They remind me of little wafers of the real thing. But, if i buy the real thing and just figure out how many i can have for the calories i'm allotting to my snack I'm more satisfied. I have to drink a cup of coffee with my snack take up space so I don't feel i need more.

kristelpoole

I also keep really expensive, fancy dark chocolate in the freezer. When I crave a good piece of chocolate, my boyfriend calls them "chocolate bombs" and as long as it's natural, organic and a small, lasting bite of something rich and decadent, I'm satisfied. Most pre-packaged food tastes like cardboard once you get accustomed to the real thing! And you'd be surprised at how much healthier the real thing can be compared to what you might expect.

So, instead of making those things an everyday occurrence, I'd make them a decadent splurge or a way to really treat yourself - kind of like a massage or a manicure!

For a daily dose of something sweet, try making yourself a smoothie or yogurt sweetened with stevia and some berries. Or an italian ice or a small ice cream or frozen yogurt with nuts and fruit. Melon, berries, apples, bananas, even carrots all have natural sugars.

I know I'm rambling now, but your tastes will change if you encourage them to and after a while, you'll crave those fillers less.

Good luck. You can do it.