What to do about syrup

I use agave and I add it to my pancake batter for portion control. They come out pre-sweetened.

Good idea! I'm going to try this out

I just pour a serving of maple into a little bowl and dip my pancakes enough for some flavor...last time I did that, I hardly made a dint in the syrup! Was surprised since I thought I used more syrup than that.

I make pancakes for my niece about once a week...the recipe I use has whole wheat flour since I dint eat white bread and I substitute unsweetened applesauce for the oil. My problem is that I don't know what to put on it, lol....I have been using mrs butterworth's sugar free only because pure maple syrup has so many calories in it....but I am not crazy about all the additives and the sugar substitute that is in sugar free stuff....is there a such thing as an all natural sugar free syrup.? Any ideas?

Just use less syrup...a serving is like 1/4 cup...that's a **** ton of syrup...certainly you could cut that down. I guess personally I've never been one to drown my pancakes in syrup....a little drizzle has always been good enough for me...about 1/4 ounce or so and it's like 40 or 50 calories or something...

I buy the frozen mixed berries, nuke til warm then mash up a bit until kind of syrupy, and use that as my syrup. Sometimes I might also add a tiny bit of maple syrup, but I don't need much with the berries.

I buy the frozen mixed berries, nuke til warm then mash up a bit until kind of syrupy, and use that as my syrup. Sometimes I might also add a tiny bit of maple syrup, but I don't need much with the berries.

Agree with this one. Some pureed or mashed berries with a little honey or agave makes for a good pancake topper.

Maple Syrup:

1 cup water (boil it)
2 cups sugar (disolve it)
1 teaspoon maple extract (mix it)

Done. I keep it in a Grolsch bottle in the fridge. .

Sure. .it's high calorie. . but damn. . it's soooooo good. . and at least you aren't eating all those chemicals.

Sugar free works for me, on the rare occasion of pancakes.

It's easy to avoid toppings, if you add a small amount of mini chocolate chips to your batter. ;-) Of course, I happen to be a chocolate freak!!

Maple Syrup:

1 cup water (boil it)
2 cups sugar (disolve it)
1 teaspoon maple extract (mix it)

Done. I keep it in a Grolsch bottle in the fridge. .

Sure. .it's high calorie. . but damn. . it's soooooo good. . and at least you aren't eating all those chemicals.

*shiver*

That's not maple syrup!

Thanks all...I am trying so hard with this lifestyle change I don't want to screw it up....at my heaviest I was 325, I am now down about 50 lbs....but I still have a long way to go. I am trying to keep it at about 1200 a day, so I constantly have to be aware of what I am putting in my mouth.... My pancakes come out to about 70 calories a piece and I use approx. 1/8 cup of syrup for 2 pancakes....if I am correct with pure maple syrup that would be about 240 calories.... That is not as bad as I thought.....

Congratulations on the changes you've made so far! Some of these suggestions sound great, too - I'm glad for me that you asked the question. lol

My question, however, is if you've calculated your TDEE? I don't know your height, but 1200 calories daily for a 33 year old, 275 pound woman seems very low. Could be room for more syrup than you think. : )

Yeah.... like a lot of the other posters, I say go for the real stuff. For YEARS we've either used cheap syrup or the sugar free stuff and this year we said NO MORE and have been switching over to 100% real maple syrup. Pricey but YUMMY. AND, the best part is that the flavor is so much better, you don't even need to use nearly as much as that fake crap! I believe a PP said this, but I either pour only a smidge on the pancake and then leave the rest in a tiny bowl (we warm ours up) and dip or just dip for things like french toast sticks. We also use REAL whip cream or even preserves and powdered sugar. I like preserves that are 100% real fruit with no added sugar or you can use fresh fruit. Dump in pan, warm, and MASH! In season fruit is naturally sweet! So... there are lots of ways to enjoy the real thing without that added mess of fake stuff. And that type of calorie is SO worth it. It took me a while to figure it out, but it is so true and I'm working on it!

Just eat real syrup. Real maple syrup is what awesome is made of.

Thanks all...I am trying so hard with this lifestyle change I don't want to screw it up....at my heaviest I was 325, I am now down about 50 lbs....but I still have a long way to go. I am trying to keep it at about 1200 a day, so I constantly have to be aware of what I am putting in my mouth.... My pancakes come out to about 70 calories a piece and I use approx. 1/8 cup of syrup for 2 pancakes....if I am correct with pure maple syrup that would be about 240 calories.... That is not as bad as I thought.....

Congratulations on the changes you've made so far! Some of these suggestions sound great, too - I'm glad for me that you asked the question. lol

My question, however, is if you've calculated your TDEE? I don't know your height, but 1200 calories daily for a 33 year old, 275 pound woman seems very low. Could be room for more syrup than you think. : )

I am 5'3, 1200 calories is actually just a number I came up with....my problem is that I am sooooo afraid of failing this time....I NEVER want to be 300 lbs again....47 lbs is the most I have ever lost...I am just afraid of eating too much and not losing..

If you really want to have long-term success, then pulling a number out of the air is not going to be the most beneficial to you. It's kind of like saying, "I really want to have better financial health. I'm going to budget my money, but I'm not actually going to take the time to add up my income or my bills. I'm just going to make up numbers and hope it works out!" You may be okay for a little while, but the changes of it truly helping you reach your goals are slim to none.

Based on your gender, age, weight, and the activity level of 1-3 hours of exercise per week (in one of your posts, you said you were working out 3 times per week, so I guessed at this. It is the lowest setting besides completely sedentary, so should be a good conservative guess), your TDEE is 2647. This is what you could eat to maintain your weight, neither gaining nor losing.

At a 20% deficit from that, you could eat roughly 2117 at still lose fat. If you were not exercising, you could still eat about 1848 calories. If you are exercising more that what I guessed at, you could eat more, as indicated by the additional calories burned during your activity.

I know it's scary to add calories when you are in the mindset of "denial equals success," but your body is made to be fueled by the food that you eat. Depriving yourself does not make you your own friend. Learning what your body needs and what is required to have continued success will. Feeling deprived and hungry and "afraid" is not beneficial to you and is not a good indicator of sustainability. Developing a healthy relationship with food, having positive goals, celebrating your successes, and setting the parameters of your program within the guidelines of actual information will serve you much better.

Syrup is not your problem. Whether you choose to use it and/or other options that you think you'd enjoy, the truth is you can eat more than you are allowing yourself and not worry the way you are. I hope you find a balance that will allow you the continued progress and long-term success you are seeking.

ETA: Also, you have to make your own choices, but taking a pill isn't the answer either. If you are making the appropriate changes, then the weight will come off. You aren't going to take it forever, so learning from the beginning how to function without it would likely be a better approach. Again, this is your choice, but I don't believe I'm wrong and feel I would be remiss in not saying so. Good luck.

I use 1tbsp of real maple syrup and stewed mashed fruit like raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.