100 calorie snacks, are they really helping?

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Autie27
Autie27 Posts: 11
in Health and Weight Loss
OK here is the thing, I work at a super sedentary job where I sit at a desk ALL DAY! for ten hours a day. I have three day weekend and for the most part I fill them with all sorts of activities that keep me moving and burning calories. Here is my major hang up though. I have a HORENDOUS time cutting out sugar and carbs! I have healthy little breakfasts, and usually an hour or two before lunch my body turns ravenous and it craves carbs carbs carbs! I am hardly in my own head when I get up from my desk and wander over to the in office 'store' that holds nothing but tasty treats riddled with fat, trans fat, carbs and sugars! This is just the begining though, once I have one little grab bag of chips, I get another one, and sometimes even another! racking up 450 calories in less then 15 minutes. After my rediculous binge I go back to my desk and SIT for another 6 hours until I can go to the gym. AND I WONDER WHY I ONLY LOOSE A POUND A WEEK!???

In order to try and curb my enthusiasm I have tried a multitude of things. Having fresh fruit and veg on hand for snaking moments, but that only works for a few days before the card/sugar monster is gnawing at my chest. In order to sooth the monster and stay relatively health conscious I started getting the little 100 calorie snack packs from the grocery store. A varity of different carby things and sugary things. But I am not sure if this is such a good idea, it seems that if I am easing the growl of the monster in my gut, then I am cheating in some way aren't I? I have no clue what to do or how to get the best of both worlds. Am I strong enough to just go cold turkey?
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Replies

  • youngtweezy
    youngtweezy Posts: 183
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    I love my 100 calorie snack packs, but I feel like they make me more hungry afterward sometimes.
  • crjugrl
    crjugrl Posts: 172
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    I'm not a health nut, but staying in my calories is working for me. I don't eat fruits and vegetables all day, every day. That being said, I swear I have half a cabinet filled with different kinds of those 100 cal packs. If I'm having a craving for chocolate or cookies, they do the trick.. I'm staying in my calories and I'm still losing weight. I think the purpose of them is to satisfy cravings while making it easier for you to track your calories anyway.
  • Bridgetc140
    Bridgetc140 Posts: 405 Member
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    Hot tea works wonders for me. (drinking one as I type). When I'm feeling a craving, I make some. It's hot and takes a while to drink and usually kills the craving...if not, I make another cup...no harm. Those 100 calorie snacks just look like a mean tease to me....I would be left wanting more, but that's just me.
  • gidjet11
    gidjet11 Posts: 86
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    Maybe instead of thinking of it as quitting cold turkey you could think of it as saving your money for something worth it to you. When you are there tomorrow just say I don't need these snacks today, I want to save my money for...a new pair of shoes, a movie, tanning, or whatever you like! Then on Thursday you could do the same thing. Soon you will be saving for a week at a time and you will have some extra cash and a better figure too!
  • Rebjones612
    Rebjones612 Posts: 408
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    I have wondered the same thing about 100 calorie snacks.
  • jllipson
    jllipson Posts: 646
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    Try sticking to the fruits and veggies - but add stuff to them occasionally - like peanut butter or cream cheese for celery, or ranch dip for any veggies. Add some caramel dip for your apples - yes you are still "cheating" but still being healthy too.

    How about either Triscuit or Kashi whole wheat crackers with apples and maybe cheese...

    100 calorie packs are good, but as in a lot of things, small portions - give them a try, but depending on your desires, they may not suffice for you.

    Also, get a big bottle of water and make yourself drink the whole thing with the snack before going for more - it may be the trick for you.

    My biggest helper - gum!

    Just some ideas that help me.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Personally, I think those 100 calorie snack packs are the devil.

    First, they are only sugar and chemicals. So you aren't doing your body any favors there and OF COURSE you're ravenous shortly after eating them. You may as well have mainlined sugar. So you crash.

    Second, they are just perpetuating the sweet tooth. I lost this 40 pounds over 25 years ago and kept it off for 20 years. One of the major factors in that success was taming my sweet tooth. Honestly, I used to love anything sweet. Within about 6 months, really sweet things nauseated me because I hadn't eaten them for so long. ( I regained the weight for a few reasons, but none of them had to do with rediscovering a love for sweets.)

    I think it's bettter to try to tame that sweet tooth now.

    Snacks are great! But try to make them a) real food and b) something with protein and healthy fats. Bring snacks to work with you.

    It used to be a running joke (when I was thin, mind you) in my office that "Atlantique always has food". Yup, I did. Whenever folks in the office got hungry, they'd come to my office and strike up a converstation and leave with a snack. LOL Yes, they used me for my planning!

    Snacks are good. Snacks that are mainly sugar are really, really bad.
  • alysonleah
    alysonleah Posts: 23 Member
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    I know that veggies and fruits are the way to go, but I too am a carb lover. :P

    I really suggest Popchips if you can find them. Perfect for potato chip cravings. A bag is only 100 calories and I feel it is a very satisfying 100 calories at that! :)
    For sweets, Weight Watchers cakes and stuff and apple slices with small bit of Nutella or PB.

    Some of the one hundred calories packs make me feel like I just ate empty calories...
    I wouldn't recommend trying to satisfy hunger with 100 calorie packs, but just to get a sweet tooth or snack fix they work well.


    Moderation is key.
  • ll31tCH
    ll31tCH Posts: 16
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    if i crave sugar i eat a few M&Ms. normally after 10 my craving is satisfied
  • alysonleah
    alysonleah Posts: 23 Member
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    if i crave sugar i eat a few M&Ms. normally after 10 my craving is satisfied

    If I had a bag of M&Ms in front of me..I'd find it really hard to stop at 10!
    I would have to fill little bags with only ten in them, so theres less temptation!
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
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    I stash a variety of snack foods at work - of course we have an employee fridge/freezer - but a soft pack cooler would work too.

    I try to make sure my snacks are either dairy products, fruits or veggies. I also stock some frozen fruits, in the freezer - a cup of frozen blueberries with a touch of sweetener is awesome as a snack - makes me think I'm really splurging!
    Yogurts and cheeses are good snacks, although cheese has a fair amount of sodium - so if you watch your NA, then cheese isn't a good choice.

    I don't as a rule buy the 100 cal. snack packs, because I think they are junk calories, but that's just my opinion. I'm more inclined to buy fiber, cereal or granola bars. However a 100 cal. pack is way better than having a full bag of whatever!! :)

    Fruits & veggies as snacks are a great way to make sure you get enough of them in your diet every day, which is one of my goals!

    Wishing you luck!
  • Autie27
    Autie27 Posts: 11
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    Wow really great comments everyone! it seems like it is more of an individual thing on weather the snack packs are good or not. I personally do not think that they are increadibly good, and I do agree that they are mainly just enpty calories. BUT I also know that they are good for killing the cravings dead in their tracks for me at least. I think I will keep going with the snack packs f,r now, and slowly subsitute them out with other more organic foods like carrot sticks and hummus. I am at the very beginings of my journey (just over a month in) and my body is still really struggling against the carb attacks from time to time.

    It seems to be the lesser of two evils. eating a 250 calorie bag of chips, or having a snack pack that will kill the craving but be less then half the calories.

    I'd love to hear more opinions on this :happy:
    Thanks again!
  • AKFatBoy
    AKFatBoy Posts: 14 Member
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    I've found that getting more protein really helps to kill the carb cravings. I know carrot stix and all are great for you and lo-cal, but they just never di it for me. After some serious label reading and shopping I found the answer at Costco (of all places). Nugo bars are about 170 cals and have a fair amount of protein. Some sugar, but not nearly the empty calories of the snack packs. Something to try, anyway...
  • LYNNPETTY93
    LYNNPETTY93 Posts: 61
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    I am I carb junkie.. And I won't say ex.. I could have- if I didn't make the mistake of having a binger on junk, fast food, and carbs for 2 weekends in a row.. Losing my 8 pound weight loss for the month of MARCH:grumble: ...

    Anyway there is no 100 cal save.. I'm just going to be honest..
    A 100 calorie pack.. Would be less in "fat, trans fats", and maybe calories.
    But the "?" is.. Would you stick with just one pack or two?
    If you can stay with one 100 cal pack, then you can stop at a 140 cal bag of chips and work that off in the gym.
    Allow yourself to just bring in 2 treats.. Only bring in enough money to get.. Something only at break time, and carry in lunch.
    Make it a nice salad with some whole wheat veggie crackers on the side.

    When you are a carb lover.. You have to think SMART.. Have the best of both world, but go about it in a smart way.
    I love carbs, but I can go a long time without them.. Until the beast starts singing in my head. I want carbs.. I want chips.. I want cookie.. I need something that is sweet now..

    And I'm also going to be honest with you on this note right here too..
    Sometimes it's not the snack. It's the not allow ourselves to have something..
    Telling our cravings "NO" and sneaking and getting it anyway. It's like a "DIET" and we aren't on a diet..

    IT'S ALL ABOUT POWER PLAY!
    You play smart and have what you want. Work in so many grams of fat & cals in "JUNK" and have at it.
    Go to the gym and burn it off..
    Leave the gym happy and know you did a power play...
    You go to burn what you ate in junk, and pick up a little extra..
  • RoyaDee
    RoyaDee Posts: 43
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    The snack packs are way too tempting for me; I can rarely stop at one. When I first started, I tried them, but I realized that even one super-sugary thing will throw me right off the wagon. So now I go cold turkey.
  • janesmith1
    janesmith1 Posts: 1,511 Member
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    Can you do make ahead planning for your snacks on the weekends and night? 100 cal snackpack sound good on paper but they might cause more food triggers.

    Here's my own 100 cal ideas - all of these are make aheads:

    1. Popcorn - either with sea salt, or sea salt & pepper, or taco seasoning, or a bit of nutritional yeast and some sea salt. In small bags that you can eat throughout the day.

    2. Kosher Dill Pickles - gosh I love 'em. They're really LOW in cals too. I have binged on 5 of them at a time but the cal count is so low that it doesn't really matter. You'd probably have to brush your teeth and mouthwash after eating them.

    3. I like cereal, especially Dorset Cereal which is a Muesli. You can make your own to take in small boxes to work. Add non-fat milk in it...it will fill you up. You can also make your own muesli with lots of oats, some raisins and a few nuts in it.

    4. Small 100 cal salads with the dressing on it already that you can put in the fridge (if you have one at work with your name on it. Like a Fresh Express Ensalada Salad, you could break that up into 6 boxes or so and bring it already done at work.

    5. Same with fruit salad - you'd have to squeeze lemon juice on it, and get a can of reddi-wip (which is really low cal) and it's just heavenly.

    6. Bananas - love the baby bananas - they're just 40 cals.

    The key to all of this is snack planning, write it out on your food diary and just follow it.
  • bs_price
    bs_price Posts: 12 Member
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    make sure ur eating tons of protein like 100 grams a day eating protein leaves u fuller
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I love my 100 calorie snack packs, but I feel like they make me more hungry afterward sometimes.

    EXACTLY!! This crap is considered nutritional pollution!!! Its only on the market for you to enjoy and want more so that you will buy more so that the people who make the money off you are happy in the end, and not you!

    Stick to fresh fruits and veggies, fresh dairy, and lean protein! Stay away from the packaged, processed, junk! It won't get you anywhere
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I've found that getting more protein really helps to kill the carb cravings. I know carrot stix and all are great for you and lo-cal, but they just never di it for me. After some serious label reading and shopping I found the answer at Costco (of all places). Nugo bars are about 170 cals and have a fair amount of protein. Some sugar, but not nearly the empty calories of the snack packs. Something to try, anyway...

    You are right about the protein!!! Why not make snack bags of 2 ounce portions of some leftover extra lean protein from dinner? Or cook some up on Sunday, some extra chicken or turkey and make your own snack bags. All too often many people think they have to have the convenience that the grocery store provides us--you know, those fancy labeled packages that say 100 calorie! Bleh!!! Make your own snack bags. Provided you have access to a fridge--if not, its time to get an insulated bag.

    You are definitely on the right track :)
  • pretentiouskate
    pretentiouskate Posts: 186
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    My best advice for sweet tooth cravings is to make your own and freeze most of it. Total control over ingredients and portion sizes, and you can make it as healthy or as unhealthy as you want. I've seen this work really well for my father - he's lost something like 40 pounds and kept it off with a combination of eating healthy, making his own sweets (twice a week, even!) when he wants them, and walking/working out every day. He's 53, works a physically demanding job, and walks 2 - 8 miles a day. The thing that I've learned from him is to not deprive myself - just be willing to work a little harder in order to enjoy it!

    And before someone suggests Hungry Girl, I just have to say that I think her stuff is the worst! Full of fake ingredients - NOT what I'm talking about here! I'm talking more like swapping wheat for some or all of the white flour in a recipe, or trimming the amount of oil or sugar, adding fruit and applesauce to make up for some of the cut, or making cookies with oats, nuts, dried fruit, and dark chocolate.

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