Why honey?

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ildi007
ildi007 Posts: 107
in Food and Nutrition
I started to use honey in my tea...but realized it has 60 cal in a teaspoon, while sugar has (according to this site) only 15. I have to have my black tea in the morning...I know honey is better, but since I'm counting, every little bit matters! I struggle to make my 1378cal/day goal as I'm a stress-eater! ( I'm single, working mom with a severly handicapped child and two more kids who deserve just as much attention as their sister) Feeling overwhelmed, I often find myself with ice cream on my lap at night, thinking, "I so deserve this bite". My question is, how do you make healthy choices if there are less ideal, but less calorie options? I use to like the Odwalla Superfood drink, but in 8 oz there are 130 cal and within 10 minutes I'm starving!

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  • ildi007
    ildi007 Posts: 107
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    I started to use honey in my tea...but realized it has 60 cal in a teaspoon, while sugar has (according to this site) only 15. I have to have my black tea in the morning...I know honey is better, but since I'm counting, every little bit matters! I struggle to make my 1378cal/day goal as I'm a stress-eater! ( I'm single, working mom with a severly handicapped child and two more kids who deserve just as much attention as their sister) Feeling overwhelmed, I often find myself with ice cream on my lap at night, thinking, "I so deserve this bite". My question is, how do you make healthy choices if there are less ideal, but less calorie options? I use to like the Odwalla Superfood drink, but in 8 oz there are 130 cal and within 10 minutes I'm starving!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,045 Member
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    One thing that someone said here (I think Viviakay) is "Don't drink your calories." Liquids don't fill you up for long, sugar has no nutritional value, juice is concentrated fruit, so eat the fruit instead, learn to drink mostly water, and if you must have tea, don't sweeten it or use just a tiny bit of honey. Honey is much sweeter than sugar, so you don't need the entire 21g that constitute a serving. Try using just 5g instead. You will be surprised.

    Indeed, you are going to have to make some less-than-you-are-accustomed-to choices. Do you want the bit of sugar, or do you want to lose weight?
  • walnut
    walnut Posts: 216 Member
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    Wow, you sound busy!! I can see why you are stressed!

    That honey calorie count is wrong - it's 60 cals in a Tbsp., 20 in a teaspoon. I don't know why sugar would have 5 less cals per tsp, but the fact that it is extremely processed is not worth the 5 cals you'd save.

    My tip is to stay away from calories you drink - like juices. Your stomach doesn't register liquids as "fullness" in the same way it does solids, so you WILL be hungry after drinking that juice. You are better off eating a piece of fruit - there you get the fiber that helps fill you up.

    I struggle with stress eating too, and it helps me when I have cut-up veggies ready to eat in the fridge. Have lots of low-cal options on hand like that (including fruit you have washed already) so you don't reach for something in the pantry that is likely high in carbs and cals or fat. Make sure you are eating enough fiber, fat, and protein so you don't get too hungry between meals. Chew gum or drink tea when you find yourself wanting to chew something or taste a flavor.

    Also, find a way to reward yourself that isn't food-related. Find ways to take time for yourself, even if all you can manage is a couple minutes of quiet here and there, so you don't rely on food as a feel-good shortcut (I still struggle with that one... :grumble:).

    Good luck to you!! :flowerforyou:
  • ildi007
    ildi007 Posts: 107
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    Thank you for the ideas, I will eat my fruits!!! It's so great to have this support. The chewing gum idea is brilliant.
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    The above post is correct- 60 cals in a tablespoon, which is a lot of honey really! I just love the flavour of honey, and it's nice that it's completely natural. I don't know about you, but I've noticed that I need a lot MORE sugar to get the same sweetness a small amount of honey provides. I usually drink my tea black, no sweetener at all but when I need a little sumpthin, it's always honey I go for :flowerforyou:
  • czarina127
    czarina127 Posts: 23 Member
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    I like to remind people that we (as in humans ) have not been eating processed foods for very long. Honey has been around ALOT longer. It a good idea to feed your body what it knows.

    Good luck with the stressful life. You deserve to take care of you too. May I suggest involving your kids in excercise? Take a walk with your kids, all of them will enjoy it even if it's just looking around your own neighborhood they have seen a thousand times. I have dance parties with my niece, some times I carry her for weight resistance. And when I am just too tired to hold her up any more, I just wiggle her arms. She loves it!
    my prayers are with you.
  • breakingthepath
    breakingthepath Posts: 124
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    To me, it's definitely worth the few extra calories because sugar doesn't taste the same. Maybe I wouldn't be saying that if I was having say, three cups instead. But that's just me.

    On a semi-unrelated note, how does a working mom with three kids wind up with a 1400 calorie budget for the day? That sounds a little low.
  • ildi007
    ildi007 Posts: 107
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    I just put my height, weight and "job" in (I put nurse, as I'm a paraeducator working at an elementary school) and that what I got. I think it's correct as if I eat more, I'm gaining weight.
    I use to joke that my weight training is to lift my child with disabilities (45 lb, and her body is like a 2 months old's, can't sit, can't hold her head,etc), my cardio is to chase my 3 year old who often takes off from me, and I play chess with my 9 year old for the mental excersise. But lately the punds coming up and my pants don't fit, so I figured it's time to do something and this site seems very, very helpful. I love how easy it is, that it's free and you guys are here! First I tried to cut out sugar but it didn't do much, I used honey and sometimes Splenda (altough I rather not), then I tried not to eat after certain time (6 pm, but I failed, terribly). I think my body is used to the "excersise" it gets (carrying kids, shoveling snow -I live in Alaska!-) and I know I eat too much, especially at night. To make matters worst, last night, just as often, my daughter slept 2 hours tops, so I'm exhausted and don't feel like dancing around. She's 4 years old and despite all our efforts with the doctors, we can't find a way to keep her asleep. At this point I feel the only thing I can really change is my diet, so I'm paying attention to the smallest amount of calories "sneakink up on me".

    Thanks for all you help and suggestions!!!!!!!!!!
  • shariweber
    shariweber Posts: 32
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    Well, I don't have anything to say about the honey ( I only like a few kinds of honey and they don't sell them in the store around here)...
    Your childs insomnia..
    I live with insomnia, always have- some ideas- not all are Alaska appropriate...use what you can, throw away the rest
    1. force a rise and shine time
    2. warm milk sometimes works
    3. is she afraid of her room and not telling you? Is she afraid of wetting the bed? Or afraid she is "missing the good stuff"?
    4. chiropractic- my back does this thing and I don't even know it until I can't sleep for days. I can test this for myself at home if I lay on the couch with my back to the back of the couch and I fall asleep.
    5. swimming before dinner!
    6. No body eats dinner til they run around the house 5 times (exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime- but make it vigorous)
    7. is she on a low carb diet?
    8. Has her blood been checked for things like diabetes? How is her diet?
    9. Catnip tea- my mom used to give it to us as "dessert". It makes you sleepy and tastes great. Mom was super smart! Chamomile-shamomile- nothing works like catnip tea!

    Hope you find something. You need rest for your body to do its job! And so does that little one.
  • ildi007
    ildi007 Posts: 107
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    Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas! I will use them with my other two kids. :) My daughter was born with hydranencephaly, she only has a brain stem, she's blind, non-verbal, has seizures, a shunt, feeding tube, and she has no muscle control (can't hold her head, lift arm, sit, crawl, etc). She is wheelchair bound (makes it hard to go for a walk in the snow...) We had a sleep study done on her and she never leaves "stage one" , the lightest sleep. She also has a habit of "freaking out" of noises that we don't even register (running shower water, kitchen appliances, auto engine, the list is long!) I have a white noise machine for her, but the truth is, she is just not sleeping for some reason and it's wearing me down. I don't have any energy to even hop around the house. I make myself to take the "other two" sledding, skiing, swimming, but with a 3 year old, it's a slower space (i'm holding her in the water instead of swimming, I'm catching her on the bottom of the hill instead running up and down the hill, etc) I found myslef sitting around dead tired, wishing somehow I could just get up and do something that makes me feel better (so I eat chocolate !!!!!!!!!!!) I see my flaws! I'm just too close to the problem, or maybe have enough excuses for a lifetime? LOL This website so far is the most motivating thing happened to me!
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    Honey is a form of sugar and all sugars have rougly the same calories per tsp. 15-20, your 60 calories was most definitely for a tbsp.

    Also, honey is the only food that does not spoil...even better.

    You definitely have a lot of life stress on a daily basis and calories may be the biggest area you can control on a daily basis, especially with a lack of sleep. It has been said that getting 3, 10 minute sessions in aday is just as good as a straight 30, maybe even better.

    Do what you can, baby steps. We all had to take them, eventually you will hopefully be able to fit some you time in on a more regular basis.

    :flowerforyou:
  • kendallalissa
    kendallalissa Posts: 249
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    I myself recently replaced sugar with honey, like in my daily oatmeal. I don't use brown sugar anymore, but natural honey instead. Much tastier I think! And I only put a little squirt, not the whole tablespoon.
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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • ildi007
    ildi007 Posts: 107
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    Of course, you gus were right....Honeay is 16 cal, sugar is 15 cal for the same amount. I gotta pay attention! :blushing:

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