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| Thursday, December 02, 2010 |
| “It’s only 100 Calories!” |
Two of my good friends are always “dieting.” I work with them, so I see them every day. They are forever trying different diets. I finally sat them down and explained to them that they what they really need to do is monitor their calorie intake. After I talked to them about counting calories for about an hour, they were very excited. They both started right away. They were counting the calories in everything so as not to go over their allotted amount for the day. By the second week of counting calories, I started hearing one phrase over and over again, “It’s only 100 calories!” It seems my friends had found the popular 100 calorie snacks in the grocery store.
I actually like small, prepackaged snacks because they do help with portion control. However, when you eat 3 or 4 packages of 100 calorie snacks, they cease to be helpful. My friends were thrilled with the fact that their snacks only had 100 calories. They were eating 3 or 4 packages of mini oreos, chocolate chip cookies, cheetos, etc. None of their choices were particularly healthy. Unfortunately for them, I had to burst their bubble.
I sat them down (again) and explained that a 100 calorie snack is great if you have ONE per day. After that, you are defeating the purpose of the 100 calorie snack. They didn’t seem to believe me. They were loving their 100 calorie snacks even though neither of them had lost any weight. Finally, I explained to them what 100 calories can mean.
100 extra calories a day can translate to a weight gain of 10 pounds in a year. That means that if you need 1,500 calories per day to maintain your weight and you regularly take in 1,600 calories per day, you can gain 10 pounds in one year. Once my friends heard this, they were not happy. It didn’t take much to have them agree to limit their 100 calorie prepackaged snacks to one per day. Over the next two weeks, one lost 2 pounds and one lost 1.5. Not bad!
The point of my story is that although everything from cookies to ice cream to cereal comes in 100 calorie servings, those calories need to be counted in your daily intake. I do tell my clients that it’s okay to snack on these prepackaged snacks if they have one pack one time each day. If nighttime is the time that you experience cravings, save your sweet snack for then. Be very careful of overdoing it with these snacks. 100 calories can add up quickly. If you do overindulge in your 100 calorie snacks, be sure to burn it off with exercise! Also, don’t be afraid to make your own 100 calorie snacks to take with you. They will most likely end up being healthier than those mini oreos. Here are a few ideas.
100 Calories Snacks
½ cup applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon
1 fresh apple
¾ cup dry whole grain cereal
1 cup air popped popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon or cocoa powder
10 nuts
8 carrot sticks with 1 oz low fat dip
Have 100 calorie snack ideas of your own? We’d love to hear about them!
- Jennifer
If you like this article, you might also enjoy…
Sensei Talks: Ask the Experts – Smart Snacking
Sensei Talks: Healthy Office Snacks
Sensei Talks: Ask the Experts – More Smart Snacking
Labels: healthy eating, Jennifer
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posted by My Sensei @ Thursday, December 02, 2010   |
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