Nature Valley Protein Bars, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter. Can be bought at Target or online, but the big box of 18 is at Costco (which is oly there, here and there, but they are back!). Turns out to be like 65 cents per bar. Get them while supplies last. 10 g protein, 14g carbs, 5g fiber–so net carbs is 9g. I use these as one of my protein snacks throughout the day and it tastes AWESOME! It is like having a dessert.
If I ever get in a bind and need a protein hit in the morning (gotta have breakfast and eat again a few hours later), I make a sacrifice and stop through a fast food restaurant. You can order a side of eggs, a side of eggs and bacon, or if you are disciplined enough–you can order a breakfast sandwich and throw away the bread.
Yes, I throw away the bread. I sometimes feed it to birds.
The biscuit itself in this sandwich is about 30g of carbs and less than 2g of carbs for the rest of what is in the biscuit. Is the biscuit itself (white flour that is SOO not good for you) worth 30g of carbs, when you want to only eat 50g to 100g of carbs to lose and maintain weight?
It is your choice.
Discipline quotes:
“Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons.” ~Author Unknown
“Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” ~Jim Rohn
“Self-respect is the root of discipline: The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. “ ~Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Insecurity of Freedom: Essays on Human Existence, 1967
One of the hardest parts about dieting is getting over past eating styles, styles which got you into the shape you are in right now. You have to come to realize that you ate crap, didn’t exercise enough and learned BAD habits. It might have been no fault of your own, but it happened. You are a grown person, so you have to deal with it.
You have to learn to eat a different way, but like with anything, if you learn how to do it in a way that you don’t find boring, you find things that you like to eat that are better for you and you do it all long enough, it is a lifestyle change and not a diet.
Do you want to be skinny? Do you want to stop feeling bad that you say you want to do it or you will start tomorrow and never do it? Then just start.
Go shopping and find all of the necessary ingredients. Read my past blogs and find out what you can do to make it happen. Ex: 6 proteins a day (I write all about lists of them), only 50-100 g of carbs per day, 4 small servings of veggies, 2 small servings of fruits (each has different carbs, research…berries and citrus are the lowest), and two small salads a day. Eat every 3-4 hours and don’t let yourself get too hungry or thirsty. Drink your non-sugar beverages. Look at labels. Count carbs.
Stop procrastinating. How much do you want to do it? Do it and stop whining. It is not hard. I will answer any questions that you might have, but start it. Realize that you have the discipline to say “no.” When I go out to eat and I order my protein meal (meat and salad, eggs and bacon, etc.), I ask for grilled veggies or tomatoes instead of potatoes and I ask for fruit instead of toast or bread. It is habit now. I always turn free bread away before they put it on my table. You have to learn to do it or to just have one. Don’t let them bring the never-ending bowls of carbs to your table. JUST SAY NO!
I spent years wondering why I was overweight. I was overweight because I ate those bread baskets, and ate the fries, hash browns or the chips that came with a meal. I don’t allow those in my life anymore. There is a Russian lady who makes my salads and I told her that I noticed that everyone that came in who was overweight ate a healthy sandwich or salad and had a bag of chips with their meal. She said, “American’s love potato chips.” That is true, and there is also a correlation with the potato lovers and that our society is so obese right now. You want a fry? Have one or two. You can’t be thin and eat a serving of potato chips, hash browns, baked potatoes or fries. I don’t do potatoes, rice and my wheat is limited (no bread or cereal–although, once in a while, I have Western Bagel’s Perfect 10 bagel at 10g net carbs and a low-carb burrito tortilla at about 7 g net carbs–ONCE in AWHILE.).
At first, this all seemed like a sacrifice, but it was actually not so bad after a few weeks. Now, I feel very disciplined and good that I watched about 40 pounds fall off of me and I will be damned to put them back on. So, I still follow all of those rules. My husband backs me and when anyone tries to sabotage me with trying to get me to order something against my rules, I tell them quite frankly, “No, I don’t do sugar or wheat.” I am proud of it and it makes me feel even better about my self-esteem. Losing weight and being able to say no are very empowering. If no one else likes it, too bad. This is my health, my life and my body.
Now, it is your turn to feel this way! JUST SAY NO. You won’t die with low carbs and no potatoes in your life.
REPLACEMENTS OF POTATOES:
There are tons of cauliflower recipes out there where you can make faux pizza crusts, faux mashed potatoes, etc and they taste great–instead of potatoes. You can make baked Kale chips instead of eating potato chips.
So learn NEW ways to make things, enjoy them and they will become part of your new skinny lifestyle. Or you will start to look like a potato.
How would you like a protein snack/meal to die for? Something made up of Belgium chocolate, it tastes great, has 10g of protein and only 8g of carbs, 1 g of fiber–making it 7g of net carbs?
Too good to be true? Not if it is made by my favorite protein bar maker, Power Crunch.
Power Crunch Choklat. The company says this about it, “Real chocolate meets real nutrition in Choklat Crunch® – 10 grams of Proto Whey protein in world class Belgian chocolate.
Made with exotic Belgian chocolate and fortified with 10 grams of Proto Whey protein in each bar, Choklat Crunch® is truly a unique offering. With only 100 calories per serving, Choklat Crunch® is an indulgence to feel good about. Made without the use of sugar alcohols, a known cause of gastric distress, Choklat Crunch® is truly a gold standard in both nutrition and taste!”
It comes in dark and milk chocolate. I just ordered boxes of both and I will report on it as soon as I try it. Best deal I have found so far, Vitacost.com. $16.99 for a box of 12. Free shipping on orders over $49. I bought 3 boxes. I don’t mess around. It is chocolate low-carb heaven. My sister-in-law told about it, loved it, and that is good enough for me. I know I already love their regular chocolate and their peanut butter favors.
I am excited. Forget fattening, non-nutritious candy bars. You can have this and stay skinny, be healthy.
I thought about the lady in yesterday’s blog, who was hungry and perhaps emotionally eating. I thought about what to do in a hunger emergency, so you don’t sabotage yourself in a glucose-low, and fill up on a high sugar item and keep feeding the vicious cycle of the blood sugar roller coaster–which leads to weight issues and poor health.
First of all, you should be eating a protein portion (4 to 6 ounces of meat, an egg or some cup of cheese. If you do this, you will cut down significantly on those lows. But, when you first lower sugar and carb intake, the lows are more felt and more often, until your body gets used to the new lifestyle. This could take around a week.
So, lastly, when you feel hungry, here is what you can do to fill in the gap until your next protein meal out of your minimum of six per day, spread out 3 to 4 hours in-between each meal.
Emergency Food
1. Have one of your four daily half-cup portions of vegetables. Or do two. Have one of your two small portions of salads and/or put your vegetables in it.
2. Have a liquid protein shake, about 6 ounces. This should cut your craving down significantly.
3. Have a small extra portion of a very low carb protein–meat, egg, cheese. You can do Greek yogurt, but keep in mind that if you do a flavored yogurt, pick wisely. One person I know loves Chobani and it is loaded in sugar and carbs. No wonder she likes it. Dannon Lite and Fit flavored Greek Yogurt has less than half of the sugar and carbs. If you eat the Chobani, you probably might as well eat the jelly beans (don’t).
4. Have just a few ounces of nuts or seeds.
5. Have one of your two small fruits that you can have in a day. Stick with lower sugar fruits if you can, like citrus or berries. You can even blend some into that protein shake/drink.
6. Have a low carb protein bar Ike Power Crunch, at 10g of carbs.
7. Make a low carb pizza, made with a cauliflower base. I have blogged about it before, but you can look at this particular recipe. http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/09/healthy-pizza-with-a-cauliflower-crust/
8. The low carb version of a Taco Bell Supreme item. I buy low carb burrito shells at Costco or Trader Joes, but they are at other places. They say low carb on them. Compare and Contrast. But, I make this all of the time and it is delicious. http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/985
9. Have these delicious soy pretend-pasta noodles. I have had them and they are good. Miracle Noodles aren’t good. These are good. They are at Ralph’s and Amazon.com. A little pasta lower sugar pasta sauce and cheese us yummy and filling.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/shiratakinoodle.htm
Writing this blog made me hungry. I am going to go make number 8, right now.
Sometimes the strongest cravings for food happen when you’re at your weakest point emotionally and you may turn to food for comfort. Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Emotional eating often leads to eating too much, and you most likely will eat too much of the wrong things. I talked to a woman today who ate jelly beans when she knew she had to do a fasting blood test the next day. There are take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals.
Emotional eating is eating as a way to push down or soothe out negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Things happening to you in life and the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts. These triggers may include:
Although some people actually eat less when stressed, if you’re in emotional distress you may turn to impulsive or binge eating — you may rapidly eat whatever’s convenient, without even enjoying it. In fact, your emotions may become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically or impulsively reach for a treat or a sweat, whenever you’re angry or stressed without stopping to think about what you’re doing. Food also serves as a great distraction. If you’re worried about a test, or some life event, or brooding over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation. Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The emotions return, and you may also now bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss or health-related goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel bad, and you overeat again. 
You can take steps to control cravings and renew your effort at weight loss. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:
Realize there are two different cycles: Healthy and Unhealthy Eating. First picture here is unhealthy. Second is healthy.
A great proverb: ““Good habits result from resisting temptation”
I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you are on a diet and someone (who KNOWS you are on a diet) offers you something NOT on your diet.
It happens all of the time. Temptation. Sabotage. Whatever you want to call it. It is annoying and it is real.
What can you do to prevent temptation? 10 Ways To Reduce Temptation:
1. Never go anywhere hungry. My father was thin and he used to go to dinner after eating a piece of chicken breast at home. I always wondered why he did such a weird thing. Eat before going out? I get it now. He was a reformed chubby kid and as an adult, he learned how to stay thin. I didn’t figure it out until after he passed away and I lost my weight. So, eat some protein before you go out to a dinner with other people. You will find it easier to pass up the rolls and ordering food based on hunger vs. nutritional need. Once you get good at doing it, it will become a normal routine or habit.
2. If you do go out, tell the server to not bring rolls and you will NOT be ordering dessert.
3. Don’t go shopping hungry and go with a list of items that you need, items that are nutritious and part of your diet.
4. Don’t keep bread in the house, if at all possible.
5. Always have protein in the house. Meat, cheese,eggs, Greek Yogurt, nuts, seeds, protein bars. If you are hungry, have a protein drink or some cheese/meat slices to kill off the hunger.
6. Eat protein every 3-4 hours and don’t go longer or you will be more likely to cheat. You are weaker in your strength of saying “NO” when you are hungry.
7. Warn people who have invited you over or out that you are on a special diet and just let them know that you need cheese, meat, nuts, eggs and you cannot eat grains like rice or bread and no beans. If they ask why, tell them it is for something medical or you need to be low sugar and those things convert to sugar. It is really no one’s business anyway.
8. Drink plenty of water or some form of sugar free beverage and keep full and hydrated on it.
9. If someone keeps asking you to try something that is NOT on your diet, don’t be afraid to say something to them. Don’t cave in. What they are doing is WRONG. You can say, “You know, I know you are trying to be nice, but that what they are asking you to eat is not good for your health. You don’t have to mention weight, just say “health” and they are more likely to back down. I, personally, have no trouble saying, “Hey, stop trying to sabotage my diet or my health.”
10. Remember that just because it is a holiday, or someone’s birthday, or the weekend or whatever the excuse–doesn’t meant that you have to eat something that will set you back for days after weeks or months of working so hard. I never really understood why we have to eat things like cake or ice cream when it is your birthday anyway. Who came up with that idea?
BONUS ANSWER: Get sugar free/low carb/gluten-free replacements of items that are sweet. There are bakeries now that make these things and you can Google and have all kinds of replacements mailed to you. So look into it and don’t just eat whatever crap comes your way. You don’t have to do it. Be strong for YOURSELF!
If you want to get and stay skinny, you have to get your brain to help you in the quest to feel full and not overeat. As you have heard before, breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. You will also have MORE energy to do things throughout the day.
There has been a study. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130326151127.htm
“The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or “satiety” along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed,” according to Assistant Professor, Heather Leidy.
“Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks,” Leidy said. “These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods.
Examples of Protein Rich Breakfasts:
Cereal and wheats/grains are NOT a protein rich breakfast, so you will be triggered to eat more later. Lindora.com sells high protein pancakes, if you are so inclined once in awhile!
I just came back from Costco and I am so happy. Less than $10 for a box of 12. Only 8g of carbs per container. Only 80 calories and 12g of protein (more than double than that of just regular yogurt) and half the carbs! A win-win!
The price is great, the protein content is great and the carbs are excellent. What a great breakfast, snack, lunch or dessert. Put a few strawberries or blueberries in it and it is a true filling, delish dessert. It is so creamy and tangy compared to plain boring ole yogurt.
Ever catch yourself nodding off about an hour or two after lunch? “If you started your day with nothing more than a cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal, you’re bound to feel your energy start to drop sooner in the day.” Protein six times a day helps this from happening.
And if your lunch mainly consisted of carbs, then after a meal later on, there is a huge drop in blood sugar. However, after any meal, your blood sugar rises for about two hours—and then it drops off. Your lunch has to contain enough protein and fiber, and if not, then your blood sugar can rise and drop even more quickly, causing you to feel groggy.
Even if you eat a substantial breakfast and a lunch that combines carbs and protein, you might still have the midday slump. Eating raises your body’s core temperature as the body works to digest and metabolize your food. After you eat a meal, a few hours later, your core body temperature drops, signaling your brain to release melatonin, which causes you to feel tired.
One thing that can help is to exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to provide more energy throughout the day. If you aren’t able to get in an early-morning or lunchtime workout, try a 15-minute power walk around the time you usually start your slump. Snacking helps to control blood-sugar levels. The ideal snack is around 200 to 300 calories and contains a balance of carbohydrates and protein.
If you want to lose weight and keep your metabolism going AND you want to stay awake during the day and be productive, you need to eat your midday snack.
8 suggestions for a snack:
1. A piece of fruit and two tablespoons of peanut butter (or another nut butter).
2. One ounce of almonds and a handful of grapes or a piece of fruit.
3. One ounce of cheese with a few whole-wheat crackers. Watch the carbs in the crackers. Look at the box.
4. Two ounces (a moderate handful) of trail mix.
5. Six ounces of greek yogurt with fruit.
6. A low carb protein bar
7. A hard boiled egg and a piece of fruit.
8. A couple of slices of meat, cheese and a piece of fruit.
Skinny-Rules 