Time for confessions, y'all. How many of you struggle, like me, with oversnacking at the computer or on your commute? As some of you may recall, I signed up for the May Day Weight Loss Challenge a while back as a bit of motivation for shedding postpartum pounds. It helped quite a bit, but one thing that didn't: PowerBars! I developed the bad habit of eating them like candy bars. Oops!
If you're anything like me, you either feed your face constantly with snackies on your desk or you drive yourself through the hunger all day, only to devour everything in sight come quittin' time. Neither way has worked, as my Challenge recap proves.
In examining why I haven't gotten that scale to tell me what I wanted to read, I've figured out a few things. One, even though PowerBar Harvest Bars are full of protein and fiber (good things) and low in fat (also good), at a couple hundred calories a piece and gobs of vitamins and such, they do add up. Having one for breakfast and one for lunch isn't so bad. The problem began when I started having them as snacks during dinner prep and at night after getting my son into his crib. Oh, and don't forget the times I grabbed on after his 3 a.m. feeding because I was wide awake and suddenly ravenous. Uh-oh. Yeah. I'm back to breakfast only for those guys, thanks!
Secondly, I thought I was doing the whole family a favor by not buying bags of candy and big fat bars of chocolate. The problem? I wasn't buying anything to replace the snacks either! During our last Costco trip we made sure to pick up pre-bagged apple slices from Earthbound Farm and big bags of snow peas and baby carrots (great on salads or on their own). We also picked up a bag of Kirkland Brand trail mix. Not the pre-packaged units (they cost more for less food!) but a big 'un that I went through and measured out into Ziploc bags one serving at at time. We can make good use of the nuts and almonds in our diet, and the M&Ms satisfy that chocolate craving - without the impact of an entire PowerBar. *grin*
If you've been falling prey to snack fever at the desk or in the car, try these ideas on for size. And if you're trying to fit into a new size, well, join the new weight loss challenge over at Tales from the Scales. Whether you've got 10 pounds or 100 pounds to lose, I'm sure you'll find some really inspiring stories there. I'll see you at weigh-ins!
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