Are you really eating less?
This is a guest post by Dave Darmon, the author of LifeExcursion.
I don’t know when these false healthy alternatives arrived in our always dieting society, but I do know that they are not helping one bit. Sure, the premise sounds great. “Want your favorite snack? Here, have 1/6th less of it!” That does sound amazing. That is until you kill the whole box.
I used to work in an office place. You know, the kind of place where everyone has their own cubicles, works 9-5, sits around all day, does enough work to not get fired, gossips at the water-cooler and everywhere else, and eats all that unhealthy food provided by everyone for birthday’s, celebrations, Friday’s and so on. Luckily, while I was there, I stayed quite focused and the lifestyle structure really helped me focus on my training despite my dislike for the whole answering to ‘The Man’ deal. I built these great friendships that I have to this day. Unfortunately, these great friends opened themselves, and for a short while me, to the world of 100 calorie packs.
Is it still 100 calories if you eat 4 packs?
One of my good friends and I would keep one of her desk drawers full of ‘healthy snacks’. It was mainly full of 100 calorie packs that we would let anyone from our department dive in to. I usually ate two a day as a treat because I was killing myself when not working training for a bunch of race events. The 200 calories or so that I would eat did not really effect my health and suppressed my urges. As for everyone else, the 100 calorie packs didn’t prevent them from reducing their calorie intake because they ate 4 a day. That isn’t a healthy alternative. Healthy alternatives don’t involve processed food. They involve cut veggies or fresh, juicy, full of good sugar fruits.
100 calorie packs would be great if they came with a lock box that opened once a day and allowed you to grab just one. Instead, they come in a cardboard box that is ripped open in 2 seconds and allows unlimited access to whatever is in it. That is definitely not a way to control poor eating habits.
Here is my suggestion to a healthy lifestyle that includes snacks throughout the day:
- Don’t buy 100 calorie packs.
- Buy seasonal fruit twice a week.
- Make your lunch and include 3 healthy snacks.
- Take a 15 minute walk on your lunch break. Stairs or around your floor works if outdoors is not possible.
- Don’t eat any snacks provided by others. This habit becomes an avalanche of poor eating.
- Don’t be a high school kid. Peer pressure only works if you let it.
Those are just a few of my suggestions. There are plenty more that I am sure all of you can provide in the comments section here. What my point is, is that everyone could be healthier if they want. The problem is there is a huge desire to dominate a 6 pack box of 100 calorie packs if we put it in front of any of us. If you can resist the urge to purchase of delve into this persuasive treat, you are on your way to a much healthier lifestyle.
If you are interested in some more healthy lifestyle information, feel free to check out the Health section of LifeExcursion by clicking the following link: Health | LifeExcursion
Have a good one…..
Dave
LifeExcursion
Dave is the author of a lifestyle development site called LifeExcursion. He writes about finance, health, minimalism, organization and reviews, visit him at LifeExcursion.com.
Photo by: thebittenword
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Another one to watch out for is diet sodas. They can actually stimulate appetite. And as with all sodas they can can cause you to develop metabolic syndrome where you accumulate excessive belly fat.
Nice post. I’m a fan of healthy snacking. Tony Robbins even mentions the idea of using fruits as snacks. I grew up in a home where we rarely ever had junk food around, so fortunately I’ve never developed these 100 calorie pack habits
Thanks for letting me share my thoughts on your site Ken. I hope your readers enjoy!
Dave
LifeExcursion
@Dave: Thank you for your post!
Nice looking blog with good information. In fact, I gotta lose about 10 pounds or give all my clothes to the Salvation Army.
As well as this site, I’ll be following you on Twitter.
@Hal: Thanks for checking out Wasabi Burger and good luck on shedding that 10lb!
As an office worker I can so relate to this post. Its so easy to get cought up in snacking on the wrong type of meals through out your working day due to having to meet deadlines, conference meetings etc. I can gladly say that I am addicted to an healthy life style of living and so have no fear of having to watch my calorie intake. Great post. I will be following your updates.
@David: Good to hear that you have no problems with your healthy lifestyle!
I love Oreos. And those stinkin’ bastards found their way to shelves here in France.
I don’t eat any though, because I don’t buy any. Those things are pretty close to 100 calories per mouthful, & full of fructose syrup (too much fruit isn’t great either, but not too much fruit is).
@Charles: Hahaha, watch out for those Oreos, those things are so good, yet so bad!