The Get Me Through The Day Thread

neuro-praxis

This is your healthy snacks thread for when you're eating on the hoof. Post up your ideas for food to shove in your bag - or grab at the nearest Centra - to stave off the hunger pangs when trying to eat a healthily controlled diet.

This morning I grabbed a WeightWatchers peanut bar and a pear for my mid-morning munchies.

Other things that work well for me:

• A couple of mini-pittas (M&S do great soft little ones and they're naturally low in calories)
• A selection of fresh fruits
• A Curly-Wurly or a Fudge bar for the odd chocolate hit
• A pot of good, natural yoghurt - like Glenisk
• 2 crackerbreads and a triangle of Low Low or Laughing Cow cheese
• Walkers Baked Crisps!

These foods are my lifesavers in the gaps between meals! Share your ideas too. The simpler, the better.

rubadub

Watch out for weightwatcher meals. Always fully read and understand the labels and portion sizes. Many weightwatcher meals are simply small packs, all the frozen food is lower in weight than the average other brand, and usually around the same kcal per 100g as others. Weightwatcher bread is nothing special at all, they just quote low portion sizes that people usually would not eat. And they are relatively expensive compared to other brands. Also on the ingredients list you can spot that some packs are simply watered down, so a WW lasagna might seem to have low calories, but really you could just eat a a 1/2 portion of a regular brand one and drink water!

I make batches of my own spag bol or curry, then put them in jars and weigh them, and freeze or stick them in the fridge. You can work out the calorie content from all the packs you combine.

Walkers baked crisps are really nice, low in fat, but in fact are not particularly low in calories since the weight you save in fat is made up of processed carbs. Probably a little healthier than normal crisps, but no match for a boiled/steamed spud.

Your curly wurlys & fudge is again down to portion size. It is cheaper to just get a bar and eat half, - but like myself you probably end up scoffing the lot!

I have the odd tin of beans, a full tin is only around 250kcal and very filling.

neuro-praxis

No offense rubadub, but the food choices I make are informed. The reality is that I can't stay motivated with weight-loss without small treats, and they work excellently.

I find it hard to believe that when you're on the bus and hungry between meals, you're snacking on a boiled potato, a can of beans or a jar of home-made spag bol.

I also of course eat beans and boiled spuds and home-cooked spag bol - but the above are perfectly acceptable treats for me while on the move!

ali.c

neuro-praxis wrote:

No offense rubadub, but the food choices I make are informed. The reality is that I can't stay motivated with weight-loss without small treats, and they work excellently.

True, but i think his points were good for people less informed?

Anyhow good food on the go

Unprocessed nuts
Fruit
I make home made granola bars and bring them with me
and i usually have a tubaware container with mixed seeds with me, to add to natural yogurt.

The big thing for keeping myself on track though is to have an idea of what i am going to eat snack wise before i leave the house, that and learning how to make informed food choices.

Everyone does get caught out from time to time, and IMHO something okayish like a wrap from M&S is better than missing the meal, because if you are starving its alot more difficult to make good food choices.

Tar.Aldarion

neuro-praxis wrote:

I find it hard to believe that when you're on the bus and hungry between meals, you're snacking on a boiled potato, a can of beans or a jar of home-made spag bol.

I don't eat snacks, but if I did, I imagine I would be bringing around potatoes or beans with me, lol, I have odd tastes.
Plain biscuits or popcorn would be something I might eat.

Vegeta

neuro-praxis wrote:

I find it hard to believe that when you're on the bus and hungry between meals, you're snacking on a boiled potato, a can of beans or a jar of home-made spag bol.

How many meals do you eat a day?

Turquoise

Corn cakes!!! I cannot stress how amazing they are.
You know rice cakes, right? Well they're like those, only corn cakes actually have a flavour!

neuro-praxis

ali.c, would love your granola bar recipe if you'd share??

Vegeta - it's hard to say. What I do is I plan the night before what I will eat for the following day. My two certain meals are breakfast and dinner. Then I pack a stack of food for my working day, which I spread out and eat at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. So I guess I have five meals a day.

Turq, where can you get corn cakes? And what's the calorie content/saturated fat like - and what are they good with?

dubsgirl

Tesco's have started selling six packs of pretzels (did I spell that right)
It's part of their healthy living brand great to have in the car...

Turquoise

The corn cakes we get are made by Ryvita, they come in a box of ten snack packs, each containing three.
Here's what it says on the box, per pack of 3:
Kcal - 48
Fat - 0.4g
Saturated Fat - 0.1g
Fibre - 0.1g
Salt - 0.1g

They're great with a bit of cheese (especially spreadable type cheeses) and tomato or relish, equally so with a mashed up boiled egg. I actually often eat them on their own, but they'd be a bit bland for most people's taste.

ali.c

neuro-praxis wrote:

ali.c, would love your granola bar recipe if you'd share??

Will throw it up later the recipe is at home, though it is usually part my post workout meal cause there is a good amount of honey and stuff in them.

How about few recipe stickies, afterall no matter what eating plan you are following making it tasty is essential.

CathyMoran

When I used to diet I found rice cakes or popcorn to be great. The greatest tip that I ever had was to have a glass of water half an hour before you start a meal as it will make you feel full, I lost half a stone that way.

eclectichoney

ali.c wrote:

The big thing for keeping myself on track though is to have an idea of what i am going to eat snack wise before i leave the house, that and learning how to make informed food choices.

QFT. Would also love that granola bar recipe ali

Will second the nut recommendation - though my problem is usually eating too many! They're so handy though, and sole pretty much everywhere these days.

Suaimhneach

Popcorn works a treat. Or a flapjack. They're more filling than really healthy.

A great trick is just to wait, wait until the next meal, rather than trying to fill the gap. Just ignore the hunger pang. Dont give into the snack on the bus home before dinner. Eventually you're body will get used to this regularity and it'll become easier.

ali.c

Granola Bar Recipe (makes 16)

350 g Rolled Oats
30g Shredded Cocount
50g Flaked Amonds
45g Wheatgream
30g Seasme Seeds
35g Sunflower Seeds
55g Dried chopped apricots
185ml Honey
55g soft brown Sugar
125 ml vegetable oil

Heat: Sugar, oil and honey in a pan untill sugar dissolves
Throw the dry ingredient into a bowl and mix well
When the sugar is dissolved add wet mixture and mix well

Chuck into a pre-heated over (130 Degrees)

Bake for 50mins

I dont follow it exactly and tend to lessen the sugar quanity and throw in whatever seeds etc i have at home.

neuro-praxis

These sound delicious.

Using www.fitday.com I worked out the calorie content in these bars - the recipe as a whole is 3061 calories - 46% fat, 48% carbs, 6% protein.

How many bars do you get from a recipe? If you got 20 then 153 calories per bar sounds pretty good?

Oryx

I do what Jesjes said. I allow myself to get hungry. Its a good, tip, your stomach does get used to being empty sometimes.

If all else fails and Im craving something till I can eat properly, I eat things like pear, grapes, raisins, raw carrot, or drink fruit juice or (yeah i know...) coffee. Unbuttered brown bread is a really good fill up as well, but it has to be the good quality non-yeast loaves (mccambridge et al). Sounds boring but honest to god, it works!

watna

ali.c wrote:

Granola Bar Recipe (makes 16)

350 g Rolled Oats
30g Shredded Cocount
50g Flaked Amonds
45g Wheatgream
30g Seasme Seeds
35g Sunflower Seeds
55g Dried chopped apricots
185ml Honey
55g soft brown Sugar
125 ml vegetable oil

Heat: Sugar, oil and honey in a pan untill sugar dissolves
Throw the dry ingredient into a bowl and mix well
When the sugar is dissolved add wet mixture and mix well

Chuck into a pre-heated over (130 Degrees)

Bake for 50mins

I dont follow it exactly and tend to lessen the sugar quanity and throw in whatever seeds etc i have at home.

That looks yummy. I'm a fan of cereal bars (ones without raisins!) so I'll definitely try it. Do you have to go to health food shops to get the wheatgerm or can you get it in a supermarket?

ali.c

neuro-praxis wrote:

These sound delicious.

Using www.fitday.com I worked out the calorie content in these bars - the recipe as a whole is 3061 calories - 46% fat, 48% carbs, 6% protein.

How many bars do you get from a recipe? If you got 20 then 153 calories per bar sounds pretty good?

16 or so depends on what size you make them, though the fat content is high alot of it is good fat from the seeds and the like

North&South

neuro-praxis wrote:

These sound delicious.

Using www.fitday.com I worked out the calorie content in these bars - the recipe as a whole is 3061 calories - 46% fat, 48% carbs, 6% protein.

How many bars do you get from a recipe? If you got 20 then 153 calories per bar sounds pretty good?

Blimey, neuro-praxis! Pleased to meet ya!

I've used fitday.com on & off for about 7 years now & I have to say that I have NEVER come across a fellow user! Oh, I've told people about it, but they just look blankly at me
I think it's fantastic tool & it's great for working out home recipes - I love their graphs too, especially the weight loss one when it's going down - not so good when it goes back up again though... oops!
One thing I didn't get though... you know on the exercise input screen? If you compare walking for an hour with sex, how come walking always wins? SO not fair

Turquoise

North&South wrote:

Blimey, neuro-praxis! Pleased to meet ya!

I've used fitday.com on & off for about 7 years now & I have to say that I have NEVER come across a fellow user! Oh, I've told people about it, but they just look blankly at me
I think it's fantastic tool & it's great for working out home recipes - I love their graphs too, especially the weight loss one when it's going down - not so good when it goes back up again though... oops!
One thing I didn't get though... you know on the exercise input screen? If you compare walking for an hour with sex, how come walking always wins? SO not fair

I use fitday as well - it's brilliant. Like you said, especially for home recipes, otherwise I'm clueless about what I'm eating!

Shockin Stockin

I've started using Odlums Vita Grain cereal bars in the morning, I used to skip breakfast,(big no no I know). I find that despite looking small and a bit mean, they are chewy, tastey and stop me having a scone or toast around 11.
They've plenty of fibre which is also benifical.

Vegeta

KtK wrote:

I do what Jesjes said. I allow myself to get hungry. Its a good, tip, your stomach does get used to being empty sometimes.

I know this is going to seem counter productive but actually skipping meals is a terrible way to lose fat. Yeah you'll lose weight but it wont be fat

When you go for long periods (over night etc) without food your body goes into a famine like mode. As fat has about twice as many calories as carbs or protein your body will try and hold onto the fat and use everything else as a food source first. So you wont lose any fat but you may lose some muscle. it is also why breakfast is so important.

This is why people say that to lose fat eat 5-6 evenly sized meals at regular intervals during the day. Your body never feels starved so will more readily give up to the fat as energy

neuro-praxis

I would be inclined to agree with Vegeta - and not just for the physiological reasons that he has stated.

Applying control in situations where there is a temptation to eat when you're not hungry is one thing - but denying your body food when it's asking for it is another.

On a psychological level I find denying myself a snack when I need it leaves me feeling deprived and more likely to give up, or it leads to me feeling starved and making poor food choices as a result. But that's just me.

Oryx

Vegeta wrote:

I know this is going to seem counter productive but actually skipping meals is a terrible way to lose fat. Yeah you'll lose weight but it wont be fat

When you go for long periods (over night etc) without food your body goes into a famine like mode. As fat has about twice as many calories as carbs or protein your body will try and hold onto the fat and use everything else as a food source first. So you wont lose any fat but you may lose some muscle. it is also why breakfast is so important.

This is why people say that to lose fat eat 5-6 evenly sized meals at regular intervals during the day. Your body never feels starved so will more readily give up to the fat as energy

Thats sound advice. I didnt mean actually skipping proper meals, sorry if it sounded that way. My problem is if I fill up between meals, I tend not to take that into account when I do sit down to eat properly,:o hence the self control and allowing myself to be hungry. I dont actually skip meals, but I do wait till mealtimes to eat, rather than grabbing a bag of crisps or even a sandwich.

ali.c

KtK wrote:

Thats sound advice. I didnt mean actually skipping proper meals, sorry if it sounded that way. My problem is if I fill up between meals, I tend not to take that into account when I do sit down to eat properly,:o hence the self control and allowing myself to be hungry. I dont actually skip meals, but I do wait till mealtimes to eat, rather than grabbing a bag of crisps or even a sandwich.

I guess it really depends on your lifestyle too. I used to under-eat maybe 2-3 days and then going on an all day binge on the third or fourth day, cause after that long i genuinely was starving. To make matters worse if you then beat yourself up over eating, it becomes cyclical.

Anyhow doing a masters and really setting my own hours, so i dont have set meals during the day. At the moment if i dont schedule my meals to be pretty regular then i find i skip meals and then make up for them later on with rather poor choices.

Eating 5-6 times a day is a bit awkward at times, but i have gotten used to it. To be honest it is a much much healthier approach than what i was doing, plus i am a narky bitch when i am hungry so its better all round.

pid()

I've seen popcorn mentioned a few times in this thread so I have to ask, is popcorn not bad for you? I am a major popcorn fan but always thought it was contributing to my weight increase. Am I wrong?

neuro-praxis

This is the nutritional info on the back of a packet of Manhattan popcorn (30g):

Calories: 135
Fat 4.3g of which saturates 2g
Sodium 0.2mg
Carbohydrate 21g
Fibre 4.1g
Protein 3g

As someone who doesn't know very much about it, the above looks ok to me. However opinions are very divided on its glycaemic index for some reason - I have seen it listed as low, medium and high.

Maybe g'em can help?

From my perspective as a non-professional I think popcorn every now and again is fine and it hasn't affected my weight-loss. I try to go for air-popped stuff and of course I wouldn't be slathering it in butter or anything.

g'em

pid() wrote:

I am a major popcorn fan but always thought it was contributing to my weight increase

Generally speaking (allergies and food-related conditions aside) it's not the foods you eat in isolation that make you put on weight, it's the overall excess in calories. There's nothing at all wrong with air-popped, no-added salt popcorn, it's naturally low in fat and high in fibre. It's also a very tactile food, so even with a small serving you can make it last a long time.

Like NP said, avoid buttered or toffee versions. Given that it's a treat snack, and not a daily staple I wouldn't worry too much about the GI - just eat it in moderation and enjoy it, it's a heck of a sight better for you than a mars bar

pid()

Cheers guys, that cleared things up nicely for me. There's some great advice on here and I appreciate your help. I guess the last thing I need to do is exercise. I'm going to follow the advice from the college thread and try not to snack too much. Hehe.

Tar.Aldarion

I like to get popcorn seeds and make it myself, don't buy it pre-made in packets.

misswex

Do you not some of those popcorn seeds are laden with salt which I imagine isn't the best for ya health wise.

I love Manhattan popcorn and they come in handy size packets so they are great if you fancy a snack during the day, just enough to keep you happy.

ali.c

misswex wrote:

Do you not some of those popcorn seeds are laden with salt which I imagine isn't the best for ya health wise.

The actual seeds that you buy in a packet are just seeds, presumably thats what tar is referring to. The only added salt is that salt you add yourself so its alot better than the microwavable variety!

Dragan

Just to throw another slant on it, why look at not eating that mars bar or packet of crisps as bad thing?

When i beat an urge i haven't denied myself anything.

I have suceed in my goal.

tribulus

Dragan wrote:

Just to throw another slant on it, why look at not eating that mars bar or packet of crisps as bad thing?

When i beat an urge i haven't denied myself anything.

I have suceed in my goal.

Well put.

As for snacks, I used to make my own protein bars (kind of gooey though) with whey, some oats and nutella, yum!

I also substituted natural PB for the nutella which made it more solid but gave it a better nutritional profile too.

neuro-praxis

Gooey protein bars? *shudder*

I rediscovered today the wonderful thing that is liquorice - not the allsort variety but the plain, natural variety. A panda liquorice bar is made from blackstrap molasses which is a great source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. It's low in calories and it's got a low Glycaemic Index so it burns slowly, preventing sugar crashes. And it's a really nice snack. Score. \o/

davyjose

neuro-praxis wrote:

I find it hard to believe that when you're on the bus and hungry between meals, you're snacking on a boiled potato, a can of beans or a jar of home-made spag bol!

I find it hard to believe when you're hungry on the bus, you can't wait until you get off the bus to eat.
In all fairness, one of the fundamentals of eating healthily is to plan ahead, otherwise, yeah, of course you'll end up eating crisps and curly-wurlys!!!

Dragan

I have sat on the luas eating Tuna and Pineapple from a tub before. I get some funny looks, but frankly they are always from people who i wouldn't want to look like.

Can you see me struggling to be polite there?

I wouldn't consider myself to be anything special, and have done what it takes to acheive the goals i wanted to acheive. I can assure many posters here that my level of willpower is nothing special. It doesn't really take that.

It just takes being loyal to yourself and your dreams.

McGinty

I think popcorn is a better alternative to crisps, sometimes I need a dose of salty food (I don't use salt in cooking or on food) but every so often I need it, other good snacks are fruit, rice cakes, I try to bring packed lunches and snacks espicially now I am back in college but it is hard to gauge sometimes if I bring enough or too much. If you can make rice and add fish/meat to it and some roasted veg in a lunch box can be a lovely lunch time meal. Personally I carry tubs of little food with me everywhere, and another good snack is nuts, eg: brazil/cashew/almond etc along with a tablespoon of raisins and that also keeps me going.

davyjose

Dragan wrote:

I have sat on the luas eating Tuna and Pineapple from a tub before. I get some funny looks, but frankly they are always from people who i wouldn't want to look like.

You may have misinterpreted what I meant. It's not the fact that I wouldn't eat on the bus, but that if it came down to a choice of eating a bag of crisps, or waiting to get something more nutritious, I would wait, or, as I alluded to, I would have something healthy prepared. I myself, have on occasion stank up the carriage of a commuter train eating hard-boiled eggs.

neuro-praxis

davyjose wrote:

I find it hard to believe when you're hungry on the bus, you can't wait until you get off the bus to eat.
In all fairness, one of the fundamentals of eating healthily is to plan ahead, otherwise, yeah, of course you'll end up eating crisps and curly-wurlys!!!

Thanks a million for that.

I have said this before, and I am going to say it again.

Eating small servings of foods like (baked) crisps and chocolate are fine as part of a balanced diet. I refuse to take any holier-than-thou crap about it. I am not going to pretend that I never eat these things, I do, and there is nothing wrong with it.

I also plan ahead - I plan ahead and include these treats in my diet. Therefore when I am on a bus tucking into a packet of Walkers baked crisps I am doing so because it is a low GI, low fat, low salt treat that I have planned into my day. I don't "end up" having crisps and chocolate at any time, I decide to in advance if I am going to. I have no guilt about it, and incorporating these kinds of occasional pleasures into my diet have undeniably aided my weight loss. The numbers speak for themselves.

I have no problems with anyone else tucking into a can of tuna on the luas. I have no problems with you waiting, davyjose, til you can prepare yourself a nutritious meal. But I am simply not going to allow this superior attitude to food around here...if I want to have a goddamned curly wurly once a week I am going to have it.

I suppose you never eat such foods davyjose. Hallelujah for another saint.

g'em

It's simple. Be honest with yourself.

If I need to lose weight a curly wurly wont help me do it, therefore I don't eat them or any junk food for that matter.

If I just want to maintain my weight then a curly wurly could indeed be a part of my diet on occasion, along with other 'treats' that won't hurt from time time to time as long as I eat well the other 80% of my day.

If I was trying to put on weight I'd probably eat a curly wurly, two snickers bars, a crate of salt and vinegar hula-hoops and wash it down with four gallons of Eddie Rockets Oreo Malt.

i.e. my dietary habits reflect my goals. That's not holier-than-thou, that's honesty (with myself, the only opinion that matters at the end of the day).

neuro-praxis

g'em wrote:

If I need to lose weight a curly wurly wont help me do it, therefore I don't eat them or any junk food for that matter.

g'em, therefore, if I am committed to losing weight, having a Curly Wurly will hinder this?

I really would like to know why. We both can read the nutritional information from the back of the packet. If it is incorporated as part of a calorie-deficit diet and combined with exercise, why exactly wouldn't I, or anyone, lose weight? It is simple science.

neuro-praxis

g'em wrote:

i.e. my dietary habits reflect my goals. That's not holier-than-thou, that's honesty (with myself, the only opinion that matters at the end of the day).

Your dietary habits reflect your goals.

My dietary habits reflect my goals.

You would not eat a curly wurly while trying to lose weight but you would make a pasta sauce based on cream, as determined by your low-cal recipe recommendation in another thread.

Don't you see that this is simply swings and roundabouts? Personal choice? Each to their own? Etc etc. etc.?

Incidentally, by using this philosophy, my weight has dropped by 18.5lbs in the last 7 weeks.

g'em

neuro-praxis wrote:

Your dietary habits reflect your goals.

My dietary habits reflect my goals.

n-p, I only ever referred to my own goals, never to yours. I don't think I ever mentioned you specifically?

neuro-praxis wrote:

g'em, therefore, if I am committed to losing weight, having a Curly Wurly will hinder this?

no, I said if *I* want to lose weight I don't eat curly wurly's.

I merely used a curly wurly because it had already been discussed. If a curly wurly is part of your plan, kudos and good luck. And a huge congratulations on the weight loss so far, that's a massive acheivement and a healthy and sustainable rate of loss

g'em

oh and to stay OT, snacks for me = handfuls of mixed nuts and tuna drizzled with oil. Right now I'm high-fat, high-protein, no carbs so every snack feels like a treat because so many of them are calorie dense. Yum!!

neuro-praxis

g'em wrote:

n-p, I only ever referred to my own goals, never to yours. I don't think I ever mentioned you specifically? I merely used a curly wurly because it had already been discussed. If a curly wurly is part of your plan, kudos and good luck. And a huge congratulations on the weight loss so far, that's a massive acheivement and a healthy and sustainable rate of loss

It is true you did not mention me specifically, but your post was an obvious response to the discussion I was having with davyjose. You even quoted my words "holier-than-thou" in your defence of your position which is the attitude that I accused davyjose of. Your response seemed to suggest that davyjose is therefore being honest with himself while I am not. I apologise if this inference was misplaced?

My difficulty here, you will understand, is not that somebody would feel there is no way they could include a Curly Wurly (I have never typed those words so many times in my life) in their diet, it is that there is a pervasive superiority toward those who admit to eating these kinds of things. Meanwhile, davyjose is a fan of a big slap-up at Eddie Rockets every now and again.

Now personally my philosophy says if you want your Eddie Rockets meal then go have it. Take a cut elsewhere, do a little extra exercise. But his philosophy (NEVER EAT JUNK - YOU WILL STAY FAT) isn't actually mapping onto reality. i.e. don't tell me not to eat my fu*king curly wurly if you're off for a big fat cheeseburger and chilli fries!

neuro-praxis

oh and to stay OT, snacks for me = handfuls of mixed nuts and tuna drizzled with oil. Right now I'm high-fat, high-protein, no carbs so every snack feels like a treat because so many of them are calorie dense. Yum!!
Today 11:19

There's a big bucket of 100% natural peanut butter in my cupboard that needs a willing belly if you want to come and collect it!!

fits

In fairness, you both have completely different goals and lifestyles, I gather G'em is losing fat for athletic reasons, whereas n-p is losing weight for health and size reasons. Tis a big difference guys..

I didnt really see any posts that were 'holier than thou'. Noone said that its wrong to eat the odd curly wurly if it suits.

neuro-praxis

Actually, davyjose did.

I ain't got no beef with g'em. (just peanutbutter)

neuro-praxis

Oh and as a point of interest for those of you who love kiwis - if you buy a box of kiwis in Superquinn theyinclude a nifty plastic knife-spoon device in the box, which makes eating kiwis on the hoof easier - especially if you don't like that stringy feeling on the tongue that the skins give you! I keep mine in my bag with a napkin for discreet kiwi munching at my desk in work.