snacks

I love to talk about fitness, the gym, classes, exercises, food, nutrition, etc. When I talk to friends, family, or anyone else that’s willing to talk about all this stuff a typical excuse for not eating more meals during the day is: “I don’t have time”, “I’m very busy at work”, or something similar.

I get it. No I’m not currently working so it’s much easier for me…now. But when I started this journey I had a very demanding corporate job that kept me on the go nonstop. I spent the better part of most of my days in meetings or traveling from one meeting to another…so I get it! It’s not easy. Most things worth doing aren’t.

A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools. ~ Spanish Proverb

Once we get past the excuses the first questions is usually: “what do you eat for snacks?”  So…I thought I’d share some of my snacks with you.

Snacks for on the go or beginners Calories Protein Carbs Fat Grams
Myoplex Lite Shake 170 20 20 2
EAS AdvantEDGE Shake (carb control) 110 17 4 3
Zone Perfect – Chocolate Carmel Cluster 200 14 25 6
Zone Perfect – Chocolate Peanut Butter 210 14 24 7
Balance – cookie dough 200 15 21 7
Balance – yogurt honey peanut 200 15 21 7
Clif Builder’s – Peanut Butter (meal replacement) 200 14 25 6

Once you’ve established the habit of snacking in the morning and afternoon you should quickly make an effort to incorporate real food vs. the bars and shakes I’ve listed above. By eating real food you’ll be able to get more bang for your calories: more protein and less fat. I ate bars and snacks for the first year of my fitbattle and then started to incorporate real food. Real food requires more planning.

Here are some more snack suggestions for when you are ready to graduate to real food:

Snacks for the committed Calories Protein Carbs Fat Grams
Yoplait fat-free yogurt and 1/4 cup of Bear Naked Peak Protein Granola (#’s are estimates since they will vary with different flavors) 250 11 36 7
Oroweat sandwich thin, 1/2 cup Lucerne fat-free cottage cheese, and 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries 240 20 41 2
1/2 cup Lucerne fat-free cottage cheese and 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries 141 15 20 0.4
Banana, 3.5 egg whites, and 1/2 egg (with yolk) 204 17 29 3
Edamame (3/4 cups edible parts) 150 12 14 4
1 cup Kellogg’s Special K with Red Berries and 1 cup of low-fat Vanilla Soy Milk 190 10 35 2
Go Lean – Truly Vanilla Oatmeal and 3 egg whites 200 20 26 2
Oroweat sandwich thin, 2 oz. chicken breast, mustard 204 23 22 4

Fruits are interchangeable, just keep an eye on the calories and carbs.  The key is to strive for a good balance of carbs and protein while consuming the least amount of fat. In order to do this you’ve got to read the food labels or research the nutritional value online. My only other advice is to eat the higher carb snacks in the morning and the lower carb snacks in the afternoon.

3 Responses to “snacks”

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  1. 1 starlyte on July 13, 2010 said:

    Hello 🙂
    I was wondering if you would be able to give any tips on how to count calories

    I am trying to gain weight. googling for things tell me how to loose weight. I need to gain it in a healthy manor.. complex carb and high protein

    I was looking at my sandwich today and i thought.. how on earth do i count the calories. I can find out from the packet whats in the bread, but what about the ham inside it..
    Is it purely based on the nutritional infomration on the side of the pack or is there some database somewhere that tells me how much is in things.. Then add them together like the ingredient list

    How do i work out how much Carbs, Protein, Fat I should be having..
    Its all very confusing and the internet seems to contradict itself

    Reply
  2. 2 kkulesza on July 13, 2010 said:

    Ah starlyte, if only. 😉

    Okay, I’ve used the BodyBugg (Apex) system for 3 years, obviously with the objective to lose weight but none the less I needed to count calories to keep my eating under control. There is a fee for the BodyBugg service. I’ve also looked at fitbit. Fitbit offers similar technology for tracking and when I originally checked it out it was free, but I stuck with BodyBugg since I had invested so much time adding some of my own foods and building meal plans.

    I’m sure you know this already…but you basically need a net calorie surplus to gain weight. So you need to know both how many calories you are burning and how many you are consuming to ensure you are eating enough to gain weight. Both BodyBugg and Fitbit sell monitors that will provide you with how many calories you are burning. Then you log your food and figure out the variance.

    If you have an iPhone there are some free or very cheap apps out there that may also meet your needs for tracking food consumed. Check out MyNetDiary.

    Most systems have a huge database of food that you can choose from. It’s not a perfect science but it will be better than no tracking at all. And most include an overview of calories, carbs, protein, tot fat, sat fat, fiber, cholesterol and calcium.

    Honestly I don’t know anything about trying to gain. I can do it without trying…but have you talked to anyone at a nutrition/vitamin store. I rely on protein shakes for breakfast and fillers…but I drink the low carb / low fat versions. They have protein shakes for bulking up too…so this is another option.

    So with all this said…I’m not a nutritionist so checking in with a certified nutritionist might be helpful too. Maybe your regular doctor can give you a referral for consultation or you can check to see if your employer offers a few free sessions as part of a healthy living initiative.

    I hope this helps you! I did write a blog on the BodyBugg is you wan to read more about it and there are links to both the BodyBugg and the Fitbit on the blog. Here’s a link so you don’t have to go searching for it: https://fitbattle.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/daily-fitbattle-1010/

    BTW…thanks for stopping by my blog! Let me know if this helps… Kathi

    Reply

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