Friday, October 28, 2011

Hungry Girl's Halloween Goodie Guide!!!!


LOW-CALORIE CHOCOLATE TREATS
These tiny treats can't be beat. Each one has 20 - 35 calories and 0.5 - 1.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 1*).

3 Musketeers Minis
Hershey's Kisses
Sixlets 8-piece tubes
Tootsie Roll Midgees
Whoppers Malted Milk Balls 3-piece tubes

CHOCOLATE MINIS
Minis are the small, typically square morsels. The kinds below have 35 - 55 calories and 1.5 - 3g fat (PointsPlus® value 1*) per piece.

Baby Ruth
Butterfinger
Hershey's Special Dark, Krackel, Milk Chocolate, and Mr. Goodbar
Kit Kat
Milky Way
Nestlé Crunch
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Snickers
Twix

SNACK-SIZE/FUN-SIZE CHOCOLATE
Snack-size and fun-size candies are usually about 2 inches long and weigh in at around half an ounce. The ones listed here have 60 - 85 calories and 1 - 4g fat (PointsPlus® value 2*) per piece, pack, bag, or box.

3 Musketeers
Baby Ruth
Butterfinger
Hershey's Milk Chocolate
Junior Mints
Kit Kat (one 2-piece bar)
M&M's Milk Chocolate
Milky Way
Nestlé Crunch
Raisinets
Snickers
York Peppermint Patties

SNACK-SIZE/FUN-SIZE CHOCOLATE PART II
Same specifics as the last list of snack-size/fun-size treats (about 2 inches long and half an ounce in weight), but these are a little higher in stats. Each bar or pack has 90 - 95 calories and 4 - 6g fat (PointsPlus® value 3*).

100 Grand
M&M's Peanut
Mr. Goodbar
PayDay
 
LOW-CALORIE CONFECTIONS
These goodies are impressive in the stats department: 30 - 50 calories and 0 - 1g fat (PointsPlus® value 1*) each.

AirHeads mini bars
Laffy Taffy mini bars
Now and Later (2 pieces)
SpongeBob SquarePants Gummy Krabby Patties
Starburst (2 pieces)
SweeTarts Chews
Twizzlers Cherry Pull 'n' Peel snack-sized pieces
Twizzlers Strawberry Twists snack-sized pieces

CALORIE-BARGAIN TREAT-SIZE/SNACK-SIZE BAGS
Pouches, packs, bags, and packages! Each of these small sacks has 50 - 55 calories and 0g fat (PointsPlus® value 1*).

Brach’s Candy Corn
Hot Tamales
Mike and Ike
Sour Patch Kids
Swedish Fish

MORE MINI BOXES 'N BAGS
While not quite as pint-sized in the calorie department as the last list, each petite pack has a reasonable 60 - 75 calories and 0 - 1g fat (PointsPlus® value 2*).

Dots
Mini Chewy SweeTarts
Skittles Fun Size
 
LOW-CALORIE SWEETS & SUCKERS
All-star stats here! Just around 20 - 25 calories and 0g fat (PointsPlus® value 1*) each.

Dum Dums
Everlasting Gobstopper mini pouches
Pixy Stix (3 straws)
Smarties rolls

MID-CALORIE CLASSICS
With 50 - 60 calories and 0 - 0.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 2*) per pop, these long-lasting goodies are some of our favorites.

Blow Pop
Ring Pop Halloween
Tootsie Caramel Apple Pops
Tootsie Pops
 
FUN PICKS WITH 50 OR FEWER CALORIES
Each treat, roll, package, or pouch has 35 - 50 calories and 0 - 1g fat (PointsPlus® value 1*).

Fruit by the Foot Mini Feet
Fruit Roll-Ups Mini Rolls
Jet-Puffed BooMallows
Pop-Tarts Mini Crisps Fun Size pouches
Rice Krispies Treats Mini Squares
Snyder's of Hanover 1/2-oz. bags

UNIQUE TREATS, STELLAR STATS
Unexpected and guilt-free! Each one has 60 - 70 calories and 2 - 3.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 2*).

Angie's Artisan Treats Authentic Kettle Corn Halloween Snack Packs
Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar 1/2-oz. bags
Quaker Chewy Fright Night Chocolate Chip mini granola bars
Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins Mini-Snacks

NEAT SWEETS, NICE NUTRITIONALS
Chomp into one of these for 100 - 120 calories and 3 - 3.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 3*).

Herr’s Chocolate Mini Pretzels Halloween Treat Size bags
Keebler Scooby-Doo! Baked Graham Cracker Sticks packages
Peeps Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pumpkin

 Prepare to spend 180 - 200 calories and 9 - 10.5g fat (PointsPlus® value 5*) if you indulge in one of these tricky treats.

Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers packages
Keebler Mini Fudge Stripes packages
Reese's Peanut Butter King Size Pumpkins (1 pumpkin, half of package)

HG Heads-Up! Some of the treats in this email are small versions/servings that are only available during Halloween season. The stats for snacks and sweets sold year-round in standard packaging may differ.

THANK YOU....HUNGRY GIRL!!!!  :)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

5 Ways to Tame Food Temptations



 Article By: Robin Westen
    
Unless you're wearing blinders, temptation is everywhere. TV, radio, billboard and magazine ads bombard you with the same message: "Eat." How can you prevent temptation from leading you astray?

Images of delectable foods saturate the media. Well-meaning friends and relatives offer you fries, pies and everything in between. How often are you able to resist?

If the answer is less often than your waistline would like, try these five "T's" to help you tame that temptation tiger:

Timing.
When do your cravings strike? Mid-morning? Between lunch and dinner? Right after work? Midnight? Identify your most vulnerable time for when temptation strikes, and plan ahead by keeping healthy snacks handy. You can't eat an infinite amount of them, but they'll help you avoid higher-calorie indulgences.

Hitting the sack earlier is another timely strategy. According to psychological researcher John De Castro, PhD, of Texas' Sam Houston State University, exhaustion makes us more vulnerable to overeating. So the more you sleep, the less you're likely to be tempted.
Tasting.
Temptation thrives on all-or-nothing behavior, so turning down something you crave might only serve to fuel your craving. Just because a slice of cake is high in calories doesn't mean you can't try a bite or two—just be sure not to over do it. Next time you're at a restaurant, let someone else order dessert, and allow yourself a bite. Savoring a small taste can be surprisingly satisfying.

Teaching.
Let's face it, you know what foods are extra-hard for you to resist. So identify them and do something about it. That might mean keeping Ben & Jerry out of your freezer and pepperoni out of your fridge. Or it could entail finding another route to the bus stop if your regular route takes you past the golden arches. Knowing your triggers will help you tackle the toughest temptations.

Taking charge.
For every situation that rattles your control, come up with one good rebuttal. Say, for example, the couch looks more tempting than that bicycle collecting cobwebs in your garage. Remind yourself that getting even five minutes of physical activity is etter than nothing. Focus on what you're getting—a fitter body—rather than what you're giving up—a sitcom.

Talking.
Have you kept quiet about your weight-loss goal because you're worried you might not reach it? Many people do, often out of fear of failure. But in fact, says Vermont psychologist Sally Mattson, making a public commitment often has the opposite effect. Sharing your goal can strengthen your resolve and create a support community. After all, most people love to offer encouragement. You, in turn, may inspire others to lose weight—or at least discourage them from offering you tempting foods.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Here's the Skinny on the “unique” Halloween Candy Calories



By Adriana Velez

Halloween Peeps…….Have you been to the candy aisle yet this month? Holy bat wings -- there are all sorts of fun, new Halloween candy on the shelf this year, plus some of the oldies-but-goodies that come out every October. Pretzels with chocolate seem big this season, and there's more dark chocolate than ever before. It's like they're creating new treats just for me!

But hold on there, self.  Let's look at those calorie counts -- do I dare?

I know Halloween without candy is like Easter without Jesus, but when you start adding up the numbers in your typical trick-or-treat bag, it starts to look, well, SCARY! Not that I'm the one trick-or-treating. Or that I'm stealing from my kid's stash. Because I am so not. I would never! Well, maybe I would. But what if I based my candy theft on calories? Which candies would I, ahem, borrow?

I have a very complex algorithm that factors calories per serving against potential deliciousness. It goes something like this:
calories per serving \div \!\, potential deliciousness (by a factor of 10) \propto \!\, what's on sale = ... where was I?

And now, the results of my exhaustive study.

Pretzel M&M'S
Calories: 180

Deliciousness factor: Are you kidding? Salty, sweet, and crunchy -- one of my favorite combinations.

Worth it? Hey, they're under 200, so I say yeah.

Peanut Butter M&M'S
Calories: 220

Deliciousness factor: Pretty good, though I like a saltier peanut butter and the proportion of chocolate to peanut butter could be better.

Worth it?   I would probably hesitate a moment and then pass.

Halloween Kit Kat
Calories: 210

Deliciousness factor: Ugh, white chocolate dyed orange. No thank you.

Worth it? Pass.

Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins
Calories: 90

Deliciousness factor: Love the Peanut Butter Cup no matter what shape it comes in.

Worth it?    Wowza.    If you only eat one "snack size," it's just 90 calories! That's a big "if," though. Can you stop at one? I say worth it.

Hershey's Tombstones Milk Chocolate
Calories: 200

Deliciousness factor: Hmph, Hershey's milk chocolate is nothing special, no matter what it looks like.

Worth it?   Nah.

Hershey's Tombstones Cookies & Cream
Calories: 220

Deliciousness factor:   I guess it's a step up from the plain bar.

Worth it? Higher in calories and only marginally tastier: I say give me a real cookie instead.

Hershey's Kisses Pumpkin Spice
Calories: 210

Deliciousness factor:  Just white chocolate with a pumpkin-flavored outer layer. There are no "natural" pumpkin flavors in there.  Not so delicious unless you love white chocolate.

Worth it?   Pass.   I'll have a slice of pumpkin pie instead.

Halloween Ring Pops
Calories: 60

Deliciousness factor: Don't these all taste the same? But I do love me some edible jewelry. Sometimes pretty candy seems to taste better, know what I mean?

Worth it?  Under 100 calories, lasts a long time, and you get to wear it -- I say yes!

Halloween Peeps (pumpkins and ghosts)
Calories: 110

Deliciousness factor: So disgustingly overly sweet, they're kind of good.

Worth it?   GROSS!!!  But they are cute to look at!

Snickers Dark
Calories: 170

Deliciousness factor: At last, my candy bar dreams have come true!

Worth it?   Those Milky Way Dark bars nearly undid me back when they came out. I'm afraid I'll totally lose it once I try the Snickers Dark.   But hey,  only 170 calories in the snack size? Maybe I'll risk it.

Monday, October 3, 2011

New Weight Study...interesting!

               
New Study May Change the Face of Weight Management

Despite a population that has heard the "eat less, exercise more" advice a bazillion times over, obesity levels are still crazy-high. So a team of experts at Harvard University stepped up to investigate specific food choices and lifestyle habits that influence weight gain. More than 120,000 healthy men and women were observed over a period of 12 to 20 years, with evaluations every 4 years. (Side note: WOW.) Some of the results are surprising; others less so...

The foods that were found to be most closely associated with weight gain are potato chips, potatoes (including boiled or mashed potatoes and French fries), and sugar-sweetened drinks. Potatoes show nearly three times the impact of sweets and desserts!

People who ate more yogurt, fruit, nuts, veggies, and whole grains gained less weight over the years than others. Yogurt and nuts top the list of foods linked to less weight gain.

Those who slept less than 6 or more than 8 hours a night gained more weight than the 6 - 8 crowd. (Sleep = good. Too much = bad!) The more TV a person watched and the more alcohol he or she consumed, the greater the weight gain. (Um, not surprising!)

We just might be chomping on fewer potatoes and more pistachios this year, plus turning off the TV early to catch some extra zzzzzzzzs...

Thanks again...HUNGRY GIRL!