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Back at the end of March, I talked about some weird things that I eat now since I try and follow a low carb/high protein lifestyle. Some of the comments implied that the piece was sponsored, but it 100% wasn’t. I just wanted to share some of the things I found that I like, since I’ve also found a lot of products that I didn’t. Now, I can’t lie: a pleasant side effect was that the folks at Banza, Mr. Cheese O’s, and Flapjacked sent me free swag after the column was published (still waiting on you, Halo Top). So as we go for round two of weird things I eat now, I’m just putting it out there that I do accept free swag, but I won’t be swayed by it.
My big struggle when it comes to staying on the low carb/high protein train is snacking. Meals are actually pretty easy, but when it comes to grabbing something for my mid-afternoon snack, I tend to veer more toward carb-heavy fair like Goldfish or popcorn. Now, I am a big believer of “everything in moderation,” so kettle-corn or rainbow fishies will never completely leave my diet, but I do want to make some better choices as well. That’s where these crisps come in.
The interesting thing about Extend is that it’s not marketed as low carb; instead, it’s a “diabetic friendly crunchy snack that helps avoid blood sugar lows and highs; low carb and low fat crunchy snack clinically proven to control hunger and reduce calorie consumption at next meal by 21%; good source of protein and fiber.” Which brings me to an important point – sometimes you need to search a little bit outside of the box to find some good foods.
I’ve had both the cinnamon and white cheddar flavors; I really like the cinnamon as a sweet snack, but if I want white cheddar, I’d go for Hippeas.
As I said when I wrote about chickpea pasta, I hate chickpeas. But I guess the same doesn’t go for things made from chickpeas, like this snack that I found at Starbucks. I love cheese curls, and these are almost as good as the crappy-for-you-kind. I’ve only tried the Vegan White Cheddar flavor so far, but they also come in Far Out Fajita, Pepper Power, Happenin’ Hickory, Maple Haze, and Sriracha Sunshine. Disclosure: these things are fucking expensive (I can’t remember how much per bag I paid at Bux, but it wasn’t short money). They’re worth it.
Flapjacked Protein Pancake Mix
Disclaimer: the folks at Flapjacked sent this to me after I wrote about their Mighty Muffins last time, but I actually already had a package I hadn’t tried yet, so I would have tried it anyway.
That being said…I’m not a huge breakfast person. As we’ve discussed on the podcast, I don’t like eggs, so breakfast can be a bit of a challenge and as such, I’m always looking for things to try. I finally got around to making these pancakes this week, as that I had grown tired of Greek yogurt, and I must say – they were pretty good. I made them with an egg added for extra protein, and they were almost too dense, so I may forgo that next round. With some strawberries and a splash of light syrup, I couldn’t tell the difference.
I also just discovered that Flapjacked makes a protein cookie mix, so I’ll be giving that a try soon…
Speaking of cookies, anyone that knows me knows I love to bake. I’m a much better baker than I am a cook. So when I started to explore this low carb/high protein lifestyle, I hit the internet to see how I could still bake and keep it moderately healthy. Some of the ideas I tried and hated (coconut flour is disgusting and you will never convince me otherwise), but I did become a convert to Lily’s.
Comparing a tablespoon of Lily’s to regular chocolate chips:
55 calories vs. 70 calories
0 grams of sugar vs. 8 grams of sugar
8 grams of carbs vs. 9 grams of carbs
1 gram of protein vs. less than 1 gram of protein
The stats probably don’t seem like there is that big of a difference, but A.) every little bit counts and B.) who the hell uses one tablespoon of chocolate chips in anything?
Lily’s also makes chocolate bars that come in flavors like Creamy Milk, Almond, Coconut, Salted Almond Milk, and Crispy Rice, but I can’t vouch for those (yet).
At the end of the day, sometimes I am just shy of my protein goal and I want to get in a little bit more, which is where this protein-infused water comes in. I know there are other brands that have more protein than Trimino’s 7 grams, but frankly, I’ve found those a bit hard to get down. I’ve tried both the Strawberry Lemonade and Mixed Berry flavors, and found they were both pretty good. Trimino also comes in Coconut Pineapple and Peach, but neither one of those interests me much.
So there is round 2 of some of the weird things I eat now. As always, if you’ve got something you think I should try, drop it in the comments. I can’t promise I’ll like it, but I’ll try anything once. Well, most things..
Starting weight to Lose: 30 pounds
Week 1 Results: – 1.1 pounds
Week 2 Results: – 2.1 pounds
Week 3 Results: +0.4 pounds
Week 4 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 5 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 6 Results: – 0.1 pounds
Week 7 Results: -0.9 pounds
Week 8 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 9 Results: -0.5 pounds
Week 10 Results: -0.6 pounds
Week 11 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 12 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 13 Results: -0.1 pounds
Week 14 Results: No weigh in this week since I’m traveling!
Remaining weight to lose: 24.4 pounds
If you want to follow along with me, friend me on MyFitnessPal or FitBit!
Also, I’ll be chatting weekly about my progress with JR Hickey on our podcast, “Don’t Take It From Us.” New eps will be released every Wednesday, so check it out on Soundcloud below or Subscribe on iTunes!
Image via Shutterstock
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
@JennaLCrowley
@donttakeitfromus
Not sure why I took so much enjoyment out of you getting free stuff from those companies after one article but Duda can’t seem to get even a single beer from Michelob after many articles.
I am fully in on RXBars. 210 calories, satiating, good protein source, and most importantly all real food. If you’re eating snacks with a bunch of ingredients you can’t pronounce and sugar substitutes, it’s often just a way for food manufacturers to pack more sweetness into fewer calories, however ultimately those ingredients can have worse counteractive effects on weight loss as normal sugar.
In personal news, my 5 month diet/workout mark is tomorrow, just hit the 51lbs lost mark and ran my first half marathon in 1:47 and change. Next up, NYC Marathon in November.
Awesome!!!!
Found this on pinterest a while back and am obsessed: get some thin sliced cheese (any flavor would work but I usually use sharp cheddar), cut slices into smaller squares and bake on parchment paper @ 250 for 35 min. Boom, insanely easy homemade low-carb Cheez-its.
I do this with reduced fat shredded cheese in mini muffin tins…
But these are still cheese-its….. not a healthy food conducive to weight loss
It can be hard to diet and travel at the same time, good luck!
Thank you for the Lily’s Choc Chips plug.
Just bought some on Prime.
Was looking for a better substitute for the Nestle 53& dark chocolate.
I usually grab Larry & Lenny’s Muscle Brownies (2 for $5 usually) when I want to really amp up my protein intake but still keep my chocolate intake the same. Each brownie has 20g of protein and while 1 brownie for $2.50 is expensive, these are super healthy and super chocolatey. The cookie’s n’ cream is my favorite!
This is also helpful!
Thanks for the info.
I need to know where I can find these!
I LOVE those! Their double chocolate cookies are great, too.
Morningstar veggie burgers are my go to dinners! They have hardly any carbs and come in so many flavors… basically low carb and low dairy is the only thing that works for me.
1) Food companies can pretty much put whatever marketing they want to on their boxes. Because a box claims something is “21% clinically proven to yada yada ya” means absolutely nothing. The only thing you can trust (to an extent) is the nutritional label and ingredients.
2) As a health professional, I suspect you’re consuming far too much protein. The body can only process so much protein before physiology takes over and makes low carb/high protein and unsustainable life.
3) We get it, companies send you free snacks. However, column is still irresponsible, not scientifically backed, or even remotely educated.
Xox,
An Angry Health Professional
Cookies and pancakes should not be included in “things I eat” for a diet aimed at weight loss.