Whatsupwitdat, Mrs. Freshley's?

mmm...100 calorie snacks

A blessing AND a curse. I love me some portion control. However, my self control is lacking. It is far, far too easy to justify a second 100 calorie snack. Especially when said snacks are just big enough to remind you of what you're missing, instead of quenching a craving.

Which brings me to Mrs. Freshley's 100 calorie Yogurt Creme Oatmeal Cookies. This box was positioned right next to the express lane at my neighborhood grocery store - ya know, the small one you go to in between power shops at the mega mart. Apparently I'm in there far too often and they have my number as an impulse shopper.

My thought process upon seeing these:

100 Calories eh?

Ooh...looks like Little Debbie, yum.

Fiber?

Yogurt?

Oatmeal?

Aww baby, you're coming home with me. What's that? You're pricier than my typical 100-calorie pack? It's ok...I think we were meant to be.

(There may or may not have been a Barry White song in there somewhere)

However, once you get the wrapper off, disappointment sets in. I was hoping I had just gotten a factory second or something. It was SO SMALL!

Not one to discriminate snack food based on size, I gave it a try anyway (I mean, it was already in my hand). Well, yeah - this thing is freaking delicious. It is like a really little Little Debbie. If you're a will-power wonder woman, this is the snack for you. The cookie is super moist, the creamy middle is, well, creamy and sweet. It's really good.

So good, in fact, that if I were left unsupervised, the box of 8 tiny cookies would be gone in a flurry of cardboard and cellophane.

My Sordid Dieting Past: Extreme Fat Smash Review

This is a series in which I regale you with stories and reviews of diets I've tried first hand.

Part 2: Extreme Fat Smash

Right off the bat I'll admit - I did not spend much time on this diet - a couple weeks at best. It's really rigid, really low cal, and really not my style. I was looking to drop some poundage fast and am a little susceptible to outrageous claims. The outrageous claim right on the cover of the book - 12 pounds in 3 weeks...Sold! Oh, and the dude (aka Dr. Ian Smith) is on Vh1? I'll take 2!

The Premise 

In a nutshell - you chow lots of protein, fiber, and veggies. Not a whole lot else. It doesn't matter, since if you're a busy and important gal like myself, you won't have a whole lot of time after you squeeze in the scheduled exercise. The plan calls for - 60 minutes of cardio pretty much daily, sometimes more. And this is right from the start. No easing in, no sissies. This is serious.

The diet is broken up into Cycles - known to the rest of us as Weeks. There are 3 cycles, and you can go through them multiple times, if you're tough enough. Your plan differs a bit based on your habits and previous dieting success - so you might have more or less exercise, more or less cardio.

The Fantastic

Each day on XFS (as it's known in dieting circles) is super low cal - like 800 calories. You're eating really high volume, low calorie foods though. Menus consist of beans, lean proteins, brown rice, barley, veggies. You won't go entirely hungry, but if you're not a huge fan of throwing your typical eating habits and relatively normal food out the window, this diet might not be for you. But the foods themselves are great, and should be a part of any diet. 

Exercise is key.  If you don't move, you're not doing yourself justice. Even if you're doing well on a diet - you'd be doing SO much better if you added in just a little exercise. Exercise is a main component to this program. Like I said before, you're thrown into the fire with a glut of body movin'. Don't forget to stretch out. 

The Faults

The biggest fault is the low calorie count. I was working with a personal trainer when I tried XFS - I figured it was perfect since the plan was to work out like a maniac. However, the exercise is mostly cardio based. My trainer preferred to kick my ass all over the weight room, and couldn't figure out why I looked so pale and complaining way more than usual. More oddly, I wasn't just whining and doing the moves. I was whining and having trouble putting up the big weight (hey, the girly dumbbells can be very unwieldy). The next workout, when I was still a super wimp, Ms. trainer started grilling me on my food as she tortured me. 

Well, my trainer was none too happy with my late lunch of rice and broccoli. She was less happy with the previous day's menu as well. Needless to say, I got a stern lecture in proper eating for the amount of ass-kicking she was doling out. 

All that, and it's a complete departure from the standard American diet. And I'm not talking the Dunkin' Donuts/McDonald's/KFC standard American diet. I'm talking the 3 meals a day, dinner with the family diet, Lean Cuisine at the desk for lunch kind of diet. It's not exactly an adaptable plan for the everyday gal. 

The Bottom Line

If you need to suck weight (semi-planned eloping, last minute high school reunion, wresting tournament, etc), this will work. It's simple science. Eat very few calories, and work them off. Mix up your routine to keep your body burning the fuel. 

There are a lot of success stories out there (check out this one). I lost weight. However, I also lost the ability to concentrate and lift heavy weight.

This is NOT meant to be a long-term fix though - Dr. Ian Smith has a whole 'nother book you can buy for that. I can't recommend this for a lifestyle (especially for me, I'm far to rebellious), but if you're careful with it, you can slim down for that beauty pageant/red carpet event/UFC showdown in the course of a few weeks.

My Sordid Dieting Past: Nutrisystem

This is a series in which I regale you with stories and reviews of diets I've tried first hand.

Part 1: Nutrisystem 

I have a soft spot in my heart for the soft-canned cuisine of Nutrisystem. Why? Because it actually worked for me. I lost 15 pounds in 3 months - at a critical moment in my life: before my wedding (it took awhile to gain it back too). 

The Premise

You order food online (or via various home shopping channels/infomercials), and it's delivered to your door. It's easily stored because, strangely, you don't have to refrigerate. You heard me. Everything is either dry (like soup in a cup, but better) or preserved using soft canning, kind of like stewed tomatoes. I actually liked the food better than frozen meal alternatives (like Lean Cuisine) because you didn't get the frozen sogginess in the veggies. You pick the food, and eat 3 meals and 1 dessert (yay sweets!). Meals are supplemented with salads, fresh fruits, veggies, protein and dairy - good because that means you're not strictly chowing on pre-packaged foods. This creates some opportunity for culinary creativity, but it's limited. 

The Fantastic

No muss, no fuss. It's a great diet for the super-busy since there's no cooking. The food is good, and you get to make the picks (so when you encounter something you deem unacceptable, you never have to see it again). There's an auto-delivery service that increases your discount with every order; but it's flexible enough that you can delay the order easily. If you stay on the plan, weight loss is steady, but slow. I had a consistent 5 pound per month loss (and that was with 1 dinner out a week). Since it was slow and steady, it stayed off longer (despite my unconscious attempts to the contrary). 

I was forced to feel the portions too. So when I went out or when off plan, my stomach was already accustomed to eating less, and in turn my food intake was reduced. 

Don't forget dessert. Nutrisystem has some really satisfying little sweets that are not only good, but required. If you're not into sweets, there are some pretty good savory snacks too. I like snacks, so this was the clincher for me.

The Faults

After awhile, I got tired of the food. I got in a groove with it, but eventually I missed cooking. I tried to doctor up some of the dishes with spices, cooking in a stir-fry style, adding cheeses, but it wasn't the same as actually creating something.  The good part is that Nutrisystem updates their meal choices on a regular basis, so there's something new to try. But the soft textures and certain odd flavors from the preservation process become hard prices to pay for sweet, succulent convenience. Also, it's expensive, and difficult to maintain when your family - or even significant other - is eating normal food. Jealousy sets in, small forkfuls of food start sneaking into your mouth, and eventually you find yourself forgoing the micro-meal in favor of "real" food.

The Bottom Line

Nutrisystem is good for busy people with small families. It's easy to stick to...but only if you dig the food. You still get fresh fruits and vegetables, in fact including them is pretty critical to continuing weight-loss. In addition, you've got to be in the right state of mind and have a superhuman sense of willpower - temptation is all or nothing. Sure you can hop back on plan, but there is no leeway. You're either cheating, or you're on plan. It makes eating at restaurants into guilt-ridden splurges, since the workaround isn't really there. 

Like I love to say: The best diet is something YOU can stick with. I'm just here to help you weigh the options.