A lot of people have nutrition goals and work really hard at them but feel like nothing is happening. Some might take this as frustration and that their plans aren't working or why are you wasting your time. But let me tell you, there are a lot of hidden calories in your kitchen that might be secretly sabotaging your actual success!
For example, sauces are a hidden source or a lot of potential "sabotagers". Ketchup is something a lot of people really enjoy on hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, meatloaf, and the list goes on and on. I even had a friend in college you put it on potato chips but that's a whole other set of issues! I have found the absolute BEST ketchup that actually takes like fresh, pure ketchup should with 0 sugar! It's basically like winning the sauce lottery! They also have a bbq sauce that is equally yummy and also with 0 sugar! G Hughes you are THE MAN!!!!
Now for the really good part, let's compare the nutrition labels on my favorite ketchup, versus the ketchup giant:
5 calories versus 20 calories in the same serving size and 0 sugar with only 1 gram of carbs versus 4 grams of sugar and 5 grams of carbs I'm on the anti-added sugar train because sugar is basically kryptonite for the body. Now, if you're reading this and you actually know me then you know I have a lot for donuts and all baked things in general. However, if I'm eating a donut, it's a given I'm indulging in sugar. In fact, I still try to log it and fit it in my macros on My Fitness Pal. But there doesn't need to be sugar in EVERYTHING! Ketchup and even bbq sauce do not need added sugars to be delicious, trust me!
G. Hughes does it again here! 10 calories versus 70... WOAH... in the same serving size and 0 sugars versus 15 grams of sugar!!!!!!! What in the world is in that bbq sauce besides sugar?! OH wait, high fructose corn syrup is the very first ingredient! Whereas with G. Hughes, the man, actual food is listed first: vine-ripened crushed tomatoes. If you keep reading on the Sweet Baby Ray's Deathwish BBQ sauce you'll see that not one corn syrup was enough so they added molasses, more corn syrup, honey AND sugar. Why Ray? WHY?!
Now, if you are like most people, snacking can really be detrimental to our goals mainly due to portion control. A handful of this or a handful of that can't be hurting you right? Well, you may or may not be right. If you're on a set macro goal or specific calorie target then it's possible the little handfuls here or there might actually be setting you back. Take this example:
I have small hands, for the record, but this is a handful of nuts. One little handful that just so happens to be 1 serving size containing 170 calories and 15 grams of fat. It's a healthier fat and I had to search for a brand with 0 added sugars but this is still a whopping amount of calories and fat in one tiny handful that could easily be throwing off anyone's nutrition goals.
Or let's take this one... a spoonful of peanut butter is the same as 1 tablespoon right? WRONG when it's filled overboard like this spoon is. This actually ended up measuring around 1 1/2 tablespoons which was more than the serving size of 170 calories, 15 grams of fat but with 2 grams of added sugar. The peanuts were the same nutritionally until the sugar was added to the peanut butter. Frustrating isn't it. But again, that one spoonful of peanut butter can be delicious but make sure you know exactly how much you're eating if you want to achieve your goals.
I used to get really frustrated trying to accomplish my nutrition goals without seeing results and then I realized how much the small things matter. My son would ask me to take a bit of his mac n cheese before he ate any to make sure it wasn't too hot and my daughter would want me to take a bit of her hot dog before she'd eat it to make sure it wasn't too hot. Apparently my children wanted to make sure I lived through the food I was serving them because they clearly didn't trust me. But one bite of macaroni and cheese, one bite of a hot dog, a handful of peanuts with sugary ketchups and bbq sauces all contributed to my frustration and inability to lose weight even though I swore I was following my nutrition guidelines.
These things aren't inherently bad for you necessarily however if you're frustrated at not losing weight or finding results, then maybe you need to take a really good look at some of the hidden things in your kitchen. Are you retaining water from tons of sodium you didn't realize you were eating? Are you drinking your calories leaving you hungry and unsatisfied? Take a really good look at the nutrition labels and then see if you can do better! The products are out there! I found G. Hughes and all of his goodness at Walmart. They also make a salad dressing called "skinny girl" that has zero sugar and I can only find it at Walmart.
Remember to not get frustrated and as I'm learning to do, INVEST in yourself and get to the bottom of why you aren't succeeding like you wanted!
XOXO
Ashley
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