Review: FullBars and FullBites
Categories: Diet & Weight Loss
Directions are simple -- enjoy a bag of FullBites or a FullBar with eight ounces of water 30 minutes before your next meal to be fuller and eat less. Bars and Bites tested had about 150 calories, 3 to 6 grams of fat, 21 to 31 grams of carbs, 4 to 8 grams of protein and a respectable 4 to 5 grams of fiber. Test results were mixed. On first test, I gagged down and nearly threw up the peanut-butter-crunch-that-had-no-crunch FullBar. This reaction is from someone with experience subsisting on bland, icky bars trekking through remote foreign villages with risky water sources. The cocoa chip flavor was a bit better. Yet my hunger meter remained fairly high at dinner.
A second test focused on breakfast, my other biggest meal of the day. This time the cheddar FullBites were OK, no gag reflex. The barbecue aren't as good, but doable. Again, no major hunger changes to report. But I typically don't overeat, and my BMI is in the normal range. Perhaps this product could assist someone with a pattern of overeating. A salad-or-soup-before-dinner kind of solution.
Now Snyder's book is what made the most sense. Keep in mind, beyond bariatric surgery, he's spent hours re-teaching patients how to eat healthy after surgery. His six principles are: Keep hydrated, minimize "white" stuff, make protein 50 to 75 percent of every meal, eat five to six meals per day for metabolic efficiency, minimize/eliminate liquid calories and don't avoid fats, but don't add them either. All logical, solid advice.
One other interesting Snyder tip focuses on how we view our own lack of control surrounding food. When one of his patients' weight began creeping up after surgery, she insisted she had no control over her eating habits. He made the point she has lots of self-control -- she doesn't cheat on her husband, drink to excess or drive recklessly. She just hadn't ever considered that having dietary control in her life is as important as fidelity, moderate alcohol consumption and law-abiding driving. His patient departed the appointment with a renewed faith in her ability to control her dietary choices. We are responsible, and we do have control over what we put in our mouths, how often we exercise and what we feed our family.
Hear from others why keeping a food journal is a great way to start over.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tamara 10-12-2009 @ 4:50PM
When I read the nutritional info on these bars several months ago, I knew they weren't worth the price or hype; you can easily munch on a Kashi granola bar, which has just as much fiber and protein. Tastes awesome too.
But what I really wanted to comment on was that last paragraph; the way he presented self-control to his patient was really kind of brilliant. So many people (especially those with weight problems) don't realize that eating healthy foods and exercise involve the same decision-making process as taking a shower or commuting to work; you do these things because they need to be done!
While the products themselves sound like a waste, this doc still seems to offer good, practical advice that anyone embarking on a weight-loss journey can benefit from.
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San Francisco Catering 10-12-2009 @ 9:03PM
I do catering in San Francisco so I am surrounded by food all the time. Even though it is alot of work, the best thing is to just cook everything from scratch. It not only tastes better, but it is healthier.
www.balancecatering.com
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journeydownthescale.info 10-13-2009 @ 1:53AM
I agree with the last part as well. You can control yourself. It is all about habit, you got in to a habit of overeating so you can get in a habit of eating healthy.
Now for the bars, seems like a way to get some money in his pocket to me if he is a doctor then he knows just as well as any that fiber foods do the trick therefore you can get regular fiber foods without buying a special bars like these which I am sure are spendy. I eat fiber one bars often.
Now as far as eating fiber related snacks before your major meals I totally agree with as it helped me lose my weight and trained me to keep it off. See eating the fiber related snack such as almonds make you feel full therefore when you eat your meal you will eat less. You still need to make good choices and let me tell you when I was on my weight loss journey and I had my between lunch and dinner snack of a serving of almonds (wasibi and soy sauce are my favorite) when it came time for dinner I was full and I would make a lean piece of steak, small salad, and green beans. I wouldn't eat half of it as I was too full. Fiber foods help! Here is a site with articles that might be helpful, one is on almonds and study that was done on them, plus other foods that help too. http://www.journeydownthescale.info/Lose_belly_fat_articles.html
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