Sweat treats without the cheat....

I have to admit I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I’m the type of gal that’s completely satisfied with the occasional small square of dark chocolate. There are two times however that I have a raging appetite for desserts such as when mother nature is calling or when I make eye contact with sugary treats.

For example, I work in an office environment and all too often I’ll round the corner and make direct eye contact with a tempting box of donuts, what Midwest gal can resist donuts! I’ve found them to be somewhat easy to avoid after I developed a certain degree of self control but on any given day a series of stress combined with multiple task and a box of donuts could lead to diet disaster. If you count calories like I do then you know that a glazed chocolate cake donut could easily be the equivalent of a meal!

In my quest to continue going down on the scale I had to figure out what snacks would satisfy my sweet tooth without ruining my calorie count, or better yet cause me to crave more sweets. So here are my top picks for the options I reach for when I’m running low on self control or for a sweet, low calorie snack.

Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt Mouse 
      

This delightful little treat comes in at 80 calories and it’s the newest addition to my collection. My favorite flavors thus far are the Salted Caramel and Birthday Cake.  My office mates can attest to my sheer delight as they approached my desk to hear me exclaim “damn this yogurt is good”! Greek yogurt has been a staple in my diet for a while now due to the high protein content and these new flavors are just awesome, they make me happy! Add about a tablespoon of granola and be sure not to talk to me while I’m enjoying my mousse!



Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

I began making these last year and both my sister and I loved them. They are no bake so you can whip up a batch in less than twenty minutes and they’re also an easy to grab snack.  I’ll give you a version of a recent batch I threw together but keep in mind I’ve added and substituted based on my mood and I’ve always been happy with the end result. These balls are chewy and delicious with an emphasis on the chewy part. I don’t know about you chewy snacks tend to leave me more satisfied than not.  Here’s what I use to create my beloved little balls:

1 Cup Quick oats
½ Cup Reduced fat or natural peanut butter
½ Cup Honey
¼ Cup Mini Chocolate Chips ( I usually don’t add these but thought I’d live a little)
1 TBS Chia seeds (I need all the fiber I can get and you can’t taste them)

A combination of vanilla extract, cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg for some added spice, probably a teaspoon or less of each.  Once all the ingredients are in the bowl I mix it as best I can and (because I’m anal) I put on disposable plastic gloves to roll about a spoonful at a time into this easy to grab treat. I recently calculated the calories based on my ingredients and they came in at about 94 calories for each ball give or take a few calories. I say that because the final count really depends on the size of your balls! Oh boy, that last line just made me giggle a bit, moving on!





A square of dark chocolate

This is the last on my list and there’s reason for that. I’ve found that when I just eat one with care I’m content with that. However, if I have a large stash at my disposal it doesn’t work out well for me or the chocolate.

 A co-worker keeps a stash of individually wrapped chocolates in her desk, if I’m having a bad day and want to cure a craving I’ll stop by and grab one. When I tried to buy my own stash of chocolates that bag didn’t last a week. Dark chocolate has some great benefits and while it’s definitely in my top three I find it hard to control myself when it's within arms reach.

Now I wouldn't be true to myself or my readers if I didn't admit that there are times that I cave and eat the donut, the birthday cake or some homemade treat that I make for my family. I'm human but sweets aren't my ultimate cheat (soul food is my Achilles heel) so I simply choose to make smart choices as often as possible so that the cheats are few and far between.

What are your go-to low calorie cheats?

Heal the body, tuck the hair

Did you hear that bleep on the radar? In case you didn’t recognize, it’s me back on the scene again after months of recovery and introspection. If you care to take a peek behind the curtain and get all the gory details on some of my plight click here. Otherwise we’ve got some catching up to do!

As many of my readers already know the rationale behind the Braidouts & Barbells name is the combination of two of my passions- healthy hair and fitness. Considering that my entire focus for the better part of this year has been healing my body my hair has been an afterthought. To be honest, I’m experiencing some degree of pain at this very moment and the last thing I want to be bothered with during these times is my hair. So what have I been doing to ensure the health of my hair while I focus on recovery? If you guessed protective styling you know me well!

During the past several months I’ve utilized crochet braids, wigs, buns and braided styles to get me by for a couple of reasons. The first reason was I lost use of my left arm and shoulder due to my injury, making it difficult to style my own hair as I usually do. The second reason is I performed a serious chop of my locks and I knew that I could depend on protective styling to regain those lost inches. Even though I know I’m striving to do right by hair with protective styling I’m also all too aware of some protective styling disasters that can lead to tragedy such as:

·         Leaving a style in too long causing one’s natural hair to lock.
·         Styles that are too tight and cause breakage especially along the hairline.
·         Washing a sewn in weave without drying one’s natural hair properly which can lead to mildewed
hair…yuck!
·         Utilizing the same protective style consistently such as wearing a bun in the same place on one’s head which can lead to breakage.

I literally could go one but instead I’ve compiled a list of protective styling Do’s and Don’ts that I hope you’ll consider when choosing a long term style.

Do’s

·         Rotate the position of your bun on a weekly basis and take down at night to relieve tension, moisturize and seal
·         Mist your scalp with a leave in spray and/or oil to keep your braided hair moist when wearing braided styles or a sew in
·      Clean your scalp with dry shampoo (be sure to choose a dry shampoo that goes on dark) or be sure to thoroughly dry your hair after washing. I've even heard of sisters using baby wipes to clean their scalp, whatever works!
·         Limit long term protective styles to no more than two months and give your hair a good deep conditioning treatment prior to the install

Don’ts

·         Wear tight buns or ponytails and avoid rubber bands and hair elastics with metal casings
·         Forget to take care of your real hair when wearing long term styles
·     Utilize styling accessories that will snag or break your hair. My favorites accessories that are easy on the hair include : Goody Oucheless Elastics and Good Hair Days Hair Pins.
·      Forget to detangle your hair prior to washing after taking down a long term protective style. Remember your hair continues to shed even though it's put away. I once failed to heed this step and it led to a matted mess and five hour detangling session.

I'm a big fan of protective styling, it's kept me sane these past few months. I've also been witness to the horrors of protective styling gone wrong. If growth or continued health is your goal then protective styling is a great addition to your hair care routine but be sure to follow the do's and don'ts!

Have you ever overcome a protective styling disaster?