Tracybar

Honey , coconut , almonds , kosher salt , peanut butter.

Looking back over my training and food journal this past year I can see the progressive changes that I've made toward the ultimate goal, which for me is to have good quality, good tasting, healthy, nutritious, convenient food for life. The only way to maintain weight is to find these types of foods that fit into your lifestyle, everyday, forever! A diet is not something you "go on", it a way of living, a way to nourish your body.

I've changed the way I eat sugar, or foods with sugar dramatically, in my opinion, over the past year. I used to start my day out with a little sugar, like cocoa in my coffee, and before that I even binged on candy pre-workout. Although I do still eat at least one salad everyday that has a dressing that is sweetened with honey, my other meal, usually soup/stew or main dish salad, purposely, does not.

Sugar / sweetness, comes in quite a few forms, from fake sugars like high fructose corn syrup, splenda, etc. to white sugar, to more natural sugars like, cane sugar, raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc. I don't have anything against sugar, just like I don't have anything against fat, but I do try and control the types of sugars, fats, carbs and proteins I eat. I guess that's everything!

I tend to reach for the honey first. I buy honey from bee keepers in my area whenever possible, stocking up as much as I can. So I even try to control the quality of honey we consume.

The picture above is, what I call, my own candybar. I know, it's not really a bar, but it reminds me of a candy bar that you eat with a spoon, because of the ingredients. I came up with it because I felt I needed something to give me a little boost before my afternoon workouts. I don't eat in the late morning, that will start me digesting fiberous foods (like veggies) during the afternoon, and I didn't want to eat something that was going to make me feel "icky", or drink anymore coffee, I get up too early already, I need my sleep!.

I started with just a tablespoon of honey (65 cal.), that was fine, but I thought a little fat in the form of nuts would give me a little more staying power, so I added almonds (10-12, 100-120 cal.), at that point I added a pinch of kosher salt, for that sweet/ salty flavor I like.

I liked the effect that I got from this little snack and I thought it would be nice to take to work, to eat in between meals for those times when I wasn't really hungry, but I knew it would be a long time before my next meal break. I added 1 tbl. raw coconut (45 cal.), and sometimes 1-2 teaspons of PNB (35-70 cal.). I portion out a few of these snacks in advance in small containers ready to go, and for me, it does exactly what I need it to do. Which is, to give me a little something pre-workout, carry me to my next meal, or help me feel as if I can have a "candybar".

Of course there are many more things you can add to this, different nuts or seeds, but be careful not to turn it too "junky" with chocolate chips, that defeats the purpose!

PS Fawn, and you thought you had a big ego! I promise no more naming things after myself, and if I start talking in the 3rd person, bitchslap me!