

Hungry Girl,

I live in NYC and LOVE bagels with cream cheese. Do I have to give them up if I'm counting calories? Any bagel tips for me?

NY Bagel Lover

Dear NY Bagel Lover,

Yeah, I've got bagel tips! If you want bagels that are low in calories and you're not a total bagel snob (NY bagels are great, I know!), check out Western Bagel Alternative Bagels and Kim's Light Bagels (each of those has about 110 calories). They both can be ordered online, come in lots of flavors, taste great, and are low in calories and high in fiber. All excellent things. They're not huge, obviously, but they're not too small either. Another good find for a bagel fix is the Kraft Bagel-fuls line -- bagel-ish pockets with cream cheese inside for around 200 calories each. If you insist on buying your bagels while you're out and about, you're entering into another category completely. Bakery-bought bagels typically have 350 - 550 calories, depending on how big they are. And NYC is known to have giant bagels, so watch out. If you scoop the dough-y part out from inside your bagel, my guess is that you'll easily shave off 100 calories. Your bagel will still be pretty high in calories, but I say, save where you can! As for the cream cheese? Swap it out for a wedge of Laughing Cow Light -- that stuff tastes just as good but has way fewer calories and fat grams. But if that's not available, at least opt for reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese, and try not to use a crazy amount of it. My personal favorite bagel treat? A low-cal, high-fiber bagel packed with smoked salmon, sliced tomato, and red onion. Yummmmmmmmm!!!

Dear Hungry Girl,

I'm new to your site and would love to hear more about your old "no dry carbs" rule that I read about. I KNOW carbs are making it hard for me to lose the FINAL TEN pounds, and I need some info on high-protein breakfasts and quick no-bread lunches especially. Thanks in advance, HG!

HG Newbie

Dear HG Newbie,

Welcome!!! Nice to have you. Regarding my no-carbs phase, a long time ago, I did give up what I call "dry carbs." That means I had no bread, pasta, rice, flour, potatoes, etc., and I did that for one full year. It was sort of tough in the beginning, but after a few weeks, I didn't even miss them. I do eat those things now, but very much in moderation. I don't eat sandwiches often, I rarely eat pasta (Tofu Shirataki noodles are another story, though!), and I go easy on the potatoes. Even when I go out for sushi (which is often!), I order it made with just a little rice, or I stick with sashimi. For me, avoiding that stuff makes it easier to lose and/or maintain weight. I'm not sure if it's because those things are my "trigger foods" and cause me to eat more, or if there's another reason, but limiting them is what works for me. Since I avoid those things, it's easy for me to rattle off some breakfast and lunch ideas for you... B-fast -- Egg Beaters scrambled with fat-free or low-fat cheese, fruit salad, hard-boiled egg whites, and fat-free yogurt with fruit are some of my favorites. (Greek yogurt has lots of protein!) Lunch -- lettuce wraps stuffed with tuna salad (water-packed albacore with just a little fat-free mayo), chopped salads packed with veggies and grilled chicken, "turkey roll-ups" (pickles, veggies, and fat-free cheese wrapped in lean turkey slices), and veggie burger patties (on a plate with some veggies). Okay, now I am hungry and must eat... Byeeeee!

Hey! Today, September 23rd, is National White Chocolate Day. Wanna celebrate? Do it with Quaker's White Chocolatey Drizzle Mini Delights. Mmmmmmmm!
