What are some of your favorite low cal. low fat snacks that I can throw in my backpack for school when it starts? (I'll be an official freshman on Sept. 3rd!!!) Thank you all so much. Peace.

home made p bars. good and nutricious and should help with the hunger variations. there are many other thoughts here i am sure too.

I'm fond of the little pretzels. Keep a baggie in my car for emergency munchies. Two or three can forestall a major breakdown and hold me over till I can get my next meal (ok, sometimes it's 9 or 10 but that's still only 55 cal).

ok - my fave little treats are:

2 points bars from weight watchers
1 oz. of mini pretzels
slim fast meal on the go bars or snack bars
low fat granola bars

I love Zone bars, they have enough protein that I'm not hungry right after I eat them.

But I'll warn you against packing your bag too full of compact snacks, the calories add up very fast. I suggest putting a selection of "sturdy" fruits and veggies, like apples and carrots, and one or two granola bars or power bars. Then your not tempted to consume a ton of calories (with little satisfaction).

As my uncle's famous family quote goes, "I've six of these darn Slimfast shakes everyday and I haven't lost any weight!"

Apryl - I have the same sort of problem. My commute from school (I teach 5th grade) is 40 minutes, so at the end of the day if I cave into the munchies it could mean a disastrous trip through the McDrive-Thru!

I agree - you should keep a good supply of sturdy fruits or veggies. Apples do it for me. Also, pretzels are good, but make sure you bag up individual servings instead of packing the whole bag. If you're hungry enough (or bored enough or stressed enough) you'll end up eating the whole big bag!

I am so proud of you for going about this the right way! Planning is so important...it took me about 30 years to figure that out, and you're only what - 14? - and you've figured it out already!

hope you have a FABULOUS freshman year!

as for snacks, well, here it comes from the protein queen [after sue, that is].

i HATE protein bars, but sue loves them.

and protein will help stabilize your blood sugar. so, here are my portables: soy nuts and jerky, either beef or turkey. the other nuts are very high in fat and have more carbs than protein. the soy nuts are high in protein with little fat.

and if you can fit one of those small insulated bags, with an ice pack, a little low fat cheese can go a long way.

keep us posted, darlin, and if you need some help with homework, just ask. i've been helping my niece and her friends for years...