Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 23: The Peanut Butter Conundrum
Is peanut butter the devil to a serious dieter—or an angel? To eat peanut butter or not to eat peanut butter? That is the question. I love peanut butter. Who doesn't? But does peanut butter love me and my diet back? My wife says no, that peanut butter is no serious dieter's friend. "The peanut butter thing is a problem, Ed," she says. "Nothing good comes out of having a jar of peanut butter in this house."
The first five months of watching my weight I swore off peanut butter, mostly because I find it incredibly difficult to exert any self-control when a full jar of peanut butter is nearby. Jars of Cream-Nut peanut butter (made by Koeze & Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan) with its intensely peanutty, just salty and sweet enough taste, sing a most seductive siren song.
But can I resist its undeniable charms, or must I resort to complete peanut butter abstinence? Must I start attending Peanut Butter Lovers Anonymous meetings? "Hello, my name is Ed. I'm a peanutbutterholic."
Those aforementioned siren voices encourage me to dip my spoon into the jar for a peanut butter hit whenever I'm home. They encourage me to have a small peanut butter and jelly sandwich on thin-sliced white bread for breakfast. These same voices whisper to me around lunchtime: "Peanut butter, it's what for lunch." Even at dinnertime they whisper sweet peanut butter somethings in my ear because at dinner I can have more peanut butter if it's a protein replacement for meat.
So I've experimented with having a jar of peanut butter around the house the last couple of weeks to see if I could limit myself to one modest peanut butter foray a day.
I've even taken to measuring my morning peanut butter dose. Two tablespoons (190 calories) is what I allow myself on my sandwich of two pieces of thin sliced white bread (80 calories) and a tablespoon of strawberry jam (40 to 50 calories). There is currently no peanut butter at Serious Eats World Headquarters. At home after dinner I do everything in my power not to take a late-night dip into the jar. It helps that peanut butter has a powerful and distinctive smell that tends to linger, so that every time I eat peanut butter at night my wife knows it.
The Weigh-In
So how did my peanut butter in moderation regimen go this week? The scale will tell the tale. Damn. Up a pound this week. I have to say that I think my one pound gain had more to do with all the meals I have eaten out this week for reviews and not the peanut butter. But I'll never be able to convince my wife of that.
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29 Comments:
all in moderation, my friend.
cybercita at 9:14AM on 06/27/08
My favorite Weight Watchers leader used to tell us that the peanut butter lived next door. She kept it at her neighbor's house so her children could have peanut butter and it wouldn't grab her by the will power and sabotage her weight loss efforts. I've seen some portion control servings of pb that might help you. Fighting to get the package open will probably offset the calories and fat you'd ingest. Good luck.
challah at 9:17AM on 06/27/08
I hear you!!! I love peanut butter and lots of times you read that you should eat a spoonful or two to stave off hunger or if you are going to a party, so that you won't eat as much. Well, I kept doing that and putting pb on apples as a "healthy" snack (and of course, not just a thin coating!) and lo and behold, I started gaining weight. I agree with the everything in moderation but pb is one of those foods that is very difficult to eat in moderation. So....I usually don' t eat it but will on occasion when I will be offset the calories and fat of pb with some other healther vegetable/fruit items.
Just to put it in perspective per the Weight Watchers comment above, only a one tablespoon of pb is 2 points which is the equivalent to a whole veggie burger, a lite whole grain english muffin with a tbsp of jam, or two whole pieces of fruit. Perhaps that helps explain why I eat it so seldom.
So, what is your favorite pb? From this website, I have tried Whole Foods 365 (not the organic) and it is very good-not thick, a bit on the runny side, but a more peanutty flavor than the usual supermarket array. Now if they would only open a Whole Foods near me!
suschef at 9:46AM on 06/27/08
Nuts seriously are the dieters friend, and peanut butter is part of that. If you look, there around, there is a relatively serious amount of literature to back that up. However, you are falling in the trap of not just eating peanut butter, but having a sandwich or similar and jam too. Nuts give you one of the highest fills per calorie, but you have to stick to just the nuts. If you are really seriously craving something to eat, if your tummy is rumbling and dinner is a couple of hours away, a spoonful of peanut butter is one of the best answers. It's all the things that you're having with it that are messing you up.
sarahdlr at 9:52AM on 06/27/08
There is a way to eat your peanut butter and not pay in pounds: PB2. It is basically roasted and de-oiled peanut powder that you can reconstitute into your preferred peanut butter consistency. Does it taste like the best peanut butter ever? No, but it is pretty darn good and you can use it to flavor other dishes as well and instead of 190 calories per serving it's about 54 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving. You can find it here: http://www.bellplantation.com/
peachfish at 10:05AM on 06/27/08
Ha! We had PB&J's for dinner last night (I didn't feel well, hubby didn't feel like cooking). Thank god we actually had some white bread in the house, we usually don't. PB&J is just not the same on crunchy 12 grain.
My husband is also a peanutbutterholic, so you'll be seeing him at those meetings, LOL. Then again, you might not, he doesnt think he has a problem.
wookie at 10:49AM on 06/27/08
Cream-Nut is the only american made peanut butter I've found that tops Calve "pindakaas" (aka dutch peanut butter). awesome stuff.
alktraz at 10:56AM on 06/27/08
You might want to check out Justin's 100 cal nut butter packs. I haven't tried them yet but I read about them here :
http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1473
justhungry at 11:10AM on 06/27/08
I also love peanut butter. My problem with swearing it off is that when I do crack and buy a jar I will eat the whole thing in a day. Before swearing it off, I would still eating multiple servings in a day but rarely an entire jar in a sitting.
I now sometimes buy PB2, but even with that I have cracked and eaten an entire jar at once. This is at least better since an entire jar is only about 850 calories and not 3200 calories like regular peanut butter. I just have to avoid both. I really wish they would sell individual servings or hundred calorie packs of peanut butter.
Can someone market that or suggest it please???
sherock at 11:13AM on 06/27/08
I have heard of PB2, but I think I would use it to lower the calories in things like satay or peanut stews, not to fulfill my banana-pb sandwich needs.
Peanut butter is not unhealthy, just high-calories. So long as you watch your portions and stick to sandwiches and peanut butter apple slices, etc., not chocolate-peanut butter fudge tortes every day at breakfast, I see no reason not to keep it around. But if you're the type who can't control yourself around peanut butter and a spoon, you might want to keep it out of the house to avoid temptation.
KarynMC at 11:17AM on 06/27/08
Hi Ed,
I haven't logged in to the diet progress in a long while, but I promised to do so, so here I am. Honestly, the week by week thing is a bit discouraging, I think it's more telling to look at how things go over long periods of time. Anyway here is today's weigh in:
171 / 20%
When I started this, I was at 177.5 / 23%
This means I have lost about 6 pounds of fat, and gained about 1.5 pounds of muscle.
No rocket science here, I have just been eating less, and exercising a lot more, and more consistently. I haven't really cut anything out, but I never ate much junk to begin with. The main thing is I am drinking a lot less booze and I am eating more green veggies, less refined starches, especially with dinner.
The main thing that has brought me this success has been boxing. It's the best workout ever. I really really really recommend it. You should go check these guys out: Trinity Boxing. Take a trial lesson. They RULE. And there's no being punched involved, it's totally safe. Unless you want to of course :) When I work out with them, I lose about 3 - 6 pounds in sweat. They will get you in shape faster than you can believe.
And then, after you wobble out of there grinning from ear to ear, you can be happy in your knowledge that you have earned your PB&J, ice cream, BBQ, or whatever else it is you desire.
I'll log back in a month or so from now to let you know my progress. I am hoping to lose another 5 pounds by then.
Best of luck to you Ed, and keep your fists up and chin down.
seyo at 11:42AM on 06/27/08
Even during the thickest part of my diet, I had peanut butter around. It was the all natural, sugar- and salt-free stuff, though, and only a spoonful a day at the most. One of my co-workers at the time told me she was very heavy as a young woman, so she went on a peanut butter sandwich diet and lost a huge amount of weight. Then again, for the most part, all she ever ate were those three sandwiches a day, and sometimes, only half. All in all, wall-to-wall moderation! ;D Keep your chin up!
OneWallKitchen at 11:47AM on 06/27/08
The Justin's packs seem like a good idea. I've seen them at bakeries for on the go toast/sandwiches. We generally have Adam's crunchy around the house. I wouldn't be so worried about the peanut butter in moderation. It's the bread you need to ditch! Come on....whole grains are your friend!
:)
bethmorris at 11:47AM on 06/27/08
If you keep weighing yourself you're going to go crazy! Just check how your pants fit. One pound is very debatable. Also: if you look at celebrity diets, like madonna or gwen paltrow, they eat peanut butter. (though I think it's because they need more protein)
parkrangerolivia at 11:47AM on 06/27/08
Peanut butter is chock full of all kinds of nutrients a dieter needs. I especially like it stuffed into celery or spread on apple slices.
This is also really good: Take a tablespoon-sized blob and roll it in your favorite crunchy cereal or granola, and eat like candy! Delicious!
Brownie at 12:23PM on 06/27/08
My boyfriend will also be joining you at those peanutbutterholic meetings. He eats a PB&J for breakfast every morning, and sometimes a second one post-gym. That is evidently the best time to eat a PB&J, post-gym, according to something I was reading, I think in Men's Health.
As for my diet and peanut butter, I used to eat a piece of fruit and a tablespoon of peanut butter for lunch every day, and I lost weight. It was a lot less calories than a plate of leftover dinner, that's for sure.
agk685 at 12:25PM on 06/27/08
Peanut butter is nutritious, but if you feel you can't control yourself portion-wise, don't have it in the house. That kind of stress will sabotage your progress.
juliec at 12:42PM on 06/27/08
Ed - You would be suprised by how much you can cut back on that PB per sandwich without noticing any difference. My regular lunch is a PB and sugar free jelly sandwich on double fiber bread. For a long time I put on the standard 2 tbps and then I thought I would just try it at a little over 1 tbsp, turns out I didn't even notice that the extra PB was missing.
Here is the PB is use - Naturally More, it is loaded with flax seeds and honey so it has a slightly different flavor than standard PB. But I love the stuff, can't go more than a couple days without having a sandwich!
Because I use Orowheat double fiber bread (160 cal), sugar free strawberry jelly (20 cal), and Naturally More (120 cal) my lunch only runs about 300 calories and it fills me up for the rest of the day.
Carosone at 12:47PM on 06/27/08
I have seen individual packets of PB-can't remember if it was Jif or Peter Pan but hey had them at my local grocery store which is Wegmans. Maybe you just need to ask the customer service desk if they can get them in from their distributor.
suschef at 1:03PM on 06/27/08
Maybe you should eat it for breakfast only. I think anything eaten in the morning doesn't count because you have so much time to work it off, even if inactive (but breathing). Plus it's filling so you're likely to eat less of everything else later.
bluebird at 3:23PM on 06/27/08
Your wife is the wise one: PB does not belong in the house of a serious dieter. Don't kid yourself. If you could control yourself around food, you wouldn't need to be dieting in the first place.
The only way I can keep PB in the house is if I just admit to myself that I'm going to eat 1,200+ calories (the amount in one jar) of PB in two days.
Tokyorosa at 3:25PM on 06/27/08
There are lots of things I can't have in my house. No chips of any kind, etc. I make some rules for myself with other items. For example, I can buy peanut butter, but only once a month. If I eat it all in two days, too bad. Gotta wait another 28 before I can buy more. Rules help me ration out the good stuff.
Kerosena at 4:11PM on 06/27/08
PB is fine, provided you can exercise portion control--when losing weight, I had to cut it out, but now I do eat nut butters in portion-controlled and measured doses. The single-serve stuff only comes in bad brands, nothing like Crazy Richard's/Krema--not worth it.
I don't know why everyone here eats it on white bread--pb must be on multigrain for a true pb experience, or eaten straight IMHO!
I find actually that sometimes a portioned controlled bag of honey roasted cashews is a better way to sate my craving.
Actually I like cashew and almond butter even better than pb!
HeartofGlass at 6:57PM on 06/27/08
How does a person eat a whole jar of PB in two days? I adore the stuff, but that sounds disgusting! Hopefully it is just an exaggeration...
Carosone at 7:01PM on 06/27/08
Why all this demonising of peanut butter? Week after week people talk rapturously about ice cream, chocolate, bacon etc... on this blog, and never have I heard such negativity. And unlike those other popular foods this is a whole and healthful food! Why all these problems with portions that were never mentioned with the other foods?
Peanut butter is a wonderful food, and one that I enjoy every day for beakfast. On whole grain toast it's the best way to start my day, and I can last until lunch without scarfing down a bunch of junk. It's also a very affordable souce of healthy fats and protein, easily accessible to all, free of additives and processing (if you get the "just peanuts" kind), vegan, and popular with all ages to boot.
The perfect food! (and that's why my name is PeanutButter)
PeanutButter at 10:24PM on 06/27/08
"I used to eat a piece of fruit and a tablespoon of peanut butter for lunch every day, and I lost weight. It was a lot less calories than a plate of leftover dinner, that's for sure."
no offense intended, and I am by no means a diet expert, but this does not sound like enough food for a healthy lunch to me. just one piece of fruit? sure you would lose weight, but I'm not sure it's healthy.
redzerostar at 3:07PM on 06/28/08
Dear Casarone, asking how a fatty like me can eat a jar of PB in two days is like asking an alcoholic how they can possibly drink a fifth of whiskey in a single binge. The only exaggeration I made was the time it takes to polish off an entire jar of PB. That is, I can usually polish off a jar in *less* than two days.
Tokyorosa at 10:05PM on 06/28/08
Hey Ed, just grab a handful of PB packets from a diner the next time you go for breakfast. Then, when the craving hits, have one packet. (Make sure you keep the empties in sight to remind you of how many you've eaten.)
piccola at 11:09PM on 06/29/08
OMG, alktraz!!! Pindakaas! Neu smeuiger dan ooit!! When I took my first trip to Europe at age 15, I always had to find peanut butter. Got hooked on yogurt and quark, but couldn't go very long without my pb/pindakaas/Erdnussbutter!
Some people have had good results using methods like EFT (emofree.com) to help with cravings/addictions. I wonder if that would help Ed and others.
I do eat peanut butter even while trying to lose, and because it's high in calories and fat and protein (not wicked high in protein, but high enough relative to the fat) that it's a great snack (either plain or on an apple or a slice of that very thin, dense, perfectly square whole grain bread). But everybody is different and if a jar of pb is too deadly to have around, then don't torture yourself. I think THE MOST helpful dieting maneuver for me is to have dinner pretty early in the evening, preferably by 6 and not a heavy meal, and then not eat anything else the rest of the evening. A few nights a week I have a strenuous karate workout so I don't eat before hand, then have some vegetables and some yogurt, or a homemade fruit smoothie when I get home. If I absolutely have to have something later in the evening - hot cocoa! 12 oz milk, 1 heaping tsp cocoa, 2 tsp sugar. Good protein, not too high in calories, and it fills the chocolate void too.
mcmvoices at 9:38AM on 07/01/08