Peanut Butter

okay so i usually eat about 1200 calories in a day, maybe a little more. i have had a lot of trouble losing weight because i've been fighting an eating disorder that really slowed down my metabolism. anyway, i love peanut butter so a lot those 1200 calories come from eating peanut butter. i know it is high in fat, which is supposed to be healthy fat, but it's still a lot. can eating a lot of peanut butter still make me gain weight even if i haven't eaten too many calories by the end of the day? i always measure how much i'm eating so i'm not one of those under-estimators when it comes to calories. i've been eating pretty well lately but haven't seen any results and i'm wondering if it's because all of the peanut butter.

Short answer: If you're eating fewer calories than you burn, even if it's all peanut butter, you should lose weight.

Longer answer: It's not just about calories, it's also about nutrition. If you're eating lots of peanut butter, are you getting enough fruits and veggies? Other sources of protein? You could very well be missing out on some vital nutrients because you're eating lots of peanut butter.

yeah i know. i don't know why but i've always been so addicted to peanut butter. i would live on it if i could. i've decided i'm only going to allow myself to have it with one meal per day. i've tried so many times to stop eating it all together, but i just can't help it. it's the one food i can't conquer.

I have the same thing with chocolate - I found that I was having to starve myself at meals so that I could fit in my chocolate. I found that the best way round it is to limit yourself - which it sounds like you're doing. I only allow myself to have chocolate at the weekends so I don't overdo it. I've actually found that since I've been doing it that way I've broken the addiction and I don't even crave it that much at weekends when I'm allowed it. I think keeping it black and white like that is better, because I know from personal experience that if I allowed myself a little bit each day, then I would end up going over my allowance because I wouldn't break the addiction.

I hope this helps!

I don't know if it'd help at all, but I love peanut butter too! Peanut butter and crackers. I cut out the crackers and just last week bought simply jif, it cuts down alot of sodium and sugar. At first I was all "...well this is different" when I first tasted it, but it still tasted like peanut butter regardless! Not sure if cutting down on those few things will help even a little bit, but it's worth a try. Plus pairing it with something sweet like an apple sure would be good!

I think I may try that, but all I have are pears :/ lol

I absolutely love peanut butter. I used to eat it so much that it would take up a whole days worth of calories and then I felt I couldn't eat anything else that day. I had to do something... so about 6 months ago I went cold turkey and do not allow peanut butter in the house anymore lol... I haven't missed it a bit. Out of sight out of mind I guess. Now, I am able to eat a wide variety of things and that's a lot healthier.

Have you tried PB2?  You can buy it on the internet or in limited health food stores.  I tried it and if you eat it with jelly it tastes pretty good and it's only got 20% or something of the fat as regular peanut butter.  I warn you, it's weird...it's a dry powder that you mix up as you use, but I have it on a multigrain english muffin with reduced sugar jelly and it satisfied my Peanut Butter craving without using up too many calories.

there you go ;-)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090117/ap_on_re_ us/salmonella_outbreak

Just a note: Peanut butter is considered a special treat in many countries, especially Ukraine! I lived there for about a month years ago and we took extra jars of peanut butter and the locals were SO thrilled. We had a party and had two platters of just sliced bread with PB and it was Gone by mostly them, lol. THey were sooo excited to see it! And I was thinking, "Wow.. every kid in America has this every lunch!"

I have to stagger my Peanutt Butter.  I save it for the end of the day with reduced fat grahmam crackers.  I measure out two tablespoons.  My family thinks Im nuts, but you gotta do what you gotta do.  Can't live with out the Peanutt butter.  I have enough cals left today to even add banana slices to my peanutt butter and grahams. 

Good luck

I use PB2 and Naturally More Peanut Butter.

You need to make sure that you are eating balanced. You need whole grains, lean meats and protein, dairy, fruits and veggies. If you are replacing that with peanut butter it is a problem. If you are adding peanut butter to your diet and still including the other food groups it is fine. Peanut Butter is good for you. You say you are recovering and only eating 1200 calories a day. You need more than that. 1200 in the bare minimum. You need to up your calorie intake.

a massive craving of peanut butter can be a result of not getting enough fats in your diet. i would alot certain days to allowing peanut butter and on the days you dont eat it make sure you are getting enough healthy fats elseware.

it may take a little while but that should deminish you craving to a considerable extent. try throwing a bunch of sliced black olives on a salad or sauteying (sp?) vegetables in canola/peanut/olive oil on the no peanut butter days. also, in the morning you could bite the cravings in the butt by making an egg and cheese omlet on whole grain bread; that would give you enough fat and protien to help stabalize your cravings/hunger.

a balanced diet is the biggest aid in controling cravings, especialy if you are consistent with keeping your day to day food intake balanced. and always eat the foods you most enjoy nice and slow.

first rule... check the ingredients on your PB!!!!!

generally most peanut butters have palm oil, a cheap oil that's added to peanut butter to prevent the natural oil from separating out.  Palm oil is extremely high in saturated fats (the same reason movie theater popcorn is bad for you).  watch out for palm oil in the labels of all foods....

also look to see if your PB countains mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (glyceryl monostearate or distearate)

next up is sugar....usually found on the label in the form of dextrose, sucrose or fructose...there is no nutritional value and just added calories.

if you are going to go for a PB brand go for one that contains peanuts and nothing else....aside from salt.  small amounts of salt are okay....

BUT if you are trying to lose weight...high amounts of salt can lead to water retention (which keeps water weight on) as well as high blood pressure etc.

if you are eating a high amount of PB it is high in fat and calories and i'm pretty sure you are not getting the nutrients you need......i'm 110 5'4 and i'm eating around 2000 calories a day....so i can't imagine how hard eating 1200 would be.

by the way...whenever i'm going to cheat with a bad food like PB...i usually do it right after i work out...your metabolism is faster as well protein helps with muscle repair.

When the online voting for the "new" 7 wonders of the world came around, I voted for Peanut Butter...lol.  When I was a kid, I used to eat as many as 6 slices of toast with peanut butter for breakfast.  My Mom, bless her heart, would just keep feeding me until I stopped.  It's a wonder I wasn't a whale...lol. 

You need to eat a balanced diet to be healthy and you should work towards that Bella, by gradually introducing new, healthy foods, into your diet.   You never know, you might find a wide variety of healthy "must have" foods.  One of the things I have do with foods I just love to death like peanut butter and maple syrup, is to eat them alone, not on or in anything.   If I want peanut butter, instead of plastering it on a few hundred calories of bread, I just take a spoon and scoop out some and just lick it and enjoy it for 10 or 15 minutes and by then, I've had enough and I'm done.  Same with maple syrup.  You can take a spoonful, and leave it in your mouth and I'm telling you, if that is not heaven, I cannot imagine heaven being any better than that!!!!   I did that for a couple of years when I started eating healthy and then I basically kicked that habit, but once in a while, once a month maybe, I still do it....lol.

look first let me say im not the kinda person to answer a question if i dont know anything ima bout to put i reserched it.     

             well first no its not cause of peanut butter studys show that diets with 50% more fat are just as good as any other diets.  its if you go over a certain amount of calories that will make you gain weight. whats happening to you is probably the fact that your eating so little witch causes your body to start slowing your metabolism so you can live off of what your eating    now im no genious but i do my homework n i encorporate what ima bout to say into my daily nutrition plan.   id say to work on geting your metabolism back up here are a few of hundreds of tips i know and use.

1. on an empty stomach drink cold i emphasize "cold" water the water causes a thermo effect on your body boosting your metabolism by 25%! for the next  90 min.

2. a spice known as cayene pepper also has a thermo effect theres a variety of ways you can take it the metabolic response lasts up to 3 hours

3. good ol  green tea self explanatory

4.eat breakfast just by eating breakfast boosts your metabolism by 20 percent cause you havent eatin the whole time your sleeping so when you wake up if you dont eat your bodyw illl litterally think your startving n thus itll slow your metabolism down . ive wrote enough if your intrested in more ways just message me i hope atleast 1 piece of info. helps

look first let me say im not the kinda person to answer a question if i dont know anything ima bout to put i reserched it.     

             well first no its not cause of peanut butter studys show that diets with 50% more fat are just as good as any other diets.  its if you go over a certain amount of calories that will make you gain weight. whats happening to you is probably the fact that your eating so little witch causes your body to start slowing your metabolism so you can live off of what your eating    now im no genious but i do my homework n i encorporate what ima bout to say into my daily nutrition plan.   id say to work on geting your metabolism back up here are a few of hundreds of tips i know and use.

1. on an empty stomach drink cold i emphasize "cold" water the water causes a thermo effect on your body boosting your metabolism by 25%! for the next  90 min.

2. a spice known as cayene pepper also has a thermo effect theres a variety of ways you can take it the metabolic response lasts up to 3 hours

3. good ol  green tea self explanatory

4.eat breakfast just by eating breakfast boosts your metabolism by 20 percent cause you havent eatin the whole time your sleeping so when you wake up if you dont eat your bodyw illl litterally think your startving n thus itll slow your metabolism down . ive wrote enough if your intrested in more ways just message me i hope atleast 1 piece of info. helps

hahahhahahaha MYTH MYTH MYTH!!!!!

Cold water does not boost your metabolism by 25% that is an absurd and arbitrary number.  drinking room temperature water is better for your body because it's closer to the PH level in your body...and will help you digest food faster.  Water is water!!! any metabolic difference is negligible!!!

Cayenne pepper is also a ridiculous myth...spicy foods DO NOT make your metabolism work faster.....it's just common that people would eat spicy foods eat them slower and therefore eat less....

Green Tea and metabolic activity is highly debated....generally there is no solid evidence proving that it helps metabolism...although it does have many other benefits for your health. 

breakfast is a good way to boost metabolism but make sure you are eating a balance of protein with complex carbohydates......ex. yogurt with a banana and flax seed..... if you are just eating a bagel and oj your insulin levels will spike...

Original Post by kaila_a:

hahahhahahaha MYTH MYTH MYTH!!!!!

Cold water does not boost your metabolism by 25% that is an absurd and arbitrary number.  drinking room temperature water is better for your body because it's closer to the PH level in your body...and will help you digest food faster.  Water is water!!! any metabolic difference is negligible!!!

Cayenne pepper is also a ridiculous myth...spicy foods DO NOT make your metabolism work faster.....it's just common that people would eat spicy foods eat them slower and therefore eat less....

Green Tea and metabolic activity is highly debated....generally there is no solid evidence proving that it helps metabolism...although it does have many other benefits for your health. 

breakfast is a good way to boost metabolism but make sure you are eating a balance of protein with complex carbohydates......ex. yogurt with a banana and flax seed..... if you are just eating a bagel and oj your insulin levels will spike...

 Many studies have been done on Cayenne pepper and other hot and mild peppers.

Some studies show that eating hot peppers may increase the body's production of heat for a short time. It may also help to regulate blood sugar levels by affecting the breakdown of carbohydrates after a meal.

Peppers have many other health benefits. Peppers contain a substance called capsaicin which has been widely studied and show promising effects on the cardiovascular system and the digestive system. It has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and pain relieving capabilities. It has been used to clean nasal and sinus congestion. The hotter the pepper the more capsaicin it contains. Studies have been done that show capsaicin/peppers may be more positive effects in heart health than aspirin. Capsaicin is not a magic diet pill but to say it has no effect on weight loss is probably not accurate. There are many foods that effect the body in different ways and some foods are better than others when it comes to weight loss. It is not just about calories. Just as certain herbs and medications have an effect on the body so do foods.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/cayenne-00 0230.htm

http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi= 344

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=food spice&dbid=140

http://www.squidoo.com/howtoraisemetabolism

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/01/07/jampolis .health.eating/

myth? homie its proven by the germans cold water has pretty much the kind of effect cayenne has except for the fact that cayenne is hot n the water will be cold would you like the link? before you start talking about something you dont know about

Just drinking water will not only aid in weight loss but has many other health benefits. The theory behind ice water and weight loss is that when you drink ice water your body must work to warm up again after drinking cold water, thus burning some calories. Although it is not a lot of calories it is true. Not exactly a weight loss miracle but not a myth either.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/question447.h tm