Little mistakes we don't realize

In our quest for a lean body, we often weigh our protein, measure our vegetables, calculate water, it gets obsessive. Even if you don't go overboard like this, you may be really careful about every meal you have, yet it is so easy to make a huge mistake without even realizing it.

See this beautiful caramel? I love these. They are sugar free, isn't that great?! NO!!!

Sugar free doesn't mean fat free or carb free! I had one of these little beauties just the other day and oh my goodness are they tasty! It is easy to fall into the trap of "it's just a very small piece of candy"

After I savored this little nugget I decide to search the nutritional content on their website, you see, the candy is so small that it cannot fit on it! Here is the bad news:

Chocolate Caramel
Nutrition Facts

* Serving Size 1 piece (23g)
* Servings per container 8
* Calories 60
* Calories from Fat 20
* Total Fat 2g
* Saturated Fat 1.5g
* Cholesterol 5mg
* Sodium 5mg
* Total Carbohydrate 12g
* Dietary Fiber 0g
* Sugars 0g
* Sugar Alcohols 11.5g
* Protein 0g

Ingredients: Maltitol syrup, half and half cream, heavy whipping cream, whole evaporated milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, butter, vanilla extract.

*Net Impact Carbs = .5 gram per serving.

Do you see the carbohydrates? 12 grams! 12 grams! Should I say it again? 12 grams!

Let me put this in perspective for you. When I eat a meal, my carbohydrates are usually anywhere between 20 and 30 grams. This little sucker cost me as much as half an entire meal! And I was still hungry and could have easily eaten 6 more. ouch!

If you have small children, or cook for others it is so easy to fall into this same trap without realizing it, you taste a bit here and there, grab a piece off their plate, pretty soon you have consumed a couple hundred calories and 25 grams of carbohydrates without even feeling like you ate a thing.

So every time you think you want to taste a bit here and there, don't. You can take it and put it aside, save all your tastes for your one meal and enjoy them together or skip them. Just remember, they all add up.

I have one more of these caramels in my cupboard, I will take it with me to my next competition, because they are spectacular! Especially the chocolate caramel.