Keep It Poppin’ (My Kettle Corn Obsession)

I used to drive all the way to the Main Street Farmer’s Market in Santa Monica.  Park my car.  Go for a 30 minute run. Pick up my bag (or 2, or 3) of kettle corn.  Then drive home.

Do you remember the little white bags they’d fill up with fresh kettle corn, and then stick it in a plastic bag and tie it up with a wire tie?  If I convinced myself to only buy one or two that week, chances are I’d find myself at the Westwood Farmer’s Market on Wednesday buying another bag.

When I say I was obsessive, I’m not kidding!

Then I joined Weight Watchers and discovered that my little white bag—overflowing into the clear plastic bag, neatly tied with a wire tie—was FIFTEEN POINTS.  Not worthy!

Eventually, after LOTS of sugar snap peas (zero points) and carrots (zero points) during the day to make up for my kettle corn habit at night, I decided to try Orville Redenbacher’s 94% fat free kettle corn instead.  Not quite the same experience, but at 3 points a bag (on the old points system), it was a much better value than the regular kettle corn.

And then began the new habit of an entire bag of “diet” kettle corn… every single night.

If I was out for dinner or at a family gathering, everything was compared to my 3-point kettle corn at night, and nothing measured up to my alone-time with my kettle corn.  I know, seems pretty sad.  For me, that huge bag of popcorn every night was filling an emotional void; it was pretty much my boyfriend!  Only when I found the love of my life did I manage to completely kick the habit.

Then one day, Sam’s mother sends him home with a large sample of Angie’s Kettle Corn from Costco.  (Does this woman have it in for me or what?)  He didn’t quite get it when I told him that I have a thing for kettle corn!!

Back to Basics

Now when I need to get back on track, the first thing I change is to go back to my 94% fat free Kettle Corn as a nighttime snack. It’s on my Top 10 Weight Watchers Power Foods list. There’s nothing quite like it when you’re craving a sweet-and-salty fix! The difference is that now I really only need a 100 calorie bag. Before, the huge bag was just feeding myself emotionally and was a habit that I wasn’t willing to break.

I find that the danger with the big bag varieties is that once you’ve had one cup, it’s far too easy to go back for more. And more. And more.  That’s why I like the 100 calorie pop-yourself bags.

Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop Kettle Korn (with a K) 100 calorie bags are a WW Power Food. (Yipee!)

Best nighttime snack if you’re following  Weight Watchers Simple Start or Simply Filling.

3 PointsPlus If you’re following Weight Watchers PointsPlus.

Target carries 10 mini bags for a great price. It’s not available online, but you can click here to find out which stores in your area have it in stock. You might also want to take a look at my Target Shopping List with WW Power Foods and PointsPlus values.

Another great choice is Jolly Time 100 Calorie Healthy Pop Kettle Corn.

WW Power Food or 3 WW PP if you’re counting points.

Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn Mini’s are great too. But I found myself going in for a second one, so I tend not to buy them anymore. (And they’re not a power food because of the sugar content. But fab for kids.) 3 WW PP per bag. Click here for my Trader Joe’s Shopping List with WW Power Foods and PointsPlus values.

Dr. Phil says that when you work for your meal, you enjoy it more, and it’s more satisfying. Not sure if putting a bag in the microwave and listening for the popping would fall into the category of “work,” but the thought of having to pop another bag definitely slows you down enough to reconsider if you really have to have another one—and that pause might be just what you need to make a better choice.

How many days does it take to break a habit? I think they say it takes 21 days to break a habit. But it takes a lot less time to make a new one!

Next up...
I’ll be popping my own and spraying with Trader Joe’s Coconut Oil Spray and sprinkling with a little salt and sugar!

What’s your go-to back-on-track snack?

More on Weight Watchers Power Foods and Simple Start/Simply Filling:
• Top 10 Weight Watchers Power Foods >>
• Why Weight Watchers Simple Start Works >>
• Five Simple Start Veggies & Meal Ideas >>
• Trader Joe’s Shopping List (with Power Foods and WW PointsPlus) >>
• Costco Shopping List (with Power Foods and WW PointsPlus) >>
• Orna’s Weight Loss Journey (with before and after pics) >>