Whenever a sugar craving hit, I would head to my pantry and grab a handful of crunchiness. I had mason jars filled with raw almonds, both raw and salted cashews, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, shelled pistachios, and macadamias. I didn't measure a single serving, and just mindlessly and ravenously grabbed handful after handful. I even poured sunflower seeds and hemp seeds straight into my mouth!
By the end of the first week, those mason jars were empty. I promptly went to Trader Joe's to refill my stash, and I ate all those, too. I also ate spoonful after delicious spoonful of peanut butter, almond butter, and Sunbutter.
"Healthy fats are good for me," I thought. But when I got out some measuring cups and started keeping track of all those handfuls and spoonfuls, I was shocked at the calorie amount I was consuming. I was eating at least one cup of nuts daily — one cup of raw almonds is 828 calories and 31 grams of carbs! No wonder I had gained a few pounds!