Overcoming the anti cooking attitude and a wholesome bajra roti for you!

The old me used to be a lazy person. Lazy to cook specially. I used to think that cooking is a laborious, boring and useless activity which is given unnecessary importance. I believed that when any kind of food one wants is available in the restaurants, cooking was a waste of time!

Things got into perspective when I had gained an unhealthy amount of weight during pregnancy and post that! Once I had a toddler whose nutrition I had to take care of, cooking became a necessary evil. I still did not like cooking, but came to understand that it was the only way I could ensure that we as a family ate healthy and stayed healthy!

Then as I embarked on weight loss - I was constantly faced with the challenge of eating something that was low on calories , yet high on taste! I discovered the joy of the cooking healthy challenge! As we went along I modified even more - I began to make more soups, cook different types of pulses and also began experimenting with different grains!

Brown rice khichdis, broken wheat "fried rice", different kind of parathas, whole wheat pasta
are now dished out of my kitchen with a lot of gusto! Chittu also gets a staple breakfast of a combination of various millets made into a porridge on a regular basis!

One of my readers also suggested that I take to millets in its various forms. When I was grocery shopping, my eyes chanced upon "bajra flour"(pearl millet flour) and I grabbed a packet without thinking much what I would do with it! I have heard of bajra roties being made and so I decided to experiment.

When I kneaded the bajra flour, I ended up with a brittle textured dough. So I could not roll the chappatis like I roll the regular wheat roties. So I added some wheat flour to it and kneaded with some warm water and made flavourful roties with it. Yes my roties were not too soft. Little on the crisper side and I topped with a bit of ghee too! But both- the husband and toddler loved the roties:

Bajra Roti with Tondli subzi!

How to make bajra roties:

Take bajra flour and wheat flour (70:30)

Add salt

Knead with warm water into chappati dough consistency

Add 1 spoon oil in the end

Roll with rolling pin

Grill on tava like a regular roti

Serve with a smidge of ghee (clarified butter)

Other pointers:

I will try to add some onion/ grated carrots/ grated radish/ cabbage or other veggies the next time

Read the nutrition info for bajra here take a look at the iron content & the fat too!!

The satiety is pretty high!

These rotis are on the chewy side and you'd have to spend time chewing it. So you really cant wolf down too many at a time

I loved the rustic texture of these rotis. The smell of the ghee infused rotis really made me feel like I was eating the healthiest meal in town!!!

 

The weekend post - froyo, donuts, morning run, diabetes scare et al!

Whew what a weekend that was!!! I hope you guys had a good one too.

My weekend was packed with a little bit of everything - good food, good workouts, doctor's visit, some home improvement window shopping, friends, movie watching and yes Chittu time!

Friday started off on this note:

That's frozen yogurt!!! This was the Scientist's pista flavour topped with white choco chips and chocolate balls :)


The one below is mine - litchee flavoured.

(Also unpictured is the liberal test serving of mango froyo the friendly sales guy offered me)

And can the weekend start better?



Since the toddler had slept early, we had a real Friday evening to chill out and the husband and I had decided to head out for coffee. Just opposite the coffee shop was the Krispe Creme sig and we could not resist the idea of a doughnut to go with our coffees.

And finally the Scientist noticed the frozen yogurt signboard, and he knew it was something I have been wanting in a long long time :) So we stepped in and enjoyed dessert . But the Krispy Kreme sign did not stop enticing the Scientist who thought of donuts for Saturday's breakfast. I promised him I would not eat any in a mid-night fury and so we packed 6 and took them home:

Ofcouse I remembered to snap only after we had already eaten 3of the calorie laden goodness :). Why do carbs taste so good? But that was only after I had rushed to the gym for a good sweaty workout after waking up early :)

The rest of Saturday was spent visiting our house, currently under renovation, watching a tamil movie in the afternoon (over the remaining donuts, ofcouse!!!) and playing kickball with the toddler in the evening! I went light at dinner - restricting to a mango protein shake after the mornings carb fest!

Sunday began with a morning run! Its more than a month since I really ran out in open ? And I totally enjoyed it! Someone remind me - why did I stop running at Lalbagh?

Distance4.94km

Duration43:34

Avg Pace8:49

kCal299

I was coming down with a bad UTI and was feeling totally lousy by Saturday evening. Some rashes that had appeared on my body a week ago was also becoming more severe. I decided to bite the bullet and see the doctor. Based on the description I gave him, the doctor said I could be diabetic becasue the rash I was experiencing along with UTI was most commonly found in diabetics. "But how?" I asked the doctor - I was leading a fairly active lifestyle, have been eating healthy and basically have been working really hard on my health. He wanted me to run some tests, but put me on antibiotics anyway.

I gave my blood sample and kept my fingers crossed I was not diabetic. I kept telling the Scientist that it would be terrible if I was! Anyway, the test results came this morning and turns out all my parameters are perfectly normal. Nothing at all! That was relieving! I am already feeling better with the UTI meds :)

And the rest of Sunday was spent refrigerator shopping :) We are looking at some swanking stuff for our new home ( I have not spoken much about that here, have I?). Sunday evening was a quite one at a freind's place to watch to watch the IPL play offs! And then Monday again!

I made bajra roties for lunch and will share that with you on the next post :)

Have you had such unnecessary scares with the doctor?? This one sure had my heart racing till I saw the results :)

When obsessions turn funny!

With the Scientist being incredibly busy these last few days, I have been missing out on my gym time. Sure I try to do an exercise video or some yoga at home, but still gym time is sacred you see?

 

Imagine the Scientist's amusement, when I woke up in the middle of the night and asked him what time he was going to leave for work ( he was still working at that hour). "I don't know", he replied. "Why?" " I'll go to the gym and come back", I said and scrambled out of bed. The Scientist held my hand back and told me" But its only 2.15. You are so guilty is it?" I'm sure he had a good laugh.

 

Really sometimes not going to the gym eats up my conscience so much that the only thought in my head as I hit the sack is that I must go to the gym the next morning :)

 

And heres another:

 

Chittu was asleep till 8.30 in the morning. I was heard telling him that I finish my gym business by 7 every morning so that I get a good two hours with him. I'd go even earlier,  but the gym only opens at 5.30. Really?? Yes. If only I had a 24-hr gym!!!

 

These are the good days. There are also the days when I turn off the alarm and cuddle next to Chittu or the Husband. Those two are always warm. I'm the one who is cold perpetually!! Some days there are excuses for no gym, some days I promise I'll do something active later, somedays I'm mad at the scale, somedays something is hurting... but yes there are many many days when I haul my sleepy self out of the sleeping house and go for a run/ to the gym. And believe me, only getting out is difficult, the rest as they say is history!

The post where I think I am God - part 2

As we celebrated Chittu's birthday recently, it was a gentle reminder for me about the weight loss journey I have been on these last three years.

 

While the figure of total number of kgs lost these three years is a pretty hefty amount, I still do have a long way to go hit my " goal weight". Even my goal weight might be at the higher end of the BMI for my weight. But I am thinking now that even 69.9 is a mighty good number :)

 

I have read impressive stories on the internet about how people lost all the weight that I did plus more in a short span of time - say a year. For me it has taken around two and a half years to get here and I am still a fat girl for anyone who meets me without knowing any of my history.

 

Still, this has been my longest and most successful attempt at weight loss. While I don't intend to blow my trumpet, this blog is my sincere effort to prod and support those on a similar journey as me and who have felt helpless just like the way I do many many times, even now.

 

What was so different this time?

 

Answers are simple -

• I have consistently been exercising since I started - that's lead me to run three 10k events - I have exercised after a month long vacation, taken injury breaks, fallen sick, shifted my home, travelled, attended family weddings, had a sick baby, severe professional stress - but still came back home to hit the gym/ do that run/ exercise video! 
• I have conciously worked on my sweet tooth - lets face it - I love stuff that tastes sweet and I have over these years learnt to use lighter substitutes - like naturally sweet fruit, dried fruits, jaggery and organic honey
• I have made the switch from eating highly processed food - like packed biscuits & cookies, cakes to eating whole foods - whole grains, a variety of millets, stone ground wheat, brown rice, different pulses & beans
• I cook three meals a day - that makes me appreciative of the effort I put into cooking healthy, wholesome and nutritious meals for my family
• I have learnt to grapple with my repeated failures to resist pizza, ice cream or sweets - i go right back to healthy living from the next meal on - rather than throw my hands up and say I lost the motivation
• I have learnt to appreciate the wisdom of traditional cooking methods and cooking ingredients - like asafoetida (hing), pepper, curry leaves & coriander, garlic, ghee, ginger and many other traditional herbs & spices!
• I have learnt to be creative - like do an exercise video if I can't go to the gym, opt for a hot chocolate than a triple scoop sundae, get the toddler to practise yoga along with me, spend an active evening in the park, try new recipes - like I only use whole wheat pastas, have created my own soups and the like - basically I put that effort into weight loss even though there might be a million reasons making me desist from it!
• Support - I mean EVERY person in family who has seen me transform - has been very kind to me - ofcourse the Scientist is the one who got me to run, and who took care of the toddler during my body pump classes - but without that support and the support from this blog   I'd have not reached anywhere. Thanks guys for those kind words.

Well just so that any reader does not mistake me for a saint, I'll admit that I have even prayed to God and asked him/her to help me lose weight! Its a painfully slow journey many times- but that also gives you the time to metamorphose into a new being!

 

Have you heard of spoilt chocolate? Well the Scientist and I - this weekend junked a whole lot of the US chocolate because it was spoilt. That has NEVER EVER happened before in the Sugar household! On that note I'll zip it!!!

 

Read - The post where I think I am God - part 1- here

Being home :)

Just when I thought life was spewing venom at me being a bit difficult for me, I got to enjoy an unintended 4 day vacation at home. Maami rushed off on some personal work and needed a couple of days off. I took the opportunity to be home, bond with the toddler and just chill!!!

 

There is always something about "home" that makes it so good. I tell people, I can usually shut myself up inside my home and just live there happily ever after. Seriously, its that bad. And with a permanent house help, sometimes, being home alone is a luxury. Since that collided with little guy's birthday, we had a good time - went mall shopping (something I rarely do!), ate at the food court in the mall and even ended the day with ice cream. But that's another story!

 

Yes, the Scientist never fails to lure me with the tempting offers like pizza from Papa john's, ice cream from Swensens/ Hagen Daaz, a dinner at California Pizza Kitchen or Chilli's and the like. The Scientist and I are very similar on those lines - we both love to live life up and usually never think twice about running high restaurant bills. In fact I tell the Scientist that if we stop eating out we'd easily save about 10k a month...

 

But its not about the meal many times, it's the good quality time we get as a family free from the " is Maami overhearing" worry. Sometimes, like running, going out is liberating!!!

 

Anyway,  being home with the toddler gave me some priceless moments and I gave it another serious thought - the stay at home mom thingie. Well I'm still thinking, so the official result is not out yet!!! But yes spending time at home tending to my baby and home really warmed up my heart. There is something so gratifying about house work and family work that junking a career does not seem like a bad idea at all! Sometimes its nice to be reminded that at home I am loved, needed and looked forward to - emotions that are so easily forgettable in the routine hum drum of a working couple's life!

 

The dance of the hormones has led me to a little bit of the munchies - I ate some spoilt chocolate (from the US trip), some good candy a have had a little bit more sugar in my chais than I do usually. Time to get back to the real world, I guess!

 

 

This day that time!

Three years later, I can clearly remember that morning I least expected to end with the birth of my son. I was to have my delivery in Chennai and my husband was going to drive back to Bangalore, leaving in the wee hours of the morning so that he'd reach office on time!

While the Scientist came downstairs from our room upstairs, I decided to sleep in for 5 minutes longer so that I'd go down once he was showered and ready. Fellow moms would know that towards that end of the pregnancy term, sleep is a highly coveted resource. I used to be hardly able to slep at night while the afternoons would beg me curl up and zonk off!

Anyway, as I groggily went downstairs, I suddenly felt like I missed a step. The next thing I knew was I had fallen, unable to get up. People in the house were awake to also say bye to the Husband and so they heard me call for help. I was not able to stand no matter how hard I tried. I was not even able to really tell how exactly and in what position I fell. I was sweating profusely all the while panicking about the baby in my womb! I did not want anything terrible to happen to the child.

Soon I was given a drink and the family had decided that we rush to the hospital. I somehow gathered every strand of mental strength in me to get up and climb into the car. I was sweating so much and still remember the night sky which had no trace of the approaching day. I was whisked into the maternity wing at the hospital because thankfully they knew that the baby was more important than my feet! The duty doctor did an ultrasound and smilingly reassured me that the baby was fine. I was told to cool down because my BP was soaring and wait till they repeated the scan.

To cut a long story short the scan was repeated until the evening every two hours, and finally my gynac took the decision to perform a C-section becasue the fluid levels were low and the baby's heart rate was going down too. I was nearly mortified by the pre-op preparation and even when I was asked by the loving husband as to whether I was not excited about seeing the baby in a few hours, I said a confident no!!! Even as I was wheeled into surgery we did not have a clue that I had fractured both feet!!!

In the operation theatre, I was given a spinal anaesthesia and was being chatted to by a very chatty, cheerful anaesthetologist. They were playing Radio Mirchi in the operation theatre and that totally amused me. Anyway after what felt like an eternity, I was shown my baby and a wave of pride surged over me. And that was the beginning of a new life and a new world.

As I was being put in the recovery room, I could see flashes of thunder and lightening rip across the sky. The heavy, untimely downpour in the month of May in Chennai made me feel like baby Krishna had come to me. I took it as a good sign that bad times for me were over.

It was not until the next evening almost 36 hours after my fall that I was put on an x-ray table. Can you imagine a 100 kilo woman with broken feet and a recent c-sec surgery try to move from one stretcher to another in a lying down position?? I was embarrased more than anything else. Honestly the mental pain has stayed with me more than the physical pain!!!

After the fractures were diagnosed in both feet, I got a cast on them. My baby had infant jaundice and I was not producing enough milk for the baby. I was fed garlic by the kilo, fed wierd smelling meds from all medical disciplines to improve lactation and made to follow all kinds of dietary advise. I followed everything. But one thought stayed in my mind - what was I thinking when I got pregnant? I was putting my family through severe trouble and was extremely guilty. The fact that Chittu was losing weight owing to insufficient feed was the most depressing. I labelled myself a fat, lame mother who could not even feed her own baby. If I had a gun I would have shot myself. Looking back, I was in a bad state mentally!!!

Luckily I survived. Eventually I recovered. But Chittu had to be put on lactogen feed. I failed in that department as a mother, and still feel guilty about that! In my mind - the single most imporant cause for my suffering was - my WEIGHT! I would have fractured my feet if were not that fat, it would not be so embarrasing if Iwere not that fat, it would have been easier on my family to handle my bed riden body if I were not that fat!Being fat, was simply my single most defect. Even I could not find joy in the birth of my baby becasue my fatness somehow shrunk that joy.

Fatness/ Obesity for me had a great mental impact. I amno more obse now. Overweight but not obese. It has been a long arduous journey of learning, falling, failing and progressing. But the journey has taught me so much, and since I am a mother to a lovable 3 year old the journey is all the more meaningful!

 I will leave you with a picture comparison of then and now



10 days after delivery. Notice the walker

about 3 years after delivery and nearly 25 kilos lighter!

A running post :) and the jitters too!

I try to keep my mind from thinking about the half marathon I signed up to run in July while on a runner's high! I guess running is something that is directly gratifying for me - it very clearly improves my stamina & endurance and tones up my body. At every next run, I can challenge myself to running longer although I have not consciously worked on my running speed except on the treadmill 5k.

 

Running is addictive.

 

Running is liberating.

 

Running is joy, confidence and meditation combined.

 

I made some mistakes that I have paid for painfully - shin splits are NOT fun!!! Every time Chittu wanted to sit in my lap, I'd have to beg him to please be gentle, which really he does not much understand. I ran on the road to save 10 minutes of morning madness.

 

When I started out running initially I religiously ran ONLY in Lalbagh where I found a trail soil - i.e not tarred/ paved ways. Running on sand is much softer on the knees than running on the road. Later after I had about 3 10k events under my belt, I became an over confident missy. I started running the moment I stepped out of my apartment complex, ran past the civil court, the metro station, the MG Road artery, pretty bouganvilla lined bungalows with Porsche's parked outside their towering gates, past the cubbon park walkers and a road that made me momentarily forget I was in India. Honestly I was loving it!

 

And then came the shin splits that made walking a single step after a short period of sitting  very painful. There was also the pain in the joint between my upper thigh and hip that made standing so psinful I was contantly thumping at that joint and that made Chittu think I was playing a game and he would thump me on my legs which were extremely painful at the calves. And finally there was also the knee pain that came as a result of continuing to run with injury.

 

And now here I am obviously under a lot of guilt that I am under- prepared for the event less than 2 months away, that I was irresponsible despite the Scientist's repeated warnings and that I might not be able to do the run. Anyway, i guess I'll go back to running 2-3 times a week and alternate with cross training like the elliptical/ bking on the recumbent bike.

 

Everything happens for the good they say! Is it not?

Am I jinxing myself on this blog !

Yes that's true. Every time I report a loss out here, I find that some weight secretly creeps right back up. And then when I think that my running is in top form I develop shin splits and severe unprecedented joint pains that have kept me off running and the topping to cake is how I proudly announced that I renewed my gym membership and have almost not gone to the gym since then barring 2-3 times a week!

 

Well I don't mean to really blame blogging, because it has mostly kept me motivated, accountable and responsible about weight loss. But what I mean to focus on is that I have started severely slacking on the exercise front. Chittu has also been home for the last one and half months (as in no school for him) so I take the liberty of waking up a little later than on school days, blaming not going to the gym/ running on my painful joints/not feeling motivated to exercise because I am not losing anyway/a sort of mental mess I drove myself into during April, throw my hands up in the air, forget about the fun I had with Jillian Micheals and basically just become this lazy person because you only get fit in the gym and thin in the kitchen. So a cup of green tea for me please?

 

No seriously.  I guess I have called the bluff out on this one this time. Regular 5-6 days a week of working out should be back soon because exercise really clears the fog out of my mind. Honestly nothing like a run for mental therapy, but I really don't want those painful shin splits return:) I am not going into body pump again because the timing really is hard on me and I miss out on crucial Chittu time. But yes I'll go back to doing some cardio mixed with strength training!

 

Just to end on a positive note : All the time I missed from the gym and put into Chittu has been rewarding. I had felt that he had grown almost too fond of Maami and simply did not want me around. He now comes running to me when I go back from work, asks for me first thing in the mornings, lets me cuddle him and basically given me so many good moments that are priceless! That said my alarm will strat going of at 5.15 once again starting tomorrow morning.

How are your workouts going everybody???

Eating right - Taming the mind!

Hi guys!!!

I guess I done being upset and have cheered up and ready to roll!!!

I have been eating REALLY healthy! This last weekend made me realize that I might be an all new person! The Scientist's brother and his wife are moving to Bangalore soon, and there were here scouting for a home and all! We were on our toes the whole weekend and spent some real good family time. Even though there were a couple of lunches out I still stuck to my eating plan. At home also I did not greedily lap up the carby goodness I made for the family. I balanced it out well, eating a small part of that and primarily filling up with the vegetable and fruit I planned for myself!

I have learnt over the last 2 1/2 years to not be shy of the effort I am putting into weight loss. Like I tell people I am not interested in dessert or pizza since I am working mighty hard in the direction of shedding the pounds.  When people look at my plate and ask why the bread is missing I am not shy of telling them that I am working on cutting the carbs since that has lately really hindered my weight loss numbers.

Infact when we were out to an official party in the Scients's workplace on Saturday, even though I served myself a piece of chocolate fudge, a scoop of ice cream and a liberal helping of gajjar ka halwa, I did not get past only a few bites of the halwa and decided to trash my plate after having eaten only the chocolate fudge which was -divine!!! The old me would have easily polished off that plate and possibly even gone for a second round!!

Taming my mind has been a long painstaking effort. Many days I crave for a little sweet after lunch. My mind does dart to the chocolate Reeses that I have stored in my pantry. But I ably manage with sugar free mint or some seedless dates! That does not however mean that I have become a food Hitler of sorts!! I still take my tea and coffee with sugar. I also allow myself a couple of sweet breakfasts like a mixed dal kheer which I make with jaggery or a pumpkin custard ocassionally. I continue to eat bananas, chikoos and mangoes!!

The difference is that now I can put my fork down easily and say I'm done eating! Mostly it has been the reward of having a healthy body that has kept me going forward even in the recent time when I felt like I was going through a tough phase! In the past I would eat if I was sad! Or happy.

Changing ones eating habits is VERY hard. You can't revolutionize over night. Its small steps, falls, going back and retracing that will take you a long long way to reaching any goal. Having gone through most of that battle myself and still facing that food temptation many times, let me assure it's possible. Its only a question of turning that switch on in your mind!

Forgetting April and moving on!

Phew!!! Am I glad April is over?

 

Even before April started, I knew that it could bring on a whole lot of crap. Though I wished that only good news will come, thre was a fear churning at the back of my head. April is the month promotions at work are announced and I did not make it! I have long been due for a upgrade, but missed it for one or other reason attributed by my management. Don't get me wrong, I do not work in an environment where reward and quality of work are directly propotional. Often its only a matter of number of years of service and some times really bad luck like a change of policy. To put it in a nut shell, I have time and again lost my promotion thanks to being on leave a whole year after Chittu was born. No I am not blaming him. Neither am I saying it was a bad decision cos only I know that I was so tattered (both physically & mentally) after Chittu's birth, that I really did need a long time and the joy of a baby to reallign me to the real world!

 

The whole thing was badly timed, maybe and as a result I missed a whole assessment year that I am paying for even now!Looking at the bright side, I can sure say that I was lucky to still have a secure job waiting for me after a whole year's break! But I was so angry this time around that I retreated into this shell, where I blamed my poor judgement for taking this kind of a job and not take up professional practise with my skill set, especially! I also blamed my lack of planning. Then I was so mad at the fact that living in an office owned apartment tied me down from resigning my job immeditaely, and the fact that I will have to wait a while before we can move out of this house into another one!

 

On the weight loss front, I thought the anxiety I was going through will help me lose some weight! But no! I developed pains in my hip joints, my knees, had shin splits, terrible stomach ulcer problems and just wanted to hibernate. I was annoyed at having Maami in the house ALL the time, Chittu being attached to her as if she were his mother, not being able to run the way I used to, Chittu being so possessive about his friend- our neighbour that he would not let that kid go home after after play in the evening- the pressure of having a second baby is staring down at me and not losing ANY weight and staying stuck at 77.5 just simply annoys me like crazy.

 

I still am stuck by the way.I think I have been stuck for the last year almost!!! There's little I can do in that regard except what I am already doing and I guess I will have to leave it at that! I have left that month behind me and am basically clueless about what I ought be doing. Its not that I am unhappy. I am just extremely stressed out personally and professionally. I promise I'm working on it. So things should be ok again. I am going to continue eating well and exercising (because thats second nature to me:) dare I say) and you dear reader, will definitely see more updates on that!!!

 

I'll see in you guys in a soon happier post :)

 

Product Review* - Protein Bars by Ritebite

Before I resume regular blogging, I must finish a long pending duty!

Naturell reached out to me sometime back asking if I will be interested in reviewing their products. I almost jumped at that opportunity because it finally felt like such a cool reward for all those blog posts I've typed. At a very silly level, I felt like a profesh weight loss blogger :)

I had tried Naturell's products some time back but was totally up to trying the protein bars. Even though it is classified as a "meal replacement" bar, I did not eat it as a meal, per se. My mind always wants its meals on the plate, and even if I ate a truck load of say Oreos, I'd be up for a dal-chawal meal almost immediately.

So without further ado, the first one I opened was:

The Max Protein Choco Fudge - (totalling at 308 calories and 20 gms from protein). I had half the bar post a 40 minute cardio workout, along with my morning chai, and it might have been a perfect post workout snack at 150 calories. I found that initially it tasted very synthetic - but really a protein bar will have to taste like that. My satiety level was pretty good and it carried me for a late breakfast. The other half was my evening snack and that worked fine too!!! 

The second one I opened was was the Protein Max ChocoSlim (totalling 258 calories and 20 gms of protein) and ate it post cardio workout. My first bite totally reminded me of getrim. I guess the sweetner (this being sugar free) may have caused the similar taste. I ate this at one go, not specifically wanting to use it as a treat later in the day.

 

The final and my most favorite one was the Max ProteinHoney Lemon (totalling 281 calories and 20 gms of protein) a wee bit over the Slimmers Bar. I loved the sweet and mixed tartness in the flavour and even enjoyed eating this bar, more than the other two variants.I might just stock up on the Honey Lemon bars so that I have a real high rptein snack thats mess free and tasty specially when I travel on work!!!

The good:

• The high protein content, obviously!! And more so from a single all vegetarian source!
• I guess this may be the only protein bar in in the Indian market!
• Satiety - I felt pretty full after eating these bars. Ofcourse they are a meal replacement!
• Portability - as with any process food - you can stick one in your hand bag and eat it mess free even in a meeting!

The bad:

• the synthetic taste!! For 300 calories - 2 phulkas and a small bowl of dal is tastier!!!
• my processed food issue**

**I have oflate, been resorting to freshly made/ cooked food rather than eat processed food - be it juices, cereal, granola bars (which I still love btw), fruit bars like these, jams, lays chips etc. I'd rather eat a fruit than drink a juice, eat a Chappati Subzi than a granola bar, make my own non-synthetic flavour added jams etc. But yes, thats becaue I find the time to do that kind of kitchen work! For those on the go, and possibly those who need not be obsessed with weight loss the way I am, these protein bars from Naturell are a good choice!!!

 *Disclaimer: Naturell India sent me their products- free of cost to review. This review however, reflects my own, honest opinion and is not a paid review!