Shape Up Series: Taste Testing Panera Bread's Low Fat Smoothies

By: Finance Foodie

This past week, my willpower was tested harder than an engineer at MIT. And unfortunately, I failed with flying colors. ARGH!! From greasy sandwiches to Italian dessert trays that turned up everyday in the kitchen at work, my willpower could not resist but to indulge! Alas, I paid dearly, for led to a STEP BACK on my goal weight loss. Let's go to my (sad) recap....

Week 5
Height: 5'1''
Goal Weight: 130lbs
Week 1: 140lbs (Starting Point)
Week 2: 138lbs
Week 3: 137lbs
Week 4: 136lbs
Week 5: 137lbs (HORRORS!!)
Goal Body Fat: 20.0%
Week 1: 25.0%
Week 2: 24.0%
Week 3: 24.0%
Week 4: 23.5%
Week 5: 24.2% (DOUBLE HORRORS!)

(I'm going to skip the usual exercise plan because my a** didn't step foot in the gym :p)

Besides blaming the snowy mess of a weather that plagued Boston this week (which further deterred my interest in leaving my apartment to go gym-ing), I blame myself. With my Type-A, perfectionist, get-it-done personality, I don't know how I slipped up so badly. How did I manage 2 years of working 100 hour weeks, but can't muster enough resistance to eating a second key lime pie tart??? What a disappointment!

BUT, although I hate losing (well, technically gaining in this case), I am also more motivated than ever to do better this upcoming week. So for this week's tip, I'm going to share with you the one good-for-you item I ate: the Panera Bread Low Fat Smoothie!

As you all may know of my love of morning smoothies, I actually had two of these babies this week. Since I didn't get the chance to hit up Shaw's for my berries, I settled for the next best thing -- Panera's Wild Berry Smoothie! Made with a wildberry fruit base, blueberry and raspberry juices, and vanilla yogurt from the perennially-tanned Gary Hirshberg's Stonyfield Farm, the Wild Berry smoothie only has 300 calories and does not contain high fructose syrup. Rich, creamy, and clean tasting -- I totally felt satisfied after drinking one in the morning. (Now if only the dessert tray didn't show up in the afternoons!). The Wild Berry is the new kid on the block, joining Panera's other smoothie flavors of Strawberry, Black Cherry, and (my former favorite) Mango.

With a little more smoothie in my life (and a little less cannoli) -- hopefully this week will be back on track!

***Giveaway***
Congrats #103 - Lisa Blessed by God

Since my Panera Bread gift card giveaway was sooo popular last time, Panera is going to give another reader a $25 gift card to try this smoothie or their other new menu items (i.e. Thai Chicken Salad, Trail Mix Bagel).

There are THREE ways to enter 
1. REQUIRED: In my comments section, tell me what is your favorite smoothie flavor ? (Mine is my homemade Raspberry Cinnamon Buns of Steel smoothie, but Panera's Wild Berry is a close second!). Also please include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
2. Follow Finance Foodie on Twitter (leave separate comment telling me this)
3. Reblog / Retweet this giveaway (leave separate comment telling me this)

Contest ends Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 5pm EST. Winners will be chosen via random integer generator on random.org announced on the financefoodie.com site shortly afterwards that night! 

Disclosure: Panera provided me with the gift card for the giveaway. I've been a long time fan/customer of Panera and I paid for the smoothies I drank myself.