I know you’ve heard the warnings: restricting your caloric intake while dieting can backfire and leave you with a lower metabolism than when you started…. Which ultimately means you’ll gain the weight back — and then some — when you return to your “normal” eating habits. Kind of a scary thought, and maybe subconsciously even an excuse for not dieting!

When I first set out on my weight loss adventure 5 years ago, I met with a doctor who specializes in this kind of thing. He told me something I didn’t know: Restricting calories without getting enough protein is what kills your metabolism. He told me I should get approximately 10 grams (give or take a gram) of protein for every 100 calories that I eat. He said, don’t look at carbs, don’t look at fat, just calculate the protein-to-calorie ratio. What you’ll find is that by doing so, you’re automatically limited to low fat and reduced carb options.

And guess what: It works. Amazingly well. The problem is finding convenient foods for lunches and snacks that have the right protein-to-calorie ratio.

Here are some standbys that I can’t live without:

(This list will be updated regularly as I discover new delicious protein rich snacks! Last updated 6/23/09)

• Flat Out Light Wraps (90 cals, 9 g protein)

  Seriously, these things are amazing. Use them for sandwich wraps, pizza crust, quesadillas, or anything you can think of. They have original, sun dried tomato, whole grain, and spinach flavors. Spinach is my fav, but they’re all delicious!

• Trader Joe’s Egg White Salads: (50 cals, 7 g protein)

  I’m usually not a huge fan of egg salad. But a few weeks ago, I came across Trader Joe’s egg white salads. Now, I’m addicted. Read my review here.

• Fage Greek Yogurt, Nonfat (90 cals, 16 g protein)

  I recently picked up a container of Fage greek strained yogurt while browsing Trader Joe’s (yes, I shop there often!). The non-fat plain has 90 calories and SIXTEEN grams of protein. And the serving size is huge. My new nightly ritual is greek yogurt with mixed berries. It’s so decadent, that I really feel like I’m having a bad-for-you dessert. Read my review here.

• Trader Joe’s Non-fat Greek Style Yogurt (110 cals, 14 g protein)

  Comes in pomegranate, blueberry, honey, and plain. Of the flavored options, the pomegranate is my favorite (and coincidentally has the fewest calories). If you’re expecting "regular" yogurt, you might not like this at first. But once you embrace that it’s a different experience, you’ll love it!!

• Dannon Light ‘n Fit Carb and Sugar Control Yogurt (60 cals, 5 g protein)

  These come in 4 ounce cups, so they’re smaller than regular yogurt. I usually eat two at a time!

• Edamame (100 cals, 8 g protein)

  These make an amazing snack! I love the “steam in bag” ones, but if you can’t find those in your supermarket freezer section (near the veggies), just put frozen edamame in a covered microwave safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water, and zap them for about 7 and a half minutes. DON’T make the mistake of getting the shelled kind. It’s way to easy to eat too many that way. Get the ones in the pod. Takes longer to eat them and reduces the chance of overindulgence.

• Frigo Cheese Heads Light String Cheese (60 cals, 8 g protein)

  There are a handful of different reduced fat string cheese brands out there, but Frigo has the best calorie-to-protein ratio of them all.

• Sargento Reduced Fat Cheese Slices (Provolone — 50 cals, 5 g protein, Swiss — 60 cals, 7 g protein)

  Yes, I love my cheese! Again, there are many brands, but Sargento’s calorie-to-protein ratio comes out on top.

• Laughing Cow Light Gourmet Cheese Bites (35 cals, 3 g protein)

  These things are so good. And you can eat the entire package for just about 175 calories. I think the fact that each 7 calorie bite is individually wrapped is key. Forces you to slow down and enjoy the cheese, and keeps you from eating too much.

• Crunch O’s (130 cals, 12 g protein)

  If you’re craving chips, these will totally hit the spot. Even my non-dieting husband loves these. They come in single serving bags in two flavors, bbq and sour cream & onion. The serving size is VERY generous. Unfortunately, you can’t find these in stores. But they’re available at a number of online diet retailers. Just do a google search!

• Double Peanut Butter Protein Bars from Diet Health & Sports Wise (160 cals, 15 g protein)

  These things are amazing. They’re so filling, and they’re perfect when you’re having a sweet craving.

• South Beach Diet Cereal Bars (140 cals, 10 g protein)

  These don’t quite have enough protein to be a regular part of my diet, but when I run out of my protein bars, these tide me over until I replenish my supply. The best flavors are the cinnamon raisin and the maple nut (if you can find the maple… they’re hard to come by). But really, they’re all quite tasty! Make sure you get the cereal bars not the meal replacement bars.

• Westsoy Soy Slender Soymilk (60 cals, 6 g protein)

  I use this in my coffee every morning. Takes a little getting used to, if you usually use cream, but now I can’t drink it any other way. I love the nutty flavor!

• Hood’s Calorie Countdown 2% Milk (90 cals, 8 g protein)

  If you just can’t get used to soymilk in your coffee, give Hood’s Calorie Countdown a try. The fat free is just too watery for use in coffee, so definitely use the 2% reduced fat regular or 2% reduced fat chocolate milk.

• South Beach Diet Low Fat Cottage Cheese Cups (80 cals, 8 g protein)

  It’s a little more expensive than buying it in the larger tubs, but I always make sure to keep the single serving containers on hand.

• Luther’s Jerkey (45 cals, 12 g protein)

  The stuff you get at the grocery store is full of sugar. Even the "plain" style beef and turkey jerkey. But Luther’s is made without sugar, so it has zero carbohydrates. So, for 45 calories, you get 12 grams of protein and not a single carb! It’s really good, too.

I’m sure there are more, but these are the ones that come to mind! Any high protein snacks you like? I’m always looking for new recommendations.