Why Are 100 Calorie Snack Packs Such a Craze?

Is it just me or is this getting a little bit obsessive? Take a stroll down the aisle of your friendly neighborhood grocery store and you will see 100 calorie packs by the hundreds -- cookies, chips, granola bars, ice cream, ice cream bars, chocolate, snack packs, nuts, and muffins.

Is it seriously that hard for people to use portion control anymore? For the price I would pay for an 8-pack of 100 calorie doritos, I could buy an entire family sized bag, portion it myself, and it would last me weeks. Have will power and self control just gone completely out the window? Maybe it is just because they are "convenient" for those of us with little time on our hands these days. I just don't understand what that teaches anyone. What are you (or your kids) going to do when you are faced with a "normal" sized bag of chips -- you know, one of those 50 cent bags from a vending machine. Or what about a carton of ice cream instead of the "snack size" ones? When do you decide you've had enough?

Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty as the next person when it comes to satisfying my sweet tooth with a "chocolate delight" 100 calorie pack. I am just trying to understand our reasoning behind the madness! I could simply grab a couple "bite size" candy bars and be done with it but it's like I must have my calorie pack to keep my diet controlled.

Should 100 calorie packs be used as a diet control product, or should we actually just be using them for "snack attacks"? Or do they actually serve the purpose intended, because I know first hand, sometimes one just isn't enough.

I have a friend who swears by 100 calorie packs for everything she does -- trips to the pool, with lunch at work, after our daily jog, during her kids sporting events, etc. She says they are "good for you, convenient, and yummy". I think people misunderstand them to be healthier than "normal" snacks, when in actuality, they are the exact same thing, just in smaller portions.

The most value I see out of them is if you are using them to pack a lunch, or for a snack type of thing at work. I did say earlier, most of us simply do not want to take the time to buy normal sized things and portion them out, therefore they would be handy. Otherwise I think they are pretty clever use of a marketing gimmick.