Im getting lazy and salt saturated!

A swift kick in the butt may help but I dont know. I seem to be consuming less water than I should ( maybe 30 oz of H2O and 2 cups of caffeinated coffee) a day and snacking on salty/crunchy snacks. I KNOW they arent good for me but Im not ready to give up just yet. So here it is. I need your help!!!! I need a substitute for my pretzel, pita chip, cracker snacks. Any ideas? Its keeping me from dropping weight even though I exercise faithfully. My surgeon says I still need to lose 65 lbs to reach my goal ( 106lbs gone!!!!)small "yeah me" Kathryn

Hi Kathryn, I'm a chip person as well. I was worried because just about every day, I take reduced fat Triscuits and cheese to work to snack on. When I asked my NUT, she said that was fine, it's a good source of whole grain and protein from the cheese. I also eat a lot of baked tostitos (the ingredients are just corn and salt) and make a black bean dip with low fat cheese. That will fill you up very fast so you don't eat a lot of chips. Newman's makes a protein pretzel that I found in little bags at Meijer's in the diet foods isle. If you like them, that would at least be giving you protein while you snack. What is funny is of all the foods I've tried and couldn't handle after surgery, I never met a chip that didn't agree with me. God's sense of humor, I suppose! Brenda

THANKS Brenda Those are some good suggestions. I know exactly what you mean when you write you never met a chip that didnt agree with me. I just love 'em, so I need to learn to make better choices so chips and I can co-exist in moderation. Im going to Meijer after work now to pick up some Newmans, and btw what is your black bean and low fat cheese dip? How/what brands do you combine! Thanks kathryn

Black Bean Dip: 1 can (15oz) Black Beans (I use Meijer brand) ½ tsp. Garlic salt ¼ cup salsa (I use Garden Fresh brand Jack's Special) ½ tsp. Ground cumin 1/2 tsp. chili powder I put all of this in a small frying pan and mush up the beans....leaving 1/2 mushy and 1/2 whole. Then I put in a bowl, sprinkle low fat cheddar and low fat sour cream (just a little) on top. You can add lettuce and tomatoes if you like. When I was on the pureed diet, this is what I had for lunch every day. I did burn myself out on it, so now when we're watching the game (go Tigers!) and everyone is eating wings and pizza, this is what I have with baked Tostitos scoops. Yum.

Soy chips, are salty and crunchy and full of protein. I like the Trader Joe's ones $1.99 for 3.5 oz, at least 3.5 servings (18 crisps per serving, I can't eat that many) 6.5 g protein, 2 g sugar, 14g cars total. The local grocery sells Eatsmart All Natural snack soy crisps 8 g protein, 5g fiber, sugar 0. They are prettier and grat for scooping tuna but I like the flavor of the TJs one a little better Both come in several flavors.

I like Revival soy chips - - they come in many different flavors. You can get a few of the flavors from OH's Store, they sell them on Susan Maria's website, and you can get them right from Revival's website. I really wish these were sold in stores. I like them because they are very crunchy, not powdery but smooth and crunchy. They remind me of Japanese rice crackers. They come in little bags with a generous portion (about 100 calories per bag) which is great for me - - the controlled portion in a small bag is so much better than a big bag I can just keep munching on. For me they really satisfy the urge for something crunchy, like potato chips. I love to use them to scoop up small amounts of light cream cheese or better yet, Laughing Cow Lite cheese. I also like soy nuts - - and they have the added benefit (at least for me) of helping out in the bathroom, if you get my drift. So far, these things have satisfied my appetite for anything salty/crunchy. I'm still too afraid to eat something like a REAL potato chip, nor do I want to, because I already found out the hard way that too much fat gives me the big D. Karen

First of all, KNOCK IT OFF! Snacking ideas are not what you need, and if you drink your water like you're supposed to, you won't want to snack. Make sure to get tha****er in NO MATTER WHAT! If you're having these problems now, not even being a year out, you will really have a hard time after a year and a half or more when it's easy to gain and hard to lose. Come on Kathryn, you have done so good so far, don't screw it up. Right now is the easiest time for you to lose, you should try to take advantage of that. If i sound mean, GOOD! You did this for a reason, and right now this is what you really need to hear. Are you getting your protein and vitamins and walking in? Don't make me call Marty and let her know. Hugs Linda

Linda, You crack me up - a good kick in the ass is what everyone needs now and then!! Okay, as my students would say, "im picking up what you're laying down" no more snacks. I WAS slacking on the water but I made a commitment yesterday when I was posting that I would wake up today and do ALL the right things, so Ive had 2 bottle of 20 oz of water, plus 10 oz of coffee, plus 2 more glasses ( harder to know how much exactly) of water, so I feel Im doing good. AND Im sitting here and drinking water.......and Ive been good with water and vitamins and exercise. The salty snack desire is really the battle for me. THANK YOU LINDA!!!!! on to better days! Kathryn