Finding healthy alternatives for junk food cravings

Hi all!

I'm a little over 2 months past-surgery and just hit the 50lb mark! Woohoo! On regular food now - no more mushies - and have been doing pretty well!

I would love to get some advice, though. Has anyone found any healthier alternatives to "junk food" that people crave?

For example: I would kill for some Kraft Mac & Cheese right now, but I know that I shouldn't eat it. Between the processed cheese powder and the pasta, it would probably make me sick, but my taste buds are calling out for that flavor. Does anyone know of a "healthier" version? I tried some steamed cauliflower with cheddar cheese. It was delicious, but not the taste I was going for.

Similar thing for cheeseburgers. I've had pieces of bunless ground beef patties, but they tend to make me fairly uncomfortable. I've swapped in turkey burgers and veggie burgers, which were both good, but not the right taste for what I wanted. 

Some of that stuff is going to go away if you want to reach your goal.  And as time goes on, I find I don't miss much of it.  I had my surgery last September and probably have not had 10 slices of bread, a cup of pasta, half a cup of rice and a cup of potatos.  I couldn't have gotten to Wednesday with those volumes prior to sugery.  I love pasta...but I've given it up.  I still make home made sauce, with meatballs and grated cheese.  I like the occasional burger, I just don't eat the bun.  Today for lunch I had deli turkey and ham.  No condiments or bread.  This is a new life and I get my pleasure from things other than food now.  And as you lose weight you will find there are so many activities that you can do now, eating doesn't need to offer the pleasure it once did.  It is mentally challenging but worth it.  Good luck!

I'm hoping that maybe I'll try to eat something I used to love and won't like it anymore. :) I'm a horrible cook, so maybe I can find a way to screw up mac and cheese so it'll put me off it forever!!!!

I am SO happy to eat bacon again, though.

Don't even test it.  Why did you have your surgery?  Remember the reasons behind that decision.  The stuff you are craving is carbs and we don't need as much any more.  The more carbs you eat, the more you will crave carbs..  And that is a big reason we got to where we were (before WLS).  Stick to the plan.  The first few months are the toughest and then it becomes a weigh of life.  I am only 15 weeks out as of today and so much has changed,  You cannot think of this as another diet and dwell on the "forbidden" foods that normal diets held you to.  This is not a diet,.  Diet is a four letter word and Mama told me never to use 4 letter words (other than love of course).  You have to change your way of thinking.  The more you dwell on it, the more you will want it.  It's also part of "head hunger".  You aren't giving up as much as you are going to gain if you just make up your mind to do it.  Honest.,. Good luck.,. Pam

I'm not craving carbs at all. I'm craving the taste of the powdered cheese. This has NOTHING to do with carbs. And I'm not dwelling. I'm looking for suggestions on how to achieve a certain taste with healthier alternatives. I've found lots of yummy things to eat (have you TRIED the green giant tuscan seasoned steam in bag broccoli? SO GOOD!), but sometimes you look for a certain taste and get tired of being disappointed when you can't attain it.

Not to derail my own topic, but:

And as for Why did I have the surgery? I've actually been regretting it lately (and yes, I'm seeing a therapist, going to support groups and practicing CBT to help get past it). I was fat and happy. Now I'm losing weight and am obsessed about what I put in my mouth (and I thought my paleo-crossfit zealot friends were bad!). Despite some minor aches and pains that are gone, I'm feeling a lot worse now than I did before surgery. My mindset has changed. It's much healthier food-wise, but much darker overall.

I know I can't eat for comfort anymore and I'm finding different outlets for my stress and boredom, but I can at least try to turn eating into an enjoyable experience, and not a battle to swallow down tasteless - or bad-tasting when I cook - sustenance.

That might help.  If I eat bread, it tastes great but it fills me up quickly.  Then I feel like I have something in my intestines for a couple days.  Not worth it!

I have cravings for "the old stuff" from time to time. I have put the cheese powder on steamed cauliflower, and my favorite post-op comfort foods are cauliflower mac and cheese and loaded cauliflower bake.  

I turn my burgers into lettuce wraps, I indulge in Halo Top and Arctic Zero ice cream from time to time... My favorite summer treat is a few strawberries with a bit of Reddi-Whip Sugar Free and sugar free Hershey's syrup.  

Fine what works for you.  It may take some time, but you'll get there.  Learning to recognize emotional triggers and stress cravings and separate them from legit cravings and appetites has been a big thing for me too.

Eventually you will lose the craving for ultra-processed crap food...but it will take awhile.  The longer you stay away from it, the easier it gets.  

One day you'll be able to eat a real beef burger with cheese on it.  But mac and cheese - that's forever off the menu for me.  I can't do pasta in any way, shape or form.  Even at 2 years out it will expand in my stomach and come back up.  Ugh!  And honestly, I don't want it anymore.  Throw up once or twice after eating something and it'll squelch the craving - lol!  

You're in charge of your taste buds and you should be weaning them off the bad stuff and introduce them to the good stuff.  The more you indulge your desire to taste/eat stuff that reminds you of "junk food", the harder it will be to stay away from it.

Good luck - and GREAT JOB on your success so far!  

Thanks! I just talked to one of my clients who's 15 months out and he told me the same thing about the burger and such.

I'm trying to steer myself to nuts and popcorn instead of the nasty stuff, and that has seemed to help a lot. Now an indulgence is a frozen gogurt or a piece of apple with honey roasted peanut butter (really just ground up honey roasted peanuts from fresh market!)

Thanks for the encouragement! I have to go shopping for new shorts this weekend! I was at agility with my corgi last night and had to use her leash as a belt because my pants were falling down!!!!

OH PLEASE!!!

for the LOVE OF GOD!!!!

HEED MY WARNING 

and STAY AWAY FROM POPCORN OR NUTS

popcorn has gotten me into a HELL of a lot of trouble!!

i can eat a whole bag of it without flinching

it's a slider food and although I can't eat nuts they are also a

slider food..you can eat a ton

and with it is a ton of calories and not much satisfaction 

or protien for the trouble.