Snacks

I need help I am a snacker with the lap band!
Can someone please give me suggestions on healthy snacks?

I've been a snacker in the past too. From everything I've read and learned about my Lap-Band, grazing can really defeat it's purpose and so I'm working very hard to try and curb my snacking impulses and really pay attention to whether or not I'm ACTUALLY hungry before I eat anything.

That said, sometimes, very rarely, but SOMETIMES, the answer is yes and so I've put together kind of a "snack area" in my fridge of things that I can snack on without feeling totally guilty. Turkey slices, cucumber slices, cheese cubes and almonds are some of the things that I'll snack on. But I would say that after really paying attention to my body and what is actually going on, I'm only snacking once a day instead of the previous four or five times a day that I used to. Sometimes drinking a glass of hot tea can help as well.

I understand the urge to snack but what I've learned recently is that most of it is in my head. Like there are just ingrained times of day where I normally would have a little snack and once I identify those and try to do something else, I've had much more success.

Good luck!!

cheese sticks, fruits, deviled eggs yogyurt

I go through phases on what I eat for snacks lol.  I always eat a snack after dinner its just a habit lol but I try to make more better choices for snacks.

Right now Im on a cheese cubes and milk kick .  I eat the cubes and drink a glass of milk about 30 min before bed time .  I can eat right up to bedtime and dont have any problems .

And I love chips and salsa so as a weekend treat I will eat about 12-14 chips with salsa .  That gives me my crunchy taste Im wanting .

Yogurt has never been one of my favorites I ate alot of it post op because I had to but its just not one of my favs I will by pass it every time lol.

 Hi there,

I'm with Painting Chef, you have to watch snacks, even when they're the healthier choices.  Make sure you're drinking your water, because sometimes your body really wants water, but your mind interprets it as hunger (plus water is filling). My rule was that I had to finish a bottle of water between each meal/snack.  So, I'd start a bottle about a half hour after my meal.  If I wanted a snack, I'd check that bottle first!  If I'd finished my water and was still hungry, I'd have a snack.  Here are some of my favorites:

Low-fat cheese stick
Raw almonds, frozen
Edamame
Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge with a green pepper wedge
Tbs. of peanut butter on celery (if you can eat it, some can't)
SF Jello cup with 2T Lite Cool Whip
LF yogurt (I love Chobani Greek yogurt)
Green pepper strips with salsa
Cucumber slices with hummus
V-8 

Tami

I am a snacker too and that has been the hardest part of this for me.  When I was on liquids only, I really missed the chewing and crunchy food.  I am trying to eliminate that habit and when I feel the urge, I drink water, diet cranberry juice only has 5 calories in 8oz, tomato juice for the potassium.  I can still have protein, so sometimes I flavor a cup of coffee with vanilla or chocolate protein and have that.   I think this snacking issue will be my biggest challenge for loosing.

Personally, I don't see the problem with snacking.  Even with my current restriction level which keeps my portions to 3/4 to a cup of food at each meal, I am still hungry between meals.  Because I get plenty of protein with my meals, I am now eating fruit for my snacks.  For most of my banding I did not eat much fruit, and I feel so much better now that I'm eating fruit again.  And sometimes that fruit might be an apple with some peanut butter, so I am getting a little more protein with that snack.  And now that I'm eating fruit for my snacks, I'm actually beginning to lose weight again.  Go figure.

I know some drs. say absolutely no snacks between meals.  Mine doesn't enforce that policy and I've decided it's up to me to figure out the best way my band works for me.  I have not reached that point where 1/2 cup of food keeps me satisfied for 4-5 hours (which is what the RD told me is the goal).  I don't think I ever will because I choose to keep my band on the looser side.  After two years of unsuccessfully chasing the "sweet spot" I've stopped and learned to accept my band for what it is - a tool, not a solution in itself.  I want to keep my band forever, so I keep it looser so I have fewer problems.  But because I do get hungry most days after 2-3 hours of eating, I need my snacks.  As long as they're healthy, I don't see what's wrong with them.

Good luck with your journey.

cat

Cat,

I feel the same way about my band also . I have heard people say oh gosh I can only eat a 1/2 cup of food and I'm full or I cant eat that  and I just dont want to live that way , that isnt why I got the band Im just so adamant about that .   My doc does not mind the  snacking either.  He basically told me as long as you come into my office every month losing your 7-10 pounds per month then I cant say nothing to you on what you eat.

He cringes on what I eat sometimes lmao but like he told me on my last visit anybody that knocks out 8-10 pounds every 4 weeks I just cant say nothing to them .

I dont eat the most "proper food" as people do on here but that is just me I just refuse to give up my snacks and my carbs but I have learned how to eat better snacks and how many carbs to eat per day and how often to eat them not so good foods .

I dont worry about the sweet spot either Cat.  My doc never ever made it a big deal goign through all this so I just have never got myself worked up trying to find it.

All Iknow is I can go anywhere from 3-5 hrs without being physically  hungry and I can eat anything I want in moderation it seems to be working so that is why I refuse to get fills .

I think, for a lot of people, snacking is a slippery slope. Most Lap-Band patients, when they snack, aren't going to eat enough to fill up their pouch and achieve a feeling of satiety, they are just going to graze a bit. And chances are that when you go to tally your calories for the day, something you've eaten in passing like that isn't going to stick in your mind. So, for me, snacking results in a lot of hidden calories that I forget about or don't make myself accountable for. That's why I have my healthy options available. That way, I know that if I AM going to snack on something, at least its going to be something with some redeeming value.

As far as adding fruit for a snack, that's GREAT! Fruit is wonderful and natural and should always be a part of a healthy diet.

There is also something to be said for eating a bunch of small meals daily and keeping your furnace burning, so to speak. It's an imperfect science, for sure. But for many of us who find ourselves in a position of needing weight loss surgery in the first place, snacking is somewhat of a "trigger" behavior. I think that's the reason so many people try to avoid it altogether. But everyone is different. My doctor and nutritionist have absolutely no problems with snacks between meals, AS LONG AS they are accounted for in my food log. But for me, it's a very small step from a few apple slices with peanut butter to me, a spoon and an empty jar of peanut buttery goodness followed by the ensuing food coma and horrible feelings of guilt and self-sabotage.

Or is that just me...?

Snacking is tricky.  It really depends on the individual and what type of a program you choose to work with.  I lost my weight eating 3 meals a day and one planned snack at night.  However, many coach eating 5-6 smaller meals through out the day and that works too. 

For me, snacking is dangerous because I can eat around my band with snacks.  When I'm not sticking to my planned snack I get into trouble becuase I'm not tracking my calories and I don't stay as full as I would with a real, dense protein meal. 

I'd say that if "you're a snacker" that might be an indicator that the snacking behavior hasn't worked for you in the past and you might want to try to curb that behavior and change your eating habits.  However, if you choose to do the 6 small meals, just make sure you plan them and track everything you eat to make sure you stay within your dietary goals.

As far as snacks go here are a few that I like:
Hummus on baby carrots
peanut butter on celery
almonds
cheese stick
beef jerkey
SF popcicle or WW ice cream treat
SF pudding
Plain FF Greek yogurt with semi-thawed frozen berries and a packet of sweetner
1/2 to 1 protein bar depending on the calories.
Wasa cracker with a slice of deli meat, some cheese or hummus and a baby pickle

Hope this helps!
Best~
Lisa O.