True Fact: Nik doesn't get the concept of snacks

I mean I DO on an academic level. But my brain does not. For the food addicted mind the very idea of a snack is sort of ridiculous.

But more and more I find myself needing snacks. Not needing in a “I must compulsively eat" sort of way. Needing as in “I get hungry sometimes and I don’t want to eat a lot cuz I know it will make my tummy hurt and ruin my dinner" sort of way.

So in short, I have a desire for snacks for exactly the purpose for which snacks were intended…but my food addict brain just thinks that is ludicrous.

My mind would rather “ride it out" until dinner and overeat. I know that if I eat the snack I won’t be able to overeat later. Which makes me further resistant to the snack.

 

I point this out for several reasons:

 

1. Commiseration – is there ANYBODY out there as warped as me???
2. This whole train of thought is made possible by the very innocent and well-intentioned advice that “hunger is not an emergency." See, my addiction uses that against me. Basic hunger isn’t an emergency. So we don’t need to eat now. Let’s wait until you are so uncontrollably (and legitimately) hungry that you don’t stop until you’ve gone too far.
3. If you’re anything like me (and I pray you aren’t) this is just another example of how you have to continually question your own thought processes. Even healthy stuff can turn unhealthy in an addictive mind.

 

So with that I’m going to force myself to go and eat a snack. Cuz…you know…progress is supposedly made even when taking baby steps.

 

That is all.

I don't see anything wrong with snacks as long as they are healthy and fit in a WLS diet.  I'm 3 years out, but my meals are very small.  About 2 oz. of protein is my max.  There's no overeating (very glad for that) because if I take a bite too much, it won't go down.

I got in a bad habit of having too many snacks so I'm watching that carefully.  If I think I'm hungry I drink water.  I plan my eats for the day and spread it out over the day.

I still food plan too but I am fiercely resistant to snacks. My mind doesn't want them! I can feel my blood sugar dropping and I still don't want them. It's like my brain says if I can't have a meal I don't want anything. Even if I'm not hungry enough for a whole meal.

Many days I replace snacks with coffee, which oddly works like a snack in my pouch but does not register as one in my head (I don't add much to coffee so it really isn't much in the way of a snack).

The main thing that keeps me snacking (maybe too much at times?) is hypoglycemia. Once my blood sugar tanks...i start stuffing any and everything in my mouth. On the other hand...i fight snacks too because I hate "spending" calories no matter how hungry I am. I know..bad Morgan. Obviously I still have head issues. :-/

Join the club.

I don't have RHG (yet) although I've had "very special moments" when I've eaten too many carbs together (once I ate some oatmeal with fruit in it and had a moment). A quick protein jolt put me right back on the right path.

The only physical way hunger bothers me is blood sugar dips. I can feel it. Still, if I'm busy most anything can trump it so it still isn't a big driver for me to eat. I'm more of a habitual eater.

In my head I think I hoard calories for later. I eat very few calories throughout the day (a good deal of food just not many calories) and then save them all for at night. Bad stuff.

So yep...you got ee-shoes, I got ee-shoes!

I can commiserate.  My pre-op life was one spent starving myself all day, and then overeating starting at dinner, and basically not stopping until about 2AM.  My typical night consisted of a hefty portion of dinner around 7PM followed by a box of Entenmann's whatever (because it was all yummy). Then around 10PM, I'd have what I used to affectionately call "2nd dinner", which was round two of whatever we had had for dinner.  Then a quick trip to Dunkin Donuts or 7-11 for some sweet treats.  It was like I would save all my hunger during the day so that I could eat myself sick later in the day.

Like you Nik, I find it hard to wrap my head around snacking. I still want to hoard that hunger so that I can do some damage at the dinner table.  My surgeon and NUT suggested going for six smaller meals so that it didn't feel like snacking, but I cannot imagine cutting down the size of my already minuscule meals this early out.  However, I do intent to try the six meals when I'm farther out.

 Fighting the "snack-monster" is something that'll take more than the surgery or following plan to beat. I can find WLS-friendly snacks.... it's the behavior that's gotta stop for me.
However, since I work on keeping high-protein, low-carb "grab & go" kinda things on hand, maybe I'm circumventing the "snack-monster".
I don't like the idea of waiting till huger is uncontrollable. That sets me up for my food choices being uncontrolled. So maybe eating smaller but more frequent mini-meals may work?
Side note: kale chips are my "healthy alternative". Though getting to the point where treat becomes daily or day-long consumption will take me down the unhealthy path..... So you're not alone!!

Would it help your head at all if you didn't call them snacks?  call them meals instead?

These are snacks I eat. I eat 2 snacks a day (1 snack between breakfast and lunch and 1 snack between lunch and dinner).  You can consider them mini meals. I did not start eating these until I reached my goal weight.

10 Grams Protein, 190 Calories, 14 Grams Sugar:

• *4 ounces Kozy Shack No Sugar Added Rice pudding, 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal,  2 Sunsweet Select Ones prunes
• *4 ounces Kozy Shack No Sugar Added Tapioca pudding, 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal,  2 Sunsweet Select Ones prunes 

11 Grams Protein, 190 Calories: 

• 21 Blue Diamond whole natural almonds, 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal

13 Grams Protein, 200 Calories: 

• 4 tablespoons PB2, 2 tablespoons Polaneer sugar free with fiber preserves: Apricot or Seedless Raspberry or Strawberry, 3 slices Wasa Light Rye crispbread

14 Grams Protein, 120-180 Calories, 10-18 Grams Sugar:

1/2 cup Daisy low fat 2% milk fat small curd cottage cheese: 90 calories, 14 grams protein, 4 grams sugar with 1/2 cup Del Monte canned no sugar added sliced peaches: 30 calories, 6 grams sugar (120 calories, 10 grams sugar total)/////1/2 cup Del Monte canned no sugar added mandarin oranges: 45 calories, 6 grams sugar, 4 grams sugar alcohol (135 calories, 10 grams sugar, 4 grams sugar alcohol total)/////1 cup watermelon: 45 calories, 9 grams sugar (135 calories, 13 grams sugar total)/////1 cup strawberries: 55 calories, 8 grams sugar (145 calories, 12 grams sugar total)//////1 cup cantaloupe: 55 calories, 12 grams sugar (145 calories, 16 grams sugar total)/////2 slices Dole canned pineapple in own juice: 60 calories, 14 grams sugar (150 calories, 18 grams sugar total)/////1 small banana: 90 calories, 12 grams sugar (180 calories, 16 grams sugar total)

15 Grams Protein, 180 Calories, 9 Grams Sugar: 

• 1.5 ounces Kay’s Better Balance Cinnamon Toast pretzel sticks

15 Grams Protein, 180 Calories, 16 Grams Sugar: 

• 4 ounces Yoplait fat free Greek yogurt (Strawberry), 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal

16 Grams Protein, 170 Calories, 16 Grams Sugar: 

• 4 ounces Brown Cow 0% fat Greek yogurt (Blueberry or Strawberry), 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal

16 Grams Protein, 190 Calories: 

• 1/3 cup Sun Harvest dry roasted & salted edamame (soybeans), 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal
  

19 Grams Protein, 220 Calories: 

• 2 ounces (2 sticks) Frigo light swirls string cheese, 1 mini bag Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop Butter popcorn 

20 Grams Protein, 170 Calories: 

*2.12 ounce Quest apple pie protein bar
*2.12 ounce Quest chocolate brownie protein bar

20 Grams Protein, 195 Calories:

• 5 tablespoons fat free cream cheese, 2 tablespoons Polaneer sugar free with fiber preserves: Apricot or Seedless Raspberry or Strawberry, 2 small La Tortilla Factory low carb Whole Wheat tortillas

20 Grams Protein, 200 Calories:

• 1/4 cup Seapoint Farms dry roasted & lightly salted edamame (soybeans), 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean cereal

20 Grams Protein, 200 Calories: 

• 2.12 ounce Quest mixed berry bliss protein bar

20 Grams Protein, 200 Calories, 2 Grams Sugar, 6 Grams Sugar Alcohol:

• 1.76 ounce Pure Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter bar

I don't have a choice. Really. My RH is so bad that if I only ate 3 times a day I would be passing out.
If your sugar gets low enough you will eat. Your body won't let you do anything else.
I eat 6 small meals a day. It's the only way I can do this.
I'm kinda envious of your ability to survive/thrive on 3 meals a day.

Deb T.