Snacking

Do any of your Dr.'s "not allow" snacking?    Mine is ok with it, and with my tiny tummy I could not get in all my protein without it.    All my snacks are protein as are my meals. 

I was talking to someone about 1 month out the other day and they said their Dr. does not allow snacking as it will cause WLS patients to regain, so she NEVER snacked.      Listening to the conversation a little longer, they eat 3 meals a day with shakes between every meal.    Isn't that snacking?  

And then she starts talking about the desserts she eats with meals.....    And the hamburger with the bun that was so good...

I think, for me anyway, I'll stick to eating protein 5 times a day and skipping dessert.  

Do desserts work for you, especially prior to maintenance?   I am afraid if I start I won't want to stop. 

I think Kaiser has a "no snacking" kind of program. 

I dont have snacking versus meals. I have 5 to 6 small feedings a day.  To me a "snack" is an unplanned grab N go sort of thing.  Although a huge issue with anything is that we use the same definition, huh?

I didnt dessert prior to maintenance, no.  I needed to get to goal this time and not screw around and lose focus.  But that is me, knowing how I was and setting me up for success!  I know other folks could dabble, but it just was me asking for trouble.

In maintenance I go thru periods of having one sweet thing a day, but its fairly protein dense (which honestly doesnt matter that much since my body doesnt hang onto the dense protein I eat, and I need to drink 3 to 4 shakes a day for my labs to say my protein is within normal ranges.)

With that being said, I *dont* count my shakes as meals.  I cant fathom being filled up or kept satisfied for hours with a shake, so I have shakes about 30 to 45 minutes before a proper feeding - so *meh* I suppose that would be snacking AND drinking my calories, if I utilized some folks' definitions of things!

I think your plan sounds brilliant, but maybe its because that was my plan too!  :}

My surgeons plan is 3 meals, no snacking. Protein first , veggies second. And no protein shakes. On liquids and mushies, I've ignored the part about no protein shakes and use one for breakfast. 2 snacks are allowed later at some point if necessary.

Just know that at some point snacking - whatever that means to YOU - can lead to weight re-gain. It's going to be entirely up to you then. This is your gig - you have to own it.

Surgery is only a starting place. What you do with it is up to you. 

I also agree that what someone means as a "snack" depends on whether it's a good thing or not.
I'm 9 weeks post-op.  I still can't get enough food (protein, vegetables, whatever) in me at a sitting to get all the vitamins/proteins I need.  So - I eat about 5 smaller meals - if that means I'm snacking twice a day - so be it - but I'm not eating potato chips or chocolate - I'm eating protein or a vitamin shake. 
I know we all hear the horror stories about people having the sleeve and still gaining weight back - but it can't control what works for us now.

see for me "snack" is when I cannot have a full meal. But there it's really what I have between meals to maintain my metabolic rate.  These can be health snacks as mine are. When I was not snacking I was not loosing weight. My metabolic rate would fall as well as my energy. So that's mine form of snack.

Yes, that no snacking/3 solids a day is my plan.. shakes aren't counted as he only counts solids as a meal.. not protein supplements. Do I stay 100% on plan, no. Some days I'm hungrier and will add a cheese stick or yogurt, or meat 4th meal as needed. Most days, I do three solids and a protein shake.

I know the reasoning is to not get in the habit of grazing or to break it if you were one. However, many folks around me of normal weight adhere to the 5 small protein forward feedings a day plan as it keeps them going better.. I don't "snack" now but then again, I guess it does matter what you define snacking as.. if every time you go into the kitchen you grab a few nibbles of this or that mindlessly, that's snacking. If you see that you have not met a goal, and/or are actually hungry, and you make a mindful choice- that's fine & good in my personal book. It's just getting good habits in place, and avoiding creating new bad ones!

I was not a dessert person prior to WLS so I don't have anything useful there, the only time I had a dessert was if a friend made something extra nice and we were being entertained.. and I will still sample a forkful in this case, just a forkful and it makes me happy.. sweets don't tempt me much though. My big downfall would be mindless boredom snacking/grazing on high fat savory things. 

My plan is 3 meals plus 2 snacks a day. I use protein shakes or cheese as snacks usually. A couple of times I have done a carb smart bar or skinny cow dessert thing.

The most I have been able to get in is 700 calories and that's on a very high day. It's usually closer to 500. If I go from lunch to dinner with no snack I am too hungry and over-eat. I think the no snacking rule is bogus. Call it what you will I need to put something nutritious in my stomach every 3-4 hours even if it's a cheese chip or two. 

I don't understand how protein shakes can't be considered snacks. They are usually over 100 calories. That's more than one of thos 100-cal. snack bags of cookies or whatever. I guess it all comes down to what "snack" means. Maybe we could call it "planned adjunct intake." But it's still a snack.

I snack.. I concider a snack to be the string cheese.. or the jerky.. or the cottage cheese/fruit ****tail combo.. it isnt as big as a meal but it gets my protien in.

All good points, thanks for responding!
I "snack" as in eat between the 3 normal daily meals.    But, it is always protein such as LF string cheese or cottage cheese or grilled chicken or pork.    I don't graze on carbs or what I would have called snack foods prior to WLS such as sweets or bread.  
At least until I get to maintenance, I plan to leave bread and sweets alone, even  the low fat, sugar free desserts like Silly Cow ice cream.   
I am afraid of bread to tell the truth - it has always been a trigger for me.   And for now at least, I have no desire for sweets. 
Again, thanks for your responses and help putting things in prospective for me!