So flipping hard sometimes

I recently started taking a nutritional supplement called lithium orotate- it really, really helped with sleep. I was surprised because I guess I didn't even realize how poor quality my sleep really was. Distract is a huge one for me too. I am fortunate though, on the times I wake up in the middle of the night and need to fend of the urge to snack I wake up my husband for some fun distraction instead. He loves it and it totally works 

After my dad died in April, I went off the rails with ice cream, pretzels and other sliders.  I made an appointment with my nutritionist, because I was worried.  My therapist incredulously asked why I didn't think to call him.  I said because it was the food.  And... I'm a dummy.  He had great strategies, too, but I needed substitutes for the cravings.

The nutritionist had the BEST ideas and suggestions and was glad that I logged everything I had been eating so she could get a clear picture of what I was doing.  She suggested that if I wanted something sweet, decadent and deserty, I could have a crisp, chocolaty Combat bar.  What's a Combat bar, I asked.  She showed me, I stopped at the Vitamin Shoppe and bought one on the way home and have since stocked up on the cookie dough bars.  I am not a cookie dough fan, but I love these better than the other flavors. I can "indulge" and not go off-plan.  http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/musclepharm/combat-crunch-bars.html?MCID=CG-PLA-US&CAWELAID=120147270000095597&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=120147270000105832&cadevice=c&gclid=CLyi67DL2MYCFUoXHwodVP4Bfg  

For the salty, she suggested Kay's protein pretzels.  I haven't needed them yet, but I have casually looked at Walmart for them and haven't seen them yet.  If the need arises, I will find them.  Instead, I have been eating pistachios.

I looked for online suggestions and found one I am going to try.  Get canned pineapple chunks, pour them into a Tupperware or other container and freeze them.  Then puree them in the blender, add frozen banana or Greek yogurt, etc.

I also keep Watermelon cut up in the refrigerator if I'm hungry at night and have had all my protein.

Substitutes are a powerful good for me too, so long as I don't it begin the slippery slide down to the real stuff. I can totally vouch for the protein pretzels- I buy them and the protein cookies by the same brand. I get them on netrition.com The espresso cookies are awesome, but have real espresso in them so be warned. For the candy bar fix I go with Detour low sugar protein bars and this one brand I buy at the hospital store that I cannot recall the name of tiny something or another. I have a HUGE problem with ice cream. Hands down my #1 cause of weight gain pre op and then when I mess up post op. I spent the three weeks prior to surgery driving 30 minutes to a local farmer that has a dairy to get ice cream nearly every night. It is the only junk food I crave right now. Instead, I make strawberry frozen yogurt in the vitamix- totally on plan and it scratches that itch nicely. I think I am going to make some now. The last common sub I use are fibergourmet chips- they have  both sweet and salty types that are on plan other than they are processed. Those are also on netrition and my favs are the cheese and the cinnamon variety.