7 wks out sneaking in to ask a question

hi all,

so, i'm exploring protein chips.  i have one evening a week when i have to go from 5:30 to 8:00 not eating (appt at 7:00).  in the past few weeks i've had a bag of potato chips

the protein chips have 130 cals, 10 g of protein, 16 carbs, 6 g sugars, 5 g fat.

my theory is that it's a long stretch to get through, it's once a week, and it's a heck of a lot better than a bag of chips.  NUT says use as one of my 5-6 meals a day but not as a snack.  friend here at work with rny says "snacking is wrong and you are going to be in trouble".  not sure what to do.  if i'm within my cals and eating every 2 hrs (per NUT) and this is the one time in the week that i have them . . .

i'd love feedback.  also salty/crunchy that seem "safer".  one person last week said she had salty chick peas for snacks -- where on earth would i find those?!?!!?  i'm a non-cook!

thanks guys. you help so much!

If it's a planned snack/meal, what's the difference?  Unplanned or "auto-pilot" eating can be dangerous, but if it's planned, it sounds like a solid idea to me. 

The only thing I would caution is the carbs.  Fortunately, I did not have as much issue with eating carbs and losing, but some people have to keep it under 30 carbs per day to lose at all.

Enjoy!

    Didn't you get the "memo"..........."newbies" are not allowed to post here.....ever!    Just kidding! .......feel free to post here....ALL are welcome here!   Actually...... it is a "smart" strategy to "pick" the minds of the "vets" here. 
     How about some cheese sticks,  or even a (few) pork rinds W/ the cheese...(not a good source of protein....but crunchy and low carb)  Or a protein shake/drink.   I eat HB eggs a lot for "snacks"  I sometimes eat a type of soy crisp (365 brand at Whole Foods)  like 120 cals ...15 carbs....8gr protein....but 1 serving is 20 crisps ....I usually eat 6-7...so cut those #'s in thirds!)  They are not very filling.....I eat them W/ tuna salad.   Soy nuts or dried edamame are another protein snack too.  Some people eat beef jerky.......lots of sodium though.  Good luck........BTW potato chips.......are the "devil's" snack!  I have considered selling my soul for some good chips!

Look at the travel protein post I just posted on. I gave a link to my low sodium beef jerky, and a link to low carb cheese chips you can make with a dehydrator:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/lowcarb-recipe-help-suggestions/448756-dehydrator-chivy-cheese-chips.html

Also you can dehydrate slices of cucumbers or zucchini to dip in ranch dressing for that crunch.

 You can find roasted salted chick peas in Italian markets, or maybe a regular grocery store in the italian import section..they are called "cici's" and they come in a jar...at least I am able to get them locally.

I agree with what everyone is saying...also an oz of nuts, pre measured and bagged would also give you that crunch/salty fix.

Of course you are welcome to post any time in this group. Everyone is welcome.

Regarding the protein chips, I would be cautious here. I can only speak from my own experience but my program kept carbs to 40 or less per day and most days i was well below that - like 25. Once I ate a sample pack of protein pretzels that came with some other barriatric food I had ordered but have no other experience with protein chips.

At 7 weeks you are in an important phase of developing new eating habits. Its really important to follow your program and stay away from the things that were a problem for you pre surgery. So if chips were a problem, substituting protein chips might interfere with reforming your eating habits. I was a pretty major sugar and carb addict though not so much chips though i certainly had my share. I found it easiest during weight loss phase just to stay away from anything reminescent of these things and to focus on protein and carbs only in nonfat dairy or veggie/fruit form.

So while I don't see a big problem with having some of these protein chips as part or all of a planned meal which you will track in your food journal (an essential practice) the real issue is will it get in the way of adjusting to a whole new way of eating. If I had told my surgeon I had a bag of chips at 7 weeks out I think he would have gone into a frothing frenzy!  I do think is a small danger signal and  you need to consider if the protein chips are a the right thing for you right now. But it was something I didn't eat and maybe I missed out on a perfectly acceptable protein source. Toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitos)or 10 unsalted almonds (roasted in the microwave) might meet your need instead.

The fact that you are seeking input from experienced sleevers in this group shows you really want to succeed and that you have some doubts about this item. But please post again and tell us what you decide and how it works. We all benefit from each other's experience.

Diane

thank you for being so kind.  i'm afraid i set myself in OldMedic's sites yesterday and he just creamed me!

i'm thinking that b/c chips are a trigger food i probably should deep six the chips, even though they're good (that's the problem).  i carefully at the 1.5 oz bag last night and then just turkey chili for dinner and some laughing cow when i got hungry later.

i just feel really discouraged about figuring all this stuff out and not screwing up.  i'm kind of scared of food at this point, which i don't think is a good thing!

feeling a little defeated.  thanks for all the ideas!  xxx

Hey  Ann

Well, if you have been thrashed by Old Medic then you know you are really somebody! As we used to say in my old law firm, you are nobody until you have been sued!

But seriously, you are at a tough phase which is the first three months. Transitioning to real food can be difficult. Its hard to balance all the rules about getting the protein without too many carbs and calories, finding suitable things that taste decent and just overall spending more time and energy worrying about eating properly. But keep at it. It will become easier and more routine and you will find things that work for you. And in those early months, your sleeve can be kind of tempermental even though its all healed. There are things that might not sit well today that will be fine in a month or two. I was thrilled to get to the mushy stage thinking I could ditch the horrid protein drinks only to discover that I couldn't get enough protein without them. But I experimented and found some tolerable ones. You will find things too and check out all the posts here about travel foods and edamame and such. Dont be afraid to call your dietician often to help you work through this.

We are all pulling for you. Hope I didn't sound too negative about the protein chips.

Diane

thanks diane! this really is a frustrating and scary part of the process. i'm so, so scared of screwing up and not losing. i'm losting 2lbs a week, which is pretty good, but my nut says i must be eating closer to 1200 cals a day than the 800 i think i have from tracking on myplate b/c i would lose faster if i was eating that many. i feel very scared right now.

thank you for being so nice. i like the analogy of being sued. it really cheered me up!!!

i want to reach my goal so badly. what if i screw it up now?!?!

okay, enough whimpering. you guys are the best -- and a great resource!

I'm a big believer in using the first 6 months to establish healthy habits because it's easier to do it then even if it's not necessary for weight loss. For me, that meant not having planned snacks where the protein count was lower than the carb count. Anything that had more carbs than protein was considered an indulgence and I didn't start with the indulgences until I was a few months out and even then I kept them pretty limited.

I think it's easy to have the attitude of "well it's a PROTEIN chip so it's okay", but it's not really a PROTEIN chip, it's really a protein CHIP, if you know what I mean. I went for string cheese or beef jerky or greek yogurt over the protein chips when I was 7 weeks out.