Shhh... don't tell the newbies but...

In my effort to eat mindfully but without journaling I have discovered a few "truths".  I put this in quotes, because as we all know by now, my truths and your truths about maintenance can be totally different.  With that caveat, here something I would never recommend to a newbie or to someone who is still in the losing phase but in maintenance it has been really working for me, increasing fiber A LOT. 

I have noticed that my hunger (which came back at about the six to eight month mark) almost disappears entirely when I eat high fiber foods.   This is no small feat for us maintainers as the desire to snack and the empty feeling seem to come back to many of us as we get further out.  I try to get most of my fiber through vegetable sources, but I have begun to incorporate some unprocessed grains and even breads as well. 

My huge go to food recently is steamed artichokes.  I steam them, and make a sauce out of Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and some other spices, maybe add in a tiny bit of Thousand Island dressing ( I mean like a tablespoon per cup of yogurt) and put baby shrimp on top of the artichoke, and this dressing on top.  I can eat maybe half of an artichoke and shrimp at a time.  There are over 10 g. of fiber in one artichoke. 

The bread I a am choosing is from super unprocessed and is full of fiber.  One slice is about 120 cals. with 6 or more fiber.  One slice of this bread (more of a brick really, it's an acquired taste, but I am from Russia and that is how I remember bread being in my childhood so it works for me) with a laughing cow cheese and some protein and I am in heaven and really, really full for a long time. 

I wonder if the fiber works very much like the dense protein in just sitting in our stomachs much longer and expanding even to make us feel full.  Ever since I started doing this, my hunger has gone away and I am not snacking nearly as much. 

I would never tell anybody who is losing weight to do this, because I am eating more carbs and less protein than I did before but it seems to be working for me, for now.

 I've started making my own bread for my family and if I have 1/2 a piece (the sizes are much smaller) then I'm stuffed. It' uses whole wheat flour a little white flour butter salt and water. I got the recipe from a woman a work with who is 83 walks 3 miles a day, jumps rope for 100 counts, and swims for an hour each morning. She has better posture than me and is the picture of health. She grew up in Norway and is surpised at the junk we have over here. Even our "healthy" stuff is so processed. 

My bf just recently introducted me to artichokes. I wouldn't think they would be  high in fiber since you only eat the meaty part which you scrape off with your teeth, right?

Is this bread something that local grocery stores carry or only found in  specialty stores?

I would love to increase my fiber because constipation is always an issue with us sleevers. I just never know where to get more fiber.

 Do you take probiotics? They have them refrigerated at the health food store and they do WONDERS for constipation! 

Just steam the artichokes and eat the leaves by scraping with your teeth but don't forget to eat the most important part, the heart.  When all the leaves are gone, there is a hairy looking part left, take a spoon and remove the hairs without taking too much of the heart out.  Cut the heart up and eat it.  The heart has the most fiber.  I even peel the little stem and eat that as well.  The more of it you can consume, the more fiber you get.  I eat a large one and that is close to 15 g. of fiber right there.  You might also want to try raspberries and kiwis as they are both really high in fiber without a lot of carbs. 

The bread is called Feldkamp, a famous German bread.  It comes in many flavors.  I have to warn you, it is much denser then anything you have ever had before.  I love it with a touch of butter and just about any protein.  It totally fills me up for hours. 

I try to eat a Quest Bar for one of my daily meals.  20 protein and 15 fiber works wonders for me.  I like that there isn't a chocolate coating or anything so it can sit in the glovebox of the car, my purse etc and not melt.  They travel great and were a staple on my trip to Spain.  My favorites are the chocolate and peanut butter flavors.  No sugar alcohols, natural products.

I too love artichokes and eat them plain right off the stem.  Yum.  I have a basket steamer just for them.  I haven't eaten bread much since surgery, but I can relate to those dense breads.  My family came over from Poland, via Argentina and we always had dense bread from the Jewish bakery when I was a kid.  I still love them but I'm not at the point where the carbs work for me yet.

Lee, as always you are a wealth of information.  Can you buy these bars at any health food store or only on line?  I would love to try one.

Hi Elina,

Here's the website for the quest bars.  http://www.questproteinbar.com/store/pc/home.asp

You can order 1 bar to sample, or a case.  I have tried the Vanilla Almond.  It's good but not the best for me.  I get cases (12 bars) of both Peanut Butter and Chocolate.  If you click on the picture it takes you to the nutritional info.  All of the bars are very thick and chewy.  It takes awhile to eat, which I really like about it.  I think the high fiber helps me feel satisfied.

You can also order at places like Netrition.com which also has $4.95 shipping regardless of the order amount.  I like that about both Netrition and Quest website.  They're more expensive on Amazon and other places.

Let me know if you try them.

Thank you Lee, I just put in the order.  Can't wait to try them.  I sometimes travel away from home for my work and this would be perfect to pack with me.  Thanks again for the tip.

You're welcome!  These got me through my vacation in Spain where I was walking 10-15 miles a day.  It was always over 100 degrees so having something that would not melt was a key factor for me.  I hope you like them!