Question:
I'm on a moderate protein, low carb meal plan 2 weeks before surgery...

The food is reasonable but I having a hard time changing my bad habits in the late afternoon/evening. The main problem is automatically reaching for that snacky type of food (cereal, sandwiches, grits - a southern thing!, etc.). Wow, now that I know my eating habits need to change, it's more of a mind game than before. Do any of you have any methods that worked to get you on track? I think once I get into a better habit cycle, I can keep from struggling with the food. 12 days and counting down...    — Deborah N. (posted on December 5, 2002)

December 5, 2002
What's wrong with snacking on cereal or grits? Cereal like Special K or Total make excellent snacks. Grits only have 1 gram of fat.
   — J. W.

December 5, 2002
It's not the dat that makes you fat, it's the carbs - cereals are pure carbs. Low protein, hi carb, will not provide satiety, will make me crave carbs in 2 hours, the cravings will last for 3 days. On the other hand, a slice of meat or cheese will provide satiety, not induce any cravings, will provide some protein. I'm choosing the meat or cheese, especially with a little green veg. - a celery stick or broccoli.
   — RWH G.

December 5, 2002
Wow, Deborah, congrats on tackling the eating habits thing even before surgery! As a pre-op, I always did most of my eating (well, binging, really!) in the evening, too. The good news is that the surgery will train you to eat small meals throughout the day. Some people feel that eating foods that are relatively high in carbs cause you to crave more carbs (and sugars). That's what often happens to me, too, but sometimes, I still eat cereal with skim milk and half a banana for breakfast (and I'm fine with it once in awhile). To fight your evening cravings, I'd suggest you start looking into protein snacks you would like, such as the ones the poster below mentioned -- slices of meat, cheese cubes, or something like turkey pepperoni or beef jerky). Maybe you could also limit your carb intake to the morning or early afternoon, when you feel you have better food contro, and try to focus your more heavily-protein-based meals in the late afternoon and evening. That might help with your cravings. Also, you might want to try to find a protein shake you like (I suggest ordering samples from vitalady.com to try different ones -- some are awful but you'll know when you find a good one for you!) I find the shakes really help curb my appetite as well as get more protein in. 12 days to go? GOOD LUCK! :D
   — Suzy C.