Question:
What do you eat when you gotta have sweet

Hi all, I am pre-op and about 65 days to go. I am trying to get a jump start on diet and excercise while I wait for surgery (believe it or not I actualy got tired of eating, I think I last suppered it to death) But today I got a strong sweet craving so we went for ice cream(I figured I had better indulge cravings while I still could) But what about after surgery? What do you eat to satisfy the sweet cravings? Is sugar free fat free TCBY okay?Thanks for the feedback    — Lindsay F. (posted on March 11, 2003)

March 11, 2003
Lindsay, I will say everyone is different. But for me, there WERE NO CRAVINGS THE FIRST 6 MOS. That being said, once the "honeymoon period" was over, the cravings came back and I will tell you, when you ignore them, they are worse. For me, I don't dump. So, my sweet tooth (which only comes around a few days before my period) will be substained by ZONE Protein bars, SF Edy's, a spoonnful of by hubby's regular ice cream, a SF Fudgsicle, or a spponful or PB! Good Luck...Heather (Open RNY 8/15 - 305/205/150)
   — heathercross

March 11, 2003
I am 7 days post-op and have a very sweet-tooth. During my search for after surgery protein bars and drinks I found a huge amount of surgar-free candy at WalGreen's. For the time, surgarfree popcicles and yogurt are satisfying my sweet-tooth.
   — Sandy P.

March 11, 2003
Sugar-free Chocolate pudding is on my Step II pureed food diet. I look forward to having a little pudding every night and I might even make Puddin' Pops...why doesn't Jello make those anymore????
   — Sarahlicious

March 11, 2003
Watch out for sugar free stuff too! I dump if it has malitol (spelling?) in it.
   — fropunka

March 11, 2003
Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Ice Cream and Frozen Treats...I buy a box of Bomb Pop popsicles and ice cream bars everytime I go grocery shopping! The popsicles are 25 calories! Another good thing to have is Swiss Miss No Sugar Added Hot Chocolate w/ Splenda (as long as you're not lactose intolerant...people sometimes forget cocoa has nonfat dry milk in it!) There are some really great sugar free candies out there. IMHO the best are the caramels at Fannie May. Now that's a real PMS treat! But you have to beware to only do that a couple times a month and only a couple pieces at a time. Sugar free does not mean calorie free! If you love ice cream pre-op as much as I did, you'll thank God for the Blue Bunny products. They also make 1/2 gallon containers of No Sugar Added Reduced Fat or Fat Free ice cream. Go to www.bluebunny.com to get coupons sent to you! They sent me a coupon for a whole container of the NSA ice cream...a $5.00 value! Good Luck to you - Anna LAP RNY 7/3/02 -117lbs.
   — Anna L.

March 11, 2003
Frozen yogurt does it for me. and if it's the good kind, it has protein in it as well. Most frozen yogurts only have a few grams, but Hagan Daas (sp?) yogurt has 10 grams protein per serving. Have to watch out for the sugar though, I usually just eat 1/2 a serving, still has protein for a snack! I also will freeze OJ and make and orange juice slushy. I use 4oz of juice and add a tiny water and freeze, and it's a great snack! And the previous poster was right, usually the first 6 months are great and you don't even want to eat! Goodluck to you!
   — Lezlie Y.

March 11, 2003
I found a Splenda sweetened, low fat ice cream called Slender. Butter Pecan is the bomb, as my kids would say! I don't have it every day, maybe once a week, but it really takes care of the craving for ice cream. In my past, I remember someone telling me that eating an orange will cut the craving for chocolate. Hey - good for you on starting the diet and exercise! You will do very well after surgery!
   — koogy

March 11, 2003
I am only 8 weeks out, so I have to justify everything I put into my mouth-- i.e, there is so little space that everything has to be nutritious in some way. So, when I want a sweet, I am planning to eat 1/2 a Detour bar-- and get 15 grams of protein while I'm at it. Detour really is as good as I've heard on this site-- I tried it today. The only thing wrong is it is kind of high in carbohydrates (21), but half the bar is 10-1/2, and I did not dump on that.
   — Beth S.

March 11, 2003
I've found that Carbolite makes a lot of great-tasting sweets. My favorite is the crispy caramel bar. Tastes JUST like chocolate and caramel, but no sugar and three grams of protein. There are only 130 calories and cost $.97 at Wal-mart.
   — fieryfish

March 11, 2003
2 things: Either Russell Stovers Suger Free Chocolate truffles, or De-Lite Suger Free Chocolate bar. Oh yum..
   — thekatinthehat

March 11, 2003
Hmmmm, let us get out the list...ha, ha. The TCBY idea sounds ok, we love the Healthy Choice Fudge Bars. Yoplait makes a fat free, sugar free yogurt in tons of delish flavors. A few sugar free candies at the movies satisfies for the absence of milk duds. There are lots of options, just keep in mind that post-op, you may not be able to tolerate any dairy products. You'll just have to test them after you're there. Btw, we had a last indulgence at Cold Stone Creamery the weekend before surgery (cream cheese icecream with black cherries and pecans...yummy!). One thing that many pre-ops forget is that you'll still be able to eat most of your favorite foods after surgery - just in tiny amounts. It's amazing how a small bit can satisfy when your tummy gets full so easy. Best wishes!
   — jnc

March 11, 2003
Meijers carries an ice cream called Velvet that is Splenda sweetened that was the best I'd found, UNTIL I discovered Pierre's Slender at Kroger...it is also sweetened with splenda. I've only tried the Moose Tracks (with a firm fudge ribbon and peanut butter cups) and it is the best ice cream I've EVER had! You can also make your own baked goods using Splenda, fructose and turbinado sugar....check out my profile page or website for some sample recipes for soft peanut butter cookies and hot fudge pudding cake, as well as some photos of the desserts and ordering information for the recipe book. The web site to go to is: www.freewebs.com/recipes-after-rny
   — Lynette B.

March 11, 2003
I'm still pre op myself, but I have tested a few things too. I really recommend Russel Stovers "Turtles", they are sooo good!!! Yum, Yum. :o)
   — Cat S.

March 11, 2003
I guess I should have said the SF "turtles" , lol.
   — Cat S.

March 12, 2003
My favorite indulgence is "SKINNY COWS" fudgescicles. Low-fat, full of flavor and yummy. ;-)
   — Karen K.

March 12, 2003
I didn't really have any "sweets" cravings til six months out or so (I know ... lucky there). Through trial and error, I now eat fat-free yogurt (I sure wish my store had Blue Bunny, I'd love to try it!), sometimes with an apple or strawberries mixed in. Also I like the Sportcookie (protein cookie from protocookie.com, among other places), which is wonderfully sweet, very filling, and has no sugar (with 15 grams of protein, 10 carbs, 3 fat grams). Otherwise, I find I kinda struggle with regular cookies, and absolutely can't handle ice cream (I don't dump -- so I'll overeat that stuff if I keep it around).
   — Suzy C.

March 12, 2003
Lindsay, When I crave sweets, and to be honest that's usually after a long hard day at work, I come home and have a handfull of cold cereal, usually Oh's cereal or Frosted Shredded wheat. Something that is usally less then 13 grams of sugar and has allot more fiber then most... This usually works, I haven't dumped on that and it tastes pretty good plain just striaght out of the box.. I still can't eat it with milk, as it adds to many sugars and I dump, So I think my sugar dump stick is labled at a 17 and above so I watch it very closley... The other posts were good too, Swensons non fat frozen yogurt is a good teat too. (Make sure it fat-free , sugar free, frozen yogurt) It's only 10 calories per ounce.. Hope this helps Post op 9 months down 125 pounds
   — tannedtigress

March 12, 2003
For me, a graham cracker with peanut butter, peanut butter & jelly sandwich made with Polaner all fruit, any kind of fruit, Atkins protein bars (chocolate coconut, chocolate mocha crisp, and pralines and cream), coffee with nonfat dry milk and 1/2 scoop of caramel latte powder, oatmeal made with milk, a little butter, and Splenda. <p>OK enough with the nutritious stuff. Here's the not so healthy stuff: At Last sugar free chocolate bars in crisp or almond (they are SOOOO much better than the carbolite or endulge ones!), Murrays sugar free cookies (especially the vanilla wafers and fudge dipped wafer cookies), Blue Bunny NSA ice cream/frozen yogurt items, Dreyer's NSA ice cream. All the sugar free items can make you dump or give you gas so I have to restrict them just like I do with sugar. Who knew!<p>Truth be told, you probably won't crave sweets early on because it seems like almost everything you can eat right after surgery is SWEET and you will be so sick of it. I was so happy when I got onto a soft diet so that I could have DELI MEAT! I swear, it was like a slice of heaven!
   — ctyst

March 12, 2003
Snowcones! Hawaiian shaved ice.com sells sugar free (O Cal, O carb) flavorings and the ice shavers.
   — Amber L.

March 12, 2003
*blush* I can eat sweets- I don't dump. But before I knew that I could, I would eat sugar free popsicles. Also, I have become the master of the "chew & spit". Basically, if you want something that is either bad for you or you think it may make you sick, chew it up, savor it and spit it out. Just don't do while others are around!...Good luck!...Karen (lap rny- almost 6 mons. post-op- down 118 pounds!)
   — karmiausnic

March 12, 2003
I found if I NEED sweets, I eat a piece of my Detour bar. I can not eat a whole one (not even half) in a day so just a little chunk does it for me. And I get the added bonus of protein too! Also I chew sugar free gum just until the taste is gone. This helps most right after I eat. I really dont think a small amount of sugar/fat free TCBY will hurt as long as you only use it for a treat once in a while. Good luck to you. Sidney Open RNY 10-23-02 down 70+
   — Siddy I.

March 13, 2003
OH, GEE WHIZ!!!IF YOU ARE CRAVING SWEETS, EAT SOME SWEETS. MOST LIKELY YOU WOULD EAT ONE LITTLE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE OR A COOKIE OR TWO AND BE TOTALLY SATISFIED. I PREFER IT THAT WAY AND IM DONE WITH THE CRAVING RATHER THAN TRY TO FOOL MYSELF INTO THINKING EATING SOME PROTEIN BAR THAT TASTES LIKE DOG FOOD WILL SATISFY THE CRAVING JUST BECAUSE IT IS LABELED AS A FLAVOR LIKE "MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP". JUST EAT THE CANDY AND BE DONE WITH IT. (7 MONTHS OUT, DOWN 111 AND STILL LOSING JUST FINE).
   — christina K.

March 15, 2003
Raisins and other dried fruit help cravings. Also, sugar-free products help sometimes. I gave in a few times and ate sugar.... dumped and was miserable. Dumping really helps with behavior modification !
   — Kathy J.

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