After being banded, are we supposed to search for fat free versions or sugar free versions of things like coffee creamer and flavoring for other foods/drinks?? (I do know that a lot of people do nothing and stay with their normal things... just asking for those who have changed).

I with a few things but mostly don't bother. If you compare labels you will see that if they reduce one thing, the increase something else so the product will taste better. Sugar free items usually have more fat or sodium etc.

I would say learn to take your coffee with no cream at all. I try to buy low fat cheese as gthe fat free is gross. I don't really use salad dressing so cant really comment about that.

I dont find it worth the taste sacrifice - I mean if you look at labels comparing a low fat and a normal yogurt serve for serve, for example, you'll often find you only save 40 calories or so and are getting a lot more sugar and carbs and less Protein in the low fat one. Its the same with so many foods.

I buy skim milk only, always have done, becuase I really dislike full cream milk or even the 2% stuff, cant bear any taste of cream in the milk - yet I will eat my morning muesli with skim milk and a dollop of cream on it, lol. Totally different taste sensation.

Low fat Cookies and such - well those are crap foods whatever way you cut it, you shoudlnt be eating them anyway and if you do, it should be so occasionally that the full fat version is not going to make a difference.

I think real, whole foods should be your focus, but I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to eating a cookie as a snack rather than a small can of tuna, and then taking Vitamins to make up for all the real food I dont eat.

I like my salads with a very small amouint of olive oil (or flaxseed oil, full of Omega 3's) and salt and pepper - its heart healthy and you actually absorb a lot more of the nutrients in a salad with a bit of fat. Just a teaspoon is enough to lubricate it and you can also use vinegar if you want that tangy flavour.I'm not fond of low fat salad dressings.

One thing I do do though that makes a huge difference - Soups and curries and stuff that use cream or coconut milk - I alwasy substitute low fat evaporated milk in those - cant taste the difference, and it saves sooo much saturated fat and lots of calories and the coconut flavoured evaporated milk tastes just like real coconut milk in Asian dishes.

There are tons of lite creamers. Da vinci does a whole host of flavors to add in your coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker so that's all I know. You can make your own sugar free desserts. I buy all my goodies on netrition.com. I buy tova low carb flour. Get some fresh fruit and mix with splenda, cinnamon, vanilla. Mix an egg, low carb flour, butter, splenda and vanilla. Put fresh fruit mix in pie plate and pour baking mix on top then bake. Bam! You have pie.

I don't like the way that low fat and low sugar things add in other stuff. Low fat things often have artificial thickeners in them, which I just won't eat. And the low sugar things have artifical cancer-causing sweeteners, which I also won't eat. So I pretty much have everything that I eat full fat full sugar.

I just stick to healthy options so that the few FF/FS things I have don't amount to any weight gain.

My only concession to that is I no longer drink any type of soda or use real sugar in my baking. I am a splenda girl. I really can't taste the difference now.

Good luck, everyone!

Thanks for the replys. I already only use skim milk, usually do things like laughing cow cheese and the light moz sticks so I am ok there. Just cant give up my coffee creamer. I do NOT add sugar to it, just what is already in the bottle. For the flavorings to add to things though, is it worth or not worth the sugar free versions. I dont see me using them often and I really do not like the idea of the added junk for the sugar free but didnt know if we HAVE to do it or if it is just a choice for us since unlike RNY we dont have the dumping syndrome from sugar.

You don't HAVE to do anything you don't want to do!