So, in my lunches, I've been packing raw almonds. For some reason, I had them in my mind as a healthy "snack." They are relatively healthy as Snacks go, but as always -- portion size is king. I weighed one of the ziplock bags that I've been taking to work, and it was 183g of raw almonds.

I looked up the nutrition facts (for almonds, found it here: Raw Almonds), and... WOW. That "little bag" of almonds was almost 6.5 servings. It was 36g of carbs (! almost my entire day's allotment in one "snack"), and over 1100 calories. Yeesh!

So my other healthy snack was a cup of grapefruit. Turns out that that "little" cup of fruit was 32g of carbs.

I can see that I'm going to have to relearn EVERYTHING if I want to comply with my pre-op diet!

If you are doing low carb stay away from all fruit!!! Almonds are a good low carb snack if you have a hand full not a zip lock bag full. Plus on low carb dont worry so much about the calories as you do about your carbs. MEAT CHEESE & EGGS. That is what I repeat over and over when I did low carb. Get some cheese sticks, pepperoni, salami, deli meats, jello, they have a bread called flatout bread that is low carb that I used. Just remember most likely if it is low fat it is high carb. Read your lables!! You can do this!

ARGH

Low carb kills me. I had to do it for pre op too. You really haveto pay attention because its not an intuitive way to eat. You can do it.... in a month you'll be sleeved and all will be easy.

Hang in there

Stacey

If you're going to eat almonds, you have to count them. 10 almonds, 100 calories. I eat them all the time. I have gotten hooked on 100 calorie packs of

cocoa dusted almonds. yum yum.

Dr. Oz recommends everyone eat almonds every day. they are a good healthy snack, and good for your good cholesterol. You just can't eat too many.

Daisey may I ask where you get the cocoa dusted almonds?

When my sister had cancer, they told her to never eat sugar and to eat at least 10 raw almonds a day. So they must have some antioxidant qualities.

I get the cocoa dusted almonds in 100 calorie packs at walmart. I had read about them for a long time, but never could find them. I was really thrilled when Walmart started carrying them.

Daisy, that's great! There are WalMart's everywhere! Thanks for the tip. I'll get some this week.

Congratulations, btw, for your fantastic success! It must be an unbelievable feeling to be at your goal (even below goal.)

Oh, those cocoa dusted almonds are great if you're craving sweets (particularly chocolate).

I still have to be careful on volume, since there's 6g of carbs in only about 20 almonds. But still, in moderation, they're great.

And yes, almonds are insanely good for you in terms of Protein digestibility and essential fatty acids.

Yea, that's why I am glad they come in 100 calorie packs. The box is expensive and I am cheap, so I would never eat more than one bag (100 calories) per day.

Wow that's a real eye opener! I'll stick with the eggs and salad

Daisy

I love this post, and Walmart has what I need!!! I'm cheap too, so I have to make a trip to WallyWorld!!!

I've never been to Walmart. I can see a trip there in my future. For right now I'm not eating nuts and sticking to all fresh foods so I try to shop organic whenever possible.

Well Lee, you must be doing something right - you've lost 44 lbs. sinxce Feb!

But you really should treat yourself with a visit to Walmart. It leaves a lasting impression. All that merchandise and all from China. At least I haven't been able to find anything made in the USA. Of course that's true of most stores, especially the ones claiming to be thrift oriented. And no, I haven't done a complete inventory for you naysayers, but I've never found anything made in the USA at Target or Walmart. And Target is one of my favorite places to shop. If you see something you like at a top-notch store that is too expensive, you can usually find a knock off at Target.

Ummmmm, cocoa dusted almonds! Who can resist?

I asked my dietician why with the band, only the bad stuff goes down so easily like ice cream, chips, etc., and the good food: veggies, salad, meat, chicken, etc., get stuck easily. She said it's because the bad stuff is laden with fat. The fat helps in the break down process beginning in your mouth. The less fat something has, the harder it is to break it down. I wish someone had told me that sooner because it has been a frustrating experience with the band trying to figure out what the heck not to eat when I am with people in a restaurant.

Bring on the sleeve!

When is it OK to try nuts? (I'm 5 weeks out)

Thanks, I know that I could get Protein out of them also.

Yeah I'd like to know too. I'm not buying any until it's close to when I can actually eat them. I want them to be fresh. Nothing worse than old nuts. gee, that sounds funny...