The last few days I have had one and on occasion a grand total of two of those little pretzel twists per day. I know that in the big picture it's quite a small thing, but I feel guilty anyway lol

Am I doing a detriment to myself with this? I think an entire serving is like 10. Am I ok?

Sent from my iPhone using VST

I don't think a couple of pretzels is going to do any serious damage. I've done the same thing with some baked crackers. The problem is these items trigger my carb cravings...not a good thing. So, I have to stay away from them.

I've had a few pretzel twists from time to time. I never even eat a full serving and I'm not worried about it at all. It's a couple of pretzels not a couple of donuts!

So many questions before I can really answer........

1. Are you pre-op, post-op or still researching and not on any specific diet yet?
   
   
2. Why do you have those near you / in the house? Is it for someone else, or do you buy them for yourself (as a "treat")?
   
   
3. Where is the guilt coming from?
   

If you are post-op, the carbs and/or bread-like consistency may cause discomfort, so it's more of a safety/healing issue. Try to avoid bread/pasta/rice carbs while you are early on in your healing as they tend to swell up in your tiny, raw little stomach!

Having food/snacks that are temping "at hand" can be dangerous. In a moment of weakness (and we all have them, believe me!), your best defence against straying from your food plan is to make it hard to get the "illicit" items into your mouth. Don't have them anywhere nearby! Not in your house, your car, your office. If you are really craving something, you will have to get up, leave the house and go buy it. By the time you are starting to do that, you've given yourself enough "cushion" to rethink the whole thing and hopefully stop!

Of course this gets much more difficult if you have other family or household members who eat those items on a regular basis. Then you must ask them to try to keep those things "out of sight" while you develop your good habits and learn to "say no", especially in your mind, where we can all find justifications why it's okay to have "just one".

Now about the guilt. Are you feeling bad because you're seeing a doctor/surgeon/nutritionist who has told you what items are NOT ALLOWED? Are you feeling guilty because you know that by sneaking in "just one or two" you're still breaking the diet and really just cheating YOURSELF (not the doc, not the NUT, just you)? Do you feel guilty because it feels like you just don't have the self-control you wish you had?

I say you DO have the self-control! That's why you're on here asking for feedback. We're going to give you TOUGH LOVE if you want it. Don't snack! You can't afford it! Your healthy self needs good quality foods that are not "sliders", that are nutritious and give you energy and help your metabolism be optimal. Breads, chips, Cookies and other such Snacks TASTE GREAT. But good health, a reasonable weight for your height, good cardiovascular conditioning and muscle mass are all SO MUCH BETTER!

You can do this. Stop setting yourself for failure and set yourself up for success instead! We're here to help motivate, gently chastise and get you on track.

If you want snacks for those cravings, get snack bags premade and put them in the fridge, or in the cupboards or take them to work/school, etc. with you. Then you can eat healthy, within your diet and still satisfy the cravings when they hit.

Be prepared and you will succeed.

And if you do fall off the wagon, OWN IT. You messed up. It happens.

Then get right back on the wagon and build those good habits until they come naturally to you.

I know it was just 1-2 pieces of pretzel. I don't' want you to think I'm over-reacting here. It's not about how much. It's about why you're doing it and how you can give yourself the tools to do better and feel better about yourself and your journey!

I was told nothing like that for at least a year because they swell up and thus fill up the sleeve leaving no room for protein, etc. I know all drs are different so I would as my dr