Let me start by saying it has been a rough week and I know I screwed up. It's ok if you feel like you need to remind me I screwed up, but please keep in mind that I already know. I am actually trying to figure out a couple of things and appreciate any help.

First, went out to dinner on Sat - 1st time eating out since sleeved. Ate small piece of mozzarella and part of a meatball. Ate very slowly, chewed thoroughly, felt full and satisfied, had no problem declining dessert, and felt happy like, "Yes! If I can do this for the rest of my life, I will be so happy!"

But since that day my cravings have been through the roof. I have been having them regularly since @3 days post-op (pizza, fries, burgers, cake - all the usual suspects), but have been able to move past the cravings and stay on track. Have found this very encouraging. Except this past week since I ate such flavorful restaurant food, it has been so much harder. Not only craving more things, but also feeling hungry more often, not being able to wait as long between meals, etc. Very concerned this triggered the end of my "honeymoon period" prematurely and now I am going to have a harder time controlling my appetite.

The other thing, I am 5 weeks out, so on to moist foods and some types of solids. Am getting very sick of protein shakes - even though I've tried getting creative with them. So, I carefully tried out a favorite protein bar of mine from pre-op - it's called Power Crunch Protein/Energy bar, I believe. It's a wafer-type bar, so technically would be considered crunchy, but once you start chewing it dissolves so quickly in your mouth that by the time you get to 30 chews it is less than pureed. I have been able to add those in and they help because 1. they are chocolate and help with those cravings some, but 2. also have a salty component so sort of help w/that too.

But being able to eat this w/o problems led me to do something I know I shouldn't have, but did anyway. And the results have really stumped me. So, I have been craving chips and such this past week A LOT. So I figured instead of caving to that craving, I would try one of my favorite foods, Pistachios. No, not on my approved list yet. But again, I can chew them so finely they are less than pureed. I figured that since they are high in fiber and fat and protein that they would fill me up quickly, take care of the chip craving, and still be healthy. I ate 1/4 c on Tues nite and didn't really feel full but stopped anyway and felt satisfied.

Last night was different. I had a bad day, only slept 4 hours, ran a lot of errands, was in a lot of pain, my daughter made chili for dinner which I was supposed to be able to eat but instead of being mild she made it spicier and I couldn't eat it. So I was really hungry, and started eating pistachios. It takes a long time to eat them since you have to open the shell, then I chew each one about 40 times, etc. I kept waiting to feel that sense of fullness coming on, but it kept not happening. So I decided to keep slowly eating them until it finally did happen. So I would know how many it actually takes before that happens. It took a full cup!! I keep food logs, so I had to enter in the horrifying 692 calories and 56 grams of fat (14 g of fiber and 26 g of protein helps, but does not override the first 2 numbers).

I know it was really stupid to eat something not on my approved list yet (but I seem to have no problem with consuming/digesting) - and even though it was an experiment of sorts which gave me good feedback (a whole cup til fullness?!) it obviously wasn't helpful to my diet. I am dreading getting on the scale tomorrow. These are a favorite food of mine that I used to eat a lot in the couple years before my surgery (almost daily), so I am thinking I may have to throw the rest away to avoid the temptation. But I am really stumped as to why it would take so many to fill me up/satisfy me? I can only eat 2/3 c of chicken salad, 1/2 c of chicken soup, maybe 1/2 c of oatmeal, so this is a little baffling. Does anyone know if crunchy foods like this (ones easy to grind down, prob not raw veggies/apples etc) would take so long to fill the sleeve? Is this common?

And how do you get back on track after you start tasting "normal" food again? I feel like it was so much easier to stick to the program when it consisted of chicken broth and sugar free popsicles. I mean, it sucked, but somehow I was able to do it...

To be honest this is the wake-up call you probably need. The surgery is just a tool. You're seeing already how easy it can be to still get a lot of calories in without a lot of food. The cravings and head hunger aren't things that just go away with surgery. We're always going to have those battles. Things like nuts aren't bad for you (maybe not so much now because it's not on your plan) but as with everything moderation is key.

You're going to find that certain foods are going to fill you up and others won't. Slider foods being the biggest culprit. Soups and soft foods (like yogurt) are easier to pass through the system. Denser proteins are going to be harder to break down. Like you said it's easy to break down nuts into a very fine paste of sorts. With something like chicken you're going to break it down but not to the extent of the nuts.

Most of us are going to stumble from time to time. Get back up on your feet and stay on track. Hopefully you can find some healthy rewards of sorts as you can bring more foods back into your diet. I mean for me a Greek Yogurt with a little bit of Cool Wip is a nice dessert like treat for me. I'm a big love of mixed nuts as well and I allow myself to have them from time to time, but I have to do it as a treat now and then. Again...moderation.

Another thing is treating it like alcoholism. Don't put yourself in situations that you feel you can't handle yet. I mean seriously, if you're trying to stop drinking you don't go hang out in a bar a week after you quit. If you're going to go out pick something where you have no choice but to eat something healthy. The sooner/better you get at controling your urges now the better you'll set yourself up for the long term.

5 minutes ago, orionburn said:

The sooner/better you get at controling your urges now the better you'll set yourself up for the long term.

No, you're right. I had been doing so well - people were eating "regular food" all around me and regardless of how good it smelled/looked, I would just eat my little container of chicken salad or sip my broth. I couldn't believe I was able to do it, but the fear of eating something that could damage my sleeve or cause other complications was an excellent deterrent. I think adding foods back in is actually making things a little harder. With more choices comes more responsibility - and accountability, LOL. I just need to slow down and keep things simple for as long as possible I guess. Thanks!

23 minutes ago, Taylor5 said:

No, you're right. I had been doing so well - people were eating "regular food" all around me and regardless of how good it smelled/looked, I would just eat my little container of chicken salad or sip my broth. I couldn't believe I was able to do it, but the fear of eating something that could damage my sleeve or cause other complications was an excellent deterrent. I think adding foods back in is actually making things a little harder. With more choices comes more responsibility - and accountability, LOL. I just need to slow down and keep things simple for as long as possible I guess. Thanks!

I mean I'm not going to sit here and act like I've been a saint this past year. I've had my own stumbles as well. Mainly a "well dammit I shouldn't have eaten that" but moved on. I think for me I found a happy place in that I'll allow an indulgence every once in a while but I plan for it, have it, and then that's it. Honestly I'm happier eating a steady diet of chicken/tuna salad, and regular lettuce salads. I enjoy those things more than I do thinking of going out for fast food.

This should be a good scare for you in the worry of doing harm to your sleeve and steer you back on track. Don't beat yourself up too bad. Get heading in the right direction again and you'll do fine.

In the beginning, we're all new to this. Everyone stumbles a little.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be concerned....but you're clearly thinking this through, you're being accountable for the screw up, and that's huge.

"Don't beat yourself up too bad. Get heading in the right direction again and you'll do fine."

^This:)

I get my nut fix by putting half a tablespoon of chopped pecans in my maple oatmeal. Yum.

I think the problem with nuts...is that they kinda slide through due to their high fat content.

Love me some nuts. But I typically don't exceed one tablespoon worth in a sitting cause they're so darned high in calories.

3 minutes ago, Creekimp13 said:

I think the problem with nuts...is that they kinda slide through due to their high fat content.

Yeah I think I was expecting them to be so filling bc of all the fiber/cals/fat/prot combined, but after my "experiment" am now realizing they are not very voluminous (espec after such careful chewing) so they don't register/fill you as quickly as you would think. Pre-op I had been hoping that at some point post-op I'd be able to eat my beloved pistachios again every day but would be forced to eat a small amount bc of the sleeve. Now I know that's not true, so I will probably just avoid them altogether. It's a bummer, but it's just one of those things I can't seem to eat a little of It will however, be a small price to pay to be thinner and healthier again

Half a cup of peanut butter has 800 calories. Your sleeve easily holds 4 ounces (half a cup).

Nuts are just NOT one of those things you can eat until you feel full. Too many calories. Sorry:(

You can still eat your beloved pistachios! They reduce cholesterol and promote cardiovascular health. They're an awesome food.

But you're gonna have to measure out a one ounce portion...(about 50 little nuts)

It's 160 very healthy calories, and you should enjoy them. Just don't overdo it:) You got this.

Edited February 1, 20188 yr by Creekimp13

I haven't found nuts to be too filling. I too started them a little earlier than I should have. Now I can have them, but I generally choose not to. They don't really fill me up (probably because they're low volume and you can chew them so much). I've found if I eat more than 1 ounce I start to feel sick, but it's tough to stop. As a result I now have a nut free house... which is just easier and better.

I too have a wicked salt craving. Nuts helped, eating a single chip here and there can help too. I've found eggs with a lot of salt on them or soup helps somewhat too. I'm a little further out than you, and had really bad cravings early, but they've gone away in the last couple of weeks. In fact the last 2 days I've been busy and I simply haven't eaten (or drank) anything all day and then of course miss my protein and fluid goals. I think it might get easier once you're on more solid foods - they fill you up and the cravings at least for me went away.

You did great recognizing the slip. It's all a learning process.

I keep a veggie tray on hand. They are not exciting. I know myself with night snacking.

Not plugging a product.

I've tried is Quest protein chips for salt and crunch cravings. Not everyone likes them. I do the BBQ flavor and salsa. I don't like the other flavors.

To make them into a meal, I top them with 99% lean ground turkey with taco seasoning, Green and red peppers onion and a bit of low skim mozzarella.

Quest chips 130 calories 22g protein 4g carbs

Be creative with healthy sweet and salty cravings. You will find what works for you.

Thanks you guys for your support and tips on possible substitutes, etc. I really appreciate it

Diet direct has tons of healthy protein items that taste great from chiplike stuff to nutty things. They have great wafer bars that I love. My fave is the shortcake bar. Good luck. You got this


HW. 289
SW. 284
Height. 5’8

15 hours ago, dreamynow said:

Diet direct has tons of healthy Protein items that taste great from chiplike stuff to nutty things.

Thanks, I'll check it out!