I'm interested in people's thoughts about healthy versions of junk food -- e.g., protein chips, protein cookies, protein cheese puffs... I'm especially interested in hearing from WLS veterans who have successfully kept the weight off for years. Do you eat these things, and if so, where do you draw the line?

I can see these things in two different ways: (1) they'll help me reach my weight loss goals by allowing me to feel less deprived while staying on my plan, or (2) they're dangerous gateway foods that will lead me back into bad eating habits and derail my progress.

I try to eat "real" foods most of the time -- meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, low-fat dairy, beans -- although I usually eat a protein bar for lunch at work (and you can pry my Built Bars from my cold, dead hands!), but sometimes it's nice to eat something reminiscent of the foods I can/should no longer eat. I bought some Quest protein chips, and they're kind of amazing. I use them for protein nachos or crushed as a salad topping to add a little extra protein. The macros are similar (if not a little better) than a protein bar, so I once ate a whole bag as a meal, but it felt kind of wrong.

On 11/26/2020 at 7:13 AM, BigSue said:

I'm interested in people's thoughts about healthy versions of junk food -- e.g., Protein chips, protein Cookies, protein cheese puffs... I'm especially interested in hearing from WLS veterans who have successfully kept the weight off for years. Do you eat these things, and if so, where do you draw the line?

I can see these things in two different ways: (1) they'll help me reach my weight loss goals by allowing me to feel less deprived while staying on my plan, or (2) they're dangerous gateway foods that will lead me back into bad eating habits and derail my progress.

I try to eat "real" foods most of the time -- meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, low-fat dairy, Beans -- although I usually eat a Protein Bar for lunch at work (and you can pry my Built Bars from my cold, dead hands!), but sometimes it's nice to eat something reminiscent of the foods I can/should no longer eat. I bought some Quest protein chips, and they're kind of amazing. I use them for protein nachos or crushed as a salad topping to add a little extra protein. The macros are similar (if not a little better) than a protein bar, so I once ate a whole bag as a meal, but it felt kind of wrong.

I eat protein chips pretty regularly because they don't trigger cravings for me and they don't seem to slow my weight loss. Protein bars, however, did slow my weight loss, even when I factored those calories into my total. I'm not sure why but since that was the case I stopped eating them and my weight loss picked up. Like you, I try to eat real food more often than not, but protein chips or shakes can help me stay on track when I'm on the go.

Edit to add: one thing I can't play around with is "healthy versions" of bread, cake or cookies. For me, there's no such thing. All such products trigger cravings for me and I'll over-indulge in them. So those are pretty much excluded from my diet unless I'm allowing myself a rare treat.

Edited November 28, 20205 yr by Jaelzion

You have to try Peatos, they are game changers. They taste like junk food without any strange health-food texture or aftertaste, but they are healthy. They are made from peas and lentils and taste like hot Cheetos, funyons, etc.

I have done keto a lot in my life and try all of the low carb breads, pastas and snacks. These are the best snack for me. Variety 15-pack is 20.00 on Amazon and they have 4g protein and only about 6-11 net carbs a bag (depending on flavor)

6 hours ago, OnTheWayDown said:

You have to try Peatos, they are game changers. They taste like junk food without any strange health-food texture or aftertaste, but they are healthy. They are made from peas and lentils and taste like hot Cheetos, funyons, etc.

I have done Keto a lot in my life and try all of the low carb breads, pastas and Snacks. These are the best snack for me. Variety 15-pack is 20.00 on Amazon and they have 4g Protein and only about 6-11 net carbs a bag (depending on flavor)

Those look good! The macros aren't as great as the Quest chips, but they could work for an occasional treat.

I recently bought a Quest cookie to try. I used to be a big junk food eater before the surgery, and was craving for something sweet. When I bought it, I was second guessing myself, wondering if this was going to trigger my before cravings, and I would want to overindulge. So what I did was only take 2-3 bites every day. It lasted a few days, and did not trigger anything. It was satisfying enough to get rid of my craving. I think if I ate them all the time, and one at a sitting, I would want them all the time. I only bought one, because I know if they are in the house, I will be more tempted to eat them. I also bought a "guilt free brownie" to try, and it was ok, but not delicious like I wanted it to be. I have some protein bars in the house, but don't really like them. If you feel like you will be triggered to eat the bad stuff, then I suggest not buying/eating them. Only you know what will work for you.