What do you eat at the movies?

[MountainClover 82]

Hi Everyone, I am still pre op but I will be having the bypass in hopefully Jan or Feb. I am practicing what I will eat afterwards. We go to the movies frequently and I have seen where it says you shouldn't eat popcorn after surgery. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can snack on ? I love popcorn so this is going to be difficult to not eat. Can I just eat a small amount? I have already figured out what to bring to drink. Thank you for any suggestions.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

I was told I could have popcorn after a while post op. I think if your team says to stay away from it it may be because it is a slider food (I would ask them). If I just ate from a bag or big bowl and didn’t pay attention I could eat quite a bit and restriction doesn’t kick in. Having said that, I like popcorn at the movies too. I take skinny pop with me in a ziplock and sneak it in. Ooh and if your movie theatre is in the mall it may allow you to bring actual food into the movie from the food court. Now whether you have anything descent to eat at your food court is the next question but Chick-fil-A has Soup and nice salads if you have one of those and most pizza places have salads. I like to bring my own dressing when I eat salad out. I must confess I have never tried to eat salad or soup in a dark theatre though. Maybe a wrap if you have a healthier restaurant would be easier or chick fila has grilled nuggets. I don’t go to the theatre much but o have heard of people sneaking in all kinds of healthy Snacks though from fruit or yogurt to veggies and dip

Edited October 28, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[kaylee50 61]

I am interested in this as well! We went to see Black Adam last weekend (so good!) and I brought carrot sticks just to have something to chew on, in case I was tempted by the giant bucket of popcorn my family was having. Well, I was definitely tempted because of the environment and habit. So I was glad I brought something. But the carrot sticks were just unsatisfactory. It had the crunchy mouthfeel, but I think it also needs to be something salty next time.

[SuziDavis 549]

Moon Cheese is my go to when I want something crunchy and salty. You get Protein and no carbs and a good snack.

[liveaboard15 1,294]

So i went to the movies last week to see black adam. i grabbed a fountain drink because they had sugar free juices and as for the snack i grabbed some cookie dough bites. They had the lowest carbs/surgar out of all of them. i poured me out about a serving and a half and i slowely ate them throughout the movie tho it only lasted like 30 minutes lol.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

If you have a Sam’s club they have cauliflower chips that are 140 calories for 24 chips. 7g fat, 18g carbs. They are salty and crunch and tasty too. Moon Cheese sounds better for you though

Edited October 28, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[kaylee50 61]

1 minute ago, SuziDavis said:

Moon Cheese is my go to when I want something crunchy and salty. You get Protein and no carbs and a good snack.

Oh, wow! My local costco has those. Thank you for the suggestion!

[MountainClover 82]

1 hour ago, SuziDavis said:

Moon Cheese is my go to when I want something crunchy and salty. You get Protein and no carbs and a good snack.

Moon Cheese sounds like a good idea. I have never tried it, but Im going to get some and try it. Thank you all for the suggestions. I may be able to eat popcorn, I dont know I will ask my dietican next time I see her. It has always been a go to snack in our house.

[MountainClover 82]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I think I will try the Moon Cheese. I have never had that before and I love cheese. I will ask my dietcian about the popcorn next time I see her. Maybe she will say a little is ok. Popcorn has always be a go to snack at our house.

[catwoman7 11,282]

I can eat popcorn - but I'm several years out. Movies are tough, though, because my husband insists on buying it, and most of the time, I can't keep my hands out of it. You'd be surprised how much of the stuff you can put away (probably because most of it is air, which shrinks way down once it hits your stomach). Anyway, this is one reason why I don't go to very many movies (I'll watch them on Netflix or whatever, though) - it's too tempting to eat popcorn when I go to a theater.

[ms.sss 15,826]

i brought some beef Jerky with me during weight loss phase.

nowadays i just eat the popcorn from somebody else's bag, lol...its not worth getting a bag for myself.

im 4 years out.

[ShoppGirl 5,072]

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

i brought some beef Jerky with me during weight loss phase.

nowadays i just eat the popcorn from somebody else's bag, lol...its not worth getting a bag for myself.

im 4 years out.

our theatre keeps brown paper bags they will give you free if you ask for An extra bag so you can share easier. Just FYI

[Arabesque 7,601]

popcorn is a slider food. It’s easy to eat & you generally end up eating way too much which is why many are advised to avoid it in the weight loss phase. Plus the temptation to eat it with flavourings can be even more dangerous.

As to eating at the movies, I don’t but then I haven’t in decades. Initially I stopped because the food is so crappy. Then I realised you’re only there for a couple of hours - less than the amount of time between meals & I often went just after I’d eaten anyway. I usually just take in Water or if it’s gold class or equivalent & I’m with friends I might take in a glass of wine (& pray I don’t have to do a bathroom run 😉) .

[ms.sss 15,826]

12 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

our theatre keeps brown paper bags they will give you free if you ask for An extra bag so you can share easier. Just FYI

yeah, they do that here too!

[SpartanMaker 1,377]

Ask 10 nutritionist if popcorn is "good for you" and you'll get 11 different opinions. Here's some of the reasons I've heard bariatric patients should avoid it:

1. I honestly think this one is more urban myth, but some people claim popcorn kernels or pieces can get stuck in the staple line and cause issues. If true, this is obviously a bigger concern the closer you are to surgery.
2. Even if the popcorn itself can be an okay choice, we tend to add toppings that aren't so good for us.
3. It's easy to overeat since it feels like there's not much there. This can catch up to you though. Also, because it has very little Protein, eating too much popcorn may prevent you from meeting your protein goals for the day.
4. Popcorn is high in insoluble Fiber, meaning it will draw Water into it and swell in the gut. Now normally fiber is a good thing for a healthy gut, but especially for bariatric surgery patients that are not used to it, you run the risk of the popcorn swelling while it's still in your stomach and causing significant discomfort. This risk is probably reduced if you eat it slowly. Eat it too fast and you may regret it.
5. Anything you eat in a mindless way (as we all tend to do at the movies), could lead to you eating too fast or too much. See #3 and 4 above.

No question that alternatives such as those suggested above may be better for some people.

The concern for me is that especially while at the movies, I have to make sure I don't fall into that "mindless eating" trap. That's so dangerous for me. I'm trying to learn to stop associating "movies" with "snacking". (I even do this at home, so Netflix is no relief.) I think at least for me, that may be the better option long term?