Hello!

I need some advice really badly. I need to find some foods that have good crunch and are healthy (especially low calorie. Protein, Fiber, etc are important too). I am doing HORRIBLE with the band lately. I've been craving crunchy foods since the pre-band liquid diet and lately I just can't stay away from them. I discovered the joy of cajun organic seseme sticks and homemade granola from the local health-food store. I am now forcing my roommate to eat the ones I bought since I'm addicted to them.

I'm not much of a cook so I have a hard time making good things to eat. Add in my desire for something with a crunch, and I'm screwed. The chicken & veggie meal just doesn't cut it without some crunch. The best success I've had is tossing on a few bits of seseme sticks on my chicken. This adds some crunch and since it's only a few pieces, it doesn't add many calories, but I tend to want more.

I also am trying to decide whether to get a fill now. I had been losing about 3lb/week until I gave into my crunchy desires. This last week I lost zero pounds (well, close enough neither of my scales register it). Part of that is being lazy this week. I went on Spring Break so I wasn't out and about walking to classes daily and the gym hours were restricted severely. My restriction isn't very good either right now. Put simply, I'm not making good choices since I'm munching on seseme sticks and granole. BUT, if I got a fill, I would probably have less desire for these. When I have good restriction, my cravings for these things are VERY managable.

Part of me wants really badly to schedule a fill for this Tuesday (my doctor can get me in at one days notice for a fill). I think the more responsible thing to do though would be to wait it out a week and watch more closely what I'm eating, exercise properly, and see how I lose.

Another question: When its time for another fill for you, do you JUST get hungry often, or JUST eat a lot more at each meal, or a combination of both? I'm sticking to around 1/2 cup but I'm getting hungry in about 2 hours. After my last fill I could go 4-5 hours

Sorry for the rambling. I keep leaving this site for a long time then coming back and exploding with questions! haha! I need to stick around more consistently instead of wandering off for a while on my own. I am going to convince myself to at least wait a week so I can address my recent eating habits more and see if I need a fill yet or stick it out a bit. I know I have room for a fill but I dont know if still losing enough with my current state (when im not eating seseme sticks at least..)

If you need a crunchy snack you could try carrots or celery. Maybe have a nice crisp salad with your meal.

I Love Kashi Cereal and it has great fiber and crunch and PROTEIN as well.!!

Nuts are healthy and have protein. I found some of those almond salad toppers. They come in different flavors. A few of those on my salad gives me the crunch that I crave. They are dry roasted so they are not greasy or anything. Does anyone know if dry Wasabi peas are high in calorie? I had some at a friend's house and flipped over them. It's a dehydrated veggie, but I don't know about the wasabi coating. They didn't appear to be greasy or high in fat. Opinions?

Wheetsin's #1 solution to "I need some crunch":

Buy turkey pepperoni, I use "Hormel" brand. Place it on paper towels on a paper plate and microwave it for about 3 minutes. You're looking for the grease to stop bubbling up and the overall color to darken, but NOT for the pepperonis to start to blacken. Just a darker red. At work this is about 2 mins, and at home it's about 3. mins, so you just need to pay attention until you get a feel for how much time it will take.

As soon as the micro is off, remove and blot dry with additional paper towels. Between what's caught during cooking and what you remove by blotting, I'd guess 90% or more of the fat is removed.

Let them cool to room temp, just takes a minute or so. They're now crunchier than most chips (because they're thicker), low fat, low cal, high Protein, high flavor.

They pack well in a baggie for on-the-go. They go down easy. They make perfect scoops for: cream cheese (they're really good with the garden vegetable flavor), cottage cheese, tuna salad, etc.

Another solution to crunch -- I've posted a how-to on this before and can't find it, so bear with me. It will be a bit sketchy. Buy some good quality parmesan cheese. Not the powdery kind like you put on pizza, but either a wedge or the long shreds you can get in a bag. Line a baking pan with wax or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to about 350, I think (been a while since I made this). Grate the cheese and form little piles of either 1 or 2 tbl - I do it by eye. Leave a few inches between piles. Put it in the oven and watch for it to melt and start to brown, them remove and let cool. When the cheese cools it will hold the flat shape and crunch and be kind of liek a cheese chip. I lived Atkins for a while, and I would make larger versions of these, then before they cooled completely I would lay them over a taco form and when the cheese cooled the rest of the way it would hold the taco shape and = tasty 0 carb taco shells. I saw that the small chips are actually for sale in some health food stores, REALLY expensive, like $4 for the size bag you'd buy to go in a kid's lunchbox. This is much cheaper. Have to take it easy with these b/c they are cheese, but parmesan is usually not as fattening as softer cheeses, and some of the fat bakes out.

As for fills, for a long time I erred on the side of "looser over tighter" trusting my willpower to make up the difference. I'm glad I went this route. I know people who like to be so tight that they slime over a thick liquid, but that's not me.

I have to say I LOVE the peperoni chips. It was an awsome idea.

Great way to add a little flavor to my cotttage cheese or even great crumbled on a salid

Hi!

When I went in for my last fill, I was getting hungry between meals, just like you said. I could eat a BIT more, but not a lot more. I got a fill of .2 or .3 mL (I can't remember which one), and now I'm on the edge of being too tight and just right (which is fine for me).

And as for a crunchy snack, I eat wheat thins or the spicy cheezits. I can't eat more than two or three of them before I'm not hungry anymore. And I HAVE to eat carbs (I have a really rare disease) so it ups my carbs for me, but I know many people on here try to stay away from carbs. So, if you are staying away from carbs, then this is a stupid suggestion :-)

Good luck!

A100 calorie bag of popcorn fills me up and crunches too!