Let's talk about 'snacking'

[ElfiePoo 109]

Many doctors tell their patients they want them to eat 3 meals and no 'snacking' and this is translated into 3 meals and absolutely nothing...no matter what...in between.

Please keep in mind that most doctors have little to zero knowledge regarding nutrition. It's just not part of their training. Sadly, even some nutritionists are not keeping up with the changes in the field of nutrition.

Studies have *proven* that 6 small meals per day control and stabilize a person's blood sugar levels better than 3 meals. Stable blood sugar levels mean less cravings and hunger...and even if you aren't a diabetic, your blood sugar does fluctuate and can cause cravings and hunger as a result of that fluctuation.

Most diabetics I know do 3 main meals and 3 mini-meals...not Snacks.< /p>

A snack is just something to munch on for the sake of munching or craving or whatever. The mini-meal is nutritionally sound and serves a purpose.

Snacks are generally empty calories and/or high in carbs, sugars and/or fats. The mini-meal is high in Protein and low in carbs, sugars and fats (when balanced against the protein gained).

I'm putting something into my body every 3 hours, starting at 7 a.m. I am never hungry...never craving...and I never 'snack'.

.

[Whillow 0]

Here is my question.. if you are eating every three hour.. and you cant drink for a hlaf hour before and after -- how are you getting all your Fluid in??

I am asking because i dont snack.. i eat 3 meals.. but sometime i hungry by the time it meal time that i eat too fast and end up sick? But i am also prone to dehydration.. so how an you keep your fluids up and eat every three hours?

[vlp1968 83]

My nutritionist is fine with 2-3 Snacks a day. I usually have the 2 dairy she says to get for snacks. Cottage cheese, low fat yougurt, low fat cheese sticks. I think elfiepoo is right on the money. Snacks that follow the guidelines (or call them mini meals) help keep your metabolism going all day. Whenever you eat your body needs to expend energy to digest it.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Here is my question.. if you are eating every three hour.. and you cant drink for a hlaf hour before and after -- how are you getting all your Fluid in??

I am asking because i dont snack.. i eat 3 meals.. but sometime i hungry by the time it meal time that i eat too fast and end up sick? But i am also prone to dehydration.. so how an you keep your fluids up and eat every three hours?

I'm not quite sold on the idea that we don't drink for an hour after meals in order to keep from washing our food through the pouch too quickly because when that hour is up and we drink, we're doing the same thing...and we still have 4 hours to go until the next meal. The logic doesn't work for me.

I don't drink with meals and wait for at least 30 minutes after meals to eat mainly because if I try to drink during this period, I get stuck episodes.

Since I don't eat any solid food until lunch (I posted my daily meal plan in the 'banded, banding, band' thread), getting 20 oz of Water in before lunch isn't a problem. After lunch, I just wait 30 minutes and then it's not a problem getting in another 20 oz before dinner since my mini-meal is another Protein Shake. Even if I chose to eat some cheese or a handful of nuts and waited 30 minutes, I'd still have plenty of time to get that next 20 oz in. Then no problem getting it in the evening for the same reason.

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[mbranham0306 0]

My surgeon is fine with a snack or 2 a day also. When I was working ( I recently got laid off), I got up with my hubby at 4am and was at work by 7:30 am. I always had a carnation instant Breakfast about 5am, then a Protein Bar around 9am. Then of course, lunch at noon, then a Protein bar around 4pm and supper around 7. Now some days I didn't have a snack, just depends on how hungry I was. Now that I'm home all the time, I don't have a morning snack. I eat breakfast around 8 and lunch around 1, supper around 7. Sometimes I need a snack around 4 o'clock but not always. This seems to be working for me, so I think everyone is different. I also listen to my doctor and drink fluids as advised. Like I said, it works for me

[BetsyB 9]

I agree that most North American physicians know very little about nutrition. Mine is one who does--but he also is in the "no snack" camp.

His eating plan is far more stringent than most I've seen described by others. It also works. And that's the aim--getting the weight off.

There is good rationale for including Snacks. There is good, but different rationale for excluding them.

Making radical changes to the way we eat can reap benefits. Short-circuiting our "fat" thinking is as valuable, in many ways, as fueling our bodies at smaller intervals.

My doctor's thinking is this: our bodies have ample stores of energy---that's why we needed surgery. We need to draw on those stores---and that's why we don't snack.< /p>

We are asked to commit to this during the weight loss portion of our journeys.

It makes as much sense as any other approach. And it has to be noted that his patients' success rate is higher than average.

A small side note about blood sugar: our bodies, when healthy, really do maintain it within very tight parameters; snacks are usually not necessary for this. They do, however, reduce between-meal hunger and, IMO, that makes compliance with an eating regimen more likely to occur. (Which is why--even though I adore and respect my doctor, I do include Protein Shakes as snacks 1-2x/day.)

[Marine mom 3]

My doc likes Snacks. Especially apples or raw veggies. I can't do dairy. I also will eat a serving of almonds most days. He is all about people learning to eat like not overweight people. Small servings of regular food, healthy snacks and I am good. I don't worry about the half hour thing. I don't have tight restricition.

[CynthiaMTR 2]

I was just thinking the same exact thing yesterday...in about a week ill start eating food and im soo used to having more than three meals a day as well. Need to talk to my nutrionist and doctor to see what it is that they expect, but i do hope its 6 or 5 meals as well.

What about the Protein Shakes that we do before eating food....Do those become Meal Replacements when we start eating food, can those be the in between meals to get the right amount of Protein in????

[BobbieND 3]

I love hearing about what others do daily. My dr says 6 small a day, and my Nutritionist says 3 meals... For me, it all depends. I've been banded since10/08, and I still dont have any kind of routine. I eat what ever is available. I cant always afford good healthy food. sometimes convenience is cheaper. unfortunately. I had my coffee for breakfast ( daily ) then lunch and supper are a crap shoot. Today my lunch is microwave popcorn, because its what I have in my drawer at work. Yesterday it was Peanut Butter Capt'n Crunch w/out milk. i tend to snack and graze thru out the day sometimes. Sometimes i have NO appetite. Other days I cant keep anything down. and still on other days i can eat as much as i could before i was banded. Its so FRUSTRATING !!

One of my biggest issues is that I could NEVER drink a meal. Seriously. I drink Water like its going out of style. But I dont do milk, pop, Protein Shakes, etc... And I'm having a stressful time right now, so I know I'm snacking and eating because of that. I havent gained, but I havent lost either. I'm between 212 - 208 - back and forth , for the past 2 months.

ANyway, like i said, i enjoy reading about what everyone else does. It helps. shakes things up a bit for me :-D

Edited March 26, 2010 by BobbieND

[shadst8 8]

I too have a Protein Shake as a snack, unless I have one to replace my breakfast--never been much of a breakfast eater. My NUT allows Snacks, but usually those snacks with Protein. Does not encouraging snacking on anything else!

[RavenClaw779 2]

My bariatric group can't make up it's mind from day-to-day. The surgeon has no opinion re; diet - once the op is done, unless there's a problem, that the last you'll see if him/her. The one NUT affliated with the practice was a recent college grad who did a fantasic job of reading a handout to me. The actual dietary counseling is thru the nurses and as I've posted before, I'd gotten such wide ranging advice that I just made an appt w/the NUT I've worked with for the past three years.

The basics I've gotten so far:

*If you go TOO LOW(i.e, calories) your metabolism WILL SLOW.

* 3 meals and 2 Protein rich Snacks are fine, as are 5/6 small meals a day. It's what works for you and is within your calorie/carb/protein daily limits. Good nutrition is not mandated by X number of meals a day.

*Being regimented and dogmatic about your diet and meal schedule generally doesn't reflect life in the real world i.e., where you'll be about 6mos to a year from now.

Great cookbook for NOW and later: Eating Well After Weight Reduction Surgery by Patty Levine

[adagray 1]

My surgeon and all her staff are in the no snack camp. So, far I've been happy w/it. I'm only 3 months out and don't have perfect restriction yet so its not like they scold me if I snack. But, they do ask me at every appointment if I am snacking or hungry for food between meals. And, if I am (which I always have been so far), then that is reason to give me a fill (even if I'm losing weight well). So, I am happy w/that because I want to keep getting fills at every appointment until I'm at optimal restriction.

Now there are some days I make it on only three meals a day. But, there are some days I feel like I need more and this 'rule' makes me stop and evaluate if I am truly experiencing real physical hunger. And, if I am, then I feel no guilt having a healthy snack. I get more than enough Protein in during my meals, so for a snack I'll have some fruit or vegies.

My mom has the band (two years out and 100+ down) and says she just isn't always looking for food like she used to be. Most of the people who are at goal and maintaining in my support group say they don't think much about food either. One has to set an alarm to remind her when it is time to eat her meals. I guess I see this as a eutopia. I would LOVE to be freed from food and just not thinking about it much. I have gotten closer and closer and I think not snacking has helped me do that.

The other thing about not snacking is that it really simplifies your food buying and your day. On WW, I was always checking to see if I had enough points left for a 100 calorie bag of popcorn or whatever. Now, I eat as much as I want at mealtime (for no longer than 20 minutes - that is my surgeon's rule) plus the other easy rules you all know (Water, Protein, etc.). But, I don't have to weigh/measure/track anything and I don't have to ponder what I might have in between meals because I don't snack.

So, for me it has been freeing. But, I don't think one way is necessarily better than another way. Hey, if you are losing and happy w/the rate of it, you should do whatever works for you. Generally speaking, I think there is a bit too much of 'do only what your doctor tells you' on this board. Ultimately, we are all responsible for creating a new lifestyle for ourselves as individuals. What works for one person, may not for another and that's OK. I say try what your doctor recommends and then tweak away until you have a lifestyle that is gonna work for YOU for the rest of YOUR life. :->