Help,
I just joined last week and I ate most of my snacks already What do I do next?

Hi and welcome! You need to volumize your eating. I'm on the 1500 calorie plan and am supposed to eat a salad pretty much every day for lunch. I don't like salad that much, so I usually substitute with carrot sticks and about 2 tbsp of fat free or low fat salad dressing that I use as a dip. I take my time eating the carrot sticks and it usually keeps me munching for a couple of hours.
Good luck!!

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Originally posted by Sursumcorda:
Help,
I just joined last week and I ate most of my snacks already What do I do next?

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Take a look at your free foods and limited free foods list. Most non-starchy veggies are free as are sugar free jell-o, low sodium broth or boulilon, and 0 calorie beverages. Limited free foods (up to 3 a day) include some fruits (watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe), fat free sour cream and salad dressings, and fat free whipped topping. You can make lots of great snacks using free foods. Just use your imagination. Since the weather is getting cooler I am drinking cups of boulion in the late afternoon to hold me between lunch and dinner. Also, if you are not already, try eating the anytime bars instead of the multiplus vitamins. The bars keep me full for about 2-3 hours.

Hi, I have been making myself soup which is 'legal' on the program. I use low sodium chicken broth about 2 cans, I ad an onion cut in half moons, some shitake mushrooms a few snow peas and boil it for 2 minutes. Then I shut off the heat and add some Bok Choy - not napa cabbage - it gets bitter. Also a little black pepper and some onion powder adds flavor too. I suppose you could use a bouillion cube too - check sodium contents.
By the time I have soup, then a salad and my entree I am stuffed. I have a fruit later in the evening and then maybe my desert. My instructor said instead of a desert I could have two pieces of bread with 2 tsp. margarine or butter which I prefer with my meal.
The soup makes about 5-6 servings. You can get creative with the veggies and try soaking some DRY shitake mushrooms for a few hours and adding them.
Just a suggestion!

CALL JENNY (the toll-free number). The reps there will help you! I called them several times a week in my first 3 weeks. (That's in addition to my weekly meeting with my Consultant).
Some possible suggestions for you that I do:
OFTEN WHEN WE FEEL HUNGRY, WE ARE GETTING DEHYDRATED, so what we really need is WATER. Other beverages allowed are fine to count as part of your water consumption.
SAVE ALL OR PART OF YOUR MILK/YOGURT FOR A SNACK
SAVE ALL OR PART OF YOUR FRUIT FOR A SNACK
Your first week or any other single week is not going to determine whether you succeed; you are still learning AS ALL OF US ARE! My first 3 weeks, I was on information-overload ... felt very overwhelmed by all I had to learn and I don't usually feel that way about learning new stuff, but I did.
I am an emotional eater. It helps me to do other things to soothe myself when I feel strong emotions: I have to remind myself to BREATHE. If I'm indoors, I go outdoors. If I'm outdoors, I go indoors. Just a change of scene helps me calm down.
We canNOT THINK when our brains are flooded with emotions. Soothe yourself with music or moving around (just to clean out your car or scrub the bathroom sink, hang up clothes, do a load of laundry, whatever), watch a video of people exercising - even when I don't get up on my feet to join in, that's something that is positive for me.
Find the things that are positive for you and do them.
If you delay even 60 seconds on reaching for food to soothe yourself, you are starting to build a new way of life.
Give yourself LOTS OF CREDIT for calling Jenny, for getting your food, for being willing to learn to do this and for COMING HERE TO ASK FOR HELP AND SUPPORT! VERY GOOD WORK!
Sunny
62 and happy to be!
5'3"
31Oct2006.....255
1May2007......272 (highest ever weight and largest weight gain ever in 6 months, November through April)
3Aug2007......255 (Jenny Start Date)
lateAug2007...260 due to edema
14Sept2007....240
19Sept2007....252 after med changes
28Sept2007....245 (meds still affecting me)
ANY WAY THAT I LOOK AT IT, I HAVE LOST WEIGHT THIS YEAR! LOL
15 INCHES LOST FROM BUST, WAIST, BELLY, HIPS

OK, the question is...are you "really" hungry or do you just want something to eat?
If you're really hungry your stomach will growl which will tell you that you need to put something in it. If you just want something to eat, that's just an oral urge.
It was kind of like when I was quitting smoking. There was a definite difference between when I was feeling the nicotine withdrawal (hands shaking, sweating, etc.) and when I just wanted a cigarette out of habit.
If it's an urge, it will quickly pass if you distract yourself. If it's true hunger, then you need to feed it.
Urges pass. Try some sugar-free gum for the oral gratification. Or do something to keep your hands busy (I walked around with a cinnamon stick when I wanted to "feel" like I was smoking. It looked dumb but who cares? LOL)
Cleaning, sewing, needlepoint, knitting - anything to keep your hands busy will help.
If it's true hunger have something to drink - water, low sodium vegetable juice, Crystal Lite, etc.
Try fruits and veggies that are high in fiber. They take longer to digest which keeps you full longer.
Spread out your meals. Don't have the salad with your lunch or dinner. Have it as a snack.
Make sure you have lots of cleaned and cut veggies ready for snack attacks. If you first have to cut, peel and/or clean them, you're more likely to want to grab something you're not supposed to have.
Hang in there. You'll be surprised how quickly your stomach will adjust to the smaller portions.
Phyllis