Question:
Will eating candy hurt me?
I am 10 weeks post op and have lost 38 lbs.With Halloween last week, I realized that I am able to eat candy without dumping. I realize it will only stall my weight loss but I was just wondering if eating one small fun size chocolate bar a day will hurt me.I had roux en y lap.I don't want to do any harm to myself and will quit cold turkey if I must-but I LOVE chocolate!Please help! Thanks! — [Anonymous] (posted on November 9, 2000)
November 9, 2000
I agree with AL totally. I have not had surgery yet and do not want to come
across opinionated about something i am not experiencing yet. I know from
many years of failed diets the URGE to do that one little thing that will
make us feel as though we aren't suffering. The tiny cheat. But when it
comes down to it, the tiny cheat is only cheating ourselves. If you need
chocolate, try some of the sugar free-fat free puddings or popsicles. Maybe
something like that will tide you over. The thing about you not dumping is
it will be more difficult to discipline yourself. Your going to have to
make choices that are better for you as we all will/do. The fat free-sugar
free chocolate yummy things will not add the fat and sugar to your diet but
the candy bars will. Even the tiny lil pieces. You went through all of the
pain and recouperating of surgery. Please give yourself all the opportunity
to make your desires happen.
— Tracy L.
November 9, 2000
I have to respectfully disagree with Al. I didn't do have a duodenal
switch to "gain control over my life". I was never out of
control, unless you want to say that someone with a tumor growing is out of
control. My life was just fine, except for the devastating efffects of
morbid obesity. I ate EXACTLY what I eat now, except that I needed ALOT
more to feel satisfied. Until we have a definitive understanding of the
hunger drive and the causes of morbid obesity, I refute that theory that
obese people are "out of control". I personally had the duodenal
switch procedure because I enjoy food. I love the different textures,
aromas, flavors and visual displays of food. Eating for me is a sensual
experience that if deprived, would reduce the quality of my live. I can
still enjoy ANYTHING. I believe that complete abstinence, out of a
'slippery slope' philosophy is unneccessary. But, some people are more
powerfully driven for 'control'. You simply have to decide for yourself
and weigh it (no pun intended) as an issue of quality of life. By the way,
I am now down 115 pounds in 6 months, and alot more physically active,
utilizing this philosophy. Good Luck to you!
— merri B.
November 9, 2000
I understand completely how you are feeling, this was my first Halloween
since surgery and i felt myself getting angry, I was angry that i couldnt
have any candy. You never realize just how addicted you can be. But i
didnt have any, well actually a few days after Halloween i had 1 bite of a
reeses peanutbutter cup...just one bite and it was good. I also found that
at the market they sell Hersheys sweet escapes ..now by no means is this
diet food or something you should have all the time, but i bought one bag
and its been around for a few weeks, but i know if i ever get the urge i
can i have one ..1 bar is 90 cal and 7 grams suger. Like i said I dont eat
them often but just to know they are in the cuppard and i am not denied
them makes me feel satisfied. Because like you the thought of going the
rest of my life without chocolate was unbarable. Good luck to you.
— Michelle S.
November 9, 2000
I want you to know - I refuse to ever diet again. I have dieted all of my
life. I've always felt like a failure. When I was about 2 months out, I
made brownies. I ate one brownie. I was so impressed with myself. I didn't
beat myself up. Before surgery, I would have eaten the whole batch. Then,
felt guilty as all get out. I used to think - all these people saying that
they dump, or don't dump - how would they know this. BECAUSE THEY TRIED
SUGAR!! If we could convince ourselves that we could never eat sugar, then
we wouldn't even try it. I'm LUCKY. I don't dump, I eat what I choose to
eat, and my weight loss results have been wonderful. I weigh less than my
goal, in 6 months, and have had a TT. And Yes, I had the RNY. I don't know
how many of us can eat what we want. I can't. I still have head hunger, and
WANT to eat more. Sometimes I want to eat a larger salad, then, as I eat,
my wants change. I only eat a few bites, and I don't want any more. I still
order regular portions when I eat out. A few bites, then I'm finished. I
always get to bring food home for later. My dog loves my new eating
habits!!! I wish we all could stop beating ourselves up. The rest of the
world always put us down before - If you eat something that others think
you shouldn't have, accept it, you made that choice, and move on. It's so
much better to enjoy it, than questioning it. Good Luck, and God Bless You
-
— CohenHeart
November 10, 2000
Well, it seems to me there are two schools of thought on the subject of
sugar and addiction. One camp says that if you're addicted to sugar and
crave it then you must never have it again or else you'll never get the
sugar monkey off your back (this is the logic behind Overeaters
Anonomyous). Basically, the more you eat the more you crave. The other
camp says if you label something as "bad" then you'll want it all
the more. So, if you allow yourself a little bit it removes the
"bad" label and removes the guilt, so you're less likely to crave
it. I think everyone is different and different things work for different
people. Now, as far as hurting you, no, I don't think one bite-size
candybar a day is going to make that big a difference in your weight
loss...especially if you exercise a little more to burn the calories. Now,
this is my personal opinion and I'm sure is contrary to what other people
have said. You're the one that has to live your life and live in your
body.
— Kellie L.
November 10, 2000
Chocolate hasn't hurt me. I haven't gained any weight since Halloween.
But I haven't lost any either. I started with a Hershey kiss 8 weeks after
surgery. Nothing else for weeks later. Then I discovered I didn't dump.
Then came Halloween. I'm one of those who must stay away from it, or I can
easily eat 4 minatures. If anything, I wouldn't eat it everyday, as I am
convinced that my chocolate addiction goes beyond the emotional...I used to
get nasty headaches if I didn't have everyday. My oldest daughter is now
hiding her candy at school in her locker, and my youngest will stand up to
even the most evil chocolate-deprived threats I can come up with...she
absolutely will not give me a piece of candy! :) Thank God, at least my
daughters know what I went through to have this surgery and what it means
to me!
— Allie B.
November 25, 2001
You said that you are only ten weeks out. I am four right now and can
barely eat anything. I would say it is not good to eat that candy bar every
day if it is taking the place of a more protein rich meal.
— Julie S.
May 8, 2002
It seems to me the purpose of having this surgery was to lose weight. I
just dont see eating a candy bar no matter the size on a daily basis being
good for you. I am 2 weeks post op and just went to full liquid diet and
have lost 29 lbs seems to me that because you are not following your diet
like you should you are not losing weight as fast as someone who would. I
know this is hard. I am fighting with myself. I want to eat...but its all
in my head. Cause I am not in the least bit hungry and usually have to
force myself to eat what I do.I wish you luck in stopping the candy. One
candy bar in 4 month period I could see since you have not even got to the
maintance time.
— Lisa S.
June 21, 2002
Hiya ) I'm 8 mos. post op RNY and I've struggled with this myself...whether
to eat sweets or not, and this is what I've come up with.
When I totally deny myself sweets or things that are bad for me, I end up
feeling deprived. Eventually I'll sit around sulking and feeling sorry for
myself. Then finally I'll "break" and have total pig out session
to make up for being deprived.
I've found that the way to combat that is to give myself treats, but to
try and make the treats something healthy.
Fruit is a great alternative to chocolate because it's naturally sweet
and it's good for you. I'll make a big production of making myself a big
fruit salad with cantalope, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, peaches,
watermelon and/or whatever else I have around.
Something else I do is to make myself some healthy cookies. I adopted a
recipe to fit my weight loss and nutritional needs and the ingredients are
whole oats, whole wheat flour, soy milk, raisins, apple sauce, spices,
apples and baking soda. They are really tasty and I feel good eating them
because I'm actually eating oatmeal raisin cookies, but without the fat and
sugar, so I know they're good for me.
I also treat myself to sugar free popsicles which are made from fruit
juice. Dole has some really good ones.
There are ~tons~ of treats like this that you can give yourself. Then
instead of depriving yourself, you're giving yourself something tasty and
good for you. Pamper yourself and treat you body well :) Experiment with
low fat/nonfat and low sugar/no sugar recipes and see what kinds of yummy
and healthy things you can come up with. It's fun and it feels good to be
taking such good care of yourself.
I know that fruit and chocolate are two totally different tastes, but
once you start eating really healthy your tastes change. I still crave
chocolate sometimes and if I do get a strong craving, I'll try and eat
something healthy first, like fruit. If I eat the fruit and I still want
chocolate I'll go ahead and have a piece. I'll eat it slowly and savor it
so I really experience the taste.
Inevitably, the first few bites will taste good, but then it will start to
taste too sweet and rich and I won't want anymore.
Good luck with your continued weight loss :)
Wendy
— Wendy P.
January 9, 2003
Well I'm scheduled to have surgery next week, but I have tried a lot of
different diets. The Atkin's Diet is the one I've tried twice in 2002. I
did seem to lose weight, but for one reason or other chose to get off the
diet. To make a long story short. I also love chocolate and I used to
crave it alot especially when I was on the Atkin's Diet. Probably because
chocolate was hands off so I craved it more. Anyways, I went to my local
health store and went through all the diet chocolate bars you could think
of. The one that I liked the most and tasted so close to the real thing
that it could fool anyone was the "Indulge" chocolate bar by Dr.
Richard Atkins. It's a little expensive about $2.99/bar, but it definitely
suffices the cravings and the whole bar contained about 4grms of carbs a 1
grm of sugar. Hope this helps.
— Rachel P.
March 4, 2003
Hi- im 15 months out and lost all my weight to only start slowly gaining
back. That chocolate will hurt- trust me, I also dumped very little and
eventually not at all so that I have taken to eating more and more of the
sweet cravings that I was sure I wouldn't be able to eat. Milk too I have
trained my body to reaccept, so even ice cream is no longer a problem- I am
currently working on examining my eating habits to reestablish proper
eating habits to reverse the effects of the bad- Don't train your bodies to
sugar- It is bad for you and a major reason most of us were overweight to
begin with. All sugary foods should have warning labels "caution
extremly addictive" much like cigaretts. This is just my experience
and what I would tell a close friend if they asked me. Good luck
everybody!!
— ktmckg
March 27, 2004
I am 8 months post op and have lost 130 pounds so far(278 to 148). The
weight loss has been steady and consistent. There are times when I
absolutely feel I NEED candy and I don't deprive myself of it. I just try
not to binge on it. Russell Stoffers makes a delicious sugar-free
chocolate rasberry candy that I buy. I also try to trick myself into
having sugar-free candy or yogurt raisins. I'm a firm believer that if you
completely deprive yourself of something, you will be more likely to binge
on a lot more of what you are craving eventually. If this is going to be a
LIFE CHANGE, you need to work with what life and lets face it, hormones,
may throw your way. Good luck and feel free to e-mail me.
[email protected]
— [Deactivated Member]
December 11, 2004
I found it simple. NO CANDY. Period. End of story. As long as I stay
away from sugar, I don't crave it. I have my 2 chocolate viactiv every day
and one cup of swiss miss diet with calcium, which contains all of 20
calories. Before I put something in my mouth, I ask myself...what will I
get out of this? Think of sugar as the enemy...it's like the devil. It
tastes great but will get you in the end. It's addicting and has no
redeeming qualities. I think it's psychological. I'm 9 months out and
when I see a dessert tray I want to barf. We get tons of cakes, cookies
and candy at work this time of year. I'm not even tempted. I know this
must sound strange, but somehow it works for me. Take care everyone and be
well!
— Joan Stonehill
December 12, 2004
It would be easy to say bad girl, why do it! etc. I wish I were the
"perfect" wls patient as so many others are. But reality rears
its ugly head, and I am not perfect either. (lets form a club - the not
nearly perfects) Anyways, I do dump and have upon occasion just ate
something anyways and took the punishment. Not often, but really once is
too much - right? It make me feel like poo poo physically and mentally. I
have eaten sugar free products, got some sugar free fudge on vacation, it
was made with some kind of sugar alcohol , and my husband wanted to evict
me from the condo and make me ride outside the car, the gas was that bad.
However, eating the sugar free candy is also just fooling myself. It may
not cause dumping, It may not have carbs, but realistically it has just as
many and some times more calories and is just as bad for you. Fruit is a
healthy alternative. So my compromise is, I will occasionally have
something after my protein, to minimize my chances of dumping. Not every
day, but once in a while. Then I exercise like crazy to work it off. I
think that is a normal, thin person thing to do. I have no set in stone
advice for you , just support because I know how you feel.
— **willow**
January 31, 2005
before surgery i wasn't a big sweat eater, but now i always want something
a little sweat. and as for sugar free and sugar supplements to hell with
them that stuff is nasty it leaves an after taste in my mouth. i eat things
with sugar but in very small amounts because i don't need a lot to get my
fix. i would make sure you watch yourself and keep it low amounts and very
rarely that you eat it. try cereal instead of chocolate.
— asprague
January 31, 2005
If there were a one-million decibel way of screaming, "Yes, it'll hurt
you," I'd type it to you right here and now, but I'll spare your
eardrums. :-D<P>Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. If only I hadn't
started up with chocolate, I'd be breezing along now at 2 1/2 years
post-op. Instead, it is a gnawing addiction that has caused me to gain 20
pounds (it'd be 30 if I hadn't had a lower body lift that took off 10,
which I promptly regained with chocolate alone). OK, maybe that's a
personal problem, but I am far from alone in it. Still, bad as I am, I
never went near the stuff at ten weeks post-op. If I'd started back then,
I doubt I ever would've seen goal, for if you can justify a daily sugary
treat today, imagine what you'll justify at six months or a year
post-op.<P>Consider this: Candy, in general -- meaning, sugar, in
particular -- is an excellent way to eat around the RNY and completely
defeat the tools it gives you. If you don't dump, sugary candy will never
fill you up, as it's too smooth and small to fill up the pouch at all, or
certainly not for long, so the restrictive part of your RNY surgery is
utterly defeated by it. Further, it is not malabsorbed like fat is, as we
begin absorbing sugar in our mouths. Sugar also causes the blood-sugar to
spike, and then crash, triggering a desire for more energy from more sugar
again, and again and again as you crash. This is how addiction is born in
some people. If you were a chocolate lover before surgery, how does it sit
with you knowing that you're going back to using a substance your RNY will
*not* stop you from abusing?<P>Some people can eat this kind of stuff
in moderation and feel it'd be unwise to deprive themselves of it like some
kind crazy diet that failed in the past. Fair enough. But some of us, if
we're honest, realize we simply don't eat this kind of stuff in moderation
if we're left alone with it, or go back to it day after day after day (as
opposed to allowing a truly special, unusual treat on uncommon occasions).
Eventually, we crack. We know who we are. My sense is you're one of
"us," or you wouldn't be bucking to get at the stuff at just ten
weeks post-op, and not just for a taste of it, but as an every-day
treat.<P>Another hardline way of looking at this is (1) at 10 weeks
post-op, every bite should be about nutrition, and this ain't nutrition;
and (2) since you're not at goal, what are you doing reaching for a daily
sugary treat already? Ask yourself these hard questions. You can always
play with this stick of dynamite, any old time. Why start before you're
even at goal?
— Suzy C.
January 31, 2005
LOL, got me! This question is four years old (how the heck do these old
questions get resurrected)!<P>Ummmm . . . as Emily Latilla said,
"Never mind."
— Suzy C.
April 7, 2005
The answer to this question is a resounding YES!!
The reason we gained some of our weight in the first place was our
inability to give up the sugars.
If you absolutely must have chocolate, then purchase the Russell Stover
Sugar Free chocolate. It is sweetened with Splenda and tastes as good as
the "real thing".
I have found that I can tolerate some real sugar on rare occasions in very
small quantities, however, I still get dumping most of the time and I am
two years post-op.
I have also found that since my surgery and coming off sugars I do not have
the headache any more and I had one at least once a week before my
surgery.
So, if you must have chocolate, go with the sugar free variety. Hershey
also makes a good sugar free chocolate. You could also try the Endulge
bars from Atkins.
Good luck to you.
— Janet S.
June 13, 2005
Yes, candy is your enemy. I had WLS in 1998 and had lost 100 pounds. I
kept if off for 3 years. I started to eat candy and junk and now I have
gained 90 pounds. I made the biggest mistake of forgetting my vitamins and
I now have severe vitamin deficiency, anemia, am so weak and tired and want
to sleep all the time. My teeth are even falling out. Take those calcium
vitamin chews and the diet cocoa like you read and stay away from all that
sugar. It can't help you any. It is an old habit that got you fat in the
first place. Good luck. Cathy
— Cathy T.
August 15, 2005
Boo hoo, I'm sorry to say that the Viactiv calcium chews are discouraged
as the calcium is the bad kind (calcium carbonate) instead of the good kind
(calcium citrate). Apparently carbonate contributes to problems with
gallstones and kidneystones so we are urged to avoid it. The way I was
told that makes it easy to remember which is which is:
citrate: Think citrus, which is full of good healthy stuff
carbonate: Think carbonation, which is bad for us.
— imapolygirl
August 16, 2005
WOW!! It is great to see some old names/faces!!! Scroll down to see people
who are 4+ years out. I wonder where they all went to? :-( I miss Al M.
who made the first reply.
I too, wonder how a 4+ year old post got resurrected! It was a great
flashback though! Thanks for the memories!
— danabky
November 1, 2005
Please don't do something that will sabotage this great effort you've come
so far on. Just remember the insurance people, the docs, the failures to
lose before -- you've made a great sacrifice.
Sure you can eat it -- but WHY do you want to? Maybe you should see a
psychologist that specializes in eating disorders.
There are protein bars that are just as good as 'the real thing'.
Hugs!
Sheryl
— Sheryl Tilley
November 1, 2005
I'll probably get tarred and feathered for this answer but oh well. i dont
think candy will hurt you.You could dump on it though so be careful. If i
have a craving for something i eat it...so instead of a whole bag of candy
bars or even a full size bar, i just eat one (snack size bars) or half of a
full size candy bar. I used to eat a whole bag but now 1 satisfys me just
fine.only you can decide what you can and cannot eat. but like i said if i
crave something i eat it...just a little bit of it and im fine...it hasnt
hindered my weight loss at all as a matter of fact i think its keeping me
sane lol...good luck i hope you get the answers youre looking for.
:love:
Amy RNY 9-16-03
Dr pryor @duke wls center
260-110-105 im barely 5'1
before-before tummy tuck (on may 19th 2005) after tummy tuck.
— cinamoni
January 25, 2006
I am two weeks post op and I too am beginning to get some nasty cravings,
but I fight it. Its all in my head. I am not hungry. I have found that
sugar free chocolate jello pudding is an excellent choice to satisfy my
chocolate cravings. Just a few bites is all it takes and its yummy. I know
its hard, but did we go through this surgury just to defeat it by eating
junk food? No. We need to get adequate protein and instead of filling up
with junk it would be more beneficial to eat smart and when we get that
craving, wait it out. See if you are really hungry. Try something that we
are supposed to eat. If the craving is still there, have just a couple
bites, but not every day. Eating one fun size candy bar may not hurt you,
but it can defeat the purpose of the surgury. One a day can lead to two a
day or more, and before you know it you are back to square one and
regaining weight. I know its hard, but we need to be strong and overcome
our old and bad eating habits. I have lost 30 pounds so far and I feel
great. I never want to be at my pre-op weight again...never.
— mm0711
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