Meds and Weight Gain

[Kablume]

I started Remeron a week ago and have already gained 5 pounds. I feel like I could eat through the house. Wondering

if people had any ideas for some healthy snack ideas that we could share with each other. I know some like multi grain english muffins with PB and raisins and low carb tortillas with low fat cheese and salsa.

Was hoping to drum up a few. Thanks.

[olga]

Kablume, peanut butter is indeed healthy, but it is loaded with calories. I think it's 190 for 2 Tbls, so that's a lot of calories for not so much food. It might be better to have spreadable fruit on the whole grain muffin. Also, raisins are good for you but increase the calorie count on that muffin.

Popcorn is an all-time favorite for lots of bulk and crunch with minimal calories.

I also like rice crackers when I want something crunchy, and they're not too high in calories.

When they're in season, I love apples. I sit with a paring knife and slowly cut the apple into sections to make it last longer. If you eat it slowly, it fills you up more.

Sometimes when you're hungry, drink a glass of water before you eat anything. It might help to fill you up.

The old standby, carrot sticks. Or buy the bags of the "baby" carrots. No peeling and you can eat a lot of them with no guilt.

Nuts are a good and satisfying snack, but (like PB) they are loaded with calories and fat. If you can restrict yourself to a small handful of walnuts or cashews or peanuts and chew slowly, they do satisfy your hunger.

It ain't easy to find healthy snacks. I hope other people have suggestions for you.

olga

[Kablume]

Thanks Olga!

[BPCharlotte]

If you like sweet things, baby plum tomatoes. Good for you, and hardly any calories!

If you crave more of a crunch, celery and carrot sticks are great.

I eat raw mushrooms. Some might think eeewwwwwww, but I like 'em!

If you go for high calorie foods, make them worthwhile by choosing things that will take longer to actually eat. Things that need a really good chew, or boiled sweets/mints, can help here.

Hope you find something to tickle your tastebuds without expanding your waistline!

[thunderstorm]

I was put on Solian about a month ago, started mainlining sugar and promptly put on 8 kilos (17lbs). No word of a lie. I've stopped taking it for a couple of reasons, but I had to really kick my diet into shape to help sort out the weight gain.

the most useful thing Ive found is to track what's going in to your mouth (and out via exercise). I use Calorieking.com.au, because it has a whole buch of Aussie food brands on it, and I can see at a glance how much fat, protein, carbs, fibre and calcium Im getting. You can also track other things from zinc to magnesium and everything inbetween.

Funnily enough, I wasnt getting *enough* calories! Stupid meds.

Using something like this site (or the computer program you can buy) lets you plan your week ahead, which also helps you shopfor groceries without buying a whole bucnh of stuff you dont need. I think there's a US version, too.

Something I find useful is to cut up a whole bunch of celery or carrot sticks, then have them with some hummus or other lowfat dip. I keep a box in the fridge, then grab a handful to take to work every morning. Easy and convenient and stops me snacking on rubbish.

Wholegrain muffins are good with cottage cheese and cracked black pepper.

No fat or low fat yoghurt is great, and adds a calcium boost.

apples and bananas for sweet treats, or mashed banana on toast with some honey if Im having really bad sugar cravings

eggwhite omelettes are surprisingly tasty and can cut your fat content to almost zero while still providing protein.

Thus said, some fat in your diet is important. Dont cut it out all together

Im also finding having 6 small meals a day is helping, as I dont get blood sugar crashes as much. Im pretty much continually grazing, and I feel a lot better for it!

[olga]

Yes, my doctor thinks that 5-6 small meals each day is a good way to eat.

He thinks that the proportions should be about 70-75% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and a small amount of (healthy) fats. It works pretty well for me as long as I stay away from the ice cream. *guilty look*

The other thing that has helped me the past few years is using a scale. We all think we know what 4oz. of protein looks like, or 2 oz. of pasta......but we're usually wrong. I use a scale in the kitchen just to keep myself honest.

olga

[Anelize]

Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar comes in a one ounce snack size. I have it with a couple of saltines. I try to snack on protein, not only for my gastric bypass needs, but to cut my carb cravings. I also like almonds. Trick is, I have to count them out, or I will eat the whole bag. I found a little bowl that perfectly holds a one ounce size, and go with that. Have you tried greek yogurt? It's a lot thicker and creamier than regular yogurt, and packed with protein. I add a teaspoon of sugar free jam, a packet of splenda, and it's YUM. A common brand name is Fage. It also can be used for a dip for veggies.

[Kablume]

Anelize, I have never tried Greek yogurt. Have to give it a whirl. I am so desperate for ideas! Thanks for posting you guys!

[Silver]

Prepackage stuff in little baggies/containers. Certainly reuse them, if the food isn't messy. But for the higher calorie foods like nuts, it's a good way to learn to self-regulate your intake. Leaving the empties on the counter til the end of the day, assuming you don't have a counter-surfing dog, is a good reminder.

To the above list, I'll add -

Edemame, steamed/microwaved, salted, and then refrigerated. Just keep a tupperware bowl around.

I keep a mix of dried walnuts and dried cherries in my desk.

Seaweed salad, whatever your favorite type is.

Miso soup, if you like it - this is one most people have strong feelings on one way or the other. Fast and easy to make. I like the ritual of making it.

Chocolate almond milk - they make an unsweetened version. If you add either the minimum amount of sugar, stevia, or your other sweetener of choice, it's good for sweets cravings, per my pregnant friend with gestational diabetes... Her ice cream substitute: try making non-fat pudding, non-sugar or low-sugar if that's OK with you, and then freezing that or using an ice-cream maker. Freeze it in small portions.

Sugar/snap peas.

Sweet bell peppers, the yellow/orange/red ones.

Cracker Barrel's reduced-fat cheddar is one of the only reduced-fat cheddars that is not (IMO) hideous.

If I cut up carrots/celery, I do the restaurant thing - store them in closed tubs of water in the fridge, rather than loose in bags, and they hold texture for another day or so (unless you have those nifty low-oxygen bags.) Er - very clean, as in just-out-of-the-dishwasher, tubs of water.

Sounds silly and obvious, and you're probably already doing this, but - get rid of the stuff you don't want to be eating, and make the foods you want to be eating more accessible. Have them up front, ready to go. If there are others in the house who have to have the [chips/cookies/whatever], then prepackage THAT in reasonable/measured amounts too - and put it in a pain in the ass location, BEHIND what you want to be eating. If they think it's weird, screw 'em. We're already crazy.

I'll second the food tracking suggestion. Vigorously. Every day isn't realistic for a lot of people, but for a full week to start, and then for 2d/week every week, might be. Helps with the feedback loop. If eating disordered behavior is a problem for you, then it could be triggering (or it could help with mindfulness); something to discuss with therapist.

Mindless Eating, by Wansink, is a really, really interesting book on how we get cued to eat by things other than the direct appeal of food.

[OscillateWildly]

PB is magic.

Fage yogurt 2% with chopped up strawberries and crushed nuts is rather filling. Sprinkle a bit of splenda on it for sweetness and a drop or two of vanilla extract.

Use diet bread, my favorite is trader joes diet bread (only 6 carbs and 40 calories) and natural peanut butter. Whole grain is less important than the raw carb count (low) and fiber (high is better). It can say whole grain but only have like 1 more gram fiber and almost the same carbs. This is one of those rare times when a "light" product is more filling than the "non-light" version. In general always buy diet carbohydrate foods but avoid diet foods when it comes to fat. It's okay to cut back on fat but only after cutting back carbs first

Carbs = most important for controlling hunger and blood sugar.

Oh I agree with the almond milk suggestion via silver. Blue diamond makes unsweetened almond milk in chocolate with only 2 carbs per cup. Add a bit of unsweetened cocoa and splenda for a hot chocolate treat. I only drink almond milk; milk triggers my blood sugar problems horrendously.

[recoverymouse]

cucumbers.

nonfat yogurt mixed with a banana and a spoonfool of peanut butter, topped with splenda. mmmm.

apples.

[witchywoman]

1 cup of plain nonfat yogurt mixed with vanilla extract and splenda. Banana with natural peanut butter. Serving of nuts. Salad with lots of veggies and dressing of your choice.

[LunaRufina]

I put this on my blog but I thought I'd put it here since it seems appropriate. Maybe we can breathe some life into the thread and get it going again?

Cucumbers and Hummus

[45 cal per cucumber, about 70 cal per 2 TBS hummus]

Mott's snack pack applesauce

[50 cal per container]

Celery and peanut butter

[2 cal per 2 medium stalks, +/- 180 cal pr 2 TBS of pb.]

Caramel corn rice cakes

[most are 50 cal per cake]

Apple and Rice Milk or skim milk

[95 cal per medium apple, 120 cal per 1 cup rice milk, 90 cal per skim milk]

1 cup cherries

[95 calories]

Orville redenbachers just salted popcorn

[30 calories per cup, but most non-buttered popcorn, which is still pretty good, is pretty low in calories]

1/2 C sorbet

[Around 180 cal]

1 cup blueberries

[84 calories]

1 Cup broccoli

[24 calories]

100 calorie craisin snack pack

Dill Pickle

[12 cal per medium]

Fruit salad

[Various. My dad's salads have been estimated at about 80-163 calories per 2 cups, which is quite a bit of fruit]

Grapefruit

[37 calories per 1/2]

V-8 juice

[it depends on which one. One of them is 110 calories per 8ounces and one is 50 calories per 8 ounces]

[olga]

Luna, great idea to get this thread going again.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the time of year for fruit. Baboo and I are snacking on cherries these days, which have a satisfyingly "meaty" texture and mouth-feel, and they're loaded with vitamins. The stores around here also have great buys on blueberries, strawberries, and watermelon.

Some people don't eat watermelon because they think it's all sugar, but it's 90% water so it's refreshing on a hot day. Cut it into chunks and put them in a bowl to keep track of the size of the portion. It even has a little iron!

I forgot to mention seeds when I listed my favorite snacks. I buy unsalted, hulled pumpkin seeds and toast them in the oven. When they're cool, they go into an airtight container. Great flavor and a handful of them isn't an excessive snack.

Watch the fat content on the Greek yogurt---it's kinda high. It is indeed creamy and a good source of calcium, but it has quite a bit of fat.

olga

[kdbee]

In my experience with drugs that have made me gain weight, I'll just eat and eat and eat unless something fills me up.

The best solution for me was to eat something healthy that had a lot of protein to fill me up.

How many meals do you eat a day?

Have you tried to eat 6 small meals a day? By doing that you're pretty much eating all of the time and what you're eating is more substantial.