be prepared!

In my opinion, one of the worst ways to derail your post-op lifestyle, especially in the first year, is to not be prepared. By "prepared" I mean in terms of stocking your kitchen.

I find that if I have snacks and other items already prepped, I'm much less likely to eat things I shouldn't, like crunchy carbs (crackers, chips, Chex Mix).  These things are very processed, which means we can more of them than, say, chicken breast.  I went through a long phase in which that's all I wanted. I would buy Chex Mix, knowing that I can't control myself with it, under the guise of needing to have something in my desk at work "just in case."  As if hunger or the absence of a snack is a big tragedy.  It's not; I survived being hungry from time to time.

Anyway, my new go-to snack lately is hummus and celery sticks.  It satifies my urge for crunch, it tastes good, and it fills me up.  Believe it or not, the few days I was without last week were tough; I kept wishing I had remembered to go to the store and get more hummus.  Sorry, but I'm not a naked celery-type girl. Doesn't do it for me.

I've also started snacking on strawberries.  I sprinkle a little Equal on them.  I went shopping this weekend and also got some apples and watermelon.  I'm sticking to fruits that are lower in sugar so I can use them for snacking in place of higher calorie foods.

I spent yesterday prepping all my snacks:  washing the fruits. chopping the celery, and cutting up cheese.  Now I have a fridge full of healthy stuff I can grab at will.