I found some sugar free hard candies and I've been having a few here and there and was wondering if it is allowed or totally bad??

I'd say once in awhile as a treat, but be very careful of the amount of sugar alcohol because it can cause dumping.

Just my opinion...

Jeanie

thanks... Yeah I haven't experienced dumping or have not vomitted yet and I am definately scared to

My concern is this...why are you eating them?

Nothing is coming from them nutritionally, so why are they going into your mouth? This is the time when we need to change our former lifestyle. If keeping food and flavor in your mouth was important before WLS...it is one of those things that got you to being obese. Change it! If your mouth is dry...drink more fluids. If your mouth tastes sour...swish some Scope. You get my point, right?

No more mindless eating!

@ Kim: I luv ya & you are very wise, but why is this any different than your dark chocolates? I do agree w/ you saying, "Why are you eating them?"

dang I did this post-op. I needed smoething to get my mouth moist... guess I shouldn't have. and only really do it if I am out and need to get better breath.. lol. I carrry them with me but its like maybe 2 a month at this point, as aposed to the no gum chewing!

Jeanie...to answer your question...there are many nutritional benefits gained from dark chocolate. I won't get into them here, but honest and true...in moderation, it is a heart healthy food.

The difference is this...sugar free hard candy is something that (I'm assuming) you are sucking on as the day goes by (while at work, in front of this computer screen, while driving). I don't know of anyone that has put a fruit flavored Sorbee on their tongue and said, "ah...now that is delicious". (also...I didn't have any dark chocolate or sugar during the weight loss phase!)

Continue on with the discussion!
xoxo

That is true! I guess I just have to realize that the old life is gone and this is my new one! Thanks for the advice.. I hope this topic doesn't get too heated lol!! I guess I just had them for something that tasted sweet and good in substitution of chocolate or other sweets. I am a big chocolate lover and now I am not allowed to be!!! but thanks every1!

Kim: I hope I didn't offend you. I certainly didn't mean to. I just didn't see what the difference was.

I, personally, am not using hard candies. I don't have enough time in my day to get in my meals, protein, water, exercise and then have any type of snack. LOL

Sarah: I am a chocolate lover as well. I have found that a chocolate protein supplement works to take care of my wanting that taste.

Don't worry that we are getting heated up. Sometimes it may sound that way, but everyone is very civil on here. Kim is very wise and has been doing this for quite awhile. She gives good advice, as you will find out.

Jeanie

No, no, nooooo...no offense was taken and I hope that I didn't come off sounding grumpy about it! Tone can easily be lost in cyber-space!

This discussion is a good one. Keep it going!

I have to jump in here. Warning though, I can get a bit wordy so be prepared to read a lot before I actually get to the point.

This whole thread is great. It reminds me of all the diets I have been on in the past and sends up red flags and warning signs in so many ways. Let me just say that I assume that most of us here have been on just about every diet known to man with varying degrees of success only to quit and gain the weight back plus more.

Through a lot of self-examination and journaling, I have come to the conclusion that every time we go on a diet, we are looking for the perfect way to cheat and still lose weight. I will only give one example because it is the most startling one. The last time I lost a significant amount of weight was doing Weight Watchers and I lost a total of 117 pounds in a year and a half. It was 2001 and 2002. I became so obscessed with the point system. For those of you that don't know, WW has you count point values of everything you put in your mouth every day and you are allowed a certain number of points per day. You earn extra points through exercise. So, there I was, becoming the queen of the 4 point meal when I should have been eating 10 to 12 points per meal. I saved points for snacks and in between treats. I lost weight beautifully but I ate so much garbage that had no nutritional value, it was astounding. I kept telling myself that I was strictly 'on plan' and losing so what was the big deal? The big deal is the same big deal that you will have down the road after WLS if you don't address what you are actually putting in your mouth. The big deal was I hit a plateau that I couldn't shake. I kicked up my exercise to the point where I was doing three circuits of Curves, three times a day, six days a week and walking 10 miles every single day. I didn't lose an ounce. Eventually I gave up and started gaining and you all know that I gained all but 10 pounds of my original weight back.

So, listen to the seasoned veterans here, like Kim. I know that I do. She constantly reenforces that we need to make sure that every bite we take has a purpose. Maybe she doesn't actually use those words, but that is how I take what she says. She is so right because you can eat pretty much as you like as long as your pouch will tolerate it but you won't be successful long term if you don't think about protein first and water, water, water, plus your supplements. It is a matter of retraining and while you are in the beginning stages of rapid weight loss and little or no appetite, there is absolutely NO reason to eat things that don't have any nutritional value. It is hard enough to get all that protein in every day. I still struggle with it but it gets better every week. You must sit yourself down and make a plan right now for how you are going to go through each stage. If you don't you will have some nasty surprises waiting in the future, not the least of which will be weight gain.

This is only my take on the sugar free candy and please remember that it is a personal opinion. I only jumped in because I am so surprised by the thought of even eating sugar free candy at such an early stage and it really intrigued me to see what people were saying about it. I do know that my road so far has been well documented here and I aspire to follow in the footsteps of the people that I deem to be the most successful. I hope that you will too.

For me, the issue revolves around what kind of hunger and habits you're trying to establish. What are you trying to obtain with what you're eating? It's like Mickee's recent post about the pork rinds.

SF Hard candy in and of itself is not the issue. If you really crave a piece of hard candy, this can be a great thing. If you're bored and just looking for a quick fix, it's a bad thing. Just depends.

If you're at goal weight this issues are even more complicated, because you really CAN make so many more choices. If you're trying to lose weight, the rules are clear: no snacks, protein first, veggies second, etc. Once you've lost the weight, it's all up for negotiation, and you have to choose wisely.

So many people want to take the thinking, the common sense out of this and just blame the rules for not working for them. In reality, it's YOU WHO WORK THE RULES TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS. If you're looking for ways to see how close to "normal" you can live while you're still obese, you're going to stall in your weight loss, guaranteed. Once you lose the weight, if you neglect to make wise choices, you'll regain, guaranteed.

What is the function of the sf hard candy, the "no carb snacks" the low carb drinks, the "sort of delicious" fudge, the "whatever it is that looks and sounds like the real thing" for you in your life? The point of eating real chocolate, drinking real wine, eating real food after you've reached goal is to celebrate life. The difference is that you're not eating to fulfill your hunger. You're eating to fill your soul!

Eating is really emotionally charged. We're taught from infancy to try to fill our hunger on all kinds of levels with all kinds of foods. Some nutritious, some just for pleasure.

The bottom line: get clear about what you need from the stuff you eat. Eat with gratitude. Taste what you eat. Fulfill your physical hunger first. Take care of the machine. Then if you have emotional needs that only a certain food will satisfy, go after it with an open heart and an open mind. It's not a crime. You're not a criminal. But don't kid yourself that eating for emotional needs serve a physical purpose.

"One cookie is too many, 1000 cookies is not enough" if you're not really hungry for cookies. If cookies are the only thing that will do the trick, eat the best one you can and be done with it.

Sometimes we will eat the wrong thing for the right reasons, but we also will eat the right thing for the wrong reasons. The secret to success is to get clear about why you're eating what you're eating and to eat with love for yourself, and gratitude for the food.

Hope that this helps and doesn't make the issue even more confusing.
hugs.

Thanks again to everyone for all of the feedback. I understand what Kim is saying. There is absolutely no nutritional value in the SF HARD CANDY and I was just eating it because I wanted too.... I am really not hungry, just used to old habits I guess. It is definately hard to get in all of my protein during the day. I went and bought a few cookbooks today and there are some good protein shake recipes in there so I am going to try them as soon as I am off of clear liquids. This is exactly why I joined this neighborhood because you all are much wiser than me and have been doing this for longer and (not to offend anyone!) older. I am so glad that I found this place and I am glad that everyone is open to comment back on different topics. I asked my parents what they thought about the candy and my mom said she didnt think it was a good idea and my dad said he didnt see what was wrong with it, so once again it is hard to discuss things with people around me because they don't know, they are only making educated guesses!! Which is not their fault, but it is nice to talk to fellow WLS people!! well thanks so much!!

Darn it, but I had posted a response...a long one...and *poof* it disappeared like the wind. Argh!

Basically SaySay, I was commending you for starting such a great thread. I love when these things take off like this and inspire so much discussion. Don't be afraid to post your questions, but you must be ready to hear REAL responses!

Celadon...thanks for the kudos, but it is important to remember that I'm not a WLS angel! Well, I was during my first two years as the weight came off. Now, I have my moments when I'll find a marshmallow in my mouth and wonder, "who put that there?" I do my best and am trying really hard to get it right 99% of the time!

Sandi...I loved this line that you wrote, "The point of eating real chocolate, drinking real wine, eating real food after you've reached goal is to celebrate life. The difference is that you're not eating to fulfill your hunger. You're eating to fill your soul!"

OO omg!! I did that on the last thing that I typed.. Except I retyped it 3 times!! It was definately annoying!! But no prob on the thread... I didnt expect it to go this far, but I like this discussions and yes I think I was expecting just yes or no answers but I like the ones I received much better. I am an opinionated woman myself, so I like to hear others as well!! But im gonna go to bed now! GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE