I think it's perfectly fine to have a snack between meals if you are hungry but don't want to eat a full meal. It sounds like you're making a good choice with the strawberries.

I have been told not to eat if I'm not hungry, and I do find that I get hungry between meals. I try to have protein as a snack, but if you can have fruit, go for it!

at your stage I recommend sugar free popcycles or suckers. The pop cycles are in the grocery store freezers yellow box and only 15 calories per pop. I couldn't find any sweetened with stevia so if you find some please let me know. The suckers I get from diabetic friendly.com. I couldn't find them with stevia also.

I personally think no snacking for life is not a sustainable plan - so learning to snack smart and healthy is a great way to go. Protein and fiber are always good tickets, so your strawberries are a good choice!

how often are you eating? I am told to eat six small meals. I would think that if you are hungry, fruit is a good option.

My doc want 3 meals + 2 snacks. Snack not to exceed 100 calories. And a daily caloric intake of 900 calories. I find I need to eat(protein) more frequently so 4 "meals" + 2 snacks works better for me.
It seems that plans differ like recipes for meatloaf. As long as you keep to caloric limit quidelines I feel you must do what works for you. d

I haven't had WLS yet but at Nut. classes last week and even pre op they have drilled it into our heads to have three meals a day and two snacks. Eat breakfast within one to 1 1/2 hours of waking up, have a morning snack 3-4 hours after breakfast and eat lunch within three to four hours from the morning snack. Have an afternoon snack 3-4 hours after lunch and eat dinner within three to four hours of the afternoon snack. Do not wait more than 5 hours after a meal or snack to have your next snack of meal is what they have told me at my bariatric program and that's what it is post op also. They want a person to eat this way before surgery so your metabolism can be in sync.

In my opinion, unplanned snacking is playing with fire. Most programs that allow snacks still focus on protein first, even when snacking. Fruit by itself can still spike our insulin. There are differing opinions, but I also urge you to be careful with artificial sweeteners. They can increase your desire for sweet things. I stay away from them as much as I can.

Also, even though programs vary quite a bit, it is dangerous to start picking and choosing parts of different programs. Stick to your plan like a job until you hit your goal weight...there will be plenty of time to experiment.

You can do this!! It is so worth it!!

JJ

My health system's program is 3 meals, no snacking.

Dont forget that little almond or walnut or cashew. I'm talking about 10 or 12, not the whole can ( like i have done in the past). Any protein, oh yeah, sunflower seeds....

I agree with JJ. I'd almost rather see you go back to your nutrionist or surgeon and have the conversation with them..

I personally got into hot water by making up my own rules.. and so by the time I had surgery was ready to follow someone else's.

And BTW nuts are fats not a protein, so I would not consider those a smart choice as a snack. Maybe a string cheese or some turkey or a little cottage cheese.

I just want to point out that Stevia is not an artificial sweetener.

Artificial sweeteners are created in laboratories. Even Splenda, whose claim to fame is that it is "created from sugar" was developed in a lab. Once you change the chemical structure of sugar, it's no longer sugar, is it?

Stevia is a plant, just like sugar is. It has been used for thousands of years in South America - longer than sugar has been used. It does not have any link to increased desire for sugar or increased belly fat the way that artificial sweeteners do.

I'm totally on board with the idea that the big 3 artificial sweeteners are basically poison.

And on the topic at hand: I think that as long as you are staying within a decent calorie range, you can choose whether to eat 3 larger meals or 5-6 smaller ones. The latest studies I've read don't find any correlation between the number of meals and weight-gain or weight-loss if calories stay constant. But do eat all carbs with a protein.

I'm a diabetic and need snacks right now to keep my sugar even.

Thanks to all who have posted their answers, I am eating 3 meals a day tiny tiny meals and I Get hungary especially between lunch and supper time, I have allowed my self a couple 3 or 4 fresh berries with stevia, but I will try to make my snack only protein from now on,I wish I could eat 6 small meals a day, then I think I wouldnt be so hungary in the evening, just havent worked out the kinks yet, my calorie is low barely 500 cals, and I am still loosing,just didnt want to be making a real blooper with my foods Take Care Janeekay

I'm with JJ on this one. Also, Feeding the sweet tooth at this point is setting you up for a return of bad eating habits. If you have fruit try it without stevia. Protein if you need a snack is what melts fat and keeps it coming off

try crystle lite ice cubes... strawberry flavored. lol and bariatric makes some nice tasty protien cherry flavored drink. i bought a few sample packs to travel with of all flavors.