Post by @coach_shenelle

1. Granola. This one gets marketed like it belongs in the same category as Greek yogurt and fruit, but it’s ridiculously easy to eat a lot of it without noticing. A little sprinkle becomes half a bowl real fast, and I’d rather add fruit or chia to my yogurt and actually feel satisfied afterward. 2. Nut butter. Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, I don’t care how “clean” the ingredients are. Two tablespoons can easily be around 180-200 calories and it’s not giving me enough protein to make those calories worth it. 3. Flavored coffee creamers. This was one of those things I barely considered food because it was going into my coffee. But when you’re pouring it in multiple times a day, those little pours add up without ever making you feel like you actually ate anything. I’d rather spend that room on food that keeps me satisfied. 4. Dried fruit. Raisins, dried cranberries, mango, dates. They sound harmless because they’re fruit, but take the water out and suddenly you can eat a LOT of fruit in a few bites. I’d rather eat the actual apple, pear, berries, or whatever fruit I’m craving and get way more volume out of it. 5. Trail mix. Nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, maybe a few seeds so we can all pretend we’re hiking Everest. It’s incredibly easy for a few handfuls to become hundreds of calories while barely registering as food. This is exactly the kind of thing I know I’ll pick at every time I walk past it. 6. Frozen “diet” meals. I spent enough years eating food marketed around being low-calorie, low-fat, or “guilt-free.” After surgery, I’d rather build meals around chicken, turkey, salmon, eggs, vegetables, beans, and other real foods that actually make me feel like I ate a meal. #bariatricsurgery