The Eight Most Fattening Foods of Fall with added Eggface commentary and weight loss surgery friendly suggested alternatives.
1. Halloween candy - With all the bowls and bags of bite-size treats around the house, it's all too tempting to steal a few. But those tiny chocolate bars are more of a trick than a treat. Eat just four "bite size" bars and you're up to 320 calories. Twenty pieces of candy corn will cost you 100 calories, and just 25 jelly beans add up to 140 calories.
There are tons of SF Chocolate choices out there if you need a fix but beware most are full of sugar alcohols that may cause dumping in RNY-ers and most are pretty high carb too. If candy was your thing pre-op I would probably avoid these... like an alcoholic going to a winery what's the point?
Tip: From now on buy candy you hate for the trick-or-treaters.
Step away from the candy dish. Here's my list of 50 things to do instead of snacking.
2. Mashed potatoes - They are the quintessential comfort food for fall. But watch out before taking seconds: weighed down with milk and butter, mashed potatoes usually have about 200 calories in a half-cup serving.
I stay away from them. They go down too easy. I will do a small sweet potato. Yum. Those scream fall to me.
You can pull the old Atkins trick and mash up cauliflower or I just made a Shepherd's Pie a few weeks ago with a faux potato protein rich topping.
3. Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte - Starbucks drinks are notoriously high in calories, and their autumn special is no exception. The Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte weighs in at 510 calories and 20 grams of fat.
Wow. I loved these pre-op. I drank Caramel Macchiato all year till those yummy Pumpkin Spice Lattes came out then I drank those till it was time for my Christmas Gingerbread Lattes and then back to the Macchiatos. Scary.
So here are my sub suggestions: Davinci makes a Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup which can be added to a regular latte or plain coffee at home. I also make a killer Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake and Pumpkin Spice Protein Popsicles that are good for you and yummy. At Starbucks I've just been getting the Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Soy Lattes and sprinkling on a dash of nutmeg at the milk bar. BTW (got this tidbit from my pal Kylie) Sugar Free Gingerbread Syrup is coming to Starbuck's in November. Woo Hoo!
Here's my WLS Post-op Starbuck's Survival Guide.
4. Apple pie - A Thanksgiving dinner is never complete without a slice of apple pie. But with more than 400 calories and 20 grams of fat, this might be one dessert you shouldn't be saving room for. Add a scoop of ice cream (who doesn't?) and you're up to 530 calories. It might just be enough to last you until next fall.
Every night for the past few months I have been eating a sliced Apple with Justin's Almond Butter on it. This beats Apple Pie hands down but if you are jonesing on the warm apple vibe try making one of these:
Using an apple corer, or sharp knife, core the apples. Spoon almond butter or peanut butter into the center and top with raisins, granola, and/or unsweetened coconut. Place apples in a baking pan, and sprinkle apples with cinnamon and nutmeg. Dot with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour.
5. Cider - Who doesn't love a cup of warm cider? You might not want to skip this traditional treat altogether, but with a sugar-laden 200 calories in 16 ounces, the sweet drink should probably be considered a dessert substitute rather than a beverage.
Alpine makes an SF powdered cider mix (1 packet, 15 calories, 0 grams fat, 4 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams protein, 0 grams sugar, 0 grams fiber) which is tasty with a Tablespoon of Sugar Free Torani Caramel Syrup in it. Though I would probably just opt for one of the apples above. Why miss out on all the goodness (fiber, nutrients) of the actual fruit?
6. Stuffing - At 358 calories and 18 grams of fat per cup, there's a reason they call it stuffing. The high-carb turkey companion may be appearing on lots of menus this fall, not to mention its starring role on Thanksgiving Day, but take it easy if you're trying to keep the fall weight gain to a minimum.
This one was a big one for me. Thanksgiving is cornbread stuffing. Well here's what happened last year when I decided Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same without it. Yeah it definitely wasn't the same. Your mileage may vary but consider yourself warned. Watch the blog in mid November for some Thanksgiving menu adaptations along with the actual Eggface family menu.
7. Candy apple - An apple alone is a pretty healthy fall fruit somewhere in the 60-100 calorie range. Coat it in caramel, however, and you have quite a different story. A large candy apple with caramel usually weighs in around 540 calories. Avoiding this autumn treat will be a boon for your dental bills and your figure.
Why would you do this to a perfectly good apple. Plus anyone over the age of 10 looks like a goof eating one. Style points = 0.
8. Turducken - This combo wonderbird is a trendy entree you might want to forgo. It contains turkey, duck and chicken wrapped together for a new twist on the usual Thanksgiving meal. In terms of your diet, that twist may be for the worse: one serving of Turducken has 749 calories and 34.5 grams of fat. Try limiting yourself to one bird and skip the crispy skin. A three-ounce serving of skinless turkey has 130 calories.
This monstrosity is just too weird for words. Shove a chicken in your turkey shove a duck in the chicken and bake. Bizarre. You know this was made up by some slightly unbalanced chef somewhere who couldn't make up his mind what to have on Thanksgiving and his refill had run out.