Metal Mouth Message Board

I really haven't seen my diet change at all since getting braces with two exceptions:

1) I've all but eliminated carbonated soft drinks from my diet. I'd like to think this is a decision I'll stick to even afterwards because of health reasons; no one needs that much sugar (or artificial sweetener) in their body.

2) I have to eat more slowly, and by slowly I often mean I'll be dining on some of the items long after I've left the restaurant as it emerges from the nooks and crannies of my braces. "Slowly" does work though. Let the saliva do its job at beginning the digestion process rather than just throwing the teeth at the food like we used to. Tortilla chips and fortune cookies can be back on the menu if you're patient.

I think there's only been a handful of times I've forsaken an item because of the difficulty eating. Our respective orthodontists may not agree with this but I've yet to suffer a major setback.

Eat slowly, but please continue to eat.

I love how a lot of people here have lost weight due to braces--not me!! I still eat everything I used to (we're talking beef jerky, peanut butter, etc). The only difference is that now I have to cut up fruit instead of biting into it like the good ol days.

I eat everything I did before but the first few weeks in braces were hard for me for a different reason. I had found out a few months before I got my braces put on that I had celiac disease and could no longer have anything with wheat, barley, rye and oats. Finding stuff without wheat is hard enough but alot of the food made gluten free, breads and such are not very soft. So my first few weeks were awful but now its a year and a few months later and I gained a couple pounds I found some great pasta and Wegmans makes some great pasta sauce and well....you get the idea.
My insurance did not cover a dietician either. I understand not wanting to pay the money for it, it is expensive.

"jennandtonic" wrote

I bit the bullet and went to buy Boost a bit ago, per your suggestion, weirdwired and WhyMe, and will try drinking it tonight. But I've heard it tastes terrible! However, health over taste, you know?

My dad told me that it didn't taste too bad if it was ICE cold. He would put in in the freezer for 30 minutes before he drank it. Then he drank it with a straw as the taste was much better if you didn't have to smell it!

Good luck...can't say I've experience this problem. I find that all of my favorite foods are still quite edible!

Jenn

I've noticed since being braced that my face in thinner.

A recent pic. showed my cheeks almost sunken. Maybe it is because the jaw is changing..............I dunno.........

I have been eating like crazy (all the wrong stuff), to try to put weight back on. I think I have gained 5 lbs. I prob. lost about 10 right after being braced. I too am thin and can't afford the weight loss.

HELP! Isn't always the same.......if we're thin, we want to be fat, if we're fat we want to be thin, if we have long hair we want short, etc. etc. etc.!!!

this taste good and you will feel full and another plus is that it is packed with Vitamins and minerals not just empty calories.


Add 1 vanilla boost (they come in different kinds I prefer the added fiber)
1 Carnation Instant Breakfast (also vanilla)
and 2 cups orange sherbert (or any serbert)

Blend until desired consistancy

This makes 2 servings and each has near 355 Calories, only 19 grams of fat, and a very very long list of vitamins. You can add more calories by using regular icecream and have a vitamin packed vanilla shake. I like this because i cant drink boost plain it makes me gag. I have tried it warm cold with a straw and in every type and flavor.

also never drink anything that doesnt have cals in it sugar free juices sports drinks etc are good.

Jennielee81 wrote:

My dad told me that it didn't taste too bad if it was ICE cold. He would put in in the freezer for 30 minutes before he drank it. Then he drank it with a straw as the taste was much better if you didn't have to smell it!

Good luck...can't say I've experience this problem. I find that all of my favorite foods are still quite edible!

Jenn

Your dad is right! It's only good if it's really cold, and I usually end up holding my nose. Good thing they are pretty small bottles!

Wanted to bring this up again. Have you guy gained some weight back? I don't seem to be able to do it. I thought I gained 2lbs one week, but I ate 400g of caviar over 3 days (my Birthday week) and then it all went away pretty quickly again.

I'm 5'8" and at 115lbs I look ugly. What are high-calory foods that are gluten-free and sugar-free?

Nope. After drinking 12 of those Boost drinks to try and aid in maintaining my weight, I quit, they were just too hideous tasting.

I am, however, able to eat more than I used to. I have steak at least twice a week, and try to eat every single meal.

I don't my attempt to gain weight is working, but I don't think I'm losing anymore, either.

Although it is not perfect, the bmi calculator can give you a rough indicator: http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

5'5" and 90 lbs is quite a bit underweight

I'm a bit underweight also: 5'2" and 100 lbs but I try to eat healthy foods and exercise.

I lost 15 pounds when they pulled 4 teeth....unlike a lot of people, I found the extractions to be tramatic. I've had braces for 8 months and have put 5 pounds back on, but the other 10 just seem to be staying off. I am completly back to eating normally, even the hard stuff like nuts and chips without any problem, but the weight is still staying off. I find this odd because my body has always gravitated to a certain weight. I have formed a theory (one I keep to myself) that my metabolism has changed due to these braces. Maybe the extra work the teeth are doing (although lately it seems like VERY subtle work) is burning off calories?? I know this is ridiculous and I will probablly put my 10 pounds on plus 10 more just for entertaining the thought....but I do know, that I started feeling better and feeling less discomfort with canker sores, etc. when I started eating better. So we just all need to keep eating. And I agree, that if you eat slow, all foods seem to be fine.

Becky

I was thinking about this post and though this probably won't apply to most people, I thought I'd put it out there. I used to be really skinny too in my teens and 20s and always hated the way I looked (and how impossible it was to find business attire that fit!) I was a picky eater, plus whenever I got nervous, I couldn't eat. Some of us eat a carton of ice cream; I lived on toast for a week when I broke up with my boyfriend!

Anyway, in my 30s I finally sought help for my anxiety and started taking anti-anxiety meds. And lo and behold, I gained weight so I'm about where I should be for my height (with a little extra padding on the stomach that just won't go away now!). I think not only am I eating more, but I'm also properly digesting what I am eating. Now I feel a lot more comfortable in my body and I also don't get sick near as much as I did when I was under-weight.

So, if you're underweight and feeling anxiety, you might want to check into it.

Kimber Said:

]I was thinking about this post and though this probably won't apply to most people, I thought I'd put it out there. I used to be really skinny too in my teens and 20s and always hated the way I looked (and how impossible it was to find business attire that fit!) I was a picky eater, plus whenever I got nervous, I couldn't eat. Some of us eat a carton of ice cream; I lived on toast for a week when I broke up with my boyfriend!

Anyway, in my 30s I finally sought help for my anxiety and started taking anti-anxiety meds. And lo and behold, I gained weight so I'm about where I should be for my height (with a little extra padding on the stomach that just won't go away now!). I think not only am I eating more, but I'm also properly digesting what I am eating. Now I feel a lot more comfortable in my body and I also don't get sick near as much as I did when I was under-weight.

So, if you're underweight and feeling anxiety, you might want to check into it.

Oh I went down that road in my early teens, anti anxiety meds, anti-depression meds. All they did was make me very sleepy and not experience the 'highs' of life, the true joys, so I stopped taking them. They never affected my weight either way, but that is a great suggestion, some people may need to look into that. I, for one know a bunch of people who stop eating in times of anxiety.