Braces and Weight Watchers

[leadcat63]

This is my second week in braces. I will be getting spacers next week followed by upper and lower arch appliances the week after. Before all of this, I read about various "Bracketeers" having to change their diets. Given that, I decided to jump start my total transformation by signing up for Weight Watchers. Anyone who is doing this program know that one of cornerstones is filling up on fresh vegetables and fruits to keep you full and off tempting junk. Now I'm finding that many of those foods are off my list (e.g., no apples, carrots, celery, lettuce, dill pickles, pears, etc.). Is anyone else on Weight Watchers (or any other self or program diet) and what are you doing to substitute fresh fruits and veg?

[Domino]

Why do you believe that those foods are off limits? I believe people get by eating a lot of them by cutting them up first. Clearly the apple is a perfect example, as you cannot just bite into one with braces, as it'd probably break them; but cutting the apple up into small pieces first should be totally fine. Same goes for carrots, celery, pears, etc. As for lettuce, I don't see any need to change the way you eat that, but I might be wrong.

Is there a reason beyond this you believe you can't eat them? I can't actually say from experience yet, as I don't have braces yet, but I hear people can get by on almost all the foods they previously did, but just with a little change in how they are prepared first.

I certainly expect to be able to eat them once I get braces, anyway!

[tinkc]

leadcat, I'm planning on shedding some weight too while I have my braces on (getting them on next week!). I think it's perfectly fine to eat any fruit & veggie, you might just have to prepare it a different way or cut it up in smaller bites. Good luck on the weightloss!

[bbsadmin]

You can eat whatever you want with braces on your teeth. Just cut it into small pieces and chew carefully.

Those lists are often put together for kids who are reckless with their eating habits and break their brackets.

[leadcat63]

I have traditional wire braces (don't know if it makes much of a difference vs others), and eating relatively soft items (not the calamari I attemted on day one) makes the wires feel as though they are pulling tighter or trying to buckle. I've stuck to things such as ground beef casserole, yogurt, mac and cheese, applesauce, and anything else that can be barely chewed, smashed with the tongue or swallowed whole. Not all of that is diet friendly. I won't dare try carrots or celery (even cut into small pieces). Thanks for the encouragement "tinkc" and "domino", but you might find things a little different with the brackets on. Let me know afterward if you are still able to work those things in, and I will be less apprehensive about it.

[braceface74]

Maybe you would need to go with soft fruits ? mash the veggies, make soup etc?

I have found myself limiting myself to soft foods at the moment! that along with the limiting the snacking has me losing weight anyways without being on any formal diet!!

I too am aiming for a whole new me

good luck

[leadcat63]

Maybe you would need to go with soft fruits ? mash the veggies, make soup etc?

I have found myself limiting myself to soft foods at the moment! that along with the limiting the snacking has me losing weight anyways without being on any formal diet!!

I too am aiming for a whole new me

good luck

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking of breaking out the food processor and turning cooked veggies into a souffle of some sort. I suppose I could make lighter versions of creamed spinach and broccoli cheese soup. I'm open to recepies that will use more vegetables and fruit and fewer carbs. I just want to have something with a little texture as opposed to puree or soups alone.

[Breel]

I had/have the same plan - to use my braces as an opportunity to lose a few pounds. I have had my braces (metal) on for one week and I have lost 4.5 pounds without trying. I did not anticipate having so much difficulty just chewing - even soft foods. I have also been limited to soft foods that I can mash with my tongue or swallow whole. I have been eating a lot of yogurt, cottage cheese, low calorie high protein drinks, poached or scrambled eggs, & applesauce etc. I have also stopped any snacking...... mainly because of the hassle involved - lol. In order to eat - I have to remove my wax... eat.... brush... reapply wax, etc. It just seems easier to skip the snacks
We ate dinner out last night - for the first time since getting braces. I ate cheese stuffed ravioli with creamy basil pesto sauce that melted in my mouth - definitely not low calorie - but it was so nice to actually be full for the first time all week. (I was really glad it was dark in the restaurant because I am sure my braces were full of food).

I would love to hear if you come up with any good recipes that are low calorie and easier to eat with the braces!

[leadcat63]

I had/have the same plan - to use my braces as an opportunity to lose a few pounds. I have had my braces (metal) on for one week and I have lost 4.5 pounds without trying. I did not anticipate having so much difficulty just chewing - even soft foods. I have also been limited to soft foods that I can mash with my tongue or swallow whole. I have been eating a lot of yogurt, cottage cheese, low calorie high protein drinks, poached or scrambled eggs, & applesauce etc. I have also stopped any snacking...... mainly because of the hassle involved - lol. In order to eat - I have to remove my wax... eat.... brush... reapply wax, etc. It just seems easier to skip the snacks
We ate dinner out last night - for the first time since getting braces. I ate cheese stuffed ravioli with creamy basil pesto sauce that melted in my mouth - definitely not low calorie - but it was so nice to actually be full for the first time all week. (I was really glad it was dark in the restaurant because I am sure my braces were full of food).

I would love to hear if you come up with any good recipes that are low calorie and easier to eat with the braces!

Congratulations on your weight loss, and your new braces. I've done well with scrambled egg and even a pancake...then the hard part started. Without some sort of plan I've found myself going for, easy to swallow and easy to clean, carbs like mashed potato, baked potato and mac and cheese (potential diet killers). I've lost 5 pounds in all since starting Weight Watchers, but this week I'm at a standstill, and it's only the 3rd week. I know it's because of all the starch laden things I've eaten. If I get any sort of good low cal, easy to swallow recepies I'll be glad to share.

[plugnickel69]

Being able to chew seems to be a problem or many of us. I can't imagine trying to mash foods with my tongue and swallowing pieces of food whole. I will just adapt my diet so I can still eat healthy, with foods soft enough to chew. I'll wait a few more days to try cut up fruits or vegetables. Can't imagine going two months or so chewing on my front teeth and lower brackets.

[Redfern]

I'm 50 and got braces Sept 2011. I found out very quickly that I couldn't eat what I wanted to, so I have lost a few pounds since then and my eating habits have changed a bit.

I can't eat hamburgers in the bun. I have to cut them up, and I eat so slowly now that I'm usually full before finishing the whole burger. I don't even bother with the bun anymore. The same goes for crusty bread...just can't do it so I don't even bother anymore. Meat has to be cut up very small, which means I tend to take smaller portions. Chicken and fish are easier to manage than beef or pork.

I eat small clementine oranges (in sections) instead of apples, and raw cucumbers instead of raw carrots, and small grapes, cut-up bananas, and berries for snacks. Cooked carrots (not mushy, but tender) are still fine, as is steamed broccoli or cauliflower, and cooked peas, corn and green beans. Potatoes and squash are fine. I still eat lightly cooked veggies, but I've given up on salad. Yoghurt is great.

I also can't eat my beloved Cheerios for breakfast, so I have oatmeal (done in the microwave, about 2.5 minutes) with blueberries. Really good for you, and very filling.

I love cheese and crackers, but some crackers are just too hard to crunch so I've switched brands. I'm also a cookie lover, but hard cookies are not working for me so I"m often having my afternoon tea without anything, or with just a plain cookie that I can "dunk."

You'll find your way--it's just trial and error. And believe me, you'll know when you've hit "error!" OUCH! Some of my teeth are very sensitive, and I've had a lot of canker sores, so eating hasn't been great all the time, but now I'm almost 5 months in and surviving.

Best of luck with the braces and the weight loss!

[leadcat63]

I can't eat hamburgers in the bun. I have to cut them up, and I eat so slowly now that I'm usually full before finishing the whole burger. I don't even bother with the bun anymore. The same goes for crusty bread...just can't do it so I don't even bother anymore. Meat has to be cut up very small, which means I tend to take smaller portions. Chicken and fish are easier to manage than beef or pork.

I eat small clementine oranges (in sections) instead of apples, and raw cucumbers instead of raw carrots, and small grapes, cut-up bananas, and berries for snacks. Cooked carrots (not mushy, but tender) are still fine, as is steamed broccoli or cauliflower, and cooked peas, corn and green beans. Potatoes and squash are fine. I still eat lightly cooked veggies, but I've given up on salad. Yoghurt is great.

I also can't eat my beloved Cheerios for breakfast, so I have oatmeal (done in the microwave, about 2.5 minutes) with blueberries. Really good for you, and very filling.

I love cheese and crackers, but some crackers are just too hard to crunch so I've switched brands. I'm also a cookie lover, but hard cookies are not working for me so I"m often having my afternoon tea without anything, or with just a plain cookie that I can "dunk."

Thanks for the advice Redfern. I know what you mean about crusty bread, I just won't attempt it, and boy do I miss that expecially with gumbo. I've tried cooked cabbage and squash without any problems, and I believe I can manage to steam carrots and broccoli (one of my favorites) if I put my mind to it.

Today I got my upper RPE (rapid palate expander), and talk about a new challenge. It feels like I'm eating with a suspension bridge in my mouth. There goes my ace in the hole for smashing things with my tongue. Thank God I'm finally able to tolerate more pressure on my back teeth. I had a beef enchilada (not on my list for weight watchers...will have to find points to make up for that), but it was all over the place in my mouth. The clean up was an even bigger challenge. I rinsed several times with a big mouth full of water and there was STILL food stuck in the between the appliance and the roof of my mouth. Finally after several rounds with the toothbrush and anything flat that I could get near it, I cleared everything. I'm going to be down to one meal a day with this one, that should help jump start the weight loss again.

BTW I have lost 9.5 pounds in this first month!!! In 25 more months I hope to be a 50 year old diva with a killer smile

[staje]

I've been doing WW and let me tell you braces and an expander are do wonders for my loss! What I do to get all the good food is grind them up in a food processor and make them into fantastic soups! I've been getting recipes on allrecipesdotcom and it has been great, my husband even likes them. With my expander I find eating anything with much solidity really horrible, it sets off my gag reflex big time. My diet looks like this:

Breakfast - fruit and yogurt smoothie (5 points) or 2 eggs and some warm cereal (rice because I don't eat gluten, 1/2 cup dry mix). Sometimes I add some cranberries or chocolate chips to cereal and I imagine that any kind of jam or pureed fruit would work.

Lunch and Dinner - homemade soups. To make this easier I did get a food processor and it is wonderful for grinding the veggies very small. The other big secret is that after you cook the soup you can put the finished soup into a blender to give it a creamy texture if you have added sweet potatoes or beans (or regular potatoes if you are into that). I've made some beef soup but I used ground beef instead of any other cut since it is the easiest to get down. Most of the soups are between 5 and 7 points for a big serving. I use recipe builder to come up with the value. I also get apple sauce that is just apples, no sugar. The disappointing thing with WW is that a soup made almost entirely of veggies has a value, even though if you just at the veggies you wouldn't have any points.

Treat foods I'm Ok with are all very soft, for example for a treat I've had a gluten free pancake which was soft enough to not get stuck in the expander, I made almond flour scones which were also soft enough to eat and I've made coconut milk ice cream. I also have had one serving of regular ice cream and I make almond milk hot chocolate. I'm also OK with very small bits of dark chocolate as long as they are small enough that I can keep them from getting above the expander. I suck on the piece until it melts.

The dental stuff has really slowed down my eating (probably a good thing) and it make it unpleasant enough to eat that I find it much easier to keep portions small. I think the trick is not to go on the ice cream and mocha frappachino diet, which would surely make one fat.

[staje]

Oh, and I've found that an excellent tool for getting things out from around the expander is those little green coffee stopper plug things they have at Starbucks. They are used to keep the coffee from coming out of the drinking port in the cup and they are just the right size and flexibility to fit between my expander and the roof of my mouth.

[leadcat63]

The dental stuff has really slowed down my eating (probably a good thing) and it make it unpleasant enough to eat that I find it much easier to keep portions small. I think the trick is not to go on the ice cream and mocha frappachino diet, which would surely make one fat.

LOL I can't stop laughing about the ice cream and mocha frappachino diet. I've been borderlining that diet since I got these braces, and even moreso with the pallate expander. I love the idea of soups, I have even had W*ndy's Small Chili 4pt , 6pts for the larger. It goes down easy with not too much mess, and it softens a cracker pretty quickly so I add a few of them. Unfortunately I've found the beans are a little harder to clear.

By the way thanks for the tip about the coffee stirer. I went out and purchase a water pic (cordless) and found it difficult to aim it correctly to clean the crawl space in my mouth.