Gaining Weight on Braces!!!

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#1 Post by **SilverGirl** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 6:10 pm

I am a perfect candidate for reverse psychology, so since I have been telling myself I won't be able to eat a lot of stuff I could eat pre-bracing, I've been eating everything I can get my hands on! (After the soreness of week 1 went away, anyway!) I have put on 5 lbs in the past week, and I need to get a grip.

Anyone else having this issue? I guess I sort of just feel like I'll never be satisfied with the braces on (can't get that crunchy chewing satisfaction), so I'm hunting around trying all kinds of stuff, eating way too much, but nothing quite does it for me.

#2 Post by **sadpanda** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:11 pm

I have the same problem (well, sort of). I felt that the soreness went away so quickly that I was able to eat all kinds of crunchy and other bad stuff and am still doing it. Even after my first adjustment, my teeth didn't hurt.

#3 Post by **blackapple** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:40 pm

I lost 4 pounds the first two weeks of having braces. After that I was able to eat some foods without my teeth hurting too badly. I find now that most of the foods I love before braces I either can't simply eat or it's just a pain to eat. I love doritos and potato chips and nuts. I find it's a pain to eat them so I just go without. The weight loss instead of weight gain for me has been steady.

#4 Post by **revontuli** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:01 am

I know exactly what you mean, Silvergirl. I figured if I couldn't eat my beloved black licorice (for 2 years!!!) then I deserved donuts with colorful sprinkles. So I bought a box of those and I couldn't keep my hands off them the first three days, until they were gone. I vowed not to buy anymore. Instead, I bought ice cream. I can see that if I hope to lose weight on braces, I will need to work a bit harder!

Fortunately, my braces make eating so miserable (no pain anymore, just hard to chew with a lopsided bite) that I don't even try most things. I had big plate of nachos with cheese within easy reach on Saturday, and I wasn't even tempted to take a bite.

#5 Post by **NervousNewbie** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:34 pm

I hear ya'! I really thought I would lose weight in braces but now I realize that I eat more fattening stuff because most everything I like that's soft is high-calorie. The exact opposite of what I thought was going to happen, has happened!

#6 Post by **tomrsvee** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:53 am

HAH! your post cracks me up!

I like goldfish crackers - the extra cheesey ones, and I kind of suck on them one at a time. They're not bad calorie-wise, and they'll give you a little flavor, and best of all, they go with wine.
Good luck on the scales!!

#7 Post by **ckdramas** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 1:25 pm

I lost 4 lbs in the first month of getting braces. However, my teeth didn't hurt after the first adjustment and I can practically eat everything. I started eating whatever I used to before braces as well and I'm gaining back the weight, lol. I couldn't resist chips, so I broke them into pieces and let it stay in my mouth.

#8 Post by **SilverGirl** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:34 am

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I've finally gotten it under control - I'm just one pound up from my brace day weight. I think it's because I've now figured out how to eat just about everything I ate before, so I'm back to my old eating habits and not trying out a bunch of different things.

And tomrsvee and ckdramas - I do the same thing with crunchy stuff now. I've been eating Doritos by just lightly crunching them and letting them dissolve in my mouth a little. But then I tear up my tongue trying to get the remnants out of my brackets!!!

#9 Post by **revontuli** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:13 pm

I miss chips too, and I just discovered those Puffcorn things that are like popcorn without hulls (or very soft, whitish cheese puffs). They're very good, and it may sound strange to say it, but they have a texture that kind of makes your braces hurt, but in a good way. They seem to rinse out of the grill pretty easily too. Just a thought, in case anyone is running out of things to eat.

#10 Post by **Rizzie** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:52 am

Missing the chips here too! I have found that the new sandwich thins are much easier to eat than regular bread that balls up on brackets. I've almost completely switched over to the thins for toast and sandwiches. My husband even likes them, too.

Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:38 pm

I was soooo hoping to lose weight! Unfortunately I tend to indulge in sweet over salty, and I love to bake, so I've not lost a pound.

I can do without the chips, but I DO miss sandwiches! I haven't bit anything with my front teeth in nearly a month, so weird!

#12 Post by **juppiejux** » Wed Oct 27, 2010 1:05 am

I've lost about 1.5lbs since getting braced. I've only had porridge, mashed potato and chocolate milk to get myself full. It takes so long to eat that I give up after awhile. It's hard cause I live to eat...

#13 Post by **50+** » Wed Oct 27, 2010 1:11 pm

I have lost close to 10 lbs since I was braced in February 2010. My desire for food has changed and I find that I get full faster. I started out by eating soft foods and then once I was able to chew, I hated the feeling of the food in my teeth and braces so much that I stopped eating everything on my plate. I don't eat very much anymore (I used to eat everything in sight!) but now I am careful about what I eat...except it's really easy to eat cake and ice cream!!

#14 Post by **wired nana** » Mon Nov 01, 2010 5:15 pm

I feel like I'm eating way too much junk food, because it's easier to eat ice cream, pastries, crackers, etc. for snacks than salad and raw fruits and veggies. Pringles chips are really easy to eat, because they just kind of melt in your mouth. Not as good as regular chips, but not bad!

#15 Post by **NervousNewbie** » Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:27 pm

wired nana wrote:I feel like I'm eating way too much junk food, because it's easier to eat ice cream, pastries, crackers, etc. for snacks than salad and raw fruits and veggies. Pringles chips are really easy to eat, because they just kind of melt in your mouth. Not as good as regular chips, but not bad!

That's the exact problem I face - everything which is easier to eat is high in calories! The stuff which is healthy is generally harder to eat.