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My first Nutrition Appt since my Surgery

Doctor Patient Records

Doctor Patient RecordsHere I am at the start of week 6 and I finally got to see my Nutritionist. I was very excited for this visit and had my food diary in hand along with my list of questions. I was hopeful she could shed some light on why I did not lose at my 5 week weigh in.

I was really hoping that when I stepped on the scale in the office I would have at least lost 1 pound or even a 1/2 pound, but NOPE-NADA. Even their scale showed no loss since last week – URGH – really???

So there I am in with my Nutritionist Amanda – she is so pretty right? Anyway I was excited to get down to business and see if she had any insight or if I was missing something. So of course that was my first question – Why? She told me it is not abnormal for this to happen even this early on. My body is in shock and adjusting. I did just lose 19 pounds in a month which is pretty good even if I was expecting more.

She also said there will be many stalls and plateaus on my journey – it is just what happens. I have accepted it and will move on and not stress over it. I will hope to see some changes next Monday on my weigh in day and if I do not then I will panic like a crazy lady and maybe stalk my surgeon (lol).

I had her skim through my food diary to see if there may be any red flags and she said it looked good. She told me at this point in time I should be eating about 3/4 Cup of food at a sitting. I should also not be taking in more than 800 calories and about 250 per meal (I know I am under that at this point). Sugar content in a food should be less than 10 grams per serving and more than 15 is bad (I have not had anything really with much Sugar content – scares me).

I had a bunch of other questions about foods and if I was able to eat them now and if it was OK. I was excited that she told me I could have fruit – I knew I could have canned fruit in natural juices, but eating the real thing like an Apple, Peach or Nectarine was very exciting. I LOVE fruit and with summer not to far off I am excited for all the summer fruits which are my favs. So on the way home I picked up a couple nectarines at the store – I hope they taste good even though they are not in season.

I also asked about Peanut Butter and Jelly – I like myself a good PB&J every now and then. I can have Peanut Butter, but not too much of course and she said to look for the Sugar Free Jelly. I did stop at the store on my way home and I picked up a Natural Jelly that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup and only natural sugars.

We also talked about breads and being I am a starch baby and miss my bagels she suggested the Thins. OK so its not my New York Bagel, but if I had a craving that would work for me if I needed it. I did pick up some Sandwich Thins to try out – they are very thin and I thought they would be great for a PB&J or my Chicken Sandwiches to change things up.

I did touch base with her on her thoughts about Artificial Sugars and them causing you not to lose weight as I talk about in my recent post HERE. She did say that she had known that they can cause you to crave sweets and that is what can cause weight gain, BUT she was not very aware of the things I had read about them. Regardless I have cut out the Light 4C Ice Tea and switched to plain water – it can’t hurt right?

OH and I cannot forget that I had told her that after I eat sometimes I will get very cold. So cold I need to go under blankets and I shiver. I was surprised that she said this was a form of “Dumping”. So here I thought I had escaped the wrath of Dumping Syndrome and even though I have not gotten the severe dumping where I feel like I am gonna die, I do seem to get another form. When I think back to when this happened to me each time I had a bit too much to eat at one sitting. I am happy to have not gotten the “I wanna Die Dumping” because the feeling of being cold is easily helped with blankets. I hope that is the only dumping I will ever have, but again time will tell and I may not have had a food yet that has truly disagreed with me – like sugars. Fingers, Eye, Toes and Legs are crossed that I can escape it.

So I got my list of questions answered and was excited for some of the new foods she told me to try out and add in. She also assured me again that my stall was not abnormal and not to dwell on it. So I will continue doing what I am doing and I should see the weight loss pick up again. If it does not I am to contact the office and as my hubby said I may need to go in for service (lol). So here is to hoping for a good loss come my next weigh in day !!

I will meet with Amanda again at my 3 month anniversary and of course she is always available for me if I need her sooner.

I am so lucky to have such a great medical staff behind me !!!

Thanks Amanda for making me feel a bit better about my weight loss stall – I will not stress out about it – for now.

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My fifth week after Gastric Bypass

Sunny Day

Sunny DayWeek 5 seemed so much better for me and I had a bit more normalcy being able to eat regular food this week. We also had a few warm days so I was able to get outside and feel the sun rays – hopefully winter will be over soon.

The things that I enjoyed the most this week was being able to sit down to dinner with hubby and the kids and actually eat what they were having. The kids really liked that as well.

I am also happy to report that those feelings of depression that were so bad seem to have lifted up quite a bit this week. Almost overnite I started to feel a bit better. Maybe it was the sun coming out more and knowing Spring is right around the corner – who the heck knows, but I am happy to be feeling happier !!

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the fifth week:

(I am not gonna add the times on – just the order in which I ate)

February 21st

Today I chilled with my daughter and caught up on some of the Twilight Movies. She was not feeling well all weekend running a fever and stuff. I got her favorite snack to make her feel better – Goldfish Crackers and I was jealous so I took a handful and let me tell ya they were so good. The salt left on my lips afterwards was priceless. Yes I like salt. I also cooked up a Quiche today and you can find the recipe here: Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche. It is yummy and as you can see I ate it twice today.

February 21st

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins
  • 3/4 cupish Sir Fry with LoMein Noodles, Shrimps and Veggies
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins

Today was the day that I had my first Post Op Appointment with my surgeon. I was officially released to unrestricted food with caution of course. The Wheat Thins were a craving after seeing the nurse in my surgeons office eating them. Then the one things I was dying to have was a sandwich on a piece of bread – so missed bread !! So I made one using Deli Sliced Dietz & Watson Chicken (so yummy) and I had that on 1 slice of Whole Wheat Bread – now I did not cheese out on the Mayo – I used the real deal. Sometimes some things are not worth cheesing on and for me Mayo is one of them. Now don’t get me wrong I do have Low Fat Mayo in the house that I use with other things, but I my little sandwich I wanted the real stuff for flavor. I added some Salt & Pepper and my tiny sandwich was dreamy !! And yes I had lots of Wheat Thins this day – I was addicted and if you read my post HERE you will understand why.

February 22nd

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1 Whole Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper (Rut Roh)
  • A Slice of Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche
  • Ham Steak, Broccoli & Pasta Roni (small side of Natural Applesauce for dipping)
  • SF Ice Pop
  • Handful of Low Fat Wheat Thins

OK lets start by talking about that whole sandwich I consumed. Yesterday I had a 1/2 sandwich and felt like I wanted more because it was so good – so today I made myself a whole one. NOT a good idea – this was the first time I really pushed myself and ate more than I should. After I ate it I got really cold and went under 2 blankets – laid down and fell asleep for 2 hours. Form what I know now that cold feeling I had is a form of dumping. I did not have any other symptoms just the cold and I think the reason is that I ate too much.

I also went outside today because it was sunny and kinda warm. I helped stack wood and clean the garage a bit. It felt so good to be outside and what a mood changer it was. The sun can do marvelous things ya know !!

Tonight I had dinner with the family and decided to eat what they were having which was Ham Steak, Broccoli and Pasta Roni. I plated my small portion on a dessert plate vs a regular plate. I cut up my ham in tiny pieces and started with that first. Protein first is important. I also used Natural Applesauce for dipping (I am a dipper). The I had some Broccoli and after that I had a few bites of Pasta Roni. By the time I got to the Pasta Roni I was almost full and after a couple bites I could feel it not wanted to go down – so at that point as much as my brain was telling me to finish what was on my plate – I did not. It was a proud moment for me to walk away – just sayin’

February 23rd

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • A Slice of Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • Handful of Low Fat Cheese Its
  • Small piece of Flounder with Tarter Sauce

Had me another Chicken Sandwich – I am hooked, but notice I only had 1/2 today !! I was also excited to have some fish – I love fish, but I still had to have a small amount of Tarter Sauce on the side for dipping. As I have stated above – I am a dipper !!

February 24th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • 3/4 cupish Low Fat Corned Beef Hash
  • SF Ice Pop
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 3/4 Burritto – Ground Turkey, Refried Beans, Low Fat Sour Cream, Guacamole & Salsa in a Tortilla
  • 1/2 Slice Muenster Cheese

Today I had a headache and my back was hurting probably from over doing it the other day outside. So I took a Tylenol 3 and took it easy. IT was also really rainy and gross out today which was a bummer after such a nice couple of days – what a tease that was. It was Taco Night for dinner and I was happy to join in. Usually I eat the crunchy Taco Shells, but we left those out beacuse I was not sure they would be a good idea for me – so we just used the Soft Tortilla Shells. So I made mine with a small amount of what I listed above and peeled off any excess shell. I was able to eat about 3/4 of it and was full. It was so good and so very hard to not finish it I must say, but I listened to my body and stopped. Taco night is a favorite in my house and to think that I used to easily down 6 Crunchy Tacos to just 3/4 of a Burrito amazes me.

February 25th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Bite of my son’s omelet
  • 1/2 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge
  • Handful of Low Fat Cheese Its
  • Salad – Lettuce, Tomato, Feta Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
  • 3/4 cupish Shrimp with Lobster Sauce over White Rice
  • 2 SF Ice Pops

Today was very exciting for me – I had my 1st Salad in months. I LOVE Salad. We had some left over lettuce and tomato already cut up from Taco Night so I could not help but eat some. I topped it with a bunch of Feta Cheese for protein and it was amazing. It was Iceburg lettuce, but that is ok for now – next time I will have more nutritious greens. I just craved a salad and it was there ready to go. For dinner hubby and my son ordered Chinese Food and I wanted some too. So instead of my usual Garlic Chicken I decided to order Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. I did not think the Garlic Chicken would be a good idea at this point. I was nervous about the White Rice, but I said what the heck. So I took a small portion and placed it into a bowl so I would not over eat and it was sooo good. I did not have any reaction to the rice. I was however thirsty later as I always am after Chinese Food (next time I will ask for no MSG) so I had 2 SF Ice Pops to cure that while I watched TV.

February 26th (my dad’s 75th Birthday ♥ !!)

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Chicken Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Mayo, Salt & Pepper
  • Handful of Low Fat Cheese Its
  • 1 Low Fat Mozzarella String Cheese
  • 2 Pieces of Popcorn Chicken (stole from daughter)
  • Handful of Peanuts
  • 1 Small Chicken Cutlet, Peas Scalloped 3 Cheese Potatoes and Light Honey Mustard for dipping
  • Salad – Lettuce, Tomato, Feta Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing
  • SF Ice Pop

So while shopping at Walmart today my daughter got a cup of Popcorn Chicken. I stole 2 pieces !! For dinner hubby made Chicken Cutlets (Breaded & Fried). I had 1 small Chicken Cutlet which I dipped into Light Honey Mustard (that is me the dipper), some Peas (canned) and a few bites of Scalloped 3 Cheese Potatoes. I handled it very well, thank godness. Later that night while watching TV I craved a Salad again and I still had some lettuce and tomato left so I made another one and enjoyed it while watching TV. Later I followed it up with a SF Ice Pop.

So this was a good week I must say. My depression seemed much better and being unrestricted with my food may have helped as well. I did eat a lot of Chicken Sandwiches this week, but I go in spurts with everything. One week I may be in love with a certain food and eat it everyday and then the following week I am over it.

I was so excited to have a couple salads – I really missed that so much. I cannot wait until Spring when all our local Veggie Stands get filled up – I am so there. I love home grown produce, but have failed at my own veggie gardens over the years – a bit of laziness I guess. I will do my Topsy Turvys again though – those are pretty easy.

I look forward to adding in more new foods and hopefully I will continue to avoid the harsh “Dumping” so many experience with certain things.

So I had my Week 5 weigh in and I was shocked – you can read my post all about it here:

5 Week weigh in and no weight loss – WTF?

As you can read in the title I had 0 weight loss – how crazy is that? You just read what I ate the whole week. Read the post and learn why I think it may have happened.

Stay Tuned for my post about meeting with my Nutritionist…

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Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche Recipe

Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion

Crustless Spinach, Feta and OnionHere is a simple recipe that is a great source of protein. This Crustless Spinach, Feta and Onion Quiche Recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious.

Last week I was looking for some recipes I could try out and this was one of the ones I found. It has a nice amount of protein and it looked like it would be soft to chew. I am also a BIG fan of Feta Cheese so I was very excited to cook it up. I thought it was very tasty so it was worth the share. So if you are looking for something different give this a try.

Here is what you will need to make it:

  • 1 Medium Onion – Diced
  • 6 ounces Fresh Baby Spinach (I used regular Spinach and chopped it up and removed stems)
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 Large Egg Whites
  • 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (I did not add this to mine, but next time I will)
  • 1 1/3 Cups of Skim Milk
  • 1/2 Cup Feta Cheese

Preheat your oven to 400

Grease a 10 inch or so Pie/Quiche Pan – I used a Cake Pan

Next gather all your ingredients. I also chopped up my spinach since I did not buy the Baby Spinach – I also cut off the stems.

In a frying pan cook your diced Onions in a bit of Olive Oil (or Cooking Spray) until they are soft. Then add in your Fresh Spinach and cook until just wilted – this will happen fast. When that is done take it off the heat and set aside to cool for a few.

In a Large Mixing Bowl. whisk together Eggs, Flour, Baking Powder and Salt. If adding in a pinch of Cayenne Pepper you can do that now as well. Next whisk in the Milk and then you can stir in your Onion Spinach mixture.

Then just pour that into your Pie Pan, or in my case Cake Pan – lol. Then take your Feta Cheese and crumble it all over the top.

Bake your Quiche in the oven for about 25 minutes or until set and the outer edge is golden brown.

Let is set for about 5 minutes and then cut it and eat !!

Enjoy !!!

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My fourth week after Gastric Bypass

Woman Pointing

Woman PointingHoly Crap it is 4 weeks since my Gastric Bypass Surgery – I swear the weeks are just flying by. Things have been easy and so far so good, the only issues I have been battling with is some extra depression.

I have stated in previous posts that I suffered from depression for many many years and was on medication prior to my surgery. The feeling of depression has hit me again – it almost feels like I stopped taking my medication altogether. Depression after Gastric Bypass Surgery is very common, but I thought I was safe being I was already on meds – well not the case at all.

This past week was the worst – just did not feel like doing much of anything. I just laid around when I could and watched TV – I had no motivation to do much of anything else. It is so weird because you would think I would be so happy losing weight and all. Nope – it is very hard to not have anyway to cope being the one thing that would comfort me (FOOD) is gone. It is that and a mixture of other things like the not smoking too that is driving me CRaZy. I will talk to my doctor when I see him for my post op visit- for now I will deal with being a little extra crazy.

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the fourth week:

(I am not gonna add the times on – just the order in which I ate)

February 13th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge
  • 1/2 + Cupish Mashed Potatoes (Bob Evans)
  • A few bites of Tuna Fish
  • 1 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge
  • 1/2 Cup Broccoli (pureed with I cannot believe it is not Butter & Salt)
  • Frozen Protein Shake Pop

Today I tried some Tuna Fish I made for the hubby and kids – it was delish. I am getting bored with my food now and slowly taking chances trying some new things.

February 14th (Valentine’s Day)

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Piece of Watermelon (small heart shaped piece)
  • Chicken w/Salsa & Low Fat Sour Cream
  • Sloppy Joe with Turkey

Hmmm Looks like I did not eat much today. I did not miss chocolate on Valentine’s Day because it is not my thing – I know crazy right? Even my kids who are also eating healthier only got a Chocolate Heart this year that had 3 chocolates in it. I did get them Watermelon that was cut out in Heart Shapes and a Cinnamon Bun for Breakfast. The Watermelon looked so good I had to have one too. For my dinner I took some Chicken from a roasted chicken and mixed it with a small amount of chicken broth & salsa – I pureed it a bit and topped it with some low fat sour cream (thanks to a reader for that idea). I was eating that while my family was having Sloppy Joe’s. Well theirs smelled so good so I ditched the rest of mine and had some of theirs. Sloppy Joe was much better – just sayin’.

February 15th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Am’s Bean Soup
  • 2 Pieces of Muenster Cheese
  • Hubby’s Homemade Mei Fun w/Scallops & Shrimp and small piece of Cod Fish
  • Slice of Sugar Free Blueberry Pie
  • Piece of Muenster Cheese

Yup I got extra daring today and added even more new tastes to my list. I tried some Muenster Cheese I bought for my son – I love Muenster Cheese and it is good – do not let the name scare ya !! Hubby made dinner tonight and I decided I would join the family and have some too. I was nervous at first with the Rice Noodles, but I said WTF and dug in to my tiny portion. I also had a small piece of Cod Fish as well – I picked off the breading. After I ate I waited thinking OMG I am going to have Dumping – well thank god I did not. Earlier in the day I went grocery shopping and I want to thank the Amish ladies who added a nice selection of Sugar Free Pies to the bakery. I was craving a sweet dessert. So I picked up 1/2 of a Sugar Free Blueberry Pie to try. No I did not eat the whole 1/2 – I just had a little slice and it was YUMMERS !! Love the Amish – I will have to go back and get an apple next time !!

February 16th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • Coffee with SF Hazelnut Creamer
  • Few Pieces of Imitation Crab Meat
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake

Today was a normal eating day with the exception of me trying some Imitation Crab, which I like to eat just plain and cold. I also had purchased a box of Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcakes the day before. I ended up having one tonight – they are small and each package has 2 in it. One Cupcake is only 70 calories and has 1.5 grams of protein. It was pretty good – would a Hostess Cupcake be better, absolutely – but not a good idea at all after surgery. The SF Tastycake was a good treat without any bad repercussions.

February 17th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • Few Pieces of Imitation Crab Meat
  • 2 Scrambled Eggs
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 2 small pieces of Yogurt Cheese
  • A few slices of Avocado
  • 1/2 + Cupish Mashed Potatoes (Bob Evans)
  • SF Ice Pop
  • 1 small piece of Yogurt Cheese

Today I made myself 2 scrambled eggs – 1 scrambled never seems to be enough. I ate it all and was nice and full. Hubby was cutting up some Avocado for his sandwich at lunch – so I ate a few pieces – I love me some Avocado !! Again I had no issues with anything I ate today.

February 18th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • 1 small piece of Yogurt Cheese
  • 1/2 slice of Muenster Cheese
  • Am’s Ham & Potato
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 1 small piece of Yogurt Cheese
  • 1 Sugar Free Tastycake Chocolate Cream Filled Cupcake
  • 1/2 Cupish Refried Beans with Salsa & Low fat Sour Cream
  • 1 small piece of Feta Cheese

Wow seems like I ate a lot today, but in reality hardly anything compared what I use to eat in a day. My sister made a Ham & Potato recipe that she shared with me. I had a small amount – it had pieces of Ham and Potatoes in a creamy sauce. I really liked it. I will get the recipe to share – it was a winner so she will be making it again. I also had a piece of Feta Cheese today – Feta Cheeses is my favorite and I am glad cheese is loaded with protein. I would marry cheese if I could.

February 19th

  • Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)
  • Protein Shake
  • A few bites of leftover Sloppy Joe Meat
  • 1/2 Cupish Chicken Pot Pie (PA Dutch Style)
  • Goldfish Crackers
  • Tiny Bite of Pizza
  • 3 Spoonfuls of Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • 1/2 Salmon Burger and Tarter Sauce
  • SF Ice Pop

Today I tried lots of new things, but with some minor issues. I tried some Chicken Pot Pie (PA Dutch Style) which is not the pot pie I grew up with that had a crust on top and bottom. They make it very different here – to me it is basically Chicken and Noodles. I had no issues after I ate that. I also had some of my daughter’s Goldfish Crackers – which was incredibly enjoyable, but I had to watch that I did not over do it since we were watching TV. She was sick and we were hanging out on the couch – that is dangerous because I could have mindlessly eaten the whole bag – I was proud that I controlled myself.

At dinner time I heated my son up some leftover pizza and took a very tiny bite from the end. Right after that I heated up some Broccoli Cheese Soup for my daughter and tasted 3 spoonfuls. I have a very bad habit of picking in the kitchen and tasting. Well I did not have dumping, but my stomach did not seem happy with one either the Pizza or Soup cause it was yelling at me. Then I had my 1/2 Salmon Burger with Tarter Sauce on the side. My belly was still not happy, but the culprit was not the Salmon. It was not horrible, but I knew something did not agree with me.

So not too bad of a week besides the damn depression. I am hoping that will fade away, but I will still talk to my doctor about it. I also did well adding in new foods to try this week – even though I should have still been on pureed foods according to my surgeon’s guidelines. I just felt good enough and ready to make the leap to new things and I was getting so bored of eating pureed foods anyways. Hopefully I will not get yelled at by my surgeon for doing so. I did use a lot of caution and chewed my food really really well.

And yes another week goes by with no episodes of that “Dumping” everyone talks about. I have been so lucky to have had no major issues with eating at all. I am not sure if that is really a good or bad thing. It kinda makes me nervous in a weird way. I have not pushed myself to over eat and can feel when I am full. The hunger I have is more mental than physical which is something I fight with everyday, but it is getting easier.

The weight loss is slower that I would have expected with how little I am eating, but everyone loses differently I guess. I can see more of a difference in my size vs what the scales tells me and I can now pull my jeans right down with out unbuttoning with no issues at all. I only expect to be in my jeans for another week or so before I need to down size. I always lose in my upper body first and I have such a big Ass and Legs and that is what is keeping my pants up right now – lol.

My face has thinned out quite a bit and even my boobs are shrinking. Since I have been heavy my boobs got huge – Double Ds for me and I am looking forward to them going away. I will be very happy in a B cup – just sayin’ As for the Hubby – well he will just have to live with it !!

Stay Tuned for my First Post Op Visit Post….

Check out Make Tiny Changes if you would like to donate to a worthy charity in support of mental  health.

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Tomato Bean Soup Recipe

Tomato Bean Soup

Tomato Bean SoupMy sister made me this delicious Tomato Bean Soup last week which was worth the share. It is a great source of protein from all the beans and it was extremely tasty !!

First let me start off by saying that I have such a great sister who happens to love to cook when she has the time. Last week when I was complaining about eating the pureed foods she decided to make me this soup. While it was not pureed when I ate it – it could have been if I wanted it to be. I decided to eat it as is because all the ingredients in it were cooked to where they were extremely soft.

Here is what she used to make this Soup:

  • 1 Large Onion – Chopped
  • 1 Large Carrot – Chopped
  • 1 Celery Rib – Chopped
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic Cloves – Minced
  • 4 Cups of Chicken Broth (you can also use vegetable broth)
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 Cans Kidney Beans or Cannellini Beans (my sister used one of each)
  • 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes
  • 3 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

NOTE: You can add in an additional can of beans to this – which is what we will do next time we make it. Hey the more protein per serving the better right? If you are at the point where you can tolerate Pasta – you can also add some in to the soup as well – 3/4 Cup uncooked pasta would be enough. I also think it would be tasty with some cooked ground turkey too – so many options !!!

In a large pot saute up your Onion, Carrot and Celery in the Olive Oil until tender. Add in Garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Next add in the Broth, Sugar, Italian Seasoning and Red Pepper Flakes. (if adding Pasta add it in now as well). Then add in the Crushed Tomatoes and canned Beans. Bring to a boil and then let simmer uncovered until the beans and vegetables get to your desired likeness. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

My sister cooked the soup till all the veggies got very soft and the Cannellini Beans broke down a bit and made the soup thicker.

I do not know the exact nutritional info for this – that will all depend on how many cans of beans you use etc.. BUT I do know that it is no less than 10+ grams protein per serving (about 1 Cup).

P.S. – YES that is a Baby Spoon in the bowl – I use the Nuby Baby Spoons when I eat – it helps me from putting too much in my mouth at a time.

Enjoy !!!

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Things I purchased prior to my Gastric Bypass Surgery

Things I purchased

Things I purchasedI wanted to share some of the items that I purchased prior to my surgery. These are items that I knew I would need when I got home and that way I did not have to worry about it.

One of the most important things to have in your home is the protein shakes. I was drinking these prior to going in for surgery so I had found a couple that I liked the taste of. My favorite Protein Shake brand happens to be CVS Brand – the Chocolate Whey (nice chocolate flavor) and the protein grams in each scoop is 25grams – which is quite nice. I also bought one in Vanilla flavor as well. Add that to 8 ounces of skim milk and you have a total of 33 grams !! And being I should be getting in 60+ grams a day – two of those a day and I am good – then everything else is a bonus.

The only problem with the CVS brand is that is can get pricey because in my store it does not come in large containers. So I buy it when it goes on sale. I will have to check other stores to see if they sell it in a larger amount.

The other Protein Shakes I bought were by Designer Whey. On hand I had Chocolate (my favorite), Strawberry and Natural Unflavored (which I can add to my food for extra Protein). These will give you 18 grams per scoop and with the skim milk it is a total of 26 grams per serving.

When it comes to your protein shakes it is really just a matter of taste, BUT do keep in mind I have read that people’s taste will change after surgery. For me I have not found that to happen. I would not recommend buying large quantities prior to surgery – just buy enough to get you through and to make sure you are not one of those. They can get pricey.

Protein Shakes come in a large variety of flavors so even if you are grossed out by one you loved prior to surgery you have lots of options. For me – I am a creature of habit so I tend to drink just the chocolate and I am good with that. I did try the Strawberry during my first week home and I hated it, but I am not sure I would have loved it prior either. I will not get rid of it because I can add things to it like Bananas and fruits to create smoothies when I am feeling adventurous.

Another very important thing you want to buy is a Protein Shaker Cup also known as a Blender Bottle. Basically it is a cup that comes with a blenderball that is made of stainless steel. The blenderball helps mix your protein shake with the liquid so you do not have those protein powder balls floating. I honestly think these are a must have and I love my Blender Bottle.

I only bought one cup for myself to use in pink – they come in all colors and sizes as well. I did not get a large one because it was a waste – I got one that holds 20 ounces and even that is over kill. I only use 8 ounces when I make my protein shakes.

So I just wash mine every time I am done using it and it s ready to go for my next shake. I may get myself one more in the near future, because it would be good to have 2 in case I get lazy with the washing and that could very well happen – lol.

So be sure to get one of these prior to surgery – trust me you will love it. You can order yours on Amazon like I did here: Blender Bottles.

Note that every doctor will have different requirements as to what you should be eating after Gastric Bypass and the items I am sharing are things that were ok with mine.

You just want to be prepared so you can be home the first week to heal and focus on getting in your liquids vs. having to go out shopping. It will be a big change and the less you have to think about the better it will be for you.

Here is my recommended Gastric Bypass Shopping List of things you should have on hand prior to surgery. Again these are items that I purchased, but I think they will be the same across the board – just check with your doctor.

  • Protein Shakes – Flavored and Natural Unflavored
  • Skim Milk (Fat Free Milk) for shakes
  • Blender Bottle (as stated above)
  • Cream of Wheat and Cream of Rice
  • Dry Milk Powder – this is great to add extra protein to your shakes and soups
  • Splenda or other artificial sweetener – I prefer Splenda
  • Low Fat Cream Soups (must strain before eating)
  • Low Fat Broths
  • Decaf Coffee or Tea
  • Sugar Free Jell-O
  • Sugar Free Ice Pops (love)
  • Sugar Free Fudge Pops
  • Crystal Light – I use 4C brand Iced Tea
  • Gas X – Chewables. You will want to have these on hand, trust me. They will become your best friends.
  • Dulcolax – This is very helpful after the surgery, but check with your doctor
  • Liquid Tylenol

So that is my list to give you an idea to what you should stock up on prior to going in for your surgery. These items should get your through the first week or so when you are still doing the liquid portion of your diet.

I also ordered a couple recommended books – The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery and Recipes for Life after Weight Loss Surgery. They are both great reads, but most of the recipes are for later on down the road. I also purchased the Magic Bullet Blender which was also recommended and perfect for when you get to pureed foods and after.

Since I am up to the pureed foods as I am writing this I have to add that I have used it and it is AWESOME !!! I keep it out on my counter and keep the smaller cup attached – I puree what I need and then just unscrew the cup and you can eat right out of that. I highly recommend you get one of these too – I love mine.

Ok so I hope that helps and if I have missed something that worked for you please leave it in the comments below.

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My first week after Gastric Bypass Surgery

My first week after Gastric Bypass Surgery

My first week after Gastric Bypass SurgerySo now I am home from the hospital and on my own. You go to all the nutrition classes for months prior to the surgery, but yet all of a sudden your mind goes blank. You just want to get it right and not have any complications. I was so nervous, but ready – or was I?

I got home from the hospital on Wednesday January 25th at around 12:00pm and first on my agenda was to get a shower. It felt so good to be clean, but let me tell ya that sticky stuff from all those heart monitor leads and tape they used is a real bitch to get off. I got some of it off, but not all – I hate that.

Now every doctor has different rules and time frames when it comes to what you are to eat after your Gastric Bypass Surgery so be sure to follow the plan in place that was given to you. I am going share with you what my rules are and go from there.

Day 1 and 2 (which were in the hospital) is a Full Bariatric Liquid Diet – I had Broths, Decaf Tea and Sugar Free Jell-O those days – oh and a Sugar Free Italian Ice

Days 3 to 9 Bariatric Full Liquids – This is food that can pour off a spoon like soup. They should also supply protein and other nutrients too. You should be sent home with a list of things that your doctor says is allowed for you to have at each stage of your new diet. Protein Goal is 60 grams and they want you to try and get in 64 ounce of fluids.

I did not each much my first day home and I was still taking some pain meds which was Vicodin in liquid form (so gross). I am so not a fan of liquid medicine at all. One thing I did wrong on my first day home was to take my vitamins – yup – I had already screwed up. I totally forgot my doctor did not want me to start until I got to the pureed stage which is at day 10. Oops – no harm done hopefully.

I have documented everything I have eaten and the time I have had it in a notebook I keep in my kitchen. This is important to do for many reasons -1: So you can total your protein intake and 2: If you have a reaction to a food you can easily pinpoint what may have caused it and 3: it is a good thing to bring to your nutrition appointment to see if there is anything they would like to change. I also write down when I take my meds – I do not have a great memory so it really helps me a lot to do that too.

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the first week:

(I am not gonna add the times on – just the order in which I ate)

January 25th (the day I came home)

1 Cup of Chicken Broth with a 1/2 scoop of unflavored protein powder mixed in

1 Sugar Free Jell-O

Got a headache – may be from the aspartame in the Jell-O – happened in the hospital too

Pain Meds

1 Cup Chicken Broth – only ate 1/2

Gas X – I had gas which is normal, but the Gas X is so helpful so have some on hand.

2 SF Fudge Pops – soooo good !!

I felt pretty good my first day home – just tired and still sore. I did a lot of pacing around the house to help move out any of the gas and it felt good to be up. If you are having this done remember to walk walk walk. I am telling ya it has helped me a lot. One thing that drove me nuts was that my new vacuum arrived this day. I had finally caved and bought a Dyson and there it was in a box and I was not allowed to touch it. See I have a vacuuming fetish – I love to vacuum and go through many each year. I have 8 pets in my home and I hate all the fur so I vacuum a lot. Yes once again I have issues – lol. I could not take it so I made hubby open it up and vacuum for me – it was nice he did so, but just not the same for me. Soon enough.

January 26th (My son’s birthday !!)

Crystal Light Iced Tea (drank over the course of the day)

Pain Meds

Chocolate Protein Shake

Dulcolax – this is a stool softener which is a good thing to start taking after surgery to help in the – you know.

Liquid Tylenol – at this point I felt I was not needing the heavy pains meds anymore so hubby went and got me liquid tylenol to take

Strawberry Protein Shake – Only drank 1/2 – that flavor was making me nauseous

1 Cup Cream of Chicken Soup

Liquid Tylenol

1 SF Fudge Pop

1 SF Ice Pop

Gas X

I felt pretty good this day and woke up early in the morning to see the kids off to school. Also being it was my son’s 14th birthday I could not miss making him a fun breakfast that morning. So I made him some heart shaped pancakes with red food coloring and a side of sausage (Yup I am a cool mom like that). I was surprised that I had no problems doing it. I would do anything for my babies – although my baby is not a baby anymore – whaaaaaah !!

Later I also baked him his birthday cake which was a carrot cake – his favorite. Now that smelled really good and I had to be so careful not to lick my fingers when frosting it. It is little habits like that which can cause problems. Again I did great.

I was a bit gassy this day, but nothing some Gas X was not able to handle – oh lots of walking around the house.

January 27th

Crystal Light (drank over the course of the day)

Liquid Tylenol

Gas X

Went back to bed feeling sluggish today – ended up getting up then at about 10:30am

Chocolate Protein Shake

Dulcolax

Liquid Tylenol

1/4 Cup Cream of Rice (I added a tiny bit of I cannot believe it is not butter and salt) – was not crazy about this

1/2 Chocolate Protein Shake

Liquid Tylenol & Gas X

One thing I can remember from this day, because I wrote it in my food diary, is that my hubby had bought some of those roasted chickens they cook at the store for their dinner. Those are my favorite. When he was stripping the chicken off the bone the smell was unreal and it was the first time I was envious. I was so sick of soups and liquids already. So later in the day I walked past the chicken in the kitchen and guess what I did? Nope I did not eat any, but I took a piece and sucked on it for a quick moment to get the flavor and then spit it out. I cannot tell you how hard it was not to chew it up, but I didn’t.

January 28th

Chocolate Protein Shake

Crystal Light (drank over the course of the day)

2 tsp Part Skim Ricotta Cheese (this was a cheat – explained below)

2 SF Ice Pops

1/4 Cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese (explained below)

1/2 Cup SF Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream (spit out the cherry chunks)

I took it easy this day – I was feeling kinda blah. Maybe it was the withdrawal from the heavy pain meds, not sure. I took a long hot shower and got dressed in real clothes and that helped a bit. I still had no additional motivation to do much of anything else – so I took a couch and TV day. I am finding it hard to get in my fluids and the thoughts of any soups at this point now just completely gross me out.

Now lets talk about my cheating – “The Ricotta Cheese”. No that is not a liquid is it? This is an item allowed on the pureed diet which comes at day 10 and technically I had 4 days till then. Well my dreams of being the Gastric Bypass poster child went right out the window – I broke the rules. I just had to have a different flavor in my mouth and let me tell you it was beyond amazing for me. I tried out 2 tsp first to see how I would handle it and then a couple hours later I had 1/4 cup. I did wake up at midnight that night needing some Gas X -could have been from that – who knows.

NOW let me say that I do not recommend you cheat like I did – your pouch is still healing at this point and I could have caused issues for myself. Thank god I did not. It really was good though. OK shame on me.

January 29th

Crystal Light (drank over the course of the day)

1/4 Cup Part Skim Ricotta Cheese (still cheating)

Chocolate Protein Shake

Gas X (from Ricotta Cheese ???)

1 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge (cheat)

Lit and Fit Yogurt Vanilla (cheat)

Gas X before bed just in case

Ok so I had lots of cheats on this day. Seems like I just jumped to the pureed diet huh? Well That is because I kinda did. Guilt set in even though I was doing fine. I told myself I had to call my nutritionist tomorrow (Monday) to confess my sins. OH and guess what? I had my first Poop since surgery. I know gross why did I have to share that – well because to know your parts are working after this is a celebration I think. Hail the Poop !!! OH and this was also the day I decided to create this blog – hmmm Poop and Blog ???

January 30th (1 week since surgery – wow)

Crystal Light (drank over the course of the day)

Chocolate Protein Shake

1/4 Cup of Part Skim Ricotta Cheese (still cheating)

1 Laughing Cow Low Fat Swiss Cheese Wedge (cheating again)

Cream of Asparagus Soup Strained – did not eat – soup grossed me out

Chocolate Protein Shake

Cup of Coffee with SF Coffemate Hazelnut Creamer – maybe 20 sips

Holy cow – I week post op – I made it !!! Woooo Hooooo. So I called my nutritionist today and confessed my sins. She said that she could not tell me it was Ok to do that and I should go back on the liquids until Wednesday. Really? At this point what was one day I thought. I have always been known to break the rules – so would I do it again? I was good after the call and tried to have cream soup – which grossed me out and then I had a protein shake. You will have to read my next post to see if I was able to control myself.

So overall I had a great first week after my Gastric Bypass – so much so that I have started to question if he really performed the surgery on me at all. I keep telling my husband that maybe I had a placebo surgery to see if it is really a mind thing.

My pain has never been truly pain at all – just soreness. I have had no reactions of feeling ill from anything I have eaten. The only thing I have gotten was gas in my tummy. Yes I have farted a lot this week, which I am sorry to say is nothing new for me since I had stomach issues prior to surgery. My poor family – lol. I made sure to walk around the house a lot which I think has made a difference. On the days I felt blah – I just chilled out.

I have been just fine around food and the family eating and I did tell them they are not to hide from eating around me. If I felt uncomfortable I would walk away. The good thing is that at the time I did the surgery my hubby and kids made some huge changes themselves. They are living a much healthier lifestyle with food as well. My hubby took over the cooking – bad snacks are no longer in the home and portions have been cut down. So everyone is adjusting to a new lifestyle which is fantastic.

I have felt myself shrinking and my face already looks thinner – I always lose it there first. Yes I have stepped on the scale, BUT I will only be posting my weights in the My Weigh Ins section on a weekly basis. At the end of each month I will put up photos taken at each week to see the changes.

I am beyond excited to melt away !!! Hope you continue to follow my story and watch too.

Stay Tuned for posts on Week 2, What I purchased prior to surgery, What Protein Shakes I drink, Vitamins I use and more…

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The days in the hospital after my Gastric Bypass Surgery

My stay in the hospital after my Gastric Bypass Surgery was not very long at all. I went in on a Monday and went home on a Wednesday. I did make the best of my stay and made sure I felt good enough to go home.

So the night after my surgery I slept on and off. I think the nurses coming in so much to take vitals and give me my pains meds woke me up a bit. At this time they were alternating the Dilaudid and Toradol pain meds. I can remember being up and ready to go walking at about 5:00am and asking the nurse to come help me. I just had to get out of the bed. The nurses kept telling me how good I was doing and looked – that made me happy.

When I got back into my room I was able to brush my teeth and get a glimse of myself in the mirror – not a pretty site at all. But I quickly got over that since I was not in the running for a tiara or anything. I brushed my hair and washed up – it felt good.

At about 8:00am my surgeon came in to see how I was doing. I had a list of questions I typed up in my phone for him and he was happy to answer each and every one of them. He also told me there was no need for any additional testing since I was doing so well and that he would order me breakfast. Breakfast I thought – OMG I was so excited !! He also told me that if I felt well enough I could go home early that evening. I decided to stay one more night just to be sure I was good to go. Plus it was much quieter in the hospital vs going home with the kids and the pets etc…

A little while later the nurses took out the catheter – I was free to pee on my own. Yippee !! Yes it was nice to not have to worry, but it was one less thing I had to drag around on my walks. Good thing was is that I was able to go right away – not a lot, but I did it. That is also very important to do after surgery. They also measure how much you go (u gotta pee in a cup that attached to the toilet) and then they scan your belly to see if you are emptying your bladder all the way. I only needed 2 scans over my stay. I must add in it was still a pain in the ass to pull all the equipment to the bathroom and even worse when you had to pee. I had a heart monitor hooked up to me that connected to a box that was a real pain to juggle and then an 02 sensor taped on my finger. Then there was the IV and the stand and the drain coming out of your belly with the container hanging. Just crazy, but you manage and say quite a number of curse words at the same time when you get all tangled.

At about 9:30pm my breakfast arrived – My very first meal after my Gastric Bypass. I was starving !! So on my tray I got a bowl of Chicken Broth, a Sugar Free Jell-O and a cup of Decaf Tea and some fakin’ sugar packets on the side. I could not wait to eat my soup and I dug right in. It tasted like heaven !!! I ate it very slowly which kinda stunk because it got cold by the time I was 1/2 way through it.

I was able to finish the whole bowl, but then I was a bit full and that is all I had at the moment. I ended up eating my Jell-O later and that too tasted delish. The Tea I ditched.

Later in the day I had some visitors – my Mother in Law came and so did my good friend Vicki. I felt a bit bad cause my mother in law got their first and I was passing out mid conversation – I was sleepy. Must have been my big lunch (which was the same as above) – lol. It was nice that they came to see me even if I was not the most coherent company. I also got a headache and was thinking maybe it was from the Jell-O – sometimes the aspartame will do that to me.

My Mother in law and friend was also there to witness me having to take a liquid medicine. It was not pretty – or should I say I was not pretty with all the faces I was making. I HATE liquid medicine. My mother ruined me as a child with Triaminic cough syrup – hated taking it. But if I wanted to keep my soreness to a minimum I had to take it cause they were weaning me off the Dilaudid and switching me to liquid Vicodin since that is what I would be taking at home (oh joy). I was still going to be getting the Toradol until they took the IV out tomorrow.

My hubby came up later in the day with my kids cause they wanted to see me too. My daughter was so excited to walk around the hospital floor with me and we did a whole bunch of laps. It was funny cause I farted while I was walking and was like Oh Yeah – she says “Is that a good thing?” – Yes!! passing gas whether it be burping or farting is a good thing after Gastric Bypass (FYI). I also wonder if any of the other patients heard it – ha ha. While they were there my dinner showed up – this time I got Beef Broth and all the other same items – Jell-O and Tea. I tried the Beef Broth and it was soooo salty. I asked them to bring me Chicken Broth instead. So now I had to wait to eat. No Biggy.

So my family stayed for a couple hours and had to go so they could have their dinner, do homework etc.. A long while later my Chicken Broth finally arrived, but it was gross. Something tasted icky – it was like dirty chicken water. They must have thrown something together last minute. So I did not eat.

I was able to get up on my own now – I was a pro at dragging all the hospital stuff behind me now. So to pass time I did a lot of walking. 99% of the nurses on my floor were young so I had a lot of fun chatting with them all. Even the 1% older ones were just as awesome. They came and hung out with me in my room which was nice. Later that night one of the nurses brought me a Sugar Free Lemon Italian Ice – can I say O.M.G – that was truly the best.

Wednesday came and I was going home to start my new life. Now I had to wait for my surgeon to come in and release me. My hubby got the kids off to school and was on his way to the hospital to get me. My hubby arrived to the hospital before the surgeon came which seemed like it took FOREVER. He ended up coming in at about 10:00am and was happy to answer yet another list of questions I had for him and some my hubby had.

Next he had to remove the drain from my belly. First he cut the stitches holding it on. Then I was asking how long the thing was and if it was gonna hurt coming out – I was freakin’ a bit. He said it would not hurt, but just feel weird. What did that mean – weird???? So he started to talk to me to try and distract me and then he said are you ready 3…2…1… And there is me OMG – WTF !!! It took a couple seconds, but it was the weirdest feeling I have ever felt in my life and DO NOT want to experience it again. It did not hurt he was right, but it felt like there was a worm inside my belly crawling out. Totally the craziest feeling ever and I was glad it was over. Now I just had a gauze.

He told me the steri strips on my other incisions can just fall off on their own (which some had already) and I could shower. OH yeah – could not wait to shower. So he released me and now I just had to wait for the nurses to come un hook me.

So the nurse came in and gave me one more dose of Toradol in my IV so I had time until I could fill my pain meds. They unhooked me from the haeart monitor and pulled off all 1,000 sticky things one me – ok there was not 1,000, but it sure felt like there were. I was happy t have them off and now all that was left was the sticky stuff that is a pain to get off – oh well – I was FREE from equipment !!

While I waited for my papers I got dressed into some fresh clean clothes I packed along with some comfy pants. Hubby went to get the car and meet me at the getaway door. Finally I got my papers and my limo arrived at my room – ok it was a wheelchair. They wheeled me out and that was it. Bye Hospital – I’m Homeward Bound !!

First thing on my list when I get home – SHOWER !!!

Stay Tuned for my next post – My First week after Gastric Bypass

I would also like to send a BIG shout out Thank You to all the nurses at the Reading Hospital on the 3rd floor who rocked !! I could not have asked for a better crew to get me through this and the support and companionship they offered while I was there was top notch. Thanks ladies !!!