Newfoundlove

This week's update: SW: 207 GW: 180 CW: 204

Well, I kind of made up the recipe. I've made some of Emilybites.com cupcakes (lasagna and taco) so I followed her basic premise. Spray cupcake tins with Pam Preheat oven to 375. The mixture I used in the cupcakes consisted of cooked crab, flaked/chopped; sautéed green onions and celery; old bay seasoning, and a block of cream cheese, softened. Put one won ton wrapper in bottom of muffin tin, some of the crab mixture, another wrapper and more crab mixture. Sprinkled the top with some panko bread crumbs mixed with old bay seasoning and drizzled a very small amount of olive oil on top. Baked for 18-20 minutes. I will say that they are awesome fresh out of the oven, but not that great reheated the next day.

Crabbing season opened here in the Pacific Northwest a couple of weeks ago and I've been stuffing my face full of crab! I made crab cupcakes last week (with won ton wrappers) and they were delish!

Love my sleeve! At 204 - down 49 pounds.

Soy Beans

I'm a foodie and love to cook. Found this awesome recipe on Pinterest. Only 100 calories and 8 grams of protein! 12 ounces shelled edamame - fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Mix all ingredients together Put in a single layer on a cookie sheet or cake pan Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Check and if not very slightly brown, roast for five more minutes. Really yummy! My family loves these!

Do you have anything that has wheels on it--like a suitcase even? You could put the clothes in that and just pull it which should not hurt you.

If you read Alex's newsletter from early this week (The Sleeve Newsletter), there's an article about how it's better to only lose 2-3 pounds a week. My doctor said that after the first couple of weeks, I should average about 2-3 pounds a week and that is exactly what I am doing. Some lose more than that because they are a higher BMI. I'm okay with losing slower as long as I see the scale move once some. Losing slower sometimes helps prevent sagging skin, etc. So far I've lost 48 pounds (sleeved May 3) and I'm so happy!

I had it in the mushy stage. I love cottage cheese. I eat it almost daily. I usually add one of the following in small amounts: diced avocado; torani sugar-free syrup; sliced black olives; chives, and today I had some sliced strawberries with it. You can also add cinnamon or nutmeg to it. I've done that when adding strawberries. Very tasty!

Go to www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com And Www.emilybites.com

It was on my list, but it had too much sugar in it for me and I spent the rest of the day running to the toilet after adding it (less than a teaspoon!) to my protein shake. It left such a terrible memory that I haven't tried it since as I am at 10 weeks. But, I did have some Almond Butter two days ago on a couple of apple slices and that went down just fine.

My nutrition plan was exactly the same. Only two days of clear liquids, then seven days of other liquids (shakes, broth, cream Soups, etc) followed by 7 days of purees (I LOVED this stage as I wanted flavor and man did I puree lots of foods!), then 7 days of mushies (also a good stage for me) and by the fourth week was on regular food. I had no problems with any of the stages. Now at 10 weeks out, I'm eating everything, including steak without an issue. My NUT did have me introduce fruits with skins and lettuce last but I've had no problems with those either. I eat about 3/4 cup of food now at most meals (sometimes less) and usually have one of Eggface's shake recipes daily too. My calorie intake ranges from 600-800, with usually around 70-80 grams of protein. I try and keep carbs between 40-50 - more of the time though I'm under 40 carbs.

What a pain in the butt (pun intended) this is. Colace worked for awhile for me, then stopped working. I'm 10 weeks out now and eating pretty much anything, so my NUT said to add natural fiber foods in like oatmeal, more vegetables, apple slices and prunes. So in the morning, I eat a Sunsweet Prune, and I've been adding more vegetables into my diet too and it has helped. Also, the more water I get in the better I do. If I'm below 64 ounces I seem to have more issues.

Yes, it is common. I actually do burb and that's my signal to stop eating. Everyone has a different signal. But, I would also mention that some people have trouble with eggs. You might try eating some canned chili ground up (good processor or blender) or refried beans. They are both high in protein. Other things that I did successfully during the mushy stage was to blend canned soups and maybe add some different spices to make them taste better. Mix it up a little so you don't get bored with the eggs.

Weekly weight-in: SW: 207 CW: 205 (need to update my ticker) GW: 180

There are some WW recipes that I have been making, I just look at the protein and make higher protein meals. I always have a protein shake or a protein bar for a snack or breakfast, so with the addition of foods that contain good protein, I make my protein goals. I have use the WW recipes post-surgery to help make wholesome, healthy meals, not only for me, but for my family. I do not, however, count points or anything though. Several of Emily Bites recipes have WW points attached to them and are high in protein. Go to www.emilybites.com.

I'm in. SW: 207 GW: 180

I'm 11 weeks out tomorrow and do include vegetables daily, even if it's just a couple of bites. In the morning I have low sodium V8 juice, and I add lime juice and tobasco to it. At dinner I always have a few bites of vegetable like summer squash, green beans etc. I've also made zucchini squash squares and cauliflower pie from Eggface's blog. I cook for my family so there's always a vegetable. I also make a very small 1/4 cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced with some fresh basil, chopped garlic, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a tsp of vinaigrette dressing-yum!

This was fun! I made goal, plus three more pounds! SW: 220 GW: 210 CW: 207

My NUT and Doctor said the same thing, no straw, but didn't give a time frame. Their reasoning is because you can suck more air in with a straw which can be really uncomfortable for some people. But, I started using a cup with a straw last week to get my protein drink down. It's the only way I can do it. No side effects whatsoever. I told my NUT last week that's how I was getting my protein down and she didn't have a problem with it. I'm eight weeks out now.

I'm two months out now and rarely get hungry. I do really well during the week getting my food in because I actually schedule it on my Outlook calendar, but weekends are still a little hit and miss for me. But, I have found something that helps me. I love reading cookbooks and recipes. So a couple of times a week, I go to either Emilybites.com or Eggface's blog and find some recipes that appeal to me and plan meals and snacks using them. Just reading the recipes incites good head hunger for me. I'm still in the range of 400-700 calories but usually get my protein in because I like cottage cheese and greek yogurt. It wasn't until just a couple of weeks ago that I could drink the Premier Protein shakes so I will have one of those daily now too. It was too sweet before. I also eat protein bars. I bought a box of the Coconut Almond bars from Amazon. I like them because they are chewy but don't stick to my teeth and dissolve when chewing to practically nothing so I can swallow them easier. I can now eat a whole bar. Each bar has 22 grams of Protein too. They also are not too sweet for me. I can't eat sweets really at this time - they just don't taste good to me.

Yes, that's how my NUT defines it. I don't see it as harsh personally, and I honestly don't have an issue with a stall either. But, I might feel differently if I had a stall for three weeks. I am no longer weighing daily because I did have days where I went up a pound or two (discovered that sodium in beef jerkey really makes me retain water). No I weigh every Wednesday, so I had two weeks with not a pound loss but didn't sweat it. Measurements did change those two weeks and I'm doing everything correctly so I know I'll lose what I need to eventually. I'm also over 50 years of age, so I expect the weight to come off a little slower and I'm okay with that too.

I actually define a stall as my NUT has sort of defined it. No weightloss in one week. So I've had two stalls so far at eight weeks out. But, it seems that as soon as I hit that seven day mark (so far), the next day I've lost a pound or two. I'm perimenopausal so my TOM only comes every four months or thereabouts, so hormones haven't played a role - yet!

I'm eight weeks out and my surgeon and NUT are pretty progressive about moving us to real food. I moved to real food at about four weeks, although you kind of introduce foods a little at a time with meats and fruits with skins, and lettuce last. I've now introduced all of them and am doing great. Actually I think the added Fiber is helping me lose a little bit more. I'm fanatical about getting my fluids in as I've noticed that I wake up with a headache the next morning if I don't, and my skin has been super dry since surgery. Here's how I do it: First thing in the morning when I wake up. 6-8 ounces of Water (with pills/supplements I am taking) Breakfast: Protein shake (11 ounce RTD counts as fluid), or 1/2 cup cottage cheese or greek yogurt (5.5 ounces also considered liquid) (my sleeve actually lets me eat rather quickly without an issue - probably not good for me though). Immediately when I get to work, I fill up a 32 ounce bottle I have with water and Mojito Crystal Lite. Goal is to drink it before lunch time. Sometimes I don't finish it until around 2 pm. Snack at 10:00 am - 2 Babybel cheeses, or cheese stick with a slice of turkey lunchmeat, or half of a Protein Bar Lunch: Tunafish salad, chicken salad, or leftovers (today I am having a small piece of Korean Short Ribs and two brocollini spears). After Lunch - if I've finished my water from the morning, I refill. Many times I am finishing in my car on the way home. Snack at around 3:00 pm - Turkey Jerkey, Babybel Cheeses, Cottage Cheese, 1/2 Protein bar, 9 almonds, or a hard-boiled egg. Dinner: A piece of fish, or chicken/turkey, some kind of protein source (Lasagna Cupcakes are awesome!) plus a couple of bites of vegetables 7:00 pm or so - a pot of Bengal Spice Decaf Tea - 16 ounces Total fluids for each day ranges from 80 ounces to 101.

Generally for the first two or three weeks you are going to be swollen and retain fluids some so you may not see huge amounts of weight come off. I actually gained almost 15 pounds in surgery but it was gone a week later along with a few pounds. I'm eight weeks out and have lost 26 pounds since surgery (the rest of my weightloss so far was pre-surgery diet) so I'm losing 2-3 pounds a week and have had a couple of one-week stalls.