TakeCareGirl

Wow - congratulations. Love a man in a cowboy hat!

I made these tonight and drizzled with blue cheese dressing - they were really good. They were a little mishapen as the meatball mixture was a little runny - so in the future I would probably start with just one egg. My recipe made 18 balls, using 3 balls as a serving, MFP calculated 1 serving with 269 calories, 1 carb, 21 grams fat, 19 grams Protein. A lot of the calories and fat came from the butter in the sauce, you could always omit and just drizzle the balls with the plain Frank's sauce if you wanted to drop the calories.
chicken or turkey
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 Tbl chopped celery
3 Tbl crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
1/2 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Form into about 1 inch balls. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (with sides) and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the Frank's and butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, or place in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high.
After 10 minutes, remove balls from oven and dunk carefully (they are tender from the cream cheese and could fall apart if you are too rough) in the buffalo sauce.
Put back onto the cookie sheet and bake for another 12 minutes. If you have leftover sauce you could pour it over the meatballs and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes if you want them really saucy.
Source: http://www.ibreathei...not-really.html

I discovered some of these in my freezer earlier in the week, reminding myself these make a great Breakfast. Before VSG I used the recipe below and was then putting them in the larger six cup muffin tin (I've often used that instead of doing it in a pie plate when having people over for brunch). Since that size is too big for my breakfast now, I'm going to try the 24 mini muffin tin and have 2 for breakfast.
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins | Servings: 12 | Difficulty: Easy
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 cup Chopped Onion (about 1 Medium Onion)
1 package (10 Oz) Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed And Drained
5 whole Large eggs, Beaten
2-½ cups Shredded Muenster cheese (or Whatever You Have On Hand - I Find That The Sharper The Cheese, The Better!)
¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese (plus 2 Tbsp. For Garnish - Optional)
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan (or appropriate muffin tin).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheeses, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add in spinach mixture and stir to blend. Pour into prepared pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set and the top is slightly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you’d like, top with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
*I also love using this recipe to make individual-sized little quiches. You can either use regular-sized muffin tins (15-20 minutes cook time), or the cute mini ones (about 10-15 minutes). Just be sure to prepare the tins well with cooking spray (or use muffin liners), and watch to be sure that they don’t get overcooked!
Source: Protein

Wow, you look fabulous! Congratulations!

Congratulations!

I want to lose one pound to reach goal



good will and peace on earth too

nmouatrich congrats on losing 30 lbs
health issues improving - how wonderful!!!
your commitment - determination shine through - "I need to work to make this work" - well put!!!
you shouldn't dwell on the past, and what you wish you had done.
the only time you are now wasting - is thinking about the past and what you can't change
future is right in front of you..........see it with the "welcome" sign on the path.
i can see it in your eyes, you got this, you know what to do
here's to the next 6 monts,and the next and the next for the rest of your longer, healthier ,happier life
good luck to you
happy holidays

I made these tonight and drizzled with blue cheese dressing - they were really good. They were a little mishapen as the meatball mixture was a little runny - so in the future I would probably start with just one egg. My recipe made 18 balls, using 3 balls as a serving, MFP calculated 1 serving with 269 calories, 1 carb, 21 grams fat, 19 grams Protein. A lot of the calories and fat came from the butter in the sauce, you could always omit and just drizzle the balls with the plain Frank's sauce if you wanted to drop the calories.
chicken or turkey
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 Tbl chopped celery
3 Tbl crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
1/2 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Form into about 1 inch balls. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (with sides) and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the Frank's and butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, or place in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high.
After 10 minutes, remove balls from oven and dunk carefully (they are tender from the cream cheese and could fall apart if you are too rough) in the buffalo sauce.
Put back onto the cookie sheet and bake for another 12 minutes. If you have leftover sauce you could pour it over the meatballs and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes if you want them really saucy.
Source: http://www.ibreathei...not-really.html

Way to go! Congrats on your weight loss!

TakeCareGirl hi there - how great are you doing??!!!!
very happy for you
your beautiful little girl will enjoy the new healthier you - being around her healthier and happier mom will be great. she'll notice the difference
kids pick up on that - their Smarty Pants
keep doing what you doing, its obviously working for you
happy days

That's wonderful! I am almost 3 months too, and have lost about the same amount as you! I have a longer road ahead though, It feels so great to FINALLY walk at a normal pace and not feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest LOL I'm so glad I got the sleeve :-) I can't wait to go shopping! I'm off of 1 of my BP meds too!

I made this tonight for dinner and LOVED it! Five out of five stars. Too bad my six year old didn't care for it, but she's not a veggie fan.
I used a smaller spaghetti squash, it netted about 3 cups of strands for the recipe. So that's what I used to calulate the nutrition in MFP. For a total of 8 servings, each serving would have 243 calories, 6 carbs, 16 grams fat, 20 grams protein!
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Sausage
★★★★★
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 45 mins | Servings: 8 | Difficulty: Easy
1 Spaghetti Squash (3lbs)
2 T Olive Oil (divided in two parts)
5 or 6 medium Shallots, thickly sliced
3 cloves Garlic, crushed or finely minced
3/4 lb uncooked Sausage
1 c coarsely grated Parmigiana Reggiano
1 T finely chopped Oregano
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat Oven to 375°F. Oil a sheet pan with first 1 T of olive oil.
1. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. (Use the tip of the knife to first pierce and get the cut started. Once you get the first cut started the rest of the squash should slice easily.) Scoop out the seeds and strands, then place cut side down on the prepared sheet pan.
2. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the squash flesh separates easily into strands with a fork. Finish loosening and removing the “spaghetti” from the shells and set aside.
3. Onto a large sheet of butcher paper or similar, pinch and pull small balls of sausage out of the casing, laying them so they stay slightly separate. Continue for all of the sausage.
4. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Heat second 1 T of olive oil in pan, then add shallots and garlic. Cook until soft, stirring every 30 seconds, then add sausage. Cook untouched until bottom side of sausage starts to brown, then stir. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the sausage is cooked through (@2-3 minutes depending on heat and size of sausage).
5. Add spaghetti squash strands to the sausage and continue cooking until heated (usually less than a minute.)
6. Remove from heat. Toss in Parmigiana Reggiano and oregano. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper (remember the cheese will have a bit of “saltiness” to it already.) Serve immediately.
http://whiteonriceco...squash-sausage/

We were at a lovely "Candy Cane Tea" at a local hotel today - reviewing the photos it hit me that how I am holding my daughter in the latter photo was similar to one from when we were on vacation this summer, when I was at my highest weight, so I thought I would compare.
VSG 2.5 months ago, down 68 pounds total (18 pre-op diet) down 2 sizes - no signs of sleep apnea, off 1 diabetes med, soon to be off another. In general feeling wonderful for this gift of health. Looking forward to continued success!

We were at a lovely "Candy Cane Tea" at a local hotel today - reviewing the photos it hit me that how I am holding my daughter in the latter photo was similar to one from when we were on vacation this summer, when I was at my highest weight, so I thought I would compare.
VSG 2.5 months ago, down 68 pounds total (18 pre-op diet) down 2 sizes - no signs of sleep apnea, off 1 diabetes med, soon to be off another. In general feeling wonderful for this gift of health. Looking forward to continued success!

We were at a lovely "Candy Cane Tea" at a local hotel today - reviewing the photos it hit me that how I am holding my daughter in the latter photo was similar to one from when we were on vacation this summer, when I was at my highest weight, so I thought I would compare.
VSG 2.5 months ago, down 68 pounds total (18 pre-op diet) down 2 sizes - no signs of sleep apnea, off 1 diabetes med, soon to be off another. In general feeling wonderful for this gift of health. Looking forward to continued success!

Hi folks,
I started this journey a few years ago when I was still living in Boston. I was looking into the duodenal switch and the closest surgeon who did anything other than the Lap Band or Roux-N-Y was in New York City so I drove down and fell headfirst into the WLS world. My life was a bit of a mess at the time and after the initial appointment, I never actually took the next step in the process and things just stalled out.
Fast forward to last summer. I decided I needed to shake things up in my life a bit so a few days after my 45th birthday and with my employer's OK to work remotely, I loaded up the truck and I moved to Beverly... Well, no, I moved to Seattle. A new home, a new start and time to start getting serious about my health and get things back on track.
After settling in, I spent a couple of weeks looking at the programs in the area and was impressed with the Swedish Hospital Weight Loss Center. They were having a seminar in a week so I signed up and went in. I was impressed with their approach, their mindset and the people running the program. I had my first appointments with Dr. McMahon and his staff on August 26th and after a bit of discussion with the staff I decided to change focus from the DS to the VSG and it's been a whirlwind of appointments and hijinks ever since.
My surgery date (January 8th) was scheduled this week and so the first phase of this journey is nearing its end. The second, unending phase will start shortly. I've never had any surgery before and my emotions are all over the map. I'm afraid it won't work, I'm afraid it WILL work, I'm happy, excited, terrified, and a hundred other things all at the same time. I have the support of a great medical team and great friends and it's time to take a deep breath and jump.
Here we go!
Stef

I'm ready for the operation on Tuesday morning. I have bought Unjury chicken Soup, chldrens muti Vitamins, gasx strips premier choclate drink, unjury no flavor Protein, chapstick, clcium citrate chews, and Iron wafers. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Im 90 percent excited and 10 percent anxious and nervous. This has been a nine month process to get here. My heaviest has been 420 and three days before I'm 377. My doctor has me on Atkins startup diet. meat eggs and cheese with less than 40 carbs, less than 5g sugar. I'm going to go liquid sunday and monday on my own to get all solids out of my system. If anyone has suggestions please give your input... I will write about the eexperience after surgery. I'm in Greenville NC, DR Nazeri,

Hello everyone, I am so glad that I have joined the losers bench as of Dec 3. When i first came out of surgery I was in so much pain, I had a H hernia repaired and with that and the surgery I was in severe pain. It ses like it ook forever for them to hook up the morphine pump. I had woke up before they got me to recovery. I was screaming and saying what have I done, I should have never done this, will somebodyplease help me. I can look back on it and laugh now but in the beginning it was not funny at all. When we got in the recovery room, there was about ten more people out of whatever type of surgery they had but they laid there quietly. Finally one nurse said, Your room is ready are you ready to go to it I said yes!!!. Another nicer and understanding nurse bent over my bed as she was injecting the pain killer said, madame, I know you is in a lot of pain, you just had major surgery. Not only was you sleeved but your h hernia was repaired, the incision is very close to the heart but small. She said, she had the lapband ( she was slim) and that I chose the best option because the sleeve was better and she wish she was sleeved. That each day will get better, I calm down then and she was right. I went into surgery at 7 and remember it was about 10 when I got to my room. My husband was already in there. MY mom and others visit I slept most of the day. Around 2 the nurse walked me and again around 5. I walked alone at 8 and felt so much better. Sore but better. The more I walk and sit up in bed the better I felt so the gas could pass. I went home the next day. Take my advice presleevers, walk and sit on the side of bed much as posssible so the gas pain want hurt so bad. AS of today Dec8, I still have one incision on my right side that hurts but I HAVE NOT HAD NO PAIN MEDS TODAY SO FAR AND ONLY TWICE YESTERDAY. Everyone heals different. The key is getting fluids and Proteins in.. It is a challenge but I try to sip throughout the day. Since I had no pain meds feel okay, I am driving today alone.. Need to do some shopping. chicken broth feels good to the stomach. I was taking off all my meds but one high blood pressure meds. That will be soon. I am not buying a scale because I am not going to be on the scale daily. I will wait until my two weeks check up and then buy one lol. I am so excited!!! Best of luck to you all. Got to get moving too much energy to sit around the house To God be the Glory. I thank everyone that prayed and thought of me on my surgery date!!!

Went to an annual Christmas party last night and kept thinking about how this time next year I'll be a much smaller version of myself. I. Can't. Wait. Especially since I felt like the largest person there!

I made these tonight and drizzled with blue cheese dressing - they were really good. They were a little mishapen as the meatball mixture was a little runny - so in the future I would probably start with just one egg. My recipe made 18 balls, using 3 balls as a serving, MFP calculated 1 serving with 269 calories, 1 carb, 21 grams fat, 19 grams Protein. A lot of the calories and fat came from the butter in the sauce, you could always omit and just drizzle the balls with the plain Frank's sauce if you wanted to drop the calories.
chicken or turkey
2 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 Tbl chopped celery
3 Tbl crumbled blue cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
1/2 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Form into about 1 inch balls. Place them on a greased cookie sheet (with sides) and bake at 350 degrees (F) for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the Frank's and butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, or place in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on high.
After 10 minutes, remove balls from oven and dunk carefully (they are tender from the cream cheese and could fall apart if you are too rough) in the buffalo sauce.
Put back onto the cookie sheet and bake for another 12 minutes. If you have leftover sauce you could pour it over the meatballs and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes if you want them really saucy.
Source: http://www.ibreathei...not-really.html

I travel about once a month for work, I manage a call center and was temporarily assigned a second one in another city.
I asked for a seat belt extender on this trip, got to my seat, and found out I didn't need it!

I have read somewhere on this board that someone suggested making mini-pizzas out of the large sandwich style pepperoni you can get at the deli counter. You can put the toppings on top of that and bake.
I also saw a blog post where someone made them from the large portabella mushrooms being the crust.
A lot of people have been raving about cauliflower crust pizza, I haven't tried it yet, but here's one recipe I want to try.
And one last thought! I made this Where's the crust pizza? pre-VSG. My daughter did not like it, but I did. I will be making it again sometime.
Good luck!

Adorable. I love tiny things. Except men, men I dont like tiny lol.

Congratulations!