Beach Lover

Hi there!
I'm a lazy cook and it's gotten worse post-op because although I love good food, who wants to put a lot of time into little meals?
Here's some stuff that works great for me:
Veggie soup: I make a giant pot then freeze in 1 cup portions in sandwich baggies. I add Protein when serviing. chicken. low fat meatballs, turkey sausage are all good. Here's my fav veggie Soup recipe: http://savingdinner.com/healthy-vegetarian-recipes/soup-good-food/ I don't use the potatoes. I add more turnips instead.
Meaty chili: I make my chili with enough meat to get 3 oz. in a 3/4 cup serving. Freeze the same way as Soup, but in 3/4 cup portions. I don't have a recipe, but I use a couple pounds very lean ground beef, 1 large can chili Beans, 1 large can tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, chili powder. In a stew pot, brown the onion and ground beef. If needed add a little oil. If any oil cooks out, drain. Add tomatoes and chili Beans. Add chili powder to taste. Cook down till it tastes good to you.
costco Chicken: I buy the roasted one from the deli, then freeze in 3 oz. and 2 oz. portions. Great for salads, sandwiches, and stir fries. Buy the bagged lettuce already chopped and put the salad dressing in one of those tiny plastic glad storage cups.
Two of my fav salads:
- Southwest style: Mix chicken with a little BBQ Sauce. For salad, use lettuce, tomatoes, green onions and either 1/3 c. black beans or 1/3 cup corn. Dress salad with 1 T. lite ranch and top with BBQ chicken.
- Asian Chicken: Mix chicken with a little Newmann's own Lite Sesame Ginger dressing. For salad, use lettuce, 1/8- 1/4 c. mandarin oranges packed in splenda, 1/8-1/4 C. snow pea pods. . Dress salad with 1 T. Newmann's own Lite Sesame Ginger dressing and top with chicken. Now that I'm at goal, I sprinkle 2 T. of slivered almonds on top.
Two of my fav stir frys:
- Italian: I use a mandolin slicer to slice zuchinni, yellow squash, onions, and peppers. Saute quickly with a little oil and some fresh basil. Add cooked chicken or shrimp and a few cherry tomatoes, cut in half.
- Asian: Saute Snow pea pods, thinly sliced brocolli and carrots in a little sesame oil. Add cooked chicken or shrimp, a splash of soy sauce and a tiny splash of OJ. I like mine with a few thin slices of ginger.
I also like to roast veggies and then mix iwth a little Protein. I use a mandolin slicer to slice zuchinni, yellow squash, onions, and peppers. Oven roast at 425 with a little oil. Cool and freeze in portion sizes that you can eat. Mix with chicken and a little balsamic.
Quick Proteins I don't have to cook:
98% FF ham rolled around a light string cheese,
Bistro Sensations Chicken Sausage http://www.walmart.com/ip/Benetino-s-Bistro-Sensations-Sausage-Chicken-Habanero-W-Monterey-Jack-Cheese-Meat-12-oz/10403147,
tuna with dressing made of 1/2 light mayo, 1/2 greek yogurt, dash of prepared horseradish
Frozen shrimp, cooked and deveined. I just pack them frozen and add cocktail sauce at lunch time.
Lynda

60 grams

Well that sounds like a perfect thing to have your taste buds change for. Anytime you can take a carb off the favorite list is a success by me!!

This is a good example of believing and knowing what should be happening with your body. You handled this correctly. I am so glad you got that 2nd chance and things are moving in the right direction for you now! I'm sorry you went through the first one and it was such a disappointment but I am also glad you shared your story to prevent this from happening to others. I wish you the best outcome ever!! Keep us posted!!

This is a good example of believing and knowing what should be happening with your body. You handled this correctly. I am so glad you got that 2nd chance and things are moving in the right direction for you now! I'm sorry you went through the first one and it was such a disappointment but I am also glad you shared your story to prevent this from happening to others. I wish you the best outcome ever!! Keep us posted!!

They just took my drain out and my spirits shot waaaay up. . Feeling happy.

This is a good example of believing and knowing what should be happening with your body. You handled this correctly. I am so glad you got that 2nd chance and things are moving in the right direction for you now! I'm sorry you went through the first one and it was such a disappointment but I am also glad you shared your story to prevent this from happening to others. I wish you the best outcome ever!! Keep us posted!!

NUMBER 1 RULE: Always trust your gut instincts! I'm glad to hear that you did! It's just so unfortunate for you that your first surgeon was incompetant! Good luck on your second Journey!

Thank you so much for the kind replies and good wishes.
sknyinside - Please do not let my story put you off surgery. That wasn't my intention at all. There are a tiny amount of people who have problems compared to the huge majority that are successful and happy with their sleeve. If I didn't believe in it, I wouldn't have done it twice. Good luck!

I'm almost 2 year out and I have have no complications from my surgery. I am a couple lbs to my personal goal and have been for over a year. Yayyy!

I made a list early on of boredom activities. The most effective for me is to take a break and get out of the house: walk the dog, work in the garden, or go run an errand. Physically removing myself from the situation, even if just for a short period of time, gives me the distraction I need. I also agree with the poster who said only have healthy Snacks around.

For bored eating, watching TV or reading a book is not quite enough. I need something that keeps my hands busier. I play computer games, call someone, or work on a craft. For me, training for bad food resistance is like training any other muscle. The more I do it, the easier it gets. Not easy, but easier.
Lynda

I like the rtd Premier chocolate 30g of Protein and you can find it at Sam's and costco. Also one of my favorites is the mint cookie powder from Syntrax it has 23g of protein and yummy.

No it is Syntrax Matrix it is a powder you can order it at www.mybariatricpantry.com and it is so darn good!! My daughter will drink it on me if I don't watch her!

I am so happy to hear you have had your surgery and everything is going so well!! Keep us posted!!

I am so happy to hear you have had your surgery and everything is going so well!! Keep us posted!!

So today I say my doctor and had my first official weigh in.................I am down 17 pounds and this includes the pre op liquid diet. I was hoping for 20 pounds but I am very happy with the 17. I have lost about 10 inches as well all around. The clothes are fitting looser and I can now sit comfortably indian style. This I love!! He also gave me the all clear to start eating soft foods and adding more regular foods one at a time. I had some vegetables at lunch (soft) and it was wonderful!! I am so happy with my new life. I laugh at that first night worry, you know the one........What the hell did I do!!! I get to start swimming now and have already been going to the gym doing the recumbent bike but now I can get in the pool!! I am working at learning new recipes and food combinations that will be fulfilling. Life is good!!

Congratulations!!

Awesome! Your making progress already, the best thing is as it comes off, it's not like an old diet where it just comes back that was when I realized the life.

Congratulations on your new beginning of a wonderful life again :-)

So today I say my doctor and had my first official weigh in.................I am down 17 pounds and this includes the pre op liquid diet. I was hoping for 20 pounds but I am very happy with the 17. I have lost about 10 inches as well all around. The clothes are fitting looser and I can now sit comfortably indian style. This I love!! He also gave me the all clear to start eating soft foods and adding more regular foods one at a time. I had some vegetables at lunch (soft) and it was wonderful!! I am so happy with my new life. I laugh at that first night worry, you know the one........What the hell did I do!!! I get to start swimming now and have already been going to the gym doing the recumbent bike but now I can get in the pool!! I am working at learning new recipes and food combinations that will be fulfilling. Life is good!!

So today I say my doctor and had my first official weigh in.................I am down 17 pounds and this includes the pre op liquid diet. I was hoping for 20 pounds but I am very happy with the 17. I have lost about 10 inches as well all around. The clothes are fitting looser and I can now sit comfortably indian style. This I love!! He also gave me the all clear to start eating soft foods and adding more regular foods one at a time. I had some vegetables at lunch (soft) and it was wonderful!! I am so happy with my new life. I laugh at that first night worry, you know the one........What the hell did I do!!! I get to start swimming now and have already been going to the gym doing the recumbent bike but now I can get in the pool!! I am working at learning new recipes and food combinations that will be fulfilling. Life is good!!

Hello!! My name is Katie. I am 33 years old and on April 8, 2013 I was sleeved at JourneyLIte of Cincinnati by Dr. Trace Curry. But that was not the start of my journey. My journey began two years earlier. When I realized that if I didn't do something, make some changes I was not going to make it to 40. Something, most likely my heart would give out on me. Changes needed to be made.
I have been heavy since I was around 10 years old. The combination of puberty, and eating way too much added up. By the time I was 13 I was well over 200 lbs. So my weight is something that I have struggled with for a very long time. Things just got worse as I got older. I moved from the city where I walked every where, to the country where walking to your local store, or library was not doable. I became lazy even more so.
About a year ago I started to notice that the things that use to be easy for me to do was no longer easy. Walking was a pain literally, both on my knees, ankles and back, along with struggling to breath. Walking from the couch to the bathroom wiped me out. At one point in my life I loved going out. I would go to local band shows, and concerts. I went to fairs, and festivals. But I was starting to tread those things I once loved to do. I started saying "no" when people invited me out because I knew there would be walking that needed to be done, and I just couldn't do it. I mean walking from my door to the car was hard. There was NO way I could walk three blocks to a concert hall! I found myself sitting down. Giving up. And gaining more and more. I even found things like swimming which I love to do dreadful because of the walk from the chair to the pool! Two summers ago I found myself sitting down and watching the world go around me. That's when I decided something needed to be done.
Then my cousin had lap band surgery through the the same surgeon. I started to talk to her, and start my research on the different types of weight loss surgery. At the time I was really looking into by pass, simply because I had never heard of the sleeve. I did a lot of research, but eventually gave up. Mainly because I knew I could not afford the surgery. I didn't have a job, I couldn't work because physically stand to work. And I'm not going to get a job in an office! I knew that. So I gave up. Stopped researching. In my mind it was just a dream of mine that would never happen. I just decided to live the way I had been. I didn't even try dieting.
Then on New Years Eve of 2011 I found myself sitting alone. All because I couldn't go anywhere. I was sad, I was depressed and I was tired of missing out on my life. So I decided to sit down and talk to my mom about it. I know she had seen me start to fall, and seen that I was getting pretty. At this time I didn't even know how much I weighed, I only knew that I had to weigh at least 450 if not more! There was no scale that would read my weight, I was too heavy. She supported my Quest for WLS. And thought it was a wonderful idea! I was so happy that she was supportive that I quickly made a post on Facebook vaguely announcing my happiness. About 5 mins later my friend Cat called me wanting to know about the update. So I told her. Turns out that she herself was doing the same thing. However, she was looking into the sleeve, which I had never heard of. So she explained it to me, and gave me some websites to visit After visiting these websites and doing my research I then decided that the sleeve was probably a better option for me.
I tried everything to raise money. Online fundraisers (got 5 dollars) I tried and tried but it never went anywhere. I even tried to get on disability. Which I was denied, of course. Of course I found out that I had type two diabetes, and VERY high blood pressure, and started my wonderful drug therapy for both. All this time I couldn't find out how much I really weighed because no scales would register my weight. Finally my aunt had an idea. She works in a factory that makes big paper felts. I had to go to where she works to weigh myself on the scales that weigh 1000 lb felts. This was in Feb. of 2012. I weighed 450 lbs. I decided then that I had to make changes before surgery. That's a lot of weight to carry around on a 5'4 frame!
The next few months nothing was really done. I would try, cry, pray. But nothing. I had no way to pay. And with every day that passed the more and more it seemed as though it wasn't going to happen. Then in October I had an accident in the bath tub. We do not have a shower, so I have to take a bath. I wasn't able to get out of the bath tub, because I could not pull myself up. I was too heavy! There was no home to help me either. I ended up having to basically flop myself out of the tub onto the floor, and in doing this, I slipped and hit my head. I didn't get knocked out, thank God. But once I was out of the tub, I still couldn't stand up. I had to crawl to my couch and take the cushion off and sit myself on the couch to get up. This was embarrassing even though no one was home, no one seen me. It still happened, it still hurt. I told my mom what happened the next morning. She then told my dad. That broke my dad's heart. He then decided that yeah something needs to be done. So he made the decision to take a loan from his 401K to pay for my surgery. This delighted my heart! Many think it's crazy that I would be happy to have surgery, but those of us whose had it knows why.
I quickly made the phone call and set up an appointment with Dr. Curry. I knew I wanted to go to him, I had done my research on him too. My first appointment was Nov. 8, 2012. I was so excited. The appointment went pretty well. Not as scary as I thought it would be. But I did find out that since my BMI was over 60 (Mine was 72 I believe) I HAD to lose 75 lbs before he would do the surgery. I HAD to lose 60 before he would even schedule my surgery. But his team is awesome, and I was a assigned a nutritionist who put me on a low carb, high Protein diet. At the office I weighed 422 lbs, so I had lost .28 lbs since Feb. I left the office feeling happy because I knew the surgery would get done, but discouraged because I had to lose close to 100 lbs before having surgery and I just knew it would take forever.
I was wrong. I lost 30 lbs the first month of my new diet, and met my 60 lbs loss by March of this year. They scheduled my appointment for April 8 (5 months after my first Dr. visit to the day). And I started my 4 week pre-opt diet. Now I didn't lose like everyone else. I lost a total of 4 lbs during my pre-opt diet. I was so scared that he wouldn't do the surgery. But he did.
So on April 8th, I was sleeved. Amazingly I was rather calm, and at peace before surgery. I guess I was REALLY calm and at ease after I got my meds for surgery. Singing, dancing, acting a fool. I don't remember. I don't remember much about that day. I got to go home the same day as well. But recovery wasn't what I expected it to be. I guess I thought I would bounce right back, have all this energy. lol. Crazy girl. I was very blessed on the fact that I didn't have any pain afterward, and I had no throwing up or anything like that. My second day was the worse for me. That's because I was so sleepy, and tired I didn't want to be bothered and my mom was constantly waking me up and telling me to drink drink drink walk walk walk. I just wanted to be left alone. But my energy levels were really zapped and remained that way until about three weeks ago. I didn't feel like doing anything but sit around.
Things have gotten MUCH better. I have stalled in my weight loss. I lost 30 lbs the first month, and maybe 10 the second and nothing since. However I am losing inches. I work out daily (swim for an hour, and do weights for an hour). I was able to buy bathing suits this year, and not have to wear my regular clothes swimming. I actually bought two swimming suits in two different sizes. The bigger suit is too big for me! I can walk and not get out of breath, and or feel pain!! I have may days of discouragement when I see the scale isn't doing anything, but I'm trying to get away from that thought and believe that my success lays in those numbers! There has been times I thought maybe I should have gotten the bypass, but that's only because so far I have been able to tolerate anything I have eaten. There are some things I haven't tried such as chocolate, or anything with process sugar, and gluten. I haven't had either in months and really don't want. I have tired pizza I am guilty. However, I didn't like the way it tastes, I also don't like Breakfast foods anymore?? Not even the thought of breakfast makes me happy. It use to be my favorite meal. I'm really trying to eat clean.
So..so far so good! I am only three months out, well will be on July 8th. I'm praying my scale starts to move again, but either way I am so happy with what I have been giving so far!! Here are some pics of my progress. I started taking pictures in Dec. before my surgery. So the first pictures are from then, after I lost 30 lbs. And the last was taken about a week ago. In total, since Feb. 2012 I have lost around 120 lbs I believe! I wish I had pictures from back then!

I am so happy to hear you have had your surgery and everything is going so well!! Keep us posted!!

I'm on all Clear Liquids today..... Surgery 2mar!!!! 6-21-13!!!!!! The first day of summer..... An AWESOME way to start the summer!!!! And it's my aunt's 7 year surgeversary of her gastric bypass!!!!!! :-D