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Eliminating Processed Food



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My son is a chef, but he didn't inherit any cooking skills from me. :) Here are some cooking tips from a fellow single guy:

- Crock Pot - Buy a basic (under $20) crock pot and make large meals that can be broken up into many portions. For example, I bought 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts this week and cooked them in the crock pot along with onions, peppers, mushrooms, chicken broth, and tomatoes. The chicken came out very tender. I portioned it out in 8 oz pyrex containers. Some went into the freezer and the rest went into the refrigerator.

- Microwave / Toaster Oven - I eat salmon several times a week. I buy frozen individually packaged wild salmon from costco and it can be cooked in about ten minutes. Preheat the toaster oven, microwave the frozen salmon for about 2 minutes and then broil the salmon for about 8 minutes. Leftovers can be used for lunch the next day.

- Blender - I use a blender to make Protein smoothies. powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein powder, frozen berries, unsweetened almond milk, flax seed, and ice.

I try not to buy processed or canned food if at all possible. I stick mostly to fresh and frozen foods including salmon, shrimp, chicken, eggs, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, and berries.

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The Crock Pot brand is a good choice. You don't need many features but given that most recipes call for no more than 8-10 hours on low and you are generally gone 15 hours, a built-in timer that will switch to warm after 10 hours would be useful. Crock Pots/Slow Cookers are very forgiving in general, and flipping it on low and leaving it would probably still turn out okay. My fool-proof recipe involves filling the Crock Pot with frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs (straight out of the freezer is fine; my Crock holds about six thighs) and then pour about a cup of bottled salsa over the thighs and stir around so it coats the crock and the meat. Cover and turn on low and leave it alone for 8-10 hours. Don't lift the lid or stir the crock during cooking unless instructed to in the recipe as that changes the internal temperature drastically. After the 8-10 (or 15, whatever) hours, use two forks to shred the chicken. If you're feeling fancy, add a handful of chopped cilantro and the juice of a fresh lime. Salt & pepper to taste. You now have a week's worth of healthy Protein to top salads, mix with quinoa, or wrap in a tortilla. Good luck!

Edited by ArcticGirl

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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