I have not had my surgery yet, but I am excited about being able to change my body type

on my dating profile from Big and Tall to a few extra pounds! Is that weird? lol

10 hours ago, BigDaddy13 said:

Those sound delicious!
A lot of people have underlying causes for overeating but I think I just love food.

@BigDaddy13 and @Hoping052017 That's me too! I love food & cooking. I now have tons of re-created recipes that have all the decadence, flavor, mouth feel & comfort as the original without the carbs/fat! It's been a great challenge to re-make childhood favs, ethnic dishes, etc... but well worth it!

FYI, you don't have to give up any foods (some foods......for a time......until maintenance) I was told no pasta/bread/flour/sugar/fruit or starchy veggies while losing and/or until I was hitting my protein goal daily. Once in maintenance, it was trial & error to see what worked, what didn't trigger cravings, what kept me full & satisfied, etc........it's a work in progress.

That being said, here's a pizza recipe:

*My favorite thing to do with it is to flatten it into one large or several small patties, with a lip around the edge. Place on a sprayed baking sheet, top with your favorite low carb sauce, crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, low fat or fat free cheese, veggies etc… Bake on bottom rack at 425* till it is done to your liking. It is a cross between a deep dish and meatlover’s pizza.

Italian Sausage

1 lb. 93% lean groung turkey

4 minced garlic cloves and or 2 tsp garlic powder (depends on how much garlic you like)

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fennel seed (or more to taste)

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or cajun seasoning

1/8 tsp anise seed

2 tsp parsley

1 TBSP red or burgundy wine

Mix all together and use in any recipes* that call for Italian sausage (I’ve fooled MANY people) If you like spicy Italian sausage, you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes. It is great grilled for burgers or in lasagna.

On 4/11/2017 at 6:02 AM, TheRealMeIsHere! said:

FYI, you don't have to give up any foods (some foods......for a time......until maintenance) I was told no pasta/bread/flour/sugar/fruit or starchy veggies while losing and/or until I was hitting my Protein goal daily. Once in maintenance, it was trial & error to see what worked, what didn't trigger cravings, what kept me full & satisfied, etc........it's a work in progress.

That being said, here's a pizza recipe:

*My favorite thing to do with it is to flatten it into one large or several small patties, with a lip around the edge. Place on a sprayed baking sheet, top with your favorite low carb sauce, crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, low fat or fat free cheese, veggies etc… Bake on bottom rack at 425* till it is done to your liking. It is a cross between a deep dish and meatlover’s pizza.

Italian Sausage

1 lb. 93% lean groung turkey

4 minced garlic cloves and or 2 tsp garlic powder (depends on how much garlic you like)

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fennel seed (or more to taste)

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or cajun seasoning

1/8 tsp anise seed

2 tsp parsley

1 TBSP red or burgundy wine

Mix all together and use in any recipes* that call for Italian sausage (I’ve fooled MANY people) If you like spicy Italian sausage, you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes. It is great grilled for burgers or in lasagna.

I wish I had seen this the other day on pizza night. I found one online that was really good and REALLY filling. It used eggs and low fat part skim mozzarella cheese. I added unflavored protein powder to the "crust". Then I made my own pizza sauce so there wasn't any sugar. The recipe said it was two servings. But omg. I could only eat one half of a serving. I put mushrooms and diced tomatoes on top with a little bit more cheese. It was so good. My daughter even enjoyed it and she's 12 and a picky eater.

On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 8:19 AM, blizair09 said:

That's not weird, at all! When I started this journey with my six-month pre-op diet program almost 13 months ago, I made a list of milestones (26 of them in all). When I hit one of the milestones, I notate that on my list along with the date. It keeps me motivated and makes me happy. And some of them are the little things like what you mentioned! (And to be honest, those are the best ones!)

Good luck as you continue your journey!

In a similar manner I too had a list. During the psych evaluation prior to surgery, one of the things the doc pointed out was the recidivism of WLS patients to eventually eat themselves back to where they started. A reason for this was their inability to move past thinking of food as their "friend". For many WLS patients the change in eating may come with a time of actual grieving and mourning as if they lost a loved one. That's because they viewed food as a dear friend who was always there when others may not have been.

I took that to heart and did a lot of soul searching. I decided then and there, about a year before surgery to detach myself from what comfort I found in food and place the attachment elsewhere. I decided clothing would be my new friend. I hit the thrift stores and started buying stylish jeans and shirts I found which were far too small for me then, but would act as "new friends" to welcome me when I hit certain milestones. Now my new friends are little more form fitting, far more stylish and encourage me to stay on track so I can make new friends waiting to be purchased off the rack when I next go shopping.