33 Llbs and Counting

Today I am down 33lbs. It does seem like I am losing a tad bit slower, but in all it is still fast compared to a normal person. I am still eating 2 oz. Although I can have a little more than that. Majority of my diet is shrimp and fish. So good !

Beach bike Ride

So last night we went to the beach to go for a bike ride. It was a great idea and was a nice ride, but my butt is having a hard time getting used to that seat. I think I need a new one. We rode from Newport Beach to Huntington Beach, we almost made it to the pier, but I was pooped and we still had to go back to Newport. So we turned around and headed back. My legs were on fire ! Then we went to Baja restaurant and shared a shrimp cocktail. That was a cheap dinner !! It was nice and we had fun ! My calves are killing me this morning though ! We will try again next week. Meantime I am still playing on the Wii daily and it is fun !!

Shrimp Ceviche

Okay so I tried the Shrimp ceviche from my Before and After book and it was a hit! I made it twice this weekend. Very good, tasty and healthy .

Items Needed:
Salt and Pepper
Juice of 4 limes ( about 3/4 cup) plus 1 lime cut into wedges ( I bought lime juice in bottle)
1 1/4 pound of shrimp ( medium) peeled and deveined
3 Ripe roma tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion ( I used half of a large onion) finely diced
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and very finely minced
1/2 cup green olive pieces
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablesoon ketchup
Tabasco to taste ( I used about 2 table spoons)
1 small ripe hass avocado, diced

Fill a large saucepan halfway with water ; add 1 tablespoon of salt and juice and rind of a lime.
( about 1 1/2 tablespoon of juice) and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and remove from the heat, and poach for 90 seconds. ( you will see the color change) Drain the shrimp and then immediately rinse with cool water. Place in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, olives, cilantro, olive oil, ketchup, lime juice, and tabasco and combine to blend. Season with Salt and pepper. Chill before serving and add diced avocado.

Serve with Chips or baked tortilla strips. Very good and tasty !! Nice summer treat !

Excersise

Current Picture - 5th Week Post Op

3rd Week Post op

1st week post op

Day Before Surgery

Tonight Mike and I rode our bikes for 4.7 miles ! He really pushed me and it was great. Before that we went to Target and the Wii fit was on sale so we got it. Wow it was cool, it takes your weight, height, BMI and tells you the age that you are. I am 49 years cause I am big and unbalanced. It was so cool, I did balance exsercises and games and areobics. It was cool. I am beat and I am tired. I am posting pictures of my progress. So far down 31 lbs. !! My body feels different !

End of a crazy Week !

Well, VBS is almost over ! It has been a crazy and exciting week ! I hate to see it go. Everytime it ends I think we should make it 2 whole weeks ! I was well prepared everyday. Mike and I ate at home, so I would not be tempted to eat there. So far I am doing really well being around food. I thought it would be a little harder, but now that I am eating fish, and shrimp and beans and little bit of fruit. I feel good. Today I had a Iced green tea - no sweeter and one sweet and low ! it was so good !! That is my treat for a good week ! Tomorrow the Beach - All Day! got to prepare !

Fruit Added to my Diet

So today I had my first month post op appointment. I met with Dr. Tanaka. That man scares me, he is so serious. Anyways, he said I was doing good to go ahead and add a few fruit into my diet. Soft fruits that is. So I looked inside my Before and after book and saw the list of fruit that are not too high in carbs. He did say if I was going to eat it, to eat with my meal , not to snack. My appt was almost 2 hours. Most of it was the waiting, I think they were behind. Anyways, I came home and had tuna with pickle and for dinner, I made shrimp, mushrooms ( which I tried) and rice, and salad for Mike. I did have two fresh cherries with dinner , and they were juicy and awesome. I love shrimp although I need to start having more fish. But shrimp is so easy. Tomorrow is Salmon and I am going to try a little bit of lettuce! All is well, drymouth is pretty much gone , as long as I drink 3-4 bottles of water. I did all vitamins today and all is well. A little too well. It is almost scary. I joked with the doctor, but he did not laugh. Uhh... awkard !!

30 lbs !

Wow !! Exactly one month post op and I am down 30lbs !! It is amazing to me !! I stay at the same weight for a few days and then all of a sudden, I am down! I feel execellant. One down fall is my potasium is low, I need to work on taking my vitamins. Really I do !!

Crazy Sunday !!

Well today is the kick off lunch for VBS ! I packed accordingly so that way there would be no going under. We stayed at the church pretty much all day until the wedding. The wedding was beautiful and the setting was nice. I bought some shrimp to take with me and I think I ate too much, cause I felt way uncomfortable at the end. It did stay down and I went to Bed ! Protein good, need to work on my vitamins !!

Eating out in a dinner setting

Today was Ira's quinceria. So I prepared for the whole day. I made my self some shrimp and decided that once everyone ate their food I would heat my food up and eat with them. It all worked out perfect! Once it was our turn to go and get food, I heated my shrimp up which was nice because I did not feel like I was missing out on anything. There was candy and I did want to chomp on a licorice, however I passed with the thought that I may get the dumping. I have yet to experience that and trust me I don't feel like I am missing out. I would much rather not test the waters and cross that line to know what the dumping is like. Anyways, I survived and went home. It was a very nice atmosphere, and it helped to sit with others that understood why I was not eating what they ate. Tomorrow is start of VBS and a crazy week !

Shrimp and Fish

Today I tried 5 baby shrimp. Since I was able to keep it down, I am going to try to cook some for my day tomorrow.

Little Bit of a Set back

Well yesterday was going well. I ate, had some tuna for lunch and sat well. I came home and had a protein drink coffee and it was awesome. About 3 hours later we had El pollo loco, of course I had beans and a little of the green salsa. After that we went to starbucks to meet with Judy ( from our church). I was looking at the menu and found that I could have Tazo Tea unsweetened with splenda. 0 calories, and 0 fat and 0 sugar. I started sipping and I did not really drink that much, but I sipped it on our way to Cypress to look at a bike. I was feeling fine and we saw the bike and it was not a good deal. The gears had been removed so basically she wanted $150 for a frame. She was kind of upset with Mike cause he called around to see what the cost would be to fix it. She said it would not cost that much, however we drove to Sport Chalet and priced it with the bike man. It was going to cost $160 to fix plus tires. For that price he said I could get a new one for $189. So I did. The bikes were on sale! So I came home with a brand new bike. On our way I was feeling hungry since it had been 5 hours since we ate, and I had a few bites of cold beans and salsa. NO GOOD ! I instantly started feeling pressure, like indigestion pressure really bad . I don't know if it was the movement or if I ate to fast or if it was the tea. We got home and we tried out the bikes and it was great. But I still felt sick. I had to throw up so I did, kind of got scared cause it was red like Blood, but then Mike said, you had that Tea that was pink and red, I think it may be that. But see nothing comes out. It just feels like it is there and its not. So i was miserable last night and this morning I feel a bit under. I am trying to drink protein shake this morning . We shall see. My side hurts from throwing up:(

Pants

Oh yeah , I tried on a pair of old jeans today that I have not worn in a year. They fit perfect.. It was exciting and weird !!

Everyday is Progress

Everyday is progress. That is going to be my new slogan! I am feeling more and more normal now. I am gettting my protein in first thing in the morning and then I am getting it in the afternoon as well. My secert is no sugar added icecream, frozen banana, 2 frozen strawberries, 1/4 of milk. Very very good and 17 grams of protein. My protein coffee's come in today and I am excited ! Last night I also discovered Crystal Light popcicles. Way better tasting then the sugar free ones and its like water. 15 cal per pop. Very refreshing, although I can barely eat half.

Water has been my challenge. It is very hard to consume water inbetween the food. I feel so full, and I don't want to drink water. But I know I have to. My goal for water is 3 16 oz bottles a day. Plus my other fluids, which is plenty. Today for lunch I tried to eat 2oz of salmon tuna with a little light mayo, pickle and lemon. It was good, but it is very filling so I only got through 1.5oz. which is still good. Tomorrow is another day . Thank you Lord !

Weigh In

Down 26lbs !! I can kind of see it a little now. I tried a skirt on I have not tried in a year and i buckled it ! although I think 10 more lbs and it will be perfect, but I don't want to miss it either so I will try again next week !

Green Chili Cheese Puff

So last night for dinner I wanted to make a receipe from my book. I decided to make Green Chili Cheese Puff. It was good, very cheesy and a little heavy and filling. I only had 1 oz and then 1oz of black beans. I was full until about 11:30. After dinner we went bike riding and then came home and worked on VBS stuff. I have started taking my vitamins from BariAdvantage. They are really tasty. The iron pill taste like strawberry , but after it is in your stomach, you can taste the after taste. So today I am going to try to take it right after dinner so I don't taste it all night long. I'll post the receipe tonight.

Bikes

So I found a bike , it is a beach cruiser with 7 gears. However, it is still really tough to ride. I should have listen to Mike when he said to not get it and to get a road bike. So I listed it last night on Craigslist and already have two people who want. They are coming today to look at it. I hope I sell it cause I want a road bike. Although riding it for just that half hour was hard work. I felt sore. Oh well hopefully I will find. I should have listened :)

Got to get that protein in !

This morning I decided I was going to try the new protein. This i s what I created:

1 1/2 ounce of Lite and Fit strawberry yogurt- 1 gram protein
1/2 cup of non fat milk- 4 gram protein
1 strawberry
1 small piece of banana
1/2 cup of ice
1 tablespoon of Juice it up protein - 12 grams protein
1 teaspoon of splenda

Blend and serve
Total protein= 17 grams of protein
It did make 8-9 oz so I drank this over an hour and half.

Not sure how many calories, but it has to be less than the protein shake. It was very tasty and I enjoyed it and was easy to take down. Whatever it takes to get the drink down..

Back to work part 2

Yeseterday was my first day back at work. I thought I was prepared, but I was not as prepared as I thought. I only packed enough for a few hours, and I packed cottage cheese, which makes no sense, cause it makes me gag right now. So, needless to say I was extremely tired when I got home. I made an egg and I added a nickle size amount of salmon from the pouch. Let me say this, the Salmon was good, but a little fishy, but the salsa and the egg covered that. After dinner, I could taste the salmon for about an hour after I ate it, not very pleasant. However, it sat very well and I was full for 4 hours! That is a long time ! So last night I made the rest of the salmon in a receipe from my Before and After book , so I am going to try it today at lunch and see what happens. I am on my fourth week of recovery so techically I can eat fish, I just need to start slow. Since I was so tired, I was thinking of ways I could get protein in. So I called Juice it up and they sell there protein by the Jug, and it is non flavor. It is 12 grams of protein in 1 tablespoon. Meanwhile, I am on the hunt for a bike. Last night Mike and I went to look at some, I found one I like, but it is $500. Don't think so ! So after I tried it on for size, we went home and searched on Craigslist and found a whole bunch. That is my goal this week to find a bike.

Back to Work

Today is my first day back at work . I had a bit of a rough start. Mornings are very hard for me as it is and this morning was a little earlier than usual. I tried to eat an egg this morning, but that did not go over well. I instead switched to a yogurt smoothie and drank that on my way in. The smoothie is great, however it does not have much protein so by 10:30 I was crashing. I had to have more yogurt. Today I don't feel like eating much of solid foods. I think I am going to make a soup when I get home , cause I not feeling the solids. I am a bit tired from yesterday. We went to the dog beach again and we had fun. When we got home, I made Mike steak, which by the way looked and smelled so good. But when I really looked at it , I grossed out to see all that blood. what is wierd is I use to like my steak medium but right now, I am so out of whack !
Next week I can start having fish. I am excited about that cause there is only so much you can eat at home with beans and cheese and so on, I really want fish and shrimp now. I pray that it agrees with me. So far everything has been okay with adjusting to new foods. One day at a time.

I have a plan now. As soon as I am released for excersise, I am going to start riding a bike. I found one today on Craigs list. I don't want to not excersise, I have to be my own motivation !

Black Bean Soup

This receipe comes out of the book Before & After by Susan Maria Leach.
WLS- 1/2 cup portion: Calories 62, Fat 2.5 grams, carbs 7.5 gr, and 3.5 protein.

Ingredients:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion chopped ( I did quarter of onion and it was plenty)
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 15 ounce black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth( I used low sodium)
1/2 cup mild roasted tomato salsa ( Book recommends Newman's Own and Goya salsa, but I used Pace mild salsa)
Kosher Salt and Freshly ground pepper ( regular for me)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
Shredded Chedder, chopped cilantro, sliced green onions for serving

Heat Oil in a large skillet , saute the onion and garlic lightly until browned. Add the beans, stock and salsa and season with Salt and pepper . ( Don't season till end, the garlic and onion give plenty of seasoning). Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until soup thickens lightly. Puree the soup with a blender until smooth and creamy. ( I pulsed my 5 times). Be careful when pureeing hot liquids because of the steam. Always cover lid with kitchen towel.
Reheat the soup before serving and whisk in sour cream. Now check the seasoning and add salt if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Cheddar, cilantro and green onion. Hot sauce may be added for taste. For WLS- a pinch of cheese per 1/2 cup serving.
For families, serve with freshly baked bread, or tostada quesadillas and a side salad.

Bariatric portion at this point is 2 oz per serving, enjoy !

Protein I actually enjoy !

Okay, so it has been one heck of a week ! Everyday is a new day! My total weight loss is 23 lbs. I am excited but can't quite see the results yet. I am trying everyday new things. Today I received my package I ordered from Bariatric Eating.com. Let me tell you, this lady Maria, she is a life saver ! I instantly opened up and in it came lots of sample protein shake, protein water and juice packets. It also came with two bottles that looked like Starbucks. Of course being an addict as I was to coffee, I instantly opened the Mocha Latte, I poured it on ice and started sipping . Oh my goodness !! I was in heaven! I looked at the bottle again, to make sure it was real! 20grams of protein in 9 oz! Wow! I love it! So the next hour I read her book and enjoyed a Mocha Latte and got my protein in. I was so mesmerized by this ladies book. She has written about her personal experience as a Bariatric patient and what has worked and what has not. She has put receipes in here to help us along every stage of post op! So, after my latte, I went to the market cause I was determined to make Blackbean soup. I got all ingredients and came home and made it . I can not believe this! It was the best soup ever and not just because I needed it, it was really really tasty! I felt so normal like I was not being deprived, and it feels so good ! I recommend this website to any Bariatric Post op patient. Bariatriceating.com. This book has inspired me and I love it !! I am on my way to feeling great ! Thank you Lord, for keeping me on this journey .

My progresssion

Hi,
Well it has been a rough one . I am getting stronger day by day, but each day is a new day. The weekend was very hard for me. I did not know how emotional I would be, I mean it is just food right? We got to Steves late so we would miss the food, however I was not feeling well cause protein only last so long in me and then I feel my self literally getting weaker. I was okay until everyone was eating and serving soda and then there was an icecream cake ! OMGosh I had to go cause I was going to lose it. I was not hungry, but coming out of being a compulsive eater to this is tough, I mean it like I am going through withdrawls. It is weird though cause alot of the food I think I want, if I taste it, it is not the same. So I am in a weird spot. Since it is so hot I am trying extra hard to stay hydrated.
Yesterday I went to church and I had lots of questions for Josh. He is 6 months post op and I wanted to see how he did the first weeks. He said just try to get in as muchprotein as possible. The items I am able to eat right now and tolerate are Eggs, beans ( but they give me gas), yogurt, and protien shake and string cheese. After church we went to Target to get some stuff, I have been dying for some other flavor other water , so I picked up Fruit Punch crystal light , WOW !! I also picked up Yogurt smoothie low fat, it is less sugar than my yogurt I was having and it is more protein, and it is the greatest thing that has happened to me since I came home ! It works miracles ! I love it so much, today I mixed that with my protein powder, a small piece of banana. We shall see !!

Day by Day

Today I woke up feeling the best I have felt in a long time ! Besides the cotton mouth I feel really good and feel like I am getting stronger. I was up very early this morning and am ready to conquer the day. I actually had a dream about bread last night..LOL . I know I am pathetic. I dreamt that I had a bite and it sat in my throat. It was weird. Anyways, so this morning I started researching online for Bariatric Recipes . There are not many out there, in fact there is one chef that I found and he is an actual Bariatric Patient and cooks like one. I instantly got excited ! I feel like there is more life now. I also went over the list of foods I can have soon and I am very excited ! Today I made decaffeinated ice tea with splenda, and OHHH it is the best !! I feel some what normal !