What's For Dinner? Tandoori Chicken Salad

I've been craving Indian flavors lately, and it's something that's not really a favorite for the Man. He had today off, and puttered about until early afternoon without eating. He sauteed some shrimp and made a giant bowl of white rice, and declared that was probably all he'd eat for the day.

OK - I'm free to do what I want for dinner!

I'd been eying Padma Lakshmi's Tandoori Chicken Salad recipe, which seemed like a perfect fit. I toyed with the recipe some - I used greek yogurt, I didn't use a jalapeno (I find the garam masala spicy enough), and my salad was plainer - made of romaine, napa cabbage, and radishes. But the tandoori spice - amazing. I was actually able to get in 4 oz of chicken! (But not quite all the salad)

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• Chicken salad: 1.4 oz chicken, .25 oz almonds, 1.5 tsp mayo, and a bit of onion
• 12 hummus chips

Snack

• Dannon Light & Fit caramel delight yogurt

Dinner

• 4 oz chicken in Tandoori Chicken Salad  (modified as above)

Planned snack

• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt bar - raspberry

Exercise - 40 minute Biggest Loser PowerSculpt DVD - Level 2, 222 calories burned

Water - 48 oz

Daily Totals: 698 calories, 22.3g fat, 59.7g carbohydrates, 37.9g sugars, 69.9g protein

8 months post-op: update and pics

So yeah. It's been an interesting month. Exercise ups and downs, had the colonoscopy at the beginning of the month, and surgery set to hopefully finally clear the fistula that's been giving my incision such a hard time to heal on Monday the 6th. I did manage an 8 pound loss - I'd like to keep it to at least 10 a month, but with all that's gone on, that's pretty close.

My last couple photos looked a lot alike to me, and some of them will as my loss slows down as I get closer and closer to goal. So to get a bit more toward the stark reality of this, I had the Man take my photos in my work out clothes just before I did my exercise today.

Despite the sports bra, I think my boobs look droopy - and lets face it, they are. I have no idea what the plastic surgeon will end up having to work with, it feels like I've lost all regular breast tissue as well as fat - that they're just empty. I'll clearly have to get a brachioplasty on the arms too - no amount of tricep work will completely get rid of those bat wings. Hoping the toning and sculpting will help the thighs, but I could always become a complete FrankenBarbie and get it all done. Holy crap, not only are my pictures on the internet, but I'm wearing shorts and a sports bra. Hold me.

	Current	Loss	Total Loss
Chest	44.5	-1	-13.5
Waist	42	-1	-12
Hips	49	-2	-12.25
Thigh	2.5	-.5	-6.75
Calf	17	0	-5.3
Bicep	15.5	-.5	-4.75

And can't forget the weight totals:

Beginning weight	338
Weight at surgery	304
Current weight	205
Total loss	133

What's For Dinner? Lamb!

Today I did much better at breaking up my meals a bit, and not running into stomach cramping. I also improved the time I spent jogging vs walking during my treadmill workout - added another minute. Three minutes doesn't sound like a lot to some people, I'm sure, but it's still considerably more effort than walking, and I'm pushing myself hard to keep a steady increase in that time as I get back to exercise.

The incision isn't happy this afternoon after the work out, but I'm beyond caring at this point - surgery is Monday, and I'll lay off of it for a bit while that heals, but I really felt the reduced exercise was slowing my loss, and I seem to have been right - the scale was down 2 pounds this morning (yes, I owe you an 8 month update - I'll get the Man to take the photos tomorrow).

Dinner tonight was a repeat - the garlic rosemary-marinated lamb chops from about 2 weeks ago. I diced two red potatoes and made a quick "smash" out of them (leaving skins on) - primarily for the Man, and then steamed some green beans.

Will need an after dinner snack to get close to the protein goal, but I'm getting better at this.

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento reduced fat colby-jack cheese stick

Lunch

• Chicken salad: 1.6 oz chicken breast, a bit of onion, 1/4 oz chopped almonds, 1.5 tsp mayo
• 12 hummus chips

Snack

• Dannon Light & Fit caramel delight yogurt (new flavor!)

Dinner

• 2.25 oz Garlic Rosemary-Marinated Lamb Chops 
• 1/4 cup smashed red potatoes (made with a bit of butter and cream)
• 3/4 cup steamed green beans
• 1 tsp butter

Planned snack

• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bar - raspberry

Water - 64 oz

Exercise - Treadmill: 45 minutes total, 42 minutes walking 2.5mph, 3 minutes jogging 3.5 mph, both at 1% incline, 299 calories burned

Daily Totals: 817 calories, 35.2g fat, 67.1g carbohydrates, 35.5g sugars, 63.3g protein

What's For Dinner? Beef with Beet and Carrot Pancakes

Today has just been strange - first, I slept horribly last night, something that's unusual for me. I've been taking Ambien pretty much solid since the Event and it usually knocks me right out, and I'll get at least 6-7 solid hours of sleep. Last night, I was waking every 90 minutes or so, and having very vivid and strange dreams. Let's see, the one I remember was that I was young, cute, and single and  having an affair with the president, who was Michael Douglas, and there was a giant parking lot right outside the White House, and he was going away for a while, so to keep me happy he gave me the keys to his silver Lotus Esprit to drive around. I apparently was living in my childhood home in California, though it wasn't that far away, and parked it right in the driveway - like if the president had a Lotus, that the press wouldn't notice some cute young thing tooling around in it. Like I said - strange dreams.

So with all the waking and dreams, I ended up giving up and getting up about 6:30. I decided to try and space out  my eating a bit more today, thinking that might be the cause of some of the recent discomfort (though I since think it's that I've been without prilosec for about a week, they have us take it to ward off ulcers as our stomach chemistry changes over the first year). The Man was off today and he likes breakfast several  hours after he gets up - so around 11am I made a sort of pizza on some ciabatta bread brushed with olive oil and smashed garlic, the last of the fresh mozzarella, some low-fat pork sausage, a few round of pepperoni, and some more of Maggie's basil. It smelled heavenly, and I intended to have just a small serving - but only managed to eat about 3 bites of it - it was just too heavy.

For dinner I tried a recipe I had bookmarked for a few weeks now - beet and carrot pancakes. It sounds odd, but it's done the same way a potato pancake or latke would be made. Shredded veggies, some chopped onion, an egg to bind, and a little flour to put it all together. Again, they smelled great - the sugars from the beets caramelizing in the pan. I found them interesting, but probably not good enough to make again. The Man however, declared that they quickly went from interesting, to "huh", to "Nope, don't like that". Oh well, sometimes new things are a miss.

My stomach did complain as I started eating, so I only managed about 2/3 of my little hamburger patty and about 3 bites of the pancake shown.

I'll fall short in protein because of the differences, and need to have a yogurt bar before bed to close the gap a bit.

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Snack

• 3 bites of home made pizza described above - I'm counting it as about 100 calories. 

Lunch

• Salad made from: 
• 1.5 cups romaine 
• 1.5 oz left over filet mignon
• 1/2 cup tomato
• 2 radishes
• 1 tbsp Ken's Buttermilk Ranch

Dinner

• 1.4 oz lean hamburger patty
• 1/4 serving Beet and Carrot Pancakes

Planned Snack

• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt bar - raspberry

Water - 64 oz


Daily Totals: 742 calories, 38.5g fat, 50.3g carbohydrates, 27.5g sugars, 52.6g protein

What's For Dinner? Shrimp with Corn and Basil

I threw caution to the wind and declared I didn't care if it irritated my incision, I wanted to do a treadmill workout. I missed my quality Battlestar Galactica time on the DVD while I walked, so I after I got back from the grocery store I threw on my workout gear and headed downstairs. I did 45 minutes total, 43 minutes walking at 2.5mph, and 2 minutes jogging at 3.5mph, both at a 1% incline. The last time I tried jogging I felt like a lumbering asthmatic water buffalo, and that was definitely not the case this time. I'm certainly not in shape to run a 5K, but I could feel just the tiniest hint of what my old running form used to feel like, giving me hope that someday I'll have that back. Let's see how my ass reacts overnight! (8 more days to surgery!)

As you know I've really been working at getting some protein variety in my diet since some of my old primarily carb-based meals are no longer a possibility for me (white lasagne, I do miss you!). I've always had texture issues with most seafood, but I've eaten shrimp a few times, and decided to give that another go since it's something the Man really enjoys.

I did buy frozen, cleaned (de-headed, shelled, and de-veined) shrimp rather than doing it myself, but as Alton Brown says, if you live more than about an hour away from the shore where shrimping is done, you're not going to get quality fresh shrimp anyway, so there's nothing wrong with flash-frozen.

I did underestimate how many shrimp would make up a serving for me, so the dish was a little light on the protein, but with the way my stomach has been acting anyway, I didn't completely finish my plate (only had about half of the 1/3 cup rice I served myself).

I was pleasantly surprised - this was a dish I could eat again. I'm not going to crave it yet, but it wasn't something I had to choke down either. I made a minor variation to the recipe by adding 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic, and about 1/4 dried thyme.

Dietary progress, I'm making it. 

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt

Lunch

• Chicken salad made with: 
• 2.4 oz grilled chicken breast
• .75 oz chopped slivered almonds
• 1 tbsp minced onion
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 15 hummus chips - sea salt flavor (see note below meals)

Dinner

• 1/2 serving Shrimp and Corn with Basil (just 1.5 oz shrimp)
• 1/6 cup red rice

Planned snack

• Sargento Light String Cheese
• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt - raspberry

Exercise: Treadmill, 45 mins total, 320 calories burned, Avg HR 132, Max HR 172

Water - 50 oz

Daily Totals: 763 calories, 33.8g fat, 62.5g carbohydrates, 23.8g sugars, 55.9g protein

Hummus chips - what an amazing invention! The Man's store (Harris Teeter - a South Eastern regional chain) carries these from Simply 7. They are reasonably low in fat - well within my guidelines, super crunchy, and have a little bowl shape so I used them as tiny vessels for my chicken salad. A serving, per the package, is about 30 chips for just 130 calories - I had half of that with my chicken and it was plenty. There's only 2g of protein in a full serving, so it's not really a source choice, but these give crunch, are light, and with the low fat count if you can tolerate them I think they're a fun choice. The company also makes lentil chips and pomegranate chips in a variety of flavors.

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated in any way for promoting or favorably reviewing this product. This post is only my personal opinion based on a personal purchase.

What's For Dinner? Filet with Caprese Salad

I did go to our weight loss surgery support group meeting last night, and had a good time. Maggie, one of my favorite people in the group, brought a huge amount of fresh vegetables from her father-in-law's garden. I picked up a couple heirloom tomatoes, an eggplant for the Man to grill, a mutant large carrot, some cucumbers, and a big batch of basil - two of these items star in tonight's dinner.

My stomach has been acting odd for a couple days, ever since I lost my dinner the other night it feels like I have about half a meal just sitting at the bottom of my stomach - so I'll start to eat, and it gets uncomfortable very quickly. I'm hoping that goes away pretty quickly, because it makes it even harder to get in all the nutrition in my meals.

My Meals: 

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• 4 slices (1 oz) Boar's Head Genoa Salami

Lunch

• Chicken salad made with
• 2 oz left over Julia's chicken
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 1 oz chopped slivered almonds
• 1 tbsp minced onion
• 12 Wheat Thins Toasted Chips - Multigrain

Dinner

• 3 oz filet mignon
• Caprese salad - 2 slices heirloom tomato, 1 oz sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, 4 basil leaves, 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper

Water - 50oz

Daily Totals: 845 calories, 48.3g fat, 37.2g carbohydrates, 15g sugars, 65.5g protein

What's For Dinner? Steak with Spiced Butter Glazed Artichokes and Hericots Verts

Well, today was one of the few thumbs down from the Man on dinner. I've been told to serve his "sauce on the side" from now on, unless I know he likes it. I think part of his issue is "unfamiliar" spices - tonight's dinner had coriander, cumin, and caraway in a compound butter. He took one bite, screwed up his face, and demanded to know what was in it, then announced that he did just fine with a plain steak and his favorite Heinz 57 sauce. OK then.


Tomorrow night is my program's monthly weight loss surgery support group. The squirrels meet for dinner at a little cafe near our meeting place, then some go grab some Starbucks before heading over (and more afterward). I'll go to dinner and the meeting, but I'm leaning toward not going to Starbucks afterward - it runs late, and I'm particularly tired today, not holding out hope that it will improve tomorrow. Today's tired is from a restless sleep last night, and an early alarm because I had a meeting with the programmers working on a project I'm leading that are based in India - at 6:30am my time (as my executive mentor says - sometimes you do what you need to do as far as time goes).

So tonight will be early to bed, after watching a an episode or two more of Warehouse 13 Season 3 on DVD.

My Meals

 Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• "chicken melt" made with
• 2oz country white sourdough bread
• 1.75 oz chicken breast (left over Julia's chicken)
• 1.5 tsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Dinner

• 3 oz top sirloin made as Steaks with Spiced Butter Glazed Artichokes and Haricots Verts 
• Approx 1/3 cup of the veggies

Water - 60 oz

Daily Totals: 655 calories, 29.9g fat, 36.6g carbohydrates, 11.8g sugars, 60.3g protein

Cooking for Family

I have been incredibly blessed with the love and support of the Man throughout this entire process. He's accepted some pretty big dietary changes without complaint. At the same time, I know it's not entirely fair to limit his eating to only what I can consume. So while tonight was in part leftover night (meat loaf), I knew I had an extra russet potato from making the steak frittes the other night, and decided to make him some mashed potatoes to go along with it. White potatoes are pretty low on the "best choices" ranking for me, but it's something he enjoys, and I could have just a tiny bit.

Other dishes, though, will be more difficult to provide. I make a mean spaghetti - and while I can certainly have the spaghetti sauce, pasta to that extent is not a happy thing for me yet. Of course the white lasagna is completely out, since that's pretty much pasta and milk in the form of a bechamel sauce. But, where I can I do try and not deprive him of the things he enjoys.

I did finally manage to enjoy last night's dinner - as today's lunch. Trust me, I ate very slowly!

My meals: 

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light string cheese

Lunch

• 2.5 oz roast chicken
• 1/3 cup red rice
• 1/2 cup peas, carrots, and onions

Dinner

• 1 serving meat loaf and onion gravy
• 1/3 cup mashed potatoes made from russet potatoes, butter, and a splash of cream
• 3/4 cup broccoli
• 1 tsp butter

Water - 50 oz

Daily Totals: 808 calories, 34.2g fat, 70.5g carbohydrates, 19g sugars, 58.6g protein

Speed May Not Kill - But It Hurts

Every now and then, you get smacked in the face with one of the "rules" of post-op eating. Tonight, I had one of the most basic ones hit me hard.

I spent about 2 hours smelling the divine smells of a roast chicken dressed with lemon, herbs, and a little butter. Julia Child cannot go wrong on that count. I made a simple gravy with the drippings, heated up some left over rice, and served with carrots and onions and that had been roasted with the chicken.

And then I did it. I attacked my chicken portion, and I ate too fast - both in how quickly I took bites, and that I didn't chew them enough. I knew I was in trouble when I started burping - then I realized what had happened, and my stomach began to ache. If post-ops eat too fast and/or don't chew well enough, the food has a hard time leaving our tiny stomachs. Part of the bypass is that it "removes" the pyloric valve at the bottom of the stomach - it's still there, but that part of the stomach has been divided, and it is no longer attached to the intestines. So instead of food sitting in the stomach for a while, getting a good dose of digestive juices to start breaking things down - food just kind of moves on through. Unless, that is, it's come in too fast or isn't broken down small enough. Then it gets stuck - which results in either it coming back up (thankfully I've not done that in a few months now), or it hurts for a while until it can work it's way through. Unpleasant is a bit of an understatement.

So despite looking forward so much to dinner, I managed barely 1.5 oz of chicken, a bite of rice, and two bites of veggies before having to stop, and I doubt I'll feel like consuming anything else before bed. Arrrgh.

Oh, and to top it all off, the increase in exercise has really angered the incision - active bleeding. No more workouts for me for at least a few days. 

ETA: Probably should remove dinner from the list here - within 5 minutes of the original post it all came back up. Stomach doesn't hurt as much now - but yeah, didn't get any nutrition from that either. 

My Meals

Breakfast 

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• open face tuna melt; 2 oz albacore, 1 tsp mayo, 1 oz country white sourdough bread, .5 oz cheddar
• salad of 1 cup romaine, 1/2 cup tomato, 1 radish, 2 tbsp Ken's Lite Thousand Island dressing

Dinner

• 1.5 oz Julia's Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs 
• not enough rice or veggies to really be worth counting

Exercise - Biggest Loser CardioMax DVD - level 2, 318 calories burned, Avg HR 138, Max Hr 164

Water - 50 oz

Daily Totals: 543 calories, 20.3g fat, 45.6g carbohydrates, 17.6g sugars, 45.1g protein

What's For Dinner? Rib Eye Steak and Frittes with Bearnaise

I ended up a tad short on protein today, primarily because I shared a steak with the Man, and the easiest cut off the rib-eye was about 2.5 ounces, and I just didn't bother to grab .5-1 oz more. I'd been eying this particular recipe for a while, and had been avoiding it for two reasons: frittes, and Bearnaise. As I've said before, I'm not particularly afraid of any ingredient, but I hadn't made anything fried since surgery, and Bearnaise involves a skill I hadn't tested in a while.

The meal taxed my preparation and organization, as I had the steak going at the same time as the potatoes, and once those were done, had to be complete attention to the sauce while putting the last of the salad together. Of course in the middle of it, I realized part of the sauce instructions included using a metal bowl over hot water - and I realized I had no idea where my metal bowls were (we recently reorganized the kitchen). We couldn't find them in the few minutes I had, so I risked adding the egg yolks to the wine and vinegar reduction in a heavy bottom saute pan over low heat - it worked out fabulously.

Where this incredibly rich sauce worked out OK for me is portion size. Let's face it, it's hardly healthy - wine, vinegar, egg yolks, butter, salt, pepper, and fresh tarragon. But at a serving size of about 2 tablespoons, it's not going to kill me. My dinner was fattier than it could have been between that, the rib eye, and the potatoes, but my daily totals are still reasonable. Some post-ops may not tolerate a dinner that between all components has 40g of fat in it, that will be up to your tolerance levels. I'd honestly not try it until at least 6 months out. It's not a meal I'll repeat soon - but instead a special treat.

For the potatoes I used my mandolin on the tiniest julienne setting - my oil was probably a bit hot - they browned a bit more than I'd have liked, but they weren't overly crispy so that was good.

So here it is - the good, the bad, and the yummy.

My Meals: 

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• open faced tuna melt made with
• 3oz albacore tuna (water pack)
• 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 2oz  La Brea country white sourdough bread
• .75 oz sharp cheddar cheese - shredded

Dinner

• 2.5oz steak, 2 tbsp sauce - Pan-Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Bearnaise 
• approx 1 oz shoestring fries made from a russet potato ("frittes")
• 1 cup romaine, 1/3 cup tomato, a radish, and 1tbsp Ken's Buttermilk Ranch

Water - 60 oz

Daily Totals: 956 calories, 55.5g fat, 60.3g carbohydrates, 15.4g sugars, 55.4g protein

What's For Dinner? Garlic Rosemary Marinated Lamb Chops

I woke up this morning determined to do better than yesterday. Despite the fact that my incision was a bit angry, I did another video workout - this time the Biggest Loser CardioMax - level 1, 30 minutes. It felt good to get it done, and I'm looking forward to progressing through to level 3.

When the Man pulled in from work today, he almost ran over this little guy in the garage

He looks to be maybe 3-4 months old, an intact male kitten. He's a gorgeous gangly little thing, I suspect he'll be on the larger size when he's fully grown.  We already have four cats, and taking on another scares me. If we ever have to move and aren't ready to buy our own place, it will be near impossible to rent with five cats - then again, renting with four won't be a cakewalk either.

But, before he gets named and becomes part of the family, we are posting "found" notices at the grocery store across the street, the post office a block away, and the vet next door to that. And unless someone local wants to adopt him, he'll likely end up ours.

I made lamb for dinner tonight, only the second time I've had it, and definitely better than the first version that someone else cooked years ago. The kitten enjoyed a few scraps from the Man's chops too. The lamb was amazing - this recipe and more lamb are definitely going into our rotation! The rice is from Whole Food's 365 brand, and is described as a naturally red version of a long grain rice sourced from Thailand. It does, as you can see, retain it's color through cooking. It has a mildly nutty flavor and is distinctly chewy.

My Meals: 

Breakfast: 

•  Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• Chicken salad made of 1.8 oz grilled chicken breast, 2 tsp mayo, about 2 tsp minced onion, salt and pepper
• 9 Wheat Thins Toasted Chips - Multigrain

Snack

• 1 medium carrot
• Sargento Light string cheese

Dinner

• 3 oz Garlic Rosemary Marinated Lamb Chops 
• 1/3 cup Thai red rice
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1 tsp butter

Exercise: Biggest Loser CardioMax DVD - Level 1, 30 minutes, 235 calories burned, Avg HR 135, Max HR 159

Water - 60oz

Daily Totals: 863 calories, 37.2g fat, 70.4g carbohydrates, 19.9g sugars, 63.1g protein

Much better today!!

Keeping at it from an odd head space

I've been in an odd head space the last couple days, and today was the worst so far. Had I had the stomach capacity (and no fear of dumping), I'd have eaten any or all of a large tub of chocolate gelato, a couple sesame bagels with cream cheese, and a triple-gulp sized Pepsi. I did none of these things, of course, but for a while there I really wanted it.

Everyone always talks about how surgery doesn't fix your head, and they're right. While I really always knew it was the case, there's a clear link for me in feeling depressed and wanting to eat everything in sight. Today wasn't my best day food wise, though obviously in the past it would have been pure disaster.

I did go out with the Squirrels tonight and had dinner, and spent a good hour and a half outside at Starbucks - I knit while they played cards. I enjoyed myself, though still came home feeling like I'm in a funk.

I'm not entirely sure what it's all about - I know I'm tired and frustrated with the ass incision issue - 2.5 weeks until surgery feels like forever still. The Event is popping into my head more lately; I think it's that book wanting to come out of me, but I don't think I have the mental energy to attack that right now. And of course the ass incision complicates the exercise ability (it's angry today), which just pisses me off because it is impacting my weight loss progress. I'm hoping once I get through surgery and this finally (please, please) heals, I'll start feeling better.

So here's the good, the bad, and the ugly for today:

My Meals: 

Breakfast: 

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• 1 serving mini cauliflower cheese gratin

Lunch

• Left over beef with broccoli from chinese take out - probably 4 oz beef and a cup of broccoli

Snack

• 1/2 cup leftover corn
• 1 bottle Gatorade G2 (low calorie)

Dinner

• 4 oz hamburger steak
• 1 cup green salad
• 2 tbsp ranch dressing

Water - 40oz - 60oz fluid total with the G2

 Daily Totals: 1117 calories, 59.3g fat, 80g carbohydrates, 31.7g sugars, 66g protein

Ouch - OK, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but that's more fat than I really should be having, and about 200 calories more than is my current goal. 200 calories won't kill me of course, but it's 200 more calories I'll have to burn off in continuing to lose. I could have had a better day by far.

Easing back into exercise - comfort food urges

Monday I decided to risk angering my incision and do a video sculpting workout. It seemed to go well (and boy, do I have some areas that need toning!), so I decided to go for it again today. I'm a little more oozy than I have been, but not hurting, so I'll take that as a good sign. I'm still doing my warm bath as part of my bed time routine, so I'm sure that's keeping things from getting blocked and nasty. Today I chose to move up to 3lb hand weights from 2lb, and I could really feel the difference. It seems nominal, it's only an extra pound, but it's 50% again more than what I've been doing. We'll see if I have any muscle soreness tomorrow.

The flying squirrels are getting together again tomorrow night - for dinner at a local cafeteria and then dominoes and chit-chat at a nearby Starbucks. I'm going to go this time, I'm craving some of the social interaction.

The Man is not feeling well today, so he's been craving comfort food. He made a full package of "deluxe" macaroni and cheese while I was doing my video. I'll admit that I had a couple spoonfuls as I was preparing my own lunch. The bad habits and brain issues don't go away with surgery - so resisting such temptations, even if it is just 50 or so calories worth, is something I'll continue to have to work on.

I did pick up a treat over the weekend while I was at Whole Foods, a package of roasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds). They're absolutely delicious sprinkled on salads, particularly when doing a Mexican flavored or taco salad, which is what I did today.

Dinner was simple, beef, my miniature cauliflower cheese gratin, and some corn.

Oh, another plus for exercise - it's much easier to get 60+ oz of water in when you suck down 20 during a workout!

My Meals: 

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• 2 tablespoons mac and cheese
• Salad made of: 
• 2.5 oz grilled chicken breast
• 1.5 cups romaine lettuce
• 1/2 oz shredded cheddar
• 1 tbsp pepitas
• 2 radishes
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tbsp chipotle ranch dressing

Dinner

• 2 oz top sirloin steak
• .5 tbsp Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce
• 1 serving mini cauliflower cheese gratin
• 1/3 cup corn
• .5 tsp butter

Water - 60oz

Exercise - 40 minutes, Biggest Loser PowerSculpt video - level 2, 240 calories burned

Daily Totals: 912 calories, 44.2g fat, 60.7g carbohydrates, 22.4g sugars, 69.3g protein

What's For Dinner? Chicken Salad with Bacon Balsamic Dressing

I did better today on breakfast - had some cheese with my yogurt. I also did risk angering my incision and did a 40 minute workout to my Biggest Loser PowerSculpt video - burned 237 calories. Some time ago I bought a Polar F4 heart rate monitor. Using my current weight data, and heart rate detected, it calculates average heart rate, maximum heart rate, and calories burned. I find it pretty handy to help determine if I'm working hard enough.

I had a miniature pita for lunch today - the first time for that post-op. It was a little bit heavy - and honestly the miniature version felt less airy than the larger ones can be. Lesson learned, I'll probably not be finishing the bag of them.

Dinner was based on a recipe for a chicken and spinach salad with a hot bacon vinaigrette. The man doesn't care for spinach at all (except spinach dip, and even he can't explain that), and I don't care for wilted greens or lettuce of any kind, which tends to happen with a hot dressing. So I modified things a bit. Instead of just balsamic vinegar mixed with the bacon drippings, I added a couple ounces of dry sherry to the pan to deglaze and let it reduce by half. Then added equal parts balsamic vinegar and honey. The honey toned down the tartness of the balsamic, but still let the bacon aspect come through. I mixed romaine and spinach, added some radishes and tomato, and called it dinner - quite yummy.

My Meals: 

Breakfast

•  Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Light String Cheese

Lunch

• 1 miniature pita round
• 2.4 oz Boar's Head roast beef
• 1 tsp mayonaisse

Dinner

• 2.7 oz grilled chicken breast
• 1.5 cups mixed romaine and spinach
• 2 thin slices bacon
• 1/2 roma tomato
• 2 radishes
• Dressing made of bacon drippings, sherry, honey, and balsamic vinegar

Water - 64 oz

Exercise: 237 calories burned, sculpting video with hand weights - 40 minutes

Daily Totals: 726 calories, 21.7g fat, 59.8g carbohydrates, 27.9g sugars, 65.1g protein

What's For Dinner? Veal Involtini with Brussel Sprouts

I'm really trying to provide some diversity in our protein selections for dinner. I have taste and texture issues with most fish and shellfish (thanks Dad, for refusing to serve it when I was growing up), so that's sometimes a challenge. I bought some veal and lamb for this week, so we'll be doing a bit of experimentation with that.

I'm getting more and more frustrated that exercise is complicated by this ongoing incision issue. I know I have the follow-up surgery scheduled for August 6th, but that's still 3 weeks away. I hate the feeling I'm wasting time and opportunity in weight loss by not getting the exercise in. I may try and do a sculpting video session tomorrow and see how it goes - I might put up with a little extra discomfort in order to get the exercise benefits.

Tonight's dinner is another example of plating a bit more than I can eat. I ended up consuming one of the involtini (instead of the two pictured), and about half the brussels sprouts shown. Neither of us particularly cared for the pan sauce - it needed a sweet element to counter-act the acid of both the wine and balsamic vinegar.

A bit light on the protein again today - the fault of too little for breakfast. I really need to work on that. 

My Meals: 

 Breakfast: 

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt

Lunch

• McDonald's Southwest Chicken Salad - 2/3 of the salad

Dinner

• 1 roll (1.5 oz veal) Veal Involtini 
• 1/2 cup serving Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Thyme 

After Dinner Snack

• Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bar - raspberry

Water - 40 oz

Daily Totals: 680 calories, 28.6g fat, 60.5 carbohydrates, 30g sugars, 48.7g protein

What's For Dinner? Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard Maple Sauce

Well, we waited a bit too long to go to a few of the movies we'd been wanting to see - everything's gone out of the theatre. So instead of heading to a matinee, we pretty much lounged around the house all day. I got a lot of progress made on the sock pattern I've developing (knitting), and the Man got in some quality Star Wars: The Old Republic blowing stuff up time in.

As I called him to dinner, he asked me "what pretentious name does this one have?" He pokes fun at my love of the Epicurious site, but of course he happily devours whatever I put on his plate.

I did better on protein today. Small breakfast, but strong protein at lunch and dinner. Tomorrow I need to find some new recipes for next week - looking for new flavors so we don't feel stuck in rut.

One of the primary "rules" about post-op eating is to make sure you get in the protein first at each meal. In doing so, I became full before I ate the full amount of rice and green beans that I'd put on my plate (served myself 1/3 cup rice, 3/4 cup green beans). So while my plate may look like more than what I've listed for dinner - it is in fact what I ended up consuming. (Panko got a bit toasty - but it was still tasty)

My Meals: 

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt

Lunch

• 2.5oz hamburger patty
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1 tbsp Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce

Snack

• Sargento Light String Cheese 

Dinner

• 3.5 oz serving Panko-Crusted Chicken with Mustard Maple Pan Sauce 
• 1/2 cup steamed green beans
• 1/6 cup rice

 Water - 60 oz

Daily Totals: 742 calories, 29.5g fat, 52.3g carbohydrates, 22.6g sugars, 65g protein

What's for Dinner? Onion Frittata with Green Salad

Friday, at last. The Man actually has tomorrow off, which will be the first weekend day we've had off together for a month or so now. We're talking about going to see a movie - if the ones we're interested in are still in theaters. I discovered while we were on vacation that I can actually eat movie popcorn - limited in volume of course - so I'll have to take that into consideration for my calorie totals for tomorrow.

I've been thinking about making a quiche or some other egg dish. Quiche is somewhat problematic as the crust tends to be heavy in fats, and frequently heavy cream is used mixed in with the eggs. As you know I'm not afraid of such ingredients, but portion sizes do need to be taken into account. So rather than struggle with substitutions or other modifications, I looked for a recipe that didn't have a pastry base and found the onion frittata. We love caramelized onions, and fresh herbs are always a nice edition. I cut the recipe in half, and then my portion was a quarter of that. I think it turned out pretty tasty.

I ended up really low on protein for the day - I'll probably have a frozen yogurt bar before bed, but that won't get me into range. I'll need to plan better!

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• 4 mini tuna melts (2oz albacore tuna, 1 tsp mayo, 1/2 oz cheddar, 4 multigrain  crackers)

Lunch

• 3 left-over gyoza from our hibachi tak-out
• 1 cup mixed fresh veggies left-over from last night (corn, carrots, snap peas, snow peas)

Dinner

• 1 serving (out of 4 in a half-recipe) Onion Frittata 
• 1.5 cups romaine lettuce, 1 roma tomato, 2 radishes
• 1.5 tbsp Ken's Buttermilk Ranch dressing

Water - 50 oz

Daily Totals: 850 calories, 44.7g fat, 74g carbohydrates, 24.4g sugars, 39g protein

What's for Dinner? Baked Herb-Crusted Chicken

As I suspected, I really wasn't feeling up to going out for dinner and bowling. I did go to  my emergency management advisory council meeting, where finally my weight loss got noticed. As it turns out, the county administrative assistant in that office had consulted with Dr. Fuzz a while back, but chose not to go forward with surgery. She was very impressed, and actually told me I looked like I've 'de-aged' 20 years. I'll take that compliment!

For dinner we've had a lot of beef lately, so I was wanting to have chicken - something fresh and light. I found tonight's recipe that made use of lemon and fresh herbs. Just the ticket!

My Meals: 

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• 1 serving mini cauliflower cheese gratin left over from last night (what??)

Lunch

• Mini tuna melts made with: 
• 6 Wheat Thins toasted chips - Multigrain
• 2.5oz albacore tuna (water pack)
• 1 tsp mayonnaise
• 1/2 oz sharp cheddar cheese

Dinner

• 4oz serving Baked Herb Crusted Chicken Breasts 
• 3/4 cup sauteed fresh mixed veggies (snap peas, snow peas, carrots, corn)

Water - 50oz

Daily Totals: 793 calories, 33.7g fat, 54.2g carbohydrates, 18.3g sugars, 67.1g protein

What's For Dinner? Hamburger Steak w/Mini Cauliflower Cheese Gratin

 Rough day today with the incision - I ended up in the recliner at 9am - thankfully my work is that flexible - the laptop on a table that slides over the arm of the chair makes it possible for me to work in more comfort than I can get at the desk.

I'd been craving something cheesy lately, so I decided to do a cheesy cauliflower dish. Not wanting a huge amount of left overs, I knew it was the perfect situation for my little square Le Creuset baking dish. Four WLS-friendly servings was perfect - I had one, the Man had two, and one is left over.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to feel better. I have a meeting I have to go out to attend in the afternoon, and I can't miss it. I'm currently the chair of the Forsyth County Emergency Management Advisory Council - a volunteer post I took on 3 years ago to keep me connected to my old life as a police dispatcher. We meet bi-monthly, and tomorrow's our next session - I missed the last one due to the abscess surgery, so definitely have to go this time.

My Flying Squirrels, an informal sub-group of my WLS support group, is meeting for dinner and coffee at 6pm, then bowling at 8. I'm really wavering on whether to go - I wasn't impressed with the dinner destination the last time we went, though granted it was during my "I'm throwing up nearly anything" phase (Dickey's BBQ, for the curious). Definitely not feeling up to the bowling, but we'll see how I feel about dinner when late afternoon rolls around.

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento light string cheese

Lunch

• 3oz sirloin steak
• 3/4 cup broccoli and carrots
• 1/3 left over fried rice

Dinner

• 3oz grilled hamburger patty
• 1 serving mini cauliflower cheese gratin
• 1 tbsp Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce

Water - 50 oz

Daily Totals: 802 calories, 40g fat, 42g carbohydrates, 16.6g sugars, 68.4g protein

Recipe: Mini Cauliflower Cheese Gratin

Some time back I found a little 4-inch square Le Creuset ceramic baking dish that I just love. I decided to use it tonight to make a cheesy comfort dish but in a WLS friendly size.

• approximately 1.5 cups steamed cauliflower (best from fresh - half a small head)
• 1/2 cup sharp NY Cheddar cheese - shredded
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup toasted fresh bread crumbs (or dried, panko, or crushed crackers)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• pinch of salt

Steam the cauliflower using a steamer insert in a sauce-pan until just tender - about 5 minutes. Remove to bowl to cool, then arrange in small florets in the baking dish.

Melt butter in heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add flour and salt, whisk constantly until mixture turns a light nutty brown color, 2 or 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the milk in slow stream, whisking constantly. Sauce should be slightly thick, but still pourable (roughly a thick chowder consistency). If it becomes to thick, add remaining milk a tablespoon or so at a time. When sauce is at appropriate consistency, whisk in 1/4 cup cheese until incorporated.

Pour sauce over cauliflower. Top with bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup cheddar. Bake for 20-30 minutes until sauce is bubbly and top is browned.

Serves 4 WLS friendly portions. 

Nutritional information (based on toasted fresh bread crumbs): 133 calories, 9g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 29mg cholesterol, 145mg sodium, 7.2g carbohydrates, 1.1g dietary fiber, 3.2g sugars, 6.2g protein

Back Under the Knife

Saw the doc that did my abscess surgery today, and indeed the incision hasn't completely healed (no surprise there). He says it's a very small opening, but given how much it's still draining and the associated pain, he's scheduling me for surgery to try and locate the source fistula (fancy word for hidden pocket of infection).

His nurse was trying to get me a late slot on Thursday the 19th - with the Man's work schedule changing every week, it's difficult to plan such things, but late afternoon generally works. I'm waiting for the call with the actual appointment time - and until then, best I can do is hope it doesn't get too inflamed before then.

I guess I should be thankful I've met my annual out of pocket maximum already? Shouldn't cost me a penny (sarcasm, that was).

Fun, fun, fun.

UPDATE: Surgery scheduled for Monday, August 6 - 4 weeks away (sigh). 

Take Out in a Post-Op World

There are days that you just don't feel like cooking. Today, with ongoing incision pain, was one of those for me. Pre-op, that would probably have meant we'd have gone out to dinner or done some form of take-out. We certainly had our favorite spots, and one of them was a little hibachi place across the street called Bonsai. They don't do the flashy table-side cooking, but serve typical hibachi style meals: a meat or combo, fried rice, veggies, and if you eat in, a salad along with an onion consomme.

The hard part of eating take-out post-op is both portion control and cooking methods. For Bonsai, the fried rice is heavy on the soy, surely has some form of fat in it, and the carrots are boiled in some form of sweet liquid. For me - portion control is relatively easy - my small stomach really doesn't allow me to over eat, at least not without very unpleasant consequences. So the challenge here is figuring out just what I've eaten (which looks like nearly nothing!)

Tonight I ordered the filet mignon with broccoli. I'm pretty good at eyeballing a WLS-friendly serving of meat, so I'm confident I had about 3oz of beef. I had a couple pieces of broccoli, about 1/3 a cup of the carrots, and maybe 1/3 cup of the rice (where I'd have scarfed the whole container pre-op). We ordered a gyoza appetizer as well, which is a little harder to judge on nutritional value. The site I use to track my eating and nutrition does have commercial foods in it - both prepared foods you would purchase at the grocery and popular chain restaurant foods. I had 1.5 pork gyoza, so I found a comparable product that had nutrition values that seemed reasonable given the size of our portion. Sometimes you just have to guess a bit.

My Meals

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt
• Sargento Low-Fat string cheese

Lunch

• Salad including: 
• 1.5 cups mixed romaine and cabbage
• .5 oz sliced almonds
• 3 oz grilled chicken
• 3 radishes
• 2 tbsp Old Cape Cod non-fat toasted sesame, soy, and ginger dressing

Dinner

• 3oz filet mignon 
• 1/3 cup carrots
• 1/3 cup fried rice
• 1.5 pork gyoza

Water - 60oz

Daily Totals: 864 calories, 38g fat, 58g carbohydrates, 23g sugars,  71g protein


 

What's for Dinner? Steak with Mustard Cognac Sauce

Today's not been the best day - yesterday the infamous Ass Incision was acting up - and I woke up at 3am with both the runs and some pretty intense pain. I drew a bath, but it didn't provide much relief. I had a few oxycontin left from the surgery, so I took one and went back to bed - it took until about 6am to get back to sleep. As tends to happen with me on oxy, I was in and out of sleep for hours - we finally got up about 10:45 - which put my schedule completely off kilter.

I thought I might not be able to eat three full meals with enough protein starting that late, so I did have a shake for breakfast.

Dinner is a recipe I will write up soon - it's a variation of the classic Steak Diane - steak served with a sauce that includes shallots, liquor (cognac or bourbon), white wine, chicken broth, grainy dijon mustard, heavy cream, and fresh chives. Post-ops should not be overly afraid of the alcohol or the cream! Most of the alcohols burn off in cooking (though some do remain), and there's just 1/4 cup of cream in a recipe that generously serves 4 (probably 6 if all were post-ops).

As it turned out, I was right about not being able to eat three full meals on this shortened day - I only managed 2oz of the 3oz steak, barely any of the potatoes (small yellow potatoes sauteed with a chopped onion in a bit of butter), but I did eat all my peas.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday and my follow-up with the surgeon who treated my abscess. If for any reason he chooses not to take any action (wait and watch, vs. antibiotics or further surgical clean-out), we'll be asking for a referral from the colonoscopy doc to a colo-rectal surgeon - he offered if one became necessary. I'm hoping not, but I'm not willing to let this go on much longer - it's been irritated and draining for over 2 months now - that's enough.

My Meals

Breakfast

•  Syntrax Nectars Chocolate Truffle Shake made with 2% Lactaid milk

Lunch

• Wrap made with: 
• Whole Grain Ole tortilla wrap
• 2.5 oz grilled boneless chicken breast
• 50g avocado
• 1 tsp Ortega Mild taco sauce

Dinner

• 2oz sirloin steak
• 3/4 serving Mustard Cognac Sauce
• 1/2 serving potatoes and onions
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1/2 tsp butter

Water - 50oz

Daily Totals: 825 calories, 29g fat, 53g carbohydrate, 17g sugars, 81g protein

What's For Dinner? Leftover Conundrum

Every now and again the Man has to work the closing shift at his store - today is one of those days. Cooking for one - particularly one WLS post-op - can be a challenge from a serving size perspective, so these nights are a perfect setting for the use of left overs.

Cooking at all, as a WLS post-op, is a constant challenge in volume. Most recipes are sized for 4 or 6 standard portion sizes. Even when I cooked pre-op, we would often have left overs, or honestly the two of us would have seconds of a truly good item. Now, cooking for a WLS-sized portion and a normal sized portion presents problems of recipe math that isn't always practical (half an egg?, etc).

When I made the meatloaf with onion gravy a few days ago, I knew that it would be eight WLS-friendly portions - so if the Man ate two, we'd have five left over. He loves meat loaf sandwiches, so that wasn't a  major concern, and I packaged the left overs for near-future consumption. Other recipes, like the braised meatballs with red wine gravy, made a HUGE batch, and I have two packages in the freezer (stored in my trusty Food Saver bags), each bag will be enough for dinner with a small left over serving between them.

It does take some planning to make sure that food doesn't go to waste - today's lunch relied on the last bit of fajita-spiced chicken and chunky corn and avocado salsa from the other night. Fresh left overs, depending on the item, only reliably last 2-4 days, so it's either the freezer or eat them promptly.

So today was full-on left over day!

My Meals

Breakfast

• 1 scrambled egg
• Dannon Light & Fit peach yogurt (flavor change!)

Lunch

• Salad composed of: 
• 2 oz left over fajita-spiced chicken
• 1 serving chunky corn and avocado salsa
• 1.5 cups romaine and napa cabbage mix
• 4 radishes
• 1.5 tbsp HT Traders brand Chipotle Ranch dressing
• 1/8 cup 2% Mexican blend cheese

Dinner

• 1 serving left over meat loaf with onion gravy
• 3/4 cup green beans - steamed
• 1 medium carrot - steamed
• 1 tsp butter

Water -  50 oz 

Daily Totals: 862 calories, 47g fat, 55g carbohydrates, 23g sugars, 57g protein

3g short on the protein goal - I may nibble a piece of string cheese before bed (50 calories, 5g protein) to make up the difference.

What's For Dinner? Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce

Today's breakfast was too skimpy - just the yogurt, so I'm struggling to hit the low end limit of my protein goal - 60g. Even with a planned snack before bed (some almonds and a frozen greek yogurt bar), I'll still fall about 9g short. I'll definitely have to watch breakfast more carefully when not having a protein shake.

Today's dinner is courtesy of Epicurious - I've been wanting to make this for a long time, but wasn't sure how the Man would react to the spice mix - he's not very adventurous with middle eastern flavor profiles, but this turned out to be milder than I expected - I loved it, and he said "Eh, OK" - but that was more commentary on his ambivalence to pork that's not barbecue or bacon. The recipe calls for quite large meat servings - 2 tenderloins divided between 4 portions. I used half a tenderloin - about 8 ounces raw, about 6.75 after cooking.

My Meals:

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt

Lunch

• Whole grain tortilla wrap (Ole brand) filled with: 
• 1/4 cup fat free refried beans
• 1 serving chunky corn and avocado salsa from last night
• a sprinkling of 2% mexican blend shredded cheese

Snack

• Sargento reduced fat string cheese 

Dinner

• 2.5 oz serving Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce 
• 1/4 cup rice
• 3/4 cup steamed green beans
• 1 tsp butter

Planned Snack

• 12 almonds
• Yasso frozen greek yogurt bar - raspberry

Water - 64 oz

Daily Totals: 824 calories, 30g fat, 99g carbs, 35g sugars, 51g protein

Recipe: Chunky Corn and Avocado Salsa

Fresh avocado combined with summer's best corn and tomatoes form the basis of this tasty salsa.

• 2 ears corn on the cob - cooked, preferably grilled
• 1/4 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro 
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper - seeded and finely minced (optional)
• 1 medium ripe avocado

Cut corn from cobs, working to get as much of the kernel as possible. Combine in medium bowl with onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and chile pepper if desired. Cover and chill at least 1 hour to let flavors combine.

Just before serving, slice avocado in half and pit. Using your knife cut the avocado into cubes while still in the skin.

Use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh of each half. Combine with the rest of the salsa.

Serve as a side to chicken, as a topping for tacos or burritos, or with your favorite chips.

Nutritional Analysis: 8 servings, approximately 1/3 cup each. 88 calories, 4.5g total fat, 0.6g saturated fat, 9mg cholesterol, 14mg sodium, 8.9g carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 1g sugars, 4.5g protein

What's For Dinner? Fajita-Spiced Chicken w/Chunky Corn and Avocado Salsa

I love avocado, and the fats in them are very heart healthy. I had some left-over corn on the cob that needed to get used, so I thought of the salsa that is featured in tonight's dinner. There's a full recipe post on the salsa.

Today was my first day experimenting with forgoing the protein shake for breakfast - I did fine as far as energy/being hungry, though I find myself 5-10g short on protein for the day. Not sure I'll be hungry enough for a yogurt bar later, but we'll see how things go.

My meals:

Breakfast

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt (yes, I'm stuck on this flavor!)
• 8 almonds

Lunch

•  1 serving meat loaf left over from last night
• 1/3 cup quinoa with 1 tsp parmesan cheese

Dinner

• 2.85oz chicken breast, marinated in Badia Fajita marinade - grilled
• 1 serving Chunky Corn and Avocado Salsa
• 1/3 cup rice
• .5 tsp butter
• salad of 1 cup romaine, 2 radishes, 1 tbsp Ken's buttermilk ranch dressing

Water: 60 oz

Daily Totals: 866 calories, 41g fat, 70g carbohydrate, 24g sugars, 55g protein

What's For Dinner? Meat Loaf with Onion Gravy

Yesterday was colonoscopy day - procedure wasn't until late in the afternoon, so I had very little to eat even after it was all over. Things look clear, though a couple parts biopsied and more information to come in a week to ten days.

Today was my first day of normal eating again - and boy, did that feel good!

I didn't take pictures to do up a full recipe post, but dinner was made this way:

Meat Loaf: 

•  1.25lb meat loaf mix (ground beef, pork, and veal)
• 1 medium onion - chopped fine
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 3 slices french bread (bakery loaf - not sandwich size) - turned into crumbs
• 1.5 tbps worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• .5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano

Mix all ingredients together - spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Form into rectangular loaf. Bake at 350F for approximately 50 minutes, or until instant read thermometer reaches 160F in the middle of the loaf. Makes 8 servings (non WLS eaters will probably eat a double serving).

Gravy

• 1 medium onion - sliced
• 1.5 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth

Melt 1 tbsp butter in large skillet, add onions and saute over medium-low to medium heat until translucent and beginning to brown - approximately 30 minutes. Add remaining .5 tbsp butter, let melt. Add flour, stir constantly for approximately 3 minutes, forming a light roux around the onions.
Add broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened and reduced to gravy consistency. Makes 8 WLS-sized servings.

My meals:

Breakfast

• Syntrax Nectar Chocolate Truffle protein shake made w/2% Lactaid milk - .8 serving

Lunch

• 1.8 oz left over top sirloin steak
• 1/3 cup green beans - steamed
• Salad: 1.5 cups romaine, 1 roma tomato, 1 tbsp Ken's Buttermilk Ranch dressing

Snack

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt

Dinner

• 1 serving meatloaf with onion gravy
• 1/2 cup broccoli - steamed 
• 1/4 cup carrots - steamed

Daily Totals:  655 calories, 33g fat, 42g carbohydrate, 18g sugars, 62g protein






 I have sufficient calories available that I may have a Yasso frozen greek yogurt bar (70 calories, 6g protein) before bed, but we'll see.

7 Months Post-Op: Stats and Pics

A couple days late posting, but since today is colonoscopy prep day, there won't be a "What's For Dinner?" post given I'm on clear liquids all day.

This month has been a challenge. With the ongoing Ass Incision Saga, I haven't been able to exercise, as the incision has still been draining, and exercise irritates it and makes that condition worse. On the plus side, being annoyed about not being able to exercise is a positive sign - I know I need it in my life and want to get back to it. Hopefully, the colonoscopy will reveal to some extent why I'm still having drainage, and we can get a solid plan to Get. This. Fixed.

Despite the exercise setback and a week of road-trip travel, I did lose 7 pounds this month, and a half inch here or there in my measurements. Here's the details:

	Current	Loss	Total Loss
Chest	45.5	-.5	-12.5
Waist	43	0	-11
Hips	51	0	-10.25
Thigh	22	0	-6.25
Calf	17	-.5	-5.3
Bicep	16	-.5	-4.25

And can't forget the weight totals:

Beginning weight	338
Weight at surgery	304
Current weight	213
Total loss	125

What's for Dinner? Braised Meatballs with Red Wine Gravy

Today's dinner produced lots of leftovers - even with the Man eating a normal sized portion. In cases like these, I either divided the recipe, or plan for the leftovers and use my Food Saver in order to freeze them.

Some WLS patients choose to avoid certain starches: potatoes, rice, pasta. I haven't specifically ruled out any foods (except obviously sugar-laden ones - candy, ice cream, and other sweets). For early post-ops these starches like pasta, even whole wheat or whole grain versions, have a tendency to be very "heavy" on the stomach, or rather ball up and not pass through very quickly. Only in the last two months have I really been able to eat any of these items, and when I do, I make sure to choose a lower glycemic index version such as whole grain pastas.

In making the meatballs from the linked recipe, I modified the procedure slightly - I baked the meatballs in a mini cupcake pan - this helps the balls sit a little above the bottom of the pan so they've not sitting in the rendered fat. Additionally, I did not flour and brown them in a skillet afterward - a step I found unnecessary (and simply adding calories). My method resulted in 28 meatballs. I had two for a serving, so I calculated calories on the recipe based on 1/14th of the total (based on the values at my usual site).

The meatballs and particularly the gravy was divine - looking forward to having the leftovers in the coming weeks. 

Without further ado, today's meals are:

Breakfast

• Syntrax Nectar Chocolate Truffle protein shake - made w/2% Lactaid milk - 1/2 serving

Lunch

• Tuna sandwich - 1.5oz tuna, 2tsp mayonnaise,   2 small slices french bread
• Sargento light string cheese stick

 Snack

• Dannon Light & Fit raspberry yogurt

Dinner

• 1 serving (see above) Braised Meatballs in Red Wine Gravy 
• 1/4 cup whole wheat farfalle pasta
• 1/3 cup steamed broccoli
• 1 tsp butter

 Daily Totals: 855 calories, 32g fat, 74g carbs, 20g sugars, 60g protein