Today, I had a craving. I’ve talked a little about how I fixate on certain foods now (most recently it’s lunchmeat/cheese rollups and black bean corn salsa), and today, I wanted a frozen coffee drink. I sauntered into my campus’ Starbucks and I sat looking at the menu for a good 15 minutes trying to find a reasonable selection. Have you ever looked at the nutritional information of a Starbucks drink? A tall (12 oz) mocha frappuccino clocks in at 270 calories, 11 g of fat, 42 g of carbs, and 4 g of protein. Not exactly a smart choice for a weight loss surgery patient, let alone a diabetic. So I opted for the light version (110 calories, 0.5 g of fat, 25 g of carbs, and 3 g of protein). As I sipped my $4.28 drink, I suspected this would not become a regular treat.
It got me to thinking, I have a Ninja blender, I have my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, I have protein powder; I bet I can make this lighter, protein packed, and definitely a lot less than $4 a pop.
Google lead me to the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for homemade mocha frappuccino, and let me just say, I love that woman, but I’m not about to drink sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and half & half and expect to fit into my jeans. So I tweaked the recipe and came up with something that was tasty, satisfied my craving, and is guilt-free. That’s a win in my book!
It’s now been a little over 10 months since I started this journey. It doesn’t feel like that long ago I was still over 300 pounds and struggling with a host a health problems and a lifetime of self-doubt. It doesn’t feel like it, but things have changed. And with that new reality comes challenges I’ve heard about but didn’t think would be as scary, foreign, or thrilling as they have turned out to be.
My armor is gone.
My body is different, y’all. It’s highly doubtful I’m gonna be prancing around the beach shirtless this summer, but there’s a lot less of me to drag about. With 90+ pounds gone, it’s ironic that everyone else notices but me. I still feel the same on the inside, and it’s that feeling that is clashing with the outside.
I hid behind my weight. I can totally see it now. I’d play fantasies in my head about how when I lost weight: I’d be more social, I’d take pride in my fashion choices, I’d finally be able to get a significant other. Nothing was stopping me from doing that before surgery. I was using my weight as an excuse. And it was awesome. I was safe, I didn’t have to put myself out there, I could be comfortable with my friends and never face rejection. Did I think dropping almost 100 pounds would solve all my social anxieties and make me the person I so longed to be? Of course I did. In reality? Heck no, that’s something I’m realizing I have to do within my own head.
That’s not to say that people don’t treat obese people differently. My life hasn’t been a litany of torment and anguish, but now that I’m on the other side of surgery, I can see that yeah, I’m getting a bit more attention now. People look me in the eye now, I get smiles, second looks, simply put, attention. It’s very strange having to deal with flirting and sexual attention. I wasn’t exactly drowning in dates before, so I can safely say that I’m not well versed in the art of seduction. But that’s just one of the new challenges one might have to face on the other side of the fence, and as far as challenges go, it’s not a bad one to have, but it’s definitely foreign.
Some observations
With such a life change, it’s interesting to me to see what now? What’s gonna change next?
My knee bones rub together now, so sleeping on my side is not comfortable anymore. I have to have a pillow between my legs if I want to sleep on my side.
Investing in a compression shirt was the best thing ever. I feel naked without it keeping the dogs from roaming the yard.
Buying clothes is fun, moreso when you don’t have to pay the “fat” tax, $3-4 more for the “plus” sizes (which by the way, is bullshit)
I fixate on foods now. One week it’s all about hard boiled eggs and tuna, next it’s greek yogurt and strawberries.
My glasses don’t fit anymore, which is really weird.
Going through belt loop holes are a great way to measure weight loss.
Chairs! Movie theater chairs, classroom chairs, restaurant booths, etc. are no longer the enemy.
I have a few more recipes I want to post soon. My one year surgiversary is coming up quick, so I’ll be sure to update once I have my appointment.
I don’t have many cravings anymore. I’m a creature of habit and when I find something that works for me, I stick with it. My breakfast has been a Quest bar for a long time now and I love them. However, it was either a stroke of genius or a sadistic mind that placed the GNC I buy my bars at next to a Little Caesar’s. The smell of baking pizza doesn’t exactly make my stomach rumble but does bring on a nostalgic longing for my former favorite food. So, like any intrepid sleever, I decided to recreate a pizza that wouldn’t fill me up after a couple bites and was devoid of empty calories and carbs. If you’ve never had a portabella mushroom, you’re missing out. The meaty texture stands up well to baking and makes the perfect vessel for rich marinara and melty mozzarella. Lightening up the recipe with fat free cheese and turkey pepperoni delivers a punch of protein and a surprisingly low amount of calories. I can manage to polish off a half a serving, making this a great meal or two or a snack for later.
Portabella Mushroom Pizza
Ingredients:
1 portabella mushroom cap (the big suckers)
1/2 cup marinara sauce (I used HEB’s Healthy Marinara)
1/4 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella
7-8 slices of turkey pepperoni
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
Sprinkling of Italian seasoning
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Assemble pizza layering marinara sauce on mushroom cap, then cheese, pepperoni, peppers, cheese and seasoning.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese has melted and pepperoni sizzles.
Serving size: 1 mushroom cap pizza | Servings: 1 Per serving | Calories: 174 | Net Carbs: 13 g (8g dietary fiber) | Protein: 18 g | Fat: 4 g
One can only take so many cold cuts wrapped in cheese before one starts craving comfort food. I haven’t had much of a chance to cook dinners as I get home from work late and I’m taking classes too. Never being hungry also has afforded me a picky nature that I am so not accustomed to. I look in my fridge and my cupboard and I just don’t want anything! So when the grocery store had a sale on ground turkey, I instantly thought of meatloaf. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn was one of my go-to’s for dinner and was always a crowd pleaser. Ground beef, milk, white breadcrumbs – not exactly the healthiest. I lightened up the recipe with lean turkey, Greek yogurt and flaxseed chips and made this meatloaf in muffin cups for portion control. For a slightly stiffer loaf, add more of the blended chips.
Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground turkey
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup soy and flaxseed tortilla chips, blended in food processor
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/8 cup ketchup
1/8 cup mustard
1 packet meatloaf seasoning
Additional seasoning to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Blend all ingredients in a bowl and portion into the muffin/cupcake tin.
Bake for 48-60 minutes.
Serving size: 1 muffin meatloaf | Servings: 11-12 Per serving | Calories: 229 | Carbs: 5 g | Protein: 14 g | Fat: 10 g
I have a whole 32 oz container of Greek yogurt that expires next week, so I had to hop to it to use it up. I’m going to be making more banana protein muffins this weekend and I decided to make up a batch of ranch dip for snacks. A Hidden Valley Ranch packet mixed with 16 oz of Greek yogurt makes an excellent dip with all the ranch flavor and creaminess you would expect in a dip with the added bonus of nearly 12 g of protein and 70 calories in a 1/2 cup serving! I had a serving of the flaxseed chips (also a good shot of protein) and this dip when I got home for an energy boost.
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
Ingredients:
16 oz non-fat Greek yogurt
1 Hidden Valley Ranch packet
Directions:
Mix both ingredients in a container and serve cold. For the best flavor, let it sit in the fridge for an hour before serving.
Serving size: 4 oz (1/2 cup) | Servings: 4 Per serving | Calories: 70 | Carbs: 4 g | Protein: 11.5 g | Fat: 0 g
I love to cook. I use the Paprika app on my iPad mini to catalog all the recipes I’ve either come up with or gotten from the internet/Pinterest. I absolutely love finding a recipe that works for me and that I can reproduce with great results. I’ve got several go-to’s for many occasions, and my banana bread is definitely one of them. I found the recipe in a vintage cookbook a few years ago, and it’s always a big hit. Think lots of butter, cream cheese, sugar, bananas and walnuts. Everything that’s right with the world and wrong for weight loss surgery patients and worse for diabetics. So when I came across @laplifeblog‘s post about banana bread protein muffins, I was definitely intrigued. I haven’t had a real carb since weeks before my surgery, let alone any kind of sweet, so if I could get some honest-to-goodness banana bread-like texture with the added bonus of good protein, I’m all over it. Searching the web for the best recipe can be daunting since there are so many to choose from, but I tweaked one to suit the stuff I had on hand and I must say, I’m impressed. This is a real muffin, y’all! Slightly less sweet than my beloved heart attack recipe, it still satisfies my taste for banana bread. I like to pair a muffin with my yogurt for breakfast for a decent hit of protein and yumminess.
Banana Bread Protein Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup bananas
3/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 packets of instant sugar free oatmeal (I like apples and cinnamon) OR 3/4 cup plain oats
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use Isopure No Carb Creamy Vanilla)
1/2 cup sweetener (I use Splenda)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray. If you’re going to use liners, make sure they are foil liners since these suckers will stick.
Blend all ingredients in a stand mixer or by hand until you got a nice, liquidy batter. I divided them into 9 muffins but you can do all 12 for smaller servings.
Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Serving size: 1 muffin | Servings: 9 Per serving | Calories: 76 | Carbs: 8 g | Protein: 9 g | Fat: 1 g
Between Pinterest and Twitter, I’ve got my hands full with great recipes and techniques for post-bariatric eating. This is one of my favorites, and it’s so easy to make, it’s pretty foolproof. Great as a snack or dessert, this frozen yogurt is packed with protein and satisfies my taste for ice cream-y texture. I love strawberries and blueberries, but you can use whatever fruit you have handy or like. Be sure to let it sit out for 10-15 minutes out of the freezer before eating since non-fat yogurt freezes super solid.
Frozen Protein Greek Yogurt
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of non-fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 scoop of protein powder of choice (I’m partial to Isopure No Carb Vanilla)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 tbsp lime juice
Stevia to taste
Directions:
Blend all ingredients in your blending device of choice and portion into about 1/2 to 3/4 serving sizes in freezer friendly containers. Freeze for a few hours and let thaw for 10-15 minutes before eating.
Serving size: 1/2 cup | Servings: about 3-4 Per serving | Calories: 146 | Carbs: 10 g | Protein: 24 g | Fat: 0 g
Things are still going well, can’t complain. I’m learning a lot of new lessons.
Cooking and Eating
I’m still fine tuning how I cook for myself post-op. I’m used to making a lot of food and eating leftovers, but I’m not able to eat enough and my leftovers will spoil. So now I’m using my crockpot a lot more and making beans, stews, chilis, and casseroles and freezing them into 1 cup servings for myself. Now when I don’t feel like cooking or preparing anything, I can defrost and make my own microwave meals.
I’ve also made my own frozen protein yogurt cups to get my ice cream fix. It’s just non-fat greek yogurt, lime juice, protein powder, and blended fruit. Delicious and a good hit of protein. I’ve got a few cups in the freezer at all times now.
I talked a bit in my video about my adventure with Brussel sprouts the other night. Not fun at all. I thought I had chewed them up but I guess they weren’t soft enough. That with the white meat chicken and the speed I ate, it was bound to happen. For about and hour and a half I was sliming (burping up excess saliva) and just in agony. It was a very effective PSA to do things right and eat like a WLS patient.
Stalls
I also talked about having stalls. I think I have to rethink what I believe is a stall. From my readings, some people have stalls that last weeks, even months. I’m so excited to see the scale move that when it doesn’t, I immediately jump to conclusions. It’s hard for me not to weight myself every day, but I’m trying. I’d say I’m having pauses as my body catches up with all the changes I’m going through. As long as I’m keeping with the program, I know it will come off. It’s only been a little over a month, so patience is a virtue.
I can’t be happier with how my recovery has been going. My pain has been minimal and I haven’t taken my hydrocodone much at all since getting home. I’ve been able to walk the block a couple times, do my laundry, walk and play with my mini schnauzers, clean house, go to church, and grocery shop. Today was the first time I actually felt tired enough to need to sit down, and I do notice my bedtime beckoning me harder than before, but I think that is to be expecting when recovering from major surgery. Here’s some thoughts I’ve compiled in my short time post-op.
Liquids
Week 1 post-op is all about the bariatric clear liquids. Broths, sugar-free jello and popsicles, Crystal Light, juices cut with water, decaf tea and coffee, etc. Even while I was in the hospital, I was able to get liquids down pretty easily. When I came home I made myself Crystal Light pitchers to drink as well as decaf coffee with Torani hazelnut syrup and stevia and Powerade Zero. I am one of the lucky ones to be able to down liquids with gusto – I drink a full glass in less than 15 minutes. It goes down so well I started to worry that my sleeve wasn’t made tight enough. Sure, a big gulp sends me into horrible discomfort and pain but it passes quickly. Then I started panicking that perhaps I’ve already stretched my sleeve. So a Google later and I am finally put at ease! As we know, liquids are sliders and we aren’t supposed to drink while we eat solids. But during the liquid phase of post-op, it’s all, well, liquid. The pyloric valve at the bottom of the stomach stays open for liquids. So while you may cause discomfort with a big gulp, it doesn’t stay there long enough to cause damage, it just slides right through. The valve shuts for solids, so that’s why drinking liquids while eating solids for us sleevers is bad since it opens the valve and allows solids to pass quicker and we don’t get full. As long as your not hurting yourself, you can take your liquids at your own pace.
Insulin
I’ve always skewed higher for my fasting blood sugar levels, but the day of surgery I registered a 148, which is not great but good for me fasting. During my hospital stay I bounced around 140 to 180, which is normal considering the body dumps sugar into the blood stream during trauma to provide energy for repair. I’ve been holding steady at around this level for the past 5 days, so I think I’ll be able to control this with my basal insulin dialed down and small correction doses when I start to eat my small, controlled carbs when I reach that stage of my diet progression. It’s wonderful to have this type of control back, and I’m anxious to see how much better it will get when I start losing significant weight.
Dumping
While I haven’t read a lot about sleevers dumping, I have always had issues when consuming sugar and having gastric issues. Every time I overdid it with sugar, I’d have a hard time in the bathroom without getting too graphic. Today I was pretty lightheaded while shopping, so I bought a protein shake, Core Power Light, that had about 12g of sugar. Granted, I have not had a bowel movement since Monday of last week, and today, I’ve had 4. So I will be sure to be vigilant about my choices in carbs and know better than to drink sugar!
Knorr’s Homestyle Chicken Stock
Diet V8 Splash
Favorites of the moment
I’m allowed fruit juice that is diluted with half water, but I found an excellent juice alternative. V8 Diet Splash has 10 calories per serving and only 1g of sugar (for the Berry Blend). It tastes great and has vitamins and it makes me happy. They’re also only $1.98 a bottle.
I’m also enjoying Knorr’s Homestyle Chicken Stock mixed with chicken broth. It makes for a hearty soup that tastes delicious and filling like I’m eating a full meal. I actually had 4 cups of this today because it was so good, so flavor and liquid = win for me.
I touched on vitamins in a post before, but I really liked the way the dietitian explained everything to us. I think it would be helpful for anyone interested to see why vitamins are harped on so much.
Multivitamin with 18 mg iron (daily)
This one’s a no brainer, but even non-sleevers should be taking this one. We just don’t eat enough variety of foods to absorb all the vitamins we need from them, and sleevers consume even less. Always be sure your multivitamin has at least 18 mg of iron. Iron, important for keep anemia at bay, is usually the first thing cut from specialty multivitamins like Men’s One a Day and the like.
Calcium citrate (1500-1800 mg daily)
Most multivitamins and calcium supplements come in the form of calcium carbonate. In this form, acid is needed to properly absorb the calcium. Our sleeves don’t make enough acid to absorb calcium in this form. Calcium citrate is readily absorbed since it is already acidic. This is usually broken up into 3 doses a day since our body can only absorb 500-600 mg at a time; anything over that is wasted. Without calcium, our bodies start leeching what it needs from our bones. Calcium ions are needed to regulate nerve function and cell signaling pathways and a steady supply is always present in our blood. That’s why it’s so hard to detect a calcium deficiency. A bone density test is needed to find any lack of calcium.
Vitamin B12 (sublingual daily or monthly injection)
B12 absorption begins in the mouth through the mucous membranes and mainly absorbed in the stomach and small intestine. Since we’ve lost a huge portion of our stomachs, not much is absorbed anymore and even less in the intestines. We must rely on our B12 absorption in our mouths sublingually or though injections to get the amount we need. Without it, our energy levels plummet and the immune system suffers.
These are the guidelines given to us by our surgeon and dietitian for gastric sleevers. Your mileage may vary as your surgeon and procedure may warrant another regimen. But it’s a good rule of thumb in our road to getting healthy to know the importance what we’re putting into our bodies. Sorry, your Flintstones gummy isn’t gonna cut it anymore!
My journey before and after gastric sleeve surgery.
Ingredients:
My Sleeve Life 