Starting Over.. Again

I apologize for being MIA the past several months. I lost sight of the purpose of this blog and almost abandoned it but as is typical, life caught up to me. It’s been a very stressful year and a half with the worst of it being the last 8 or 9 months. It was easy to fall back to old eating habits. I was eating what I wanted, when I wanted, dumping and vomiting be damned. I was on food and lifestyle autopilot. Then a series of events in April woke me from my stupor. A personal situation came to a head and had to be confronted and I’m not sure which was worse but over the course of two days, a coworker snapped some pictures of me. I cried. To be honest, I saw some pictures of myself from my high school reunion last July and even though I was embarrassed by how much weight I had gained, autopilot was too well engaged and it wasn’t enough to snap me out of it. The timing on these pictures was perfect because the fog was already starting to lift. Moral: Don’t stop taking pictures. They keep you honest and give you a visual confirmation of how you’re really doing.

The first clue that something was amiss was my hair started falling out in late Winter. I admit I have been letting it grow out and haven’t gotten it cut in way too long.  I wanted the hair loss to be normal seasonal shedding but it just kept falling out. Thankfully I have really thick curly hair and losing it just makes it behave better but I have honestly gotten scared. Then when the pictures came out, it was the punch in the gut that I needed. I immediately came home and threw away anything that I thought was derailing me. What I love about having this surgery is that it only takes a few diet and lifestyle changes to get the weight loss going again. In a matter of 30 days I lost 22 lbs and even more hair. (I honestly let my guard down last week and found that I gained back 6 of the 22 lbs. Another eye-opener)

Side Bar: I have to say that probably the most important catalyst of clearing the fog was confronting my personal demons, both physically and psychologically. I know that the original weight gain the first 30 years of my life was in response to an abusive childhood and the regain was my brain’s way of dealing with similar situation with a coworker. When an unrelated situation came to head and I had to actually deal with it, it finally clicked that I am now strong enough to deal with anything that comes my way and my health doesn’t need to be the casualty. I couldn’t say the same thing just 5 years ago. I also had 10 years of therapy as a foundation. If your brain is keeping you from success, please seek professional help. You deserve to be the healthiest person possible, both physically and emotionally.

So I started doing research on the hair loss. I was able to control the hair loss the first time around and while I remembered it had something to do with protein, I couldn’t remember all the details. I also started looking for other WLS patients that are more than 5 years post op. I’m almost 9 years post op and while support groups for new patients are fabulous, they helped me through my first year, they don’t answer some of the questions I have now about long term effects. This is when I found the WebMD Healthy Eating and Diet Section, the WebMD Diet Community, and the WebMD Food and Fitness Planner. I know there are other communities and food trackers out there but this one is easy to use and it tracks the nutritional information I need like Calories, Protein, Carbohydrates, and Sugars. The Diet Community is not very active but there is good information there if you take the time to look for it. I’m still searching for a more active community so if anyone has any suggestions please post them in the comments.

So my brain is in the right place and I’m motivated. Motivation is really hard for me to maintain; if it weren’t, I wouldn’t be suffering from morbid obesity… again…. As embarrassing as they are, here are my stats:

Open RNY Gastric Bypass: 10/22/2002

Highest Weight: 356

Weight at Surgery: 306

Lowest Weight: 156

Highest Recorded Weight Gain: 238

Weight on 05/29/2011: 224

Weight on 05/30/2011: 221.8

Based on a suggestion from the WebMD Diet Community expert, I logged every bite I took yesterday. I can never stick to a food log so I’m only obligating myself to 1 week. The goal is to see just how healthy my current eating habits are and where I can make changes. I also read a suggestion that said to weigh yourself every day so you can see how eating and activity the day before effects your weight and how you feel. I deal with a lot of water retention and don’t know if it’s diet or medication. I hope to find a pattern. It’s hard to find nutritional guidelines online for those of us this far post op so here is what WebMD says I should be eating, what my personal goals are based on a combination of first year post op diets and familiarity with my own body, and how I did after day 1 of logging my food.

WebMD                      Personal                    Actual

Calories:          1301                           1200                         1497 (YIKES)

Protein:            46 grams                    100 grams               108.7 grams (WOOHOO)

Total Carbs:    130 grams                  50 grams                 115.2 grams (HOLY CRAP)

Sugars:             25 grams                    20 grams                 26.3 grams (Could be better)

So as you can see, I have some things to work on. Since this blog is supposed to be my journey living with Weight Loss Surgery, what better way to use this space than to document my struggle and eventual success?  I plan to come in every day for at least the next week and talk about this learning experience I am embarking on. I am tired of feeling “fat”, of having little or no energy, of living with the pain of fibromyalgia (another post for another time), and of this “autopilot” that has taken over. I made the decision 10 years ago to completely change my life and it’s time to let this tool do its job. I hope you decide to join me on this journey and I look forward to your comments and suggestions.


Here we go! Are you coming along?


Angie

                

Pumpkin Truffle Cake

This is a recipe I came up with a few years ago and it's now a staple around here during the holidays. It has a lot more sugar than recipes I normally make but it's worth it. My husband says it tastes like one of those big, soft gingerbread men dipped in chocolate from Godiva. When I made it to write down the measurements, I would have taken a picture but a wedge came up missing before I could get to the camera. I hope you try it and enjoy it.

PUMPKIN TRUFFLE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix

3/4 cup sugar or Splenda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

4 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°. Using the microwave, melt 4 ounces of chocolate in a medium bowl. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, water, and spices. Mix on low until smooth. Gradually add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add sugar or Splenda and cake mix and mix until thoroughly combined. Remove 1 cup of cake batter and mix with the melted chocolate. Pour 1/2 cake batter into a greased Bundt pan. Add all of the chocolate batter mixture, using a rubber spatula to ensure even coverage. Top with second 1/2 of the cake batter. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto a platter and refrigerate until chilled.

Ganache

8 oz. good quality chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet (I use 1/2 of each)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T. unsalted butter

If using solid bars of chocolate, chop chocolate into small pieces and place in glass or metal bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook cream, butter, and vanilla until a slow boil forms. Pour cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes, stir cream and chocolate together until mixture is thick and glossy. Pour ganache over cake like a glaze. Work quickly because the chocolate will get thicker as it cools. Refrigerate cake until ganache is set.

Note: To reduce the amount of sugar in this cake, use Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake Mix and Splenda. You can also use baker's unsweetened chocolate in the filling but you may need to add more Splenda to the filling mixture as well.

Low Carb Lifestyle

I am constantly fascinated by the quality and quantity of blogs available on the internet. I am also fascinated by the crappy information passed off as fact. Lowcarbblogs.net falls in the area of quality information available. After having weight loss surgery, we were told by our doctor that the best diet to follow to insure weight loss success consisted of high protein and very little carbohydrates. This diet plan worked great for awhile and it was only after adding carbohydrates back into our diet that we began to gain weight. Maintaining a low carbohydrate lifestyle can be challenging when you are bombarded with nutritionists, doctors, talk shows, grocery stores, and commercials that constantly remind you that whole grains should be the basis of and proteins limited in any food plan. The more I read, the more I understand just how wrong this is, especially for those of us with a modified gastric system. Quality blogs like Lowcarbblogs.net are a great source of information and ideas for creating and maintaining a lifestyle that is right for you. No, I am not receiving anything, nor was I asked to endorse this website but after reading the posted articles and blog lists, I felt that it would only benefit all of us if I passed it along. Take a few minutes to check this out. You won't regret it.

I have finally made the decision

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted anything since May. Wow how time flies. We've had a fairly uneventful Summer except for finding out that there are 35 wineries in the State of Tennessee. Who knew? We have visited a couple so far and plan to visit all 35. I don't know how long it will take but we're going to do it eventually. I'll post some links and talk more about that later.

So what decision have I finally made? I'm going to write a cookbook. I've started on the first set of recipes and the concept is a work in progress. I thought however that I would go ahead and post the first few pages. What I have done is taken a regular run of the mill Oatmeal Cookie recipe and turned it into several variations. I hope you notice that all of these start with the same base and that it only takes a few ingredients to turn a traditional recipe into something your friends and family will ask for over and over again.   All of these cookies contain ingredients for both a regular recipe and a reduced sugar recipe. I have yet to come up with a way to make chewy, indulgent cookies without the aid of brown sugar. If I finally find something that works, you'll be the first to know.

So on with the recipes. Please give me your feedback, I look forward to it.

OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda, and cinnamon. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda, and cinnamon. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softenedd

3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate, melted

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

TWICE THE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

INDULGENT CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3 oz unsweetened Baker’s chocolate

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat just until combined. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats. Fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped cranberries. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

TRAIL MIX COOKIES

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 packed cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup sugar or

3/4 cup packed brown sugar + ¾ cup Splenda

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1-1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup milled flax seed

2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

1-1/2 cup any combination of raisins, dried apricots roughly chopped, dried cranberries roughly chopped, toasted walnuts roughly chopped, dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° In a mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer until smooth. Add 1 cup flour, the brown sugar, sugar or Splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Beat until crumbly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour, then stir or beat in the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, and sesame seeds. Fold in the raisins, apricots, cranberries, walnuts, and/or chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

5 Bean Chili

This is a fabulous recipe for those "chili" nights or just when you need a little comfort. High in protein and you can make it as mild or as spicy as your heart desires.  Enjoy!

1-1/2 lb. ground beef

4 heaping T. chili powder, or to taste

1 T. cumin

1 med. yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 lg. green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, large, minced

2 27-oz cans Bush's Chili Beans, both mild or one mild, one hot

7 (15-oz.) cans beans, any combo black, dark red and light red kidney, pinto, well drained

2 (15-oz.) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 (64-oz.) bottle V8 or vegetable juice

1 T. salt or to taste

1 dash red pepper flakes or Tabasco Sauce to taste

In a large stock pot, I use an 8 quart, brown ground beef, 1/2 of the chili powder, and 1/2 of the cumin until meat is cooked through. Drain meat thoroughly and put it back in the pot. Stir in onions, peppers, and garlic. Add both cans of Bush's Chili Beans, stir until thoroughly combined. Add the rest of the beans and the Diced Tomatoes. It will be thick but stir as much as possible. Slowly stir as much vegetable juice as the pot will hold. Add most of the chili powder, the rest of the cumin, salt and pepper. Add additional chili powder and salt to your taste. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat to low and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally. Makes great leftovers for days.

Black Angus Veggie Burger or Confetti Burger

I made this for dinner tonight and my friend Josh gave me the idea.  I've given it two titles, depending on the type of meat used.  The Black Angus Veggie Burger uses Black Angus Beef whereas the Confetti Burger can be made with any ground meat or even tofu.  I'm not proficient with tofu but if you are and try it, please let me know how you did it.  What I found was that while these burgers aren't pretty, they are amazingly good.  So... here is what I did...

Black Angus Veggie Burger/Confetti Burger

1 lb ground Black Angus beef or your favorite burger base

2 cans black beans, drained

1 cup water

2 chicken or beef boullion cube

1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin

1/2 medium onion, grated or finely chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed

3 oz shredded cheddar, monteray jack, and/or colby cheese

6 slices deli style cheddar cheese

In a medium sauce pan, combine black beans, water, boullion cube, and cumin.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.  Mash the beans with a potato masher or hand blender until smooth.  Set aside to cool but do not let it get cold.

In a medium bowl, combine ground meat, onion, carrot, garlic, 1 cup black bean paste, and shredded cheese.  Blend with hands or spoon until thouroughly combined.  Pat out 6 evenly sized patties.

Heat a large skillet on medium high until it's screeching hot.  Coat the bottom of the pan with nonstick cooking spray and gently place the burgers in the pan.  Be careful and watch for splatter.  Turn the pan down to medium low and cook for 20 minutes, flipping the burgers halfway through.  These burgers have a high moisture content that makes them easy to fall apart and the cheese could make it stick to the pan.  When turning the burgers, take it slow, try to get as much of the "crust" off with the burger as you can.  Don't be alarmed if the crust sticks completely.

Place the burger on 1/2 of a bun.  Top with a spoonful of the remaining black bean paste and a slice of cheese.  Serve it open faced with a side of black bean paste and vinegar cole slaw.

For those of you who are WLS patients, we did not have the vinegar cole slaw with this because it's just too much food with it added.  I can see making the cole slaw instead of extra beans when I make this again.  Other than sticking to the pan, this came out really well.

Enjoy!

Angie

What exactly is WLS and Roux en Y and what does it have to do with this blog?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, WLS is the common abbreviation for Weight Loss Surgery and Roux en Y Gastric Bypass is the type of Weight Loss Surgery my husband and I had.  I had my surgery in October 2002 and he had his in December 2003.  At the time of surgery, I was 180 lbs overweight and my husband was 150 lbs overweight.  The average adult stomach will hold an average of 1 quart of food, or 32 oz.  The surgeon reduced our stomachs to only hold a volume of 1 oz. This new stomach is referred to as a gastric pouch or "pouch".  The surgeon also performed a Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy.  This procedure removes a portion of the intestine and the duodenum, preventing absorption of fat and sugar, then the new pouch is attached to the small intestine.  So not only does the volume of food we are able to eat decrease to a minimum, but there is also an issue with malabsorption. The diet immediately after surgery consists of only liquids.  The solidity and types of foods allowed gradually evolves over the first 6-8 weeks.

Having this procedure has changed the way we choose which foods to eat.  Because of the malabsorption, our diets should be high in protein, low in simple carbohydrates, low in fat, and minimal sugar.  Too many carbohydrates, fats, and/or sugars at once causing "dumping syndrome" where our bodies essentially reject the food and we are left nauseated, breaking out in sweats until the offending food moves through the intestines.  It's not fun to go through and takes about an hour before we are feeling normal again.  The size of the pouch dictates that we need as many nutrients as we can get in as little food as possible.  The size of the pouch causes pain when the wrong foods are eaten as well.  Carbonated beverages, rice, pasta, breads (anything that expands when wet), medications, too much sugar, can all be extremely painful and if the food bites are too big, it can actually get stuck in the stomach, preventing other foods or beverages from being consumed.

Don't get me wrong, even with these limitations, I would do again today.  We both lost approximately 150 lbs in the first year after surgery.  I no longer have to take medications to regulate my blood sugar and his blood pressure is normal for the first time in a decade.  Unfortunately, our bodies are very resilient and over the past 6-7 years, our pouches have expanded to 8 oz.  While that's a far cry from 32 oz, it is enough that when combined with other factors, it has caused us to gain back 50% of what we lost.  This is normal for most RNY patients and is still considered a successful procedure.

So what have we discovered in this process?  We feel better when we are eating lean, good quality meats, fresh fruits and vegetable, and drinking lots of water.  We read labels now before we buy a new product.  Sometimes we have to take another look at the nutritional labels on products we've always used.  We've become amazed at how many additives are in processed foods, how much sugar is in the most savory products, and fats that really do not need to be there.  We buy All Natural and Organic as much as we can afford and have learned some fabulous ways to prepare our meals.  But this isn't just for WLS patients.. everyone.. whether you are obese, overweight, needing to add an exercise program, or physically fit and running marathons, the recipes and tips that will be covered by this blog will fit your lifestyle.

For more information on Weight Loss Surgery and Roux en Y, please visit these and other sites available online.  The RNY is not the only Weight Loss Surgery option available and information on those procedures is available as well.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/gastric-bypass

http://fatblog.org/index.php

http://www.gastricbypass.com/

Thank you

Angie