Bariatric Recipe Resources

So, I am constantly on the prowl for new recipes. CONSTANTLY. I hate monotony in what I eat. I'm a pretty good cook (and an even better baker), so I like trying my hand at all sorts of things. Unfortunately, it involves LOTS of research. So, to the internet! As always.

There are a few websites that I think are outstanding! Well, more than a few. But, y'know. Anyway... I'm not being paid or anything to promote these websites, just sharing results of my research :D

The Bariatric Food Dude - http://bariatricfooddude.blogspot.com/

Bariatric Foodie - http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/

Gina's Skinny Taste - http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Dashing Dish - http://dashingdish.com/

Those are just a few - I get a lot of other recipes from all over the internet. Great keywords to use are "high protein low carb recipes," "bariatric recipes," or anything paleo, atkins, or diabetic. The latter two tend to be higher in protein and lower in carbs, but you should always check the nutritional info with the recipe if it's provided for you!

There's also good ways to pick which recipes are better for gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, lap-band, or any other bariatric surgeries. In addition, if there's a recipe you are dying to try, try and look for substitutions! The internet is full of people who can recommend alternatives. Here's some examples of subs I've done:

• I generally will replace heavy cream or buttermilk with evaporated milk. This will work for a majority of recipes, but sometimes you would need to keep the exact ingredients so the dish comes together properly. 
• Other substitutions are if you have to use flour in your recipe, go for a non-grain, such as almond, coconut, or soy. The better "in-between" is whole wheat, if the others are out of your budget. (Trust me, budgetary concerns are at the forefront of my mind because of how much specialty foods and medicines I have to buy!) 
• Use reduced fat or fat free anything whenever possible. If you have special sodium needs, you will want to check the sodium content especially in those items. You might want to check with vegan equivalents in that case, and see if they are any better.
• Instead of using corn, vegetable, canola, olive oil, etc, try using just cooking spray or another "nut based" oil, like coconut oil or avocado oil.

I can't think of any more for now, but I will try and jot down some substitutions I have made to share with you guys! 

Above all else, keep track of what you're eating!! You can use websites like myfitnesspal.com (and I'm sure a slew of others), but I'm actually just keeping a little notebook in my purse. Since I have good (well, low) blood pressure and good cholesterol, I am mainly watching protein and hydration. I stay mindful of carbohydrates in what I eat every day, but what I eat tends to be very, very low in carbs anyway. On a typical week day, I will have a protein shake, a snack of string cheese, a few pieces of sliced turkey breast (most turkey or white meat you find in the deli will be very low fat; the most recent I picked up was 99% fat free), another snack of string cheese later if I'm really having a hard time making it to dinner, then a piece of meat for dinner (whatever is the meat we're having with that dinner), and maybe some fruit or greek yogurt for dessert. You can pinpoint how little carbs there are - but not necessarily the protein. But y'know what? My little Fit & Active low fat/part skim mozzarella string cheese from Aldi's is about $2/package, has 8 cheeses, and it has 9 grams of protein per stick. I think that's a great snack for your wallet and your protein intake.

I will keep you posted on tips and tricks for cooking, since it's a lot of what I think about day to day. Good luck in the kitchen!

Crystal Light, friend or foe?

I have been having Crystal Light lately (peach iced tea). I've found it's helping me get that extra hydration in that I so desperately need. However, I think it's given me a mouth ulcer. I was inspecting this pain I've had in my mouth for a few days, and was able to check it out in the very good light at the bathroom at work. Lo and behold, it looks to me that I have an ulcer/sore in the back of my mouth, near my esophagus. It's so far back and so close to important bits that I'm uncomfortable using Orajel or Anbesol . Soo, Meryl suggested gargling with peroxide. I did it this morning, and it seemed to help a little bit. But I think the Crystal Light is what done me in, because I don't eat spicy foods or acidic stuff really, since I know those would be bothering my stomach.

Well, Crystal Light, you're the only thing new in my life.... So it's either stress or that. I hope it goes away soon, because I don't want to have to deal with this on the upcoming camping trip (less than a week ago). There's a likelihood that it's stress, but I doubt it. So this is clearly my weekly body-weirdness.....lol.

Cheese?

Would you like some cheese with that cheese?

I have been eating part-skim/low-fat mozzarella string cheese like it's going out of style. I have at least 2 a day, and today it will more like be 3 or 4, since I don't have any lunch! :(

Oh well. It's cheap and protein rich - one string cheese is 9 g of protein. They're small, easily transportable, low fat, and I'm sure(-ish?) low on carbs. And you are kind of forced to eat it slowly because it's...string...cheese.

Ch-Ch-Changes

So, over the past few weeks or so, my body has been going through an absurd amount of changes. My hormones are completely unbalanced. The chemistry in my brain is unbalanced. A month ago, my cycle was 100% different than normal, so bad that I called my gynecologist to come in. She said it would probably pass, but I could come in if I wanted to. I ended up not, because it had started to taper off the next day.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I started to get really bad acne, and my hair got incredibly oily - so bad that as soon as I would wash my hair with just shampoo, it would still be oily. I was investigating ways to dry out my hair, anti-oily shampoo. (Sadly, the options are pretty limited if you don't want to break the bank.) I also found myself pretty consistently hungry.

After a week-ish, it passed. What?! Now just mental/brain chemistry imbalances - I've been pretty depressed lately, and increasingly so, but my mania has been also complicating things. So me being manic and depressive at the same time is becoming a more frequent occurrence. I don't know if it's that my body isn't processing the chemicals in my medications well or what. I'm seeing my psychologist later this week, so it will be something I will want to talk to her about. It seems odd that we would have to up the dosage, when there's less ground to cover, in theory. But this could be just another hypochondriac moment of "wtf is going on, haaalllpppp."

I think the reason I'm becoming increasingly depressed is that I feel that I'm having to fight an uphill battle just to keep my body from falling apart. I need to struggle every day to get in the protein and liquids that I need to get, and generally am not making the cut, so I need to fight even harder than I have been. I'm kind of plateau-ing a bit when it comes to my weight, though I think the inches are coming off. (A lot of my clothing is starting to be absurdly loose on me, which is nice, except for when I can't afford anything.) That's a positive, but still discouraging a bit that the scale doesn't move much in two weeks. And in addition to all this, something new and absurd is happening to my body almost every week. My hair is starting to thin, so I'm fairly certain that no amount of biotin I take - supplements and biotin shampoo - are going to help me save my hair. So I guess I'll start shopping for wigs, which aren't too hard to find in my area. Also, money is an incredibly serious issue for me right now, and I applied for a personal loan to try and consolidate my debt and improve my credit, but was denied. Well, lovely - how am I ever supposed to get out of this hole, short of getting an amazing job and/or winning the lottery? The job thing is ridiculously unlikely, since I tried so hard for so long to get a job and just couldn't win. So it feels like an hopeless situation, definitely.

Dave and I are going camping soon, which is the only thing I'm excited for. It's the only thing that keeps me barely afloat, because it's something to hope for. Everything else...it's just going through the motions. Work, eating, doing other things - I have to drag myself to do them, and only because I absolutely have to. I've been shunning almost all social interaction. Just don't want to do anything at all. I know it's a big sign of depression - I've seen it in myself and others before. So I'm really concerned about my body processing the medications I take, since I've been on the same dosage for the anti-depressant for I can't even remember how long - probably over a year. So, we'll see. I'm tired of having to change things up constantly.

I just want things to kind of normalize. The further out I get from the surgery, the more trouble I seem to be running into. :(

Cravings and camping

I have been having some serious cravings and hunger pangs lately. Thankfully, I have scoured the internet to find things better for me - like a crustless pumpkin pie that has 6g of protein by itself for a 1/8 slice, not including protein powder - but still. The problem is I'm a good cook and a better baker, so I'm like, heck yeah I'll make some pie/cookies/etc! So it's not like I have oreos sitting in the house - it's that I'll make something that's not so hot for myself. I think half of it is that it's been more recently, and I should be getting my period soon, but still. Gotta cut it out!!

Also, I've been bemoaning/depressed about the fact that I can't afford a vacation (and almost always desperately need one, since my mechanisms for dealing with stress are poor to say the least). It kind of came to a "point" where I had a serious discussion with Dave about finances last week, since I have a regular 9-5 (8-4) job and he is a contractor that almost exclusively works weekends. Being a contractor, his work is highly irregular, and so is the money. I know he's got my back emotionally, mentally, and physically, but I also need him to have it financially, so that I don't have a nervous breakdown worrying about money, especially if there's an unexpected expense that comes up.

I've been wanting us to go to New Orleans over Halloween and November 2nd, because (A) I LOVE Halloween, and I'm sure there are so many amazing things to do in that city for the holiday, and (B) Dave's birthday is 11/2, and he loves New Orleans, and so we could celebrate it there! Well, yeah, that sucker is expensive - to the tune of at least $1k (driving or flying).

Dave said later that night that he would have something sweet for me the next day. So the next day, I'm all bouncy and cheerful (despite my lasting depression). When I got home, Dave told me we would be going on a vacation....camping! Lord, I have never been legit camping. Sometimes I do well in the outdoors, a lot of times I don't. I am a mosquito magnet - which is my primary, almost singular, beef. I was outside for maybe 5 minutes a few nights ago and got no less than 5 bug bites on my legs! Give me a freaking break. I think I may have camped outside in the backyard when I was younger, but really that doesn't count. So camping for 3 days, 4 nights, should be interesting to say the least. It's at the Four Quarters InterFaith Sanctuary in south-central Pennsylvania. Dave has been there many times before and loves it - so removed from everything, beautiful, and tranquil. He started thinking about it when I was first investigating Buddhism. Also, it's cheap, and not terribly far away. Still - cooking over a campfire? I'm concerned about what I'll be eating, and especially getting my fluids in, but I just discovered that they have water pipes/"water buffalos", so that should be good. Also, thankfully, they have toilets and showers. If they didn't, I might have put the kibosh on the whole plan. Especially with the possible unreliability of my stomach... I don't want to have to worry about pooping in excess in the woods :'(.

But! It should still be exciting. It will definitely be a new experience. :)

Recent picture

10/27/12 - weight: 275 lbs

8/10/13 - weight: 230 lbs

Dave took this picture for me over the weekend in this new faboo dress that I've been waiting to debut. It kind of hides my curves a little bit, but I think you can notice the differences a good deal. I will take some more appropriate before & after pics soon - promise!

Pushing myself too hard, and sometimes not hard enough

I have been trying to work on expanding what foods I eat every day, as best I can. Unfortunately, that's been leading me to push the boundaries a little too far. I had been munching on raw almonds somewhat lately, and really chewing them down to the texture of pretty much nothing. Even so, they would still sit heavily in my stomach and be a little painful/ache-inducing. I didn't feel like throwing up, just felt...bad. I would end up taking an anti-nausea pill and/or some Gas-X dissolvable strips (which are kind of delicious and delightful). So last night kind of was the same thing, only worse. Granted, time's progressed, so I'm feeling more confident... Baaad idea. I made a few ramekins of blackberry slump. 1, it didn't turn out like I thought it would.. It was much more cakey than I was led to believe it would be. The blackberries didn't plop down, they just kind of hovered on the top. 2, yeah, much worse pain than the almonds had ever caused. I wandered around the apartment after having taking both meds, and then slept in the recliner, since I vaguely remember being told that you shouldn't lie down flat, because it will just make it worse. So! Live and learn. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the other slumps, since I don't think Dave will eat them...

Ok, so that part kinda sucks. So let's get on to something better!

Saturday I signed up for a membership to Planet Fitness! Exciting. I got the Planet Fitness Black Card Membership, which allows me to use any other Planet Fitness for free, I get access to some special equipment like the Red Light Therapy booths, and most importantly, I can bring in one guest a day every day for free. Which makes this perfect for me going on my own or going with Dave, and being able to go anywhere is definitely a perk. It's very clean, and I definitely feel like I can be in total isolation, even with people running on the treadmills next to me as I dodder along walking, lol. So we went for our first outing on Sunday - Dave was more nervous than I was for once. It's definitely a new environment for both of us. Somehow I managed not to obsess about going though - I guess it's because I've already been through all of that, lol. That, and I have been noticing excess skin lately, which has gotten me incredibly depressed... So I'm kind of determined to take care of that, and that can only be done with exercise (short of plastic surgery).

I'm hoping to try out the Red Light Therapy booth, which is like a tanning booth, but it's supposed to be good for warming up your muscles and reducing cellulite and wrinkles and toning your skin..blah blah. It could be all smoke and mirrors, but it would be neat to give it a try. PLUS it looks like an evil teleporter or something. XD So it's worth it just for experiencing that...

Downward turn

Last night I was having some major pelvic cramps and pain in what I believed to be my bladder. So, thinking, okay, urinary tract infection - I'll just hit up an urgent care place during my lunch break, get antibiotics, and go on my merry way.

Well, my body had other plans in store.

I woke up, got in the shower, shaved, and was about to wash my hair when I passed out. I slid against the wall and bumped against the knobs and landed on my ass. I think I was out for a few moments, maybe 30 seconds, maybe more than that. But I turned off the shower, because after I came to, I felt incredibly nauseated. I got out of the shower, and crouched near the toilet for a good 5 minutes, expecting to hurl. After I decided my stomach contents were staying put, I got back in bed and told Dave I wasn't going to work because I had passed out in the shower.

Cue rest of drama!

So we went to the urgent care place for those things. The urgent care then referred us to the emergency room, so they could do bloodwork, IVs, and other tests. (This was after doing a pee test and EKG at the u.c.) They asked if I wanted an ambulance, and I was kind of flabbergasted lol. If I can walk and have all my parts where they ought to be, I can be driven to the hospital.

So, into the ER. My blood pressure was lower than normal at the urgent care place - 87/61. I normally have low blood pressure, but whatever. Anyway, they did some bloodwork, pee test, and hooked me up to an IV. I went through two bags of saline, and it had my blood pressure dropping even more. LOVELY. So I sat up and started to dootz around a little, and then it was fine. ;.;

We were there 5 hours.

FIVE BLOODY HOURS.

You wonder why people have to wait so long to get a room in the ER...because people who can easily be seen to are wasting space there. Rrrrrgggggg....

Whatever. I'm home now, antibiotics, and a bandaid where the IV was. Just grumpy as all get-out. However, I got great news when I got home!! My FMLA was approved!! Which makes today's call-out a non-issue, thank god. Soooo, yeah. It's fantastic news. I also got the fabric samples I ordered, which I'm going to make into a small Tibetan prayer flag garland/chain/string. :)

Creative reuse!

I've been meaning to do something with my old jug of Dymatize ISO-100. So, cat food! Put the new jug next to it, for a before and after. :)

I am also working on crocheting a shawl. I just learned, so I'm totally in the zone. It's very good at distracting me from food, lol.

25 lbs down!

After about 5 weeks, I am officially down 25 pounds! I'm kind of ecstatic. I am hoping to exercise more in the upcoming weeks, as I'm going to be getting a membership to Planet Fitness, and thinking about doing some yoga classes as well (for the meditation/serenity aspect, as well as just general fitness and flexibility). I am feeling thinner, but there's not a huge difference in clothing yet. The last time I weighed about this weight was in 2005, so I'm definitely feeling a little high from it.

Also, I was joking with my coworker yesterday that I wondered how far medical records go back.. That way I could call my old doctor that I used to see in NJ (back when I was in high school and such) and see what my weights were back then, lolol. See when the last time I was at my goal weight (160 currently, though I might change it to be lower down the road). Alas, I'm pretty sure medical records aren't held for long.