So, a holiday recap. This is how you handle the holidays successfully after bariatric surgery:
You don't.
The holidays were tough. With every one of them, I ate too much and was overly full and feeling slightly nauseous. I've been lucky that I rarely vomit, though, so that may have been what kept me going. That, and taking lots of precautionary/reactionary meds - Prilosec, Promethazine, Tums, and Gas-X. (I don't know if it really matters - and I think it does - but I use mint-flavored tums and the dissolvable mint gas-x strips. I find that mint flavor generally soothes my stomach, even if it's a complete placebo effect.) Even eating minimally, I still ate too fast. "OMG this is so good!!! *snarf snarf snarf*"
And that's becoming a bigger problem for me... But I'll get to that.
In addition, there's the cookies. Oh glorious, glorious cookies. I made some as usual, though a lot less than normal. (Pretty much nobody got a full tin, though I did bring plates kinda sorta everywhere.) I did do a good amount of grazing, but nowhere near as I used to eat. Still! It was risky. I was about 6 months out, and that was when I should have been only starting on breads/rice/pasta/potatoes... But I did ok. If I ate too many, I had diarrhea from all the sugar and fats. As usual, your body will tell you when you're eating what you shouldn't - either quantity or "quality."
Overall I came out all right. I did more binging (eating lots, and fast) than I hoped I would, which has tapered off significantly after the holidays. I think a lot of that was derived from stress. Emotional eating is a hard thing to remove from your life, but I think as time goes on, I am having more and more success. The most important thing about that is to be mindful.
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In other news, I had my 6 month follow-up! Ended up being more like 7, because I had to reschedule, but whatever. I weighed in at 195, which is 60 lbs since my official weigh-in at surgery! Pretty proud of myself. Some of my vitamin levels are still low (the same ones - B1 and B12), but I have been falling behind on taking those a bit. >_< My liver enzymes were still a bit high, but we'll just keep watching those.
Clothing is still kind of wonky, but I'm fitting into my own skin a bit better, which is nice. I got some gift cards for Avenue & Kohl's for Christmas. I'm so-so on the Avenue stuff, since I'm getting close to the bottom of their sizing (and their stuff runs large anyway), but I'm sure I can work it! :)
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Monday, January 13, 2014
Friday, August 30, 2013
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:
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!
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!
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!
Monday, August 26, 2013
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. :(
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. :(
Monday, July 22, 2013
Dietary progression/regression
I talked to Dave about this a little last night, since I haven't really talked about it at length with anyone yet. I had posted to the gastricsleeve.com forums about this, but haven't really got much info, other than asparagus = no, because it's fibrous. Didn't think about that one, thought it was one of the "good guys". :'(
Unfortunately, not much help in regards to the fact that I'm having difficulty getting down protein shakes and smoothies. It's not that I feel the need to vomit, it's just incredibly full feeling almost immediately. And this definitely wasn't happening when I first started on the upward dietary progression! The doctors and nurses especially stressed to me that if you feel full, stop, because one more bite/sip could make you throw up or cause extreme pain. So where's the middle ground? I need to get my protein in, and it's been incredibly hard. I can't afford to drink Isopures every day - at $4.50 a pop, I can hardly afford more than a few at a time.
For example, I made an amazingly delicious apple cinnamon protein smoothie yesterday morning. It was pretty great on the first time through, though a bit chewy (tooooo thick, plus flaxseed always makes things a bit chewier). I watered it down for round 2. Harder to get through. Round 3, same. I could hardly finish the 8 oz I made for myself over an hour - which is the time it should take to get through it. I'd get through maybe 2 ounces and feel super full, and have to wait 20 minutes or so until I felt capable of going at it again. The downside with that smoothie/shake is that it doesn't have a lot of protein, comparably - only ~33 grams in the whole shebang. So I only ended up with about 11g of protein in each of my servings. The reeses protein shake I made has a lot more, but that's because of the double helping of protein. But still. I unfortunately need to get used to leftovers, since I've kind of hated them all my life. Having the same thing for every "meal" yesterday kind of killed me. But at the same time, if I don't force myself to have it again, I will just make something new and it will most likely go to waste and need to be thrown out.
In other news, one of the forum members did make a suggestion about having issues with just plain protein shakes (protein powder + water - even milk makes me intolerably full and slightly queasy). Maybe it's the whey? So I'm trying out a soy isolate shake today, and I gotta say I'm not impressed or enjoying it. It definitely has a weird taste/mouth-feel that I'm not impressed with. I'm wondering if maybe I'm developing lactose intolerance - or the very miniscule issues I had with it years ago are coming back. In which case, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Not sure what I would do after that. I also know that I'm not good with eggs, though my primary care physician was like, meh, maybe you just had too many, just don't have them for awhile. Well, how will I know if I have an allergy if I don't eat them and have a reaction? Derp, can't you just test me anyway? Nope. Double derp.
All in all, I'm pretty stressed about the state of things and my stomach not cooperating. I have an appointment a week from today with the nurse, so I'm going to bring these things up to her. I'm supposed to be on soft foods (stage 4), and it doesn't really bother me that I'm not there yet, but at the same time, I'm concerned that I'm hardly able to do full liquids (stage 2). :(
Unfortunately, not much help in regards to the fact that I'm having difficulty getting down protein shakes and smoothies. It's not that I feel the need to vomit, it's just incredibly full feeling almost immediately. And this definitely wasn't happening when I first started on the upward dietary progression! The doctors and nurses especially stressed to me that if you feel full, stop, because one more bite/sip could make you throw up or cause extreme pain. So where's the middle ground? I need to get my protein in, and it's been incredibly hard. I can't afford to drink Isopures every day - at $4.50 a pop, I can hardly afford more than a few at a time.
For example, I made an amazingly delicious apple cinnamon protein smoothie yesterday morning. It was pretty great on the first time through, though a bit chewy (tooooo thick, plus flaxseed always makes things a bit chewier). I watered it down for round 2. Harder to get through. Round 3, same. I could hardly finish the 8 oz I made for myself over an hour - which is the time it should take to get through it. I'd get through maybe 2 ounces and feel super full, and have to wait 20 minutes or so until I felt capable of going at it again. The downside with that smoothie/shake is that it doesn't have a lot of protein, comparably - only ~33 grams in the whole shebang. So I only ended up with about 11g of protein in each of my servings. The reeses protein shake I made has a lot more, but that's because of the double helping of protein. But still. I unfortunately need to get used to leftovers, since I've kind of hated them all my life. Having the same thing for every "meal" yesterday kind of killed me. But at the same time, if I don't force myself to have it again, I will just make something new and it will most likely go to waste and need to be thrown out.
In other news, one of the forum members did make a suggestion about having issues with just plain protein shakes (protein powder + water - even milk makes me intolerably full and slightly queasy). Maybe it's the whey? So I'm trying out a soy isolate shake today, and I gotta say I'm not impressed or enjoying it. It definitely has a weird taste/mouth-feel that I'm not impressed with. I'm wondering if maybe I'm developing lactose intolerance - or the very miniscule issues I had with it years ago are coming back. In which case, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Not sure what I would do after that. I also know that I'm not good with eggs, though my primary care physician was like, meh, maybe you just had too many, just don't have them for awhile. Well, how will I know if I have an allergy if I don't eat them and have a reaction? Derp, can't you just test me anyway? Nope. Double derp.
All in all, I'm pretty stressed about the state of things and my stomach not cooperating. I have an appointment a week from today with the nurse, so I'm going to bring these things up to her. I'm supposed to be on soft foods (stage 4), and it doesn't really bother me that I'm not there yet, but at the same time, I'm concerned that I'm hardly able to do full liquids (stage 2). :(
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Small dietary drama and recipe reorganization
So, I was pretty eager to try and start on some soft foods. Last night I picked up a steamer bag of asparagus and steamed the hell out of them, so they were pretty mushy. I cut them up small, the "size of my thumbnail", and ate as slow as possible. I filled up so quickly, I couldn't believe it. I probably ended up eating 5 stalks total. They sat fine! I was so glad. Even if I felt much fuller than when I've had anything else.
So, today, for lunch, I went back to the asparagus and did it again. I don't know if I ate too quickly or what, but I've had an unpleasant pressure in my chest/stomach ever since. I took an anti-nausea pill because I was feeling queasy, and it wasn't helping for quite some time, but I'm feeling mostly better now. Not sure where I want to go from here, truthfully. Maybe I should try making cauliflower "mashed potatoes" or something that has a closer to puree consistency. Oh well :\
In trying to find more recipe suggestions for soft foods and the like, I've been turning to a few books, as well as the internet. (Well, mostly the internet, because I prefer to pin my recipes...) I already own Recipes for Life After Weight Loss Surgery by Margaret Furtado and Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine. From my local library I checked out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery, also by Margaret Furtado. (I also accidentally took out an earlier version of the first book mentioned...whoops!) Of all of the books, I find the first one to be the most helpful. It's laid out very clearly in what stage you would be at for that recipe. However, the only book that's mentioned VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) on its own is the Complete Idiot's Guide - and for that I am very grateful. For a surgery that is increasingly common and/or "popular", it should really bear greater mention then just "oh, you kind of follow the same dietary track as the Lap-Band." Lastly, the book by Levine also has a great strength in that it lists ways to customize any of the recipes for whatever stage you're at. All of these books have their share of strengths and weaknesses and absurdly similar titles (hence my accidentally checking out an earlier edition of a book I already own).
Onto something else...
I have been doing a lot of experimenting lately with different protein shake/smoothie recipes. Some of them have been absolutely fantastic, some of them....mmm not so much. I am on a crusade against bananas at the moment, i.e. don't want them in my smoothies or shakes, since the banana flavor overpowers anything else. I like bananas well enough, although pretty much just raw is fine by me. But...yeah. Anyway! Moving along. Looking for new things that have different components, so I can build on the basic protein powder flavors I have. (Currently I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, unflavored, and "banana creme" for Dave, not me obviously.) In any case, there are obviously tons of resources online. Two great resources that I especially liked tonight were a pretty comprehensive list of shake recipes at Dashing Dish, and a quick-n-dirty table of 144 different protein shake recipes at Fit Desk Jockey. The recipes at FDJ aren't specifically for weight loss, though - the ones that are specifically for bulking up say so. But, obviously, you can use your best judgement - "Wait, this has a Snickers bar in it? Uhhh..." (Random example - I don't think any of them actually have that.)
Also, as I mentioned earlier, I prefer the interwebs to books just because I love having recipes on my Pinterest! Today I spent a good while weeding through my recipe board to separate out the healthy vs regular recipes. Granted, some of the ones on mine aren't healthy across the board for everybody - there are some buttery almond bars that have gobs of butter. Low to no carb, but very high in fat - so there are things with both positives and negatives obviously. The board won't be for everyone, though some of the recipes are just general low-calorie or low-fat options as well. In any case, I definitely want to share my pinterest board - http://pinterest.com/raphaelsmuse/om-nom-the-super-healthy-laura-version/ - as a resource as well. Many of the online forums have recipe threads as well - gastricsleeve.com, verticalsleevetalk.com, and thinnertimesforum.com (just found out about the last one!) - so those are also incredibly invaluable resources.
So, today, for lunch, I went back to the asparagus and did it again. I don't know if I ate too quickly or what, but I've had an unpleasant pressure in my chest/stomach ever since. I took an anti-nausea pill because I was feeling queasy, and it wasn't helping for quite some time, but I'm feeling mostly better now. Not sure where I want to go from here, truthfully. Maybe I should try making cauliflower "mashed potatoes" or something that has a closer to puree consistency. Oh well :\
In trying to find more recipe suggestions for soft foods and the like, I've been turning to a few books, as well as the internet. (Well, mostly the internet, because I prefer to pin my recipes...) I already own Recipes for Life After Weight Loss Surgery by Margaret Furtado and Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine. From my local library I checked out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery, also by Margaret Furtado. (I also accidentally took out an earlier version of the first book mentioned...whoops!) Of all of the books, I find the first one to be the most helpful. It's laid out very clearly in what stage you would be at for that recipe. However, the only book that's mentioned VSG (vertical sleeve gastrectomy) on its own is the Complete Idiot's Guide - and for that I am very grateful. For a surgery that is increasingly common and/or "popular", it should really bear greater mention then just "oh, you kind of follow the same dietary track as the Lap-Band." Lastly, the book by Levine also has a great strength in that it lists ways to customize any of the recipes for whatever stage you're at. All of these books have their share of strengths and weaknesses and absurdly similar titles (hence my accidentally checking out an earlier edition of a book I already own).
Onto something else...
I have been doing a lot of experimenting lately with different protein shake/smoothie recipes. Some of them have been absolutely fantastic, some of them....mmm not so much. I am on a crusade against bananas at the moment, i.e. don't want them in my smoothies or shakes, since the banana flavor overpowers anything else. I like bananas well enough, although pretty much just raw is fine by me. But...yeah. Anyway! Moving along. Looking for new things that have different components, so I can build on the basic protein powder flavors I have. (Currently I have vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, unflavored, and "banana creme" for Dave, not me obviously.) In any case, there are obviously tons of resources online. Two great resources that I especially liked tonight were a pretty comprehensive list of shake recipes at Dashing Dish, and a quick-n-dirty table of 144 different protein shake recipes at Fit Desk Jockey. The recipes at FDJ aren't specifically for weight loss, though - the ones that are specifically for bulking up say so. But, obviously, you can use your best judgement - "Wait, this has a Snickers bar in it? Uhhh..." (Random example - I don't think any of them actually have that.)
Also, as I mentioned earlier, I prefer the interwebs to books just because I love having recipes on my Pinterest! Today I spent a good while weeding through my recipe board to separate out the healthy vs regular recipes. Granted, some of the ones on mine aren't healthy across the board for everybody - there are some buttery almond bars that have gobs of butter. Low to no carb, but very high in fat - so there are things with both positives and negatives obviously. The board won't be for everyone, though some of the recipes are just general low-calorie or low-fat options as well. In any case, I definitely want to share my pinterest board - http://pinterest.com/raphaelsmuse/om-nom-the-super-healthy-laura-version/ - as a resource as well. Many of the online forums have recipe threads as well - gastricsleeve.com, verticalsleevetalk.com, and thinnertimesforum.com (just found out about the last one!) - so those are also incredibly invaluable resources.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Going back to work, trying new food, and a beef
Yesterday I was supposed to call the nurse I met with last week for my one week check-up, but I didn't because I am concerned/worried/anxious about what I should do. We had discussed possibly my going back to work full-time starting Monday, but she said it might be better to just go back half days next week and then full-time the week after that.
I was ready and willing to go back to work early because being at home sucked at that point (cooped up, unproductive, feeling blah and having some discord with Dave). Plus I need the money. But the home situation has improved, I have greater mobility, and am feeling more at ease with the situation... So now I don't want to go back to work, of course. This is the longest I will ever be away from work (short of being unemployed) for the rest of my life, until I can retire, if that's even possible. So it makes sense that I would kind of want to milk it....
I'm going to call the nurse today and say that I want to go back half days starting next Wednesday, and then full days the Monday after that... so, sort of a compromise.
Also, today is officially my two week mark! I'm starting on purees and trying to look up new and interesting food all the time. So far a lot of the things I've had have been misses, but that's no reason to not keep trying. They are just misses on flavor/"mouth feel", not on bothering my stomach. I made a gingerbread smoothie yesterday, with a few substitutions needed, but it turned out pretty nicely... Just insanely thick after being refrigerated. The flaxseed meal in it makes it a little "chewy". It still taste pretty phenomenal, don't get me wrong! And not beany at all (as I was very concerned about). But, still - it's a *lot* to get through. On the other hand, it helps me use my vanilla protein powder - which I keep not liking. I don't know what it is... I just am not a fan. Chocolate of any kind? Heck yeah. Vanilla? ehhh....not so much. And I can only really afford to get on this merry-go-round a few times, y'know?
I guess I should mention some of the other "fails" I've had. Mixing unflavored protein powder (specifically Isopure) with miso soup. That was FOUL. Mixing orange Powerade Zero with vanilla protein powder - ended up extreeeemely frothy and not so hot. After I transferred it to my sippy cup, it lost a lot of the bubbles thankfully. The frothiness really bothered my stomach. Which makes you think that protein powder manufacturers might want to make that a concern of theirs...but, whatever. I've also made the aforementioned amazing avocado egg salad, and pureed it within an inch of its life. That didn't sit too well - in both taste and digestion. It might be the eggs, which my digestive system was having issues with prior, but I am putting a hold on it for the meantime. I'm hoping to try some plain mashed up avocados in the near future, since I luff them.
For other challenges in the realm of food - being around people eating. It hasn't been too bad around Dave, especially when I'm making him dinner. A lot of the times I'm making him things that I wouldn't really want to partake in myself. But sometimes it just looks so damn delicious. Last night we had his friends over for some gaming and I made steak fajitas.... Good lord that flank steak looked divine. It was remedied by the peppers and onions and misc. other spicy stuff that I do not go for. (My heritage is firmly grounded in non-spicy meats and potatoes!) But I've made him a lot of other things that taste amazing (to him) and not been bothered by it. It's just once in awhile. But I'm enjoying trying all these new things, even if my wallet isn't. (Thankfully I'm already stocked up on pantry non-staples like flaxseed meal, liquid stevia, protein powders, almond flour, etc.)
Last but not least, my actual beef - not the flank steak. I went to GNC earlier this week to pick up some Isopure Zero Carb waters, since they're great for supplementing my protein intake. I kind of hate going into any of these stores (well, the only ones available to me being GNCs and Vitamin Shoppes, though the second to a lesser extent since there are just fewer locations). The reason is that they sell you HARD on anything and everything. We, Dave and I, ended up having the manager/only employee in the store talk to us for half an hour about not only supplements and all this nonsense but also about genetically-modified foods, the importance of being outdoorsy and playing sports, regular microwaves are bad, trace minerals are important and animals like dogs know this because they end up eating dirt when they're digging through it (and how his friend switched from being an internal doctor to a vet because of this), and kind of his whole personal and extended family life story. Seriously?! Seriously. I try to go into these stores when there are other people there so I can avoid this kind of pressure that I loathe. There were 2 other people when I went in, and then they finished up before me, sadly. I am also too nice to just say like "look, go away, I'm in pain and I have errands to do and you're taking up valuable time that I could be spending at home resting." Not to mention Dave and I are obviously not fitness fanatics or any of the people who drop tons of money at these places. I just hate, hate, HATE pressure sales. I know what I'm looking for, I do a lot of homework online to find what best fits my needs (dietarily and monetarily), and I don't need your talking to me about how you used to play basketball and got injured and then tried again a few years later and got injured again and now you shoot pool. Really? Really. The only interesting part of the whole conversation was the part about Connecticut passing a bill (or law?) that requires manufacturers to label their food as being genetically modified, so that people will have a clear choice. (Granted, they will most likely do what I do most of the time - pick whatever's cheapest. But I do compare when there are options for organic and etc - I don't just breeze by them. I shop at stores that have the option, not just dirt cheap stores that all of their products are suspect.) But otherwise, WTF. All GNC stores have been like this. Vitamin Shoppe has not been - they are actually respectful and will only go into lengthy discussions with you if you seek it out. I may have to start switching over to buying more stuff from them. Unfortunately, there aren't as many locations as there are GNC, and I get discounts at GNC, sooo.... Yeah. Hey, bottom line. I have to decide if I prefer to get harassed by salesmen and get lower prices or go to another store that has respectful employees.
/rant
I was ready and willing to go back to work early because being at home sucked at that point (cooped up, unproductive, feeling blah and having some discord with Dave). Plus I need the money. But the home situation has improved, I have greater mobility, and am feeling more at ease with the situation... So now I don't want to go back to work, of course. This is the longest I will ever be away from work (short of being unemployed) for the rest of my life, until I can retire, if that's even possible. So it makes sense that I would kind of want to milk it....
I'm going to call the nurse today and say that I want to go back half days starting next Wednesday, and then full days the Monday after that... so, sort of a compromise.
Also, today is officially my two week mark! I'm starting on purees and trying to look up new and interesting food all the time. So far a lot of the things I've had have been misses, but that's no reason to not keep trying. They are just misses on flavor/"mouth feel", not on bothering my stomach. I made a gingerbread smoothie yesterday, with a few substitutions needed, but it turned out pretty nicely... Just insanely thick after being refrigerated. The flaxseed meal in it makes it a little "chewy". It still taste pretty phenomenal, don't get me wrong! And not beany at all (as I was very concerned about). But, still - it's a *lot* to get through. On the other hand, it helps me use my vanilla protein powder - which I keep not liking. I don't know what it is... I just am not a fan. Chocolate of any kind? Heck yeah. Vanilla? ehhh....not so much. And I can only really afford to get on this merry-go-round a few times, y'know?
I guess I should mention some of the other "fails" I've had. Mixing unflavored protein powder (specifically Isopure) with miso soup. That was FOUL. Mixing orange Powerade Zero with vanilla protein powder - ended up extreeeemely frothy and not so hot. After I transferred it to my sippy cup, it lost a lot of the bubbles thankfully. The frothiness really bothered my stomach. Which makes you think that protein powder manufacturers might want to make that a concern of theirs...but, whatever. I've also made the aforementioned amazing avocado egg salad, and pureed it within an inch of its life. That didn't sit too well - in both taste and digestion. It might be the eggs, which my digestive system was having issues with prior, but I am putting a hold on it for the meantime. I'm hoping to try some plain mashed up avocados in the near future, since I luff them.
For other challenges in the realm of food - being around people eating. It hasn't been too bad around Dave, especially when I'm making him dinner. A lot of the times I'm making him things that I wouldn't really want to partake in myself. But sometimes it just looks so damn delicious. Last night we had his friends over for some gaming and I made steak fajitas.... Good lord that flank steak looked divine. It was remedied by the peppers and onions and misc. other spicy stuff that I do not go for. (My heritage is firmly grounded in non-spicy meats and potatoes!) But I've made him a lot of other things that taste amazing (to him) and not been bothered by it. It's just once in awhile. But I'm enjoying trying all these new things, even if my wallet isn't. (Thankfully I'm already stocked up on pantry non-staples like flaxseed meal, liquid stevia, protein powders, almond flour, etc.)
Last but not least, my actual beef - not the flank steak. I went to GNC earlier this week to pick up some Isopure Zero Carb waters, since they're great for supplementing my protein intake. I kind of hate going into any of these stores (well, the only ones available to me being GNCs and Vitamin Shoppes, though the second to a lesser extent since there are just fewer locations). The reason is that they sell you HARD on anything and everything. We, Dave and I, ended up having the manager/only employee in the store talk to us for half an hour about not only supplements and all this nonsense but also about genetically-modified foods, the importance of being outdoorsy and playing sports, regular microwaves are bad, trace minerals are important and animals like dogs know this because they end up eating dirt when they're digging through it (and how his friend switched from being an internal doctor to a vet because of this), and kind of his whole personal and extended family life story. Seriously?! Seriously. I try to go into these stores when there are other people there so I can avoid this kind of pressure that I loathe. There were 2 other people when I went in, and then they finished up before me, sadly. I am also too nice to just say like "look, go away, I'm in pain and I have errands to do and you're taking up valuable time that I could be spending at home resting." Not to mention Dave and I are obviously not fitness fanatics or any of the people who drop tons of money at these places. I just hate, hate, HATE pressure sales. I know what I'm looking for, I do a lot of homework online to find what best fits my needs (dietarily and monetarily), and I don't need your talking to me about how you used to play basketball and got injured and then tried again a few years later and got injured again and now you shoot pool. Really? Really. The only interesting part of the whole conversation was the part about Connecticut passing a bill (or law?) that requires manufacturers to label their food as being genetically modified, so that people will have a clear choice. (Granted, they will most likely do what I do most of the time - pick whatever's cheapest. But I do compare when there are options for organic and etc - I don't just breeze by them. I shop at stores that have the option, not just dirt cheap stores that all of their products are suspect.) But otherwise, WTF. All GNC stores have been like this. Vitamin Shoppe has not been - they are actually respectful and will only go into lengthy discussions with you if you seek it out. I may have to start switching over to buying more stuff from them. Unfortunately, there aren't as many locations as there are GNC, and I get discounts at GNC, sooo.... Yeah. Hey, bottom line. I have to decide if I prefer to get harassed by salesmen and get lower prices or go to another store that has respectful employees.
/rant
Sunday, July 7, 2013
10 Days Post-Surgery
Today is my birthday, and I am 10 days post-op. I am feeling fine, though I have been physically over-exerting myself and need to take it down a notch. I went shopping with my mom yesterday for 4 hours (I didn't want to be out that long, that's for damn sure), and then at night I went to bend over to pick up my cat and it hurt like HELL. I kinda stayed pretty still after that to try and avoid any more pain, and had some of the heavier dutier pain killers. I have been trying to stick to liquid tylenol, so that I can do stuff and not end up sleeping all the time, but end up taking the liquid percocet when I'm sorer (usually the half dose).
Food has been pretty much the same thing day to day - protein shakes, powerade, iced tea. I tried making the amazing avocado egg salad last night, only thinned down with some chicken broth and pureed within an inch of it's life, and it just wasn't so hot. Not sure if it's salvageable, or if it's just the consistency, but I was pretty optimistic.
Like I said, today's my birthday. Last night we celebrated in small fashion with a jello "cake" with vanilla pudding in the middle and a little candle on top. It didn't sit so pretty (would've been better in a parfait glass, but I wasn't the one who made it), but the candle stood up in it long enough to get through a quick singing of Happy Birthday and for me to blow it out.
Food has been pretty much the same thing day to day - protein shakes, powerade, iced tea. I tried making the amazing avocado egg salad last night, only thinned down with some chicken broth and pureed within an inch of it's life, and it just wasn't so hot. Not sure if it's salvageable, or if it's just the consistency, but I was pretty optimistic.
Like I said, today's my birthday. Last night we celebrated in small fashion with a jello "cake" with vanilla pudding in the middle and a little candle on top. It didn't sit so pretty (would've been better in a parfait glass, but I wasn't the one who made it), but the candle stood up in it long enough to get through a quick singing of Happy Birthday and for me to blow it out.
Dave has been worried (which he just expressed) in my growing obsessing over food - recipes, classes, etc. I can't tell if it's because I have to obsess about food anyway kinda sorta? Or if it's really I WANT FOOOOOD.... I am definitely mourning food and having head hunger and true hunger pangs that I can't seem to get rid of with distraction or protein. So I'm seeking help out on the forums, to see if they have any p's and q's. Maybe I'm drinking too fast? I've been using my sippy cup whenever possible. Maybe I'm eating too fast? I haven't had anything come up. Soooo... I don't know. Frustrating, though.
Anyway, not feeling so great today - depressed, among other things, and just want to crawl in a hole. Or lay down on the bed and cry. Except I can't lay down on the bed, cause I'd never get back up - I'm still sleeping in the recliner since the bed is so low. Sigh.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
One week later..
Today is my official mark for one week after surgery. How am I feeling? Pretty good. I over-exerted myself dootzing around yesterday, so I'm trying to take it easy today. (Appointment/shopping, then shopping again later... Wayyy too much stress on that belly o' mine.)
I got adventurous earlier today and ate a Müller Greek Corner Yogurt today, strawberry flavor, being very careful to go incredibly slowly. So far my adventures haven't turned out so great. Isopure (Unflavored) + Miso Soup? No, no, no! It was foul. Orange Powerade Zero with French Vanilla Lean Shake 25 protein powder? Mmm, also no, but I think it was more the protein powder's fault. The Lean Shake stuff tends to get incredibly foamy/frothy, and I realized how detrimental that was when I was just all full of the foam. When I transferred it to a sippy cup, it worked out better, but still not a big fan of the Lean Shake 25 protein powder flavors.
I made chocolate pudding! With a packet of Better Bowls I picked up from the grocery store. Low cal, sugar free (sweetened with Splenda), protein, fiber... and made with skim milk plus fiber... It's really delicious. I also got a vanilla, so I'll be trying that out soon as well! :)
My mom's coming down tomorrow, so hopefully that won't be as stressful as I'm worried it will be.
I have been thinking I will go back to work early, but after talking with the nurse yesterday, she said that I should think about it some more and call her next Wednesday to see how I'm feeling about it. She made a suggestion of maybe just going back for half-days for a week until going to full-days the week after, just to ease in a little.
Sorry this post is kind of all over the place - clearly I had no organization in mind when I set out to do this! lol
I got adventurous earlier today and ate a Müller Greek Corner Yogurt today, strawberry flavor, being very careful to go incredibly slowly. So far my adventures haven't turned out so great. Isopure (Unflavored) + Miso Soup? No, no, no! It was foul. Orange Powerade Zero with French Vanilla Lean Shake 25 protein powder? Mmm, also no, but I think it was more the protein powder's fault. The Lean Shake stuff tends to get incredibly foamy/frothy, and I realized how detrimental that was when I was just all full of the foam. When I transferred it to a sippy cup, it worked out better, but still not a big fan of the Lean Shake 25 protein powder flavors.
I made chocolate pudding! With a packet of Better Bowls I picked up from the grocery store. Low cal, sugar free (sweetened with Splenda), protein, fiber... and made with skim milk plus fiber... It's really delicious. I also got a vanilla, so I'll be trying that out soon as well! :)
My mom's coming down tomorrow, so hopefully that won't be as stressful as I'm worried it will be.
I have been thinking I will go back to work early, but after talking with the nurse yesterday, she said that I should think about it some more and call her next Wednesday to see how I'm feeling about it. She made a suggestion of maybe just going back for half-days for a week until going to full-days the week after, just to ease in a little.
Sorry this post is kind of all over the place - clearly I had no organization in mind when I set out to do this! lol
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Stage 2!
So today is my first day of the stage 2 diet. I'm now on full liquids! First day of non-clears since last Monday. I have been looking forward to today so much it's kind of absurd. Pretty much, as long as I can have my protein shakes and iced tea with splenda, I'm golden.
However, I definitely need to get in a better groove, and get a firm grip that just because one miso soup went south with a scoop of unflavored protein powder doesn't mean that all soups will suck.
Tomorrow is my one-week post-op with the doctor (one day early). I have been driving a little, getting around decently, just having some pain in the large incision on the right side. For the most part, I haven't been nauseous or dizzy or any of those things. I've got a drill sergeant on me about keeping up that hydration, which is helpful. I keep trying to do things for myself, because Dave is lazy and has been reacting poorly to accommodating my OCD. (And he shouldn't really have to.) I am learning to keep my mouth shut and just go about my business and do what I can do - then stretch beyond it a little - and if all else fails, use my toes to grab and pick it up.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Family updates & Shopping
I've sort of "rounded up" the people that will be visiting me in the hospital. Dave's mom and grandmom will probably be there, as well as his friend Mani and possibly his friend Rick (and possibly his respective wife Masha). I realized that even if it is kind of a "crew," it's not anyone I really wanted. I'm scared, and I want my mom. Yep, basic child-based instincts. But it's true! No one in my nuclear family has gone in for major surgery and stayed 2 days in the hospital. I believe when my mom had her hysterectomy, she might have been in overnight one night, but I don't think it was more than that. (I was pretty young, so I can't remember.)
So I sent my mom an email, more or less begging her to come down. And then I completely forgot that they had a scheduled vacation...that they were leaving for very early the next day (after my surgery). She suggested I reschedule it or postpone it. It's too late in the game for that, really - I'm just waiting on what time my actual surgery is going to take place. But then she talked to my sister about it, and she is happy to come down! She's coming down Friday (the day after), which is fine - I'm sure I won't be all "heyoooo" the first day, since I'll most likely be sleeping a good amount. I'm really glad she's coming - and she's even voiced some support, which means so, so much to me. I am so happy that I'll have "one of my own" with me.
*sniffle, wibble*
Ok, onto other news. I ordered a goodly amount of supplies for myself: EZ Sweetz liquid stevia (holy cow, the ratios on that are ABSURD), 5 lbs of almond flour, a pill crusher obliterator, liquid tylenol, Wellesse liquid calcium supplement, and a B12 sublingual (dissolves under the tongue) tablet. In addition, I picked up some additional protein shakes, some Isopure, some Powerade. GEARING UP. Still need a recliner, though - finding one in my ideal price range is very difficult. In addition, I stopped into GNC (yet again) today, and picked up some Lean Shake 25 packets for emergency work protein (lol~), some protein bars (specifically PowerCrunch Protein Energy Bar Original - Wild Berry Creme; QuestBar Natural Protein Bar - Lemon Cream Pie (for Dave); NuGo Slim Brownie Crunch; NuGo Slim Raspberry Truffle; Kind Nuts & Spices - Madagascar Vanilla Almond), protein pudding from MHP (Maximum Human Performance), and a box of Atkins Day Break Oatmeal Cinnamon Baked Square[s]. AAAND I got all that stuff from GNC just now for just over $12 (p.s. there is tax on food in MD). Hooray, savvy shopping to the max! Seriously. I can't really afford all these fancy-to-do protein supplements and bars and whatevs, so I gotta get the cheaps when I can. I am really excited to try these out and give you guys a report back. I've enjoyed the Quest Bars recently (I believe I had Apple Pie and Chocolate Brownie), so I may review those while I'm at it. But some of these are ones where I've tried the brand before and coming back to explore other flavors. Neat how I do that, huh? ;)
Monday, June 10, 2013
Pre-Surgery Physical & Insurance News
So, my pre-surgery physical went fine. When I was at the doctor, though, I heard from the office manager, and she said they had received my official insurance approval from Aetna (my provider) for 1 day [surgical]. Uhhhh, what? SOOO needless to say, I freaked out a bit. (I am supposed to have surgery June 27, and get release on the 29th - so one day surgery, plus two days.) I attempted to call the surgeon's office, but unfortunately the lines were tied up. I was able to leave a message, though. So I've been concerned about this all weekend.
Well, this morning on the way into work, I got a call from their office. Amanda, the "financials lady" as I refer to her, explained to me that the way it works is that the insurance does the 1 day (or they put in for the one day), and then the nurses at the hospital take care of squaring the extra days away with the insurance. On the approval letter, though, it did say that if additional time is needed, it can be requested blah-blah-blah (can't remember it off the top of my head). Sooo, that must be how that works! What a relief.
So, tomorrow is my pre-surgery class. I'm kind of nervous about it and want to try and think of all the questions I may have. There is such a wealth of information they give you, it's hard to remember it all. I pretty much have to write everything down in notes to myself, starred in margins, lol. I'm also typing up my post-op dietary regiment for my mom to review, so that it's very clear to her what I can and can't do. She was saying to bring vegetables up, and I'm like uhhh, no, not yet.I will still be on the full liquids part of the diet after that. But I do want to share this to make it really clear.. for her, Dave, and anyone else who wants to or needs to know.
Well, this morning on the way into work, I got a call from their office. Amanda, the "financials lady" as I refer to her, explained to me that the way it works is that the insurance does the 1 day (or they put in for the one day), and then the nurses at the hospital take care of squaring the extra days away with the insurance. On the approval letter, though, it did say that if additional time is needed, it can be requested blah-blah-blah (can't remember it off the top of my head). Sooo, that must be how that works! What a relief.
So, tomorrow is my pre-surgery class. I'm kind of nervous about it and want to try and think of all the questions I may have. There is such a wealth of information they give you, it's hard to remember it all. I pretty much have to write everything down in notes to myself, starred in margins, lol. I'm also typing up my post-op dietary regiment for my mom to review, so that it's very clear to her what I can and can't do. She was saying to bring vegetables up, and I'm like uhhh, no, not yet.I will still be on the full liquids part of the diet after that. But I do want to share this to make it really clear.. for her, Dave, and anyone else who wants to or needs to know.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Putzing along
So, I'm trying to organize my thoughts and helping my OCD along with lists. This is what I need to buy, this is what I need to do on this date and this date, no approximations, just give me the date-markers and give me some clear cut yes this, no that. I understand that "no that" is flexible and it's "if you can tolerate it", but I want to know the safest route possible!!
So, for example. Avoid starchy vegetables. 'Kaay... *looks up some extra info for herself...*
But see, that helps. I just want things as crystal clear as I can get. "What do I do in this scenario?" I guess I need to get a grip on the fact that they won't be able to hold my hand the whole way, and I need to start just making judgement calls. Just scaaaaaaaaaaaared. Already terrified about what I heard about dumping syndrome just now. TERROR.
I have a pre-surgery class scheduled for next Tuesday, and I have my pre-surgery physical with my primary care doctor this afternoon. I doubt anything will go amiss later, except I'm hoping she can take a look at my finger that I kinda killed last night. (I tried to catch a falling vase, not realizing it was already breaking on the way down, so it sliced my finger but good and it hurts to bend the finger now, soooo.... yeah. Kinda sad.) Lots of bloodwork and random tests, and I'm not exactly sure what's beyond that, so we'll see. I haven't weighed myself for about a week, so I'm not sure how I'm doing with that. I know I had gone up a little because of bingeing on M&Ms. But since I've been very good all week, maybe I'll be better now. Aaand I've been constipated, so that might be an additional weight concern, but yeah. Such excitement! Hardly.
Also, shopping for a recliner is the pits. Just sayin. And it's going to be a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch to haul upstairs.
So, for example. Avoid starchy vegetables. 'Kaay... *looks up some extra info for herself...*
But see, that helps. I just want things as crystal clear as I can get. "What do I do in this scenario?" I guess I need to get a grip on the fact that they won't be able to hold my hand the whole way, and I need to start just making judgement calls. Just scaaaaaaaaaaaared. Already terrified about what I heard about dumping syndrome just now. TERROR.
I have a pre-surgery class scheduled for next Tuesday, and I have my pre-surgery physical with my primary care doctor this afternoon. I doubt anything will go amiss later, except I'm hoping she can take a look at my finger that I kinda killed last night. (I tried to catch a falling vase, not realizing it was already breaking on the way down, so it sliced my finger but good and it hurts to bend the finger now, soooo.... yeah. Kinda sad.) Lots of bloodwork and random tests, and I'm not exactly sure what's beyond that, so we'll see. I haven't weighed myself for about a week, so I'm not sure how I'm doing with that. I know I had gone up a little because of bingeing on M&Ms. But since I've been very good all week, maybe I'll be better now. Aaand I've been constipated, so that might be an additional weight concern, but yeah. Such excitement! Hardly.
Also, shopping for a recliner is the pits. Just sayin. And it's going to be a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch to haul upstairs.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Minor updates
I don't have much to report, other than the fantastic news I received last Friday that my insurance approved me for the surgery! The turn around on that was so fast (~2 weeks), I'm kind of amazed. In other news, I've kind of fallen off the wagon with food, so to speak. I do well with all my meals, and have generally healthy snacks (if possibly one too many - but stuff like apples, carrots, bananas, grapes)...and have a random sweets binge. Like, serious binge - sit down and eat handfuls of m&ms. UGH. Not really sure why, other than easily accessible and not committing myself to having *healthy* sweets around - not only that, but eating them in moderation.
I don't know how much the binges relate to emotions, but I will be happy when I get an incredibly strict schedule for food/liquid intake after the surgery, so there will be no wiggle room for anything like m&ms or cookies or whatever else I dive for.
Unfortunately, I have been really depressed lately - having severe communication issues with Dave when I feel like I need to cling to him as my rock more than ever. My moods have been very volatile and swiftly changing lately (which isn't incredibly hard to believe considering I have a bipolar disorder, but usually it's maintained pretty well by the medications I take for it). I believe it's the stress, the weather, the "new addition" (I picked up a stray cat the weekend before last, and he's kind of squatting...it's like having a baby in the home, I swear). There's a variety of things. Money's always a factor, of course. Dave being distant, quiet, already knowing that he won't stay the night with me at the hospital, so I'll have 2 nights on my ownsome where my only company will be Beary (my stuffed bear that I've had for at least 20 years, and still have - even if he's worse for wear and missing most of the beans in his legs). I don't feel like I'm stocked up adequately - and I've been told to do so! But a lot of forum members (gastricsleeve.com) have said that things that they bought prior to surgery make them gag after surgery. Well, balls. So what's the point in stocking up? This I do not know.
In addition, I've been pondering a lot about juicing. I think it would be excellent for stage 2 of my diet - where I'm having "full" liquids - as a way to supplement protein shakes. I'm concerned about the dietary factors though - obviously the sugars & carbs that come out of it, and if it would be enough protein. Yes, it's better to eat the vegetables raw - I see that again and again and again. Except, yknow, I can't. Physically, I won't be able to for at least a month. Munching on kale? Forget it. Apple peels? Nope. All this ruffage that's good for you is going to too difficult to digest while my stomach's healing. Pretty much, I can't get a straight answer - how much does juicing help when your digestive capacities are incredibly limited - what are the nutritional proportions of the whole foods to juiced foods (obviously there is significant pulp removed after the juice goes through, so is it truly 1 carrot raw = 1 carrot juiced? I find that incredibly hard to believe). BAH. Dang fad diet having sketchy answers. I guess it's the diets that are grounded in cold hard facts are the ones that are going to last.
In other news, shopping for sippy cups, and trying to find ones that aren't completely absurd. No, I don't really want to take an absurd sippy cup to work, thank you. I'm going to have to start drinking it out of a brown paper bag out of shame.
I don't know how much the binges relate to emotions, but I will be happy when I get an incredibly strict schedule for food/liquid intake after the surgery, so there will be no wiggle room for anything like m&ms or cookies or whatever else I dive for.
Unfortunately, I have been really depressed lately - having severe communication issues with Dave when I feel like I need to cling to him as my rock more than ever. My moods have been very volatile and swiftly changing lately (which isn't incredibly hard to believe considering I have a bipolar disorder, but usually it's maintained pretty well by the medications I take for it). I believe it's the stress, the weather, the "new addition" (I picked up a stray cat the weekend before last, and he's kind of squatting...it's like having a baby in the home, I swear). There's a variety of things. Money's always a factor, of course. Dave being distant, quiet, already knowing that he won't stay the night with me at the hospital, so I'll have 2 nights on my ownsome where my only company will be Beary (my stuffed bear that I've had for at least 20 years, and still have - even if he's worse for wear and missing most of the beans in his legs). I don't feel like I'm stocked up adequately - and I've been told to do so! But a lot of forum members (gastricsleeve.com) have said that things that they bought prior to surgery make them gag after surgery. Well, balls. So what's the point in stocking up? This I do not know.
In addition, I've been pondering a lot about juicing. I think it would be excellent for stage 2 of my diet - where I'm having "full" liquids - as a way to supplement protein shakes. I'm concerned about the dietary factors though - obviously the sugars & carbs that come out of it, and if it would be enough protein. Yes, it's better to eat the vegetables raw - I see that again and again and again. Except, yknow, I can't. Physically, I won't be able to for at least a month. Munching on kale? Forget it. Apple peels? Nope. All this ruffage that's good for you is going to too difficult to digest while my stomach's healing. Pretty much, I can't get a straight answer - how much does juicing help when your digestive capacities are incredibly limited - what are the nutritional proportions of the whole foods to juiced foods (obviously there is significant pulp removed after the juice goes through, so is it truly 1 carrot raw = 1 carrot juiced? I find that incredibly hard to believe). BAH. Dang fad diet having sketchy answers. I guess it's the diets that are grounded in cold hard facts are the ones that are going to last.
In other news, shopping for sippy cups, and trying to find ones that aren't completely absurd. No, I don't really want to take an absurd sippy cup to work, thank you. I'm going to have to start drinking it out of a brown paper bag out of shame.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Recipes from gastricsleeve.com
Puttering around the recipes section, I wanted to copy some of those recipes here. There are a ton that are Mexican food-based, and I am not a fan of that, so looking for things that aren't refried beans or black beans or pinto beans etc is kind of tricky.... So I definitely want to keep track of recipes that catch my eye! These are definitely for all different stages - mostly smoothie/puree and beyond.
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Baked Salmon and Egg Puffs by user Briezy_Bee
Ingredients:
2 small cans salmon
5 eggs
1/2 chopped finely onion
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs soy sauce
Shredded cheese
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients except cheese in a large mixing bowl
Spray cupcake tin with oil
Pour mix into cups (makes 11)
Put cheese on top
Bake for 25 minutes and servce.
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Double Deluxe Chocolate Fudge by user Gal
Mix 1 serving of chocolate whey/soya protein powder according to directions. Add 1 packet of Swiss Miss fat-free hot cocoa mix and 3 icecubes. Blend for 45 seconds and serve.
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Breakfast boost by user Gal
Blend 8 oz of orange juice with half a cup of non-fat yogurt, half a banana and 1 serving of whey/soya protein, 1 tablespoon full of flax seed oil, 4 frozen peach slices and 3 icecubes. Blend on high speed for 45 seconds and serve.
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Protein Brownies by user jemaz - *altered to exclude caffeine*
Ingredients:
3 TBS almond butter (raw unsweetened, can be found at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup raw oats
2 scoops of chocolate Whey Protein powder
2 TBS chopped almonds (raw)
2 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
6 packets of Splenda
1 TBS cinnamon
1 TBS Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa mix, sugar free
optional: 2 small bananas
Directions:
1. Grind almonds in a food processor, or chopped with knife either is fine
2. Grind oats in food processor, or leave whole, it all preference.
3. Add all items together in bowl and mix well.
4. You can microwave in bowl or you can bake in bread pan / cupcake pan.
5. Bake at 15-20 minutes @ 350 w/ bananas 25-35 minutes
OR microwave for 1.5 - 2 minutes on high, very dependent on microwave.
You will have to play with cooking time to see how you like it. I personally cook some a little longer than others. This way I get some nice moist ones and some harder more crunchy ones, depending on what I'm in the mood for. Some are easier to take on the run as well.
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Link to Chike brand protein smoothie recipes from user accordingtome - http://www.chikenutrition.com/recipes/
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High(er) Protein Jello by user accordingtome
(NOTE: Regular Jello only has 1g protein in 1/2c)
Ingredients:
1 Box Sugar-free Jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup Isopure/Cytomax fruit-flavored protein drink
Directions:
1. Mix and stir until Jello is dissolves.
2. Add 1 cup of either Isopure or Cytomax fruit-flavored clear protein drink (this is where the added protein comes in)
3. Refrigerate and serve. Each 1/2c serving of Jello now contains MORE flavor and 5 grams of protein!
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Ok, I think that's all I can take for now - for myself and my wallet. (All these different protein powders come up that I want to try in the meantime, so you know I've added a few to ye olde shopping cart!
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Baked Salmon and Egg Puffs by user Briezy_Bee
Ingredients:
2 small cans salmon
5 eggs
1/2 chopped finely onion
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs soy sauce
Shredded cheese
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients except cheese in a large mixing bowl
Spray cupcake tin with oil
Pour mix into cups (makes 11)
Put cheese on top
Bake for 25 minutes and servce.
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Double Deluxe Chocolate Fudge by user Gal
Mix 1 serving of chocolate whey/soya protein powder according to directions. Add 1 packet of Swiss Miss fat-free hot cocoa mix and 3 icecubes. Blend for 45 seconds and serve.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Breakfast boost by user Gal
Blend 8 oz of orange juice with half a cup of non-fat yogurt, half a banana and 1 serving of whey/soya protein, 1 tablespoon full of flax seed oil, 4 frozen peach slices and 3 icecubes. Blend on high speed for 45 seconds and serve.
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Protein Brownies by user jemaz - *altered to exclude caffeine*
Ingredients:
3 TBS almond butter (raw unsweetened, can be found at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup raw oats
2 scoops of chocolate Whey Protein powder
2 TBS chopped almonds (raw)
2 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
6 packets of Splenda
1 TBS cinnamon
1 TBS Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa mix, sugar free
optional: 2 small bananas
Directions:
1. Grind almonds in a food processor, or chopped with knife either is fine
2. Grind oats in food processor, or leave whole, it all preference.
3. Add all items together in bowl and mix well.
4. You can microwave in bowl or you can bake in bread pan / cupcake pan.
5. Bake at 15-20 minutes @ 350 w/ bananas 25-35 minutes
OR microwave for 1.5 - 2 minutes on high, very dependent on microwave.
You will have to play with cooking time to see how you like it. I personally cook some a little longer than others. This way I get some nice moist ones and some harder more crunchy ones, depending on what I'm in the mood for. Some are easier to take on the run as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Link to Chike brand protein smoothie recipes from user accordingtome - http://www.chikenutrition.com/recipes/
----------------------------------------------------------------
High(er) Protein Jello by user accordingtome
(NOTE: Regular Jello only has 1g protein in 1/2c)
Ingredients:
1 Box Sugar-free Jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup Isopure/Cytomax fruit-flavored protein drink
Directions:
1. Mix and stir until Jello is dissolves.
2. Add 1 cup of either Isopure or Cytomax fruit-flavored clear protein drink (this is where the added protein comes in)
3. Refrigerate and serve. Each 1/2c serving of Jello now contains MORE flavor and 5 grams of protein!
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Ok, I think that's all I can take for now - for myself and my wallet. (All these different protein powders come up that I want to try in the meantime, so you know I've added a few to ye olde shopping cart!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Soft Chews Reviews
So let's start off with the major reason for this post:
I really hate swallowing large pills, also known as "horse pills" in my world.
Vitamins and supplements are generally in that form all the time. SO! I pretty much do everything I can to find pills/caplets/tablets/etc that are small, or chewable! Therefore, I have acquired a good deal of experience.
In addition, I went to GNC today to find out some new info on other protein, and they had a goodly amount of soft chew samples! So naturally I took one of each. I don't have a ton of information to review them, other than ranking them in order of flavor, and a little research into their benefits through the website.
So, the ones I tried were Garden Greens Lychee-Mango Super Fruit Chew, GNC Women's Ultra Mega Soft Chew Multivitamin - Mixed Berry, and GNC WELLbeING be-Beautiful Hair-Skin-Nails. (I can't believe the absurd length of some of these names...) The first one I tried was the Lychee Mango, and it was definitely my favorite. It was a bit gooey and sticking to my fingers, but that annoyance was only very minor. Here's a quick n' dirty description from the website -
"The Lychee fruit originates in Southern China and the name Lychee is derived from the Chinese word "lee chee" meaning "one who gives the pleasure of life". The mango fruit is a tree native to West Africa. The fiber from mango helps to reduce cholesterol and boost energy. Garden Greens™ Lychee-Mango contains no cholesterol, virtually no fat and low in sodium. Lychee and mango help the body to digest food properly for the best nutrition and an added boost of health to promote weight loss."
Overall, it doesn't seem like it's got oodles of nutritional value, but it might be a nice thing to supplement someone's weight loss. Not for me at the moment, though. And, truly, none of the ones I sampled today would be ones I continue taking, due to their cost and availability.
My middle favorite was the Ultra Mega. The flavor was good - kind of like a perfect fake grape flavor. Its consistency was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. If I was in the market for a new multi-vitamin, this would most definitely be a consideration. Also, it is definitely CHOCK FULL of vitamins, now that I investigate it more, so I think it is actually a strong competitor for my regular multivitamin I take (just regular centrum chewables, orange flavor). Kind of as a nice bonus, it had the least calories of the two (though, generally, they are kind of negligible), and slightly more importantly, had protein! So good on ya for that, GNC W.U.M.S.C.M. (wum scum? that's an awful acronym)
In addition to the ones I tried, I am already taking Viactiv Calcium Supplement Soft Chews (Milk Chocolate) and VitaFusion Fiber Well Gummies for Weight Management (Peach, Strawberry, Berry). The Viactiv chews smell kind of awful as all get-out in the actual container. But when you unwrap them, they're kind of taste like a little tootsie roll! So it's almost a treat.
The Fiber Well Gummies are pretty good as well, though definitely not a ton of fiber - 5g is kind of small potatoes. But, what the hey, why not add a supplement in there as well, right? Also, I take them at the same time I take my Centrum Chewable in the morning, which is sour and gritty, so they go down well together. These gummies are definitely very chewy, you'll be working on them for a bit after you pop them in your mouth. They taste good but not awesome. I'm not sure if I'm going to buy them again, but it's not for the flavor reason - it's for it being a kind of minimal amount of fiber for the price.
Soon to come: Isopure Protein Water Reviews, Protein Bar reviews, etc!
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