Farmer's Market

I went to the city's year 'round, 100+ year old weekly farmer's market yesterday. It was partly because I felt the need to go look at mass quantities of produce to get inspired to cook a little more, but it was mostly in an effort to save money. Most everything they sell is about 60% less than the local grocery store. Of course, that 60% is covered in the PITA factor of shopping there. There's no parking because it's in the center of one of the oldest sections of the city, so you have to take public transit. From where I live, that's about 45 minutes by bus and train. I don't drive, so this isn't really a big deal, I just have to plan my schedule accordingly. No....the PITA factor really comes in when I have to haul all my cheaply gotten delicious fresh fruit and veggies home on the train and bus for 45 minutes. Yeah. That part's not so fun, but when I have a refrigerator full of healthy, fresh, yummy food, it's hard to really be bothered too much.

Yesterday's haul cost $22 and comprised approximately 35 lbs. of produce. In case you're wondering, that's 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch scallions, 5 limes, 13 navel oranges, 4 lbs. onions, 5 lbs. bananas, 2 lbs. red seedless grapes, 2 lbs. asparagus, 3 English cucumbers, 4 pints of blue berries, and 4 bird's eye chilies a nice lady gave me for free when I told her I didn't want a 6 oz. bag of them because I only needed a few.

I strategically piled all this loveliness into my re-useable shopping bags (heavy/hearty stuff on the bottom and delicate stuff on top) and proceeded the short distance to the train. It occurred to me as I was making my way there that 16 weeks ago (the week before surgery), that walk would have been far more difficult for me than it was yesterday. I would have had to stop several times. I would have been sweaty. I would have been sore by the time I got home. I would still be hurting today. I have to remind myself (sometimes several times a day) that there are many more benefits to this surgery than what can be seen on the scale.

Time At The Gym

I was thinking that I haven't really been talking about the other aspects of life since WLS.  Specifically, exercise. I recently went to one of the post-surgical support groups at the Weight Center and listened to an hour "lesson" on the importance of exercise. But they didn't like that word and made a big deal about how we shouldn't look at it as "exercise," but instead should focus on adding more "activity" and "movement" to our days in lots of little ways. We were also encouraged to look for "non-exercise" ways of getting exercise - things we enjoy, like dancing, so that we are more likely to do them regularly. While I agree with the general premise of all this, it wasn't the most stimulating hour of my life. ;)

My gym routine has changed a little from when I started. When I was cleared for full activity, about a month after surgery, I was doing 30 minutes on the dreadmill (I mean, treadmill) and 15-20 minutes on the recumbent bike and calling it good. The thing is...as you can probably tell, I don't really enjoy the treadmill. The bike is okay, but I don't love it, either. Listening to audio books or good music helped make it less painful (and they have TVs and radio at the gym you can listen to on headphones), but it didn't really help with the enjoyment factor.

More recently, however, I've been at the gym a few times with my friend, D, and her system (designed by a friend of hers w/a degree in exercise science) is to do 10 minutes cardio, 3 sets of 12 of 3 different weight training machines, another 10 minutes of cardio, another group of weight machines, and end with a last 10 minutes of cardio. I tried it one day and found it much more pleasant. I've elongated the cardio time by 5 minutes each round, to make a total of 45 minutes of cardio interspersed with a full routine of either arms/chest & back or legs & abs. It means that my full routine takes about 90 minutes, but it doesn't feel like it because it's all broken up. By the time I get to 12 minutes of cardio and I'm starting to want to stab my eyes out with boredom, I realize I only have 3 minutes left until I get to do something else. Not bad, not bad at all.

As far as the weights go, I won't get into loads of detail (unless someone comments and tells me they want loads of detail), but for legs & abs days I do leg press, curl, extension, hip ab/adductors, calf raises and crunches. On the arms/chest & back days I do bicep curls, tricep extensions, overhead press, row machine, lat pull down, chest press, and back extension. And I stretch every time.

I still can't say that I enjoy going to the gym, but breaking things up has really helped me to handle the tedium. And I admit, I'm starting to like having gone to the gym.

Not Potatoes

I've never been a huge fan of potatoes. In fact, if they weren't sliced, deep fried in fat, and sprinkled in salt (chips), I really actively didn't like them. That is, until a few years ago when I found Yukon Gold potatoes which are super yummy, with a lightly sweet/nutty flavor.

Since surgery, however, I've been avoiding most starches. I'm cleared to eat them in extreme moderation, but I've been trying to keep my carbohydrate consumption to nutrition-dense foods, like dairy, but, and legumes. (I have had a little sweet potato here and there, though. :-) ) Because of this, I've been exploring the other root vegetables and have discovered that while beets from a can are okay, fresh beets correctly cooked are fabulous! I got this recipe from a friend named "whipperton" on a message board community and wanted to share it with all of you. Talk about YUM.

Sesame Roasted Beets

2 large Red Beets
2 Large Golden Beets
2-3 T. Sesame Oil
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Scrub the beets well, remove the green and trim the ends. Chop into 1" cubes and toss in sesame oil and salt (I used about 1/2 t.) Roast until a knife goes through them easily. If you want to punch up the sesame flavor, you can drizzle a little more sesame oil over them and/or sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving. (I didn't bother because it smelled too good to wait.)

Boiled Dinner

I am not Irish and have never been interested in pretending to be just for the day on March 17th. It's not my style, I guess. And until recently, I did not like corned beef and had never even eaten boiled dinner, let alone cooked it myself. But lately I've learned that corned beef is pretty good! And it can be relatively lean if it's been trimmed well. So this year I've decided to take advantage of the extremely low prices on corned beef brisket at the market and give it a try. I've replaced the traditional potatoes in the dish with turnips because they have less starch and more nutrition and, even though I know it's not "traditional," I've added garlic and a fair amount of onions to the mix just because I like them. I also totally forgot to buy any cabbage, so we had this with some wilted spinach for greens.

I opted to cook this in the crock pot so that I could put in some quality time with the laundry. I used just plain water for the liquid in the crock, but if you have a nice stout or ale handy, I bet that would be really good. You'll notice that there is very little liquid in this recipe, even though it's a "boiled" dinner.

This is because I'm doing it in the crock pot. The veggies will release their moisture, as will the meat, and combined with a tight fitting lid on the crock pot, it won't be too long before everything will be practically swimming. I've learned that with slow cookers, adding a lot of liquid at the out set just dilutes the flavors. Instead, I added just enough water to steam up and get everything started.

Corned Beef Boiled Dinner

2 Medium Turnips, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
4 Large Carrots, cut into 1" chunks
3 Medium Onions, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and cracked with the flat of a knife
4-5 lb. Corned Beef Brisket with included pickling spices
1 1/4 C. Water or Beer (stout or ale)

In the crock of a large slow cooker, layer in turnips, carrots, onions, and garlic. Add beef and water and the sprinkle the spices over the beef. Cover tightly and cook on low 8 hours. Remove the beef and veggies to a platter and cover in foil. Transfer cooking juices to a sauce pan and simmer 10-15 minutes on high until reduced by about half. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve reduced jus drizzled over the roast and veggies.

Granny's Comfort Food

I don't remember a lot about my grandmother's cooking, mainly because she had a teeny tiny apartment and so we usually went to restaurants when we went to visit. This dish, however, is something I remember having and loooove. I think my dad made it a few times when I was a child, too. Technically, it's a pasta fagiole, but I didn't make the pasta, because I still haven't tried eating it. I'm not ready to go there in Carb World just yet.

Pasta Fagiole

3/4 - 1 lb. dried white beans - navy or cannelini (I usually make the whole lb.)
4-6 oz. Pancetta, in 1cm cubes
1 large/2 medium onions, sliced thinly
2-4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 C. White wine (optional)
Rind from 1 mediumish piece of parmeggian reggiano, cut in 2-3 pieces
Grated parmeggiano reggiano (1/2 C. or so for topping)
4-5 springs Fresh Thyme
2-3 medium tomatoes, chopped (optional)
4-5 C. Chicken broth
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

This can be made either in a Dutch oven (for a 1 pot meal) or first in a skillet and then a casserole dish for the baking.

Soak beans overnight. Rinse beans and simmer until soft in fresh water. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F-375F. In a skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil and brown off pancetta. When brown, remove to a dish. In same oil, cook onions until just golden and then add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Deglaze pan with white wine, if using, and allow it to reduce by half. Otherwise, deglaze pan with 1 C. broth. If using a Dutch oven, just proceed with the one pot. If using a skillet and casserole dish, transfer onion-wine mixture to the baking dish. Add the cooked and drained beans, pancetta, thyme, tomatoes (if you want), salt and pepper, and pour in the chicken broth until everything is covered. Nestle the pieces of the cheese rind in a few places around the dish, drizzle the top w/a little olive oil, put it in the oven to bake until the beans are very soft and the liquid has reduced. The top may be a little browned. You can help this by sprinkling the top w/grated cheese. If it looks like it’s getting too dry and the beans aren’t quite soft yet, top it off with a little more broth and continue cooking.

Serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

Just A Little Happy Dance

I've been feeling a little bummed the last few weeks because, according to the scale, I've not lost any weight. I know that plateaus are common and to be expected, but they still suck when you're trundling along on the weight loss at a pretty good pace and then wham! You've hit a plateau and you're there until...well, until you're not. It actually makes total sense that the scale isn't moving right now, since I started exercising more heavily and began the weight training. I'm very likely exchanging fat for muscle right now, which is actually a Very Good Thing. It's just harder to see at the moment.

Last night, however, I remembered that I had taken my measurements (yanno...with a tape measure) at the beginning of all this an I thought, "Hey! I should do that again! It's been 12 weeks, after all." So, after 10 minutes of rummaging around I unearthed a tape measure and did it again. Guess what? I'm down 4" in the waist and 5" in the hips! Woo! (Oh, and I had to buy  a pair of jeans in the next size down this weekend! :-) ) *Happy Dance*

As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Scale, you can bugger off.

Random Thoughts

I've been reading a lot on message boards and communitiers devoted to Weight Loss Surgery lately and I've noticed a very all-or-nothing attitude from many posters. Now, I'm not knocking it. If it works for you, then that's what you should do. But that view has never really worked for me. I approached things differently because whenever I give myself hard rules and then I don't follow them perfectly, I end up beating myself up about it and feeling crappy and then making further choices that aren't helpful to my goals. (Notice I didn't say "bad choices." That's because thinking in terms of "Good" and "Bad" gets me in mental/emotional trouble.)

So, I approach it by looking at every meal, every bite of every meal, as an opportunity for me to decide to move toward my goals...or away from them. There are still Rules - it's WLS and lifestyle changes after all - but I give myself permission to not be perfect at following the rules. I aim to follow the rules and make decisions that bring me closer to my goals at least 80% of the time. More is better, but less is okay as long as it doesn't develop into a multi-day trend. For instance, I was craving chocolate in the worst way last week. Instead of torturing myself with NO chocolate (I didn't have anything sugar/fat free that was chocolate flavored in the house), I allowed myself to have 8 morsels of the Ghirardelli 70% Cacao chocolate morsels - the little chips that you can buy in the bags to make cookies. I ate them 1 at a time and let them melt slowly in my mouth and it was heaven. It killed the craving, I didn't feel deprived, and I also didn't feel the need to beat myself up about it. In fact, I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment that I was able to limit my portion to an appropriate amount and still enjoy it! Obviously, I can't do that every day, but allowing myself to do it once and really enjoying the experience, was a new and liberating thing for me. I felt less like food was in control, and more like I was in control of the food (and my body.)

As far as the Food Mourning issue goes...I'll tell you that it doesn't stop with surgery. I had it come and go for months before surgery and now 2-3 times in the 9 weeks since surgery. I've been dealing with it by just giving myself permission to feel sad and angry, no matter how "silly" it may seem. I communicate what's going on to my docs, close friends, and wife so that they can support me.

I think it's easy to forget that even after a major life change like WLS, we are still the same people with the same lives/issues/challenges that we were before the surgery - for all the good AND the bad of it. It's easy to fall into a pattern that life will be rosy after surgery....we'll be thin and attractive and everything will be perfect! But it's just not how life works and it can be a major disappointment when that sinks in after you get through the initial recovery and start to feel physically better. For instance, I'm still a person that really doesn't enjoy exercising, even though I do enjoy how it makes me feel. I still love bread. I don't eat it much these days (or at all, really) but I still love it. And I miss it. But I have to just ride it out like surfing a wave. I smell freshly baked bread from a bakery and I allow myself to feel sad and miss it. And then I move on. Sometimes I have to give myself a mental push to move on from the sad feelings, but I do it because it's a decision to do it. I make a decision to allow myself to feel sad, but then I also make a decision to not allow myself to get bogged down in it.

I'm Not Politically Correct

And I'm not sure I care! I made The. Most. Incredible. lamb shoulder chop for dinner tonight. I started by giving it a little rub down with olive oil, sprinkled it with salt and garlic & herb Mrs. Dash and let it sit for 30 minutes before searing it in a red hot cast iron skillet. I let it rest under foil for 5 minutes while I cleaned the pan and then sliced it thinly accross the grain. It was nicely medium in the center and blackened evenly on the outside, giving it the smoky charred flavor you expect from a grill. (It created loads of smoke, but I have a pretty good vent fan over my stove.)

It was just about the most satisfying meat-involved meal I've eaten since surgery. Beef used to be my first love for red meat, but since surgery even the leanest beef feels heavy in my pouch and I feel icky for hours after I eat. Lamb, however, never feels like that. I know that lamb isn't particularly popular here in the US because everyone thinks of Bambi when they hear the word, making me one of a very small group of people I know who actually eat it , but it really is very tasty and pretty healthy, for a red meat. It's not quite as lean as beef, weighing in at 3g of fat and about 65 calories more per 3 oz. serving vs. the same amount of beef, but the fact that it doesn't weigh me down like buck shot makes it worth a few extra calories of compensation is another part of my day.

Overdoing It and Simple Can Be Good

I seriously overdid it on the heavy lifting, twisting, and bending in the process of unloading the groceries from the car, cleaning out the refrigerator, and putting everything away this afternoon. I didn't have any sharp surgical-type pain, but instead had this diffuse achiness all across my abdomen as if I'd done a very strenuous ab workout. I suppose, looking at it, I did do a strenuous ab workout in a way. I'm cleared for full activity as of this week, but clearly the muscles of my abdominal wall are a) still healing, and b) have lost some of their former strength. It's really amazing what you take for granted until you don't have it. Abdominal strength has never been something I really thought about - or even thought I had much of - but now that I have a bit less than before, it's making my everyday activities much more of a challenge.

By the time I had gotten through half of the household chores, I knew I was done. I left the rest and decided to eat lunch. Since I've started back on soft foods since the surgery, I'm learning to appreciate simpler meals. Lunch today was 3 Mini Babybel Light cheeses and 1/2 C. of really incredible fresh blueberries. That's it. It was so satisfying! I've been easing into the fruits and veggies very slowly and most of what I've been eating is cooked, so it was a delight to eat fruit that was cold and fresh and unprocessed in any way. I was a little tentative about eating them (skins, seeds) but chewed well and carefully and everything went according to plan. I'm thinking tonight will be a little broiled haddock and shrimp with some kind of steamed veggie. Wow! Look at the time. I should probably get on that.

NSV - Non-Scale Victory

I'm having a hard time with keeping food and fluids down today and I'm back on clear fluids for 24 hours and then full fluids for another 48 before I can try soft foods again. But since I feel so crappy, I thought I'd refocus on something pleasant that happen a few days ago.

In case you haven't been following the ticker (over there ----> ), I've been losing weight. Yay! I've adjusted the ticker to reflect the weight lost from my highest point of 347 lbs., but in case you're wondering, I've lost 25.6 lbs. since the surgery 27 days ago. Not too shabby. The real victory, though, isn't about the numbers on the scale. The real victory is that I tried on a pair of jeans in the next size smaller than what I was wearing before surgery, and they fit! Like a glove. Woo! :-)

Pain and New Foods

The past few days I've been experiencing intermittent pain in the center of my abdomen, about 4cm above my belly button. After 48 hours (over the holiday) of worry that it was a gall stone or an ulcer, a conversation with my surgeon put my fears to rest. He told me it sounded like my body telling me it was hungry and to try eating every 3 hours instead of every 5 hours. I gave it a try yesterday and whaddayakno? It went away!

In another interesting post-surgical twist, I've noticed that not only has my taste for sweets greatly diminished since surgery (something I'd heard about and anticipated), but my taste for other foods has changed as well. I've never been a fan of lentils - I've always thought they tasted like little pieces of dirt - but I've been enjoying lentil soup several times a week since surgery. At first I thought it was just the joy of finally eating something hot that resembled normal food again after weeks of a liquid-only diet, but I've noticed that it's happening with other foods, too. Yesterday I peeled and sliced an Anjou pear and had about half of it with a couple ounces of 50% fat free sharp cheddar cheese and really enjoyed it! Previously, pears were something I avoided unless they were cooked to mush to get rid of the gritty texture. It's made eating more of an adventure and a positive experience than I had anticipated for myself after surgery. :)

And speaking of new foods, I've got designs on a pasta-free "Mock n Cheese" now that cooked veggies are allowed once again. I'm in the research stages, so it may be a few days before I get to posting it, but keep an eye out for a veggie based mac n cheese recipe!

A Fish to Keep - Salmon Rillettes

As a child, I pooh-poohed all manner of fish. It smelled funny, it looked funny, it tasted funny, and the texture was....not beef. I have never been a picky eater, but up until my mid-20s the thought of voluntarily allowing anything past my lips that came from the ocean other than the occasional scallop or shrimp was just Not. On.

Since then, my palate has matured and my willingness to be adventuresome with things from the sea has greatly expanded. I ran into this particular recipe in a hand-me-down issue of Bon Apetit magazine (Sept. 2012, p16). I made a few minor adjustments for taste and fat and served it on cucumber slices for a lighter alternative to baguette. It's a delicious cold smoky salmon dip with just the right hint of onion from the chives and a powerful punch of protein. Apparently, this is a recipe that originally came from famous New York restaurant, Le Bernardin!

These incredibly rich smoky bites of heaven were the perfect way for my wife and I to ring in the New Year. Give them a try at your next gathering or special dinner. (Bonus: I'm only 3 weeks post-op and on soft solids and I was able to eat this with no problems and it's something my wife looooved!) Can't get better than a culinary win to start the year off right!

Salmon Rillettes

2 C. Dry White Wine
2 Small Shallots (about 1.5 T.), minced
1 lb. Salmon Filet, skinned and pin bones removed
3 oz. Smoked Salmon (lox), cut into 1/4" pieces
1/s C. Mayo (I halved this with Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt to reduce the fat)
2-3 T. Fresh Chives, minced
1-2 T. Fresh Lemon Juice
S&P to taste

Bring wine and shallots to a simmer in a small sauce pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and add salmon filet. Poach gently until salmon is just barely opaque all the way through (roughly 5 minutes.) Using a fish spatula or slotted spoon, remove salmon from wine and drain on paper towels. Strain shallots out of the wine, reserving the shallots and discarding the wine. Place shallots and salmon in a bowl, cover and refridgerate until cold.

Add all remaining ingredients to the filet and shallots and stir gently to break up filet slightly. Avoid overmixing - you want the filet to retain some flakiness. Adjust seasoning, adding additional lemon and mayo, as desired. Serve on toasted baguette, slices of cucumber, or fold into an omelette.

Servings: 6-8 (the original recipe says 6, I say 8 - this dish is rich and very satisying)

Nutrition (according sparkrecipes.com) based on 8 servings and using Greek yogurt in place of half the mayo:  Calories 145.8, Total Fat 7.1 g, Cholesterol 45.2 g, Sodium 586.3 mg, Potassium 397 mg, Total Carbohydrate 2.2 g, Protein 17.3 g.

 

Happy New Year and blessings to you and your family for 2013!

Head Colds, Snow Storms, and General Malaise

I must apologize for the relative quiet on the blog recently. I came down with a nasty head cold on December 21st (the Friday before Christmas) and have spent most of the past week sleeping or becoming one with my couch. To be perfectly candid, it has really sucked.

Now that I'm starting to clear the fog of both surgery and being sick, I'm looking around my house and realizing that a) my kitchen is an unholy mess, and b) we are rather short on real food. Between me being on mushy proteins and liquids and my wife working 60+ hours a week recently, neither of us has been eating or cooking much. In an effort to change this trend, I am up early this morning to head to the grocery store for a few things ahead of the 3"-9" of snow they say we may be getting in the next 18 hours. Beans have been working really well for as a protein source and I'm now cleared to start on soft cooked fruits and veggies, so I have in mind a batch of white chili, made with ground chicken and poblano peppers. I'm also eyeing a recipe I ran accross in a hand-me-down Gourmet magazine called Salmon Rillettes. It's essentially a salmon dip or spread, but since I'm not eating carbs at the moment, I'm thinking it would be lovely on some hot house cucumbers or folded into an egg white or two for a protein packed mini omelette.

On that note, I've got my reuseable bags and my big floppy wool hat and I'm off to the market. Check back in the next day or so for yumminess!

Week One - Italian Style Chicken Meatballs

I made it through the first week! After a ridiculous amount of fluids, I saw the surgeon and nutritionist this morning and was cleared to begin solid foods again! Woo! My first "meal" was an ounce of low fat sharp cheddar cheese (natch, cheese obsessed as I am.) This evening, however, I'm finally venturing back into the kitchen for something other than popsicles! To celebrate, I've written a new recipe for Italian style chicken meatballs. I did my best to give them loads of flavor without adding loads of fat and carbs and I think I (mostly) succeeded.

Italian Style Chicken Meatballs

• 1 lb. Ground Chicken
• 1 Egg
• .25 C. (scant) Italian Bread Crumbs, plus a little for sprinkling
• 1 t. Basil, crushed
• 2 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
• 1/3 C. Grated Parmeggiano Cheese
• .25 t. Salt
• Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine everything except the olive oil in a large bowl, using a fork to ensure even mixing. On a baking sheet lined with no-stick foil, portion out the ground meat mixture with a 1" scoop. Sprinkle the tops of each meatball with a tiny bit of bread crumbs and spray lightly with olive oil.

Bake until the interior of the meatballs measure 165F (about 8-10 minutes.) Remove from oven and allow to rest 2-3 minutes. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce and pasta.

Yield: approx. 30 meatballs

According to sparkrecipes.com, the nutritional values (per meatball and not including sauce) is: Calories 36.1, Total Fat 2.0 g, Cholesterol 19.2 mg, Sodium 84.8 mg, Total Carbs 1.1 g, Dietary Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 3.4 g.



Home Again

I was discharged from the hospital around 6:30pm last night. The ride home wasn't too bad because I had taken a pain med at 5:00, but the bumps and short stops of traffc in our city at rush hour were No. Fun. In fact the entire surgery and post-surgical recovery are No. Fun. Lots of pain, lots of nausea, lots of getting up and walking around even with the pain and nausea. I have 5 incisions and they all have a bunch of nasty bruising next to them, but I feel much better today (my first full day at home) than I even did yesterday, which gives me hope that every day will be better.

I've been pretty good so far about getting in all the required clear fluids. Propel grape has become a favorite so far. :) The "full fluids" (pudding, yogurt, etc.) has been harder to stay on top of and spacing it out w/the iron supplements has been tricky. The iron supplements have to be taken with an hour on either side of anything containing dairy, which I totally forgot about this morning. But it's a learning process, right?

Last night wasn't too bad, but I'm still very sore and achey. I was up approximately every 2 hours and tried to get in at least 3-5 minutes of walking around the house each time. Preventing DVTs is sort of  major priority for me right now. :)

Ok...I'm to take my foggy brain on a little walk around the house and then I'm taking a nap.