ObesityHelp

 Today is 5 years out for me.  I am at my goal weight, of 128.  I started at 264 the day of surgery.  I do not eat sugar at all, yes, even with the dumping, you can get use to it and that will be the biggest way to end your weighloss with this surgery.  I have not had plastic surgery, but I have been lucky and my skin tightened up for the most part, I wont be a model, but I don't hangdown anywhere.  Yes I would love to get it, but it isn't going to happen anytime soon.  

I did loose a few pounds last year, as I wasn't happy with where I was, so I went back to basics and used my tool.  It took a few weeks, but I went from 140 to the 128 I am at now.  I had been at the 140 for most of the time since I reached my bottom level.

I have learned alot about how to loose weight either with or without the tool.  I offer help when I am asked.  There are tricks that let you eat the things you love, but with small changes that make them calorie friendly.  

I can not stress enough that once you have this surgery you can NEVER eat sugar again.  Also, the protein drinks and smoothies can be a down fall, in my opinion.  You see, we can drink alot of calories and if not careful, those 2 items are a big reason I see people can not reach their goals.  But it is the sugar I see as the main reason people don't make it.  We absorb every calorie of sugar we take in.  Once you start on the road of sugarland, it is over.  The great tool of dumping is gone.  

Do I ever regret what I did?  NEVER!!!!!!!!!  Would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!!!!!  It saved my life!  

If you use low fat cream cheese, these are the stats, I used non-fat cream cheese in mine and it was great. 

Per serving:210 calories, 9 grams protein, 15 grams fat, 10 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 210 mg sodium   I guess that it is around 150 calories per serving with the non-fat cream cheese.

1 1/2 pounds light cream cheese room temp
1 cup splenda (found this might be too sweet, will use a little less next time)
1 1/2 c canned solid pack pumpkin (I used 16oz cans)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar-free maple flavored syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 large eggs

Preheat oven 325 degrees.  With mixer, beat cream cheese and Splenda until fluffy.  Beat in pumpkin.  Add Whipping cream, sugar-free syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and allspice.  Beat until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, beating until just combined.  Bake 1 1/2 hours or until center is set.  Cool 30 minutes before removing from pan.  Refrigerate overnight.  Serves 12

I loved it.  I did put it in a frozen pie crust, but you can do it without if you like.  Even those who usually didn't like SF thought it was good.

Hope you enjoy.

I have found 2 new things I love and are ok in the nut. factor.

One is a tomato and avocado salad.  I mix tomatoes, avocado, Kraft Free Italian dressing 2 tablespoons, fetta cheese.  I just throw it together, so no measureing, just the dressing, as I only want a very small amount or it over powers it.  No idea of the nut. info, I just know it is all ok foods for me.  I even want the fat that the avocado has, as it is a good fat and I really need that in my diet, the fats, don't get enough.

The other is scones.  I am not going to post the receipe as it is available everywhere.  Just to say I use splenda if I add cin. or other stuff.  Also I use whole wheat flour.  This makes it also an ok food for me.  It has no real sugar in it if it is plain, so you can add sf jams if you want or I like cin. stuff, so I add that.
 
Just some new foods in my life I thought I would share.  I say for further out because there is no protein in either food and one is higher carb than I would have eaten before I got to goal.

have fun!!

Posted by Rianne H.  On OH.Com


I realize that not everyone will be able to handle all of the different foods in this article...I just found it interesting!  Go to this link or read on below....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/06/26/cl.boost.nutrition/index.html

Boost your Nutrition with healthy recipe Additions
By Maureen Callahan, R.D.
CookingLight.com
Slipping in healthful nutrients here and there can transform an ordinary diet into a nutritional all-star. We polled experts for tips on giving family meals nutritional oomph and good flavor.

Shred a small zucchini into marinara sauce, says University of Pennsylvania nutrition education specialist Lisa A. Hark, Ph.D., R.D. You'll add 1 gram fiber to the sauce, along with 20 milligrams vitamin C, 142 micrograms beta-carotene, and 2,500 micrograms of lutein. Or keep adding chopped veggies, such as onions and peppers, and call it primavera sauce.

Give meat loaf a new identity by substituting 1 cup of black or pinto beans for the beef. You'll add 12 g fiber but subtract 5 g saturated fat.

Thicken creamy sauces and soups with silken tofu, says Terri Simonton, R.D., clinical dietitian at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Just dice and puree, then stir into the liquid. Each slice of tofu contains 4 g lean protein. (CookingLight.com: Power up your plate )

Add fresh fruit to plain yogurt to gain more vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, Hark says. Not sweet enough? Stir in a spoonful of all-fruit jam.

Add chopped, slivered, or sliced almonds to hot and cold cereals, salads, and casseroles to net 9 mg of vitamin E for every ¼ cup of nuts, Simonton says. You'll also gain good-for-you mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

Stir a cup of yellow corn kernels into soups, pasta dishes, or corn bread batter. The corn contributes almost 2,000 mcg lutein, an antioxidant that can help prevent age-related vision problems, says Kathleen Cappellano, M.S., R.D., nutrition information manager at the Jean Mayer usda Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Double up with nonfat milk powder. Stir 1 tablespoon into puddings, smoothies, and milk shakes to add 100 mg calcium, says Seattle, Washington, sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D.

Stir ground flaxseed into toppings for fruit crisps or use it in recipes that call for breadcrumbs to tap into the seeds' heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids -- 4 g for every 2 tablespoons. (CookingLight.com: Test your knowledge of star nutrients )

Add a few slices of avocado to sandwiches and salads for healthful monounsaturated fat and a dose of cholesterol-lowering beta-sitosterol, Cappellano says. Bonus points: Studies show avocados help boost absorption of other antioxidants in the meal.

Color yourself healthy

When it comes to choosing fruits and vegetables, simply picking produce of a brighter color can help you automatically increase your nutrient intake.

Grapefruit: Choosing ruby-red over plain white adds nearly 50 times more beta-carotene, plus 1,700 times more lycopene, a carotenoid that's been linked to heart-disease prevention in women and prostate protection in men.

Lettuce: Cup for cup, romaine's darker leaves have nearly four times more vitamin K and folate, seven times more lutein, and eight times more vitamin C than pale-green iceberg.

Peppers: Any green bell pepper will eventually change color; red and yellow peppers are simply mature green ones. And maturity counts -- a medium-sized red pepper contains twice as much vitamin C, four times more vitamin E, and eight times more beta-carotene than a green one.