What's on the menu today, RNYers?

Hi OH friends!  Thanks for all of your great input and feedback yesterday re: calories.  I went to my five month check-up with my surgeon and NUT, and it wasn't overly helpful but I will report back as promised:

I am 5 months and 5 days post op, and I had RNY at 351 lbs.  Today, I weigh 244.  That is a loss of 107 lbs.  I am 5'4".  I think that is a pretty great loss, and as many of you know, I have been eating less than 20 g of carbs a day and exercising 4-5 times a week to achieve that loss.  My doctor told me I am doing well and that I have lost 50% of my excess weight.  He said they expect people with RNY to lose 60-70% of their excess weight and told me that I will definitely lose another 50 and end up around 200 lbs.  I said, "Um no, I am losing more than 50  more lbs."  He seemed to be surprised.  I think they must see so many non-compliant patients (my support group is full of people who talk about how to eat cake and eat around their sleeves, for example) that my drive and determination is a change.  I told him I am completely committed to this.  I then asked him what my goal weight should be.  He said according to the computer (?) my ideal weight is 131 but that this doesn't take body type or anything into consideration.  He said this weight would make no sense for me.  I said my personal goal is 170 and I may revise it lower when I reach that number.  He again seemed surprised but told me to go for it.

Then I saw my NUT and we talked about calories and carbs.  Again, my NUT is not very prescriptive, so she won't tell me I "should" have this many calories.  She did say that I should not limit myself to 700 calories, and I should be closer to 800 on non-exercise days and 1,000 on days I exercise.  She said I should incorporate fruit and non-starchy vegetables into my diet and not limit myself to 20 g of carbs a day.  She said especially before a workout I should eat something with carbs since I will burn them in the workout. Her suggestions were:

Greek yogurt

Apple slices

1/2 a banana

3 oz of raspberries

3 oz of Dole frozen mango pieces

She advocates for peppers and zucchini and broccoli as veggies.  Says as long as I can tolerate cauliflower and brussels sprouts (they are gassy) then go for it.  Says if I ever have room for them, I could incorporate a whole grain like quinoa.  But she did say not to have protein bars and definitely not granola bars, because of how much added sugar they have.

So I am going to take her advice for a while.  I brought half a container of raspberries for a snack today.  I am going to be less psychotic about 20 g of carbs or less - since the carbs I will be eating will be fruit and not potato chips :)

My menu for today:

B: 3 oz boar's head turkey, 1 oz pepperjack cheese, 1 large coffee with 3 tbsp creamer

L: Leftover sauteed shrimp with pesto and shirataki noodles, 3 asparagus tips

S: 3 oz raspberries

D: Cauliflower pizza with turkey pepperoni (side note: I microwaved 6 of them on a paper towel for a minute and they were crispy and delicious!)

E: Since I have four 50-minute personal training sessions this week, I am taking the other 3 days off!  Today is an off day!

W: Not a problem

V: This is my reminder! 

ETA: Totals for the day are 700 calories, 66 g of protein, 25 g of carbs, 36 g of fat.  Will add another snack to boost those numbers!

What's on your menu?  

And, what plans do you have for Memorial Day (if you are in the US)?  I am doing a staycation with friends - we got a hotel room at a hotel with a POOL and we are going to hang out poolside by day, grill on their roof by night!

 

 

Glad that you are going to take her advice for a while and see what happens. Mine wanted me to eat more veggies and a fruit and I have not done it. See, you are doing better than I at this! LOLOL I have bought those things, but have not eaten them.

I need to try the turkey pep thing. I have some, but didn't want to take the time to bake, didn't even think of the microwave. I think I have stayed away from them too because of the salt.

Thanks, Joan!  Yes, I may actually listen to my doc.  LOL!  Turkey pepperoni are super salty but good.  And get crispy!!!  Give them a try!

I think you are totally on the right track.  The last time I met with my surgeon, was in October.  I weighed about 150 then.  My goal weight was 150 (I'm 5'1).  He said I needed to stop losing or I would be too thin.  I've lost as much as I was going to.  I totally disagreed with him.  I wasn't even a year out, and for gosh sakes, I'm 5'1!!!  My personal goal at that point was 135.  I'm about 17 months out and this morning I weighed 120.  I do not look too thin.  I look healthy.  I would be fine if I lost another 5 pounds.  I feel like that would give me a little wiggle room for the dreaded bounceback weight that I always hear about.  I stay on plan.  I don't count carbs at all, but I eat protein forward, so my carbs tend to stay relatively low.  I really only count calories and protein and the rest seems to take care of itself. 

How do you make the cauliflower pizza crust?  Sounds great!!!

Thanks, Ocalasam!  How interesting that doctors are so reserved in what they tell their patients.  Maybe because many people do not reach goal?  

The cauliflower pizza crust isn't great...it's AMAZING.  Here is the recipe.  The most time-consuming part is ricing the cauliflower in a food processor and then letting it cool for a bit in the fridge so you can squeeze the water out.  Cauliflower pizza crust recipe

Geez, I wish I had your conservative surgeon(s)! I'm 5' 6", and at my last visit my surgeon told me that based on the numbers my goal weight should be 131, but he'd be happy (!!!) if I got to "only" 140.  I think the last time I weighed that was in second grade or something...

Morning, all! Em, thanks for the summary of your visit yesterday. I think that sounds like a reasonable approach at this point. I've been thinking a lot about it, and I've decided to not be quite as afraid of not maximizing the honeymoon period as I have been. That seems to have been a bit crazy-making, at least for me! I'm much happier with the idea of setting up good long-term habits, so that once the honeymoon period ends I'll be better positioned to continue losing if needed or to head into maintenance if that's what's up at that point. When you think about it, 1000 calories a day is still pretty low intake for most people, and based on the months I've been between 600 and 800, 1000 will seem like a cakewalk (no, not planning on eating cake!) And I agree with you on the carbs, as long as they're coming from healthy sources like berries, fresh fruits and veggies, that's a big difference from eating them in the form of white carbs and starches. In short, I think your plan is solid, and will be modifying my own as well. I have follow up visits with my PCP at the beginning of June and my surgeon at the beginning of July, so I'll bounce these same ideas off them and see what they say.

Thinking about it...how many raspberries in 3 ounces? I would think that's a lot of raspberries, those puppies don't weigh much at all! Now I'm thinking about raspberries or blueberries in some Greek yogurt...om nom nom!

Funny you should mention broccoli as being a good veggie. I had some last night for the first time in a long time, but apparently I didn't cook it well enough. Before surgery I liked my veggies cooked just al dente, almost crispy like fresh. However, my pouch does not appreciate veggies unless they're cooked very well now. I ended up miserable all evening after dinner, thanks to the broccoli, even though I thought it was practically mushy. *sigh*

I'll have to pick up some turkey pepperoni and try it crispy like you describe. I've enjoyed cheese done into crisps that way, so the pepperoni will be a nice change.

Memorial day will be a day for Mark to relax, so we don't have much of anything planned. I'll probably pick up something for the grill over the weekend, possibly some juicy hamburgers and/or a steak or two. I might do some shopping, I'm feeling the need for some more new, cute clothes!

The plan for today: Water - 30 ounces in, will do fine with this as usual. Supplements - will get the morning batch in as soon as I'm done here, and the rest will follow. (Em, are you still having problems getting all your vitamins in?) Exercise - Cardio only today, will work on that after the air conditioning guy comes for the spring checkup. Menu - 

Breakfast	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Jay Robb's - Whey Protein, Vanilla, 10 g	37	0	0	8	50	0
Prairie Farms - Large Curd Cottage Cheese, 3/4 Cup	150	6	7	18	675	6
	187	6	7	26	725	6
Lunch
Whole Foods - Beef and Bean Chili, 8 oz.	247	23	9	21	113	1
	247	23	9	21	113	1
Dinner
Cunning_Pam's Baked Tilapia, 1.5 serving(s)	246	11	12	25	165	0
Homemade - Sauteed Zucchini, 0.25 cup	19	2	1	0	43	0
	265	13	13	25	208	0
Snacks
Saffron Road - Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce, 15 g	18	2	1	0	120	2
Nasoya - Firm Tofu, 100 g (1/5 of package)	89	1	4	13	6	0
Saffron Road - Falafel Crunchy Chick Peas, 0.5 oz (28 g)	60	8	2	3	95	1
Boars Head Maple Turkey - Deli Turkey Slices, 2 ounces	70	2	1	14	440	2
	237	13	8	30	661	5
Totals	936	55	37	102	1,707	12
Your Daily Goal	1,000	25	33	150	2,300	45

Make it a wonderful day, everyone!

Pam - your doc will be satisfied if you get to 140?!  Jeez!  That seems rather aggressive!  How are you cooking the firm tofu tonight?  In the tikka masala sauce?  Sounds good!  I have some extra cauliflower so I am thinking about ricing it in the food processor and then making it in a pan like "fried rice" and adding tofu and curry sauce.  Doesn't that sound good???  I also liked an idea I got a while ago off this post about pan frying tofu that has been rolled in parmesan to get crispy chunks.

Boar's Head maple turkey yummmm - that was my breakfast today!

Go shopping!  I just had a windfall at Target last weekend.  I am popping over to Macys at lunch.  I am out of control but I feel like I have 8 outfits total.  I had an amazing wardrobe (in size 24 though) so I am not used to being so limited.  But I am growing out of the things.  

I also think it's good for us to stop obsessing over an arbitrary calorie number.  I don't know how I will get in 1,000 calories either, but if I do a 200 calorie snack in the afternoon before the gym, that ought to help.

Re: raspberries - I weighed them out and it's about half of the little pint container that they come in.  So one little container is two servings.

Re my doc: I know, right? I've already told him he's crazy! It's a good thing he's cute, otherwise I might have actually gotten mad at him.  But, at the same time, I see all the before and after pictures they have plastered all over their office, and some of those people sit at 60 or 70% of EWL and seem to feel like they're successful. To me, if I'm going to go through surgery and everything that comes along with it (the lifestyle changes, required supplementation, etc.) then I want to work to lose it all! 

Yes, the tofu will be in the tikka masala sauce again. I'm really enjoying it, and it's so much easier than homemade tikka masala. And you and your cauliflower, let me tell you what you have wrought: For months I've had a Cuisinart 9 cup Pro sitting brand new in the box in my breakfast nook. I bought it a long time ago, but I've always been a "just give me a good knife and my Kitchenaid stand mixer and I'm all set" kind of cook, so I never even unpacked it. Well, as of right now that baby is unpacked, washed and sitting on the counter ready for duty! So yes, your fried rice cauli sounds delish! And cauliflower hash browns. And cauliflower pizza crust. I feel like I've opened a whole new door in cooking!

I went to Tahrjhay the other day and didn't find a thing. The women's clothing section was a mess, tons and tons of sale racks to go through but nothing was sorted out by size or type of item or anything. I haven't developed a love of pawing through a clearance rack yet, I guess. So I left empty handed. Macy's sounds like it's worth a try again, I may pop in there as well. And I have yet to set foot in a Kohl's, so that's another option. By the way, you're not growing out of things, you're SHRINKING out of them! Let's use the right terminology here in order to maximize the positive impact! 

Hello! How is everyone? I am glad to be back. Bella and I went for our walk and I am ready for Bible study today. I have been taking care of my father in law in the hospital so I appreciate all the messages and people checking in on me. I have missed our chats. I have been able to get some walks in but very little healthy eating. I have probably gained 10 pounds. Please pray and/or think about us as he is unable to drive for 3 weeks and he is very used to going as he pleases and views this a death sentence, like he is under house arrest despite the fact that he goes places every day with my sons, me or his friends. It just is not the same to not be able to go whenever the mood sticks you. He is 74 and likes to complain and aggravate me to no end. If he is not picking on me he complains about the boys which infuriates any momma. LOL! THANK goodness I go walk every morning if it is not raining and have Bible study two times a week.  LOL! After walking we normally walk over to McD's for his breakfast and I get a sf iced coffee. Then we look for excuses to go somewhere. LOL! (I have been using your idea Anny about drawing things to do to keep me busy because to make things worse I had a reaction to my Serequol XR and it took the doctor over a week to get to my consult before he would prescribe regular Serequol so I have been without it and not sleeping. Bad idea Bipolar person without meds with recuperating grouchy 74 year old man.  ALOT of emotions flying! LOL!  ) To make matters worse, the air is not working, toilet is broken, son's cars gauges are messing up and he is leaving for a summer long trip early next week which he is driving to Kansas and my husband has work stress too. My father in law is always eating something and encourages me to eat it and I am weak when stressed or bored. I am trying to fight head hunger just about everyday because of his influence which is very hard anytime but especially while trying to lose. WOW! I DID NOT KNOW I HAD ALL THIS INSIDE! I guess I need a sounding board more than ever. Thanks for listening and supporting me friends!    

8 am Breakfast	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Sweet 'n Low - Artificial Sweetner, 4 pkt. (g)	0	2	0	0	0	2
Folgers - Coffee, 12 oz	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dannon - Light & Fit Greek Yogurt, 5.3 oz	80	8	0	12	45	7
Coffeemate Coffee Creamer - Powdered Nondairy Creamer, 3 tsp	30	1	0	0	0	0
Mcdonalds Medium - Sugar-free French Vanilla Iced Coffee, 22 oz	120	12	7	1	90	2
	230	23	7	13	135	11
11:30am Lunch
Pringles - 100 Calorie Pack, 19 g 1 Tub	100	10	6	1	105	0
Weigh****chers - Light String Mozzarella Cheese, 1 stick	50	1	3	6	150	0
Oscar Mayer - Delifresh Cajun Style Turkey Breast, 2 oz	60	3	1	9	560	0
	210	14	10	16	815	0
2:30pm Snack
Oscar Mayer - Delifresh Mesquite Turkey Breast, 6 slices (51g)	50	2	1	9	490	0
Edamame - Nature's Harvest Dry Roasted With Sea Salt, 30 gms-1/4 cup-per package info.	150	16	5	11	190	0
Rold Gold - Tiny Twists Pretzels 1 Oz., 1 oz	110	23	1	2	450	1
	310	41	7	22	1,130	1
5:30pm Dinner
Oscar Mayer - Delifresh Black Forest Ham, 2 oz (5 slices)	50	0	2	9	560	0
Weigh****chers - Reduced Fat Colby Jack Cheese Sticks, 1 stick	70	0	5	7	170	0
Weigh****chers - Light String Mozzarella Cheese, 1 stick	50	1	3	6	150	0
	170	1	10	22	880	0
Vitamins
Equate - Complete Multivitamin Women 50+, 2 pill	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rexall - Ferrous Sulfate Iron 28mg, 2 tablet	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rexall - Vitamin C 500 Mg With Rose Hips, 1 Tablet	0	0	0	0	0	0
Citracal - Calcium Citrate +D3 Petites, 2 tablets	0	0	0	0	5	0
Feosol - Carbonyl Iron Tablet, 1 caplet	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rexall - Magnesium 500 Mg, 1 Tablet	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rexall - Potassium 99 Mg, 1 caplet	0	0	0	0	0	0
	0	0	0	0	5	0
Totals	920	79	34	73	2,965	12
Your Daily Goal	1,039	130	35	52	2,300	52
Remaining	119	51	1	-21	-665	40
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar