What am I doing?

Jan 10, 2010

So a couple of you asked me what I've been doing with myself since surgery.  To be quite frank, I've simply been enjoying the ride.

What do I do for food?
At this point, I eat anything I want.  That isn't to say that I don't eat tiny bits of some things and up to about 3/4 cup of others.  Here's a sample of the things I eat:  

Oatmeal, malt-o-meal, lots of light yogurt, oranges, apples (seldom), pineapple, bananas, FF pudding, 85% fat free ground beef, ground turkey, turkey, pork, bacon, salad, chicken breast, 98% fat free ham, wheat bread, low fat tortillas, re-fried beans, soup, stew, egg beaters, cheese, green beans, broccoli, spinach, corn, tortellini, spaghetti sauce, protein shakes, protein shots, etc.

The bottom line for me is that I make it myself.  This means I can tweak the recipe and make sure it's low in either fat, carbs and sodium and make sure I add protein and reduce the sugar.  I never eat above 12 grams of sugar in ANY serving of ANYTHING.

Have I eaten candy and baked goods?  Yep, but sometimes I'll eat sugar free candy, sometimes I'll just eat 1 bite and give the rest to my kids or save it for the next day.  I've never had a sweet tooth, but I like sweets.  I make my own cookies and change the recipe up to make it healthy.  

For example, I made banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.   The recipe I found had 216 calories, 10.6 g fat, 148 g sodium, 28.9 g carbs,  10.5 g sugar, 1.8 dietary fiber and 3 g protein per cookie!

My version was 104 calories, 4.6 fat, 69 g sodium, 14 g carbs, 5 g sugar, 2 g dietary fiber and 2 g protein per cookie.

I'm not saying that my version of this cookie was amazingly better or that you can eat more than 1, but the way I've been cooking not just sweets, but everything I put on the table has helped me and my entire family eat better.  I use Splenda or Purevia for everything and go for low or sugar free whenever I buy something from the store.  I use wheat flour for almost everything and skip real eggs when I can.  I also cook with little oil, use cooking spray, real butter (your body knows what to do with it, not so with margarine) and I'm deathly serious about my portion sizes.  I use lots of spices to enhance flavors and I'm trying a ton of new recipes.  I don't want to feel deprived for one minute so I make it happen and just follow the guidelines.  Do I miss the fat and sugar?  Sure, sometimes, but I've been really enjoying the challenge of creating something that's healthy that tastes good too.

I got fat for a reason and to pretend that I'm instantly cured of my penchant for unwise food would be detrimental to my future.  I know ALL of us who had surgery can lose the weight, but the average person who ends up gaining it back, starts to filter sweet stuff back and larger portions into their diet when they finally get to goal.  If I can re-train my body to crave my altered/healthier versions and re-train my mind to love them and to be wise, I have a fighting chance to keep the weight off for the rest of my life.  I'm not interested in being fat ever again, but I know all too well, getting fat is easy to do.  Nothing tastes as good as thin feels, right?  LOL.

What do I do for exercise?
Three times a week, I walk a mile to and from my daughter's preschool.  Sometimes my husband drives us and I only get half a mile that day.  I've been trying to get to the gym, but that doesn't always work because I used to go at night (best for my schedule) and I've been really tired since the surgery.  This year (yeah, I know it's only the 10th), I'm making it happen and I've gone twice.  I think I've flipped a switch and I'm going to make it twice a week.  Eventually, I hope to get back up to my pre-op workout schedule.  I was going to the gym 4 - 6 times a week and working out at home to a walk-fit video 1 - 3 times a week.

I'm trying to be patient with my energy level and not get frustrated about my lightweight exercise schedule.  I expect that I will find out I'm low in one of my vitamins when I get my check-up this month.

Moving forward, my intention is to hit the gym 2 - 4 times a week, walk my daughter to preschool 3 times a week (3 miles total) and do my walk-fit video 1 - 3 times a week.

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