GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

I usually take stupid comments by stupid people in stride. (I know some of you are reading this and totally laughing at me and thinking "Pam? Seriously?") But I realize that most people have no idea how WLS works. Many people consider it the "easy way out". And part of why I started this blog was to help educate friends and family (and cyber stalkers) about this process and journey. So I do understand that there are a lot of misconceptions out there about this whole thing.

But today - someone's comment to me has really stuck in my craw! UGH! We were in the kitchen at work and she was asking me how I was doing (everyone at work knows I have had this surgery). Her son-in-law is considering this surgery and she keeps checking in with me to see how it's going. A frequent question I get is "Are you able to eat real food yet?" That one always gets me. Well most food I put in my mouth is real - what kind of food do you eat? Never mind - that is just the dry humor of my Father coming out in me. So I was telling her some of the things I can eat now that I am in the pureed/soft food stage. So she mentions that her son-in-law "needs to get his act together soon or he's gonna have to do this the hard way by watching what he eats and exercising."

Yeah - so I made a real conscious effort not to beat her down.

As politely as I could I told her that if he chose to have surgery he would have to watch what he eats EVEN MORE than if he hadn't had surgery. I have never been so conscious about what I am putting in my mouth in all my life! I count calories, I count fat grams, I count carbs, and protein and ounces of water. I have cut out virtually all sugar from my diet. And exercise - I exercise a lot! This is a lifestyle change people - that's not cliche. Doing what I have always done will NOT get me anywhere different. I have to change everything about how I was living if I want this to be a permanenet and life altering change. People who don't abide by these new rules do not succeed. They are the ones that your friends will whisper to you about ... "My aunt had her stomach stapled, but now she put all the weight back on" ... I did not go through all of this to keep living the same way. I knew there had to be changes - major changes - this surgery has helped me to make those changes and helps me to stick by them. With a regular "diet" you can cheat - you can have that one candy bar - those 2 cookies - that bite of ice cream. I can't. This surgery ensures that I don't cheat. I don't eat too much, I don't eat too fast, and I don't eat what my body cannot absorb and process well.

So let me assure all of you out there that may be reading this thinking that I took the easy way out - this was anything but easy. You still have to watch what you eat - even more so now than ever. You don't want to put something in your mouth that will make you dump. You can't eat too much or you will puke. You have to go through a lot of stages while your new pouch heals with clear liquids, full liquids, pureed foods, soft foods. You have to be sure to get a certain amount of protein, and fluid in each day. And you still need to exercise - that needs to become part of your daily routine. It helps the weight come off - it helps it stay off - it helps your body heal - it helps your energy levels - it helps with extra skin. WLS is a tool for those looking to loose a lot of weight. A tool. Not a magical wand. More like a sledge hammer or a chisel. Be careful with both.

More Experimenting In the Kitchen

OK - I don't experiment in the kitchen. I don't. I find a recipe - I stick to it. It had better be easy and have like 6 ingredients or less or I don't even attempt it.

But I have been experimenting lately. Today I wanted to make like a chicken salad that I could eat. I started out with a package of Tysons premium white chunk chicken. I threw it in the food processor with some lemon juice, some lemon pepper seasoning, and some fat free miracle whip. You could do it without the food processor - but I'm still in pureed food stage - so I zapped it. The lemon pepper gave it a kick - nice. It tasted fine that way, but then on a whim I added some shredded cheddar cheese (cause cheese makes everything better in my book). So you can have it with or without. I think tonight I might heat it up in the microwave - that would be yummy, too.

I didn't put any measurements on this cause I didn't measure anything. I put the lemon juice in because I need it to stay moist for Kanga right now. I would do the lemon pepper to taste - as little or as much kick as you want. I would say I put about 2 tablespoons of miracle whip in - again - I need it to be moist - you may not want as much. I just put a handful of cheese in. It was really yummy.

Food Obsession v2.0

So I was warned that I would still be obsessed with food after WLS - only in a different way. That was so right. I am now obsessed with recipes - finding different ways to make what I can eat - making sure it's high in protein, low in carbs and fat, but full of flavor. It is a new kind of obsession.

Fortunately, there are many others out there who share my obsession. I have found so many sites that have such great recipes. Tonight I had Shelly's Baked Ricotta. I got this wonderful recipe (follow the link) from a website by Eggface. She is a wonder with the food. One word for tonight's dinner - YUM! I also got some tips from her site on how to make refried beans. I'm not a refried beans kinda girl, but after putting some in the food processor with some fat free sour cream, cheddar, and some juice from salsa - then cooked up in the oven, I was lovin' life! I also have found a lot of recipes at Before & After Help. They have a whole section on WLS friendly recipes.

Now that I have moved on to pureed foods I have really gotten to find out how much Roo Kanga can hold - and let me tell you - it's not much. I had the baked Ricotta tonight - 4 spoonfuls and I think the last spoonful was too much. I can't fit anymore in there. Earlier tonight I drank some milk too fast - that came right back up. Kanga is letting me know just who is boss.

I continue to lose weight - 2 more pounds since my doctor's visit earlier this week. I wore a pair of pants today that haven't fit in a while. It's like shopping in my own closet! YEAH ME!