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My Replacement for Stress Eating

This is my cure for stress to replace eating-- crafts! I'm very proud of this wall hanging, because it's not just a small quilt. It's a wall safe. On the back are pockets where you can hide small valuables and money. Not a lot, but enough to keep your most precious things safe but ready to use.   Yes, that's an applique of a red dragon in the center. Now I just have to decide whether to sell it on the internet or give it as Yule gift.
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My Doctor Wants Me to Post This

Many folks have a fear of flying, or arachnophobia, etc. Common phobias. Other than a fear of heights, I considered myself fairly fear-free.   Then I lost 75 pounds. That's only halfway to my goal weight, but with everything in my closet falling off me and not enough time to tailor anything but my favorites, my daughter said, "Enough is enough, Mom! You can't make a bra, okay? Time to shop!"   I sighed and gave in. Until we came to the threshold of the lingerie department. My feet wouldn't move further. I stood there, paralyzed with fear some snobby salesclerk would give me the usual contemptuous look. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. We don't carry the larger sizes. May I recommend Lane Bryant at the other end of the mall?" You know, the dismissive flick of the hair, the turned up nose and presenting her back as if you're unworthy to even set foot in her department?   My daughter had to literally trick me to get me in the area by asking me if a certain sexy little bra would work with her wedding gown we'd planned.   Then, because I wasn't the victim/shopper, I could go to her. I was relieved and hoped she'd pulled a fast one, hoping I'd buy her some lingerie for her wedding. To get out of buying for myself there and hoping to go back to buying my lingerie online where I didn't have to be snubbed by salesclerks, I was happy to shop.   My daughter pretended to shop for herself, casually asking my opinion, and eventually she slipped in the question about what size I thought I might be these days.   I fell for it and told her my estimate. After all, I am proud of my much smaller size, even if I'm only halfway to goal.   Quick as a wink, two packages of my size underwear and bras hit the basket. Susan grinned in triumph. "Gotcha, Mom. I saw you admiring these. You can wear them now, you know!"   I gulped. I glanced around furtively, hoping I could make a mad dash for the registers before the salesclerk had me burned alive for sacrilege.   It took me two days to open those packages and try them on. They fit. In fact, they're comfy! My fear is gone, and next on my shopping challenges will be (gulp) buying a pair of jeans in the Misses section, not the "Women's" department. Pray for me!   I decided I'd better mention this horrible fear reaction to my doctor so he could warn the shrink to warn the pre-ops that they might have to face the challenge of a fear of shopping in the normal stores. It's freaky, and I never thought it would happen to me, the clothes horse.   Doctor Baptista said he'd heard of this from several of his patients, but no one had explained it to him until me. He promised to tell the shrink if I'd blog about it.   Save yourselves and shop early and often. Learn to buy one or two pieces as you shrink, or you may face the phobia yourselves. You have nothing to fear from the salesclerks, really. (My mantra.)   All laughter at my expense is welcome. Thank you.
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Mushies-- Rules before Recipes

Several folks have asked me to post more mushie recipes. I'm cool with that, but let's get the rules straight. This is what my doc allowed, so you know where I'm coming from.   1. All of the foods from the clear liquids and full liquids stages. 2. Baked (not fried) fish, chicken, or turkey. No skins. Cut in very small pieces. 3. Lean ground beef finely crushed 4. Dried bans, peas, and lentils-- well cooked. 5. Canned or well-cooked vegetables 6. LOW carb! 30g total maximum carbs per day. No bread, pasta, potatoes, or rice allowed, ever. 7. Cottage cheese and non-processed cheeses are permitted, as long as daily carb maximum is not exceeded. 8. Salads-- egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, or turkey salad must be mixed well. Use low calorie mixes, if you must use commercial products. 9. Scrambled or boiled eggs. No fried eggs. 10. Stop drinking all liquids 10 minutes before meals and wait 30 minutes after meals. Leave your drink in another room so you aren't tempted.   Now look at all those lovely choices. Yum! I can hardly wait to share with you all the recipes.
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Mushies-- Italian Vegetable Soup

BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/italian-vegetable-soup/   I printed this one out for myself! However, I may omit the barley, because I do find my banded tummy doesn't care for starchy things.   Lena
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Mushies- Coq Au Vin Stew

This only sounds fancy. It's easy! http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/coq-au-vin-stew/ Don't forget to take off the skins on those chicken thighs. They look slimy and unappetizing, not to mention how much fat they hold. Get rid of them before beginning this recipe. If you can't find the Beefy Onion soup mix, just use regular Onion Soup Mix and add about a tablespoon of beef bouillion granules to the stew. The results will be the same.
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Mushies- Chocolaty Velvet Ice Cream (Fattening)

Okay, here's the more fattening version. However, it doesn't require an ice cream machine, and it can be made using sugar free and fat free ingredients to reduce the carb impact. I found sugar freee chocolate chips at my grocery store, so I may make my own chocolate sauce using Splenda. We'll see how it goes. BTW, I'm allergic to nuts, so I'd appreciate someone telling me how the nuts taste in this one.   The original recipe has 382 calories and 32 carbs. I'll bet we can reduce it with a bit of effort.  
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Mushies- Chicken and White Bean Stew

For BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-and-white-bean-stew/   At BG's request, I went hunting a few soups and stews for mushies. For the next few days, I'll post links to my finds.   Remember, you can always strain out what you think your tummy can't handle.   Lena
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Mushie--Crock Posole

BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/crock-posole/   Again, I caution those that may be sensitive to starchy food to try this recipe with care. Hominy is a starch.   If you don't know what hominy is, here's a wikipedia definition for you.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominy   I'm from the south and part-Cherokee, so I grew up eating hominy in many forms. If you can't find hominy, try using some leftover cooked whole kernel corn.   The carb count on this recipe is an acceptable (to me) 13g, but some folks can't handle the hominy. If you try this recipe before I report, please come here and let us know.
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Mushie- Chicken Edamame Chowder

BG http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/chicken-edamame-chowder/   Lena's notes: This recipe does not state clearly that the edamame beans are just the beans, not the pods. Be careful about this. The pods are not edible. Try to find the already shelled beans if you can. If you can't, cook according to package directions and shell them yourself before adding to the chowder.   Personally, I love edamame! It's become my new "thinking food" to snack on when I'm working here at my desk. I steam up the pods and bring the bowl right in. The pods force me not to gobble indiscriminately and the whole bowlful of used pods can go right into my compost bin out back. A little kosher salt and/or seasonings, and I'm good to go!
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Mushie Seafood-- Cioppino

Okay, call me a tightwad. I hate spending one dime more than I have to. I fell for this recipe while I lived in Denver, where the price of seafood can induce a heart attack for those who are used to seaside prices. Because it uses frozen and canned seafood, it's an affordable indulgence.   Personally, I'd rather cut up the fish while it's still half-frozen and firm. It's less of a mess. That's MHO.  
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Mushie Guilty Pleasure Recipe-- Cheese Soup

Imagine how shocked I was to realize this recipe was low carb! It's only 11 carbs per serving. And lookie! You get to use some of the chicken broth I posted on March 2.   This is one of those recipes where the setup is essential. I bring home a bag of onions and shred them all in the food processor, stuff them in a freezer bag, lay it flat on the "floor" of the feezer, and let it harden. Then I can stack and store, breaking off a hunk when I need some.   I do the same with the carrots, but store the bag in the fridge. That way, I have some for soups or salads as needed.   Oh, and that all purpose flour in the recipe? It's used as a thickener, so I just pull the canister of Wondra flour. It's extra fine flour, made for soups, sauces and gravies. No lumps!   You can also vary out the cheeses. I've been known to raid the cheese drawer for shredded cheddar, slices of colby, and the remainder of a block of pepper jack instead of plain old American. It's all good!  
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Moving My Blog

Well, I'm not Band Groupie, but I am having trouble keeping up here on LBT, especially my blog. So, I've moved to an old blog I kept while preparing for surgery and now it serves as my Bandster Cookbook.   http://fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com   Please come join me there. I'll still post here now and then, but mostly there.   Lena
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Mock Mashed Potatoes, Deluxe and Turnip Versions

I've pasted the original recipe below for Mock Mashed Potatoes. I do a Deluxe version where I add softened cream cheese and give it a whirl in the food processor. I swear, it's so close to the mashed potatoes I serve at holiday time, I didn't miss the carb-loaded real thing.    
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Milk Sherbert-- Easy Substitute for Ice Cream

I can't believe it! I found not one, but two substitutes for ice cream, just when the weather is warming down here in Florida and I'm missing those cool, creamy treats. Here's the lower calorie and carb one: Jell-o Milk Sherbert. (Bless you, Grandma!)   By simply using sugar free Jell-o and Splenda, I can make this practically a "freebie" on my diet. Woohoo!  
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Low Carb vs Family

On one of the LapBandTalk forums, someone asked me if I really do count even the carbs in my coffee creamer and manage to stay under 30g a day. I do indeed count the creamer in my coffee. It kills me to limit my coffee, but switching to hot tea helps in the winter. I stopped taking Metamucil and switched to Miralax on my doctor's recommendation. I don't have to count the Miralax. Yes, keeping the carbs that low is very rough sometimes, especially during holidays and family celebrations. However, I can be forgiving of myself for the rare celebrational moment, as long as I'm reasonable. Sometimes it means getting inventive, other times it means depending on someone else to be "coach" and say, "Aunt Bea, we really appreciate what you did baking that birthday cake, but Lena's only allowed a sliver of cake. Anything more will cause a blockage and a hospital visit. Thank you." Really, it's outside influences that cause me the most distress. I actually have learned to love living low carb now that I no longer crave the carbs like I did at first. It's others who think they're being kind by offering me carbs despite my protests and refusals that make it difficult. "Oh, this little bit of mashed potato won't hurt you!" Yes, it will. That's the hard part-- getting them to understand what kind of damage one little serving of rice, pasta, bread, cakes or potato can do to us. I've actually had to make a paste of ground up cooked rice to prove how it can create a plug that will act like a cork on the LapBand. A bowl, a “little bit” of rice, and a just a few tablespoons of water all mashed with a fork prove my point very well. When I'm in control of what is on my plate, I love how my LapBand forces me to live a low carb life. The food is delicious and plentiful. Who knew real mayonnaise, real butter, and whipping cream were lower in carbs than the so-called diet foods? I challenged my daughter recently concerning learning to live low-carb. I told her that I can live with 30g or less of carbs every day and still eat things like Saigon Shrimp, Cauli-rice, Sausage and Egg Cups, hot dogs, bun-less hamburgers, pickles, salads, and even cheesecake without going over 30g of carbs a day. I told her to pick up her favorite soup, salad dressing, Special K cereal, and a steak-n-potato meal for dinner. She considers this a good healthy diet meal plan. Seems healthy, right? Her calories and carbs would have choked a healthy adult male. The soup alone had 60 carbs. I thought she’d faint over the number of carbs she put in her mouth every day, thinking she was dieting! The next time my daughter went to the grocery store, she did some comparison-shopping and came home sputtering with outrage. All those so-called “diet” foods were often higher in carbs, calories, and/or fat than the regular versions. My daughter was furious that she’d paid extra money for bad tasting “diet foods” only to find she’d have done better to get the better tasting real things. Then I gave her a one-day meal plan based on many things she already had on hand, such as eggs, tuna, cheddar cheese, and some ground beef. Instead of Special K cereal, she had a hearty breakfast of an egg and broccoli frittata with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, for lunch a Caribbean Lime Tuna Salad wrapped in romaine leaves with a homemade tomato soup, and for dinner a “comfort food” special of Bacon and Cheddar Meatloaf with sides of canned green beans (with a bit of beef broth replacing the water they were canned in) and Faux-tay-toes using some frozen cauliflower she’d stuffed in the bottom of the freezer. Her husband was ecstatic. He plowed through his dinner like a man on a mission, according to my daughter. No one believed her that this all was her new diet food. Yes, she portioned out the servings for herself and kept to the carb count. Any lifelong dieter knows how to measure a serving! The big deal was, she wasn’t hungry! She prefers hot tea anyway, so she didn’t have to count the carbs in the creamer like I do, but she did have to switch to Splenda. Sure, she’s struggling. She doesn’t have the help of a LapBand, and her husband and kids squall when she gets rid of the breads, cakes, potatoes and rice. But She’s learning she can do without or substitute where she can. I have hope one day she’ll be able to join me in the low carb world. Nevertheless, for now she’s aware of how much she puts in her body and does her best. I wish all my friends and family would understand how they’re harming me whenever they offer me carbs.
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Low Carb Recipes on Food.com

I signed up for the beta test, and I'm pleased so far. Yes, they need to work out some bugs, but it's not bad.   Here's what I got in my email:   Welcome to Food.com! Click this link to log in and get started: http://www.food.com. What exactly is Food.com? It's a handy little application that lets you search through recipes indexed from the best recipe sources on the web, and allows you to store the ones you like - all in one place.   What is the Beta about? This is a REAL Beta, which means you have access to Food.com while we are still actively debugging and developing the application. You can learn more about the features and fun stuff on Food.com in our FAQs. There is a link to the FAQs in the left hand side of the footer of the site. And if you find things that don't feel fully baked, let us know! Use the feedback links in the nav bar and the footer on the site, or simply email us at feedback@food.com..   We're thrilled to have you help us cook up something fantastic. Sincerely, The Food.com team
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Liver Shrinking Ain't for Sissies

I've been ready to beat my head against the wall for days now, trying to maintain any semblance of willpower to stay on a 30g/day of carb diet.   They say stress is the divided state of mind when your good sense overrides the overwhelming urge to choke the living crap out of someone who richly deserves it. Yeah, I feel like that right now. I want to grab up the dietician and scream, "Look, Skinny Minnie! If I had this much willpower, I wouldn't be having lap band surgery, now would I?"   I saw the dietician on October 17, a little less than a month ago. I do great all week, staying on the 30g a day or less.   Then the weekend comes.   My DH and brother come barrelling through the door on Thursday night with the full intention of relaxing and making pigs of themselves with every kind of contraband snack food you can imagine. Now, my DH is thin. My brother Dante is as overweight as I am, I think. Believe it or not, they both have a job at the same factory. Just goes to show what a difference genetics can make.   Anyway, after today, maybe things can be different. My DH has helped me install a locking hasp on the outside pantry and a bike lock on the outside refrigerator.   I've removed all the contraband shelf stable foods to the locked pantry. All that's left in the kitchen pantry are foods I can have or things I won't eat willingly. Later I will do the same with the kitchen refrigerator, removing all those perishable things I'm not supposed to have.   I've made a list of those things I can have if I'm to shrink my liver successfully. No, I don't have to be this meticulous right now. According to the dietician, the 30g/day becomes important 7-10 days before surgery, then I'll be on a liquid diet 2 days before surgery. (Lovely. Right around the holidays? Am I nuts?) Still, I'm going to give it the best try I can. I want this liver the size of a pea, if I can.
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Liquids/Mushies Recipe-- Corner-Filling Consomme

I recommend you use a v-slicer or mandoline to get the onions as thin as you need. My little $10 v-slicer gets a lot of use!     2 T. butter 4 oz sliced mushrooms 1 small onion, sliced paper-thin 1 qt. beef broth 2 T. dry sherry (use a sherry you'd be willing to drink, not cooking sherry.) 1/4 t. pepper   Melt the butter in a skillet, and saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter until they're limp. Add the beef broth, sherry, and pepper. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, just to blend the flavors, then serve immediately.   There will be six servings in this recipe, with 5 g of carbs and 8 g of protein. No calorie count is given.
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Link to Diet Detective-- Calorie Rip-Offs

Just looking at the rip-offs on the Starbuck's list makes me cringe. Those were of course my favorites. As the Diet Detective rightly points out, those weren't even meals.   http://www.dietdetective.com/content/view/2108/156/
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Lesson Learned-- Don't Deviate from the Diet

Okay, I admit I got cocky. I'd been losing weight steadily and decided I did not need to keep track of what I ate anymore, not even carbs. After all, I can only fit a teensy amount in the pouch, right?   Wrong, wrong, wrong! It's not the amount, it's what I eat! Sure, I stay away from the starchy foods still. (Oh potato, I barely knew ye!) However, I've been very naughty on the sweets. The methyl-ethyl-bad stuff for a diet sweets. Yeah, I'm a junkie who backslid.   I haven't gained a pound, but I stopped losing. I deserve to be flogged!! I'm printing out my log sheet and I'm back on the wagon. I probably have a few days of carb withdrawal ahead of me. This is gonna hurt, but I did it to myself.   Lena
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January 22, 2010 A Happy Scale Whore

As anyone in our sisterhood of Scale Whores Anonymous (SWA) knows, I'm the nut case who keeps track of her weight by writing it down on the bathroom mirror with a wipe-off board pen.   I have an antiquated bathroom scale that looks like it belongs in the Art Deco Revival era several decades ago, and I love it because of that beauty. I know it's not accurate, but I step on it anyway every day. (That's why there's an SWA-- we're compulsive about it.)   Last month, just before Christmas, when I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office, I got a nasty shock. Despite repeated attempts to be very good, I'd *gained* a pound. EEEK!   So, I was determined to get back on the wagon. I pulled out the old food journal and locked all the carb contraband out in the cabinet outside.   My scale said I lost. At one point it dipped down to 205 lbs, and my shriek of joy should have shattered the bathroom window. (Thank you, tempered glass.)   Still, I drove with butterflies in my stomach to the doctor's for my monthly weigh-in. Would his infinitely more accurate scales show how hard I'd been working? When my turn finally came, I stepped on the scale.   The nurse gasped.   My heart sank. I was doomed. Done in by that tangerine I had a week ago. *sob* One little cheat had cost me.   "OMG, Lena!! You've lost TEN pounds!" The nurse did a jig with me. Later, doc gave me a hug. I'm back on the road to One-der-Land, and I think I see it rising out of the mists in the distance. :thumbup:
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January 19, 2010 One Year Later

My bandiversary was January 2. One year, 75 lbs lighter. I'm no longer a size 26, but a svelte (for me) size 18. According to my doctor, I have another 50-70 lbs left to go. Is he insane? Okay, I'll play along. After all, he's not been wrong yet.   Funny thing is, I'm still a size 26 in my head. I still slink through the lingerie section, expecting to be chased out by the sales clerks and sent to Lane Bryant.   I'm still shocked when some man ignores my wedding ring and (gasp) flirts with me.   On the other hand, I'm doing things that just wouldn't have been possible a year ago. I exercise three times a week and think it's fun. I bowl with my family, and we're talking about hitting the beach when the weather warms.   My husband wants to go on a second honeymoon (technically it would be a first. We were too poor back then) and scuba in Bermuda, and I actually think that's a great idea. I proposed taking up water-skiing too.   I fix my hair and put on makeup, and I smile at the woman in the mirror, even if I hardly recognize her without the bags under her eyes from sleep apnea, the puffy cheeks, and triple chin. Who is that woman with high slashing cheekbones, full red lips and smoky eyes? Me? Are you sure? Where's the dumpy old broad who spent half her life in a wheelchair or leaning on a cane?   I'm learning to see myself as a thinner, healthier person. I guess it's just going to take more time. Funny thing is, I now have that time. :confused:
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Is Humiliation Part of the Treatment?

Just how much humiliation am I supposed to take? Today was a group session at the surgeon’s. You know what I learned? What an ass one of the surgeons is. That’s it. After the weigh in, in which I gained a whole half-pound, we had the usual and repetitive lecture on how important it is we shrink our livers. I was feeling pretty good about my weight, actually. I’d had a full bladder and heavy winter clothing on, but the scale said only half a pound. I could live with that. I knew also I’d had a few too many macadamia nuts over the past few days and vowed to cut them out. Finally, the surgeon appeared. He was as handsome as rumor had claimed. I had a hard time understanding his accent, since he was from South Africa. The Afrikaners I’ve known can seem to mumble a bit to our American ears. I’d had an Afrikaner teacher back in real estate school and I’d adored him, so I was prepared to like the surgeon, Dr. Cywes. How wrong I was. After introducing himself and matching faces to files, he immediately turned to me and asked me if I felt my life was busy. I warily answered, “Yes.” Then, without warning, he launched into what I can only call an attack, using me as the proverbial bad example of a patient who wasn’t on board with the program, addicted to carbs, and out of control. I was shocked and humiliated. I protested that I’d only gained half a pound. He thrust his finger at another member of the group. “She lost ten pounds.” He then went on with his lecture, now pointing out how I was defending myself and in total denial of my actions. For the next hour, I swallowed tears and humiliation while he pontificated as if he knew me, accusing me of eating all sorts of carbs, ignoring the diet, and –the crowning touch—comparing me to a drug addict in need of a twelve-step program. I was never so grateful when he finally ended his speech and swept out of the room like he could barely stand to be around us a moment longer. Baby, the feeling was mutual. Worse, I found out one of the other women in the room had gained a pound and a half. I can only surmise that my file was on top and therefore most convenient. All I can say right now is that I will make a special request that the other doctor is my surgeon. I barely responded when another one of his staff came in and told me my paperwork was complete and the packet would be on its way to Tricare tomorrow. She informed the whole group that surgical dates are now being filled for January, so we can plan for late January or perhaps early February. Lovely. Somehow, we must all remain on the liver reduction, low-carb diet through the entire holiday season. Are they insane? Why don’t I just move to a nice deserted island until January 1?
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If it isn't Scottish, It's Crrr*p!

I'm off to another chance to show off today! I'm a member of Clan Forrester, and today is the local Scottish Festival and Games!   For the past few weeks, my roomie Dante and I have been working on my costume, since my old ones don't fit or don't match the local climate.   Here's a picture. Hope I made the image small enough.
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