Starwarsandcupcakes

Protein oats this morning! This particular protein powder mixes great with hot/almost boiling water so no worries of clumps. The almond milk listed is for my iced coffee.

The bolillo were purchased along with the kimchi and other ingredients but tossed everything together. I like math so breaking down food costs is fun for me. Like the cucumber- a whole English cucumber was $.98 but I only used 1/8 of it so for the amount I used in my bowl was $.12. The bolillos were $1.98 for 6 so $.33 each.

A weird quinoa bowl- quinoa, salad greens, kimchi, blueberries, cucumbers, and a whole wheat bolillo. Ended up eating less than half the bolillo of which a child claimed the rest of that and the bowl. Not sure of calories but the cost was $1.65US

As someone who’s had multiple hospital stays (not just bariatric)- phone charger, medical cards, socks, shoes, glasses if you need them, and comfortable clothes. If you need anything else they’ll likely be able to provide it even chapstick. The less you take the less they have to catalog and the less you’re likely to forget upon discharge.

Stopped into a local coffee shop after taking a kid to the eye doctor and OMG this cookies and cream scone. I ended up eating about a 1/4 of it along with a cafe mocha. The rest of the scone went into the fridge. Also, the bakery 2 doors down was just as amazing. I took 2 bites of the blackberry pie bar and divided the scones among kids. And the strawberry cheesecake cookie went straight to the eye glasses getting kiddo.

I usually drink a protein shake a day (usually as coffee creamer) even at almost 2yrs post revision.

Breakfast reminded me very much of dinner. Ate it all.

Growing up my favorite summer sandwich was always cucumber and tomato on wonder bread with Mayo salt and pepper. I’d also eat an entire can of cooked spinach with added salt uncooked as a snack. Now that I’m an adult, I eat these or more accurately, half of these. 😂 No leftovers for later as a kid claimed the rest. The spoon was meant for a yogurt that went pack in the fridge. I’ll adjust the calories later.

Doing better except for the complete breakdown during the end of church services where I choked my way through the final hymns. My dad was a big part of my religious upbringing and this was my first service after his passing so I knew it would be difficult.

Made more soup and it’s 80°F out. 😂 This one is frozen mixed veggies, frozen spinach, chicken breast and cauliflower rice.

My tomatoes are growing nicely already. I can’t wait until they’re ready for salads and sauce. Also, late lunch today after grocery shopping. I probably won’t get it again. It was weirdly chewy in the middle even after baking longer than I thought it needed. The Reese’s was just … meh.

😂 I made this soup when it was like 85°F outside. I will make and eat soup all year long!

Pictures from the last several days/week- Israeli couscous with cucumber, tomato, balsamic vinaigrette, tomato basil feta, and roasted chickpeas. Stuffed pepper soup sans rice mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers and tomatoes buffalo blue cheese omelette with scallions.

If you’re familiar to the food before and after thread then you’ll already know my father passed away April 17th. While it was unexpected in place and timing but he had been in declining health for some time so I suspected it was coming. My hope is that this thread will help someone else in the future with positive ways of coping that don’t involve food. Things that have worked (somewhat) have been- Taking a walk- this for me has been a moving forward Visiting their favorite places- my dad loved to fish so for me that has been anywhere you can drop a line. Hobby- either one of a loved one (my dad was a tinkerer so he did loads of things) or one of your own. This has helped me connect in ways that are deeper now than they were before. Talk therapy- while I’m personally not a crier being able to talk and share stories has helped tremendously with loss. If you have any helpful ideas, please let me (and others) know.

I was gonna say @ms.sss that I’ll be more than happy to eat ALL the carbs! As is the case with dinner- kabuli pilau and vegetable raita. For those that aren’t familiar- pilau is a kind of rice pilaf dish that varies by country across Southern Asia and the Middle East, kabuli pilau is one that comes from Kabul, Afghanistan and traditionally is made with lamb, carrots and raisins. Raita is a yogurt dip? Salad? that’s popular in many variations in India. I think if I make that particular pilau again I’ll double the spices and reduce the ghee used. No after picture, I ate it all.

Dinner tonight involved some freezer clean out. Italian roasted turnips (I think they’re turnips?), some Italian seasoning marinated chicken medallions (marinate chicken pieces in seasoning, put in freezer bag and roll into log before freezing, cut while still partially frozen before pan frying- makes for easy portion control), and creamy cucumber and carrot salad.

😂 The toast was absolutely delicious and I’ll eventually have it again. The nuggets however I eat on rare occasions because they’re weirdly greasy and apparently don’t photograph well. 🤣

This is going to be long so bear with me. First, let’s do the numbers. Your starting weight post clean out was 251. Your weight now on that same-ish scale is 215, that’s a 36lb loss. With ESG the average weight loss is about 10-20% of total body weight at a year meaning at 251lbs your average for 10-20% would be 25.1-50.2. Your actual weight loss is 36 for 14.34%. With ESG the total percentage of total body weight loss at 5 years from one study of 203 patients is only about 14.5% if follow up with providers is recurring most saw their biggest amount lost at 2 years post ESG. It seems that you’re on track for what that study suggests. I wouldn’t sweat it too much. Secondly, however I do want to offer some suggestions for food. Focusing on high volume, low calorie foods can offer bulk because you’ll have more to chew. For example- A 100g of cucumber is only 15 calories while 100g of cooked pasta is 160. If you miss pasta try tofu shirataki noodles- an entire 8oz package is about 20 calories depending on brand. These can sit a bit heavy though depending on the person. Salads full of leafy greens, fruits and vegetables with minimal dressing can help you feel full. They also provide crunch which I myself enjoy. Season your food!- bland food can be boring and unfulfilling and loads of “diet” food recipes lack flavor. Adding spices can help make things you’re eating more enjoyable and trick your brain into being satisfied quicker. Try roasted chickpeas- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed then tossed with garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and chili powder (if you tolerate spicy) with a tsp of olive oil then baked at 350°F for about 25 minutes makes a great topping for salads while providing protein and fiber, both of which help keep you full. Lastly, make sure you’re following your clinic’s guidelines for liquids before and after meals. Drinking too soon after eating can make you feel hungry sooner and sabotage your hard work. If you can’t bear the thought of giving up liquids with all your meals try soup! Broth based soups are a great way to get in fluids, vegetables, protein, and flavor.

My lunch today- calories are for the total slice of which I’m glad I cut in half because that’s what I ate but I’ll eat the other half later when I’m hungry. Sourdough toast topped with blue cheese, pear slices and walnuts with a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Also, my nephew is hanging out with me today so I was able to snap pictures of those simulate Dino nuggets.

I haven’t had them but I’m dying to try the one covered in potatoes with mozzarella cheese inside. I see them regularly on the Korean food groups I’m in.

I eat both pretty regularly. It varies by brand. However when it comes to nuggets the regular simulate brand are eerily close in taste and texture to McDonald’s. And as a bonus 5 simulate nuggets only have 1g more carbs, and 3g more protein for the same calories as 4 McDonald’s nuggets.

Thank you. Doing better but it’s still hard.

I finally got around to editing the pictures from yesterday here’s a picture of what I think is a heron as story tax. Also, my mom brought me flowers! Anyway, I still missing my dad terribly so for Mother’s Day dinner I made bibimbap with bulgogi, Lima beans (not traditional but I like them!), kimchi, sesame bell peppers, over sesame rice (cook rice in rice cooker, when done stir in 1-2 tbsp sesame oil depending on amount of rice and a heavy pinch of salt), topped with a fried egg. I had blueberries as fruit. 435 calories total. Obviously didn’t eat it all but will eventually snack on it later.

I usually don’t do leftovers from restaurants but I’m more than happy to eat leftovers from amazing recipes I find online…. Not so much for the meh ones.

Ordered pizza for the kids after having a Mother’s Day photo shoot with my mom and siblings and giving her the ring my dad ordered for her before he passed away. Still managed a whopping 400 (approximate) calories for what I ate. However, I’m more shocked at the nearly 1300 calories my 7yr old (he’s below weight for his height because he never stops moving!)