Starwarsandcupcakes

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!)

I went from a sleeve to an RNY if that’s what you mean.

I had a revision at 8 months after sleeve for a hiatal hernia of almost my entire gastric sleeve causing gerd which was so bad I had hiccups from the time I woke up until I went to bed. Life is so much better after revision. I rarely get reflux now and no more hiccups.

My mom wanted to go to lunch today as a family so we went to my dad’s favorite Chinese buffet. They make these amazing garlic green beans so that’s mostly what I ate. I didn’t even touch the rice I got. After, I spent a few hours gardening and picked my first strawberries of the year! So good! This was dinner tonight. Plate and calories (148 total) adjusted- And my plate after the poachers got to it!

Food for my work day- Salad with romaine, cucumber, tomato, a hard boiled egg, chicken breast and Italian dressing 2 protein shakes for coffee peanut butter protein cookies oatmeal made with peanut butter protein powder vegetable stew made with fairytale and Thai eggplant, garbanzo beans, fire roasted tomatoes, celery, red onion, garlic, and carrots Mini bell peppers with whipped cream cheese and everything bagel seasoning black seedless grapes, 6 ritz crackers (not pictured) and 1/2 a garlic cheese French bread pizza.

Tonight’s kid friendly dinner- tomato rice (it’s basically lazy risotto- washed rice in the rice cooker with water to your first knuckle, a couple spoons of minced garlic, a pint cherry tomatoes, a couple heavy pinches of salt. When cooked stir in shredded Parmesan and either 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream and more water if needed) and Caesar salad. I basically just pushed around the tomato rice after eating a few bites.

Thank you all so much for the condolences. He was the kind of man you always remembered meeting. He never knew someone as a stranger and even while sick would remind us that “any day above ground is a good day.” I now see the irony in him opting for cremation instead of burial- to keep making every day a good day.

I’m too… all the things to cook so Chinese takeaway it is. It was pretty greasy this time but at least there were vegetables.

In case anyone is actually wondering what happened to those blueberry lemon cheesecake tarts I made for my trip to make final arrangements for my dad. Ah, the “perks” of traveling with a child with ADHD. I’ll have to remake them because siblings were looking forward to them and no one got any. Anyway, food choice have been poor lately but one day at a time. I promise to eat a vegetable today.

Today we’re road tripping to NY to pick up my dad’s belongings. Will be on the road a few days so I packed kid, adult, and grandma snacks. Lemon Blueberry cheesecake tarts, spinach ricotta rugelach, chocolate chip cookies, fruit salad, lemon poppyseed muffins, 6lbs of strawberries (because we won’t be home to use them), 3 clams of raspberries, Chex mix, chocolate covered granola bars, clementines, tuna packets, a skyr (for breakfast) 2 Greek yogurt bars, 8 protein shakes, individual salads, turkey, chicken breast, eggs, croutons, applesauce and yogurt pouches, and homemade pickles, zucchini chips and beef jerky. Kids also managed to sneak Reese’s pieces, Reese’s cups, gummy worms, airheads and Cadbury eggs into their luggage. 🤦‍♀️ I’ll eat again when we stop but today I’ve managed a protein shake, a rugelach a strip of jerky and about half the bag of zucchini chips (so about 2 zucchini!) Thank you all for the condolences, they’re much appreciated.

Yesterday was a crap day for food. I drank a 100 calories protein shake mixed in coffee while having a Reese’s cup for breakfast. Then I tasted stuff as the day went on with baking. Followed that up with the news of my father’s death, so I wasn’t hungry. Even with tracking everything including this honey lavender cheesecake… still didn’t break 1000 calories. Today will be rough but hopefully I can just get through.