Starwarsandcupcakes

In April 2019 mine was at 10.5. Because I work nights and burn easily it took almost 4 months of 50,000iu x2 weekly and 1,000iu daily to get it to 27. I now take 1,200iu daily along with an extra 1,000iu weekly to keep it between 25-30.

It was SO easy- from start to bake time it was maybe 15 minutes. My kids loved it and it sat pretty well for me for the slice I was able to eat. Usually bread and I don’t agree so I was surprised.

I found this recipe for spinach and feta rugelach online and I just happened to have everything to make them in my fridge sooo I made spinach and feta rugelach and I have to say, they’re super tasty but very rich. I think I’ll use some of that balsamic onion jam and some dill havarti I have to make another batch. …. I wonder if they freeze well. 🤔

Apparently they’re discontinuing the app after almost 20 years with the app/website and designing a new one called SparkAmerica that also lets you complete for prizes for stuff. I’m bummed about the change but excited to see what the new app will bring and how it will motivate people to stay on track.

This is the pizza dough recipe I used. I accidentally just mixed everything together and it was fine. It made to 9x13 sheet pans of dough instead of a 12” round, unless you want a Thick pizza dough but everyone said it was good. My brownie secret is a box of Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix that I follow the directions for. loaded chip brownies- add 1/3 cup of semi-sweet, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and butterscotch chips into batter Cheesecake brownies- mix 8oz softened cream cheese with 1 cup sugar (or sugar substitute, and an egg until fluffy and swirl into batter before baking. Add 5-10 minutes baking time.

One of my kids had a friend over so I was gonna order pizza buuuut, the pizza place wasn’t delivering because they were short on staff SO I did what I do and made pizza, crust and all. I also made brownies loaded with butterscotch, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate confetti chips mixed in. Boy were they sugary. I think next time I’ll just mix in a few chocolate chips and some pretzel pieces. 🤷‍♀️ Who knows, I haven’t made a plain brownie in years. Anyway, this was the first bite into 2 of the same size slices of pizza and boom, full.

Y’all remember that red onion balsamic jam I made a while ago? Well it’s been sitting cozy in the fridge and was SO tasty over leftover rotisserie chicken and Spanish rice. I’ll probably finish the rice in a bit as I haven’t hit my calories for the day. 😞 About 2oz chicken, 3Tbsp onion jam, and 1/2 cup total rice.

You can always try freezing some protein shakes partially and eating with a spoon. I’ve also blended one with ice so make it thicker to eat with a spoon. Hang in there. For me it got easier the longer I did was on it.

I’ve only been to a sit-down restaurant a few times in the past 18 months so I just order whatever I want. It’s a special treat so I don’t do it often. I then eat until restriction which depending on the item can be a few bites or a whole cup of soup or salad. I almost always bring home leftovers that may or may not get eaten. I still order from fast food places but I usually get a kids meal now with the fruit option instead of fries as they don’t sit well.

I haven’t ventured to making my own kimchi yet but it’s on the list. I have however made loads of pickles and fermented some zucchini noodles that are in my fridge.

On a first note- I call it stress baking because it brings me zen. Baking relieves so much stress for me and this week has just been the epitome of stress. Anyway here’s most of my meals I made for work. My onigiri didn’t come out right; I think I washed too much starch off the rice. 😞 Mirin soy salmon, kimchi, curried chicken salad, furikake rice, nori, roasted potatoes and carrots, garlic spinach, southern fried corn, chorizo tomato sauce, and braised tofu. Also, a bonus pumpkin coffee cake with maple glaze.

The recipe is fairly easy. I replaced the vanilla extract with maple extract and added an egg to the batter. I’m sure a granulated sugar substitute would be okay in this. Im currently supposed to be sleeping for work but all I can think about is pumpkin coffee cake and onigiri so I think im getting up and making some coffee cake and onigiri.

Y’all the stress is so real this week. Before WLS I’d have definitely just eaten everything I’d make in private and maybe have shared. Almost all the sweets I make now go to work or get split among kids. I’m not exactly happy with the apple cinnamon pinwheel cookies but my taste testers liked them so idk. 🤷‍♀️ The maple donut mini muffins smell amazing though! Meal prepped some more- made that southern fried corn I talked about last time, some chorizo tomato sauce and put over polenta cakes (some midwesterns call it corn mush cakes), and marinated skillet braised garlic ginger tofu- the sauce is SO good! If I’m feeling up to it I might make some pumpkin bread to take to work when I wake up.

So I do this fun thing and meal prep and bake when I’m stressed until I’m too tired to care anymore. Sooooooo…. Caesar salad, red onion balsamic jam, garlic spinach (it was a whole bag!), roasted carrots and potatoes, and vegan cheesy riced veggies. Im still stressed so I think I’m gonna make some maple donut mini muffins, southern fried corn (just caramelized onion, corn and sugar but I’m adding garlic powder and a smidge of cumin), some apple butter pinwheel cookies out of pie dough, and maybe some kind of biscotti and cookies. Thank goodness for coworkers with a sweet tooth!

Call your surgeon and ask would be the best bet. I was taking pills while in the hospital after both my VSG and RNY but I know others aren’t allowed. I think it’s very surgeon dependent.

Today we’re celebrating the last day of school and as such, I made waffles! Blueberry protein pancake mix (followed the waffle recipe on the side), topped with homemade vanilla maple whipped cream, maple syrup and sprinkles because why not?! Ate about 1 1/2 quarters of a whole waffle but don’t worry my pancake and waffle loving kid ate the rest.

Spaghetti squash with Italian sausage, onion and garlic tomato sauce and topped with fresh grated Parmesan. Not a kid complained! Bonus points for having enough squash (a whole half!!) to have it again tomorrow and even my pickiest eater agreed! My plate was 1/2 cup squash, 1/2 cup sauce and 2tbsp grated parm

I have sensitive skin and get a rash from them but I do use a vitamin d one on top of tablets to combat my chronic vitamin d deficiency. So far with it my levels have been good. Hopefully someone has more input for you.

I’ve used SparkPeople for years (even before WLS) and I still use it now post op in maintenance. I tried MyFitnessPal but didn’t like it. Im not sure how similar it is to other apps but it does also have a website version (same login info) that offers groups, personal mail, blog posts from members, along with tracking quality of life measures (sleep, stress, etc.), and inches as well as weight (can track in app). I can scan food barcodes, add items not listed, add meals from the SparkRescipes app, and add water intake and exercise as well as read articles, post updates and pictures of progress and adjust some settings. With the nutrition tab (to track food) I can even see a macro breakdown by meal if I click the 3 dots to the right side as well as at the bottom. The nutrition details for the day lets me see where I’m at with tracked vitamins and minerals as well as fiber and sodium. It’s a great way to see what I can do a little different to hit goals the next day. It’s not perfect by any means but I love the community support and ease of use so I’ve stuck with it.

I have this link saved on my favorites on my phone for when I want to update anything about my surgery.

When I started my 6 months pre-op with the nutritionist I went all in. 1200 calories a day with 60g protein minimum. For a while during pre-op I was drinking around a gallon of water on top of other liquids as well. I lost 20lbs the first month and a total of 60lbs including the 15lbs for the 2 week liquid diet right before surgery. I found it much easier to do a complete overhaul than gradually change things because I wouldn’t have stuck with gradual changes. I wrote everything down in a journal the office gave me and tracked with the SparkPeople app as well. I still use SparkPeople to track most days and I’m 9months post VSG to RNY revision.

I did go from sleeve to RNY. It did eliminate the gerd but I still take the protonix once a day when I wake up until I talk to the surgeon at my next appointment in July. I’m 9 months out from my revision to RNY have lost about 60lbs and I’ve been maintaining at 150-155 for almost 4 months now.

I should also add that as far as sustainability goes, the longer I did it the easier it got. Packing meals was a no brained, I was preoccupied with thoughts of food, and I wasn’t really ever hungry. Just find shakes that you can tolerate that follow your surgeon’s guidelines. Some of my favorites for ready to drink are- premier protein chocolate peanut butter (tastes like a Reese’s cup), equate brand high protein blueberry and caramel flavors, GNC Girl Scout cookie flavored lean shakes, and Atkins plus milk chocolate. As far as powders go- I prefer Syntrax nectars as they’re easiest I find to mix with water and come in loads of flavors like lemonade, apple, and grape.

My first go round (dec 2019) I went from 279 to 264 (15lbs). When I had my revision for gerd (aug 2020) I went from 220 to 212 (8lbs). Both were 2 weeks long. Edited to add- my plan was 3-4 protein shakes a day, all the celery and cucumbers I wanted and 1-2 cups of broth.

Because today I’m apparently eating like a hobbit, I present second breakfast! 2 eggs, a cup shredded fresh spinach, 1/4 cup onions, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup snow peas, 2tbsp roasted red peppers, 1tsp garlic, topped with 2tbsp cheddar cheese and black truffle salt. Total comes to 248 calories and 19g of protein for the whole thing. I’ll maybe eat the rest later.