New England Bariatric Support

so shoot me, its been a slow time for me to write on the blog, sometimes just dont FEEL it you l know what I mean?
For now , lets see, I had my 2 year check up finally , and its good, along with having a for real sleep study, and yep ITS for real its GONE!!!
Everything else is doing good, my meds are fine , for the most part they are all cut way down and am on only the bare minimums . Only thing I wish is that the bloomin wather would break because I am soooo sick of the crappy weather and the gray.
At least in another 3 and a half weeks the Fabulous Mini Mich andI will both be going on vacation, for our 30th anniversary I have arranged to take her to the Med on a 2 week cruise So this should be a blast.

You know what we all enjoy a good meatloaf , our kids even are taking bet's on what we are going to make on Sunday for supper, Lol . For the last couple of weeks they all have been guessing meatloaf and we have been tricking them by makig anything but, so this week we DID!!



We normally have these little mini meatloaf's




Ingredients

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Serving Size 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 255
Calories from Fat 129
% Daily Value
Total Fat 14.4g 22 %
Saturated Fat 6.7g 34 %
Cholesterol 77mg 26 %
Sodium 656mg 26 %
Potassium 248mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 16.6g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2 %
Protein 15.1g 30 %
Sugars 12.5g


if you want to print it here 's a link mini meat loaf


And yep, everyone was bonker's They only left Mich and I two of them, of course that's enough for for 2 meals each

yep I know, haven't been updating lately but hey that's life . Right now its my busy season with heat and stuff .

So, right now the fabulous MiniMich and I have been fighting with a new problem, at least for her , she has become hypoglycemic. Now isn't that a kick in the pants?
I mean come on, we go almost 2 years with only minor glitches after the first run of junk and now this? Well , guess what ? It's becoming more and more of a problem as time goes on with people whom have had the WLS. Personally I believe its because the data base has become more widespread due to the fact of more surgeries having been done , ergo more will show up. For a long detailed versiona nd smoe pretty good info go check out Melting Mams's blog, she has had this problem for a while and it does suck ,I can agree with her on it, I have seen Mich almost pass out from the low blood sugar of ummm 45? Where its supposed to be around 95-100?
So no, it's not a lot of fun . Right now all the Dr's are scratching their heads and going , uhh , we really don't know about this , maybe we can send you to someone else. Maybe an endocrinologist is the next guess. Shrugs , kinda frustrating is all. Even the Nutritionist are giving conflicting info sometime, so this is basically going to be a wing it and see what keeps the BS at an acceptable level .
We do know Carb's are bad, bad , bad. They do cause a fast crash and then you need to drink juice and have a protein to fix it if you take in to many carbs at once, at least that's what we are finding with Mich.
We even have a glucose injector , so if she ever does pass out ,I get to finally get even and give her an injection !! Subcutaneous of course no going intramuscular. Hey !! Trust me, I know what I am doing , she stuck me for years so I think I can stick her back .

Happy New Year Every One !!!
Lets start it off with the reality, no we are not going to make bs New Year resolution , we all now we do NOT keep them anyway. That we are making a new life for ourselves and that is the reason we all decided to have the WLS . It doesn't matter wither it was R-n-y or lapband it was the descision to DO something with our LIFE.
That was the turning point , making the decision. Finding the courage to admit WE couldn't do this alone , and yes I admit I had to admit this too. That this was the final resort for myself too as I had tried every diet too and no worked as the spirit was willing but the willpower failed.
When you are truly ready for this , you will know, and you will truly work your arse off to make it happen, This is not " the easy fix, the simple way, the cheating method " . Anyone that tells you that is WRONG . This requires more dedication and work then any diet you will ever do, because this is going to be a total life changing experience One for the better .
That's the facts. No sugar coating, no BS, no well you can kinda maybe possibly . You will because you want to, and that is the real reason. You. It really is all about us.
Live long , eat right, enjoy life , see your grand kids grow up and play with them.

Peace

Marc

Yep you heard me right , Flair , food and YOU!!
the way to a man or woman's heart is through the stomach , and lets all admit it , we already know this
So what do we do about it with Gastric Bypass or LapBand? Why we do what we do every time pinky, We take over OUR world!!! We adapt and modify and make the food work for us and not the other way around. We just need to look at it and probably just tweak it a bit here or there {theworldaccording to eggface is a great example}
Mich and my philosophy on food has become something , maybe a bit unusual, we believe that due to the decision we have made we have become more food snobs then food gluttons. The concept in gluttony was to eat whatever it was , tasting good till we exploded err sorry we gained so much we look like we exploded especially me. Were as a food snob will EAT only what tastes good and enough of it to satisfy , rather then quantity , its become all about quality.
Thats were the flair part of it comes in, if you are going to spend the time cooking , make it GOOD not just in taste , but in visual style as well. Pleasing to the pallet, pleasing to the eye , makes your mind and pouch happy happy so you are happy!
Here's a good one to look at a tweak for , simple and easy to work with

Devil's Steak Sauce
By: Bernard Montgomerie
"A brilliant steak sauce that really brings out the flavor of any type of grilled steak. It's best with eye fillet or Scotch steaks. Raspberry jam is the wildly inventive twist that really makes this sauce unique




Original Recipe Yield 1 /2 cup

4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons raspberry jam
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
5 drops hot pepper sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a saucepan over high heat, blend raspberry jam, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, malt vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until

Serving Size 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 62
Calories from Fat < 1
% Daily Value
Total Fat 0g < 1 %
Saturated Fat 0g < 1 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 232mg 9 %
** Potassium 111mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrates 15.9g 5 %
Dietary Fiber 0.1g < 1 %
Protein 0.1g < 1 %
Sugars 14g

not bad but look at the sugar

here's a little tweak



* Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, 6.0 tsp (remove)
Jams and preserves, sugar-free, 2 tbsp (remove)
Lea & Perrins, Worcestershire Sauce, 6 tsp (remove)
Tomato Sauce, .1250 cup (remove)
* Balsamic Vinegar, 2 tbsp (remove)
Hot Pepper Sauce, .25 tsp (remove)

and the results

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving
Calories 53.2
Total Fat 0.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 143.4 mg
Potassium 30.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 13.0 g
Dietary Fiber 0.3 g
Sugars 10.3 g
Protein 0.3 g

Not a great change , the sugar dropped some, enough tobe worth it , you decide, to me it is and the calories, welllll those only drop about hmmm 7? shrugs it was about the sugar.

And yes the amounts might look weird, but they are the equal to quantity , they were done by a conversion by sparkpeople,com recipe calculator

BTW this got a 5 star rating HERE

Well its that time, the Holidays are here and that means its party time , sort of , kind of , maybe. For Mich and myself it means last night we throw a big party for all of our friends and family as a Thank You for the year.
It's all about the love. It's an open house party for everyone we know.And we try to make sure that everyone feels the love and gets enough to happy.
Of course that means a ton of food and drinks. So what do you do? Everyone want to drink WITH you , and they want to TOAST you!! Well , I just made sure I had a glass of water for the most part with ice in it for most of the evening ,even though I did try a couple sips of Absinthe and a couple sips of Honey Bourbon . IT was mostly water or sugar free kool aid for me in the drink department,
Mich did a fantastic job on making sure everyone has plenty of food to eat, from homemade cacoila to chicken wings and a good bunch of the left overs are going into the freezer today But as usual , because the party lasted almost 7 hours , i did tend to pick so today I will make damn sure I am careful and due almost protein only and water to compensate for what I over ate last night.
It is the way I have managed to work through the holidays, try like hell to maintain NOT grazing through all the good things and then maintain a super strict diet for the next couple of days AFTER even if I think I have done good during the party.

Merry Christmas Every One

Marc

weight loss and stress are a strange combination to talk about. Part of the reason I haven't been updating a lot lately is that I am running our business alone right now, my partner and her husband , whom is my service manager are away for a 3 week trip to Australia right now, during which is normally our busy time. But with it being so warm we figured not a big deal . And I was all for it .
Lets face it , 60 degrees is not good for a heating company , we aren't going to be that busy.It's slow enough I have my crews on slow hours , rather then laying anyone off they are each taking one day a week off.
Well during the first week my main server crashed .Yep, the one that runs my vertical company software, you know the proprietary one that you need to pay a fee every year to the software company to maintain. Yep THAT one!The one that does all my billing and bills receivable and payable . Hmmm? not a good thing. Well I finally managed to get it to boot and run but to fix it took me almost a week. It involved Hirem's boot cd {Thanks you Hirem !! This is a great piece of work if you need it!!} and portable usb hard drive and replacement hard drive. Oh and like 8 hrs of time over Thanksgiving to mirror the drive both ways.
And I wondered WHY? my weight had gone UP? Stress!! oh and Thanksgiving maybe but I believe more in the stress theory. It's a damn good thing I drink decaf coffee .
So , finally get that little thing fixed and low and behold this week, the workstation starts acting funky , okayyyyy now what?? It's drive seems to be running all the time and running slow as molasses , well lets hit it with spybot and the antivirus. WTF!! 88 Virus and Trojan ???? OK don't panic , clean , oh no, system files white list unable to clean. yep, the windows files themselves are infected. lets reboot and it goes into an endless reboot . #$%#$%^#$. As I slowly bang my head on the desk. Can we all say "FUBAR" Yep totally melted down. Lovely, just wonderful. This one has the quotes we write on it , and more vertical software. sigh, can't win.
Someone hide my garlic croutons and lock the door .
The workstation didn't have a backup of itself, so this little exercise in frustration has taken me 3 days to fix and I am still not happy with the way its running. At least it works ,I have recovered almost all the data , I need to get a couple programs back up but it's working again. The vertical software company is supposed to log in and fix the supported programs . Stress, nah this isn't stress , much .
Give me the damn croutons and no one gets hurt.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone !!

It's a crazy day for us, lol, we have 22 people over for thanksgiving along with them bringing there 2 dogs !! Relatives are staying with us from, Ohio and N.C. .Mich already cooked a 22 lb Turkey just so they can all have sandwiches later and we are going to be cooking 2 more 16 lb ones for lunch! More Later.

Yep its that time of year , not only is it cold but the dreaded leftover season starts this week. Along with having a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving ,we are in the process of redoing the upstairs bedrooms , fun fun, it never will be done.
Now back to reality, the season of leftovers , hmmm, pie, cookies , desert?
This is a tough time of year for everyone that is out of surgery for 1 -2 years, heck "I know that its becoming one for me in that my appetite is kinda back , and that the problem is its for carbs.So how do we work through it?Several things are available, go back to the basics, drink lots of water, we need that anyways, make sure we eat our proteins FIRST, then veggies , then the bloomin carbs.
Make sure NOT to skip meals, even if its a protein drink that you have, YOU need to eat something to make your body happy happy.Is it possible to not ever want to eat? nope not in my opinion in that food is the one thing we can never really get away from, like o2 we need it to survive so in that we are stuck with eating so we may as well make it good choices hadn't we? So lets look at it as a challenge that we can conquer because we are well on the way to doing it already.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken




By: Connie
"'If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed', ye shall make and enjoy this simple, tangy, delicious grilled chicken dish!"


Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon steak sauce
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. Preheat the grill for medium heat.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and steak sauce. Set aside a small amount of the honey mustard sauce for basting, and dip the chicken into the remaining sauce to coat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken over indirect heat for 18 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with the reserved sauce during the last 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning!

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 266 | Total Fat: 8.3g | Cholesterol: 70mg


And they do make a sugar free honey, that does taste like real honey. This recipe can be changed up use left
turkey

For all of you that have sleep apnea and are on the fence wither WLS can help you let me tell you this one, for years I have had severe sleep apnea , to the point I was on a cpap unit . Yep, even to the point of the upstairs neighbor at one of apartments called down in the middle of the night to tell Mich to roll me over I was snoring so loud it woke them up upstairs !! That's pretty bad snoring .
Mich and I had talked about this the other day , and Thursday was the day I had my follow up for the newest sleep study that I had done so it kind of all ties in.
First off, the odds are very good it will help with the apnea, based upon how much we way is what can force the breathing passages to be forced close and block off our o2 . According to MiniMich , I stopped snoring in the first 2-3 weeks after surgery, the funny part was the kids complained they couldn't sleep because of my NOT snoring !!
The results that came in are fantastic, NO MORE SLEEP APNEA, as in GONE and this is clinically documented now , so yep am doing the happy dance .
One reason we can all use this is , life insurance .The lack of sleep apnea can be a good reason for your insurance company to reevaluate your entire policy, combined with the weight loss this will have a very positive impact on your premiums, I was a guinea pig for my own agent and they dropped me into almost the lowest bracket you can get for someone my age,pretty damn good .There is no reason you can't ask them to redo the policy for the weight loss alone . They will probably recheck , redo the policy and amazingly enough , mine has told us they will review in this again at the 2 year mark a to make sure not falling into bad habits again,
So yep,I do believe that the WLs is the real reason for losing the weight and keeping it of, despite the always watching what you eat, {supposed to being do right thing)
The insurance company actually cut my insurance in half , so there ya are , from 1600 a year to 725 , not so bad a deal huh?

Peace
MinMarc

This one ties in well with my other rant the other day about watching what you eat during the holidays, Obeisityhelp.com is a great site for all kinds of information




The holiday season is fast approaching, bringing parties and possibly pounds. The abundance of cakes, cookies, pies, candies and casseroles can sabotage even the strongest of wills. In fact, the average holiday weight gain can range from 5-10 pounds. The excess of calories can start as early as Halloween and continue all the way through New Year’s Day. However, there are ways to avoid those extra holiday pounds. Here are 10 tips to help you have a healthy holiday season: WD153

1) Eat what you want. Yes, you heard it right! Give yourself permission to eat your favorite foods but in appropriate amounts. Deprivation can breed overindulgence, so don’t deny yourself. However, it is important to practice self-control. Try to eat half the portion you would normally eat, and eat it slowly, savoring every bite and every taste. Chew slowly and try to figure out what ingredients are contributing to that wonderful taste.

2) Plan ahead. Keeping the above idea in mind, budget for the calories in your favorite foods. Know what foods will be served and treat yourself to your favorites but be aware of the calorie content of those foods. Decide on what calorie content you can budget for that meal and fill the rest of the plate with free foods. Free foods are foods low in calories and high in nutrition like broccoli, carrot sticks, celery and other items on the veggie tray. Fruits, though not as low in calories as veggies, are also a good choice due to their high nutrition content. Try dipping veggies in salsa, since this is almost a free food, or choose other dips but in small amounts.

3) Stay in tune with your emotions. During this busy and sometimes stressful time be sure to stay in tune with your emotions. It can be easy to turn to food when emotions, good or bad, run high. Take a few seconds, before you eat, to “check in” with your emotions and your motivation. Think about whether you are eating for hunger, comfort or celebration. If you are eating out of emotion think of another activity to do that you enjoy.

4) Exercise. It can be easy to fit in exercise during this busy holiday season if you are creative. Try extra trips around the mall or walking to the shops or grocery store. Get the family involved by planning a family walk, softball game or touch football game. Planning fun activities helps the whole family understand that fitness can be fun and creates lasting memories.

5) Initiate healthy holiday makeovers. Choose white meat rather than dark, avoid gravy or try to just use turkey juices, use fresh cranberries for cranberries sauce, season veggies with herbs and/or margarine spray, and choose vinaigrette dressing instead of creamy dressings. Try seasonings like rosemary, olive oil and sea-salt to season sweet potatoes, instead of the candied versions. Look for lower calorie versions of your favorite recipe (see the tasty lower cal recipes at the end of the article)

6) Give healthy holiday gifts. Giving the gift of nutrition helps you realize how bountiful healthy food is and helps others embrace good nutrition during the holidays. Some healthy holiday gifts include holiday fruit baskets, apothecary jars, winter herb trays, and seasoned vinegars in fancy glass bottles.

7) Think before you drink. Alcohol serves up a double whammy since it stimulates the appetite and is calorie laden and nutrient poor. Feel free to imbibe but just go forth with knowledge, keeping in mind the following: regular beer typically has 150 calories, while light usually has around 100 calories. Martinis have 250 calories, 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (vodka, gin, rum, scotch or whiskey) have 100 calories. Wine has 100-120 calories in 4 ounces while 4 ounces of wine coolers have 215 calories. Mixed drinks like margaritas and pina coladas can have more than 500 calories per six ounces.

Don’t arrive hungry. Try to have a small, low cal snack before leaving the house. Tote around water with you at the party to help fill your stomach. Offer to help the host or hostess to avoid snacking right away.

9) Use your time wisely. Time can be short during this busy season so take steps to save time whenever you can so that you can have time to exercise and prepare healthy meals. Some time saving ideas are shopping online instead of braving the long lines at the mall or sending e-cards instead of mailing holiday cards.

10) Share your leftovers. Bring in leftover pies, cakes, casseroles or other calorie rich foods to work to share the wealth. Why should you be the only one eating all those calories?
And remember, no one is perfect. If you have a high cal transgression once or twice it won’t cause very much damage (it takes 3500 excess calories to gain a pound). Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go for a nice long walk!

This is a good article I found on www.obesityhelp.com , It pretty much sums up the entire water issue


Hydration and Fluid Options after Bariatric Surgery

Water is an essential nutrient in the diet. The general goal of fluid intake is 64 ounces or eight eight ounce cups per day, though needs vary based on climate, activity level, gender, and body weight. Further, regarding daily fluid intake based on gender, The Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommends at least nine cups water for women and 12 cups for men. WD154

Maintaining adequate hydration may prove challenging after bariatrics weight loss surgery due to limited capacity of fluids in the new small stomach pouch. Also, post-surgery patients must space meals and fluids and are advised to drink fluids up to 30 minutes before and after eating. Water is emphasized as the primary source of fluid intake after weight loss surgery. Yet, consumers have a surplus of commercially prepared water products from which to choose that include bottled waters, (artificially) flavored waters, and enhanced waters that can contain herbal ingredients [Table 1]. As patients find ways to meet their daily fluid goal, it is important that patients are educated and aware of proposed benefits and possible side effects that select ingredients in enhanced water products have on the human body [Table 2].

Enhanced waters containing vitamins and minerals marketed for health may be of some or no benefit depending on the timing of intake and amount in the product. Further, excessive intake resulting in oversupplementation actually can be unhealthy. These products may contain other ingredients with potential adverse side effects. Water-soluble vitamins B and C are found in most enhanced waters and are touted to improve immune function. Fat-soluble vitamins A and E added to water require the presence of fat for absorption. If a post-surgery patient is not eating and drinking at the same time, there is little absorption of these fat soluble micronutrients; thus, the benefit is negligible. Plus overtime, excess supplemental vitamin A intake over the Tolerable Upper Level (dosage greater than 10,000 IU per day) is associated with reduced bone mineral density and increased risk for hip fracture . Minerals in enhanced waters include calcium and chromium (picolinate). In these products, chromium is marketed for positive insulin action on blood glucose. Further research is warranted for the benefit and support of chromium picolinate as a supplement across the population. In general, vitamins and minerals need to be in correct balance for best utilization in the body for absorption.

Some enhanced or flavored waters contain excess calories and sugar and should be avoided to prevent weight gain and possibly ‘dumping syndrome’, gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, cramping, diarrhea, fast heart rate, associated with intake of added sugar fluids or foods and specific to post-Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. Waters containing carbohydrates are necessary with endurance exercise. A carbohydrate product with 4% to 8% carbohydrate solution is recommended for exercise greater than one hour. Carbohydrate concentrations greater than 8% reduce the efficacy of fluids emptying from the stomach and absorbing in the intestine. After RYGB surgery, the best fluid options for rehydration of carbohydrates with endurance exercise include carbohydrate fluids with no more than 10 grams of sugar per servings to help prevent ‘dumping syndrome’. For example, a post-surgery RYGB patient may dilute regular Gatorade® with water or consume G2® (product) that contains fewer carbohydrates per serving. Since volume of fluids able to be consumed at one time is limited after weight loss surgery, drinking approximately one cup of fluid over one hour is recommended. Depending on the duration of exercise, rehydration during and after exercise is important. Carrying a sports bottle or water bottle throughout the day is recommended after surgery as a reminder to constantly take sips of fluids in order to meet daily fluid goals.

Nearly all body processes depend on water for proper functioning and to prevent dehydration. After bariatrics weight loss surgery, water and sugar-free/diet beverages are acceptable. Fluids containing carbonation, caffeine, and alcohol should be avoided. Carbonated beverages can cause discomfort due to the small stomach pouch. Caffeine interferes with calcium absorption which is at risk for deficiency after weight loss surgery; caffeine also is a mild diuretic. Alcohol intake should be limited after weight loss surgery, especially since alcohol absorption after RYGB is significantly increased partially due to the intestinal restructuring. Caution is advised for consumption of fluids containing stimulants or any other ingredients with possible adverse side effects, including fluids that are ‘energy’ drinks. Awareness of fluid needs and making a conscious effort to drink water and other recommended fluids is essential to maintaining good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle after weight loss surgery.

Table 2


Jennifer Naples, MS, RD, LD, CDE is a Senior Dietitian at The Methodist Hospital (TMH), Texas Medical Center, and Bariatric Specialist at TMH Weight Management Center, Houston, Texas. Jennifer is an Associate member of ASMBS.

Time to break out some cold weather goodness and seasonal good eats.






Caramel Apple Pork Chops

Prep Time:
20 Min
Cook Time:
25 Min
Ready In:
45 Min

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
3. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
4. Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.

Serving Size 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 262
Calories from Fat 145
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16.1g 25 %
Saturated Fat 6g 30 %
Cholesterol 48mg 16 %
Sodium 28mg 1 %
Potassium 319mg 9 %
Total Carbohydrates 17.1g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 2.2g 9 %
Protein 13.8g 28 %
Sugars 14g


French Onion Soup With Browned Garlic

Prep Time:
15 Min
Cook Time:
55 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr 10 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

1 cup dry sherry
4 onions, thinly sliced
9 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
6 slices French bread, toasted

Directions

1. In a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat, cook sherry until bubbling. Add the onions, and reduce heat to medium. Cook onions slowly, stirring frequently, for at least 20 minutes, until they begin to form a paste.
2. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until garlic begins to look brown.
3. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with pepper and salt. Ladle soup into bowls, and float a slice of toasted bread on top of each serving.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 161 | Total Fat: 1.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg
Nutritional Information
French Onion Soup With Browned Garlic

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 161

Total Fat: 1.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 701mg
Total Carbs: 30.4g
Dietary Fiber: 2.9g
Protein: 4g


Portuguese Pork with Red Peppers


Prep Time:
35 Min
Cook Time:
25 Min
Ready In:
3 Hrs


Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch medallions
2 red bell peppers, julienned
1 cup white wine
2 lemons

Directions

1. With a large mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, coarse salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and peppercorns into a fine paste. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. With a mallet, flatten the pork medallions to 1/4 inch thick. Place in the bowl with the garlic mixture, tossing to coat. Cover, and marinate 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in the pork and remaining garlic mixture. Quickly brown pork about 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat, and set aside.
4. Place red peppers into the skillet, and saute 2 to 5 minutes, until tender but firm. Pour white wine into the skillet, and scrape up the browned bits. Reduce heat to low, return pork to skillet, and continue cooking 10 to 15 minutes, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).
5. Slice 1 1/2 lemons into thin rounds. Transfer the pork and pepper mixture to a serving platter. Squeeze juice of remaining 1/2 lemon over the pork and peppers, and garnish with the lemon rounds.


Servings Per Recipe: 8

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 211

Total Fat: 7.6g
Cholesterol: 74mg
Sodium: 416mg
Total Carbs: 6.7g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1g
Protein: 24.3g


Peace

Marc

So it's that time of year again, the party season, the big bird day, super bowl , yada yada yada .I don't know how many of you have a hard time during these but I admit I do!
It's way to easy to graze through that dinner party or that benefit dinner , sigh btdt still screw up . Especially if its a late one , the need to just DO something can get to me and ITS easy to fall back into those old BAD habits and get a snack or some pretzels while you are waiting around .
So , now that we know a problem ,how do we FIX the problem? Back to the basics .That's were I am today, getting out the food journal and writing writing writing EVERYTHING !! After 20 months , yep am writing my stuff down again like a newbie .Why? you ask? Because it WORKS to get you back on track , to make you think of what am I actually eating today?
The couple of nuts you eat while waiting for supper to be ready, lets see. 1/4 cup of pecans 200 calories ?????? OMG that's a meal!! For a 1/4 cup???What the heck was I thinking!!! It's easy to overlook what we eat , a bite here , a nibble there , it's not a lot , but it adds up fast.
Hmm basics, can't get any more basic . WATER, need it , have to have it , got to do it. What can I say? Decaff counts as water , right? Ummm sorry , yes and no. It's water because its Decaff but........ what about the cream that's added? I might be a decaff latte light but ......it's still got calories

Iced Latte Lite Small

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 16 fl oz
Servings 1
Calories 80
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value, Calories: 2,000
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 110mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugar 10g
Protein 7g

Check it out 80 calories and 10 GRAMS of SUGAR
Make it a large that's 160 and 20!!!

versus

Coffee with Skim Milk and Splenda Small

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 10 fl oz
Servings 1
Calories 25
Calories from Fat 0
% Daily Value, Calories: 2,000
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 25mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugar 2g
Protein 2g
and just to really show how much we can not count

Iced Pumpkin Latte Small

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 16 fl oz
Servings 1
Calories 220
Calories from Fat 50
% Daily Value, Calories: 2,000
Total Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg 8%
Sodium 150mg 6%
Total Carbohydrates 34g 11%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugar 34g
Protein 8g


and there is a problem , transfer addiction. It's only coffee!! sigh but it was GOOD , and that was one of my big problems .Coffee and not counting it , some days I had 2 coffee so THAT was an entire meal . The solution for me, back to the basics, no coffee until AFTER at LEAST 35 oz of water and AFTER all caught up with vitamins and calcium . So that tends to slow down the coffee problem.

The other problem cold weather and slowing down. NO exercise!! SO , get of the butt and find something to do , I finally put my universal weight set back together , now its time to USE it.

Yep its happened !! The dreaded thing has hit the house , my daughter came home Fri and went straight to her primary and was put on antibiotics again, She has a 103 fever , coughing and nausea not a good sign since they say the symptom is a fever between 102 and 104.
This out to be interesting finding out how it works with the WLS , considering that she hasn't felt like eating for a few days and hardly is drinking I can imagine what this will do to us. We feel horrible because we really can't do much for her right now other then trying to keep her comfortable and push the fluids on her as much as we can.