Tandoori Chicken
For the most part I prefer to stick to a vegetarian diet, but my husband grilled some protein rich tandoori chicken. Corn is full of carbs (and it’s not a part of Indian cuisine) but once in a while I splurge.
Cucumber and Lemon Cream – Protein Shake
Today was a hot dry day in the New Mexico desert and I was craving both the scent and hydration of cucumbers. It was protein time… I recently saw a recipe for a cucumber and mint protein shake, but I didn’t have the ingredients. I don’t have any kitchen talent, but I came up with a shake that was fast and easy to make, and so refreshing in the desert heat. I rarely actually want more after I finish drinking a shake, but today was an exception.
Recipe
- 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
- 1 cup of soy milk (you may prefer 1% or skim milk)
- 1/3 to 1/2 of a peeled cucumber
- 2 tbs of Jell-O brand lemon sugar-free pudding mix
- Ice (adjust amount to your own preference
Add soy milk and cucumber to the blender and pulse until you have your preferred consistency. Blend in protein powder and pudding mix and pulse it. The final step is to add the desired amount of ice and blend.
I found that in the kitchen, nothing is written in stone. You can always experiment with ingredient amounts and blend times. Next time I may add some yogurt for texture, but today I was just looking for a thirst quencher. Luckily, I could not taste the protein powder at all.
Mocha Gone Nuts
I thought I was just heading to the kitchen for a cup of iced coffee, but decided to experiment with the protein powder again. It was going to just be a frozen mocha, but I threw some almonds, cashews, and a lot of ice in.
It surprised me to find that even with the coffee flavoring, the result resembled chocolate-almond ice cream, which was one of my favorite comfort foods before my weight loss surgery. If I had only known about this substitution years ago, I could have prevented quite a few pounds from bonding with my body.
Recipe
1 cup soy milk (or skim milk if you prefer)
2 tbs plain yogurt
1 scoop of protein powder
*1/2 – 1 tsp of instant coffee (adjust the amount to personal taste)
2 tbs of sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix (I used Jell-O brand)
1/4 cup of almonds
1/4 cup of cashews
Ice (vary the amount according to desired thickness.) I started with a little and gradually added more.
*You may want to heat about 1/8 cup of water to better dissolve the instant coffee.
It’s best to put the liquid into the blender first. If you put the protein powder in first, it will get stuck to the inside of the blender. Add protein powder, instant coffee, and pudding mix, then give a couple of quick pulses. Next add the ice and grind until the shake is a smooth consistency and gradually add more until it’s as thick as you want it. Add the nuts and pulse a time of two until they are ground to your liking.
Add your favorite garnish and serve.
Mango Lassi – The High Protein Way
I hated protein shakes… really hated them. After losing enormous amounts of muscle mass, I knew it was time to get creative. I was very inspired by The World According to Eggface blog. I learned from her that there is life for a foodie after bariatric surgery.
I love all Indian cuisine and today I woke up craving a Mango Lassi, but I knew I had to get a massive amount of protein down. So I set my protein powder out and improvised. These drinks are usually made from plain yogurt, but the yogurt alone doesn’t have enough protein and if mixed with the protein powder, it’s extremely thick.
Recipe
1 cup of soy milk
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (25 grams of protein)
1 tbsp of mango puree
1/3 cup of frozen mango
Cardamom powder to taste (start with just a sprinkle )
Splenda to taste
- The soy milk goes into the blender first.
- Add the protein powder and mango puree, then give it a couple of quick pulses.
- Add the frozen mango and ice, pulsing until well blended.
- Add Splenda and Cardamom to taste.
- Add your favorite garnish and serve.
It’s important not to blend it for longer than necessary because it will get too foamy and will make you feel full before you are able to get the entire drink down, which is not good if you have to meet protein requirements.
I’d like to add that I got my husband to taste it and he actually liked it. He said that he couldn’t taste the protein powder, which is exactly what I was aiming for.
Gastric Bypass – Year and a half after
There have been family members entering and exiting life, so it’s been a long while since I posted. My gastric bypass surgery was almost a year and a half ago. While I’ve lost half my body weight, I still have a bit more to lose and a lot of toning to do.
These are my before and after pictures:
2010 at 293 pounds – A few weeks before my gastric bypass surgery in 12/2010
May 2012 at 135 pounds – A year and a half after my gastric bypass surgery.
6 Months Post-op Appointment
Today’s appointment with my bariatric surgeon should have been scheduled in January. Procrastination rules my world but considering that I was about 5 months late, everything was perfect.
Other than my triglycerides being a bit high and some hair shedding due to protein intake being too low, all is great. I’ve lost about 73 pounds in 6 months and while I haven’t been working out up to this point, I now actually feel well enough to get up and do that. Now all I need to set more goals, then follow through.
I’m grateful to the bloggers that have taken this journey before me. I have found so many unexpectedly delicious recipes and inspiration.
‘Riced’ Cauliflower
My family members are major fans of Mediterranean, Chinese, and Indian cuisine. The problem is that almost every recipe includes rice or bread, which is not exactly wls friendly. Fortunately I found an absolutely amazing solution on the web… cauliflower.
For ‘rice’, I throw the desired amount of raw cauliflower into the food processor, pulse a couple of times until it’s a rice-like consistency, salt to taste, then microwave in a covered dish for about 4-5 minutes. It’s a matter of personal preference, but I like just a splash of sesame oil which can be found in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. My husband is the cook in the family and in the beginning he just cooked it for me, but now he eats it and has totally replaced the rice with it.
The ‘riced’ cauliflower can also be used to make pizza crust and breadsticks. The links to the site I got the ideas from are below. I modify it each time, and usually add Parmesan, sauteed onions, garlic, and onions to the original pizza crust recipe. I’ve never been a very decent cook, but hunger and food limits can really drive the imagination!
The only problem I’ve found with the pizza crust and breadsticks is that they will stick like glue if the pan isn’t well oiled. Olive oil or cooking spray is best.
More information and photos here.
3.5 months out
I’m having trouble getting into blog mode but I’ll start writing short weight loss progress reports, as well as some great recipes I’ve discovered along the way.
Before my surgery I got so much comfort out of talking to those people who had already been through wls. I want to pay it forward, so if you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email or comment here.
Progress: As of today, I’ve lost 57 pounds.
DVT and Dehydration
I was on Coumadin therapy for a few years because I have a history of DVT’s. I discontinued the meds a few days before the insertion of the IVC filter and after the RNY, I wasn’t able to tolerate taking any kind of pills.
On December 27th, 19 days post-op, I went to the Emergency Room because I was certain I had a DVT and I had very low urinary output. I was right about the DVT, which turned out to be massive and the ER doctor said my one kidney was threatening to shut down.
I was in the hospital for about 3 days and pumped full of IV fluids. It completely stopped my weight loss for about a week, so that in itself was disappointing and I worried about whether or not I would get back on track.
The hospital wouldn’t release me without the approval of my Bariatric surgeon. He and his assistant did drop by for a courtesy visit, but he seemed baffled and said, “If you gotten into a motorcycle accident, would they have called on me?” I just asked him to please talk to them and thankfully, the hospital released a couple of hours later.
Something positive comes out of everything. I learned that sipping doesn’t mean bird sized sips. Most importantly, I gained a huge respect for the IVC filter because without it I may not have survived this incident.
