I know a few of you have been sick over the winter, but how about a check-in? My DH has been out of work for a little over a month, so my time is terribly limited. I understand.

I’m down 50 pounds! Woo-hoo! There’s a total of 7cc in my band as of this past Monday (April 13). Anyone else?

Lena

I knew it was coming. I knew I hadn’t lost any weight, or not nearly enough to be pleasing to myself. Sure enough, I’d lost a mere 5 pounds in the past six weeks. Despite the reassurances of the nurse taking my weight that almost everyone had the same difficulties due to the weather being so cold, I knew I could do better. My appetite had been on the increase, and consequently, my caloric intake on my FitDay.com report showed a gradual increase.

So, I went in today for my visit, determined to have maybe a couple of cc’s just to nip that trend toward weight gain in the bud. Nope! Once these pounds come off, they are not going back on by golly! See ya! Buh-bye!

I’d only lost 5 pounds, but about 4.9 of those pounds was pure fat! Now, that’s a reason to celebrate. I might have lost more, but Dr. Baptista’s nifty machine said I had water weight issues. Yes, I did, mostly in a swollen left ankle from doing too much this past weekend. Told ya it was a nifty machine.

Finally, that incredibly handsome doctor with the soulful brown eyes and the talented hands (Get your minds out of the gutter! I’m talking about his surgical skills, thank you!) appeared. He seemed to agree that I needed a nudge toward the sweet spot. Thoughtful man that he is, he also remembered I’m needle phobic. He took the time to reassure me while swabbing my port area with alcohol.

It was somewhat painful, but more weird than uncomfortable. I hate needles. I am a certified needle phobic with a tendency to faint when shown a hypodermic, much less have one coming at me. Sure, it stung. I expected that. I didn’t expect the second stab of pain when he found the port. I think he used a butterfly or something. My tits were in the way, and I have the good sense not to look down in case I do see a needle. (wry grin) Whew! No matter what, I was glad that part was over. Yes, I’d do it again, if necessary. I knew that immediately. It wasn’t THAT bad.

He put some saline in. I was okay with it, and I could feel the change in pressure a bit. That was cool. Then doc had me drink some water and tell him when I felt “full” and when I felt the water go away. I never really felt full, and never really felt it go away. He said I needed more restriction. By the time I drank close to 16 oz of liquid, I had a whopping 4 cc’s in the band. Apparently, I needed more restriction than I’d guessed and that explained why I hadn’t lost. All my loss up to now had been low carb diet and habitual dieting, not a restriction. What a shame. I really thought I’d been close to my Sweet Spot. Oh, well. If millions of others can fiddle with their band until they find bliss, so can I.

Well, I’m on liquids for the next couple of days. Fine by me. I’ll pop by Wal-Mart and get some more meal replacement shakes. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I’m allowed solids again.

Sausage-and-Cheese Breakfast Cups (Phase 1)
Makes 6 servings
Description

These egg “muffins” make a hearty breakfast that can be eaten on the run. Make them ahead and warm them in the microwave for a fast and slimming breakfast treat.

Ingredients
4 ounces turkey sausage or crumbled turkey bacon
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
5 large eggs
1 can (12 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, pepper, and onion for 5 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the eggs and mushrooms. Evenly divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the egg is set.

Nutritional information
140 calories
9 total fat (3 g sat)
195 mg cholesterol
4 g carbohydrate
12 g protein
1 g fiber
400 mg sodium

Click here for more information about the South Beach Diet Cookbook. ]]> http://incredibleshrinkingauthors.com/2009/01/recipe-low-carb-breakfast-muffins/feed/ http://incredibleshrinkingauthors.com/2009/01/lenas-been-banded/ http://incredibleshrinkingauthors.com/2009/01/lenas-been-banded/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:10:35 +0000 Lena Austin http://incredibleshrinkingauthors.com/?p=268 Just so y’all know, I did get banded on January 2. Since my weigh-in on November 19, I have lost about thirty pounds. However, anyone who dares to tell me I took the easy way out may require the services of a dentist and maxofacial surgeon. This has not been at all “easy” by any stretch of the imagination.

I’m still learning what I’m allowed to eat and what my body refuses to tolerate. Despite my doctor giving me permission to eat meat, most meats do not pass the stoma, even when chopped fine in a mini-food processor. I spend a few minutes in pain then another few minutes yarking. (Yeah, TMI…I know.)

Already Dante and I must do something about my wardrobe. My comfy pants fall off, and I now have very few clothes that fit well. Either I walk around pulling up my pants like a clown or I can’t sit for long in pants that are a bit too tight. This too shall pass, but right now it’s a royal pain.

Hope you all are doing well.

Lena

Traditional Style Kale

2 lbs kale greens

¼ lb. Bacon

4 cups water

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons pepper vinegar

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Brown bacon in medium size pot. Remove bacon. Add remaining ingredients except kale. Bring water mixture to a boil. Add kale and simmer 30 minutes. Add the cooked bacon if desired.

Note: You may substitute ½ cup olive oil or four cubes of vegetable, chicken, or beef bouillon for the bacon.

Serving: 1/2 cup of Kale is only 55 calories and 11 carbs, but that’s because of the sugar in the recipe. Use Splenda instead and it goes down to a mere 4 carbs.

TURNIP FRIES

Anecdote: The other day I found a V-slice mandoline on sale at Target, so I snagged it specifically to make Turnip and Rutabaga Fries as well as slice my veggies. What a difference! Use a V-slicer and save yourself a lot of work.

Simply cut up the turnip (or rutabaga, for that matter) into “french fries.” While an oven at 400F works, I recommend frying them in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until just turning brown. Serve immediately and pass the salt and pepper to season to taste. The turnip fries turn sweet, but with an occasional peppery bite. 

4 oz Turnip Fries: 47 calories, 10 carbs

4 oz Rutabaga Fries: 41 calories, 9 carbs

I’ll be AFK for the next few days for my lap band surgery. See you guys on the flip side.

Lena

10lbs are gone foreva!

SW-219.2

CW-209.2

Booty shake!

Ce

Dante has promised me a trip to JoAnne’s Fabrics so I can pick out a few embroidery silks tomorrow. Winding them on the cardboard spools kept me busy all this evening instead of twitching and fretting.

Randy has already felt the sharp edge of my tongue. He deserved it, and he admits it, but I did shock him with my intolerance. That’s what I get for marrying the human equivalents of Tigger (Dante) and Eyore (Randy.)

Lena

Actually, Wednesday begins the three days of hell where I have morning shots of either Lovonox or Heparin as my substitute blood thinners. (gulp) For a needle phobic like me, this is enough to cause nightmares and insomnia all by itself. People, meaning to reassure me and not understanding they’re simply adding to my stress, tell me it’s subcutaneous injections in my belly and the needle is very tiny, even finer than what I might have if my weight had caused diabetes like the rest of the family. Thanks, guys. Now I have a very clear picture for my nightmares.

Strangely enough, I’m not scared of anything else. When I saw my favorite of the two surgeons on Monday the 22nd, he took extra time to reassure me and work out how we’d get around my well-documented “hard stick” problem.

Before we go on, let me explain the “hard stick.” Don’t bother stopping me if you’ve heard this before. It bears repeating. The record on getting an IV established remains at an all time high of 21, and last time OPMC managed to almost break that record at 17 sticks before they finally managed to get any vein at all. When I say I’m a hard stick, I mean I’m an impossible stick. Medical persons have a hard time grasping this concept until they’ve spent hours traumatizing me and they finally must humbly admit defeat to the quivering and mindless wreck that was me. (And they wonder why I’m violently and insanely needle phobic and have the nerve to tell me I need a shrink?) I no longer believe any medical person who confidently approaches with a look of determination, declaring they’re “the best with X number of years experience” at getting the job done. I’ve humbled “the best” at six different hospitals, honey. I’m not impressed.

Anyway, once I told the doc this, his big brown eyes got the size of saucers. I’ll give this one major points for at least acting like he cared, a distinct improvement over his partner. (See my blog, “Is Humiliation Part of the Treatment?” on my Fat Frog Diary for more details.)

Doc Baptista listened, thought carefully about my suggestions of drugging me to my eyeballs on Valium, pouring me onto the gurney, and establishing a PIC line. He offered an alternative. He calls a PIC line “lazy” medical care. (Uh…hey, it works, doesn’t it?) He wanted me conscious when I was wheeled into surgery. (Privately between you and I and the whole darn internet, it would be best if I could aid in the transfer of my heavy body onto the operating table rather than give several nurses and orderlies hernias. I can understand that.) No matter what, upon arrival I’ll receive that last subcutaneous injection of heparin. If I can tolerate that and remain conscious, they’ll wheel me into surgery without starting an IV immediately. Once I’m on the table, the anesthesiologist will give me nitrous oxide until I’m so happy I’m only semi-conscious at best, then they’ll establish a central line in my neck with a port so they can get blood for the lab rats who enjoy waking you up every few hours for blood tests.  Doc then explained that with a PIC line he’d have to have me admitted one day early on New Year’s Day so there’d be an experienced person to establish the PIC line, then I’d have to fidget overnight in a lonely hospital bed at the mercy of the lab rats until the next morning for surgery, and we’d be risking infection because of the PIC line. (He had me at lab rats, okay?) I agreed.

Doc also moved my surgery hour back on Position #2 instead of #1 on that day. That’ll allow me time to drive across town to the hospital, give the guys time to convince the fearfully shaking wreck that is normally Lena to get out of the car (wry grin), and give the staff time to prep me. If they come at me with an IV needle, doc had better be prepared for the screaming about betrayal. Yes, it’s happened before where a doc’s promises meant nothing. The trust most people feel for medical persons and the belief they actually care about the welfare of the individual patient was shattered long ago.

Right now I’m taking everything day by day. I made it through Christmas Day without the usual gorge on sweets, but I still ate way more than the 30g of carbs I’m allowed. At least in my mind, I broke my diet with meat and veggies, not pies and cakes. Maybe that counts for something. Doesn’t matter. The past is in the past and cannot be altered. I can only change today. I’m back on the diet and behaving. I’ve lost officially 11 pounds, and I hope to make it more by next Friday. 

Lena

SW - 219.2

CW - 211.8

GW - 150ish?

Ce

http://incredibleshrinkingauthors.com/crockpot.html

I debo’ed it from another site, so I’m not sure how much adding I’ll be doing, but this is still an awesome list!

Celia