Bariatric Foodie

Nik's #WLSFA2013 Recap: Part One

2013-05-22T14:05:00.001-07:00

(This is part one of two. Check back later this week for part two!)

I just returned from the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation “Mother of All Meet & Greets”, held at Bally’s Las Vegas from May 17 - 19. And now I wanna tell you ALL about it!

Firstly, a big shout out to Quest Nutrition (makers of our beloved Quest bars, available for ordering using the link to your right) for sponsoring my travel! It’s important to thank companies when they do this for bloggers so that they will keep doing it! So if you get a chance hit them up on Facebook or Twitter and say thanks! I think having an actual post-op there talking about Quest bars was a great thing.

So…here’s my official, no-holds-barred recap of my experience at the event.

I arrived in the wee hours of Friday morning and immediately hit the sheets, thinking (erroneously) that it would curb jet lag from the time difference. The next morning I got up and had breakfast with a bunch of friends!

Later I went and registered for the event and made my star for the “walk of fame” that would be displayed at the gala on Saturday night.

After that I had some free time (there was a fundraiser lunch with Carnie Wilson that afternoon but I had no funds so I had to skip it!) so I headed to the pool for some fun in the sun. Here’s me in my bathing suit! (Don’t be scared!)

Side note about bathing suits: don’t be afraid to buy one! They kinda shrink with you. My clothing size generally ranges from 10 to 14 (depending on the store) and this bathing suit is a size…20? I think? Yes. So all that is to say buy a bathing suit. It can last a while. (/end PSA)

Later that night there was an event called Evening in Paris. I figured I should dress Parisian but I am generally a thrift store shopper so I went for haute couture more so than Parisian and this is what I came up with!

Me with Julianne, a gorgeous member of the #FoodieNation!

Folks wore all kinds of stuff but I think our friend Shelly (aka Eggface) exemplifies the most popular representation of Parisian dress.

Isn’t she a cutie???

On the overall the night was very inspiring. WLSFA showed a video about some recipients of their weight loss surgery grants (that is the mission of the organization, to make grants for people who otherwise could not get surgery). And the date/location for next year’s Meet & Greet was announced. It will be in April and will be part land based in Tampa, FL and part cruise.

While I enjoyed the night in Paris event, I was a bit thrown by the food. It was held at dinner time which, to me, means we get dinner but not so much. There was cheese and crackers, fruit and veggies. Which was nice. But your girl Nik has the Wonder Pouch. So afterward a bunch of us went out for food and I discovered a new food love (which, oddly, I did not photograph…I think my phone was dead): the egg burger! I had several over the course of the weekend. The first was a turkey burger with cheese, turkey bacon and a fried egg on top. Oh. My. YUM!!!! I put eggs on everything else. Why had I not thought of this before???

Anyway, back to business.

On Saturday I worked the exhibition hall telling folks about Quest Bars! That was so much fun. There were lots of other exhibitors there as well supporting the event, including some we know very well like Big Train, Click, Building Blocks Vitamins, Celebrate Vitamins, PB2 (I met the owner!), BJ’s Bariatrics, Slimpressions and more!

I am here to tell you they gave away a LOT of free swag. I’m trying to figure out how to judiciously give away some of what I got between my blog, Twitter and Facebook Foodies. Stay tuned on that one!

Mid-day there was a lunch. I blogged the lunch on Facebook so many of you already know my thoughts about it. I will say my thoughts have gotten decidedly more judicious since the actual lunch. I think I was hungry and grumpy when I wrote the things I wrote.

But here’s what I will say. While none of these are universally true, there are a few things you can safely assume are true of MOST post-op WLSers:

They MAY be intolerant to things like carbohydrates or sugars and may have a reaction
They DEFINITELY have been instructed to eat a diet where a majority of their calories come from protein.
They are PRONE to having self-control issues around things like desserts and bread.

Which is why it baffled me to be greeted at the table by this:

Before we’d even eaten. Yes, I know we all make our own food decisions but for me, a food addict (and I know not all WLSers are but many are) I’d liken it to setting a bottle of whiskey down at a table full of alcoholics. Why is that a good idea???

From there the lunch quality is debatable. We were served this:

A vegetarian chili with pretty good stats (they gave them to us but I forgot). But we got MAYBE a quarter cup of it (at most it was 1/3 cup, no lie).

And we had this nice little salad (which I made look a lot more abundant than it actually was by using a flattering camera angle).

All of which led me to believe that finally, FINALLY someone got the concept of not front-loading the meal so that a post-op is full at the entrée. But then…

There was no entrée. That was it.

I don’t mean to harp on this but this sort of made me angry. Not only because I was hungry, although for a newer post-op the size of the portions was probably great BUT because we were greeted by THREE trays of simple carbs and only a scant amount of protein. What sort of message does THAT send?

Anyhoo…the speaker at lunch was Dr. Garth Davis (of TLC’s former show “Big Medicine”). As soon as he began speaking I knew what his subject matter would be. I’ve heard him make this particular speech before.

Over the past few years, Dr. Garth has been advocating for a more plant-based food approach for post-ops. I don’t remember the nitty gritty of his presentation but he cites the fact that in countries with low obesity rates, they eat things we revile (rice, bread, etc.) but don’t see the same levels of obesity. Much of his talk is about good eating sense. Eat cleaner foods. Eat as close to the source as possible. Balance out your protein with complex carbohydrates. Initially I was vehemently opposed to what he was saying (I was taught the same thing as you guys about protein!) until I realized he wasn’t so much advocating against protein, but against MEAT.

I’m still not sure what I think of Dr. Garth’s hypothesis but I will say that clean eating is on my resolutions list.

So I'm going to stop there for now. But in my next post I'll tell you about the "Let Your Star Shine" gala (wherein Nikki made Carnie Wilson cry), the closing breakfast and other highlights!

Look for it!

BF Cook-Along, Week One Round-up: Quinoa Recipes!

2013-05-13T14:29:00.002-07:00

So in addition to my Asian-style Cold Quinoa salad, many of you submitted your own recipes for the inaugural week of the "BF Cook-along!" This is a round-up of the first week's recipes, all of which used quinoa. Some folks have not gotten back to me with full recipes so I just put what information they gave me. I'll add the recipes in as I get them! If you have any questions leave them in the comments!

Now we're in week TWO! And the cook-along ingredient is Eggplant! There are a few different ways you can submit a photo & recipe (and both must be present to make it into the week two round-up):

Post the picture of WHAT YOU MADE (not someone else's recipe...you do actually have to have cooked it at some point) on BF's Facebook Page along with the recipe (or the link to the recipe if you got it off the internet). Please include any modifications you made to the recipe!
You can also Tweet a photo and mention @BariatricFoodie but be sure to either include a shortened link to the recipe OR email the recipe to me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com.
You can simply email a recipe/pic to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com.

Simple, right?

Now onto the quinoa recipes! ("Um...what's quinoa?")

Deb’s Quinoa Tabbouleh

1 c. quinoa
2 c. water or vegetable broth
1 large or two medium tomatoes, chopped small
1 cucumber, chopped (optional)
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Preparation:

In a medium pot, cover quinoa in water or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer, cover, and allow to cook about 15 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, garlic, fresh mint and fresh parsley. Add cooked quinoa, olive oil, lemon juice and salt, tossing gently to combine well. Season with salt, to taste.

Chill for at least one hour before serving, preferably overnight, to allow flavors to mingle.

Brandy’s Quinoa & Black Beans - FULL RECIPE FORTHCOMING!

Brandy used this recipe from Epicurious as her starting point, but here's what she had to say about how she made it hers!

"So this is basically quinoa, black beans, scallions, cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice and lime zest...salt & pepper, too. I can link the recipe if anyone is interested. The original recipe called for 1 tsp of sugar - I left it out and didn't miss it! I served this last night with Caribbean Pork Chops."

Selby’s Quinoa & Millet Porridge - FULL RECIPE FORTHCOMING!

quinoa and millet cooked in almond and coconut milk with nutmeg and cinnamon . Bananas and strawberries . I used brown sugar for sweetness but you can use agave, or your favorite sugar substitute.

Shannon’s Smoked Quinoa Wraps --Makes 12 ¼ Cup wraps
1 c. Quinoa
2 c. Chicken stock (could use any stock or water)
½ c. Onion finely chopped
½ c. total of Red, Green, Orange, and Yellow Peppers or ½ cup of your choice pepper finely chopped
Green peppers will get bitter when cooked so do a combination of one other and green if you choose.
2 cloves Garlic crushed and finely chopped
¾ c. roasted and chopped Walnuts
1 Tbl Salt
½ Tbl Pepper
½ Tbl Cumin
½ Tbl Paprika
4 Tbl Egg Beaters

Measure and rinse quinoa set aside. In a sauce pan bring chicken stock to boiling and add quinoa. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Roast walnuts at 400 for about 3-4 minutes, watch closely. Chop and mix all veggies in a bowl, add cooked quinoa still hot to veggies. Mix well. Add chopped walnuts, garlic, and seasoning to bowl. Let cool.
Soak corn husks in hot water for at least 15 minutes.
When mixture is cool add eggs and mix well. Portion out ¼ cup onto flattened husks, and roll as you would a tamale.

Prepare grill for indirect cooking. Coal fire, 2 piles of coal on either side of grill leaving the middle open, with a gas grill use side burners only not center. Bring grill to 275-300, add Wood chips to smoker drawer for gas grilling, or soak chips in water and add to charcoal. Place wraps between hot zones in the cool area of your grill (between the burners/coal). Leave on grill for about an hour and a half. Remove, allow to cool slightly, unwrap, and eat directly from the husk.

Using the grill with a smoker allows for the egg and veggies to cook as well as imparting the smoke flavor to the mix. Truth be told, I could have skipped adding the egg, sautéed the veggies and added that to the quinoa and ate as is….adding a drop of liquid smoke (my husband is anti liquid smoke) to give it that flavor…but these would be delicious as a side with some shredded pork I think. I am not completely satisfied with this recipe as is, and will probably do some more playing around (thinking of adding cheese and maybe more egg to get it to stay together). But I am delighted with the flavor of this dish.

Barbara’s Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I actually saw this recipe on Pinterest and just had to try it!! I did change a few things. I'm not a huge fan of ground turkey so I used ground pork. This time around I used a red, orange and yellow pepper just for the added color. The sweet from the peppers is great for cutting the spice a bit I absolutely DISPISE cilantro, so I didn't use it either. OH, and I added in 1 cup of cooked Quinoa (YUMM-O!!!) Other than that everything was left the same. This is the picture of the ones I made today (3rd time making them because they are just that good!!!)

Original recipe can be found at: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/09/santa-fe-turkey-stuffed-peppers.html

BF Cook-along: Cold Asian-Style Quinoa Salad

2013-05-11T15:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, first my apologies to my Foodies who only access the blog and not my Facebook or Twitter pages. Let me get you up to speed.

I decided to do a cook-long and it works like this. Folks give input on an ingredient they'd like to see everyone get challenged to use in a recipe over the course of the week. I pick an ingredient from those suggested (using a random generator) and we all make something with that ingredient, snap a photo and post it. The idea is...to get new ideas!

So for this inaugural week the ingredient was quinoa. If you've never heard of it, read this and we'll wait for you to come back.

All up to speed now? Lovely.

So tomorrow I'll announce next week's ingredient AND I'll post pictures (and recipes where I have them) of other Foodies' quinoa submissions. Look for it!

My recipe was in pursuit of an alternative to pasta or potato salad at the forthcoming Memorial Day barbecues. I love cold salads but I just can't do noodles. So here's what I came up with. The amount yields enough to pass at a function so if you're making it just for you OR you're not sure if others will like it, I highly suggest halving it.

Nik's Cold Asian-Style Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 c. quinoa (if you have some cooked quinoa lying around, great! If not, there's guidance below)
2 c. water (if you have to cook your quinoa)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, diced
2 c. cooked and shelled edamame (soy beans - I usually just got
a bag of frozen edamame and let it thaw!)
1 small can tiny shrimp (see picture below OR if you don't like shrimp a cup of diced cooked chicken meat works fine too)
1 small can Mandarin orange slices, drained of their liquids and rinsed
1/2 c. Light Asian Sesame or Sesame Ginger salad dressing
1/2 c. almond slivers

Directions:

If you need to cook your quinoa, the only thing I did differently from my general quinoa cooking directions is that I first dry toasted it, which really just means I put a dry pan (free of nonstick cooking spray or oil) on a medium flame and let it get hot, then added the dry quinoa and stirred until it started to brown. It just deepens the flavor a little bit.

While the quinoa is cooking, dice up your peppers and onion and put them in a big bowl along with the edamame, cover and refrigerate. Once the quinoa is done refrigerate until cooled. DO NOT ADD HOT QUINOA TO YOUR VEGGIES!

When everything is nice and cool, combine quinoa with veggies, mandarin oranges and shrimp and mix thoroughly.

Add the dressing and mix again. Cover it again and let it sit in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

When you are ready to serve this, heat a dry skillet over medium heat until hot and add the almond slivers. Toast them until they are fragrant and slightly brown.

Add toasted almonds to the cold salad mixture, toss and serve!

I like this salad! It's crunchy (both from the almonds and the edamame), a little salty and a little sweet. I think it could stand up against any other barbecue side dish!

Free Shipping on Big Train orders for Bariatric Foodie readers!

2013-05-08T10:24:00.001-07:00

Big Train, makers of Fit Frappe protein mixes, love the Foodie Nation SO much.

("How much do they love us, Nik?")

They love us so much they want to give us FREE shipping on all orders over $40! That means free shipping on:

Fit Frappe (read my reviews of their Mocha, Espresso, Vanilla Latte, Vanilla, Chocolate and Spiced Chai flavors!)
Low-carb Baking Mixes (review forthcoming)
Anything on their website!

So visit Big Train and use the discount code BariatricFoodie at checkout to receive your discount today!

Happy Frapping!

Nik's Kitchen Sink Cabbage Stew

2013-05-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

So…I had this head of cabbage. And it was about to go bad. And I could have made my regular “Comforting Cabbage & Sausage Stew.” But alas I didn't have all the ingredients. But you know what we say around these parts: "Play with your food!"

I didn’t change it up much but my goal was three-fold:

Get tomatoes in there in a way that La Grande Diva would not veto (per her eating rules tomatoes are only allowed in cases of salsa and tomato soup, which is ONLY to be eaten with grilled cheese sandwiches).
Use up any random veggies I had in the fridge
Make it spicy! (True fact: if you add the adjective "spicy" to any dish my children will at least try it)

So I made this nifty little variation. Mine has a kick to it. Yours doesn’t. I’ll give my recipe but you can really sub most of what’s in here. Except, of course, for the cabbage! I call it "kitchen sink" cabbage stew because you can put everything but the kitchen sink in it and it'd still be good!

Nik’s “Kitchen Sink” Cabbage Stew

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
1 pkg. turkey smoked sausage, sliced into rounds of desired thickness
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head of cabbage, roughly chopped
1 small can low-sodium and/or low-sugar tomato soup
2 c. water
½ bag of baby spinach, rinsed
½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. Herbs de Provence
½ tsp. cayenne pepper (omit if you don’t want it to be spicy!)
10 oz. cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
Optional (but I used): ½ can of sweet corn

Directions:

Spray a pot with non-stick cooking spray and let it get hot over a high flame (like seriously…let it sit there a good 2-3 minutes). Once hot, drop the heat to medium.

Add onions to the pot and sautee until they are slightly softened (about 2 minutes). Add sausage and brown it. Finally, add garlic to the mixture and stirl.

Add cabbage, followed by soup and water. Allow the cabbage to cook down a bit before adding spinach, corn (if using) and desired spices.

Allow all this to cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, stirring often.

Add beans and stir through. Drop the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

The wonderful thing about this soup is that throwing the beans in there and letting them cook a while thickens the broth of the soup. So I guess technically it’s a “stoop” (this is the ONLY Rachel Ray term I’ve ever fully embraced).

The girls LOVED it. It was sweet and salty and savory all at the same time. To me it wasn’t overly spicy but your mileage may vary.

My eldest daughter (the picky one) described it like this: “It’s sort of like pork and beans except there’s vegetables instead of pork.”

Well…there ya go.

And just for fun. I usually take a gamillion pics of dishes at different angles and choose one final "money shot" (bad pun, I know!) for the blog picture. I thought I'd show you my outtakes for this dish. There weren't that many!

I liked this picture but it didn't strike me as special in any way.

Not that anybody notices this stuff but me (cuz you all have lives!) but lately my final pics have been of two varieties: the direct overhead shot (as in the picture way up top) or with part of the plate or bowl off camera with some sort of background or side element. In this instance I thought the food was a bit dark in this pic (I was at my desk at work!) and the spoon and napkin just wasn't that interesting on top of my putty colored desk.

I am by no means a pro food photographer but I'm working on learning to take better pictures! Lord knows if I ever do a food cookbook (having just finished the shake book that might be a minute!) I am here to tell you it'd need to be DIY all the way, so better to learn the skill of taking the pictures now, eh?

Nikki's Clicky Mousse

2013-04-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hey! Remember me? I post food sometimes!

Foodies, indulge me a personal reflection moment. I am of the school of thought that self-care is very important and that there are aspects of your feelings and motivations that you should listen to and heed. So when you see that I haven't been posting for a while that usually means I've burned myself out. I live a pretty full life between being a single mom to the divas, my day job, this blog and the million and two things I sign up for. So every once in a while I just stop. And it's good for me because it allows me to be enthusiastic about the time when I go!

Anyway, back to the grind.

This is one of those recipes I THOUGHT I already had on the blog, came on to double check an ingredient and found that it was not!

You don't know how much I wanted to call this "Clicky pudding" (so I could sing about it to the tune of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas") but honestly the texture is of a mousse. Specifically, if you've ever had Jell-O Mousse Temptations. THAT texture. Lookit:

And here's my recipe!

Nikki's Clicky Mousse
(Makes approximately 6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 box sugar-free, fat-free chocolate pudding mix
2-3 scoops Click Espresso Protein, Mocha flavor (the more you put in, the more "mousse-y" it is). You can use regular Mocha or Mocha Decaf, doesn't matter.
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (just makes for a deeper chocolate taste)
2 additional packets of no-calorie sweetener (balances out the bitter that is created by the extra cocoa + the espresso)
2 c. milk (I use skim)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pudding mix, Click, cocoa powder and sweetener until well blended.

Add milk. Now, you can either whisk it (although this is going to get difficult after a point because the protein in the click "tightens" the mixture up a good bit) OR you can do what I do and go at it on medium speed with a hand mixer. Much smoother final product!

For fun you can add other things you like: Sugar-free syrups (hazelnut goes especially well in this one). As you can see I top mine with lowfat whipped cream. Usually I put a dusting of Fiber One crumbs (yes, I love the stuff that much!). Right now I am absolutely in love with eating desserts out of stemless wine glasses.

The protein in the Click increases the volume of the pudding, which is why I say it makes about 6 servings, but it really depends on your appetite. It could be more, could be less.

Either way it's yummy so enjoy!!!

The 5 Most Dangerous Things Weight Loss Surgery Post-Ops Tell Themselves...

2013-04-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

So one of the benefits of being your friendly neighborhood blogger is that I speak to a LOT of you on a day-to-day basis. And I do actually listen to what you are telling me. I’m that blogger who, when you email me, I WILL email you back!

I thought I’d start tapping out some general thoughts about my interactions with post-ops in hopes that those broad observations might help you.

Today’s topic: the thin line between a healthy thought and justification.

I titled this “The 5 Most Dangerous Things Weight Loss Surgery Post-Ops Tell Themselves.” And some of these will be controversial because some of these statements are perfectly healthy statements — if, and ONLY if, you use them in a healthy way. I’ve seen each of these used in a healthy way but I’ve also seen them used in an unhealthy way enough to warrant this post.

So that is to say feel free to debate these in the comments. I’m also that blogger who isn’t afraid to a) defend her point or b) admit she is DEAD wrong!

Without further ado…

#1 – All Things in Moderation

“What??? Nik, c’mon, this is a healthy attitude!”

It is. But sometimes it isn’t. I spoke to one post-op a few years back whose idea of “all things in moderation” was eating a bowl of ice cream every day. BEFORE eating her protein or veggies. And this person was afraid they would eventually gain weight from this behavior (so they emailed me to shoot down that fear with a “no, no…it’ll all be fine” statement), but was equally insistent that they were unwilling to “give up” anything in the name of weight loss surgery. This is NOT what they’d signed up for and they wouldn’t do it. Nope. Nuh-uh!

I’ve heard this many times. Here’s my official opinion: I don’t think you should have to completely give up anything either! BUT (you knew there was a but), many of us don’t come to this process automatically knowing what moderation means and, further, what it means to us. For me, there are foods that just cannot be moderated (peanut butter). If they are around (peanut butter), I’m going to go bonkers (peanut butter). So I know that with (peanut butter) those foods I must be a bit more vigilant. It’s not an all things in moderation as much as an “all things in consideration.”

#2 – How bad would it be if I ate/drank _______?

Yeah, if you’re asking that question, you already KNOW you probably shouldn’t do it. And it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with the stats on the food. It has to do with YOU.

Again, if a food is one you can’t control, admit it. You may never act on that admission but at least you’ve taken the first step toward a healthier attitude.

#3 – “I’ll never eat X/Y/Z again!”

Yes you will. Eventually. And I’m not trying to mock you. But chances are you will. And by saying the above, you’re actually setting up a pass/fail mentality that makes you feel like you did wrong by eating X/Y/Z.

Now I know I flagged the moderation thing in #1 but if you are living a life of moderation you have to accept that sometimes a cookie/potato chip/cupcake will happen. (Stop shaking your heads so hard, newbies, you’re gonna get whiplash!)

I’m not condemning or condoning unhealthy food choices, but very, very, VERY few post-ops are 100% compliant 100% of the time. So what do you do?

If you ate a cookie/potato chip/cupcake, don’t freak out! Move on. I know some post-ops who actually PLAN indulgences. They lower their carbs/fat/whatever for the rest of the day and enjoy a reasonable portion of what they want guilt-free! How about that!

Bottom line: Unless you have a crystal ball and titanium will power, you might want to say that you’re not planning to eat X/Y/Z in the near future. That scenario saves you just a bit of self-bashing if you happen to succumb to a craving.

#4 – “Just one more bite…”

Beware the Ides of March, Foodies! Those are famous last words. That bite took three seconds to take and three HOURS to come back up, didn’t it???

Most of us can tell when our last bite should be our last bite. I’ve spoken to enough post-ops who get the hiccups, or a runny nose, or burp or SOMETHING to know that most of us have cues. You just need to know yours. And if you don’t know yours you need to consider eating a little bit more slowly so that you can give your body time to react. Sometimes it takes the fullness signals a minute to get to where they need to be.

But here’s the REAL destructive power in that statement in my little opinion. For some of us (not all of us) but for some of us, that last bite will drive us friggin’ NUTS if we don’t get rid of it somehow. We gotta destroy it or throw it away or pour salt over it or just make it disappear. We could blame our mothers for this but it’s truly our issue. So that “just one more bite” becomes the justification to just get it out of our face. I experience this a lot. This is why I am grateful for my dog.

#5 – “I don’t count [calories/carbs/protein]. I just eat well.”

Yeaaaaah. I like this one. Because from my perspective a lot of us start out eating good stuff. But then we add stuff to the stuff (we’re playing with our food, after all!) and so in our heads it’s all still above board. It’s all still healthy? I just added some peanut butter. Peanut butter has protein, right???

I stress the importance of knowing what you eat because the human brain is a master manipulator. There is a reason humans run the world and not elephants! We can convince ourselves of nearly anything. But data doesn’t lie.

So if you are a die-hard “I hate tracking my food” kind of person, consider doing a sample week every few weeks. If you never tracked at all, you should start, ESPECIALLY if you are stalled or have regained. You can’t know what to fix unless you know…what to fix.

And there you have it. My five most dangerous things we post-ops tell ourselves. Again, not all of these are completely unhealthy statements. And only YOU know if you say these things to yourself from a place of good or bad decision making.

But I’m putting it out there. Because it needs to be discussed. So discuss it!

#PWYF: Dana's Super-Chilled Protein Caribbean Cooler Colada

2013-04-16T14:02:00.001-07:00

#PWYF = Play With Your Food and is also how I'm going to start to denote the awesome recipes YOU send me!

This one is from Dana. He's been reading BF for a LONG time and I value his perspective on post-op life. After letting me know he's ok (he lives in the Boston area, ya see) he sent along this picture and protein drink recipe.

I'm sure Dana won't mind that I dedicate this post to the people of Boston. I am a praying person so, you are in my prayers! If you are not a praying person, I ask that you send positive thoughts for safety, healing and justice. Thanks, Foodies!

Dana's Super-Chilled Protein Caribbean Cooler Colada

1 scoop Syntrax Nectar Caribbean Cooler protein
1/2 frozen, sliced banana
8 ice cubes
4-5 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 packet no-calorie sweetener
Optional: fat-free whipped cream, sugar-free caramel sauce

Directions:

Dana mixed his up in his Vitamix using the Bariatric Foodie "Super Chill Method of Making a Protein Frosty." The method works on nearly any blender.

Enjoy!

The 5-Day Pouch Test, The Cottage Cheese Test (and other destructive things we do to ourselves...)

2013-04-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

What is up with me writing manifestos lately?

This one is CLOSE to my heart. I’d like to address the 5-Day Pouch Test, the so-called “Cottage Cheese” test and, really, any other type of thing we do when we are afraid we can eat too much.

I’ve avoided these subjects in the past because I thought by talking about them, I’d perpetuate them in some way. But the reality is that the silence is just as dangerous. I won’t name names but I’ve had more than a few post-ops email me who have done or plan to do one of the above because they gained a few pounds.

And while it’s good that they remain concerned and vigilant about maintaining a healthy weight, the thing that concerns me is that their first inclination was NOT to look at what they were eating (or track it), NOT to look at their workouts (and see if an adjustment is in order) and NOT to consult with their bariatric professional (in fact most people I speak with view that as a LAST resort instead of a first). So here we are. I’m going to be 100% raw and honest about why I hate, hate, HATE these two so-called methods of “getting back on track.”

The 5-Day Pouch Test

What is it: A five day eating regiment that begins with an eating plan very similar to when you were fresh out of surgery. As the five days progress, more foods are introduced (mainly protein heavy foods).

What does it claim to do: The website (which I will NEVER link on BF so you’ll have to Google it) doesn’t make many solid promises, but instead seems to feed off of people’s fears about their surgery and regain. I have heard, anecdotally from people who have done this, that they feel it does the following:

“Resets” the pouch
“Cures” carb cravings
Gets you back on track

Who developed it: The 5-Day Pouch Test (5DPT) was developed by a company called “Living After Weight Loss Surgery” which is owned by Kaye Bailey, a RNY gastric bypass patient. That I have seen, Ms. Bailey does not have a degree in nutritional science nor is she a licensed medical professional. In fact, a disclaimer at the bottom of HER website reads, “The health content in the LivingAfterWLS Neighborhood is inteneded to inform, not prescribe, and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice and care of a qualified health-care professional.”

Why doesn’t Nik like it: We don’t have enough room in this blog post to go over all the reasons so I’ll keep it to a few:

It deals with regain/overeating in terms of FOOD not your MENTALITY TOWARD FOOD: this is important. You know that phrase “it’s not what you’re eating, it’s what’s eating you”? It’s cheesy but true. Our bodies are designed to be ok with a moderate amount of food. Unfortunately our minds often require more food for things that have nothing to do with the body’s caloric needs. This “test” doesn’t even attempt to guide you through WHY you are overeating. I don’t even see a suggestion that you should participate in such a process of discernment.
It does not recognize the fact that over time, most pouches mature. This is also important. You are SUPPOSED to be able to eat more at a year out than you did at a week out. And most of us know that. What we don’t tend to know is how much more is too much? And that’s not a determination we can easily make ourselves (it is my contention that if most of us knew how to do that we might not be WLS patients to begin with).
In and of itself the 5DPT doesn’t give you much guidance on what to do on day 6. Granted, there is a resource you can BUY (from the author of the test who, again, is not a medical professional) about what to do afterward. But in reality you’re going to have to face food and its place in your life eventually. This method doesn’t give much guidance on that, which is why, from my experience, folks who do it tend to do it again and again and again…

So what do you suggest instead, Nik? I know going to your surgeon to report you’re struggling is akin to getting called to the principal’s office. I think this is because we figure that they already “fixed” us once. What kind of failures are we if we have to keep going back for readjustments?

I am here to tell you that is stinkin’ thinkin’! Your bariatric team wants you to succeed. They want you to succeed not only because they care about you as a person (I hope) but also because, on a more practical level, YOUR success affects THEIR bottom line. If all their patients regained, who would want to have surgery from them? So they have a vested interest (either in reputation, finances or humanitarian interest) to help you if you are struggling. You may not LIKE the way they support you but sometimes medicine don’t taste good, you know what I mean?

So that is to say, there are three strong recommendations I am making here:

If at all possible, belong to a WLS support group. This helps you identify abnormalities (“Hey why come I can eat a whole pizza and Joe can only eat the toppings?) at the earliest stages. Then be honest with yourself about what warrants medical/psychological attention. And yes, you do know the difference between a simple freak-out and when you need help. You really do. Sometimes support group just confirms it for you!
If you feel you can eat too much, go see your surgeon. There could be a myriad of reasons for this. Your stoma could have stretched. Something about the anatomy of your surgery could have failed. There could be nerve damage. Heck, it might not even be behavioral (which means it might not be “your fault” so to say). But if you remember nothing else I say, remember this the ONLY way to find out if anything is stretched is by seeking medical attention. There is no way to determine this “at home.”)
If you feel you are eating the wrong things, go see your nutritionist. There are things they can do to help. Sometimes cravings are a side effect of medicines. Sometimes they are indicative of deficiencies (one of the wonders of the human body is its ability to pair nutrients we need with stuff we like to eat). Or it could be that you're eating junk for convenience or depression or a myriad of other reasons. It's helpful to have someone to work with you and sort it all out

And make sure YOU are working your plan. Are you eating enough protein? Calories? Do you know how many you’re supposed to eat? Are you exercising? Has there been some stressful event in your life? All these things can relate back to how we look at food. This “pouch test” should NOT be your first line of defense!

The Cottage Cheese Test

What is it?: a method of ATTEMPTING to gauge the size of the pouch by the amount of cottage cheese one can eat. (No, I am not kidding)

What does it claim to do?: I am guessing it is supposed to tell you if your pouch is too big (I had to stop myself from hitting the “delete” button seven times).

Who developed it?: After extensive research I gotta say, “I got no idea!” It’s sort of just around. I have no idea who started this thinking. This, in and of itself, should make it suspect!

What do you suggest instead, Nik? The same things I suggested in response to the 5-Day Pouch Test.

But I will say in closing that obesity is a lifelong battle and it is not JUST physical. What we eat is important, but so is what we think, how we feel and how we treat ourselves. Any method of doing anything that tries to bypass one realm of your being (physical, emotional, mental), to me, is suspect.

It’s also suspect if you don’t know WHO developed a certain method. This, to me, is indicative of our collective low self-esteem. C’mon people! You did EXTENSIVE research to find your surgical practice (well if you aren’t me you did, anyway). Why are we so willing to follow a plan developed by some invisible face without knowing whether THEY know the first thing about nutrition?

In the end this journey is about coming to love and accept yourself in such a way that you can handle the ups and downs of life without using food to manipulate how you think and feel. Both the above methods use food as a primary resource to manipulate how you think and feel. THINK ABOUT IT. Think about the long-term. Think about 10, 20, 30 years from now. Do you still want to be doing this? Or do you want to be living an awesome life? The awesome life takes work. It’s hard work. It’s uncomfortable work. Sometimes you’ll feel like a failure. Sometimes you’ll have to scruff yourself off, get up and try again. Sometimes you’ll have to humble yourself and admit you’re not perfect.

But guess what? You’re human. And you’re in control. Don’t give that control away. That’s not how bariatric surgery was designed to work. That’s not how healthy people think. And that’s DEFINITELY not the way of a Bariatric Foodie.

So…anyone wondering my stance on this. There it is in plain view. Agree, disagree, write off this blog, whatever. I will NEVER support shortcuts. We do the hard work and we keep it moving!

Now, as for resources online I would suggest:

ObesityHelp.com - it's a FREE website where thousands and thousands of post-ops share their experiences.
Blogs that take a balanced approach to post-op education and living, like:

Melting Mama (love her or hate her, she tells the truth!)
Journey to a Healthier Me (I spoke to Pam Tremble, the author of this blog, and she's going to put up some good resources related to getting back on track tomorrow!)
The World According to Eggface (She has like 7 years post-op or something and not a mention of doing a pouch test. She eats well, moves often...)
Um...Bariatric Foodie!

And here are a few resources on Bariatric Foodie that might help you:

The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Surviving a Meltdown: This is just a few strategies on what to DO (not what to eat/not eat) in the midst of a meltdown. I wrote this because I am a food addict and have had to open a can of "whoop ass" on myself a few times.
The Bariatric Foodie "Back on Track" Toolkit (and before I get reamed out, yes there is a small fee for this download. It goes toward paying for the email service I use for the Bariatric Foodie Monthly email newsletter. BUT to my credit, I acknowledge I am not a nutritionist and IMPLORE YOU to go see one in this helpful toolkit!)
Bariatric Foodie's Facebook Page: Where we discuss the issues that affect our lives every day, all year round
The aforementioned Bariatric Foodie monthly newsletter, which is written by Foodies (who are not all me) and FOR Foodies! We go into vitamin compliance, product reviews, coping with regain, just everything! Use the form right above this post to sign up for this FREE email newsletter!

BF Inspiration: Dinner for Breakfast?

2013-04-15T06:23:00.002-07:00

You know sometimes it seems like Facebook is the center of the world. I certainly post a LOT of things there on the Bariatric Foodie page, including daily discussion topics, quickie product reviews and, occasionally, really good ideas that I should also post here on the blog!

So I resolve to get better about that. I posted the above yesterday and I thought it was important to post here because I hear a lot of folks wonder about breakfast. Some of you just don't like breakfast food and especially not the breakfast food choices you have after weight-loss surgery.

I post this not to tell you all to eat THIS for breakfast but to think outside the breakfast box! Nobody said you have to eat breakfast food for breakfast. You should, however, eat a nutritious meal to start out your day. People who eat breakfast (and further, those who do so relatively close to waking up) burn calories at a higher rate than those who do not. Click here to read all about how eating breakfast can help your weight loss!

If you are a person whose pouch hates food in the morning, take heart. The good news is this: to the human body, both quantity and composition aren't as important as getting calories. Here's what that means. Even if you only eat a little of something (or drink a little of something with nutrients and calories), it will break the fast you've held since dinner last night (hence "breakfast") and you get some metabolic benefits. And especially if you work out in the morning, you should consider having something to properly fuel you. Tired and undernourished bodies are more prone to accidents and injuries!

S'anyway, that's my breakfast spiel. Now...what the HELL is that a picture of? It was my Sunday breakfast which was a serving of my Turkey TVP chili (which I made EXTRA spicy since I was home alone this weekend) with one pan-fried egg, over medium, on top).

My chili is low-fat, high protein (especially with the addition of TVP - click here if you need to know what TVP is!) and has good, complex carbs. The egg adds a bit of fat back but makes it feel like a "breakfasty" indulgence. To me, egg yolk on nearly anything savory is a great thing. Your mileage may vary.

So...tell me. How do you keep things exciting at breakfast? Share your ideas! I can guarantee there's a Foodie out there who needs some inspiration.

Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Ice Cream

2013-04-11T13:01:00.001-07:00

You all know Kelly M. as your Foodie Vitamin Correspondent for the Bariatric Foodie monthly e-mail newsletter (you ARE signed up, right?). But she, like any other post-op, loves healthy yumminess too! I recently sent her a Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough protein bar to play with. Here’s what she did with it.

When Nik sent me this new Quest bar, it was to make protein ice cream with it and document the process. But I realized that I left my icecream maker at my sister’s house. But that’s ok because you know what we say here at Bariatric Foodie — play with your food! That’s why I’m going to tell you both how I made my ice cream this time (just in case some of you don’t have an ice cream maker) and how to make it with the ice cream maker.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Ice Cream

(Makes 3-4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 c. skim milk (use any kind of milk you like, just keep in mind that fat free milk makes ice cream that is less rich and creamy than ice cream usually is)
1.5 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used Syntrax Nectar vanilla bean torte protein powder because I think it tastes just like vanilla ice cream. Click the links on the words to see the product!)
½ tsp. no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda, although it’s not pictured)
½ tsp. sugar-free vanilla pudding (if you don’t have any, your ice cream should turn out fine without it, but it helps make it a little bit thicker and creamier)
One Quest chocolate chip cookie dough protein bar

Put all ingredients except the protein bar in a cup with a lid and shake well. You can also mix them in a blender if you prefer. Personally, I think some brands of protein powder mix up better in a blender, but Syntrax Nectar does just fine when I shake it.

Now, if you have an ice cream maker, pour the liquid in and turn it on. Let it go for about 20 minutes, or whatever the instructions for your ice cream maker say.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the liquid into a glass and stick it in the fridge.

Then chop up the chocolate chip cookie dough protein bar into tiny little pieces. Or chop it into bigger chunks if you like that better. It’s up to you. And yes, I snuck a little taste (or two… or three…) while I was chopping. Tastes just like chocolate chip cookie dough. I love raw cookie dough.

If you’re making your protein ice cream in an ice cream maker, after about 20 minutes, dump the chopped up protein bar in and let it mix for another five minutes or so.

If you’re making protein ice cream without an ice cream maker, unfortunately, you’ve got a bit more work to do. Every 10 minutes or so, stir up the partially frozen liquid. After about 20 minutes, mine looked like this.

After about 50 minutes, I had vanilla slush. I poured the slush into a bowl, added the chopped up protein bar, and stirred well.

I stuck the bowl in the freezer for another half hour and voila! Chocolate chip cookie dough protein ice cream. Yum!

Now, the nutritional stats for your chocolate chip cookie dough protein ice cream will vary depending on what kind of milk you use and what brand of vanilla protein powder you use, but I wanted to mention that my entire batch of ice cream had about 70 grams of protein. I’ll probably get three or four servings out of this, so I’ll get 17 to 23 grams of protein in each delicious serving.

(Never tried the Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar? Click here to read Nik's review and then click here to order some AND support Bariatric Foodie at the same time!)

Nik's Bacon-Ranch Chicken Salad

2013-04-10T10:37:00.004-07:00

Baltimore is currently having a "heat wave" so I decided to take my lunch outside and enjoy it!

So I know it’s been a minute since my last recipe post. Forgive me! Even Bariatric Foodies get burned out from time to time. And I can already tell March is going to be a rough month for me from this point forward, so I thank you for understanding as I exhibited a bit of self-care!

But…eventually you gotta get back to business. Plus, it’s springtime!

Which to me means warmer weather, pretty flowers, cute dresses…and cold salads! As the weather gets warmer, I’m all about mixing it up with chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad. That’s what inspired today’s offering.

I made this big, BEAUTIFUL rainbow veggie salad with baby spinach, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, cukes and carrots but I needed some protein to top it off. But I didn't want the same old, same old. Here’s what I did.

Nik’s Bacon-Ranch Chicken Salad

(Makes about 2-4 servings, depending on your pouch capacity)

2 heaping tablespoons unflavored fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. your favorite ranch dressing (I used Aldi’s Fit & Active reduced fat)
1 heaping tsp (not tablespoon!) mayo (I used low-fat)
1/8 tsp each of onion powder, garlic salt and black pepper
A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
8 oz. canned chicken breast meat
1 heaping tbsp. bacon bits

Directions:

In a bowl mix together yogurt, dressing, mayo, spices and hot sauce. Give it a taste. I add the onion powder and garlic salt because I find that one tablespoon of ranch dressing gives a HINT of ranch but it doesn’t come through too strongly. So I beef it up with these spices. I suppose you could also try just adding a bit more Greek yogurt with some dry ranch mix but I used what I had on hand! Adjust spices to taste.

Add chicken meat and mix in thoroughly. Add bacon bits and do the same.

Refrigerate until ready to eat!

This is sooooooo good. I am eating one portion atop my salad. Tomorrow I’ll bring in a lightly salted rice cake to have it on top of that. This would probably also be good inside my Angelic Eggs.

And I’m sure you all have even more ideas. Share them!

How to post Bariatric Foodie Recipes on YOUR blog or website

2013-04-08T09:52:00.002-07:00

Today I became aware of a website that has copied/pasted a lot of my content without proper citation.

Being a writer, I'm especially sensitive to this. Plagiarism is the highest of crimes in my profession and I think of recipe snatching the same way.

That's not to say you can't use Bariatric Foodie recipes on your own website or for your support group or wherever! Here is how I ask that you do so:

If you have made a recipe from BF and are sharing it online: I'd prefer you use a picture of what YOU made, along with a link back to the original recipe here on Bariatric Foodie. And as always be honest about your experiences with my recipes! Maybe you tweaked something or it didn't turn out the way mine did. That's why I say post a pic of your dish, not mine. That gives a more accurate account for your readers about how this recipe turned out for you.
If you've seen a recipe on BF and simply want to include it in your page (but have not made it yourself). I'd prefer you use the picture I provided with a link, but not the entire recipe. Then please direct your readers to click the link to get the full recipe.
If you'd like to print and share my recipes in hardcopy. That's great! There's a print-friendly button below every post for that purpose. And usually the link will show up on that print document. But just in case, I ask that you use the statement, "Recipe courtesy of Bariatric Foodie, www.bariatricfoodie.com."
If you'd like to copy/paste a recipe to be printed in hardcopy. Please include the statement, "Recipe courtesy of Bariatric Foodie, www.bariatricfoodie.com."

These request are all in line with intellectual property laws and, on a personal note, show me that you care about the time and effort I put into this community.

I THANK YOU all for being Bariatric Foodies and for being on this culinary adventure with me.

Now...go play with your food!

Head Hunger vs. Physical Hunger vs. WHAT????

2013-04-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like I got an education on the inner workings of hunger AFTER I had weight-loss surgery. What hunger is, how I experience it and how I do (and should) respond to it are all subjects that have consumed a lot of my thought in the last five years.

That’s probably good because, after all, if I wasn’t so obsessed with food Bariatric Foodie would not be, but still…it can drive you a bit batty. Like raise your hand if you’d give your left arm to have one day…just one STINKING day…where you didn’t have to think about food at all?

I know some days I would. I’d love to either just be able to eat intuitively and trust that what I’m eating is not going to make me gain five pounds OR be able to listen to my body when it doesn’t want to eat and trust that that won’t make me stall either.

But alas, we live in the real world.

So, here’s what I have to offer. A few learnings about hunger/food intake from a 5-year post-op:

Thinking about food and eating food are not the same thing.

This might seem like a no-brainer but somehow when I think about food a lot I perceive myself as eating too much. I can think about food all I want. I can watch all the Food Network I want and walk past all the restaurants I want and stare inside the window (not that…uh…I’ve ever done that…). The calories don’t start adding up until I put food in my MOUTH. (And thank goodness for that. If watching Food Network had a caloric value, your girl Nik would be about four Sumo wrestlers right now!)

Skipping a meal will not kill you.

Beware the “I MUST EAT” fallacy. Yes, prolonged periods of not taking in nutrition are harmful. And yes you may see a slight down-tick in your metabolism from skipping meals. But skipping a meal is not going to kill you. In fact, if you truly are not hungry, listening to your body might actually be a better habit to learn. Granted, eventually you do have to eat or take in calories (sorry, newbies!) but it’s not quite the emergency to skip a meal as I see people make it. You’ll live. And go on to do better things.

Moderation is good…but tricky

Here’s where getting to know yourself is a good thing. I corresponded with a pre-op the other day (this person will likely know I’m talking about them after reading this) who is on a liquid diet. They were having an event for their child and there was going to be pizza. They wondered about nuking a few pepperoni to take the edge off of cravings.

Conversely, maybe you’re a few years out and you have an intense craving for potato chips. So you figure you’ll just get three and that’s it.

Well that’s great…if that’s how it goes down.

But you know yourself. Are you really ONLY going to eat three chips? And the pre-op I mentioned…I cautioned that person to think about if they’d ONLY eat a few pepperoni. (Turns out they did…so yay!)

“All things in moderation” is what we say. But moderation is tricky. And it’s not always clear where moderation stops and overindulgence begins. So my personal rule is that if I am craving a food with which, in the past, I have exhibited poor self-control…I keep on craving it (see the first point about thinking about vs. eating food).

Bottom line: only you know you. But here’s a good hint about whether you should stay away from something. If you find yourself thinking, “How bad would it be if I ate _____.” Yeah. Run, Forrest! That’s justification. And you don’t want that.

Vets: Quit getting on newbies about food phobias

I am the Queen of this. Yes, in a perfect world we’d all be empowered to be able to sit in a room with our trigger foods and scarcely notice. And yes food is just food and not some evil devil out to get us. BUT after being where I’ve been and seeing what I’ve seen I would contend that food phobias (if you can manage to hold onto them) can be a good and healthy thing.

So newbies (or vets), if you’re afraid of starchy carbs, I’m resolving to no longer nag you about that. I do have a caveat, however. Know your nutrients. Don’t lump all carbs together. They’re not all the same. And don’t lump all protein together, not every source is worthy of your crucial stomach space.

And lastly…

It’s not just how much you eat but WHAT you eat that matters

I’ve always been able to eat bigger portions than my other WLS counterparts. And I’m not going to lie and say I’ve always used that ability for good and not evil. But for the most part I fill my pouch with good stuff that doesn’t incur a lot of calories. I am the Queen of huge green salads TOSSED (for better coverage) with super low-cal dressing (and seasoned with things like cayenne pepper for flavor!). I am Queen of the carrot stick, the cucumber slice and, of course, the pickle.

I point this out because I see a lot of “Ack! I can eat! I’m DOOMED!” (Insert saucer-eyes) No you’re not. It just means it comes down to your choices. Your pouch isn’t going to do all the work for you. Although rest assured it’s still doing some of the work. I challenge any of you big pouch people to TRY to eat what your closest male relative eats (barring a male relative who is either a finicky eater or anorexic). You won’t be able to do it. I guarantee it.

So if you can eat more, don’t take that as an invitation to eat more calories.

Oh! Bonus point…

Eating more FOOD and eating CALORIES are two different things

So it is possible to get your calories in with a small amount of food. And it’s possible to eat a lot of food with virtually no calories. I find myself explaining this concept to people a lot.

I know a vet who taught me ALL about getting a lot of food out of very few calories. God bless her! Because before I met her I was constantly ready to gnaw my own arm off. At the height of her tutelage, I was getting no less than 150g of protein and about 7 meals for 1,200 calories. I kid you not. I don’t necessarily advocate this way of living. I crapped out eventually. It’s cumbersome to count the calories and be so meticulous and it’s expensive buying the Frankenfood this method of eating sometimes requires.

But I just wanted to point this out because some people think because they are not eating volume (and not counting calories) they are not eating a lot of calories. Others think because they ARE eating volume (and STILL not counting calories) that they ARE eating a lot of calories. Both are assumptions that are equally likely to be untrue. Log your food every once in a while, Foodies, it’s illuminating!

Selby's Jerk Shrimp & Quinoa

2013-03-16T08:20:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while someone sends me a food picture that is just..."screen-lick-worthy."

Such is the case with Selby's Jerk Shrimp & Quinoa. I mean look at it. I know from VAST experience from island food that it has a kick to it (so proceed with caution if you don't do well with even slightly spicy foods). And the sauce looks luscious, the shrimp plump and succulent, the quinoa perfectly cooked. Sigh.

Basically I wanted to reach through the computer screen and have a bite.

I'm posting this earlier than I normally would on a Saturday (the Google tells me that weekend posting should be done in the evening!) but I wanted to give you guys a chance to get the ingredients to create your own little island escape dinner if you wanted.

Enjoy. And thanks Selby!

Selby's Jerk Shrimp & Quinoa

1 c. quinoa
1 c. chicken broth (Selby used Goya chicken bouillon pack reconstituted with 1 c. of water)
1 c. crushed pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapple
10 shrimp
Jerk sauce mild or hot your choice
1 scallion sliced
Crushed pineapple, to taste

Selby's Instructions:

The recipe was really super easy the longest cook time was the quinoa .

I rinsed 1 cup of quinoa really really good like 4 or five times. Rinsing removes the bitterness associated with quinoa . (Nik note: I don't rinse quinoa and never noticed any bitterness but if you have, go for it!)

I placed quinoa in microwave safe bowl and a added 1 cup of chicken stock, 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapples .

Cover and microwave until liquid is absorbed. Mine took about 10 minutes (there was still a slight amount of liquid but it absorbed as it sat covered).

Taste and adjust seasonings with garlic powder, onion powder, scallions, pepper, and some crushed pineapple .

The shrimp was super easy I peeled and deveined the shrimp and sautéed them in store bought jerk sauce. I sometimes add a little of the pineapple juice to the shrimp if the jerk is too spicy.

Cook shrimp just until no longer pink . Plate with a serving of quinoa on the bottom and top with shrimp!

A few Nik Notes (in the spirit of playing with your food):

I am totally making this!!!
I'd probably add more veggies, colorful ones! I'd at least do some diced onions and tri-color diced peppers, chopped small and mix those directly into the quinoa before microwaving for a "confetti rice" sort of look.
Again, a disclaimer: you can certainly buy mild jerk sauce but jerk, by nature, is always going to be at least a bit spicy.

There...now go make this!

"Will I REALLY be able to maintain after weight-loss surgery?"

2013-03-15T11:11:00.002-07:00

This has nothing to do with food but I see a lot of folks question the long-term success of bariatric surgery. I've never shied away from sharing my experience because I think it's important for longer-term post-ops to be honest about where they've been and what they've been through in order to paint a realistic picture of life after weight-loss surgery.

So here goes. My journey in pictures (or a bit of it at least!):

This is me before surgery. About 330-ish pounds. I didn't willingly pose for many pictures so they are hard to find! In this one I was in a laundromat. And yes, that is generally how I looked.

The date stamp on this is actually wrong. This was taken in about March 2008 and while you can't see all of you can tell I'm still a plus-sized diva in this picture. It's interesting how WLS works because I went from this size at about 2 or 3 mos post op (forgive me for not remembering exactly, all this WAS five years ago!) to...

Whoa! What the HELL??? That chick is a lot smaller, isn't she? Funny thing is I thought I was still huge. (Snicker) By the way the smarmy character standing beside me is my brother, Manuel.

Photo Credit: Melting Mama

Oh time...and pouch capacity. They both can sneak back up on you...as they did here with me. As you can see, I regained. In the pic directly above this one I was 172. In this pic I'm either at or over 200. (Although don't I pose nicely???)

And this is me today (literally...I took it this morning!)...five years post-op. 189 lbs. Smaller than my biggest, bigger than my smallest but still smaller than my biggest since surgery (did you get all that?).

Where will I be next year? I dunno. Only time will tell. BUT, I think it's noteworthy to say that part of the reason I know I can continue to be successful (and I'd argue I never ceased being successful so much as I just lost my way a little bit) is because I tell myself affirming stories about my process and progress. I say this over and over: The story you tell yourself is important!!!

"What the heck does that MEAN, Nik?"

I'm glad you asked. My friends over at ObesityHelp asked me to blog about this very subject so I have been. Check out my blog series which has so far touched on your overall story, those we tell ourselves as we make the decision to have WLS and as new post-ops. Then tune in for the remainder of the series and join the conversation!!! It is only through open and honest dialogue that we can paint a realistic picture of the struggles and realities of WLS. Obesity is a lifelong fight and our stories are our ammunition.

I hope this post has at least helped some of you get perspective. Maintenance isn't doom and gloom, even if you do have some regain. You are in control. You're driving the car. You're steering the boat. You have the power. So claim it!

BF Review: Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bar

2013-03-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Free samples of this product were provided for the purposes of this review.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Chocolate. Chip. Cookie. Dough.

Really Quest? It's like you looked into the mind of the average weight loss surgery post-op and searched for the one thing we miss and cannot seem to find a reasonable substitute for and THAT is what you made your next flavor.

Well played, Quest. Well played...

So this is the newest offering and they were nice enough to send me some to try! So here, of course, is my review.

The 360

I didn't do a complete 360 photo (showing both sides of the packaging) because...well I didn't. BUT, here are the stats for this bar (from the Quest website):

So let's go over my protein rules. For me to consider something a good source of protein it must:

Have one gram of protein for every 10 calories
Be significantly higher in protein grams than net carbohydrate grams

So how does this stack up? Well for the first, it would need to have at least 19g protein to match up with the 190 calories. It has 21. So CHECK!

For the second it has 3 net grams of carbs (since we don't digest fiber or sugar alcohols, here erythritol, we don't have to count either in the net carb count), so yeah...21g protein vs. 3 net grams of carbs would be significant in my book. So CHECK!

Aesthetics

For those new to my reviews, aesthetics are the look, smell and texture of the actual product.

The Look/Texture: Now, opening the bar, it looks like most any other Quest bar.

I recently had the pleasure of having an in-depth conversation with the folks at Quest about how they make their products and learned that all Quest bars are made with a base of nut butters (for those with allergies usually this is almond butter except in peanut flavored bars) which contributes to their...waxy...appearance and semi-tough texture.

BUT no worries, Foodies! We know from former Quest experiences that we can get around that texture by microwaving the bar for about 12-15 seconds in the microwave (more on that later).

The smell: Ok, here's a mystery. I opened the package and I smelled chocolate, that wonderful "sugary" cookie dough smell and...coconuts. So I look at the packaging. There is no ingredient that indicates the use of coconuts in any way. But I smell them. So...that's interesting. Just to make sure I asked the Foodie Nation on Facebook and several others picked that up too. It's noteworthy that when I gave a bar to La Grande Diva to sample she also mentioned it. I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine!

Mouth-feel/Taste

This is where I go into the actual taste. When I say mouthfeel it literally does refer to what happens when the product goes into your mouth!

Mouth-feel: I took a bite before nuking my bar just to test it out. Quest must be playing with their formulation because this bar is WAY easier to bite unheated than past bars. It's still a bit chewy though, so on to the microwave we went and after 12 seconds, here's what I had:

Notice the ability to make indentations easily with the finger. It's soft and gooey! It's also noteworthy that there's a good bit of chocolate in this thing. It's like when you grab a cookie fresh out of the oven - you have melty bits of chocolate on your fingertips!

Taste: Ohhhhhhhh, Quest. You had me at cookie dough but...(cover the kids eyes) HOT DAMN AND HOLY SHIT! (sorry, I'm not usually a big fan of expletives but they really are necessary here). These bars are GOOD! It really does taste like cookie dough. Again, you get the sugary, buttery taste, the chocolate, the gooeyness. It's all there for you!

It is noteworthy to mention I also picked up the TASTE of coconuts in this bar. Not strong. Very slight. Where is it coming from???? I'll give a dollar to the first person who can tell me! ;)

Value

A box of these bars will set you back what any Quest bar will ($24.99 for a box of 12, which shakes out to $2.08 a bar). However, they are also sold in some retailers as individual bars if you'd like to pick up just one to try or a few instead of a whole box. I believe they are sold at GNC Living Well. I would be remiss not to tell you that if you order through this link OR the ad on the right menu bar of this blog, Bariatric Foodie gets a little kickback, which keeps the Foodie Nation rolling!

Final Verdict:

So Quest sent me two boxes of these bars. Those boxes are now gone (although to be fair they sent them MORE than 2 weeks ago). I loved them. My kids loved them. My friends with whom I shared them love them (I really should be on Quest's payroll for my conversion abilities). The bars have great stats (high in protein and fiber, excellent number of net carbs) and they just taste goooooooood! So I deem them worthy of consumption!

I know I usually do a giveaway with a review but since the Bariatric Foodie Pledge just ended I have some sorting out to do before I do another giveaway. HOWEVER, Quest would like to give you some bars so look out for a giveaway of these babies within the next two weeks!

In the meantime don't forget to use the ad in the right menu bar if you want to order yourself some!

The Winner of the 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge Grand Prize

2013-03-10T19:56:00.004-07:00

Is...

THE PERSON I NAME IN THIS VIDEO!!!

"That's dirty Nik...for real..."

It's short. I promise.

Anyway, congrats to the winner! Please email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com as soon as possible with your mailing address so I can forward it on to the grand prize sponsors! Then, be nice to your UPS guy. You're gonna get to know each other REALLY well, because you're gonna get:

A three-month subscription to Kalorie Box!!!
SIX full-sized bottles of Torani sugar-free syrup of the winner's choosing!
A custom vitamin prize pack (retail value of $50) from Celebrate Vitamins catered specifically toward their surgery type!
Two tubs of Chike protein in the flavors of their choosing!
A gift package of protein snacks (retail value $50) from Kay's Naturals!
And of course, you know Bariatric Foodie has something for you! The grand prize winner will get a copy of The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes plus FOUR protein shake sample kits to have a protein shake sample par-TAY!

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff, Nik!"

It sure is and I am happy for the person who won it because they made goals and stayed accountable for those goals throughout the Pledge! Congrats!

You might also remember that everyone who voted was entered to win one of THREE bottles of sugar-free syrup from Davinci Gourmet. I'm happy to announce those winners are (in my infinite wisdom I did not ask your name so here are your email addys with domain names hidden to protect your privacy):

greensfamily@xxx.com!
love_mybabies2009@xxx.com!
sheerchristina@xxx.com!

Congrats to you three You also need to email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com by Wednesday at noon EST to claim your prize and send your mailing address. If I don't hear from you by then I will have to re-draw. Please don't make me do that!

Anyhoo, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making this year's Bariatric Foodie Pledge the biggest yet. We'll do it all over again next year (with better technology). Until then look out for more great recipes, giveaways and all around fun to come on Bariatric Foodie.

Play with your food!

Bariatric Foodie Pledge - Vote for the Grand Prize Winner!

2013-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

Grand prize voting for the 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge has CLOSED!

Good luck to all the finalists. Tune back in this evening when the winner of the grand prize will be announced, as will the three winners of a bottle of sugar-free syrup from Davinci Gourmet!

The 2013 Bariatric Foodie Pledge grand prize was sponsored by:

Nik's WLS-Friendly Shamrock Shake

2013-03-06T11:29:00.004-08:00

So you may have heard of this holiday...St. Patrick's Day? I keep hearing about a guy who drove snakes out of Ireland but I'm pretty sure the holiday is about wearing green, drinking ale and being promiscuous (if the Baltimore bar scene can be trusted to tell the tale).

You guys have been thinking about St. Patty's Day for a while. Know how I can tell. Because beginning in JANUARY many of you have emailed me asking if I have a protein version of the "Shamrock Shake."

And yes I do! But before I give you the recipe I have to say that this is what I call a "dessert shake," meaning it's a bit higher in calories than a 100% upstanding protein shake might be but it's meant to replace an even WORSE choice you could make. It's still way less calories than an actual Shamrock Shake with no added sugar, very little fat and a LOT of protein. But don't drink this everyday, k? It's a WLS-friendly indulgence.

Nik's Shamrock Shake

Ingredients:

4 oz. milk (whatever kind you use but NOT water0
1 scoop GOOD vanilla protein (I like Fit Frappe Vanilla, Pure Protein or Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte best for this)
2 tbsp Davinci sugar-free Peppermint Paddy or Peppermint syrup (if you don't have this, you can use a LITTLE bit - like 1/8 tsp - of Peppermint extract. But I am SO serious...do NOT overdo it!)
5-8 drops of green food coloring (less if you use the Peppermint Paddy syrup as it's already green)
3-5 ice cubes
Optional (but CRAZY good): whipped cream and 1 tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips (Hershey makes them. I get mine at Wal-Mart!) + a few more for garnish

Directions:

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips and whipped cream according to the Super Chill Method of Making Protein Frosties.

Then add the chips and whiz about 3 seconds more just to distribute them. Top with whipped cream and SLURP!

BF Top 5: Mini-sizing BF's most popular recipes!

2013-03-05T09:16:00.002-08:00

Believe it or not, I do listen to you guys. And what I hear you saying is that some of you want smaller batch recipes that yield only a few servings, maybe even a single serving.

Today is your lucky day! Here are five of BF's most popular recipes - mini-sized! Click the title of each for the original recipe.

Taco Casserole
(Make this after your family's next taco dinner with a portion of leftover meat OR make a small batch from scratch with the modifications I suggest! Makes a 4 oz. ramekin)

Mini-sized Ingredients:

2 oz. taco seasoned ground meat (leftovers) OR you can use 1 oz. TVP w/ a splick of salt, 1/8 tsp each of: ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic powder and chili powder mixed in.
If you happen to have some random chopped & cooked veggies laying around, feel free to mix 2 tbsp into the meat mixture.
1 oz. refried beans (TIP: Put the rest in a random ice cube tray, freeze then store them in a freezer safe bag for the next time you want one of these bad boys! Ice cube trays make perfect 1 oz. portions!)
1 oz. shredded cheese

Directions:

Layer the meat, then the beans, then the cheese in a 4 oz. ramekin.

Stick in the broiler for about 2 minutes or in the toaster oven until cheese is melted.

Serve hot with a dollop of Greek yogurt and salsa!

Click Frapp

(Think of the original version as the Venti and this one as the Grande)

Mini-size ingredients:

1/3 c. milk
1/2 scoop of Click Espresso protein, flavor of your choice (they have decaf if you need that option!)
1/2 scoop protein powder (compliment flavors, so vanilla with vanilla latte, etc.)
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 packet no-cal sweetener (if desired)
3 ice cubes

Directions:

Combine milk, proteins, sweetener and cocoa powder in a blender and blend two minutes. Add ice and blend again until smooth.

Four Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

(Makes one 4 oz. ramekin)

Mini-sized ingredients:

4-5 frozen cauliflower florets
1 oz. + 1/2 oz. of a shredded four-cheese blend
1 heaping tbsp unflavored Greek yogurt
Your favorite seasonings (I like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a dash of smoked paprika)

Directions:

If you can handle microwaved stuff, microwave your florets in a microwave-safe bowl with a little bit of water for about 3 minutes on high. If you can't do nuked stuff, boil in a small pot.

Drain then mash the cauliflower (if you make it tender enough you can use a fork).

Add Greek yogurt, 1 oz. cheese and seasonings and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a 4 oz. ramekin.

Sprinkle remaining cheese across the top and either stick it under the broiler for 2 minutes or in the toaster oven until the cheese is bubbly and brown!

Eggchilada

(I'd call the mini-sized version an "egg-taquito")

Mini-sized Ingredients:

1-2 slices of deli meat of your choice, chopped
Again, if you happen to have any chopped veggies, a tbsp or so of them
3 tbsp liquid egg substitute
2 tbsp. shredded cheese, divided
1 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp salsa

Directions:

Spray a pan with nonstick and sautee meat and veggies until warm. Remove from pan and set aside.

Spread egg in a circle in sprayed, hot pan and allow it to spread to desired size (remember, this has to be big enough to roll things into the middle). Allow it to set before flipping. Cook other side.

Remove from heat, fill with meat,veggies and one tbsp of cheese and roll into a smaller enchilada shape. Top with other tbsp of cheese, Greek yogurt and salsa!

Protein Pancakes

Makes 1 regular sized, or a few teeny weeny, pancakes

Mini-sized Ingredients:

1/4 c. Atkins Baking Mix
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp liquid egg substitute
1 packet no-cal sweetener

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If mixture is not wet enough, add milk one teaspoon at a time until a thick pudding consistency is reached.

Spray down a griddle or frying pan with non-stick and allow it to get HOT.

Dole out your mix (should make either one regular sized pancake or a few teeny-weeny ones) and allow them to cook on one side (bubbles will appear on the surface when bottom is cooked), then flip and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate and enjoy!

Nik's Taco Soup

2013-03-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

Looking for the Bariatric Foodie Grand Prize post? Click here!

So I didn't invent Taco Soup. I just want to put that out there. I try my very best only to claim what I truly believe to be my own inventions (like I think Taco Casserole is all me...I had never heard of it before I made it...but I invite you all to prove me wrong on that one!). In fact, I got the idea to play with this recipe from a Foodie, Teddie, whose version I published a few months back. Her pic is SO much better than mine. Lookit:

I decided to play with the version because the divas and I are into spicy food. No...scratch that. We are into REALLY spicy food. So I decided to make a version where I spice it up a bit! Plus, in my house hauling out the crockpot is a major affair (it's stored in the basement) so I wanted to come up with a "weeknight" version of this recipe.

As I was looking at different variations, I found that there are many, many, MANY ways of making taco soup. Some of you make it with beef tips or chicken meat in a slow cooker (as Teddi's recipe calls for) and folks tend to put a MULTITUDE of toppings on it. In my estimation, that makes taco soup a PERFECT "play with your food" kind of recipe.

Here's how I made this recipe my own. I call it taco soup. The kids call it "Taco Chili." Whatever you call it, it's YUMMY!

Nik's Rendition of Taco Soup
(This made about 6-ish "Nik-size" servings)

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 lb. ground meat of your choice
1 can each of:

Dark red kidney beans
Light red kidney beans
Black beans

2 cans of tomatoes & chiles (I used regular heat, you can also use mild OR just plain diced tomatoes)
1 packet of taco seasoning
Optional: A dash of either cayenne pepper or ground chipotle powder if you like spicy food
Possible toppings (the possibilities are endless): shredded taco-blend cheese, unflavored Greek yogurt, black olives, red onions, crushed whole wheat tortillas (for the fam). In fact, you could just make the soup and put out a "bar" of toppings. That'd be fun!

Directions:

This goes exactly like making weeknight chili. Spray down a pot with non-stick, set it over medium heat and let it get hot. Add your onions and peppers and sautee until soft.

Add your meat to the mixture and brown it thoroughly, mixing in the onions and peppers. Depending on the level of fat in your ground meat, you may need to drain the meat mixture afterward. I use 90/10 and I just leave it in there!

Drain your beans and rinse them in a colander (removes a lot of the sodium) and then add those to the pot. Empty the tomatoes & chiles in there too. Stir all that together. You should have a halfway decent amount of liquid in there. If not, no worries, the tomatoes have more water to give up as this all simmers!

Mix in your taco seasoning and any additional seasonings you like (If it doesn't taste taco-y enough for you, you might add additional cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder to taste until it's got a strong enough taco flavor for you. You could also add another packet of taco seasoning but be advised that will add more salt, so if you're going low sodium you might wanna take pause!).

Drop your heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Serve hot with your desired toppings but I will tell you this: it tastes WAYYYYYYYY better the next day. So make it ahead, put it in a container and let it have an overnight "love thang" in the fridge. Trust me. Your taste buds will thank you!

Bariatric Foodie Pledge Grand Prize Competition - Leg One!

2013-03-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Click here to see the final grand prize pledger list. Are you on it???

So…like I said yesterday, in the first leg of the grand prize competition, the grand prize pledgers will compete to be one of 25 finalists for the prize. The 25 finalists will be chosen by random name generator. Each grand prize pledger gets ONE entry simply for making it this far. HOWEVER, there are ways to get your name into the hat more than once.

(NOTE: Earning extra entries is NOT mandatory. If you are good with your name being in the hat only once, sit back, relax and enjoy the show!)

You may earn extra entries by doing any combination of the following between now and Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. (EST). Once you've completed your extra entries, come back to this post and leave a comment saying what you did so I can verify! (You can either do this daily or in one blog comment no later than Wednesday, but PLEASE be sure to leave your name in the blog comment!).

Easy ways to earn one extra entry:

Like Bariatric Foodie on Facebook or follow @Bariatric Foodie on Twitter
Create a status update on Facebook and tag Bariatric Foodie (if you aren’t sure how to tag a Facebook Page, here are some instructions) – You may do this once daily for a total of THREE extra entries.
Send a Tweet and mention Bariatric Foodie (if you aren’t sure how to do a Twitter mention, here are some instructions) – You may do this once daily for a total of THREE extra entries.
Sign up for the Bariatric Foodie Monthly e-mail newsletter. (If you’re already signed up, leave your email address in your blog comment when you report your extra entries)

Easy ways to earn two extra entries:

Like any of our prize sponsors on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (you may like/follow all grand prize sponsors for a total of 18 extra entries. See below for links to sponsor pages.)
Leave a note on the Facebook Page of any of the Bariatric Foodie Pledge prize sponsors thanking them for their participation (You can do this for all prize sponsors ONCE, for a total of 18 extra chances. See below for links to the sponsors Facebook Pages.)
Send a tweet mentioning any of our prize sponsors (You may do this for all prize sponsors ONCE for a total of 18 extra chances. See below for links to the sponsors Twitter pages.)
If you have a blog, grab the BF Button (right menu bar, scroll down) and put it on your blog. Then when you report what you did, include your blog address so I can verify!

Easy way to earn as many entries as you can get:

Tell your friends, family and especially your surgical office staff to check out this post (Here is a shortened link to this blog post that you can Tweet/Facebook to your friends & family: http://bit.ly/WFHxKY), then ask them to leave a blog comment telling me that YOU sent them (They must use either your full name or first name/last initial. See below for instructions on how to leave a blog comment). You’ll receive 1 extra entry for every 3 people who mention your name!

Here are the links to connect with our sponsors on Facebook and Twitter:

Weekly prize sponsors:

Week 1: Click (Facebook, Twitter)
Week 2: Quest Nutrition (Facebook, Twitter)
Week 3: Celebrate Vitamins (Facebook, Twitter)
Week 4: Big Train/Fit Frappe (Facebook, Twitter)
Week 5: (Grand prize week prize for VOTERS...more on that later!) Davinci Gourmet (Facebook)

Grand prize sponsors:

Torani Syrups (Facebook, Twitter)
Celebrate Vitamins (Facebook, Twitter)
Chike (Facebook, Twitter)
Kay’s Naturals (Facebook, Twitter)
Kalorie Box (Facebook, Twitter) - NOTE Facebook Page is here so you can like it but you can't currently leave a not on their wall. Sorry!

"How do I leave a blog comment?"

If you come to this blog post by way of a direct link, simply scroll down and you should see the comments. At the bottom there is an "add comment" button.

If you come to this post by typing in the blog address, you'll need to look directly under the text for this post. You'll see some buttons for Facebook, Twitter, email, etc. Directly ABOVE that there should be red words that say (# comments - except the # will be the number of comments that already exist). Click that and you can leave a comment.

If you have any questions about any of the extra entry choices, please email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com. I’m happy to answer questions.

Good luck everyone!

Week 4 Pledge Winners + FINAL Grand Prize Pledger List

2013-03-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Pledgers! I hope you've enjoyed the Bariatric Foodie Pledge! I've been so inspired by all your hard work!

Remember, in this final regular pledge week we were pledging for Fit Frappe! You can read my reviews of the Fit Frappe here (except for the newest flavor, Spiced Chai, whose review you can find here). The THREE lucky Foodies below have won a full tub of Fit Frappe in the flavor of their choosing!

Congratulations to:

Heather G (holson926@XXX.com)
Jennifer S. (Jenniferlsimons@XXX.com)
Traci B. (phreakswife@XXX.com)

What the weekly prize winners need to do now: Email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with your mailing address and also let me know if you'd like:

One of the caffeinated coffee flavors: Mocha, Espresso or Vanilla Latte
One of the non-caffeinated flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla or Spiced Chai

Now...have you read how grand prize week will work? Even if you are NOT a grand prize pledger, you should probably give this a read because (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) EVERYONE will get a chance to win SOMETHING during grand prize week.

But alas only one of the following people can win the BIG prize. Now I have checked this list several times in several ways, so I'm pretty sure it's accurate. However if you feel you've been left off the list in error, email me at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Grand prize week will continue on no matter what, but as you'll learn tomorrow, time is a tool you want to have plenty of in the grand prize process, so PLEASE don't delay in emailing me!

Here is MY final grand prize list, including the following THREE "wild card" pledgers. NOTE: These pledgers don't need to claim their spot. Simply carry on as grand prize pledgers and follow the instructions that will be given tomorrow! Congrats!

Jennifer P. (jenmonet34@XXX.com), who was only missing week 1
Heidi W. (heidiwyatt1@XXX.com), who was only missing week 3
Angela R. (angelaruti@XXX.com), who was only missing part of week 4

And in an ATTEMPT to sound like a broken record, as always, I give a BIG FOODIE SHOUT-OUT to our grand prize sponsors!

Grand Prize Week - Bariatric Foodie Pledge!

2013-03-03T09:02:00.003-08:00

It's grand prize week! YAAAAAAY! Remember: all pledgers who were both pledged and checked in all four weeks are eligible to compete for the grand prize. In addition, today I will choose three "wildcard" pledgers who are only missing one week to compete for the prize. I'll publish the FINAL grand prize pledger list later on today.

Ok, so we celebrated…now let’s cut to the chase. Even if you are not on the grand prize pledger list, you have the chance to win something this week so PAY ATTENTION! K?

First let’s go over the awesome grand prize. The winner of the Bariatric Foodie Pledge grand prize will receive:

A three-month subscription to Kalorie Box!!!
SIX full-sized bottles of Torani sugar-free syrup of the winner's choosing!
A custom vitamin prize pack (retail value of $50) from Celebrate Vitamins catered specifically toward their surgery type!
Two tubs of Chike protein in the flavors of their choosing!
A gift package of protein snacks (retail value $50) from Kay's Naturals!
And of course, you know Bariatric Foodie has something for you! The grand prize winner will get a copy of The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes plus FOUR protein shake sample kits to have a protein shake sample par-TAY!

"Holy crap! That's a lot of stuff!"

It sure is...and one of you, dear Foodies, is gonna win it all!

So here’s how grand prize week will work. Grand prize pledgers PLEASE read this entire post. Things move fast during grand prize week and I don’t want you to miss out on an opportunity!

The competition will happen in three legs:

Leg 1: Monday – Wednesday all grand prize pledgers will compete to become one of 25 finalists. There will be more details on how you get to be a finalist tomorrow.
Leg 2: Thursday – Saturday, those 25 finalists go up for a vote by the Foodie Nation (and non-grand prize pledgers there’s incentive for you to vote, so stay tuned!)
Leg 3: Sunday (Not really a leg, but a two-legged race sounds so commonplace!) the winner will be chosen, even MORE prizes will be given to non-finalists and we all celebrate!

Not to sound like a broken record but...non-grand prize Foodies (and even Foodies who did not take part in the pledge at all…even though…why???) there are prizes for YOU this week as well. So be sure to stay involved this week to learn more.

So tune back in tomorrow to learn more about Leg 1 of the Grand Prize competition!