6 Month Post Op Update! :D

Hi all :).  It has been a month or so since my last post, but I wanted to take some time and update everyone as to what I have been up to.  Things have been going well - very well actually, especially over the few weeks.  I have seen my personal trainer a bunch of times now and am doing cardio training on my own during my off days.  I get to the gym at least 4 days a week now (trying for 5, but I want to swim on my 5th day and have no swim trunks Q_Q - no worries though as I ordered a pair yesterday haha).  Anyway, things are going well.  I have avoided weighing myself on purpose, but let's just say I'm about at the 150lb or so lost mark :).  Yay!

A lot of people have been telling me as of late how different I look.  I haven't really seen it, so I decided to make a little collage of me from mid 2011 through yesterday.  Yeah, ok, I see it now LOL.  I also saw how badly I needed new clothes (I'm down 3-4 shirt sizes and more waist inches than I can count lol (6x pants to about 3-4x).  In any event, I ordered a ton of new clothes yesterday in much smaller sizes :).  Hopefully I'll finally look like I should given my current weight.

Food wise things are going very well.  No problems, no drama, no sickness, etc.  I am coming up on my six or so month mark to have my vitamin levels checked, so I will let you guys know how that goes.  Three months ago my protein and iron were a bit low so we shall see what happens.  I've been more diligent about the protein intake and eating foods with higher amounts of iron.

I'm able to do 2 miles on the treadmill without any problems and was floored when I was able to do 3 sets of squats and 50 ab crunches at the gym LOL.  I was like, "omg who am I and how did I just do that lol".  Anyway, that's the brief update into my life ^_^.

As a parting gift I am attaching the collage I mentioned earlier :).  If you are on your own personal weight loss goal just know YOU CAN DO THIS.  I've lost 150 or so pounds in SIX MONTHS, down 4 shirt sizes, down many inches in my waist, off of 5 of my 6 meds with the 6th med cut to a half dose, able to go up and down stairs without feeling like I am dying, SAT AT A BOOTH AT DENNYS THE OTHER NIGHT (that was a huge moment for me), and all in all just feel better.  Just remember, the surgery is a TOOL, not the "bible" so to speak.  It's not going to do it for you all the way - sure, if you are as big as me the first 100 lbs are going to just fall off of you after surgery.  Once you start the plateau phase you need to incorporate exercise multiple times per week.  I've always wanted to exercise so now that I have a lighter frame I am able to do it without too many problems.  If you are worried about who sees you at the gym WHO GIVES A SHIT.  You are there for YOU, nobody else.  The other day I heard a little kid say to their parent what I have overheard a ton of times in my life before - "Wow Daddy, he's really big!"  In the past I would have been so hurt, so embarrassed, so angry - but you know how I felt now?  HAPPY!  I was happy because I know in my heart that #1) I am nowhere near as big as I used to be, and 2) I am no longer the biggest person in the room.  I turned around, smiled at the kid, and said "I am big, but you know what, I'm working on getting down to your Daddy's size :-) - cheer me on ok!?"  The little kid said "OK!" and that was it :).  The father, of course, looked horrified and was apologizing for the kid - I smiled and said the kid was super cute, and hiked my butt up the stairs to the treadmill, getting my gym playlist ready on the Google Music app on my Samsung Galaxy S III phone :).

The bottom line here is - all is right with the world if you allow it to be.  If you worry about what others say, think, do, etc. you are defeating yourself before you even start.  You CAN and WILL do this if you want to.  I graduated college in the top 1% of my class with a 4.0 GPA, Summa Cum Laude (highest honors) because I told myself I COULD and WOULD do it.  I say the same about my weight loss crusade, and I know that YOU who are reading this right now can do it too.  Believe in yourself, and know that I love you for pushing yourself and being the best YOU that you can be :-)

Hugs, and best wishes on your journey!  Now, get your butt to the gym!!!  No time to waste!  WERK!! :D

Quick Update :-)

Hi all!  It's been a while since I updated my blog, but since I had a free moment I figured I would do just that.  Let's see here - well, I visited my PCP today for reasons other than weight loss surgery Haha.  I am here to just have a few routine things checked out.  The weight loss is chugging along (@359) so that is good :-).  I feel fine and have been continuously experimenting with different kinds of food to see what is the best for me.  My surgeon called telling me that my protein was a little low and iron was a little low during my last visit.  I've been trying to incorporate more into my diet.  I pretty much cut out all red meat (aside from occasional ground beef) since I had surgery, however I am going to start incorporating it back into my diet this week.  I went to Texas de Brazil the other night and was able to set filet mignon and house sirloin just fine :-).  This is a good thing since I am trying to find new things to make. I think Adam is getting tired of ground turkey/ground chicken tacos and other chicken dishes all the time hehe.  We do try to have fish every one to two weeks too.  Pork is also a dish we make often at our house.  In any event, more red meat is incoming.

While I do still avoid sugar as much as I can, I have had a little bit now and then.  Splenda is by far my BFF when it comes to sweeteners.  I use it everyday in coffee, Greek yogurt, etc.  There is this really good frozen yogurt place by my house called Yumz.  Low sugar and super delicious,  not a ton of calories either.

Other than that, I joined Lifetime Fitness.  The cost is a bit high, but my company pays for the first $650 so that at least helps.  I find swimming has always been great for me and I want to do that much more :-)

Hope everyone else is enjoying their Summer!  My favorite time of year is almost here!  Woot!  Fall, here I come :-).  Heathy eating to all!

An update? Surely you jest :-)

It has been far too long since I had an update. Every time I intend on doing an update something comes up, or I just cannot find the time to do it. Where to begin, where to begin...

Things have been pretty awesome over the last month. I'm down a grand total of 122 pounds since I started this crusade. While that might seem like a lot to some, for someone who used to weigh 491 pounds it's a step in the right direction :-). Losing weight is harder now that I've dropped the first 100, and because of that I signed up for a membership at lifetime fitness and I see my personal trainer tomorrow. I'm hoping that over time I will continue on a great weight loss pace, but I understand that slow and steady wins the race.

Now that I am so far into this endeavor I will say that there is pretty much nothing that I cannot eat. I still completely stay away from sugar, that is a personal choice, but of the real sugar I have had there have not been problems with it. For example, I had a chocolate covered strawberry and I was fine. I don't make a habit out of eating regular sugar, but every once in awhile it's okay. I'm now able to eat about the size of a lean cuisine for a meal. This is exactly what my doctor told me I would eventually be able to do. As long as I stick with the program, meaning don't drink while I eat, stay away from things like soup, ice cream, liquidy foods, etc. then I do just fine.  I have yet to have any negative deficiency weeks, meaning I'm still losing weight each week. I am confident that with working out at lifetime fitness and having a personal trainer I will maintain my weight loss going forward.

As far as my personal life goes, I have completely quit all gaming online. I just don't have any time for it anymore. We closed on our house last week. It was such an amazing feeling buying my first home. Now, granted, there have been some unexpected issues, specifically with the plumbing that I was not expecting. Luckily I have amazing friends who go out of their way to do whatever they can to make sure that we are taking care of. Not only that, my parents have both been completely amazing and I really appreciate all of the help they've given us over the last few weeks. The house is lovely :-) it's so big and spacious, I never feel like Adam and I are in each other's way anymore. In the apartment there were times that we would do something in the same room but it would almost feel like we had to be in the same room because we had no other option.  It probably would have been better to be in a different room since we were both doing something different. Now we no longer have that problem anymore. There are quite a few things that we would like to change about the house, but that comes with being a homeowner. Over time we will make changes, and we both have great ideas of what we want to do to the place. For example, Adam just painted part of our basement a midnight blue color. It makes our new television really stand out against that wall :-).  Other than that, we take it one day at a time and are happy and proud homeowners :-).

Work is going very well and I cannot imagine having a better group of people that work for me. I absolutely love my team and my peers. We are starting a new endeavor at work with opening a site in another country, so it has been very busy as you can imagine.  On a side note, I did recently sell my iPad which I didn't really want to do, but we needed money for homeowners insurance and it was just a logical thing to do. In its place I bought the new Nexus 7 tablet from Google. It is completely fantastic and I am happy that I switched. It's much smaller and more my speed, with lots of extra tech type stuff thrown into it ;-)

Overall, things are going well and everyday I get a little bit smaller. I'm looking forward to our vacation later in the year as long as we can afford it. Hell, I may even get the courage to go swimming in the pool at lifetime fitness. I'll probably wear a shirt, but at least I'll do what I absolutely love lol :-). Take care everyone and happy and healthy eating to all!

3 Month Check Up!

Hi all!  I have been so crazy busy over the last few weeks with preparing for the move, etc. that I have had no time to come online.  A quick three month update - as of today I am down 108 lbs at my 3 month check up!  It was so crazy, but so awesome to have them tell me that :D

I ordered some new clothes and it was awesome that after they arrived, and I got smaller pants, they were STILL too big (LOL) so I had to return them for the next size down.  Woot woot!  The two sizes smaller shirts I got fit great and the smaller shorts fit great too.  All in all I am feeling great about both my diet, and my health overall.

As far as eating goes I'm plugging alone, doing just fine.  I am eating a lot of almonds lately (instead of chips) for the protein factor.  Also, eating a lot of simpler meals.  For example, the other night I made a pork tenderloin roast.  I had two small slices and a small salad.  That was my entire meal and I was stuffed :).  Last night for a "snack" I had a small salad.  I've been much more aware of what I eat and what I put into my body.  For lunch today I went to Chipotle and got a chicken burrito bowl, no rice :).  Basically it was a spoonful of chicken, a spoonful of black beans, fajita veggies (onions and green peppers), cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.  I ate pretty much the whole thing, and felt like a huge pig, until I really thought about it and was like hmm - the lettuce and peppers were rich in water, and none of what I ate was massive in calories or anything like that - all in all the bowl was like 220 calories for the whole thing - that's less than a lean cuisine lol.  In any event, after thinking about it that way, I was like hmm ok this is ok now haha :)

I'm making something with ground turkey tonight for dinner - not sure what.  My team at work is having a "healthy potluck" next Friday so that should definitely be fun.  I am going to make Taco Soup.  I have made it once before, and it's really delicious and healthy! :)

All in all things are going well.  At work I'm a bit stressed out recently over some "comes with the territory" sort of managerial things, but I am confident that things will get better soon!

Happy and healthy eating all!

Motivation, where art thou lol

Coming out of a three day weekend and being back at work I am finding it difficult to be motivated to go to the gym in the morning.  It's not impossible mind you - just finding the motivation is proving challenging.

I need to get more sleep at night as I find I am not getting enough sleep.  That, and I keep being woken up each night by Adam shouting "SVEN - FIX YOUR DAMN CPAP MASK".  I understand that it leaks air at times, but honestly I can't pull the mask any tighter because it causes major red marks and chafes the skin on the bridge of my nose.  Adam wakes up if you drop a feather whereas I can sleep through a tornado.  I think Adam needs to update his sleep schedule to reflect going to bed at a time before 3AM.  He then may be able to take a sleeping pill or something before bed and not be woken up everytime I breathe a certain way causing my mask to leak air.  In any event, I ordered these "CPAP Silencer" pads for the mask.  It's like a thin layer that goes between my face and the mask.  Hopefully it fixes a lot of the problems surrounding air leaks.  They should arrive by Friday.

I've been bringing my breakfast and lunch everyday to work now.  Breakfast consists of a protein bar (I've found a few different kinds I like) and a handful of almonds.  For lunch I do a Lean Cuisine with a few Special K crackers or a few almonds (or if I'm not feeling a Lean Cuisine I'll do a few slices of thin roast beef with sliced cheese and crackers).  Dinner varies, but usually like 4oz of roasted meat (like pork, chicken etc.) with a salad.  Sometimes I'll do pasta salad or rice, but I have to keep in mind that I fill up really quick on stuff like that, negating the ability to get a lot of protein.

Tonight I have set out tilapia to bake.  I am going to panko bread it with some ginger, red pepper flakes, lemon, and garlic powder.  I've made it before and it turned out really good.  Because the fish is so light, I am making Rice a Roni with it.  I am a huge fan of Rice a Roni since it is one of the few rice dishes that fully absorbes the liquid you cook it in, thus no expanding happening in the stomach :).

I'm a little over three weeks from my 3 month follow up.  I am going to start walking more each day to ensure I have lost as much as possible for my weigh in.  I'm excited to see how much I am down.  Maybe I have broken the 100lb threshold at this point.  Either way, I'm not checking until my weigh in :).

Happy and healthy eating all!

So Busy!!!

First of all, sorry to all on taking forever to post anything new!  I've been so completely busy in my life I have had literally no time to post any updates.  Let's see - where to begin!?

Well, as you all know, I did finish college and have been busy preparing for my upcoming graduation on June 24th!  It's so exciting, but lots to prepare for.  I am getting fitted for clothes this week because, as Adam said, I am not going to walk across the stage in pants that fall off of my ass and a shirt that is two sizes larger than what I wear now lol :)

I've lost 97 lbs so far and it's so completely insane.  I'm so excited to have lost this weight, but now things get serious.  Starting tomorrow I am going to be walking 30 minutes per day at the gym.  I am going to do it either 30 minutes before work or 30 minutes after, 4-5 days per week.  I want to start exercising with cardio and move into weights next month.  My work offers a $650 per year reimbursement so I am going to hire a trainer and start working with them for a few months and see how I do. 

Eating has been just fine for me.  I am able to eat pretty much anything without problems.  I have completely cut sugar out of my diet and steer clear of anthing greater than 10g of sugar per serving.  I've had a few bites of real sugar here and there, but I am not used to it at all now.  My favorite drink from Starbucks is a "tall, decaf, soy, skinny peppermint mocha frappucino, no whip" lol :P.  Say that five times fast :D.  Anyway, it's really good and like 95 calories :).  It's a nice, sweet, satisfying treat if I am craving ice cream or anything like that.  I got my mom a white chocolate mocah frappucino yesterday and tried a sip.  Holy sweet OMG grossness Batman! lol.  I was like zomg eww lol :P

For Mother's Day brunch we all went to this really good place called William Tell Banquets.  It was really good!  I was a bit nervous as to how I would do at a buffet, but I did just fine.  I was able to eat pretty much everything (just a lot smaller amount) :)

Adam and I found a house!  WOOHOO!  Our offer was accepted, I've already put earnest money down, the home inspection is done, and our close date is July 13th, move in date July 14th :).  I'm super excited and am happy to be moving!  It's a bit further from work than I would have wanted, but the further away from Chicago we looked the more beautiful (and cheap) homes we found.  The house is a 2 bedroom, 1 loft, 2 and a half bathroom home with a deck, and fully finished walk out basement with a patio :).  It also has a 2 car garage and all appliances included.  It's SO NICE :D  I can't wait to move!

Other than that, to save money (and calories) I am bringing lunch to work everyday.  I bought Lean Cuisines for the entire week :).  At this point I can eat about 3/4 or so of a Lean Cuisine.  Yesterday I went to breakfast with Mom and ate two sunny side up eggs, a little bit of corned beef hash, and a piece of bacon :).  It was pretty good.  The other night I went to Buffalo Wild Wings (which I go to a lot lately since it actually has a lot of grilled healthy chicken options) and got a chicken wrap (ate mostly the filling, not the tortilla haha) and some carrot sticks.  It's all about the healthy eating nowadays.

On a completely unrelated note, my mother started her driving lessons Monday.  I am so proud of her! :D  My brother and I got her the lessons for Mother's Day.  She did really well for her first lesson and her next one is this Wednesday.  She will be getting her license this time around (as she has tried a few times in the past but just never followed through with it).  With my father's Alzheimers progressing along each year, she needs to have this bit of independence under her belt.  I am confident she will do just fine.  I look forward to seeing how things progress in the next few months. 

Other than that, things are going well at work and at home.  Just a bit stressful overall with the upcoming move, getting reaclimated to everything at work, and just trying to enjoy what bit of Spring we have left.  Summer is almost here!  Cheers to everyone, and healthy eating!

Yummy updates!!

Things have been going pretty well lately. I went back to work, and everything is good :-). I've had no issues at all with food, and have been very careful with what I've been eating. I haven't weighed myself lately but I am confident that I am on track. My clothes continue to get bigger and bigger every day. I'm not expecting anything crazy now, especially since I've lost over 80 pounds and my two month anniversary just passed from when I had surgery. At this point I believe it's going to be more like slow and steady wins the race. Probably within the next 10 months I'll lose another 50-100 pounds.

Adam and I have been looking at moving into a house. I was approved for financing, and of the houses we looked at two of them we really enjoyed. One specifically we very much enjoyed. I'm waiting to find out a little more about the property. My real estate agent is supposed to call tomorrow to give us more details.

It looks like my mom and dad are also going to be in the market to get a house as well. We had all of their financial stuff run and everything came back positive :-) I'm waiting to hear a little bit of information back regarding my dad's veteran benefits from the military, but hopefully by the summer my mom and dad will also have a brand-new home.

We had friends over for dinner tonight and had a great time. It was really nice to see our friend Cristy. She is heading back to Florida to finish her final college class. In the fall she starts at pharmacy school. That girl is bright and I am confident we will see great things from her over the years.
I did have shrimp egg foo young yesterday. It is supposed to to be good for gastric patients. I will say, if it was with the normal type of gravy it would have been fine. This one, though, came with a sweet plum/teriyaki sauce. For me it was way too sweet. Today I had one buffalo chicken drummette at work. It was a bit spicy on my stomach, but overall it was good. It's funny that before surgery I could eat Iike 10 of those wings and not even blink lol. I will say that later in the day I went to Buffalo Wild Wings and had the naked chicken tenders. I've had the naked tenders a few times there now. While I enjoy them, what I was not prepared for after surgery was some of the social issues I would be having with people. So far this has happened to me twice at B Dubs. Both times I ordered the 4 piece naked renders, once with no side and once with cold carrots. Each time I had the server come back to the table after we ordered to ask me if I was "sure" that I didn't want anything else with my meal, insisting they would be able to bring me fries or onion rings or some other greasy item with my meal.

Do I think they were just being nice? Maybe, but it is almost like I have this sign stapled to my forehead that says FAT PERSON HERE -- FEED ME SEYMORE. Ugh. I guess being overweight I never noticed before because I would order enough food for two or three people. Now that I eat child sized portions it is becoming more apparent to me that people associate the stigma of being overweight with an apparent need of the fat person to consume as much food as possible at every meal. I tried to remain classy when the servers at B Dubs asked me if I wanted something else and reminded me that I barely ordered any food. The first girl that asked me about it I politely told her I had surgery a month or so prior. Wow did she feel stupid lol. She was really nice to me after that. Today, however, the server just ended up bringing me a six piece order of the chicken tenders with fries and was like "oh, well the kitchen must have messed up". Sure dude. Whatever. Ugh. I shouldn't let shit like that bother me, but I think if I had been more prepared for it I would have been fine. In any event, one of my employees ended up getting the leftovers and got an entire lunch :-). At least that's a good thing that happened from it.

I had real sugar today for one of the first times since I had surgery. I had a mini kid sized ice cream cone from McDonald's. Keep in mind this thing was tiny. I only ate about three bites of the ice cream and threw the rest away. I didn't feel terrible afterwards, but definitely didn't feel great. It was a good learning experience for me.

In any event, that's what has been going on lately. Hope you all have been well! Happy eating!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Pine Valley Dr,Schaumburg,United States

Churrascaria - SUCCESS :D

Been a few days since I've posted, but it's been a crazy week.  I went back to work last Thursday and it's been a whirlwind of getting caught up on everything.  For the most part, I'm caught up now.  LOTS of changes at work (staffing, plans for the future, team alignments, etc.).  All great changes though.  I am so glad to see my company thriving and doing well.  It means I made a great choice when I joined the organization five years ago :-).  So much growth still happening after all this time!

Last night I went with my brother and my (future) sister-in-law to this restaurant called Texas de Brazil.  It's a Brazilian Churrascaria.  I was worried I wouldn't be able to eat a lot of the food there, but I was happy to find I did just fine!  I ate nowhere near as much as I normally would there, but I still did well.  I had a 2oz or so filet mignon, 3 thin slices of this house special sirloin (OMG so good - made with cayenne pepper <3).  I also had a small serving of sauteed mushrooms, a few small pieces of parmesan cheese, a bite of au gratin potatoes, about 1/2 piece of bread, and some blue cheese dressing.  All in all it was super delicious.  I am not sure that it is worth the 60 or so dollar price tag at this point in my "pouch" life, but it was still nice to go.  In the future I think I'll reserve my visits to this place for work functions/outings when my wallet isn't impacted ;-)  I ate maybe 15 bucks worth of food, not 60 lol :)

I am at the point now where I am able to eat a regular meal (which is normal for someone 2 months post op).  For breakfast today I had a protein shake, for lunch I had 6 saltine crackers with about 3-4 oz of chicken salad (was sooo good).  For a snack I had a low calorie, low fat protein bar, and for dinner I had about 3/4 tbsp of potato salad, 1/2 of a pickle, a hot dog (1/2 the bun) with a slice of american cheese, and a handful of baked chips (like 5).  For a snack later on I had about 20 goldfish crackers.  All in all, it was a yummy day.  I haven't had a hot dog since forever, so it was nice having something like that.

Not sure what I am going to make tomorrow.  I really would like to make something to cook in the crock pot all day.  I was thinking of making those honey garlic chicken thighs for tomorrow (just putting it all together before I leave for work in the morning).  I might actually do that :-)  We'll see!

Anyway, hugs to all and cheers to good eating!  I'm down somewhere around 85 lbs at this point.  I am going to start walking more this coming week (maybe start on Sunday).  I'm thinking about 30 minutes every other day to start.  Take care all!

I Survived Crappy Food

So last night I went to a charity bowling event that my company was sponsoring for MS awareness. It was a truly great time overall, and I am pleased to say I survived the terribly bad for you food that only a bowling alley can serve lol. I tried to find some kind of healthy option, but truly there was nothing available. So, I survived a night of fried food lol. I honestly did not really eat that much, and we were there for about 3+ hours, so what I did eat I ate over a long period of time. I had one tiny square of pizza, about 7 nacho chips with meat and cheese, two mini taco bites, a mozzarella stick, and a few bites of popcorn chicken. All in all I did fine, even though I really didn't eat very much considering the time frame that we were there. I also had a scoop of ice cream after I got home. Meh. I started things out on the right foot today having half of a protein bar for breakfast. I am making baked pork chops for dinner with some pasta salad and vegetables. Even after all of that I am still losing weight and staying on track.

Eat healthy all :-D


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Motorola,Schaumburg,United States

Back to Work!

After almost 8 weeks off of work, I will be returning to the office tomorrow.  I am excited to go back!  I miss my team and my colleagues.  I was supposed to go back Monday, but with the passing of my Grandmother last week I took three days of company provided bereavement.  It was nice to see family during that time and make sure that everything was in order before I returned to work.

I'm able to eat a bit more now than when I was in the hospital, but definitely nothing like I was able to before I went in.  As an example, last night I made bbq ranch baked chicken thighs.  They were boneless/skinless, made with a coating of low sugar BBQ sauce and ranch dressing.  Then, they were coated with a mix of italian breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and shake n bake coating.  They were SO GOOD :)  I made them with mashed sweet potatoes (sweetened with sugar free vanilla syrup, cinnamon, and Splenda) and a steamed broccoli/rice/cheese combo.  I was able to eat an entire chicken thigh (it was small), three bites of mashed sweet potatoes, and two bites of broccoli / rice.  All I had to eat earlier that day was some steamed spinach, two poached scallops, and a few bites of mashed sweet potatoes.

I feel like I'm not eating enough, but I guess things are going well :)  I lost another few lbs so yeah - no worries or anything like that.

Tonight I'm making turkey enchiladas :).  I made them before and they were SO GOOD I just have to make them again :-D

OmNomNom :D

A Night of Love

Last night's service for my Grandmother was completely beautiful.  There was such an outpouring of love and support from everyone who attended.  Her flowers were absolutely stunning (especially two two bouquets we bought from Teleflora.com).  She looked peaceful and ready to exit this existence, transcending into something that equals her amazing spirit and magnificent being.  Thanks to everyone that came out for the service.  There was a huge turn out (over 100 people).  Great company, great support, and I am told by attendees great food (lol).  Puerto Rican people know how to cater a wake service :).  We bought a lot of the food, but by the time it was winding down I saw so many other items brought that we definitely did not bring lol :)

I created a keepsake from the services.  It was a compilation of letters written by my Mom, my cousin Yasmin, and my cousin Ali.  I was told it was very beautiful, and everyone seemed to enjoy them.  I was also asked to say a few words.  I definitely did this, and it was great, but when my brother Carl got up and said a few words - everyone was completely in shock.  It wasn't because he was asked to speak - it was because of the impact it had on him.  Please understand, my brother is a very serious individual most of the time.  He wears a very stone faced demeanor.  The moment he got up the podium he cracked and broke down.  It was completely beautiful to see that happen because I can remember only one other time he became emotional like that - when Grandfather passed away.  We aren't the closest of brothers, but I will say that I was very proud of him tonight.  Seeing that side of him made me really appreciate him.  I love you Carl - great job last night!

My best friend Josh was incredible yesterday - truly incredible.  He's as close to a member of our family as anyone can get.  The only thing separating him is blood, and I have always said blood doesn't determine your true family.

Adam was completely amazing yesterday also - he created the most beautiful picture board centerpiece for my Grandmother's service - completely hand painted.  It was beautiful :-)  I love you Adam!

More family stuff going on today (Sunday) in preparation of more family arriving on Monday from out of town. I am preparing a pork roast tonight for my Mom, Dad, and Adam.  It should be great!  I was going to make it in the crock pot, but I think instead I'm going to roast it in the oven.  Either way, I'm sure it will be great!

Hugs to all!

Long last few days...

Hi all - sorry I haven't posted in the last few days.  It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride to say the least.  On Thursday my Grandmother passed away after a long battle with various health related issues.  She was 92 and lived a pretty full life.  My family has been in a crazy planning stage with everything.  The services are tomorrow and I am up now working on putting together a pamphlet and Adam is working on a picture board.

On the same day she passed away I completed all of my requirements to graduate with my Bachelors in Human Resource Management.  It is a great feeling, but at the same time I don't want to overshadow the severity of the loss my family is feeling.  I will be more jubilant about college as graduation date approaches (late May).

Food wise I have done really well.  I am eating about a cup or so of food at this point which is about where I will stay.  Today I went to Panera and had half a sandwich and soup.  I was unable to eat the bread on the sandwich aside from one bite (mostly because I didn't want to chance becoming full on the bread and not being able to eat my protein).  I had lunch with my friend Arianna.  She is such a dollface - just adore that girl!  She had lap band surgery on Monday and she's already fully out and about.  She has the most positive spirit.  I know she is just going to do so well with this!

This week I've also gone out to eat a few times and have done just fine.  I always stick to high protein and low fat / low calorie foods.  I have found so many that are just so good.  Every day I have been doing a protein bar from South Beach Diet.  The peanut butter one.  It's like 9 grams of protein and really healthy - more protein than a Kashi bar.  I think I'm going to get some of the Kashi cereal and see if I can make it actually not taste like cardboard lol :D  We shall see =P

I made chicken fajitas at my Mom's tonight for my best friend Josh and my Mom and Dad.  It came out really well.  I made guacamole too and some rice.  Now, rice has been the only food to disagree with me thus far.  I am pleased to say I was able to eat a few bites of it tonight and did just fine.  I will say the rice tonight had a much softer texture and seemed to be fully expanded already so I did fine with it.  Hard rice (like fried rice) is something I doubt I'll ever be able to do again.

I have to be up kind of early to go to Kinkos and print stuff out so I am going to go for now :).  Hugs to all, and hug your Mom and Grandmother if they are still around :-)  Tell someone that you love them today :)!

Raw Vegetables - Success!

So, one of the big myths I heard about gastric bypass surgery is that you won't be able to eat raw vegetables like salad, etc. until at least six months into surgery.  A few have said they were able to, but got really gassy.  Well, I can tell you now that's a crock of poop lol :P  The other day I went to Buffalo Wild Wings with my parents (a chicken joint I mentioned in an earlier blog).  I had raw carrot sticks with a tiny bit of blue cheese dressing and it was totally fine.  Today, while at the Olive Garden for lunch, I had about two tablespoons of salad with the Italian dressing.  I did totally fine with it :).  Next time I may just have an entire salad or something with the fat free Italian dressing :).  In any event, here is what I ate at Olive Garden today to give you an idea of where you will be around 6-7 weeks post op:

* Two bites of a breadstick

* Two tablespoons of salad

* 1/2 cup of chicken and gnocchi soup

* Two bites of a chicken florentine sandwich

* 1/4 glass of iced tea (before the meal started mostly) - very tiny sips now and then. 

I know - no fluids during the meal, etc.  I barely eat anything as it is so I am careful not to overdo it :).

Other than that - that's about what I ate.  It was really good and satisfying too.  I was comfortably full afterwards.

Tonight I am taking last night's leftover shredded chicken tacos I made (omg they were even better last night than the first time I made them lol) and going to make me and Adam a chicken quesadilla on my new Krups panini/quesadilla grill :).  Om nom nom :D

Happy eating all :D

Swelling a Bit -_- I Hate Sodium!

So one of the great things about the all liquid diet was that it cut all sodium from my diet.  Me legs completely stopped swelling - it was awesome.  Now that I'm on a regular diet again, my legs are swelling a bit because of the sodium content in the food.  It's not like I'm eating a lot of sodium mind you.  I am just sensitive to sodium.  Bleh.  So, I deal with it, and still losing weight, but it's annoying.  Let's hope as the weight continues to fall off the swelling continues to go down.

Aside from that, I just turned in the final project for my HR training class.  All I have left by Thursday of this week is to take the HR final (will be cake) and compile my Senior Project class's team paper submissions, format it, and turn it in by Wednesday.  Once those two things are done, I will be completed with my Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management :-)  Woohoo!  It looks like I'll be graduating with a 4.0, so that makes me very happy as well :-)

I was able to eat an entire omelette for breakfast this morning!! YAY!  Granted, it was a 1 egg omelette with a sprinkle of cheese and 2 slices of deli ham (LOL).  Still, it was satisfying and yummy.  I also did a few bites of high fiber whole wheat bread with sugar free cherry preserves :)

Last night my friend Danny made this fantastic pasta dish.  Oh - that's right - I am able to do pasta no problem :D  YAY!  I didn't eat a lot of it, but for some reason was able to eat the insides of two pieces of garlic bread (lol) - no crust =P.  The pasta had this herb pesto cream sauce with chicken.  It was SO GOOD.  I even had two sips of GEWURZTRAMINER wine :)  Yes, it's hard to say (haha) but so delicious.  It's like a sweet Moscato with a bigger bite.

Grandma is still hanging on, but it looks like it's going to be today or tomorrow.  She is going on five days now without food and water :-(  She just won't let go.  I wonder if she's waiting for someone to show up first.

Other than that, things are going well.  Down 2 more lbs (yay)!

Have a great Sunday all!

Prayers Needed!

Hi everyone! Just asking for some prayers to come my way for my Grandmother and my Mother. My Grandma is in hospice care and it is nearing the end. She is not tolerating fluids, is in a coma, and hasn't eaten or had anything to drink for three days.

I'm here watching her now. She looks really peaceful sleeping. My Mom is doing well with everything, staying strong.

Thanks to all for the well wishes. If your Mom is still around please give her a hug today or call her and tell her that you love her.

Much love :-)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:S Collins St,South Elgin,United States

Another Milestone

I forgot to mention this in yesterday's blog, but something that I wanted to share.  I had a wellness exam done before surgery. All the results came back and my bad cholesterol was very low. The doctor no longer thinks I need medication to control it since it seems my body is doing it on its own.

So, yesterday the doctor took me off my cholesterol medication. I now only take 1 medication for blood pressure, and starting at the end of this month I'm weaning myself off of that is well.  Within the next 60 days I should be off all of my medications that I started with. That means I'm off of 6 medications in 3 months :-) 

This whole journey is very surreal. I'm going to be starting to walk next week. Hopefully that will help and weight will come off even faster.

Truly I couldn't be happier. I feel great and I know that I made the right choice. I leave you with a picture of 1 of my favorite people in the world :-) he's a little harry, and tends to have accidents in the house, but I wouldn't trade him for the world :-)

30 Day Check Up!

I went to see both my primary care physician and surgeon today.  Everything went really well and I am down a total of 75.4 lbs since I started this endeavor.  That is just crazy to fathom lol.   All of that weight loss in about six weeks.  In any event, it was a very cool day.  Oh!  I also found out I can return to work on Monday, April 23rd!  That is very exciting as I am anxious to get back to work.  I miss all of my employees, peers, and managers.  Hopefully we can all do lunch or something when I return.

I made this awesome pork roast last night.  It came out very well :-)  It was a bacon and peppercorn marinated pork roast made in the slow cooker with sweet potatoes, garlic, and a medley of different kinds of onions.  I then made a pork gravy out of the cooking juices.  I had only a small piece, but Adam ate a good amount of it. All in all it came out well.  I am attaching a picture of the finished product :D.  Tonight I am making broiled tilapia :-)  Yum yum yum!

Eat healthy all!

I Hate Spring Colds -_-

So yeah, last night I started feeling like I was coming down with something and it seems to be confirmed today. Ugh. I feel kind of like butt. Spring and Summer colds are the worst. In any event, like Dory from Finding Nemo, I will just keep swimming, just keep swimming lol :-)

In the crock pot right now is a pork dish that I put in earlier today. It smells so good! I am going to take half of one of the chops and make one of my little pizzas with it. The sauce is made of brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger, and garlic. I had to use real brown sugar since that's all I had, but while at the grocery store today I found that Splenda makes a brown sugar mix! It has some real sugar in it but not much. It is only 2g of sugar per serving, so that I can definitely do :-D.

On the way home from the grocery store I treated myself to a wonderful skinny peppermint mocha from Starbucks. 95 calories, sugar free :-). It tasted really good, but I actually had to call Starbucks to make sure it was sugar free since it tasted so good hahaha. It was indeed. I only drank a little bit of it, but it was really tasty.

I spoke to my friend Arianna over the weekend. My God, I am so proud of that girl. She's already lost 13 lbs on the pre surgical liquid diet (in two days!!). She is going to do so great, I am so happy for her!!

I see my doctor and surgeon both on Wednesday of this week. I am supposed to return to work on Monday, but the surgeon thinks I will be out for one more week. Either way is fine with me. Actually, being out another week would be cool because it is my final week of college. Whatever he decides is fine with me. I'm excited to be going back to work soon and I miss everyone I work with, especially my team of direct reports and my management peers. Yes Lisa (my boss), I miss you too hahaha ;-)

I'll post a picture of dinner before we nomz it!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Pine Valley Dr,Schaumburg,United States

Vomiting - Not Fun Q_Q

So, it was bound to happen. I finally vomited today for the first time since surgery. The doctor told me that it was inevitable, but I was so sure that it wouldn't happen LOL

I am now on the full regular diet, meaning that I eat different things, try different things, until I find exactly what works best for me. With today being Easter there were a lot of new foods that I haven't had since before surgery. I'm not sure if it was one specific kind of food, or the fact that I ate more than I was supposed to, or that I ate too fast. I think it may have been the barbecue beef rib that I had a little bit of. The meat was super tender, so I don't think it had to do with that, but I do think I ate a little too fast.

The next thing I knew I felt very full and very nauseous. I went to the upstairs bathroom, opened the toilet lid, and it just came right up. It wasn't like when you have the flu and you puke for an hour. It was really fast, and only whatever the pouch couldn't hold is what came out. The other food did not come up.

In any event, I did try a lot of new food today. All in all everything went well, except for this one little learning experience. The moral of the story here is to make sure you take small bites, eat slowly, and listen to your new stomach when it tells you it's full. :-)

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!  Have a great, safe day with your families!  Make good eating choices as today is the day of massive temptation :D hehe!

Happy Bunny Weekend! :D

For all of those that believe in the Holiday (or those that love it for the bunnies and chocolate eggs), Happy Easter to everyone!  We are going to my sister-in-law's parent's house on Sunday for dinner.  It should be great!

My Mom and I hung out yesterday.  Because it is Good Friday she insisted on not eating meat.  That's fine and all, and she knows I love her, but Mom... you can't be a Catholic only on certain days lol :P hehe ~  In any event, we went to Red Lobster.  I had this amazing stuffed Tilapia with lobster on top with a lemon butter drizzle served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  I was able to eat about 1/10th of it (LOL) but it was so good!  I also had 1/3 of one of those cheddar bay biscuits.  I know Red Lobster LOVES using butter in everything, so I took it very easy, had only a little bit of food, and was quite satisfied.  I am going to have a little more for lunch today :-).  After we went to go see Wrath of the Titans.  It wasn't bad - not the best movie I've seen mind you - but for a mindless popcorn action flick, it was ok :-).  I had a small popcorn, no butter, and was able to eat about 1/5th of it lol :)  I wish they sold like kiddie sized portions, but alas they don't Q_Q.

Today is homework day - lord knows I have a lot to catch up on.  My final project presentation is Wednesday of this week and I want to be sure I'm ready for it.  Other than that, we have one more week and that's it - done with college for good :-D  YEAH!

I think I'm going to make boneless pork chops in the crock pot for dinner tonight.  Om nom nom - should be great!  I wanted to make it Thursday but they were frozen.  Then I was going to make them yesterday but I didn't have all of the ingredients in the house -.- lol.  Dammit, I am going to make them today =P.

Have a great weekend all!

More and More Normal :)

I've had a good last few days, eating different kinds of things, albeit very small portions.  Water still makes me somewhat nauseous, and I hope this really does change over time.  I've been concentrating a lot on school and know that I have work coming back in the next few weeks.  I thought my return to work day would be April 16th but I believe my doctor is pushing it out one more week.  I will be confirming all this when I see him next week.

I got my chewy caramel supplements from Bariatric Advantage this week.  OMG 5000% better than the horrible chalky mint disc things I was supposed to have been eating lol.  These are the same flavor and texture of little caramel candies.  Yummy :).

My next order of FitFrappe protein powder was shipped today and should arrive by early next week.  I love that stuff!  The lady I ordered from is sending me extra free samples of the vanilla latte just because she's cool haha.

Lots of school work to do tomorrow and Saturday.  I want to get as much done as possible so I can spend some time with the family on Easter Sunday.  I am not worried at all about what they are serving since I am pretty much able to tolerate everything.

We went to Cooper's Hawk tonight to celebrate our friend Danny's birthday.  It was SO GOOD <3  I had the lightly seared/broiled scallops again but this time I subbed out the weird tomato relish and roasted cauliflower with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach.  It was heavenly!  I even had a SUPER small bite of a white chocolate covered strawberry.  When I say small bite I mean SMALL.  It was good, though :-).  I brought a lot of food home as leftovers and will be enjoying it for lunch tomorrow since I plan on heating the scallop up under the broiler to keep it moist :).  I think tomorrow I am going to make boneless pork chops in the crock pot.  I need to find a good recipe for them.

My scars are healing nicely, and I am noticing my skin sort of becoming a different texture on my stomach.  I assume from where I have lost weight.  It isn't gross or anything - just different and something to get used to.  All in all I feel stronger everyday and am nearing the end of the initial healing process.

I spent part of the day today with my friend Patrick.  I really do miss that guy.  He comes off as this kind of bitchy hard ass at first, but when you get through that "shield" layer he has up he is such a sweetheart and a great friend (he was Gameboy's prior owner [our dog]).  He told me a lot about stuff going on in his life and WOW it seems like a lot of drama.  He's living with friends of ours now and it is a much better situation than what he was in before, so that's definitely good news :-).

Well, that's all for now - time for bed for me zzzzzzzzzzzzz Q_Q

Make healthy choices peeps! :-D

Made the BEST Dinner :D

I was totally craving Mexican food over the last few days, but didn't really want to do anything like ground beef/chicken/turkey since 1) we have it all the time, and 2) I was in the mood to actually cook something :-).  I have really been wanting to use the crock pot more, so I decided to make shredded chicken tacos.  Ok, so yeah - I know I can cook, and I don't often brag about it - HOWEVER - to be very blunt... these were fucking good LOL :-).  I found a simple recipe online and I modified it (of course) to more like my style of cooking.  It had minced garlic, cut up sweet onions, two kinds of taco seasoning, Rotel (chilis and tomatoes), and chicken breast tenderloins.  I also added some fresh lemon juice, ground black pepper, etc.  It came out so damn good.  I cooked it on high crock pot heat for four hours or so.  It was fantastic.  I served it with warm tortillas (hard and soft) and my friend Danny made this Velveeta/Rotel Queso dip as well as fresh guacamole.  Such a great dinner!  I was able to eat an entire taco... it only took over an hour to do it LOL :D  I also had four or so chips, two with queso, two with guacamole.  All in all it was super high in protein, low fat, and very tasty.  Danny and Adam loved it and we even sent some home to Danny's fiancee Luke.  I will definitely be making these again.  If anyone wants the recipe let me know and I'll send it your way :-).

Other than that, I also discovered a new obsession - pita chips with roasted garlic hummus O_O.  O M G delicious snack.  The problem is, it's not very high in protein so it isn't something I will eat all the time.  I wonder how gross mixing in protein powder (unflavored) with the hummus would be lol :).  I will have to try it sometime.

Everyday I'm able to eat more and more different kinds of food than I could the day before.  OH!  I also found sugar free Hershey's Syrup today :D  WOOT!  Good addition to my yummy protein shakes from Fit Frappe :-).  I want to try a warm Vanilla Latte protein shake with some of the syrup and a dollop of sugar free Cool Whip - that just sounds fantastic :D!

Have a great and yummy week all!

Finally Feeling Better!

So my foot is FINALLY feeling better.  Sunday was the first day I was able to actually walk around.  I left the house for the first time in four days to go with my mother in law to Best Buy.  We switched her over to Verizon with us.  She had Sprint with us, but Adam and I have a tendency to... switch phone carriers often (haha).  Seriously though, Sprint was giving Adam a lot of problems at his work and I was having issues around the house.  In any event, Verizon is way better for us :).  I am able to walk fine today, for the most part.  I still have some pain, but NOTHING like it was last week at all.

I found out a few days ago I am down right about 70 lbs :).  It feels good, but honestly I feel like I look exactly the same lol.  I know there has been a change, however, since none of my clothes fit me correctly, old clothes I haven't worn in 2 years fit me fine, and my ring doesn't fit on any fingers including my thumb lol.  It's weird, but cool at the same time.

So far I have found that I can do bread just fine.  I prefer it to be toasted as non toasted bread can be kind of gummy, but bread I am fine with.  I also had some Chinese noodles (Chicken Lo Mein) and was also fine with that.  What I wasn't fine with, however, was rice.  Rice can kiss my ass LOL.  I had literally three bites of rice from the Chinese food we ordered the other day.  Yeah - no.  I felt super full and gross after I ate it.  Also, microwaved eggs - not so much.  So far the eggs I like the best are poached or soft boiled (which is great since poached eggs are my favorite kind of eggs lol).

I was worried about the sugar count in Chobani yogurt (the fruit ones are like 15-19g sugar).  I've had it twice now, however, and did totally fine with it.  I imagine since it's natural sugar it's fine (I eat strawberries, for example, and do totally fine with those - a great treat btw is a few strawberries and some sugar free cool whip :D  NOMZ!).

I'm really loving making the personal pizzas from Shelley's website (http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com).  They are so good!  My favorite so far has been with this roasted garlic marinara sauce, turkey pepperoni, and grated parmigiana cheese :D  YUMMY!  I prefer parm to mozzarella as mozz just tends to be kind of gummy whereas parmigiana is perfect!  I think we are doing tacos tonight :)  I was thinking of going to the grocery store right now and trying to make shredded chicken tacos - I might go get the chicken and put it in the crock put on high - should only take about 5 hrs :D  Dinner is at 8 ish :) hehe.

Well, that's all for now kiddies :D  Have a great week, oh and Happy Easter to everyone coming up!  I am going to my future sister in law's parents house.  It should be a good time!

OMG WTF HORRIBLE FOOT PAIN -___-

Before I even get into this, no, it has nothing to do with the surgery lol :)

So, for quite a few years now I get these random "attacks" in my left or right foot (usually my left).  It happens every 3-6 months, lasts for a few days.  It is, to say the least, the worst pain I have ever felt - truly debilitating.  I went to my Doctor and she referred me to a podiatrist.  They diagnosed me with this thing called "Morton's Neuropathy".  Basically it is this nerve condition affecting the left three toes on the foot (specifically the nerves, tendons, etc.) causing really bad pain.  For a while that's what I thought it was, but now the pain is also on the top of the foot on the big toe as well.  It travels up my calf a little bit too.  In any event, it sucks ass, and I called my doctor today to have her prescribe some other medication since the anti-inflammatories I have for it I can't use anymore (since I had GBS).  When did I call her?  6 hours ago.  Has she called me back yet?  No, of course not.  Now, they are closed, which is just FANTASTIC.

I am literally stranded in the Den.  I got up, hobbled in here (barely), sat down, and have been in front of the computer since 9AM.  I can't get up to even go to the bathroom - that's how bad it hurts.  When Adam gets home he's going to give me the last of the liquid pain meds I had from surgery to see if that lets me walk.  If not, I'm off to the hospital to night to find out what can be done to fix this.  It is quite horrific, I assure you.

Got a call from my Mom today - she went home sick, and apparently threw up a few times.  The Dr. thinks it's a reaction to the pain meds she took for her arthritis today (a new kind of pain med - she's had some issues with it since she got it).  So, she took the rest of today and tomorrow off.  She sounded really crappy when I talked to her earlier, but she's doing better now, resting and trying to recover.  Poor thing :(  Love you Momma! <3

In the world of eating, things are great :)  I went to Cooper's Hawk the other day with a friend who is going to have Lap-Band surgery in a few weeks.  I had some of their lobster bisque (just a little bit - maybe 1/4 of a cup- since it's pretty rich).  I also had three jumbo sea scallops, lightly seared and then broiled.  OMG fantastic.  I ate two of them at dinner and the third about 2.5 hours later for a snack :).  In any event, things are going well on the eating front, and I'm plugging along like always :).  I think pizza for dinner tonight perhaps ;-)

Hugs to all!

Pizza Pizza!!!

Thanks to Shelley's idea of making a post-op friendly pizza (http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com), I am now enjoying a slice of pepperoni and cheese pizza :D  It's SO GOOD :D:D:D!

Here is how you make it:

Bariatric Friendly Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza

You need:

Mission Carb Balance Tortilla (Small Fajita Size)
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni, cut into fours (you can use up to 17 slices per pizza - I used just 10)
2% Mozzarella Cheese
Your favorite (low sugar) pizza sauce

Take the tortilla and put it on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet
Turn on the broiler of your oven and put the tortilla under the broiler for about 2 to 2:30 minutes to crisp up.
Take out the tortilla, put the pizza sauce on, followed by the pepperoni, and lastly the cheese.
Put it back under the broiler for 2 to 2:30 minutes (depending how brown you want the cheese).
Voila :D  That's it :)  It's super healthy and super yummy!  I only can eat 2 of the small slices, but it's so good :D

I gave Adam the other half and he loved it :D!  YAY!

Enjoy!

Aww - Thanks Adam!

Adam made me a birthday lunch of a grilled cheese sandwich and a lightly fried egg :-]  I will be able to eat about half of it, but I love him for making it :-) aww!

What To Do On My Birthday?

I don't really have all that much planned today, other than I am going to see The Hunger Games tonight at my favorite theater with Adam, Josh and David.  I will say, that the mint chocolate chip protein ice cream came out SO GOOD - I doubled the recipe, and put twice as much peppermint extract in it.  Yeah - for next time, only 1/8 of a teaspoon is enough - 1/4 of a teaspoon made this REALLY pepperminty :D haha  It was even better than the chocolate peanut butter one though - so good!  I am including a picture of it as it is what I am having for breakfast LOL - (don't hate on that haters - Yes, I'm having ice cream for breakfast but #1) it's my birthday, and #2) It has 22grams of protein per serving, 1.5 g fat, and like 120 calories for ALL of it - I'll eat about 1/2 lol).

On a serious note, my birthday started before midnight last night.  I received a Facebook message from one of my dear friends.  While we have only met in person a handful of times, we always keep in touch (have been online gaming friends for YEARS).  His message to me literally made me cry because of the content of the message.  He said things to me like how my weight loss journey inspires him to resolve some of his own shortcomings, and he said what truly stands out about me is my sense of courage and self-worth.  I really didn't know what to say after reading that, but that's when I lost it.  The letter goes on to say that regardless of what others may have said about me throughout my life, I stay upbeat and resilient, refusing to compromise whereas 99% of the other people in similar situations would have done that or given up.  It's scary how well he knows me, but it's even more scary that I really don't think about those things when I say what I say or do what I do.  I just do what feels right, from the heart, without thinking about how I will look afterwards.  I believe in always pursuing your dreams, regardless of obstacles in your path.  To have someone that I haven't physically seen very often say those things about me, well, I was completely speechless (which for those that know me is something that I am not very often <grin>).  

So, to my friend that sent this to me, I just want to say that while I have gotten some great birthday gifts this year, I truly think that your letter was the best gift of all.  It made my heart sing and validated what I believe is a lifelong quest to just truly be the best you can be, regardless of the situational circumstances I find myself in.  Thank you for your kind words, and for being a truly excellent friend.  I love you very much!!

Adam and I had a conversation after I read to him the letter and he said to me, "well, you know he's right, right?"  I guess I never really thought about it before, truly.  Adam went on to say that while I was in the hospital I had floods of likes on his postings giving surgery updates and comments ranging in the 30+ for EACH posting that he put up.  I can also say that since I've been out of the hospital the outpouring of support, love, friendship, etc. I have encountered has been greater than I ever hoped for.  I feel like you're all on this journey with me, doing it with me, and we are all learning from each other.  Thank you for your kind words, and your support.  It means the world to me.

On that note, thanks to all out there for the awesome birthday wishes!  I appreciate all of you and just know that while you have called me an inspiration for you, you truly are all inspirations to me while traveling through this weight loss crusade.

Huge hugs, and a wonderful day to each of you!

Birthday Dinner With The Family - Wonderful!

Today was a great day because I got to spend most of it with Adam and my Mom and Dad.  My birthday is tomorrow, but I have plans with friends and won't be able to see my parents.  So, after getting our snow tires swapped with our summer tires today, Adam and I spent the day with my parents.

They took us to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Francesca's Campagna (http://www.miafrancesca.com/static.asp?path=3115,3245).  I figured I tackled Panera last night, I should be ok to try something else as long as I remember, soft foods Sven, soft foods (lol).

I am so happy to say I was able to eat everything just fine, and it was so awesome!  For an appetizer we ordered their four cheese pizza.  It's on super thin crust and the slices are small.  It had marscapone, mozzarella, blue, and swiss cheeses on it.  It has this little bit of pesto sauce and also marinara sauce with spices.  Before my Mom and I could eat a whole one by ourselves AND the entire meal we would get (or at least 3/4 of it).  Tonight I had one small slice, eating all the toppings and 1/2 the crust.  I then took the toppings off a second slice and ate those (keep in mind, one forkful = the toppings since the slices are very small) :).  Then, it was on to the main course!  I ordered tilapia with shrimp topped with sea beans, roasted plum tomatoes, all in a lobster cream sauce.  I told the waitress I had surgery and needed a smaller portion if possible.  They were so accommodating - they gave me 1/2 a portion and took 10 bucks off the price of the entree :D  Score!  The shrimp was great, the tilapia was great, and I had a bite of the tomato.  I didn't like the flavor and texture of the sea beans so I didn't eat them.  (I've had sea beans before, and they were very good - these just tasted too much like green beans and the texture was fibrous).  In any event, I ate about 1/2 of the 1/2 portion that I was served.  All I had to drink was probably 3 sips of water after the meal.  I was very satisfied, not super full, and I was so happy I was able to enjoy great food on my birthday.  I have the leftovers in the fridge for lunch tomorrow :).  As a dessert treat, I am making mint chocolate chip protein ice cream for me and Adam when he gets home from the grocery store later :D!

The reason I went into all of these details is because I want any of my followers that are considering surgery (or post op) to know that you CAN still enjoy great food from your favorite restaurants.  It just means you have to make better choices than you did before.  As an example, I didn't gorge myself on a loaf of bread with oil and cheese.  I didn't drink three tea/lemonades in addition to a glass of Moscato wine.  I was responsible, patient, chewed my food very well, and made sure to enjoy what I was eating.  I have zero guilt since, at most, I ate about 200 calories or so worth of food, low fat, high protein, and low sugar.

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for the wonderful card and birthday present :)  I love you both so much and appreciate all that you do for me, even at my "young" age of 34 ;-)

Hugs to all out there!

A Crazy, Wonderful, Fantastic Day of New Firsts!

Well, I am at the point that I am now on the soft foods phase of my diet.  I tried a bunch of different things today, and I am so happy to say I was able to go through all of them without a problem :D  YAY!

Let's see - so the day started out with my friend from work Corie bringing over some birthday gifts from her, my management peers, and my team.  It was so wonderful and thoughtful of all of them!  I got a gift certificate to Panera and one to Barnes and Noble, among a bunch of cards.  It was awesome!  I had a little bit of hot cereal, but after eating it for a few weeks I am getting tired of it lol.

I then went to go renew my driver's license (since it expired in two days lol).  I took the written test (HUGE JOKE LOL) and only missed one question =P.  All in all it went very well hehe.  After the DMV I was hungry and did something I am completely ashamed of (not because of what I ate, but WHERE I ate).  I went to Chick-Fil-A because 1) I was hardcore craving grilled chicken, and 2) It was really close by.  I completely hate what they stand for (anti-gay culture, Prop 8 supporters, etc.).  Anyway, I bought a grilled chicken sandwich, no bun, and a cup of their new chicken tortilla soup.  HOLY SHIT that soup was amazing and SUPER healthy - tons of fiber, tons of protein, low fat, etc.  It was really thick - almost like chili.  Anyway, I ended up eating about 1/3 of the chicken breast and 1/2 a cup of soup.  Super yummy!

After I got home I played some video games and then did some homework.  When Adam got home we went to dinner (our first dinner out since surgery).  We went to Panera (of course) and I was very apprehensive (in my mind) because I have always heard bread is horribly difficult to deal with after bypass for some people.  So, I figured it's now or never lol - I ordered 1/2 a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of broccoli cheddar soup.  It also came with a big piece of bread.  I knew I'd only be able to have a little of everything, but I wanted to, I don't know, feel like a normal person again? lol :)  So, we sat down, and I took a bite of the grilled cheese (no crust, just the inside part - it was on a high fiber whole wheat bread).  Chewed about 40 times (no joke), swallowed, waited.... totally completely 100% fine :D!!!  SCORE!  I had a few bites of soup.  Totally fine.  I took a few bites of the regular french bread (just the inside part) dipped in the soup - totally fine.  After about two more bites of the grilled cheese I was stuffed and had to stop.  I was able to eat about 1/2 of the 1/2 sandwich, 1/3 cup of soup, and two bites (small) of the french bread.  I didn't have any liquids with it (later on I had unsweetened Acai tea).  In any event, I feel great and had zero problems.  YAY!  I am so happy!  Not just because I can eat bread, but happy because I am totally satisfied and had such a small amount.

Today was a great, fantastic day! :-)

Hugs to all, and cheers to healthy eating! :D

OH - and more big news - I am down almost 60 lbs lol :D  Not bad for 4 weeks LOL :D  Whee!

Fit Frappe, You Are My Hero!!!

Ok so, my friend Mandy told me about her favorite kind of protein powder.  It is from a vendor called "Fit Frappe".  It's the same price as the others out there ($59 bucks a tub) but they had a sample pack for like 15 bucks I ordered last week.  It arrived today.  O M F G it is SO GOOD.  I made the chocolate peanut butter protein ice cream again and HOLY SHIZ it is divine!  It tastes exactly like ice cream I would get from Culvers or some other place.  It has a smooth, velvety consistency.  I even added in cut up pieces of sugar free Hershey's Caramel Bars but honestly, it didn't need it at all.  It's so yumz!  I plan on making the mint chocolate chip one next :)  Sounds YUMMZ!  Mandy, you rock!

Here is the website if anyone wants to try it out (you won't be disappointed!)

http://www.fitfrappe.com

Also I'm including a pic of what I made :D  Be jealous =P lol

Another Birthday Right Around the Corner

Well, just like that, I am almost another year older.  I turn 34 years old on Sunday and am neither here nor there about it.  I am sure it will be a fun day, but not something I am jumping out of my skin to rush towards.  One thing I need to do is renew my driver's license tomorrow.  I need to study for the damn written test though haha :P

I finished the first book of The Hunger Games trilogy and am about 125 pages into the second book.  It is a phenomenal series  It is labeled as a "kid's" book.  Ok, I call bullshit LOL.  This book is very graphic in nature, and I personally don't think it's suitable for anyone under 16.  For those that don't know, the basic story is it is set in a "post apocalyptic" style America, where everything is set up into 12 districts and the main city, The Capitol. Basically every year, as punishment for the now destroyed District 13's uprising, and a reminder that The Capitol's law is absolute, they hold the Hunger Games.  Each district must put forth a boy and a girl between 12-18 years of age (randomly picked).  The 24 "Tributes" from the districts go to The Capitol, are interviewed, treated like celebrities, etc. and trained until at the end of the week they are all put in an arena with each other and have one goal - to be the last one standing.  They all must try to kill each other.  The arena is huge, and the games go on for weeks.  It's quite insane, graphic, but gripping.  I couldn't put it down and read almost the entire book in one day.  I'm enjoying reading through the second book.

In terms of food, I am still plugging along, trying new things.  Yesterday I had lunch with a friend at McDonald's.  We both had happy meals, but I gave her all of mine except my "bunless" cheeseburger lol :P  I ate the burger patty, slice of cheese, the two pickle slices, minced onions, and ketchup.  I ended up able to eat it within 30 or so minutes and had some unsweetened tea about 30 minutes later.  All in all I did ok :).  I had some refried beans with cheese and taco sauce for dinner, but could only do like 3 bites or so.  Today I've had 1/2 a carnation breakfast for breakfast and a cup of "Chicken Gumbo" soup for lunch.  It was from Culvers, very healthy actually, but super boring.  It was like drinking tomato broth with a tiny bit of celery and ONE piece of chicken (LOL).  All in all I was like "meh" by the end of the meal.

I am LOVING my 1/2 Gold Leaf iced tea, 1/2 Minute Maid Light Lemonade drink I have all the time now.  like 10 calories and amazing :D

As for dinner, I have no idea what I'm going to have.  Maybe some plain Chobani yogurt and some strawberries.  Not really feeling anything else tonight.  Just kinda blah when it comes to food lately.  I know I have to eat, just not starving for anything (except my friend Danny's queso dip - omg I could eat that every day and it doesn't make me sick at all lol).

Hugs to all, and stay healthy! :-D

Adios Surgical Drain, Don't Write Me... Ever

Today was a glorious day!  I got the surgical drain taken out :D  YEAH!  I also was told by the doctor that I should have taken the bandage strips off of my scars a week ago to let them breathe.  WTF?  That's not what they told me in the hospital -_-.  They told me I should replace them every few days and wash them (and the drain site) to avoid infection.  In any event, they said everything was fine and the lady put Neosporin on both drain sites, and covered them with surgical gauze.  It's really gross to know I have this gaping hole in my body now, but yeah - it will eventually scab over and become a scar.  Sounds fun right :D? haha

Eating yesterday was a bit of a mixed bag.  I felt like I barely ate anything at all yesterday.  With water still making me nauseous, I wasn't in the mood to really eat or drink yesterday.  I had some yogurt, etc.  I am finding fresh strawberries and cantaloupe are my new BFFs and I am eating those quite often :).

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering - protein peanut butter chocolate ice cream was... GROSS LOL :P  It's that horrible Bariatric Advantage protein powder.  BLEH.  The new Fit Frappe stuff I ordered should be here by Wednesday, so I am going to try it again with that stuff.  Let's hope it's awesome lol :P

As far as today goes, I felt like I ate a lot (but of course, really didn't lol).  For breakfast I had a carnation instant breakfast with some cantaloupe.  For lunch I had 1/2 of a hot dog (just the hot dog, no bun).  For dinner I had a lot actually - I had a few bites of guacamole, a few bites of this queso dip my friend made (and I had two tortilla chips and did FINE :D I preferred to eat it off the spoon (it's that good >.> and not a ton of fat or anything at all)).  I also had a bit of the chicken and some of the onions (like two bites) - it was good, but the chicken was a tad dry after sitting for a bit (wasn't hungry right away) and the last thing a bypass patient wants is meat that is dry.  So, I only ate a bit.  I will say, I ate a bit too much and felt really full for a while after.  Lots of water (and vitamin water) later, I am much better hehe :).

I went grocery shopping tonight with my friend Danny.  I found this awesome unsweetened tea by my favorite tea brand (Gold Leaf) and then Danny found this 2g of sugar Minute Maid Light Lemonade.  I can still have my Arnold Palmer drink and not feel gross :D  YAY!

Tonight I was speaking to a friend who is having lap band surgery in the next 30 days.  I just wanted to throw a shout out to her and say you are amazing, beautiful, and inspiring.  You will be just fine and know I am here for you should you ever need someone to talk to about this.  I am so proud of you!  Keep smiling, and to all the "haters" out there throwing you some shade, push them aside girl - they aren't worth your time.  You are doing this for YOU, never forget that :-)  HUGE HUGS! :D

Ice Cream, You Scream...

Overall today was a kind of relaxing day. I had some pain today, probably from exerting myself like a doorknob. In any event, I decided two take it much easier this afternoon.

Our apartment cleaner came over today to clean the apartment. It coats about 60-75 every two weeks, but man is it worth it! She does a really good job, and right now I definitely cannot do any housework.

I still feel queasy whenever I drink water which totally sucks, but overall I did ok with food today. I introduced a new food for dinner - mashed potatoes with a bit of shredded light cheddar cheese. Went down no problem and kept me very full.

I decided to use the protein powder I have, begrudgingly, to make Reese's peanut butter ice cream for dessert. It's spinning in the machine right now, but it looks awesome! I don't have high hopes since I hate the Optisource protein powder I have, but it will work for now until I get the Fit Frappe stuff I ordered online next week. I am even adding chopped up sugar free Reese's peanut butter cups to the machine at the end of the churning process. I'll let you know how it goes :-)

Also, I'm so proud of Adam! He's been eating super healthy lately too. For dinner tonight he had hard boiled eggs, cantaloupe, a Chobani yogurt, and a nutrigrain bar. I am ordering us bento boxes from Amazon.com so we can be more health conscious about what we take to work to eat, etc.

Eat healthy all!

Chinese food - Yay!

I ended up ordering Chinese food for dinner tonight to see how I would react. I had chicken with broccoli. I did just fine, especially considering how moist the meat and veggies were. I chewed them until they were basically blended consistency. Other than that I also ordered egg drop soup but I was only able to eat a few bites of dinner, thus the soup and leftovers will have to wait until tomorrow.

Other than that, I felt kinda sickies again tonight. Bleh. Let's hope that it passes over the next few days. In any event I'm off to bed. Night all.

Fit Frappe?

Has anyone ever heard of Fit Frappe?  My friend Mandy told me about it.  Basically it is a protein powder that is flavored in one of five flavors (chocolate, vanilla, mocha, vanilla latte, espresso).  It is expensive (60 bucks a tub) so I decided to order the 18.00 "trial" package with 10 servings (2 of each flavor).  Since I can only do about 4oz at a time, that's perfect for me (20 servings =P).  It should be here by mid next week.  I'll let you all know how it is.

All I know is I need some yummy kind of protein powder that is good, not this Optisource protein powder from hell (that I am dying to give to someone to get out of my house lol).

Kinda sick today, off and on ~

Hmm - so I have no idea what I ate today, but I felt kinda crappy for most of the day.  Honestly, I think it was just some kind of gas pocket that got stuck in my pouch or something, but let's go over what I ate today:

Breakfast - 3/4 glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast
Medication - Crushed blood pressure and cholesterol pill.  All of my multivitamins.  Two crushed Tylenol
Lunch - 1/2 a bowl of Cream of Wheat
Snack - 1 hard boiled egg

That's all I've had today (in addition to about 2 bottles of water).  I was talking to my mom on Facetime, trying to help her fix her printer.  I realized I hadn't eaten anything in over four hours and needed to eat something.  So, I took a few bites of a hardboiled egg, chewed very very well.  The minute they hit my pouch I had this super full feeling and I am 99% sure it was gas that had been sitting in my stomach.  In any event, I hung up with my Mom and proceeded to do everything I could to burp it out (lol).  I drank water to try and force it out, etc.  Finally I ended up swallowing some air, which of course gave me hiccups, but it did seem to get rid of the gas.  Once the hiccups went away I felt much better.

In any event it was a weird feeling overall.  I was able to eat the rest of the hard boiled egg after and had no problems.

My nausea continues to stick around whenever I drink water.  Ugh, so frustrating.  Water is something I not only need, but I also LOVE.  I know some people get this water nausea problem after surgery, and it lasts for up to six months, but I am just praying mine goes away soon.  I really miss water Q_Q lol - I still drink it, but hate how I feel afterwards Q_Q

Splurge Time!

So I got some good news yesterday from my financial aid. I got a 2000 dollar refund that I apparently overpaid for this session.  What am I doing?  Buying a 32 GB white " New iPad " for At&T 4G LTE lol.  I just sold my Galaxy Tab 8.9 on ebay to be able to buy it. Don't fret, though, as I'm being responsible and using the other money to pay off bills lol
Whee!

I also wanted to add, I didn't just get the "New iPad" for me.  When I got home I returned the iPad 2 Adam had bought for himself last week and upgraded him to the "New iPad" also :-) ~ I also told him to go ahead and buy the modeling airbrush he wanted.  He's a happy guy now, and I am too :)

This iPad is just insane :D  I completely love it :).

Pretty Good Day All Around

Today was a good day, for the most part.  I did have a bit of a challenge with something I ate, but I'll get to that in a little bit.

Lately when I get up in the morning I am finding that if I eat something right away I prefer it to be liquid.  My friend Mandy tells me it is because of how the blood in our body distributes throughout the evening, thus the pouch is smaller and liquids are easier on it.  Since I don't always eat right away I tend to prefer something with a bit more substance to keep me full longer than just liquid (like Carnation, etc.).  When I saw the surgeon the other day he told me not to get very used to eating mushy/liquidy food.  That is just for now.  Eventually I will want to eat more dense, fibrous, harder food that takes longer to go through my pouch.  Makes total sense, of course.  I have found that, for now, cream of wheat works really well for me.  I made a single packet and was full after only three or four bites.  I didn't even eat the other half of the bowl because I was still satisfied over an hour later.

Another small victory today - when I head out to run a few errands today, and got into my car for the first time since before surgery, I found that my seat needed to be adjusted because I was so far from the wheel :...).  I no longer have to have the seat tilted all the way back, and pushed all the way back.  I put the back up and moved the seat forward a few inches.  It was quite awesome.  Two "ah ha" moments in just two days (the former being able to drive my father's car for the first time since I was able to actually fit in the driver's seat).

I forgot so much stuff at my parent's house yesterday so they were gracious enough to bring it over tonight for me.  To say thanks I told them I would cook them dinner.  So, I made my version of breakfast burritos for them.  I had tortillas, a few english muffins, scrambled eggs with chopped up bacon and cheese, and a few condiments for them (avocado, taco sauce, cheese, etc.).  Since there is no way I can eat that food right now, I took some of the scrambled egg/bacon mixture, gave it a quick blend, and ate that.  Hmm.  Here we now have a problem.  It seemed to go down ok, but I just felt kinda "blah" after eating it.  I talked to a friend and she also mentioned she has a problem with scrambled eggs - something about the texture.  I know I am fine with eggs - I've already had soft boiled eggs, hard boiled eggs, and egg salad so I know that the food itself I am fine with.  It may have been the bacon, but I barely ate any of it.  Either way, I didn't like the way it made me feel and will not be eating either of those again, at least not until I'm ready for all kinds of food.  I will stick to other preparations of eggs.  The next one I am going to try is my favorite type of egg - poached :).  I will try that in the next few weeks and share how it makes me feel. 

My ice cream maker arrived today :).  I am excited to try and make the chocolate peanut butter cup protein ice cream from Shelley's eggface website.  It sounds so amazing!  There is no way, however, I will be using the horrible Optisource protein powder.  Mandy tells me she knows of a phenomenal protein powder.  She is sending me the details tomorrow and I am ordering it first chance I get :)  OH!  I also finally found the Torani Sugar Free Syrups.  Adam tried to find them for me at like five different grocery stores and couldn't find them anywhere.  I got a variety six pack on Amazon.com for something like $30.00 bucks shipped.  Chocolate, Vanilla, Caramel, Raspberry, and two other flavors.  If these are good I am going to order the Torani sugar free holiday edition syrups.  Peppermint, hazelnut, gingerbread, vanilla bean, etc.  YUM!

Other than that, today was a good day overall.  It was nice going out and driving my own car for the first time in almost a month.  It was also nice going to a fast food place (Wendy's) and only ordering a small unsweetened iced tea with lemon.  When I pulled up to the window the guy was like, "did you want anything else", looking at me like "there is no way you just want tea".  If I wasn't a gentleman I'd have punched the 17 year old, pimple faced kid right then and there.  However, I politely smiled and said "nope, this is perfect, thanks :)".  You know me - always trying to kill em with kindness =P

Hugs to all!

Little Victories :...)

Share time!!!  So what I am finding is more rewarding than anything else are the small victories.

I was able to drive my dad's car today for the first time... ever.  I have never been able to fit until today.  My God, three weeks in to this crusade and I feel like I have accomplished so much.  Imagine where I'll be in a year :-)

Rewarding myself with a Mani/pedi with my Mom :-]

#singingontheinside

Great News Day Today!

Today has been a quite excellent day!  First off, my total weight loss since the pre surgical diet is 46 lbs :-)  Very surreal!  On a second note, effective today I have been taken off of one of my blood pressure meds - permanently :-)

To say I am surprised by how quickly I am being taken off of my meds is so an understatement.  I had to ask the doctor if she was completely sure that it was OK I was taken off of it so quickly.  She said my BP was taken three times in a row and it was 100/60 each time with pulse of 60.  She said yes, definitely Haha.  It makes me super happy, truly.  Maybe in the next few months I can be taken off the other one.

I still have a little bit of pain today from all of the bending I did yesterday.  Ugh.  I have learned my lesson that I am NOT Superman, and there is a reason my doctor has signed me off work for the next 5 weeks - TO REST. LOL

I did find out I won't be able to get my surgical drain taken out until Monday of next week.  Blahhh!   Pain for another few days!  Mur.

We did go to Olive Garden for lunch today :-)  I had a blended pasta fagioli soup and a glass of iced tea.  Granted, I took most of it home, it was nice to feel normal again, eating out with my family :-]

My parents drove me to all of my appointments today.  They've been awesome and I appreciate all that they have done for me :-)

I have included a picture of my lovely mother in this posting :-).  Without her I would be so lost.  I love you Mom!

Childhood Memories

I think some of my most fond childhood memories are having breakfast on a Saturday morning with my Grandfather and my mother.  My Mom made the BEST Cream of Wheat and I remember enjoying those Saturday mornings with her and my Grandfather, laughing about what happened during the week, planning school stuff for the next week, etc.  True to be told, she used to put a TON of both white and brown sugar in it, as well as heaping amounts of butter.  My Mom never really does anything small - it's either go huge (as in calories) or go home.  I can't fault her for it, though, because that Cream of Wheat was amazing :-).

Today I am sitting here, enjoying a bowl of Cream of Wheat (this time with a bit of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" and a few teaspoons of Splenda), remembering times past, and having a big smile on my face :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

My First Recipe! Bariatric Friendly Crab Dip / Crab Roll Stuffing

Hey all,

I wanted to make something good for Adam tonight (since he's been so good to me) but I wanted it to be healthy too, and something I could eat too after being attacked by a blender (haha).  Here's what I came up with :D  Hope you like it!

**************

Bariatric Friendly Crab Dip / Crab Roll Stuffing

* 8oz package of imitation (or real lump) crab

* 1/3 package light cream cheese (you can use regular, but higher calories)

* 1 TBSP light mayo (you can use regular, but higher calories)

* 1 TSP Lemon Juice

* 1/3 TSP Garlic Powder

* Dash of Salt and Pepper

* 1/2 bottle Hellmann's cocktail sauce (low sugar if possible)

(note - you can add peppers, veggies, etc. to it if you want - I prefer mine plain)

Put the crab in a bowl (don't worry if it is a big block - you're about to mix it up :)). Using a fork (or a strong spatula) stir the crab in the bowl, breaking it apart from the big lump into more individual small pieces.

Next, add the (softened) cream cheese, mayo, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Using a fork start stiring/mashing everything together until it is nice and creamy. Taste and see if you need to add any more spices (you garlic lovers out there - be careful because remember, you are going to let this set in the fridge for about an hour to chill - the garlic flavor will become more prominent).

Once it tastes the way you want it to go ahead and sprinkle a bit more lemon juice on top, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the fridge to chill.

After it has chilled take it out of the fridge, take off the plastic wrap, and cover the entire top with cocktail sauce (I used a Helmann's low sugar one - was really good). You don't have to drench it - just make sure it's dotted all over. Then, using the fork, smear the cocktail sauce so the entire thing is covered.

Voila :-D That's it! Now you can either enjoy with crackers, veggies, etc. or eat as is with a spoon. Another way is to make a "crab roll" using hot dog buns. Again, try to use healthy buns (WE LIKE THOSE HEALTHY BUNS :P haha) - seriously though, put the filling in the hot dog buns and enjoy with some baked chips and your favorite drink :) It' s a nice, satisfying, very low calorie/fat/sugar meal :).