Its not a fix, its a tool. You still have to work at it!

     So the other day I was talking to someone about how much weight I had lost and I was asked "Did you do it through your own work or did you have surgery?".  I took a few moments to discuss my background, decision, and work towards my progress and used that time to politely correct his thoughts regarding the weight loss surgery process and those that choose to go through it.  It inspired me to write a serious post.

    Regardless of if you are considering weight loss surgery as an option for you or not here are a few things for you to consider and/or understand.

WLS is not a fix, its a tool.  I still have to work at it to maintaining my progress:
     There are many things I have to maintain since I have had weight loss surgery (WLS) and I will admit some times they are a challenge for me.  After reading the following I hope you understand that this truly is not a fix for fighting obesity but a tool.  If I don't stay onto of the following I can damage and reverse my progress.

• Protein - I need to make sure I eat between 80-120 grams of protein a day to maintain my body's needs.  My body needs a higher protein level to burn fat and maintain my body.  Its crucial for the maintenance in hair and nail growth as well.  
• Hydration - We've all heard that it is a good idea to drink eight to ten glasses of water a day.  Its a little more important as a bariatric patient to follow this rule of thumb.  Proper hydration helps with maintaining your metabolism rate.  Dehydration can learn to serious health problems as well as needing to be admitted to the hospital for medical attention.  
• Vitamins - Since my body absorbs things differently now there are special multivitamins for bariatric patients that I need to take daily to ensure I get the nutrients I need.
• Fat/Carbs/Sugar - Its important to watch my intake of fat, carbs, and sugar.  If at any point I have too much of these it can lead to me having a very uncomfortable bathroom experience.  It can also lead to what is sometimes referred to as dumping syndrome.  For some it is exactly as it sounds.  For me its more like my body instantly goes through a flush of all energy and I feel ill for up to a half hour.  Ill actually get to the point where I need to go lay down.
• Exercise - I have got to work hard at being more active now so that I can maintain the weight loss as well as help create the new more fit me.

Bariatric Friendly Pumpkin Yogurt Cake

     I am so ready for "Pumpkin Flavored Everything" Season!  Having a family gathering today and I was asked to make a desert.  I thought of making my Apple Almond Yogurt Cake but really wanted to incorporate pumpkin into it.  I removed the applesauce from the recipe, added the pumpkin, and increased the almond flour since the wet ingredients were now a little more than the previous recipe.  In the end I decided to put the batter in a 9" x 11" baker instead of a loaf pan.  Hope you enjoy!

Bariatric Friendly Pumpkin Yogurt Cake

Servings: 12

Total Cooking/Baking Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Almond Meal
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Serving Protein Powder 
• 3/4 Cup Sugar Substitute (I Used A Stevia baking blend)
• 1 6oz Container Plain Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani Plain)
• 1 15oz Can Of Pumpkin Puree
• 1/4 Cup Egg Substitute (Equivalent Of 1 Egg)
• 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the Almond Meal, Baking Powder, Salt, and Protein Powder and set aside.
   
3. In a separate bowl combine Sugar Substitute, Greek Yogurt, Pumpkin Puree, Egg Substitute, and Vanilla.
   
4. Blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 
   
5. Pour into a greased baking dish.
   
6. Place in oven and bake for 40 - 45 minutes.
7. Test cake with skewer or cake tester to verify doneness and cool on a wire rack for fifteen minutes.
8. Divide evenly into servings and enjoy.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12th of cake):

Calories: 175

Fat: 9.7 Grams

Carbs: 20.5 Grams

Protein: 8.2 Grams

Calculated using MyFitnessPal

Reduced Sugar Reduced Carb Banana Bread

     I felt like playing in the kitchen today and had a craving for banana bread.  I looked at different recipes for banana bread and started thinking how I could make one that is bariatric friendly and came up with the following recipe.  Im excited for this one as it is an original.

Reduced Sugar Reduced Carb Banana Bread

Servings: 12

Total Cooking/Baking Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Almond Meal/Flour
• 1 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 3/4 Cup Sugar Substitute (I used Trivia Baking Blend)
• 1/2 Cup Egg Substitute (Equivalent of 2 eggs)
• 4 Medium Bananas Mashed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. In a large bowl mash the bananas.
   
3. Add the egg substitute, applesauce, & sugar substitute to the banana and blend together.
   
4. In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking soda, and salt.  
5. Blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a soft wet dough forms.
   
6. Place dough in a loaf pan spread with cooking spray and shape to evenly fit and fill pan.
   
7. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until cake tester or knife comes out dry.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12th of loaf):

Calories: 170

Fat: 6 Grams

Carbs: 25 Grams

Protein: 6 Grams

Created Using MyFitnessPal 

Low Carb Pumpkin Protein Muffins

     Im on vacation visiting family this week in MD.  I had a chance to play in the kitchen.  Mom had some pumpkin so I immediately took to Pinterest looking for a recipe I could modify.  I came across this recipe and made a few changes.

Low Carb Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Servings: 12

Total Cooking/Baking Time: 35 Minutes
This recipe is modified from the original found here.

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz Can Pumpkin Puree 
• 1 Cup Almond Meal/Flour
• 2/3 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1 Serving Protein Poweder
• 1 Cup Sweetener (I used Trivia Baking Blend)
• 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Cup Egg Substitute (Equivalent of 2 eggs)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. In a large bowl combine the Pumpkin, Sweetener, & Egg Substitute.  
3. Blend together with an electric mixer till well blended.
4. Add remaining ingredients and blend with mixer until well incorporated.
   
5. Divide evenly amongst 12 prepared muffin cups.
   
6. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until edges are golden and a cake tester or knife comes out clean.
   
7. Allow to cool in muffin pans for a few minute.
8. Remove from pan and allow to continue to cool.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 Muffin):

Calories: 165

Fat: 6 Grams

Carbs: 25 Grams

Protein: 6 Grams

Products I Like: Power Crunch protein energy bars

      Im always keeping my eyes open for new products that can help me, as well as other bariatric patients and dieters, with my protein rich dietary needs.  Yesterday I found myself visiting the pharmacy section at my local store to find some protein goodies I could take on my trip home to visit family and stumbled upon a line called Power Crunch.

french vanilla créme Nutrition Facts

     Most protein bars that I have come across are rather high in carbs and sugars.  With my dietary needs after surgery it is important to keep my daily intake of carbs under my daily intake of protein.  My store only had boxes of the french vanilla créme and chocolate mint so I bought one of each for my trip.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that these bars are high in protein while being lower in carbs and protein.  The vanilla créme for example offered 200 calories, 13g of fat, 8g of carbs, 5g of sugar, and 14g of protein per bar.  Now the fat content is a little high but still reasonable for a once a day treat.  These protein energy bars resemble a covered sugar wafer cookie and are surprisingly delicious.  I checked out their website, powercrunch.com, and learned that their bars come in 7 flavors; Peanut Butter Fudge, Triple Chocolate, Peanut Butter Créme, French Vanilla Créme, Cookies & Créme, Wild Berry Créme, & Chocolate Mint.  It also appears that the company is not limited to this protein bar alone and has other products available as well including other bars, drinks, and powders.  I look forward to keeping these in my arsenal of dietary needs.

Weigh In Day - Stick With One!

     So today was weigh in day. Since surgery I picked Friday to be the day that I step on the scale to see what my progress was regarding my weight-loss.  This past week things got a little mixed up and it reminded me of a very important lesson.

     Last week I stepped on the scale on Wednesday instead of Friday and used that number as my update.  A few days later I decided after going for a 16 mile bike ride to step on the scale and was immediately surprised to learn that I had lost four more pounds since stepping on the scale on Wednesday.  Then this morning I stepped on the scale and learned that I had actually gained 2 pounds back.  At first this kind of depressed me because this is the first time I had gained weight back since my surgery.  It wasn't until I looked at the recorded dates and amounts of my weight loss that are realize that I actually lost 2 pounds since last week regardless of the fact that my we had gone down and back up.

     This reminded me of how important it is to pick one date as your weigh in day and stick with that day because your weight can constantly fluctuate due to all kinds of things.  It is also important to pick a common time and stick with it.  So for example I have decided that Friday mornings before I get dressed for work is the perfect time for me to step on the scale and get an update on my weight-loss progress.  This way I am able to use a common point to monitor my progress.