BF Top 5: Best Holiday Gifts to Give Yourself and Your Health

~~posted by Jen

Well it's Black Friday weekend and everyone is rushing around like maniacs, fighting the crowds to find bargains, eating Thanksgiving leftovers, and starting the holiday frenzy of decorating and entertaining. You probably bought a few gifts yesterday, I'm guessing? But for everyone else BUT yourself, am I right?

I thought so! That's why our first Holiday Gift Giving Top 5 is all about YOU. The Top 5 Best Holiday Gifts to Give Yourself and Your Health. That means both physical and mental well-being. If you aren't treating yourself well, you don't have anything left when it comes time to give of yourself to others. So you have to keep your own personal supply of "me time" in check and make sure you are taking care of YOU. That's a hard thing for us to learn as post-op Weight Loss Surgery patients.

The majority of WLS'er that I know got to be Morbidly Obese by putting themselves after every one else on the list. I am guilty of that very thing myself. It is a hard habit to break, but we must all do our best to be our best, and that means treating our own selves as well as we treat everyone else. Here's a good way to start, do something nice for YOU this holiday season!

In no particular order, I present you with:

 Bariatric Foodie's Top 5 Holiday Gifts: Best Gifts For Yourself and Your Health

 #1 Go Wear Fit  If you were following Nik's "BurnQuest" on Facebook Thanksgiving Day, this is how she knew when she got to 2800 calories burned. It is the perfect companion for keeping up with how many calories you are burning in a day, how many steps you take, plus it has awesome software so you can keep up with trends and even run reports. It tracks your activity, your sleep, and lots of other cool stuff.  For those like me who don't do very much "planned exercise" it's nice to see how many steps I take in a day and know I am still burning lots more calories than I take in, even without going to the gym.

Now, I am not promoting skipping the gym, but I am not gonna lie and tell y'all I go when I don't. I'm much happier dancing around my living room like a maniac with Wii Just Dance or Wii Just Dance 2 and it burns just as many calories as being bored out of my mind on the treadmill or elliptical and I can stay in my pj's.

#2 Xbox 360 Kinect is the latest in cool interactive home gaming technology. My friend Tony H (of getting me hooked on Raving Rabbids fame) says I will absolutely LOVE this, especially as much as I already enjoy my Wii. We're definitely considering one of these as a "family" gift since our living room on the second floor has the Wii, we could put this one in the family room on the first floor. Yes, apparently we do need gaming systems on all 3 floors of our home, or so the boys seem to think!

The neatest thing about this in my opinion is that it's wireless. It detects your motion and reacts accordingly, like the Wii does, but all without having to hold a controller. That alone makes it worth it to me! Nothing scarier than being the one whose wrist strap comes loose and sends the Wii controller flying straight at the 50 inch plasma tv. Yes, people, I am THAT graceful.


#3 A new laptop is definitely on my personal gift list for me this year. I have always been a PC girl, but more and more I thinking about taking a walk on the wild side and trying a MacBook. I'm still in the deciding phase, but given some of the reviews, a Mac may be in my future.

If it doesn't come in pink, that could potentially be a deal breaker for me. Especially since my I-pod, current laptop, cell phone, and most of my other accessories are pink. Yes, it is a sickness, thanks for noticing.

#4 A Flip HD Mini Cam Corder is a great way to document your weight loss journey, along with other random funny moments in your life. When I first had surgery, I took videos of myself each week and emailed them to my parents so they could follow my progress. It was nice, because even from 1300 miles away, they felt like they were right there with me every step of the way.

This is also a neat thing to have handy if you have kids or pets, you never know when a random funny moment you want to remember will crop up, and it's perfect to be able to save that in time. I recorded my 81 year-old father-in-law ("Pop" as I usually refer to him) telling lots of the stories from his youth and burned them to DVD so they will live on in his own words long after he is gone. I wish they'd had this when my grandparents were still with us.

#5 Ipod Touch is hands down the portable gadget that I pink puffy sparkly heart the most. It's so convenient to surf the net, play games, check out what's happening on FaceBook (yes, you can harvest your crops in FarmVille, thankyouverymuch), and have all your favorite tunes all right in your pocket.

I love love love LOVE, (have I mentioned LOVE?) mine and never leave home without it. Best thing ever when you're waiting at a doctor's office or restaurant and need something fun to do. Tons of cool free apps and games, whether your thing is Top Chef or The Real Housewives, there is an app for pretty much anything! I am learning to make sushi from an app on my Ipod!


And there you have it! Now do something nice and treat YOURSELF this holiday season! Happy Holidays!

Hot Protein Drink: Nik's "Samoa" Hot Chocolate

~~posted by Jen

Our Poucher Pal Kris H.was chatting with me on Facebook the other night while enjoying Nik's Thin Mint Hot Protein drink, and mentioned she'd love to have a "Samoa" version. I told her then that Nik is the Queen of Protein Drinks, as y'all know, and I'd be willing to bet she had one or could come up with one pretty quick. 

Sure enough, we were having our weekly phone "staff meeting" tonight and she gave me the recipe for it to share with all of you. I just made myself one, and I can attest to the deliciousness of it! Without further ado, I give you Nik's "Samoa" Protein Hot Chocolate!

Here's how it's done:

Nik's "Samoa" Protein Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients:
8 oz milk
1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder (I used Body Fortress)
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 pumps (tablespoons) Davinci Coconut SF Syrup
2 pumps (tablespoons) Davinci Caramel SF Syrup
No-calorie sweetener to taste (I use Splenda)

Directions:
Pour milk into your blender cup first, then add protein powder, cocoa powder, sweetener, and syrups. Whiz it together in the blender, remove blade, and microwave for 35 seconds. Remove from microwave, stir, and check taste/temperature. Adjust sweetness to your taste, then pour mixture into a microwave safe mug, and microwave mixture for another 35 to 45 seconds or until desired temperature. 


Trust me when I tell you, one sip of this baby and you'll be asking for "Samoa!" 

Dessert Week Offering # 8: Jen's Daybreak Protein Parfait

~~posted by Jen

Call it dessert, call it breakfast, I just call it SCRUMPTIOUS!

Happy Black Friday! For those of you who were up and waiting in line at 3 am, bless your hearts! I might be awake at 3 am, but there is NO WAY IN HELL I am getting out of my warm bed to brave the cold, crowds, and craziness that make up Black Friday in Jersey. There have been several near-deaths in the past couple of years here, seriously!

I slept right through this, even though most of y'all were somewhere waiting in line and got to see it first hand.

I did find this great article on Yahoo Finance, "Seven Black Friday Deals Worth Buying Now" so I thought I'd share it with y'all. As for me, I'm doing a very very VERY scaled down Christmas this year (nieces and nephews, if you're reading this, Aunt Jenny is b-r-o-k-e BROKE this year. Sorry!) so my shopping will be quite limited.

I'm scoping out some good online deals and will share a Top 5 with y'all later this weekend. In the meantime, I made dessert for breakfast and wanted to tell you all about it! This works for newbies cleared for purees right up through all the other stages. It's quick, easy, and delicious. Best of all, lots of protein and yumminess all rolled into one dish!

Here's how it's done:

Jen's Daybreak Protein Parfait


Ingredients:
1 Atkins Daybreak Protein Bar (I used Fruit Crumble flavor)
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup Sugar Free Preserves (strawberry or raspberry) OR if you're further out, fresh fruit of your choice (I used strawberries)
1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
3 packets Splenda (adjust to your sweetness preference)
2 pumps (tablespoons) Davinci Sugar Free Raspberry syrup
2 tbsp Fit 'N Active low sugar granola or Kashi Go Lean Cereal(optional--for garnish and some crunch)


Directions:
Chop the protein bar into pieces in your mini chopper. In a mixing bowl, whisk the protein powder into the Greek yogurt until thoroughly combined and mixture is smooth. Add the fruit/preserves, Splenda, and Raspberry Syrup then whisk again, mixing well. ****NOTE: If you're using the preserves instead of the fruit, you may not need the Splenda or Davinci for extra sweetness. If mixture seems too thick, add a small splash of milk to thin it out, based on how thick you prefer your yogurt.****


Layer the protein bar crumbles, and Greek yogurt mixture in a parfait glass, then top with the granola. Continue layering until the glass is full or you run out of components, whichever happens first. This was a perfect sized meal for me at over 2 years out, your mileage may vary. For earlier outs, I would say halve this recipe and omit the granola if you aren't cleared for it yet.


This is a light and delicious sweet start (or ending) to a hectic day. You'll need a protein boost to prepare for all that shopping! Enjoy!

Score! Wegman's has these single serve Brown Cow plain Greek yogurt for 99 cents! Perfect size for parfaits.

What Jen is Thankful for...

I don't even know where to begin counting my blessings, they are so abundant. I am thankful for reasonably good health, this has been a challenging year but I think everything is finally figured out and under control. At least it seems that way for the time being. I'm looking forward to going back to work in December and thankful that I have a job to go back to.

I'm thankful not to be 495 lbs anymore!

I'm thankful for my family, both the blood relatives, and those, like Nik and the divas, from "other Mothers." It's especially nice to know that no matter how far away I am from my real family, I am always surrounded by great friends who create a very special "family" all our own.

with my niece Karlee last summer

With my great-nephews Tyson and Trayden, or as their Momma calls them "TNT" (pun intended!)

with my Daddy last summer.

I am definitely thankful for my besties: Tina, Kathy, and the two Liz'es, plus my "Momma Peg" who adopted me as her "white chile" (as she calls me) about 20 years ago when I needed it the most. You girls keep me going when no one else can, and I know I can always count on you no matter what. Love Love Love you all!

My "Momma Peg" and my BFF Tina

I'm thankful  for my dogs, the two poodles Zeus and Mickey who actually are mine, and the two pitbulls Maya and Finn that have adopted me as their "person" too. There's no love quite like that of a dog, and these 2 boys and 2 girls always know when I need love the most.

I'm thankful for our military men and women and their families who sacrifice every day in countless ways to protect our freedom and way of life. Freedom isn't free, and that is a fact we should never take for granted.

God Bless America!

This may sound corny, but I am thankful to be financially independent and not have to rely on anyone else to support me or pay my bills. Like the song says, "I depend on me." Even though it is kind of scary (and occasionally precarious), it makes me feel good to know that I can and I am handling my own "bidness." It kinda sucks to be in the midst of divorce number two, but at least I am finding myself in all this mess and learning to put my needs ahead of the rest of the free world's. Definitely uncharted territory, but I'm glad to be here to explore it.

I'm very thankful for all of my friends in the WLS community, those I consider my friends are entirely too numerous to list here, but there are a few I wanted to single out as they have been there from day one of my journey and always given of themselves to help me on my path.

A heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart goes out to the following amazing WLS'ers:  Shari (Jupiter6 on OH) for her guidance, help, and occasional smacks with a clue-by-four as needed over the years. Tara (Tara K on OH) for her amazingly creative Crunchy Granola-ness and for always inspiring me to try harder.  Pam (Pam T on OH) for her tireless Googling and amazing research, not to mention her kickass graphic design work. Tony (Tony H on OH) for getting me addicted to Raving Rabbids and being his usual funny and hawt self.

Beth (Melting Mama.net) for just being the kind of take-no-prisoners, sarcastic, bed-jumping, cupcake eating, totally bad ASS, and hilariously in-your-face realistic friend that we all need at least a few of. Andrea (Andrea U on OH) for the absolute awesomeness she continues to share on vitamins and deficiency, and for being the voice of reason and knowledge in a very crazy post-op world. I would be dead somewhere right now if not for her and Shari, that is a no-shizzer. And of course, this list would not be complete without Carrie (RIWeasel on OH) for her stabbiness, and for making me laugh every damn day. I love that crazy girl to pieces.

Those are the select few who have been along for the ride this whole time, the rest of you certainly know who you are (Jaime, Ruth, Dee, Deb, Mandy, Angie, Crystal, Kris, I could go on and on and on)! Please don't be offended if you weren't mentioned by name, there is simply not enough space here to name every single person on this journey along with me for whom I am thankful. Thank you each and every one for your friendship, help, and support over the years. I'd never make it through this thing without all of you.

Last, and absolutely not at all least, I am thankful for Nik and the divas. Nik is an amazing friend and business partner, the perfect yin to my yang. She inspires me all the time, and we're like the perfectly matching opposite sides of the same coin. It's funny, but I would not want to even begin to try this with anyone else but her. She's the peanut butter to my jelly! Even though on occasion we work each other's nerves, we love each other enough to say so and get over it. That kind of friendship and business relationship is a rare gift indeed.

Partners in crime! Nik and Jen Summer 2009

The divas are a law unto themselves, they always make me laugh when I need it the most, and I love them as much as if they were my "real" nieces. Some of the things they come out with, I swear, are just damned hilarious. I would snap them up and bring them home with me in a cocaine heartbeat, but their Momma might not be too cool with that. At least not permanently! (On second thought, they are about to hit teens here soon, she may just pack them up and ship them to me!)

The Divas with my boy Zeus

Thank you all for everything, here's wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and blessed holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving!

What Nik is thankful for...

Usually, I'm not into compilation lists of thankfulness. Mostly because I try to give thanks every day. But Thanksgiving is an opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture and I am learning to embrace that (or just get over myself). I thought I'd share with you just a few things I am thankful for this year. And this is me...so it's going to be a list of course!

#1...First and foremost, I am thankful that I am not THIS girl anymore

While this girl was nice and smart and funny...she didn't know it. And she didn't find herself worth the exploration to discover it. I remember her everyday and can only say that I recognize that she was doing the best she could with what she had to work with. But I am so thankful that I took this step to reclaim myself. Three years after surgery, the ultimate result, to me, cannot be measured simply in pounds lost. I often say I lost the weight but regained myself. That's sorta true. There wasn't much of a self in that girl. She barely knew who she was. Now, I still don't know the complete person...but I'm getting to know her and so for I like!

#2 - I am thankful for my divas

I quote them (and their antics) a lot. These two little women are my heart and soul. They challenge me (especially as le grande diva approaches adolescence). They make me think. They wipe my tears when I cry and bring me soup when I am sick. We are a single parent headed family so many times I don't have the patience that their friend's mom's (all of whom are married) have but I do love them fiercely.

#3 - I am thankful for my mother

She's struggling with some issues of her own right now but she's always been a symbol of strength for me. She has come through so much in life and is still standing. I know she'll come through her current trials. To me, she is a goddess and I love her!

#4 -  I am thankful for Goodwill

That would be me...for those of you not familiar!

And my imaginary friend Mischa...did I ever tell you about her? She is this fabulous girl who is exactly my size with impeccable taste. She is so fabulously fabulous that she changes her wardrobe every few weeks. But that's ok...because her trash is my treasure!

#5 - I am grateful to be a GUEST at Thanksgiving dinner this year

Last year I kinda delegated the collard green cleaning responsibilities...

Historically, I am the collard greens maker in the family. It's a tiring process. Yes, I know you can buy collards already picked and cut, but in years past we invited absolutely everyone to Thanksgiving and we made in excess of 30 lbs. of collards. Buying that many pre-cut is expensive. So my mom would haul crates of collards home and I would spend hours cleaning them (and cursing them). This year, my cousins are hosting and I am showing up...I'll eat my collards happily, knowing someone else did the work this year!

#6 - I am thankful for Jen...and all my friends

Jen and La Grande Diva within the hallowed walls of P.F. Chang's.

She is going to MURDER me for posting an unauthorized picture of her. Just remember me fondly peeps. I am so thankful the day I met her. Bariatric Foodie existed before we met, but Jen has taken this thing to a whole other level. Her Southern recipes (although, as she points out, technically Maryland is the south too...although it doesn't feel like it most of the time...), her no-nonsense approach to life and her absolute unwillingness to use anything but real butter! (I can't say I blame her on that one) I love her to pieces and thank God for her every day!

A few other special shout-outs: to the de-facto Pouch Party™ graphic designer, Pam, THANK YOU!!! You are my friend and sister and I love you! To my bestie, Lee, I adore you and thank GOD for the day you came to support group. A special shout-out to all my family on the OH RNY board and all of the Facebook fans! I appreciate you!

#7 - Last, but certainly not least...I am thankful for all of YOU!

This is me and Melting Mama at OH Conference in October 2009...who better represents the WLS "Everyman" than her? :) Love ya Beth!

Not just for reading this blog or coming to Pouch Parties™, but also for the encouragement you give me. I am not a guru. I am not an expert in anything. I learn from you and others, and I try to share neat things I come across. That's all. So thank you for giving me advice, giving me recipes, smacking me upside the head, lifting me up, occasionally deflating my ego and not laughing too hard when pictures of me on a mechanical bull surface on the internet.