Nik's Hunger Games - Day Four

I may sound like a broken record but so what...I AM SO GLAD THIS IS OVER TOMORROW!!!

But I am also SO glad I did it.

Here's yesterday's report. Tonight I will go through some of the things I have learned about my long-term post-op eating from doing this challenge. I've gained a lot of insight.

Also, I wanted to share a neat game I found. It gives you a glimpse of the tough choices you have to make when you are one of America's urban poor. Check it out. After you've played post what day you made it to. I suck. I only made it 8 days. Boo.

Teddi's Taco Soup

I am so behind on reader submissions! But I hope to get to some this week and next, so stay tuned!

This one comes from Teddi, who sent me a bunch of recipes. Out of fairness, I had to pick one and go with it. I chose her taco soup. I have an affection for tacos, as evidenced by my undying love for taco casserole!

Here's how Teddi soothes her craving for tacos.

Teddi's Taco Soup

1 lb of beef or boneless chicken
½ c. chopped onion
28 oz. can diced tomatoes w/liquid
1-2 pkg taco seasoning
3-4 oz. can diced green chilis
4 c. chicken or beef broth
4 c. water
14 oz. can black beans drained & rinsed
17 oz. can corn drained & rinsed
Grated Cheese
Tortilla or corn chips

Directions:

Combine meat, onion, tomatoes, taco seasoning, green chili, broth and water in crockpot. Let cook on low overnight.

Shred the meat when stirring the next morning. Continue cooking on low stirring occasionally.

Two hours before serving add black beans and corn. Add additional liquid if needed.
Serve topped with grated cheese and crushed chips.

And because Teddi is nice (and not a mean old grinch like me) she's figured up her stats on this recipe:

Make 15 cups
Nutrition (approx)
Serving size: 1 cup (8oz) without cheese and chips
Calories: 118
Fat: 5.5
Carbohydrates: 9.2
Protein: 8

Serving size: 1 cup (8oz) with 1 oz Mexican blend cheese but no chips
Calories: 218
Fat: 13.5
Carbohydrates: 10.2
Protein: 14

This looks completely nominous. And I'm not just saying that because I am calorie deprived this week!

Nik's Hunger Games - Day Three

Obligatory disclaimer: This week, in an attempt to get a glimpse of the day-to-day lives of the world's poorest people, I have committed to setting my food budget for five consecutive days at $1.50 a day. I am four years post-op and have sufficient body fat to do this. I consulted my physician who, while not totally thrilled, is supportive. Do not try something like this without first consulting your medical team and DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU ARE LESS THAN A YEAR POST-OP. K?


I won't bore you with the details of my plan today. It's basically just shuffling around the stuff I've already been eating. I did manage to work a 1/2 c. of chickpeas into my dinner plan which will help boost my calories.

Here's my Day Two report:




Yes, I do look a hot mess...thank you for noticing :)

Is it wrong that I am ECSTATIC to see the end of this in sight? I mean I have learned a lot, not the least of which being that I love food! I love cooking it and I love eating it! I don't find any shame in that.

I have a Foodie recipe submission that I was supposed to post eons ago lined up for this evening, so keep a lookout for that and of course I'll report on day three tomorrow!

I'm a Bariatric Foodie and...

I am also a WLS experience blogger! My name is Robyn.

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery in December 2011 and have lost more than 100 lbs so far.

My blog, My Journey to Fit and Fabulous, focuses on my experience from pre-op (deciding to begin the pre-op program) all the way through to my current life as a post op patient.

As it occurs, I talk about my struggles and successes, physical changes, mental changes, family  relationship quirks, and amusing things that I would have never experienced if I had not had RNY. There’s always something happening to write about.

I started the blog as just a place for me to get things out of my head. No one close to me had WLS before, so I was somewhat on my own trying to get my head around my new life. Since then, some people have
stumbled across my blog and seem to enjoy it. I enjoy knowing that people find what I write to be real, relatable, and helpful.

Here’s my advice if you’d also like to be a WLS experience blogger. Be truthful to your audience! Some parts of post-op life, especially early on, aren’t so pleasant. But sugar-coating things so as not to scare off potential WLSers does a disservice to them and to your experience.

So if you are pre-op and looking for an open account of the post-op life or if you're a post-op looking to relate, check out my blog! 

Are YOU a "Bariatric Foodie and..." If you're doing something unique or fun to make your post-op life work, share it with your fellow Foodies by emailing your story to bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com.

Nik's Hunger Games - Day Two

Obligatory disclaimer: This week, in an attempt to get a glimpse of the day-to-day lives of the world's poorest people, I have committed to setting my food budget for five consecutive days at $1.50 a day. I am four years post-op and have sufficient body fat to do this. I consulted my physician who, while not totally thrilled, is supportive. Do not try something like this without first consulting your medical team and DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU ARE LESS THAN A YEAR POST-OP. K?

Look at my face in the screenshot of this video of my day one report. That is pertinent. Calories mean something! They are not evil nemeses waiting to convert into fat and make you miserable. They are units of energy that keep you going! 

After just one day of my eating challenge I am FEELING the effects of a reduced caloric intake. For newbies this is not unlike when you first had surgery and felt like a walking corpse. It takes your body a little while to get the memo that you need to burn fat for energy because of a lack of calories. I await that glorious realization because being tired is SO not my style!

Today's plan is a bit more forgiving though. I sat at my dining room table last night (fighting the urge to go into the kitchen and raid the fridge cuz...after all...I live alone for the summer...nobody would know...but I did not do it! I'm proud of myself!) and figured out a way to have three meals today. They aren't very exciting and not very different from yesterday, but here goes:

Breakfast: 1/2 c. curried lentils (.225 cents) + 1 egg made as an egg pancake (sort of like how I make it for my "eggchilada") (20 cents) =  42 cents 

Lunch: 1 c. curried lentils (with the modifications I discussed yesterday) + 1/2 c. cauliflower rice (70 cents)

Dinner: same as breakfast EXCEPT with 1/3 c. curried lentils instead of 1/2 (35 cents)

Total tally: $1.47

You all don't know how giddy I am about getting THREE meals. Eating breakfast made a real difference.

All this comes to a whopping (wait for it...395 calories and 31g of protein!!!). Two things:

• I can't stress this enough. I am NOT doing this for weight loss but to experience the plight of the world's most poor. Weight loss is not a goal of this exercise. If I should happen to lose any weight I am sure I'll promptly gain it back at the meal I plan to have on Saturday, which is the ONLY thing keeping me sane right now. :)
• Having said all that, I am sorta impressed that I managed to get that much protein in. But in the same token I feel sad that people in developing countries often don't have the choices I do. In Africa, a drought rages in both the east and the west. People there live on crops they grow. No rain = no crops. So no lentils for them. It's a sobering thought and one that keeps me from complaining about my lentils!

Anyhoo...later on we're going to take a break from this crazy experiment with another installment of "I'm a Bariatric Foodie and..." Won't that be fun?