From the Foodie Files: Sensible Protein Shake Swaps!

One of my biggest crimes as the write of this blog is assuming you all have read this blog as long as I’ve written it. Not true!

So many of you don’t know that I used to be something of a calorie zealot. This blog fed into that big time as I sought ways to make yummy food for the least amount of calories, but the most protein, possible.

To that end I have all these random bits of information stored up in my head that lately I’ve been trying to organize into things that might be helpful to all of you.

Today’s topic: Shake additives! Now you all who have The Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes know that there are several different kinds of additives you can use to enhance your shakes. And you also know my additive rules. In keeping with those rules, here are three easy swaps you can make to your shake additives to save a few calories, maybe add some protein or subtract some carbs!

#1: DO USE sugar-free banana pudding, DO NOT USE bananas!

I’ll disclaimer that. If you are a tri-athlete, a marathon runner, weight lifter or generally do super strenuous workouts OR if you have low potassium and have been advised to eat bananas, go for it. Throw one in your shake and don’t look back!

The rest of us have to tread carefully because they can be a carb BOMB! I see lots of folks throwing whole bananas in their shakes. And it’s not a bad thing, per se. Especially if you want to go all-natural. BUT if you are looking to save a few calories but still want your banana flavor, consider banana pudding. Check out the “comps.”

Small banana: 90 calories, 23g carbs, 12g sugar, 1g protein

Sugar-free banana pudding mix (1 tbsp): 25 calories, 6g carbs, 0g protein

So either way this additive isn’t giving you a lot of protein. So better yet, just use a banana flavored protein and cut the middle man out altogether! But if you don't have that, certainly do NOT accept all those extra calories and carbs to get your banana on!

#2: DO USE Powdered peanuts, DO NOT USE peanut butter

Long-time readers know my love affair with peanut butter. But alas it’s not going in my shake! Why? Well, I hear many of YOU say, when you put it in your shakes, “it’s a good source of protein!” That’s sorta true. Peanut butter is primarily a source of FAT that has a good amount of protein in it. That’s a bit different.

Instead I use PB2, or powdered peanuts. It’s what happens when you steamroll a bunch of peanuts to make peanut oil. You’re left with this beautiful powder that tastes like peanut butter for a fraction of the calories. Check out the comps!

Peanut butter (2 tbsp.): 190 calories, 17g fat, 7g protein

PB2 (2 tbsp.): 45 calories, 1.5g fat, 5g protein

I mean, c’mon! It’s a no-brainer! For the record, I use PB2 a lot in things like protein oatmeal and in yogurt BUT when I want an actual nut butter, I go for the real thing and here are my top picks for peanut butter! 

PB2 is showing up in many Wal-Marts and grocery stores. Look for it where you would normally find peanut butter OR you can order it online! To be fair, you can also just use a peanut butter flavored protein powder and that'd save you a lot of calories too!

#3 DO USE Low-fat cream cheese, DO NOT USE Sugar-Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix

Now this one isn’t so great a difference that using the latter is going to mess up anything. In fact, I discovered this quite by accident one day. But many of you love cheesecake shakes. And cheesecake yogurt. And many of you make these thing using sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix.

The interesting thing about this swap is that my suggested swap has 10 MORE calories than the thing I say not to use BUT it has less carbs. And, in my opinion, it yields something that tastes like REAL cheesecake. I’m sorry Jell-O. Despite your best efforts your mix doesn’t taste like cheesecake to me, but then I am a connoisseur. Anyway, here are the comps:

Cheesecake Pudding Mix (1 tbsp): 25 calories, 6g carbs, 0g protein

Low-fat (Neufchatel) Cream Cheese (1 tbsp): 35 calories, 0.5g carbs, 1g protein

So for your extra 10 calories you’ve gotten rid of 5.5g carbs and picked up a gram of protein and (just to sound like a broken record) you’ve also picked up authenticity! And if you pair it with ingredients that mimic those in cheesecake, like unflavored Greek yogurt (which mimics the taste of the sour cream used in traditional cheesecake), it gets even yummier. In fact, check out this recipe!

So there you have it. Three sensible shake swaps that will keep your shakes yummy AND beneficial. Do you have any good swaps that you use? Share them in the comments! And, as always, PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

Nik Loves Egg Burgers!!!

After my multiple mentions about them in my WLSFA Meet & Greet recaps...(read parts one and two to catch up if you need to), you all HAD to know I was gonna make an egg burger!

I had two varieties in Vegas. The first was a turkey burger with cheese, turkey bacon and an egg. It was good. But here's the thing. I don't delude myself. Turkey bacon, while a reputable breakfast meat, is not "bacon" bacon. I don't expect it to be and therefore am not disappointed that it's not. And I think with this particular thing I needed "bacon" bacon.

So then I went to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, "Burgr" and had an egg burger made from beef with cheese and something called "duck breast bacon" which was actually pretty good. Duck is fairly high in fat so I guess it makes good bacon? I dunno. It was yummy.

For my at-home version, however, I decided to forgo the bacon (I know, a travesty!) and focus on other things. I had a taste for onions, ya see. So I sliced one up, caramelized half and pan fried the other half to be the bed for this burger.

Seriously? Pan frying onions is so easy and tasty! If you love onion rings, you'll love these. Put a little pat of butter in a pan and let it melt down. Reduce your heat to medium and throw the onions in there and then...walk away. In about 10 minutes they'll be all crispy (and some burnt if you don't watch them, but I actually like that) and with a little dash of salt they taste JUST LIKE ONION RINGS without the breading!

Anyhoo, so this is a lowfat turkey burger, a slice of good ol' American Cheese and, of course, my lil' egg on top. No bun. Don't need it!

S'anyway, I fixed up my little plate above, sat down and...

Ok, in the interest of full disclosure, if you're using commercial turkey burger patties, especially low-fat ones, you're gonna need a knife. So I got up and got a knife, sat back down, cut into that bad boy and...it was absolutely everything. The savory burger, the cheese, the egg yolk drizzling down over the pan-fried onions. It was like steak and frites and onion rings and breakfast and a whole TROTH of good food memories rolled into one.

I haven't been so satisfied since...well, yeah. Anyway.

The love continues...

BF Basics: The Weight Loss Numbers Game

Obligatory Disclaimer: The views expressed in this BF Basics post are OPINIONS of Bariatric Foodie blogger, Nikki Massie. This post should NOT be taken in place of medical advice. If you have concerns about your weight, weight loss or understanding any of the numbers outlined in this BF Basics series please consult your bariatric surgeon's office or primary care physician. Ok...now carry on!

Your weight on the scale. The body mass index. Percentage excess weight lost.

What the HELL do all these numbers mean?

Never fear, BF is here! I’m going to break down each of these numbers, how they can be tools in your weight loss journey and why none of them should be the sole narrator of your success story.

Ready? Let’s go!

Your Weight on the Scale

What is it? It seems very obvious to most of us that the weight on the scale is how much we weigh, right? But for us there’s just a liiiiiittle bit more going on there. You see, when we get on the scale, somehow we (erroneously) think that we should compare ourselves to a person who has never been obese before. So when we see a higher number, we go through a chain of thinking that can go like this:

“Yowza! I weigh a lot!”  > “In fact, I weigh too much!” > “I must not be a success after all! I need to lose more weight!” > (Insert whatever you do when you freak out)

Yeah. That’s stinkin’ thinking. Stop that.

In reality there are several key ways we are different, namely:

• Your bones, from carrying around an obese OR morbidly obese person for so long, may be denser than a person who has never been overweight or obese. In short, you might actually be “big boned.”
• Unless you are made completely of rubber, massive weight loss probably resulted in some excess skin. This skin weighs something and it’s going to show up on the scale.
• If you are working out, there are a bunch of biological processes that can cause scale wonkiness. After workouts your body can retain fluids. It also saves fluids to metabolize the carbohydrates that your body needed to survive the workout. And of course there’s the matter of muscle. While it is NOT true that muscle weighs more than fat (a pound is a  pound is a pound), it IS true that muscle is more compact than fat, meaning in a given space you can fit more muscle than fat. So if you have a high muscle mass you may stay on the top of the weight curve. 

All this is to say that the number on the scale, while helpful, only presents a partial picture. Here’s what I think the scale is good for (take this with a grain of salt!):

• Differentials: "I used to weigh this and now I weigh this." This can go in both directions. Most post-ops have a "buffer zone" of how much the scale can go UP before they freak out. 
• Trends: If you pay attention you probably have a weight loss trend. Maybe you lose only a few pounds in the first week of the month, stall for two weeks and then lose a big amount that fourth week. Or maybe (ladies) there are certain times of the month when you tend to "regain" a few pounds of water. The scale can show you these trends and put your mind at ease. It is my belief that knowing these trends would SIGNIFICANTLY cut down on stall freak-out posts on the internet. Just sayin'.

The Body Mass Index

So if you want to read all about the history, in's and out's of the body mass index, you can click here. 

The simplified version is this. It's a calculation that is based on your weight divided by your height (there's a bit more to it but let's not muddle things). Based on that information you are given one of a few categories for your weight:

• Underweight (>17.5)
• Normal (17.5 - 24.9)
• Overweight (25 - 39.9)
• Obese (30 - 40)
• Morbidly Obese (40+)

So, you hear a lot that the BMI is flawed. But why? Here's my opinion.

• The same way the scale can't factor in skin and heavy bones, the BMI also cannot
• The BMI also doesn't account for muscle mass. If you are 5'5 and weigh 200 lbs. and are ripped, the BMI still assigns you a score of 33, which is still going to be considered obese. Which to said ripped person would probably seem laughable.
• On a personal level, I think when your fitness and body size say healthy and your BMI says obese it messes with your head.

Given this information, what exactly is the BMI good for?

• Showing you that you, as a 6'2 person are not meant to weigh the same thing as the 5'5 person over there. You are different and the BMI highlights that.
• This system works better (not perfectly, but better) in my opinion in measuring the severity of obesity and morbid obesity. The higher the number, the more disproportionate your weight is to your height and we know for a fact that's not healthy. 

Excess Body Weight Lost

Of all these numbers, I think this one has the most potential to show us our true progress. This is a number many surgeons use to determine if your weight loss is on track. Essentially this number is how much of the overall weight you needed to lose, that you've lost (I re-wrote that sentence three times and that's about as clear as I can get it!). So if you had 100 lbs. to lose and you lost 50, you've lost 50% of your excess body weight. Got it?

If you've never figured this number out, it's pretty simple, although it involves a few steps. Here's how you do it. 

• Subtract your starting weight from your goal weight (whatever that is, wherever it came from)
• The resulting number is your excess body weight that you need to lose.
• Now, go to this website. It's a percentage calculator. Go to the second row. In the first box, plug in how much weight you have lost so far. In the second box, plug in your total excess body weight. Then click "calculate." 
• The result will by your excess body weight lost. Trust me, you're going to have a moment. Have a box of Kleenex ready. (Psst..after you are done calculating, leave YOUR percentage in the comments so we can do the happy dance together!)

Many weight loss surgery patients lose 100% of their excess body weight but studies show us that 50 - 70% is more common, with around 50-60% in long-term maintenance. But still. This number is a good one because it only compares you to you! Where you came from. Where you are now. Nothing else. 

So these numbers can work together to help you along your journey. Here's how:

• The number on the scale can show you trends and warn you when something isn't going right (excessively slow weight loss, regain, etc.). In those instances, you need to call your surgeon's office. There is nothing I or any other post-op can really do that will effectively help. 
• The Body Mass Index can help you put your weight in perspective. Even though I am against comparing yourself to others, if you must, ALWAYS ask a person how tall they are. That factors into what they should weigh vs. what you should weigh. It keeps your head on straight. Because we do wonky things when our heads are not on straight.
• The Excess Body Weight Lost is a good indicator of how far you've come from your highest weight. It's also the number that's going to make you feel best about yourself. And if experience is any indicator, we tend to win when we feel we are winning. So pay attention to the winning number!

I hope this brief tutorial has given you all some insight. The numbers can drive you crazy (if you let them). But they can also be tools that propel you to phenomenal success!

#WLSFA Meet & Greet Recap (Part Two)

I’m late as all get out! I could give you some spiel about life being busy but…what does it matter? Here we are and I am late!

So where did I leave off?

Oh yes, at the lunch. So after hearing Dr. Garth speak I returned to the Quest exhibition table for a few hours. We completely “sold out” (gave out?) of bars! Woot! From there I headed to my room to get ready for the “Let Your Star Shine” gala.

I had a sense that folks were really going to get dolled up for this event. Here’s what I wore:

Everyone looked so lovely! It was like bariatric prom. By this point, sadly, I’d developed an inherent mistrust of the WLSFA’s food offerings (half-meals devoid of protein and laden with bread = grumpy Nikki) so I had dinner beforehand at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant, Burgr, which is inside the Planet Hollywood hotel.

And, yes Foodies, I ate another egg burger! I get latched onto an idea and I just go with it. I’m committed like that! This time it was a beef burger (miracle upon miracles it sat right!) with duck breast bacon (I didn’t ask, they didn’t tell), cheese and a fried egg. I ate it sans the bun which STILL didn’t make it healthy but it was darn tasty! Thankfully Gordon doesn’t believe in side orders with burgers so I didn’t have to deal with fries all up in my face (and truth be told if he’d given me fries I would have eaten some).

So back to the gala. The light fare was of the raw veggies and bread variety but this time I wasn’t so affronted. Preparation is key in those types of situations. I did opt to have a glass of wine from the cash bar. And yes, you can write a book on post-op alcohol consumption but my reality is this: I am five years post-op and alcohol is NOT my addiction. Believe me I’ve battled transfer addictions but alcohol has not been one so far. If that ever changes you all have my full permission to do an intervention.

After we took pictures of ourselves looking too cute for words, we all took a seat and there were some awards given. One was for the 2013 “Bari-athlete” of the year. I thought that was inspiring. Then there were a few others, although for the life of me I cannot remember what they were. Then there was a cute, although slightly campy, competition for king and queen of the gala.

I took a pic with the king:

After all that, they accepted donations from groups. There were several groups that gave donations, including the Bariatric Bad Girls Club. Since the closing of the event, however, the donation by the BBGC has been returned and the group leader has been banned from future festivities. It’s not apparent to me why any of this happened (or why it happened so publicly) and I don't have enough information to say much more than that without inserting my personal opinion. And I don't want to do that because in THIS space, I represent you, the Foodie Nation. And the Foodie Nation, as of this point, has no opinion.

So I'll just say this: I hope whatever takes place from this point forward supports people in their efforts to get weight loss surgeries. Because that's what's important. That people have the opportunity to take this life-changing journey. And I may be being presumptuous but I think I speak on behalf of the Foodie Nation by saying that sentiment is something BF does support. But anyway, I digress.

The most inspiring part of the night was the keynote speaker: Carnie Wilson!

"Yes, Carnie, the Foodie Nation IS as awesome as you've heard!"

So I could tell I’d like Carnie as soon as she stepped up on stage and promptly deemed her high heel shoes too uncomfortable and took them off! Seriously. I think she’s got some Baltimore up in her.

Anyhoo, she talked for about an hour and went through her entire journey: from being a kid “fixated on sugar” to worrying for her health. If memory serves me correctly she shared it was her then future husband who suggested weight loss surgery (and further weight loss surgery in front of the whole world), thinking it’d not only save her life but many others.

She also shared about the wonders of post-op life we all know so well. And about the fear and shame associated with regain. And of course she talked about the decision to have band-over-bypass and how she was treated as a result of the decision.

Three words. She. Was. Awesome.

It’s inspiring to me to hear how this is a journey. You aren’t just “finished” at the end of your magic window. Life can happen. And there’s hope for you if it does.

So after the event I (eventually) made my way up to Carnie. But first I got distracted by the Cupid Shuffle. It’s like a compulsion. The song starts and I must dance! But when I did get to speak with her, I told her I admired her bravery and what she was doing for herself and her family. I buried Mama Foodie last year because she could not bring herself to do what Carnie Wilson did: admit she needed help.

And of course this made us both cry. She looks better crying than I do. That is all.

So that evening came and went and the next morning was the end of the event. Breakfast was quiche and, for once, I was pleasantly surprised by the fare. Quiche and fruit. Now THIS is how they should have approached every meal. But alas.

There were raffles for prizes. I didn’t win anything. And then we all said goodbye. Well, most of us at least. Some of us were hanging around another day or two.

The next day my best friend and I set out to get ourselves an NSV (non-scale victory). We wanted to go zip-lining! The weight limit for zip-lining is 250 at the place where we went. In past days that would have meant no zip-lining for us. But this day, we did it!

I took pictures of the in-process zip but…yeah. I have to get the bravery to post those. For now here’s a picture of us immediately post-zip.

Besides that we relaxed by the pool a lot and had some good girlfriend talk and flew out late on Monday night. It was a nice getaway for this single mama Foodie whose last vacation was…never.

So I hope you enjoyed my recaps, here and on Facebook. If you did, I have a BIG favor to ask of you guys. I’m trying to represent the Foodie Nation at the Obesity Action Coalition's “Your Weight Matters” Convention in Phoenix, AZ on August 15 - 18.

Going to WLSFA was such a treat and I THANK QUEST NUTRITION for sending me, but I hope to go to this one without a sponsorship. Why? Because at WLSFA instead of being in the sessions, live-blogging all that I was learning, I was in the exhibition hall. Don’t get me wrong. I had a lot of fun. But for this event, with such great speakers, I want to be able to take in as much as possible and share it with those of you who aren’t there!!!

But a sista is on a budget. So here’s where you come in:

• If you need to put in a Quest bar order, I ask you to do so through my ad on the right menu bar! I get a portion of those sales and I’ll be using them toward my plane ticket fund. 
• If you need to do an Amazon or Netrition order, please start them from the search boxes on my right menu bar! Same deal. 
• If you’ve been thinking about getting the Bariatric Foodie Guide to Perfect Protein Shakes consider getting it in June! Click here to get it in hardcopy, here for Kindle and here for iPad or Nook! 
• I've also set up a secure donation button on the right menu bar at the top if you don't have any shopping to do but DO want to help the cause! Any amount, big or small, helps!
• If you all do that in June, I may just have enough to go to OAC! And I’d love to go so that I can share my experience, my swag and my impressions with all of you! 

Thank you in advance, Foodies!

"What Do I Feed My Kids After Weight Loss Surgery?"

A few times a month I get a message that reads something like this:

“Dear Nik,

I was just wondering what you feed your kids? I am having/have had weight loss surgery and I want to feed my kids better but they won’t eat the things I can eat and I can’t eat the things they like. What do I do???

Signed,

Distressed Parent”

Here at Bariatric Foodie our motto is “Play With Your Food!” That means that I have the belief that ANY food can be made weight loss surgery friendly. So imagine for a moment that any food both you AND your kids like could be made weight loss surgery friendly (and, by default, healthier). What would you make?

 The best philosophy I’ve learned with feeding kids healthy food is this (underlined, centered and bolded to get your attention).

You don’t get kids to eat healthier by feeding them different stuff. You get kids to eat healthier by making the stuff they like out of better stuff.

Simple, right? Well just in case it isn’t here are a few of my favorite kid AND weight-loss surgery friendly (depending on your surgery age/type/tolerance) recipes.

Nik's WLS-friendly Chicken Nuggets

What kid doesn't love chicken nuggets? These actually don't take long to make and can be made with different flavors (try adding some dry ranch mix to the breading!), spicy (my kids love a dash of cayenne pepper in them). And you can also experiment with sauces! I love mixing dry ranch dip mix (about a heaping tbsp) with a six-ounce container of nonfat Greek yogurt for a dip. My kids love reduced fat/sugar honey mustard dressing. 

But why is this weight-loss surgery friendly, you ask:

• The chicken is marinated in Greek yogurt, which breaks down the tough fibers. I've experienced more than a few post-ops who were unable to eat chicken until they marinated it this way. Click here for my full meat marinating technique!
• The breading is crushed, high fiber cereal. It's hard for us to get in fiber after weight loss surgery, so every bit helps. With my beloved Fiber One, you get high fiber in just a few calories and it crisps up great!
• You can use either egg whites OR Egg Beaters to dip your nuggets. Either is a low cal way to get that breading to stick!

Click here for the recipe!

Four-Cheese Mashed Cauliflower

I have a funny story about this recipe. This past Christmas my brother-in-law proclaimed that he'd NEVER like cauliflower. I told him he'd never tasted my cauliflower and cheese. So he made a big show of saying how he'd try it and publicly denounce it (if you can believe it, this was all in a friendly way). Well...guess who I saw going back for his FOURTH helping and who insisted on taking the leftovers home???

Why it's weight-loss surgery friendly:

• You're nixing the starch! No noodles = less carbs and easier tolerance!
• Cheese = honest protein (so long as you don't go crazy with it!)
• Veggies! And soft ones too! This bakes up into a nice soft dish that's easy to eat.

Click here for the recipe!

Nik's Protein Pudding

Dessert is a conundrum for WLS patients. Not just because dessert options are often less than...optimal. But also because dessert can be a whole other meal for us!

Protein pudding is great to satisfy the sweet tooth. It can also be dressed up many ways. (Try my Candy Corn Protein Pudding for Halloween!) It can even be poured into a popsicle mold to make protein pops! ("Ice Cream" on a stick!)

Why it's weight loss surgery friendly:

• Make it with skim milk and it's low fat!
• Adding protein puts a few extra grams in your day.
• It's sugar-free! (Although check the pudding box to make sure the substitute used is one youc an tolerate!)

Click here for the recipe!

The "Nik Wrap"

My kids love McDonald's as much as the next person. So sometimes we have "fast food night" and I make these quick and easy wraps. Since I first did this recipe I've started using Jennie-O turkey burgers. They're quick and easy! 

But here's why they are weight-loss surgery friendly:

• The burger I suggest is turkey and low in fat, high in protein
• It can be made smaller by halving the wrap portion
• The wrap portion is high in fiber and protein
• ...or you could skip the wrap altogether and still make your kids a wrap

Click here for the recipe!

Cookies!

I love cookies. But I don't love the empty calories. No matter how you slice it cookies are always going to be an occasional indulgence, so my philosophy is to make them a responsible indulgence by adding protein and nutrients wherever possible! 

The above are my no-flour almond butter cookies. In my house we also love no-flour coconut macaroons and "Nik-a-doodles" a sugar-free, protein-enhanced version of the Snickerdoodle.

Here's why my cookies are weight-loss surgery friendly(er):

• The almond and coconut cookies have no flour! The Nik-a-doodles use Atkins Baking Mix which is a low-carb/high-protein flour alternative.
• Sugar-free! And these recipes work with most any sugar substitute. Since Splenda (which is what I use) measures cup-for-cup against sugar, make sure you measure your fave substitute against 1 c. sugar.

So in summary I'd like to say it is TOTALLY possible for you to share food with your entire family (your kids included!) after weight loss surgery. You just have to be creative about it. I know you all have ideas or recipes you use. Share them in the comments!