Thanksgiving Update !

Well, here I am again!

A day late and a dollar short. Sorry about the lack of blog enteries lately. It's been really hectic around the O'Neal house. I'm just glad football is over. The downside to that is...I have 1 week to get all the DVD's and Calendars ready for the banquet. One of these days, I'm gonna learn to say NO!!!!!


We had a great day at my parents house on Thanksgiving. I really have to give my mom and dad a lot of credit! They have been my biggest cheerleaders during this weight loss journey. I truly believe we all need that!


It was also an oppurtunity to get together with my sister and brother and theor respective families! Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that my sister got married, and now she tells me she and Jim have been married for 27 years! What's up with that!


Anyway, when Beth, Melissa and I get together, we take a pic, just to journal the progress we have made. Below is a progression since last Christmas.














Oh yeah, in the first picture I was at 315 pounds (my highest was 365). In the last picture I am at 189 pounds! My lowest since about 4th grade!


I'll be posting more pictures later today. We are getting ready to g to Church, and then I'm taking RJ to the movies. This will give Beth a little time to herself. We are going to see "4 Christmases".


I will say this...next year at Thanksgiving, I'm going shopping! I have spent the last 3 days painting our living room! YUCK! More to come...

Turkey Day Strategies

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TURKEY DAY
WITHOUT all the GUILTY FEELINGS

No need to beat yourself up; just follow these ideas for a healthy balance, and a guilt free day.

Burn extra calories beforehand

1)If you have a workout routine, add a few minutes of walking or other cardiovascular exercise to it between now and Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a workout routine, a simple daily walk is a great thing to start.
2)You can also burn extra calories during your daily routine. For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk during lunch; park further away from the office or at the far end of the parking lot (usually a normal option this time of the year) when shopping; and walk in place, do crunches or lift hand weights while watching television.

Turkey Day eating strategies

We know this is a hard thing to do, but don’t come to Thanksgiving dinner with an empty stomach. Eat small meals earlier in the day so that you don't come to the Thanksgiving meal hungry.

Instead of trying to limit yourself to one serving, take a small serving so you can have seconds. Fill up on things like turkey, vegetables or other dishes that are lower in fats and calories.

Prioritize your desserts. Allow yourself to have dessert, but ask this: "What do I really like and where do I want to spend my calories?" Don’t just fill up the plate. If you like everything, take small (bite sized) portions of everything.

Finally, try to take a brief walk before Thanksgiving dinner and a short walk afterwords. It’ll keep your metabolism going.

Remember – don’t beat yourself up if you go a little overboard. Just work harder before and after the holiday! Remember this is not a good time to start a weight loss program.

The best idea is to simply work to maintain your current weight. If you manage that you are a winner.

Turkey Day Strategies

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR TURKEY DAY

WITHOUT all the GUILTY FEELINGS

No need to beat yourself up; just follow these ideas for a healthy balance, and a guilt free day.

Burn extra calories beforehand

1)If you have a workout routine, add a few minutes of walking or other cardiovascular exercise to it between now and Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a workout routine, a simple daily walk is a great thing to start.
2)You can also burn extra calories during your daily routine. For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk during lunch; park further away from the office or at the far end of the parking lot (usually a normal option this time of the year) when shopping; and walk in place, do crunches or lift hand weights while watching television.

Turkey Day eating strategies

We know this is a hard thing to do, but don’t come to Thanksgiving dinner with an empty stomach. Eat small meals earlier in the day so that you don't come to the Thanksgiving meal hungry.

Instead of trying to limit yourself to one serving, take a small serving so you can have seconds. Fill up on things like turkey, vegetables or other dishes that are lower in fats and calories.

Prioritize your desserts. Allow yourself to have dessert, but ask this: "What do I really like and where do I want to spend my calories?" Don’t just fill up the plate. If you like everything, take small (bite sized) portions of everything.

Finally, try to take a brief walk before Thanksgiving dinner and a short walk afterwords. It’ll keep your metabolism going.

Remember – don’t beat yourself up if you go a little overboard. Just work harder before and after the holiday! Remember this is not a good time to start a weight loss program.

The best idea is to simply work to maintain your current weight. If you manage that you are a winner.

Gobble, Gobble!

Just a short update to wish each and everyone one of you a"Happy Thanksgiving Day"!

May this coming year be a BLESSED year full of happiness, compassion for your fellow man, and an overwhelming desire to live life to it's fullest!

Now, step away from the table before you eat to much!




"Happy Gobble Day!"

Bariatric TV: The new station is on!

I'll say it every week:

"You Freaks Rock!"

Hey Bald Is Beautiful readers (all 3 of you), if you have not seen BTV, you need to check it out! Toni & Lynda are awesome. They put the 411 out the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Wait a minute, I think they could make a movie by that name! Clint Eastwood could play a weight loss surgery patient. "Go ahead Protein, make my day!" Sorry, I couldn't resist.

If you don't see yourself in the way they define FREAKS, that's OK. I myself felt as if these 2 were spying on me it was so real!

Anyway, you need to hop over to their site and check out each of the episodes so far! Especially the definitions of FREAKS! There are only 4 so far. New ones come out each Friday.

www.bariatrictv.com

Toni & Lynda, keep up the good work!

Bald-Is-Beautiful loves ya!

Here are the links to episodes so far:

#1 What is BTV, Melting Mama and a protein drink recipe.

#2 Why am I a FREAK?

#3 Protein Protein, Protein

#4 Peer Support Baby

3 to 1 !

When I had my surgery, I was given the following rule of thumb:

"Eat your protein first, then if you have room for anything else, go for it (green beans, etc...)."

Then at a support group meeting one night I heard the ratio we should be following when loading our plates should be "80% protein, 20% other". Now both of these rules are really good and steadfast ways, but sometimes my math challenged brain gets in the way. I find it hard to discern how much of this, and how much of that!

While watching my new favorites in the world of WLS Video's (Bariatric TV: Lynda and Toni !) I learned a whole new process!

When eating, don't worry about bringing out the calculator to figure percentages. Eat 3 bites of protein for every one bite of good carbs! WOW, how simple is that!

An example would be:
3 bites of chicken - 1 bite of green beans
3 bites of fish - 1 bite of broccoli

I think you get the idea! So the next time you sit down to dinner, remember the rules that your Doc or Nut has set forth:
small bites, chew, set the fork down between bites, and the new one 3 to 1!

Have a good day!

2 New Websites

Morning All!

Yesterday while enjoying a day off, Veterans Day, I am a State employee! I played around on the web a while and found 2 relatively new websites. One was very inspirational and the other just down right amusing yet full of knowledge!

Inspirational: Weight Loss Surgery Channel
Really nice website that post a 90 video clip daily to inspire and help us in our Weight Loss journey.

Amusing: Bariatric TV
2 of the cutest and funniest people I have seen in a long time. Both have had WLS and use their knowledge and humor to keep us going! Check out episode #2 and tell me if you are a freak! I proudly proclaim I am!!!!! In fact, I am reveling in my Freakedness!

Have fun!

Is SPAM a WLS approved product?

Well, is it?

In my honest and obscure opinion it is! Hey, it is only 174 calories per serving and 7 grams of protein. So, does it work for you?

No, it is not a healthy choice in the world of foods! But it is something I use on a daily basis! I use SPAM to help me decide on goals. Right now, you are probably scratching your head and saying WHAT THE ?

So, here goes my train of thought. This is something I learned several years ago and it has stuck with me. Kind of like SPAM does when you eat it.... It sticks right in the ole bread basket!

"S"... stands for small and specific! When we set goals, do we try to set it so far out that we can't reach it? No! We set our goals within reason. Quitting cokes before surgery can be done cold turkey. It is probably easier to cut back a few at a time. I know when I quit smoking several years ago, I kept a piece of paper in my pocket and wrote down when I had a cigarette. At that point, I would set a small goal of waiting an hour before smoking another one. Then it would be 2 hours before the next. I kept my goals small and specific and eventually quit smoking.

"P"... stands for practical! Practical can be defined as: Of, relating to, governed by, or acquired through practice or action, rather than theory, speculation, or ideals. Practicing what we preach comes to mind! Everyday, we have to set our minds on staying the course, making good decisions in the food we eat. Practicing our new lifestyle on a regular basis. If we screw up, guess what? We are only human, and tomorrow is a new day!

"A"... stands for achievable! Why reach for the stars when we know we can't get there? Are my goals achievable? When you decided to have weight loss surgery, what were your goals? Have you re-evaluated them since surgery? I know I have. My Doc says I should weigh in at a goal of 180 pounds. I trust my doc and believe he sees that as an achievable goal for me!

"M"... stands for measurable! Track everything! That is the one piece of advice that I can believe with all my heart. By keeping tabs on my calories, my carbohydrates, and the food I eat, I can truly see if I am doing anything wrong! A friend of mine recently started gaining a little weight back. When she went to her spreadsheet to look at things, she could pinpoint where the weight gain started! Tracking helps us to identify where we make mistakes, but also helps us to stay successful!

I heard this a while back at a support group meeting at Baptist Hospital. I only hope I can get is right:

"Goals not written down, are nothing more than dreams !"

So, when you set your plate for the day, are you going to include a side of SPAM along with those dreams?

Have a good day!

Something Fun !

How much have you lost?

Your weight loss =

1 pound = a Guinea Pig

1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts

2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs

3 pounds = an average human brain

4 pounds = an ostrich egg

5 pounds = a Chihuahua

6 pounds = a human’s skin

7.5 pounds = an average newborn

8 pounds = a human head

10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year

11 pounds = an average housecat

12 pounds = a Bald Eagle

15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs

16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain

20 pounds = an automobile tire

23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year

24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream

25 pounds = an average 2 year old

30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year

33 pounds = a cinder block36 pounds = a mid-size microwave

40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg

44 pounds = an elephant’s heart

50 pounds = a small bale of hay

55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner

60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)

66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year

70 pounds = an Irish Setter77 pounds = a gold brick

80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape

90 pounds = a newborn calf

100 pounds = a 2 month old horse

111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year

117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11”)

118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica

120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month

130 pounds = a newborn giraffe

138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year

140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year

144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4”)

150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary

187 pounds = an average adult man

200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds

235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger

300 pounds = an average football lineman

400 pounds = a Welsh pony

Thanks Bette B. for the inpiration and the permission to cut and paste over here at the Bald Is Beautiful !

I almost forgot...I have lost an average 2 year old and the Complete Oxford English Dictionary! That's what the picture at the top of the page represents!

Who's next?

PB2 Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

A friend of mine sent me a pretty cool website the other day, Desserts Magazine: For people who eat desserts first!. I found a recipe for Flour less Peanut Butter Cookies, and thought I could modify to meet my lifestyle food choices. Now, once again, I could make or eat this everyday, but it was nice for a treat. Most of the time we make new food recipes, we usually take them to my in-laws. This way, they are not in our house tempting us!

These were pretty good, though a little bit dry and crumbly. I just might add a little liquid next time!

Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup PB2 prepared peanut butter

¾ cup granulated Splenda

1 large egg, slightly beaten

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

½ cup roasted pecan halves

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottoms of two 12-by-18-inch sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir the peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and kosher salt until combined. Stir in the chocolate and peanuts.

Using a small, greased ice cream scoop, measure out the dough in teaspoon sized balls. Place the dough on the prepared pans, spacing them 2 inches apart.

Bake on the middle shelves of the oven, rotating the pans 180 degrees halfway through the baking time, until lightly golden and spread to a puffy mound, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool completely on the pans on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to week. Yields: 24 cookies

Butternut Squash Soup

Beth went out for lunch a couple of weeks ago and talked about the Butternut Squash soup she had. I saw this one over at Bread & Honey. So, I thought I would make it for her. I did modify it according to what I had in the house, but it is still the same recipe!

I love food blogs, and Bread & Honey is one of my new favorites. Summer Allen-Gibson is the creator of Design is Mine, as well as a mum, illustrator, and baker. She spends large portions of her days buried in cookbooks and trying out new recipes in her kitsch-filled kitchen. Alicia Lynn Carrier is a 24 year old mom, freelance photographer, and nerd. She loves food, spending time at home, and taking pictures of stuff in people's houses. Her website is here.

Very yummy after spending a "cold" day at the football field!

Hope you enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 butternut squashes

1 poblano pepper

1 small yellow onion

1 whole head of garlic (I will be roasting garlic again!)

8 ounces baby carrots

3-4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock.

Preheat your oven to 375ºf.

Slice squashes lengthwise, so you can scoop out the seeds. You can cut them down a little more if you'd like, to fit on your pans and maybe cook a little faster. Drizzle with olive oil, salt lightly, and place on a baking sheet in the oven. You know what? Do i need to describe the whole process? Everything gets drizzled in olive oil and roasted at the same time in the oven. I wrap the onions, shallot, and garlic individually in tinfoil, and leave the seeded, halved pepper on a baking sheet, along with the carrots.

Keep an eye on the pepper and remove when it becomes blistery and begins to blacken. Just peek in on everything every once in awhile and make sure nothings burning. Pull things out as they finish (The peppers will finish first, then the carrots, then the shallot probably, then the garlic, then onion, then butternuts, probably.) Just keep poking everything until it's mushy. Let everything cool so you can handle it easily, and heat up your stock while you wait.

Bust out your blender or food processor, and put a large pot aside for the finished soup. Begin blending the ingredients (duh, don't forget to peel your butternut) in steps, adding warm stock as needed to get it smooth. Dump it all in the big pot and stir it up really well, adding more stock if necessary to thin to desired consistency. Put over heat if necessary- letting all the ingredients cool can leave you with a lukewarm soup. Serves 3 or 4

Holiday Stress Busters

I work for an organization that teaches positive behavior management to families. One of the ways we do this is through a series of strategies that help parents to implement the things they are learning into day to day life.

While attending a support group the other day, we talked about ideas to help us alleviate holiday stress. As WLS candidates, we understand that stress eating something that is so real it’s scary! I thought about it a little more and wondered how could I use the strategies that I teach to parents in my oh so real situation. So, here goes!

1) Expectations. Now in the scheme of things, this could mean telling your family what you are going to bring for dinner, instead of them expecting you to cook the whole holiday meal. How about journaling your expectations of yourself. This could be a great way of holding yourself accountable.

2) Rewards & Incenttives. Take a moment to reward yourself during this holiday season. When you meet those goals you’ve set, take the opportunity catch yourself being good!

3) Choices. Instead of making several desserts for the holiday table, make just a couple. We always go overboard with candy making this time of the year. This season, we are cutting back to 2 or 3 choices.

4) When..Then… Contingency statements are a good way to accomplish those goals you have set up. Ex.: “When we walk after dinner, then we can sit back and relax”. “When you finish with your sugar free dessert, then you can play a family oriented game”.

5) Planning! Before your holiday affair, take a moment and plan your menu. This will give you the chance to cull out some of the extraneous foods, and prepare more healthier options.

6) Reasonable Expectations. Everyone is different. So expectations for me will be different from you. What are some reasonable expectation when it comes to you and the holidays.

7) Stay calm. We all know that stress can trigger an out of body experience when it comes to food. Take some time for yourself. When those moments of fatigue, anger or exhilaration become to much…walk away! If things become to hectic…ask for help! Don’t let these stressors get the best of you.

8) Quiet time. This is an opportunity to discuss the good and bad things that happened ove4r the holiday. Take the thoughts you came up with and go ahead and try to work them into the next shindig!

Holiday stress can be a killer on healthy lifestyles, but does it have to be that way! I don’t think so. Take some time and see how you can avoid those dreaded “HOLIDAY STRESSORS”!

Have a good day!

Support and Recipes !

Once a month I attend a WLS support group held at Baptist Hospital here in Nashville. This is something that I truly love! Not only for the support that is there, but because of the spirit, friendship and compassion that the group leader has!

Paula (the support group moderator), is probably one of th nicest people you will ever meet! She has a way about her that automatically makes you feel welcome! Her personality just overflows with a sugar free sweetness that is beyond compare! It's almost like being in the same room with Paula Deen, but with less butter!

Last nights topic was Holiday Stress and ways to avoid it. One of the things that I suffer from is "stress eating". When the going gets tough, the tough wants to eat. So it was nice to listen and learn from a group that understands the disabilities that effect me!

Paula and her able bodied assistant Freddie ( another one of my close WLS peeps), served us food last night that no one would know was sugar free and a little healthier for us! Let's see, we had Sugar Free Egg Nog, Triple Layer Pumpkin Pie, and Sugar Free Pecan Pie. The purpose of this meeting was to show us ways we could sit down at a holiday table and still enjoy those once in a blue moon treats with our family.

We were also provided with a handout that gave me good articles to read, as well as links to some recipes that we could make for Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Bariatric Eating

Bariatric Eating Recipe Box

Before And After Help

Paula also included a link to my blog because of the recipes that I have posted. Now, a lot of these recipes are not created by me, but ones that have been tried by me and my wife. We also include recipes that friends around the world have sent to us. Here is the link to my recipe blog, and the recipe index:

Food 4 Thought & Moderation 2 !

Food 4 Thought Recipe Index

You can also find this link on the left hand column of this blog:

I hope everyone enjoys the recipes and if you ever need anything, leave a comment here with your email address and I'll get back to ya!

Have a great day!

2 Recipes from Bariatric Eating

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2 inch cubes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
Kosher salt & freshly grated black pepper
2 tablespoons finely diced onion
2 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans
1 tablespoon dried cranberries, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar free honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place diced sweet potatoes in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes or just until fork tender. (Over cooking will cause them to be mushy when you stir them into the remaining ingredients.) Allow to cool slightly.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar free honey, salt, black pepper, and chipotle pepper. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl. Stir in onions, pecans, cranberries, and parsley. Drizzle with dressing and gently stir until coated. Serve either warm, room temp or cold.

Makes 6 servings
Per Serving:
Calories 154
Protein 1 g
Fat 6 g
Carbs 13 g
Sugar 5 g
Sodium 52 mg


Spiced Pumpkin Flan

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup Costellini’s Sugar Free Cinnamon Bliss Syrup
¾ cup Splenda Granular
½ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground clove
4 large eggs
One 15-ounce can Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened)
One 12-ounce can evaporated low-fat milk (not sweetened condensed milk)
Whipped cream sweetened with Splenda, OR Reddi Wipp

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly spray a one quart deep round or square baking dish with the vegetable oil cooking spray, pour in the Cinnamon Bliss syrup and place in a large roasting pan.

Mix the Splenda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a small bowl. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Blend in the pumpkin and the spice mixture. Gradually blend in the evaporated milk.

Gently ladle the filling over the syrup into the prepared baking dish. Pour very hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the dish.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a thin knife instered near the center of the custard comes out clean. Carefully remove the baking dish from the hot water bath. Cool to room temperature then chill.

When ready to serve, run tip of sharp knife around edges of flan in baking dish to loosen. Place large serving platter over top of flan, and flip in one quick motion. Gently tap baking dish until baked flan releases onto platter.

If unmolding the baked custard scares you, flan can also be served from baking dish by spooning portions into dessert dishes.

Top flan with whipped cream and serve.

Makes eight ½ cup portions
Full portion:
Calories 84
fat 3 g
carbs 8g
protein 7g