Back to School ...

This week my son starts 1st grade. Next week my daughter and I start her 5th year homeschool lessons.
'Tis the season for Back to School.

Recently, mom and I have been discussion our philosophy of going "Back to Basics" and something came to both our minds ...

Why do we need to go back to basics? Because we stepped off the basics to begin with!
So often we get into the mindset of "oh, I can eat that" (I'm as guilty of that as anyone!) This especially happens with sleevers when we find out that we can eat things like sugar and carbs again.

Cooking for a family makes it even harder, especially for those of us smaller children. There's no secret that they NEED things, like (healthy) carbs that we don't.

There are those that will tell us to just not buy our trigger foods, but what if a trigger food is something your
child needs to carry in a lunch sack? Or if a trigger food for you is a healthy choice for an after school snack for your child?

This is something I, personally, have struggled with. Cookies, chips, crackers ... These are all trigger foods for me, but things that I keep on hand for my children for their lunches and after school snacks. Of course, I buy the "good stuff" - whole grains, no refined sugars, organic when possible, etc. BUT - a trigger food is a trigger food even without pesticides and GMO's.

In a perfect world, these things wouldn't matter. In a perfect world, I'd have self control and will-power. In a PERFECT world - I wouldn't have cravings. Sadly, this world is FAR from perfect. I do still have cravings. I do still WANT certain foods. And some days, I NEED certain foods (chocolate, anyone?).

Sometimes, WE have to "back to school" when our kids do. What that means is, we have to learn and re-learn how to feed our families so that our children can get the nutrients and macronutrients they need, while we are sticking with what we need.

For me, that means putting up reminders on sticky notes. Those reminders tell me how these foods make me feel when I eat them. Cookies, for example, make me have a HORRIBLE sugar crash. Some varieties actually give me dumping syndrome. A sticky note that simply says "SUGAR CRASH/DUMPING!!" makes me think twice about having it. Chips are another trigger food for me. I can sit down and eat half a bag of funyuns in one sitting (yep - TOTAL slider food!!)! Afterward, I feel sluggish, I have an uneasy tummy, and I get a headache from the MSG in some chip varieties. So my sticky note for that says, "TUMMY LUMPS AND MSG!" Hey. It makes sense to me!

Now I'm not saying that these foods are bad - there is really no "good" or "bad" food. Food can't control itself. I've said it before but it's worth repeating that it's not the cupcakes fault it's a cupcake. BUT these foods are not beneficial.

So, for me, back to school time means re-focusing and re-learning. Remembering that there are foods that are beneficial and foods that aren't. Focusing on protein and water, and remembering my vitamins (BIG one for me!).

How are you going "back-to-school"?
Go join our discussion in our facebook group!

What's Cookin'?

By Suzette Munson

How many times a week do you hear this, or possibly think this? More times than I want to I promise. Sometimes I really don't want to eat nor do I want to cook. But the question still stands.

We are visiting my youngest son, JR, and his wife, Adriane. JR is the lead cook, and he is good at it, but last night I took his role and let him play with our granddaughter Olivia. I wanted to fix a kid friendly, adult worthy meal with lots of flavor. I made "veggetti". What is that? zucchini spaghetti with 4 cheese Alfredo sauce and shrimp! Simple because I used prepared products - yes I cheated! And that is okay to do occasionally.

We keep frozen boiled shrimp in the freezer at home. Fresh zucchini is a staple also. When I pick the jarred product I look for the least sugar added (they all have some) and the protein per serving. If there is no protein then where is the cheese? I add more grated Parmesan or hard cheese to improve the sauce.

A tip on cooking the zucchini is to put the sauce in a large sauté pan and begin to heat on medium heat, add the zucchini strings and let them cook gently in the sauce. I tried boiling and straining the zucchini and it was very watery..the zucchini has lots of water in it and when it heats it releases the water. Even sautéing the zucchini before adding the sauce is a way to get some of the water out of the squash. Either way when the zucchini is tender add the frozen cooked shrimp and heat until it is warm through.

This meal is so quick and summery, even little Olivia dug in with gusto. She is not a shrimp eater but she loved the veggetti!

Sue's Zucchini Spaghetti with 4 Cheese Alfredo Sauce (the cheat method)
4 bariatric servings, 2 "normal" servings

2 zucchini, washed and trimmed. Cut into spaghetti strips using a "vegetti" maker or cut into long, thin strips using a knife. If you don't want to do this, just chop your zucchini up and saute it first!
1 jar of  4 Cheese Alfredo Sauce (Jen's daughter's favorite food on the planet)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Heat the sauce over medium low-medium heat until just coming to a simmer. Add the zucchini and the shrimp and heat through until shrimp are cooked through (they should be pink!). 

Beneficial Eating for The Bariatric Patient

We count calories, we count protein, we count carbs, we count fat, we count sugars ... We count ... and count ... and COUNT. 

Tell me, how many times did you count before your surgery? If you're anything like me, you spent YEARS counting, to no avail. Why? Because we were counting, but we weren't paying attention to WHAT we were counting. There's a HUGE nutritional difference between, say 100 calories worth of fruit and 100 calories worth of cake.

Now, we have to pay even closer attention to what we're eating. We have to be sure we're getting the nutrition we need in a small amount of food. We have to shift our thinking from just counting calories and protein to actually EATING BENEFICIALLY. 

What does Eating Beneficially mean to a bariatric patient? 

1. PROTEIN FIRST. We hear it ALL the time, but it's very true and VERY IMPORTANT. Your body HAS to have protein to function. For those without WLS, getting daily requirements for protein is simple and can often be achieved in one meal. Those of us with tiny tummies, however, have to be a little more conscientious. That means protein at just about every meal, and we eat it first. You should have 2-3 oz on your plate.

2. VEGGIES SECOND. ALMOST as important as protein is our vegetables. Non-starchy ones, to be exact. Squash, green beans, leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach ... you get the idea. How much? 1/4-1/2 C per meal. 

3. STARCH LAST. Starches really should be an afterthought and eaten only after you've had your meat and vegetables - and ONLY if you're still hungry. These include starchy veggies like potatoes, peas, and corn. Also included are whole grains such as whole grain breads, pastas, and brown rice. Keep these to a minimum of 1-2 T or 1 slice of bread. 

4. PICK REAL FOOD OVER FAKE WHEN POSSIBLE. In other words, if you CAN get your protein from a piece of meat or fish, go for that rather than a protein drink or bar. If you MUST have a protein supplement, pick an all-natural variety that doesn't include any fillers. Whey protein is your best bet, but if you can't tolerate it, go for a good vegan variety that contains a combination of brown rice, pea, and hemp proteins. 

5. EAT WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY - STOP BEFORE YOU'RE FULL - Eating when you're hungry sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many of us still have the mindset that we have to starve ourselves. Newsflash - we've had our stomachs reduced to the size and shape of either an orange or a banana. WE'RE ALREADY STARVING OURSELVES (with medical supervision). Yes, YOU HAVE TO EAT. Learn to listen to your body. You might not feel hunger like you used to (especially if you've had the sleeve), but your body will tell you when it's time to eat. Learn your hunger cues! Same goes for when you're full. We all have different full-cues. Listen to your body. Stop eating BEFORE you feel that "I'm stuffed" feeling. It's far to easy to go from 0 to slime with WLS!!

In addition to great habits, there are some amazing foods that are great to have on hand in a bariatric patients life! We've put together this Benificial Foods for the Bariatric Patient printable just for you! 

I CAN Have It All ... But SHOULD I?

By Jennifer DeMoss

1 Corinthians 10:23 says (amplified version):
"All things are legitimate [permissible—and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]."

I have been reading this verse for so many years, thanks to Lysa Terkeurst and her Made to Crave series. But, for some reason, it never fully clicked with me.
I've been taking this amazing nutrition and eating psychology course through my friend Audra, and each week we have a coaching call. This week, we talked about my struggles with KNOWING what to do versus IMPLEMENTING it. I know how many of you have the same issue - after all, we didn't get to our pre-surgery states by implementing healthy choices, am I right? But even now, I still have that little inner child in me that likes to throw a temper tantrum every time I give her a vegetable instead of a cupcake. So that was something I really needed to work through, and I had such a revelation from last night all the way through this morning.

Last night the revelation hit when I talked about my current state of mind. Well, my state of mind for the last few weeks. Because of the section we'd been going through in the course, I got into the mindset of, "well, I can just eat whatever I want, whenever I want!"

In other words ... I went from one extreme to another.

I like to compare this to a little kid. When mommy and daddy forbid said child from having things like sweets, what happens when they go into a room filled with sweets? They completely gorge themselves! To the point where they make themselves sick! It was like that for me.

I'd told myself for so long, "I can't have {enter food [carbs, sugar, fat] here}" that when I finally realized I CAN have it, I went completely crazy with it! So much so, that I DID make myself sick - I'd been sluggish, fatigued, had digestive issues ... So many things going on in my system. BUT I still continued to eat these foods, KNOWING the effect they had on me.

Now, that's not saying the food is BAD. It's not BAD - it's not the biscuit's fault it's a biscuit! It can't help what it is! It's also not it's fault that my body reacts badly to over-processed gluten. It can't help that. So, to say that it's a "bad food" is an unhealthy thought process. It's personifying the food. Food cannot be personified. It's not fair to the food. Food doesn't have lips - it can't defend itself. FOOD IS NOT THE ENEMY.

What IS the enemy, is denying yourself respect and love.
What IS the enemy, is denying yourself what is BENEFICIAL and only focusing on what is PERMISSIBLE.

For me, everything is permissible (including bread, pasta, rice, sugar, fat, etc...). But it's not beneficial.
What IS beneficial? Asparagus. Fresh watermelon. Broccoli with cheese sauce on the side for dipping. Grilled chicken tossed with olive oil laced with lemon and garlic. See where I'm going with this? These are ALL foods that I absolutely LOVE. I could eat them every single day and be a happy girl! But I've been so stuck in a completely different mentality, that I've been denying my body these things! How is THAT being loving and respectful to myself??

Of course, that doesn't mean that an occasional cupcake is going to kill me. It's not. In fact, the occasional cupcake is probably GOOD for me (as Sponge Bob would say, "It's good for your SOUL"). But the idea that a cupcake every single day (or multiple cupcakes, in my case) is not a healthy thought.

I think that in the Bariatric Community, we have a tendency to really focus on the "all-in/all-out" idea: where we're either all in (eating whatever we want when we want) or all out (not eating ANYTHING we love ever). Both of these mentalities aren't necessarily good ones.

Many of us do need to avoid certain foods - that's not debatable. Foods like refined and processed sugar, rich and fatty foods, carbs like bread and pasta, and lactose can be detrimental for many bariatric patients. So I'm not saying you should allow yourself to have these foods if they're going to hurt you. You need to treat them as you would any other food allergy! But it's important to know that focusing on the BENEFICIAL is so much better than focusing on the negatives!

So, think about this - what foods do you love that are beneficial? Comment below, or go visit our Facebook Group to join in the discussion!