Recent photo of me Jan. 2011.

Unless of course it’s to see how far I’ve come.

Hey, I never said it was easy, but what good thing ever is?

Thank you Reno Gazette Journal for the follow up article. I can’t believe it’s been nearly seven years since they did my first story.

I can’t believe how much has changed since November 20, 2002 the day I first had RNY surgery. I’m closer to 40 than 20, I’ve gone from naïve fiancé to jaded divorcee, I thought my battle with my weight was the worst health crisis I would face and watched that pale in comparison to my father’s battle with cancer. I’m thinner, but more importantly, I’m wiser.

With that being said I am changing my focus from being thin, to being healthy. Not that I’m unhealthy, but it’s time for me to join the ranks of the super healthy and the super fit. Yea, I’m going to be one of those people.

For a while now, nearly a year almost, I’ve been so much more cognizant of the food that I consume. With rare exceptions, I cook every meal I eat. I shun the highly processed, the unnatural, the genetically modified, the factory farmed trash that the American food industry has been pushing on us for years, my whole lifetime really.

You won’t see me at a drive thru window. I don’t care if it fits in my caloric budget, it’s trash; hormone laden, antibiotic ridden, chemically polluted, processed beyond recognition garbage.  It doesn’t matter how thin I am, I can’t be really healthy if my body is a toxic wasteland. But enough of this particular soapbox for now, I’ll be back with more later.

I took the opportunity of my surgical anniversary to add another tool to my tool kit; a new workout program. I’ve always exercised, and if you know me at all you know it’s not the phone it in, stroll around the block, splash around in the pool kind of workout. But this is a whole new level.

On Saturday, I started the Beach Body P90X fitness program. Now let me preface this by saying I’m starting from a place of relatively decent fitness and this program is rugged, just downright rugged. It’s day four and I’m pretty sure even the tips of my hair are sore. But I’m ready. Check back with me in 86 days.

No Knead Dinner Rolls

Step 1

• 2 pkgs yeast
• ½ cup lukewarm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand 5 minutes. 

Step 2

• 2 cups lukewarm milk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt

In a small saucepan, combine milk, sugar and salt; warm over low/medium heat.

Step 3 

      Melt one cube of margarine in microwave. 

Step 4 

      In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 eggs and beat lightly. 

Step 5 

      Combine yeast mixture, milk mixture and margarine with eggs, mix. 

Step 6 

      Slowly add 6-7 cups of flour, mixing well using the dough hook for the stand mixer. Dough will be very sticky. 

Step 7 

Butter a large bowl (about twice the size of the dish containing the bread dough). Transfer dough to bowl, cover with saran wrap (butter to keep dough from sticking) and let rise until double in warm spot (approximately 45-60 minutes). 

Step 8 

Place dough onto floured surface (will be very sticky). Roll lightly or press to ½-1” thick. Cut into rolls. Place onto greased baking sheet. 

Step 9 

Let rise 30-45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Rolls should be lightly browned. 

This recipe can be doubled. One batch makes a pan of rolls (approximately 15x10x1).

Mellon Ball Made Over (115 calories)
1 oz Midori melon liqueur
½ oz Peachtree schnapps
5 oz diet Sprite

Pour all ingredients over ice.

Irish Spring in Your Step (130 calories)
1 oz Irish whiskey
½ oz Peach brandy
1 oz Trop50 (by Tropicana) orange juice
½ to 1 oz lime juice
1 packet Splenda
 
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain. Serve over ice, garnish with orange slice and cherry.

Spring in Savannah (148 calories)

1 ¼ oz Jack Daniels
¾ oz Southern Comfort
1 oz sugar free Lime Torani syrup
4 oz diet 7-Up
1 wedge lemon or lime (garnish)

Build over ice, serve with a smile.

Absolut Mandrin Bench Press (96 calories)

1.5 oz Absolut Mandrin vodka
4 oz club soda
Spalsh diet ginger ale

Serve over ice, garnish with orange wedge.

Brandy Daisy (136 calories)

2 oz Brandy
1 oz Lemon juice
1 packet Splenda
½ tsp sugar free Grenadine

Shake brandy, lemon juice and Splenda with ice, strain into and old fashioned glass over ice, add grenadine. Garnish with a cherry and orange slice.

1 large head of cauliflower
4 tbs sour cream
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss Original cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook cauliflower until done by steaming, boiling or microwaving.

Combine cooked cauliflower, sour cream and cheese wedges in food processor. Blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In separate bowl combine TVP and boiling water let stand for 6-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat olive oil, sauté onion and garlic until tender, about 4 minutes. Add TVP, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seed and crushed red pepper. Simmer 3-5 minutes, set aside.

Slice zucchini lengthwise about ¼ inch thick. In a separate bowl , combine ricotta and eggs. In a greased 9 x 13 inch dish layer zucchini, half the ricotta mixture, half the TVP mixture, half the basil, one third the mozzarella cheese, one third the marinara. Repeat layers. Top with additional layer zucchini, marinara and mozzarella.

Place 9 x 13 dish on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

This is my eighth bariatric birthday, I’ve earned it. But the real reason is; I have become normal again (or finally). Really.

As a new post-op I probably wouldn’t have eaten cake. I certainly wouldn’t have indulged three or four times, but now I know I’m just like a regular person (other than I do have to be careful not to indulge in large portions because of dumping). I can have cake on my birthday as part of my healthy lifestyle which includes a bariatric eating plan and regular exercise.

I know, after seven years of post op life, that cake on my birthday isn’t going to derail me. In fact, it solidifies in my mind that food doesn’t control me. I’m not a crack addict that after one hit could be sucked back into a life of addiction.

This morning my beloved Romantic Interest woke me up with an individual sized chocolate cake in bed, before lunch my awesome co-workers indulged in homemade iced brownies with chocolate chips and nuts with me. I just got a text message from my best friend and roommate that when I get home tonight she’s going to have a home cooked meal with a homemade cake waiting for me. And to top this all off, on Saturday my parents are taking me out to a fancy dinner and will doubtlessly have cake for me then too. 

Wow, I am loved, and not in the food = love way. In the “my friends, family and lover want to spoil me rotten on my birthday” because every other day of the year I earn their love and devotion as they do mine.

Life is sweet, so is the cake.

2 cups Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 package baby bella mushrooms, minced
1 can water chestnuts, minced
1 head bib lettuce, washed and leafed

Stir Fry Sauce

¾ cup warm water
2 tbs cornstarch
¾ cup soy sauce
½ cup sugar
¾ cup rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame seeds
4 tbs chili garlic sauce (I like Lee Kum Kee)
1 tsp minced ginger

Garnishes

Green onions
Shredded carrots
Sliced almonds
Bean sprouts
Crispy rice sticks
House of Tsang Bangkok Peanut Sauce (available in the Asian section)

Prepare stir fry sauce. In a separate bowl mix cornstarch and warm water, set aside. Combine remaining stir fry sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, heat to boiling. Slowly stir in cornstarch mixture stirring constantly. Boil until thickened, reduce heat, keep warm.

In separate bowl add boiling water to TVP, set aside. In large skillet sauté mushrooms and water chestnuts until tender, about 4 minutes. Add TVP mixture, heat through. Add about 2/3 of the stir fry sauce mixture, combine, heat through.

Serve mixture over lettuce leafs. Garnish with choice of garnishes. Dress with remaining stir fry sauce or bottled peanut sauce.

2 cups textured vegetable protein (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 large green bell pepper (minced)
1 large onion (minced)
3 stalks celery (minced)
2 carrots (minced)
1 can (29 oz) tomato puree
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
3tbs molasses
4tbs red wine vinegar
2tbs barbecue sauce
2tsps chili powder
1tsp Cholula pepper sauce
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper (to taste)

Combine textured vegetable protein and boiling water in a separate bowl, set aside. Sautee bell pepper, onion, celery and carrots in a large skillet until tender about 6-7 minutes. Add textured vegetable protein mixture. Add tomato puree, tomato paste, molasses, red wine vinegar, barbecue sauce, chili powder, Cholula and garlic powder. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer an additional 8-10 minutes. Serve over buns or rolls if desired.

1 white onion (chunked)
2 green bell peppers (chunked)
2 celery stalks (thinly sliced)
1 large can pineapple chunks in natural juices no sugar added
2 packages Shirataki noodles

Sauce

1 cup rice vinegar or white vinegar
1/3 cup Cup for Cup Splenda
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tbs ketchup (you can use tomato paste to avoid the sugar in ketchup)
3 tbs cornstarch

In a large skillet sauté onion, bell peppers and celery in juice from pineapple chunks until tender. Add pineapple chunks, heat through. Prepare Shirataki noodles according to package directions. Add to skillet, heat through. Combine all the sauce ingredients in small bowl, whisk thoroughly. Add sauce to skillet, heat until thickened.