Fat Frog Diary

This email begins a series sent to a friend considering bariatric surgery. I've decided to share my emails with her, since this uses some of the recipes and concepts previously expressed herein. I want to reiterate that the opinions expressed in my blog are my own. I am not a medical or nutritional professional. The information I give is based solely on my personal experience. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).  I promised I'd give you information on how to make the process of getting ready for bariatric surgery easier, so here goes. I'll be doing this in sections, mainly because it takes time to absorb the concepts and put them into practice. Not only that, but there's a lot of information to share! First we'll go over the boring, repetitive basics every yo-yo dieter knows. Still, this is important to remember. After all, practicing now means you avoid dumping syndrome later, and who really wants to feel nauseated, stomach cramps, weakness, shakiness, and sweating...

I was struggling with the diet because I had misread the list of allowed foods. I had been trying to follow the 24 hour clear liquids diet! OMG! No wonder I had been struggling. Needless to say, I have enjoyed vegetables and white meats this afternoon and evening. Full tummy and contentment. 

I don't talk about my diet much on Facebook. No one gives a rat's patootey about your diet except someone else on the diet. Your friends will applaud when you've lost a few pounds, but this is a long-haul marathon slog. In fact, it's a full lifestyle change. This is kind of like how vegans seem to brag about their diet choice and post recipes like they expect you to join in. The most I could ever manage was a lacto-ovo-pesco-pollotarian. (Willing to give up beef and pork, but will eat chicken, fish, eggs, and milk.) I've been back on a low-carb diet for months, and transitioning over to the Phase One of the pre-surgical diet has been relatively smooth. Do I miss my carbs? YOU BETCHA! Especially my morning bowl of hot cereals. Everything else I can live without, but that's a lifetime habit to have a bowl of carbs in the morning to fuel the day. I don't even miss red meat right now. This may change, but so far I'm okay with just fish, eggs, beans, white ...

Have you seen the 21-Day Fix diet? I kept coming across pins on Pinterest related to it, and I was intrigued by the seeming simplicity of simply measuring by using colorful containers. No counting! Let me state right at the beginning that I didn't buy the book, nor did I buy the colored containers. While they are inexpensive enough on Amazon, I want to "try before you buy" and simply see if it would help me in my weight loss adventures while I wait for surgery. I'm a dedicated foodie. That's one reason why my BMI is a whopping 43. I love food, and I love combining my foods into interesting and tasty combinations such as mini-peppers cut in half and stuffed with half a mozzarella stick. Yumm! Who says diets have to be boring? Anyway, I checked around and found the number of colorful containers for my weight. Each color represents a different food group and each container is a specific size to match a serving of that food group. For instance, I am allowed 3 gr...

Just a quick little tip for a snacker who doesn't want to fall off the wagon. (Me!) I'm sure you've seen those mini-peppers in the store in bags, looking colorful and tempting. Were you scared of the heat? Don't be. No heat! Those things wouldn't cause a hot flash even if Leonardo DiCaprio walked by stark naked. (Sorry Leo!) Cut them in half and you can stuff them with cream cheese and ground beef, but for a simple snack with no fuss, cut a mozzarella stick in half and stuff the pepper with that. I stuffed four peppers with four halves of two mozzarella sticks and microwaved them for a minute to melt the cheese to gooey deliciousness. Yum!

I found this on the side of a box of Jell-o Vanilla Sugar Free Pudding and tried it. I made one change and one omission. I changed the cookies to a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs and I didn't use any Cool Whip. Oh, and I used the sugar free varieties of the pudding and gelatin. However, I will type the recipe faithfully. Do what you want. It's your life. Mini Lemon Cream "Pies"  1 pkg (3.4 oz) Jell-o Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding 1 pkg. (3 oz) Jell-o Lemon Flavor Gelatin 1-1/2 cups boiling water 8 vanilla wafers (or graham cracker crumbs) 1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping (optional) Combine dry pudding and gelatin powder in a medium bowl. Add boiling water, stir for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Place 1 wafer in the bottom of each of the 8 dessert dishes. Cover with the pudding mixture. Top with the Cool Whip. Chill for at least an hour. Refrigerate any leftovers.

I don't know about you, but most Jell-o Jiggler and Knox Blox recipes want you to use 4 boxes of Jell-o, and the Knox Blox formula looks like a chemist's list of ingredients. But what if you want enough for one person? What if you only have one box of three different flavors? Now what? Break out the calculator and guess? NOPE! Here's your simple formula. You can commit this to memory. For every one box of Jell-o, use one cup of hot water. Now here's the rest of the tricks: 1. Use a spray like Pam to lubricate the inside of your mold. Wipe most of the foam away with a paper towel, leaving just a slick surface. 2. When mixing the gelatin and hot water, stir with the whisk for two minutes. Yes, set a timer. There's one on your phone, microwave, and probably your stove. Use your Echo device. Use a timer. Seriously. Stir for the whole two minutes and pay attention. Create as few bubbles as possible. Stir, don't whisk. Bubbles leave unsightly pock marks on...

Yield: 4 servings 6 bacon strips, diced 2 small zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices 2 small yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch slices 1 medium onion, thinly sliced In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 2 T drippings. In the drippings, saute the zucchini, yellow squash, and onion for 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with bacon to serve. Lee Plumb, NCICS

A creamy, smooth blend of three convenient mixes that's very versatile. 1 package (3-1/4 oz.) Jell-O sugar free pudding and pie filling 1 package (3 oz) Jell-O sugar free gelatin (any fruit flavor) 2-1/2 cups water, boiling 1 tub sugar free Cool Whip, thawed or whipped cream! Y Combine pudding, gelatin, and water. Stirring until thick and clear. Chill until slightly thickened. When thickened, add to Cool Whip, folding together. Spoon into individual dessert dishes. Chill until firm. Makes about 4 cups or 6-8 servings.

You can actually make it with any flavor of Jell-O. It's worth the time and trouble when you're craving ice cream!

While waiting for the first of my two surgeries, I'm on a liquid diet. Now, the doc has an interesting definition of "liquid" which includes semi-solids like Greek yogurt, and vegetables processed to a semi-solid state. Not bad at all, when you consider the options include delicious "cream of" soups. I'm a big fan of vegetable soups, so this is not a hardship. Especially when you have these two great options for soup base, in addition to a powdered consomme I found in the international section of my favorite grocery store. This first one is my favorite for pure flavor! I can even substitute beef broth or vegetable broth, since both are also available. Now that's versatile. And now for your choice of vegetables and seasonings. Now think of the mix and match possibilities. Believe it or not, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes go together. Leeks go with onions, or go it alone if you're feeling adventurous. I'm from the deep South, so I know ...

This delicious sauce is awesome! I vow to keep this miracle in my pantry for those times when I need a sauce right now. Don't try to read off the picture. Show Crazy Mama some love and go to her site. http://losingweightalongtheway.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-make-cream-of-something-mix-and.html While it makes a great sauce, it makes an even better "cream of" soup that tops anything you can buy in the store. Now think of all those bags of frozen vegetables waiting in the freezer at the grocery store to be featured in your soup. Bacon and Brussels Sprouts, Asparagus, Broccoli, and Mushroom just to get the party started with familiar flavors. I got this chart from my old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from 1989. It doesn't exist in newer versions of the cookbook that I have. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is. I added a little bit of leftover cooked bacon to my cream of Brussels sprouts soup. It should be noted that I used my food processor to chop up...

Cabbage Beef Soup Ingredients: 2 T vegetable oil 1 lb ground beef ½ lg onion, chopped 5 cups chopped cabbage 2 (16 0z) cans red kidney beans, drained 2 cups water 24 oz tomato sauce 4 beef bouillon cubes 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper Directions: Heat oil in a large fry pan or electric fryer and cook ground beef and onion until beef is well browned and crumbled. Drain and transfer to a large slow cooker. Add cabbage and the rest of ingredients. Stir to dissolve bouillon cubes. Cover with slow cooker lid. Cook on high 4 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally. Serve in large soup bowls with crusty artisan loaves if desired.

Best darn low carb ice cream I've had to date. It's easy, cheap, delicious, healthy, and not pretentious at all. Because it's made and ready to be eaten in less than an hour, it kills that "I want ICE CREAM!" craving before it sabotages your diet. 

I was surprised at how tasty and easy these are! However, I was silly and used a disher scoop as opposed to putting them in ice cube trays for a smaller, more manageable bite. Keep the size as smaller than an ice cube. 

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A little something that could replace that craving for a cinnamon bun, if my cinnamon bun shakes don't work. Can't to take this to work.

Sorry the recipe scanned crooked. Anyway, here's some updated hints. This Jell-O recipe book has no date on it, but I'd guess before Cool Whip was invented in 1966.  1. Crush the ice ahead of time. Use a blender if you have one powerful enough to crush ice. Crushing ahead of time gives you a more accurate measure.  2. Set out 4-6 dessert dishes on a tray or cookie sheet. Feel free to chill them on the tray in the refrigerator to help the dessert set up faster, but it isn't necessary. 3.Measure all ingredients ahead of time. Put in ramekins, coffee cups, custard cups, whatever. It's better to be ready than to get halfway through and find out you don't have enough extract and the milk was sour. 4. Drain the pineapple in a glass measuring cup and add water to make it 3/4 cup. Microwave the liquid for a minute or two to get it hot. 5. Pour the drained pineapple into your food processor bowl or blender. 6. Add the hot to a bowl containing the Jell-O and st...

For those who follow my blog, you probably noticed I dropped off the face of the earth and stopped posting for three months. There were two reasons. The first was that I got a job that demanded all my time and attention for awhile. I love my new job, and I'm very happy being an appeals specialist. The second influences the nature of this blog. I had an endoscopy done after years of mysterious chest pains that were clearly not my heart. I have an ulcer and, most importantly, a "very large" hiatal hernia. I had also gained back everything I'd lost with the lap band and now weighed a shocking 290 lbs. The hernia and an enlarged liver moved my band out of place and quite literally turned it on its side. The hernia and the band must come out ASAP. I'm scheduled for surgery in early August, and as soon as four weeks later (depending on how I heal) I will be back on the operating table for a gastric sleeve. Like it or not, I'm now back on a very strict pre-surg...