Fat Frog Diary

Originally, we lost this recipe in a move. Then along comes Google and we found it again! Saved, thanks to the internet. This has been our favorite for twenty years, and we see no reason to change. Lena Austin http://www.lenaaustin.com/ http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

While I can agree with most of these, I have to admit there are some (like clam juice) that I consider specialty items. I wouldn't keep them in stock. That's the way we roll here. However, overall this list pretty much guarantees a way to have most of what you need on hand. http://www.savingdinner.com/news/UltimatePantryStockUp.html Check it out and see if you don't agree.  I think I'm going to merge this list with my regular grocery list and see how well it matches.

Okay, I confess. You haven't seen much of me lately because I've been naughty. I fell off the wagon and piled on ten pounds. Could I blame stress? Yeah, but the point is that no one put a gun to my head and made me eat more carbs. I did it. I think the point is to forgive myself and get back on the bandwagon. There will be days like today (Thanksgiving) where I'll indulge. However, I can say no to certain things like mashed potatoes and dressing and say yes to things like more turkey. I had just a sliver of pumpkin pie instead of pigging out. For me, total denial means I get resentful and eventually defiant. Giving in to a little and having what I want in reasonable portions means I avoid a self-hating binge in secret later. So, now I have to come up with strategies to increase my calorie burn when I can't control what I eat. That means increasing my exercise. That's as easy as getting out of the chair. I can take a walk or dance to my MP3 player. I can do a lot of ...

My grandfather was born and raised during the Great Depression. Consequently, he was one of those incredibly frugal men who lived well below his income because he "didn't need much." He drove a POS car until it became a classic, then an antique, then he sold it for ten times what he'd bought it for. He even had his own garden until he was too old to tend it properly, but his neighbors all had gardens and felt sorry for the lonely old widower and brought him extras from their gardens for free! When he died, he left my Mom a small fortune. One thing grandpa did very well was save money on food. He rarely threw anything out. He composted his organic garbage right back into his garden, washed out his cans and took them to a steel mill that happily bought all his cans long before "recycling" was even a word. Even his soups were recycled. Grandpa kept several containers stacked neatly in his freezer. Three were for cooked meats he shaved off the bones and save...

On one of the LapBandTalk forums, someone asked me if I really do count even the carbs in my coffee creamer and manage to stay under 30g a day. I do indeed count the creamer in my coffee. It kills me to limit my coffee, but switching to hot tea helps in the winter. I stopped taking Metamucil and switched to Miralax on my doctor's recommendation. I don't have to count the Miralax. Yes, keeping the carbs that low is very rough sometimes, especially during holidays and family celebrations. However, I can be forgiving of myself for the rare celebrational moment, as long as I'm reasonable. Sometimes it means getting inventive, other times it means depending on someone else to be "coach" and say, "Aunt Bea, we really appreciate what you did baking that birthday cake, but Lena's only allowed a sliver of cake. Anything more will cause a blockage and a hospital visit. Thank you." Really, it's outside influences that cause me the most distress. I actually ...

This weekend was a "road test" for my new lifestyle. Friday I went with a local quilting guild to St. Simon's Island for a once-a-year event/sale on special quilting fabrics. Naturally of course, we had to sample the local restaurants. and this year was seafood! I was smart enough to choose an appetizer only, a 5 oz chunk crab cake with no naughty breading or fillings. I only ate half and asked for a box. It's still in the fridge. Then yesterday, I was a very naughty girl. Dante and I went to the Hoggestown Medieval Faire in Gainesville. We left early, but in a bit of a rush, so no breakfast. Dante insisted we stop at a McDonalds for a quick bite. (sigh) I should have ordered one of the "breakfasts" and eaten just the sausage and eggs. No, I was weak. I hadn't had an Egg McMuffin in years, and couldn't resist. (flogging myself for my crime) It took me close to an hour to eat the silly thing, but I did it. (Tsk! Tsk!) Now at the faire, I was better ou...

Tonight I cooked a meal I couldn't have: pork chops with an apricot sauce, despite the fact it's low carb. My healing isn't done, and even chicken still presents difficulties passing the stoma. While my DH and roomie attacked the "normal" food, I hummed happily and turned to the fridge to find some mushies. Then I stopped. I was shocked to realize I wanted the veggies, but no meat. Was I nuts? Didn't I want a nice juicy slab of animal? Uh, no. Not really. I pondered this while I pulled out the kale, rutabaga, and broccoli I'd cooked a couple of days ago, deliberately overcooking them to the correct "mushie" stage. Tsking over the limp and soggy state of the broccoli, I chose it first. Zapped in the microwave, that serving lasted me about the same amount of time as the guy's massive portions. (I'm really getting into this serving myself a la russe --one course at a time.) The guys piled back into the kitchen and scooped great big second h...

Well, I think it's clear I've found my personal diet Golidlocks Zone. I've been logging less than 1400 calories and less than 30g total carbs since mid-November and the weight is coming off at a nice even pace, an average of about two pounds or more a week. Not bad for most of that time period including two birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It's not too much where I don't lose, and not so little that I can't maintain the lifestyle. A lot of that has to do with SavingDinner.com and I admit it. Without my subscription to the Low Carb Menu plan, I'd be lost. Instead I'm eating marvelous low carb meals with side dishes like Turnip Fries and Faux-tay-toes Deluxe. Sure, I have to cook an extra carb loaded side dish for DH and Dante, but I don't mind that one little bit. Funny thing is, DH occasionally looks up from his devouring of the dinner to ask, "Are you sure this is healthy stuff? It tastes too good to be diet!" Now that's a compl...

I stepped on the scales this morning. My poor old bathroom scale may be three days older than God, but it works. It says I've lost a few pounds. I may have finally found the system that will allow me to lose the weight to please the surgeons. Whereas before I dutifully counted only the carbs without counting calories as recommended, I seemed to not lose weight. These past few days I began meticulously logging everything that went into my mouth that had a scrap of carb or calorie. I've managed to stay below 1400 calories and 30 carbs, but it hasn't been easy. I still feel it will be impossible to avoid falling off the wagon on Thanksgiving. The best I can do is lessen the damage by controlling what I can, such as eating across the plate. By starting with the lowest carb items like the turkey, then the veggies, and "saving a sliver of room" for one small sample of dessert, perhaps I can avoid being a pig on stuffing, mashed potatoes, and six different kinds of pie. ...

This first part is the same as what I posted at http://www.incredibleshrinkingauthors.com/ I’m doing the happy dance! After weeks of no weight loss results because my willpower was weaker than a kitten, I finally had a temper tantrum. I was tired of being sabotaged by my darlings, who do not have to watch their carbs. While Randy is thin as a rake and Dante not so thin, both have the right to eat as they please. Before my tantrum, they’d eat their carb-loaded goodies right in front of me, leave the food out where I had to look at it, desire it, and eventually snitch some of it. Worse, they’d actually encourage me to cheat by offering to share or whining when I made healthy meals. I absolutely must shrink my liver. If I don’t shrink the liver, the surgery must be cancelled. Therefore, it’s imperative that my weak willpower must be shored up with something. Finally, I had a breakthrough and a tantrum. After I “explained” to Randy how he and Dante were unconsciously sabotaging my diet, he...

Where am I in this journey? Somewhere between the circus poodle still jumping through hoops (Arf!) and the dysfunctional machine laying on the gurney for repairs. I saw the shrink yesterday. Nice woman. That marks the end of my visiting specialists. My appointment with the surgeon for a group session is next week. If I understand the process (doubtful) then they'll submit the packet detailing how my weight affects my health for final approval from my insurance. This will be the third approval from the insurance. I have visions of some bean counter at the insurance office typing up a fax saying, "Yes, I'm sure!! Geez, you're worse than my computer!" Just like HysterSisters, everyone tells me the waiting is the worst part. I don't think it's the waiting so much as the long time span from decision to doing it. This is especially true since I learned how few daily carbs I was allowed, and that I needed to start that diet immediately. The fact that it would be ...

My DH, Randy, has done something wonderful. He's taking the day off from work to be with me the day of my blood test. Doesn't seem like much, does it? Depends on your point of view. First, Randy has to be there just to propel my unwilling lard-butt through the door tomorrow at the ungodly hour of 6:45 AM. I'll say it again. I'm needle phobic. Not just scared of needles. Phobic, as in you have to practically put a gun to my head to make me put up with it. Randy hates seeing me white-faced and terrified. He knows he's going to get pleading looks begging him to rescue me, and he's going to have to be unyielding. This has to be done, and he'll see to it the job gets done, no matter what. Then, because he knows after a fasting CBC, I'll be as miserable as it's possible to be, he'll take me to breakfast somewhere to recover. He'll spend the day being loving and distracting me with all the chatter his taciturn brain can come up with, and when that f...