Pizza! Pizza!

Hello!  I would just like to announce that I stepped on the scale this morning (I know...I really need to stop doing this every day...Fridays only from now on...Promise! ) and I WAS DOWN 2LBS!  YAY!  I would also like to Thank everyone for your encouraging words.  It helped me not get discouraged.  Now I know that I probably have a lot of instances just like this one in the near future...but I can't express how happy I was to see those pounds fall off this mornin'. 

So Pizza...ah yes...Pizza...I think this was one of the ONLY things I've been craving since my pre-op.  Hot, greasy, cheesy, pepperoni pizza.  But we all know what a BAD IDEA that would be, but I just HAD to have some...so I did!

Chicken Margherita Tortilla Pizza

1 Ole Whole Wheat Tortilla (or any brand you prefer)
1 oz. of Grilled Chicken
1 Tomato Basil String Cheese
handful of golden tomatos (or red, these are sweeter)
1 tsp. of EVOO
2 basil leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Toast your tortilla in the oven on 375 until it starts to get a little brown, watch it though because you don't want it to burn with the toppings (kinna like this one did but it was still YUMMY!).  I probably had it in there for about 5min.  I also sprayed it lightly with PAM EVOO.  While that's toasting, chop the rest of the ingrediants in the bowl.  Once your tortilla is toasted, put the remaining chopped ingrediants on the tortilla and toast until the cheese is melted.  It probably took another 5 min but I have a gas stove, which cooks faster so just watch it.  (I'm notorious for burning things I must 'watch' so I literally sit on the floor looking through the stove for the cheese to melt...LOL!)

Nutrition Facts
Fat                14g
Calories        247
Carbs             10
Protein            21g

(This may seem like a lot of calories and fat, but I haven't been eating near enough and I'm stuffed by the time I'm finished with this)

One of the things I really like about this dish is that since we eat slow, so the food gets cool (something I totally didn't think about when considering LapBand), but once it cools its sooo refreshing! 

Hope someone gets to enjoy this as much as I did! 

Walkin' Love

Good morning! It's been a few days since my last post. Kinna sounds like I'm doin a confession doesn't it? I do have to say that I haven't been posting because I'm stuck...and really don't have any good thoughts to share with my blogger folks. See, im at a standstill with my weight and have been for the last two weeks, in fact, im up 2lbs and I went ahead and updated my ticker since I haven't had a loss in a while...sigh. I'm frustrated. Very frustrated. I'm doing real well with eating. Staying at about 600-1000 calories per day. I am at zero restriction but I'm not letting that get the best of me. I walk at least 4 days a week for at least a mile. And I'm making real good food choices. I keep hearing that its normal and my body is just holding onto to what it has because it thinks its starving and then will eventually let go of this weight. But this seems to always be the case with me (preband). I lose 20ish lbs. And then can't for the life of me get the rest of the weight off! Btw, this 19-21 lbs I'm reporting is including what I lost in pre-op. So post op im only about 8lbs down, im three and a half weeks out, which isn't bad, I'm just not seeing anything move! I wish I could up the workouts, but I have about three more weeks until I can do that.

Which brings me back to my walking. During the weeks, I really don't have any choices than doing it during work hours. Me and a few girls have mapped out a route in or building and we do at least a mile, for 15 minutes. I leave for work and get home after dark and outside is just not an option for me in this area. But I love it outside. Not around the neighborhood, I think that's super boring and will come home at a mile. So during the weekends, I've been heading back to the park and really workin it. I mean doing at least 2mi at about 4-5 mpi (per endomondo app). Its beautiful. I love people watching, the trees, the little duck pond, people fishing.  I WISH, I lived closer so I could go during the week. Its about 20min away and I don't get home until after 7pm. Just the beauty of nature encourages me to keep going. Here's a little view of my walking trail:

Isn't it beautiful?

Butternut Squash & Bandster Hell

I believe that I am now officially in Bandster Hell.  I am still going up and down on a daily basis and am pretty freakin' hungry all the time.  One day I'm up one, the next down two, the next up three, then down three and so on...sigh.  I CANNOT wait for a fill.  I'm scheduled for one the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and I am countin' down the days.  So granted, I don't have a lot of exciting thoughts to boast about today...

My eating has been pretty boring during this mushie stage.  Chix salad and tuna salad plus a side of veggies.  I really can't fathom eatin' anything else that is supposed to be solid, into mush...so that's why I'm stuck on these, plus I took that Chix that my mom made the broth with so I'm up to my eyeballs in Chix Salad and I don't want to waste it.  However, I usually make some veggies to go with my Chix Salad and today I made my Baked Butternut Squash Fries...YUM!!  If you like Sweet Potato Fries, you'll love these and they are healthier.

Baked Butternut Fries

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut squash in half and scoop the seeds out, cut in fries about 1/2 inch thick.  Be careful, its really hard to cut.  Spray pan with PAM (I use the Olive Oil one), line pan with fries and leave about an inch in between them so they can breathe.  Spray with OO Pam and sprinkle with Sea Salt.  Bake for 20min and then turn them over and bake for another 20min.   Taadaa!  :)

Another side I love...Lemon Pepper Grilled Zuchinni

Rinse Zucchini and cut in long pieces.  Fire up the grill, sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and cook for about 5 -10 min.  I'm totally addicted to these!  :)

Hopefully tomorrow will be more cheerful.

Meet Me on Monday

I really wanted to do BYOC, but it wasn't posted...so here I am!

1.  Does your family/friends know about your blog?
My hubby is the only one and the only one I plan on telling.  :) 

2.  What is your favorite card game?
Speed!  And I'd beat your ass at it too...bring it! :P

3.  What do you wear to bed?
Just a T, usually my hubby's, and some panties.  Hopefully they'll be a lot cuter in the future. 

4.  What is your favorite kind of French Fry?
Really?  I'm like some of the others that answered this question in awe.  For whoever created this one, thanks for makin' me add French Fries to my crave in addition to greasy, cheesy pizza...ugh.  On a good note, I've recently discovered Baked Butternut Fries and they are AH.MAY.ZING! 

5.  What is your bed time? 
I try to be in bed by 10pm but I usually watch tv for a bit.  On top of that, I'm quite the insomniac at times and when I do sleep I sleep very very light.

What's on your workout playlist?

Mornin'.  I'm on a slight uptick on the scale.  I'm not too happy about it because I'm doing everything I'm supposed to.  Eating slower (thanks for your responses on my last post).  Stayin' within my calories.  Workin' out.  Measuring food.  WHAT GIVES??  The scale has me up 3 POUNDS!!!  I told myself to only weigh on Fridays because I would fluctuate on a daily basis, so I weighed yesterday, was up one, weighed again this mornin' and up two more.  I just need to hang in there...

Yesterday, my family and I went to the park and the boys played some football while I got in some exercise.  I walked about 2 miles is 40 minutes (I plan on eventually being able to run).  I have no idea if that's good time but it's more exercise than I've done in years and my legs are feelin' it today.  But I felt great.  When we got back me and my youngest son did about 20 minutes of Just Dance 2 on Wii.  So I feel pretty good about the exercise I got in yesterday.  I love to listen to music and it helps me make my walks more exciting.  My favorite is anything Katy Perry or Black Eyed Peas...I LOVE THEM and any time I hear either of those two it makes me want to dance.  So that's basically what my playlist consists of with a few others in the mix.  I mostly listen to modern and classic rock but I need music that'll pump me up for workouts, that's why I'm kinna lost on what else to add.  Here's a sample of what I listen to while I'm walkin':

• Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
• You and I - Lady Gaga
• California Gurls - KP
• The Time - BEP
• Imma Be - BEP
• Meet me halfway - BEP
• Miss You - Rolling Stones
• Can't Get No Satisfaction - RS
• Sail - Awolnation
• Last Friday Night - DP
• Alone - Heart

When I'm out and about I can always come up with stuff I need to download, but when I sit down at my computer to do it, I'm at a loss...

So what's on your playlist? 

(Sorry I haven't posted any recipes lately, my diet consists of smushed chicken and veggies right now, nothing exciting...)

What is this?

Hey Bloggers!!  Happy Friday :)  Well not Happy Friday to me since I've been stuck at the same weight since last Friday...sigh.  (I've decided that I'm only weighin' on Fridays)  I know that I'm not supposed to worry about weigh loss during this time but I can't help it!  I'm actually up .7 since I've been on mushies (3 days) but who's counting?? Of course I count the points when I'm down though LOL.  I've only walked 3 xs this week so I know I need to get that up.  I do pretty well on my water but I've always done well with that.  So is this typical?  The move from liquids to mushies is obviously more calories, but I was only taking in about 500-600 on liquids and now I'm ranging from 800-1000.  Did you hit a plateau during this transition?

In addition to that, I think I can feel my band now.  I don't know what it means, I guess this is the part where have to figure out what the signs are tellin' me.  It's like I can feel the food move through my band.  It doesn't hurt, it's just kinna uncomfortable.  Is this normal?  Am I taking too big of bites?  I can't imagine it's me not chewing my food well, since it basically disintegrates in my mouth right now.  Am I eating too fast?  Maybe it's just 'cause I'm still healing?  Do you even know what I'm talkin' about?

Insights...please.

Chill of an early fall

It's about 60 degrees in the great state of Texas right now and I am LOVIN' it!  Hopefully, it'll stick around for a while.  I live in an area of the US where you northerners laugh at us because we consider 60 as COOOOLD LOL.  But it's nice.  Comin' from a 100+ degree summer and an even worse August, where you're drippin' with sweat just walkin' to your car in the parkin' lot, I look forward to this time of year.  I embrace it.  

On another note, I am now officially 2 weeks post op and I am feelin' fantastic!  100% back to normal except that I still cannot sleep on my stomach (and do not sleep well on my back or side, might I add).  I did move to mushies today and I'm goin' back to work tomorrow.  It was nice chewin' my food because I am tired of drinkin'!  I did have my protein shake for breakfast but for lunch I had 2 turkey meatballs my mom made for my hubby while she was here and 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes (no, I don't know if there's an E or not, so shoot me).  I don't any have restriction but I took small bites, chewed at least 20 times, and have been full and satisfied throughout the day.  I then had a late snack of 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt (love this stuff) with splenda and a small amount of honey and I am not interested in eating anything else.  My doc said specifically, "if you are not hungry, don't eat", so I'm not.  

(I'm currently watchin' X Factor and this little girl Drew is so amazing!!!)

So, in light of the wonderful chill in the air, I just had to put on some chilli.  They just go together.  It's in the crock pot now and i'll let it cook overnight so it'll be good and ready for me to pack my lunch in the AM.  Since I am banded, I decided to try something a little different...black beans.  So this is a vegetarian meal, and a lot healthier than your standard chilli.  And, since it's cookin' overnight, it'll be nice and mushy for me tomorrow! 

Black Bean Chilli

2 big cans of Black Beans

1 standard can of Black Beans 

(or 5 standard size cans)

2 medium zucchini

1 cup of mushrooms

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 white onion, chopped

2 Alarm Chilli (I have no idea if this is something that is just in the south, if so, any chilli kit should do)

Mix all in Crock Pot, set on low and cook for about 8 hours, and Voila'!

Nutrition Facts for 1/2 cup serving (has about 12 1/2 cups)

Calories    109

Fat            1g

Carbs        14

Protein       7g

Enjoy!