Coddled Eggs

I have joined the highly esteemed group of Neighborhood Coddlers thanks to Celadon & Lynn - Look! Celadon taught Lynn and I how to coddle eggs while we at our Director's Meeting. They are so delicious and soft on the tummy. I am thrilled to join the Coddlers. These two are Royal Worcester made in England. The pattern is perfect: berries and blossoms. What an honor to receive such a thoughtful gift - and a surprise no less. Thanks Ladies - Much appreciated.

Link to learn all about Coddling

LivingAfterWLS Food Editor Reaches Goal Weight!

Barbara (left) and Lynn (right) at the LivingAfterWLS Directors' Meeting:

Our good Neighbor and LivingAfterWLS Food Editor Celadon (Barbara Gibbons) has reached her weight loss goal!!! And she is just too darn sweet and modest to post about it. Registered member read about it in her blog: About Goal and Maintenance.

I consider Barbara my dear friend and power player in the LivingAfterWLS community. I can assure you, my darling Neighbors, that she always Always ALWAYS lives the best LivingAfterWLS way of life possible. She is an eager student, an over-achiever, and a down-to-earth sweetheart who believes in the best of all of us.

Congratulations Celadon --- You Have Arrived (in style!)!

High Protein Diet After Surgical Weight Loss

Gastric Bypass Patients Succeed Eating High Protein Diet
By Kaye Bailey

(At left: Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Breasts) The first rule for successful weight loss and weight maintenance after Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) is Protein First – that means eating protein for three daily meals, and protein must be 50 percent of food intake. Some bariatric centers advise as much as 70 grams of protein a day. The gastric bypass diet should be high-protein, low-carbohydrate and low-volume. This is what successful WLS patients will eat for the rest of their life if they wish to maintain weight loss after surgery.

Animal products are the most nutrient rich source of protein and include fish, poultry and meat. Dairy protein, including eggs, is another excellent source of protein. Nuts and legumes are also good sources of protein, but sometimes difficult for the bariatric patient to consume. Tofu is another remarkable good source of vegetable protein and there are many quality flavorful products on the market for making it easy to incorporate into the diet.

Science is proving that a protein rich diet will prompt weight loss and increase energy. The body contains over fifty-thousand different active proteins all made out of the same building blocks: amino acids. Amino acids are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen as well as sulfur, phosphorus and iron. Many diseases – including obesity – indicate an amino acid deficiency.

WLS patients do not have the luxury of eating high-carbohydrate foods. They must eat lean protein or they will get sick, anemic, and weary. Weight loss will cease if patients eat processed carbohydrates instead of lean protein. Dumping or vomiting may also result if patients do not eat lean protein for the first half of every meal.

The distinction must be made between high fat proteins and lean proteins. A gastric bypass patient cannot tolerate high fat proteins such as bacon, fatty beef or sausage products or greasy fried chicken: these foods cause nausea and vomiting. In fact, many WLS patients report even smelling high fat foods, such a fried chicken, makes them nauseous. In addition, these high fat protein rich items are contributors to obesity, clogged arteries and heart disease. High fat foods should be avoided by anyone wishing to control their weight.

Kaye Bailey © 2005 - All Rights Reserved

Check out the Community Kitchen for some Protein, Protein, Protein! New recipes this week!

LivingAfterWLS Cookbook

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"Normal" Recipes in the Kitchen

The LivingAfterWLS "Normal" eating is a diet of clean, lean protein; nutrient rich vegetable and fruit carbohydrates; healthy fats; limited grains, processed carbohydrates and sweets. It is easy to get into a rut of safe or predictable food. The danger with a food rut is boredom which may lead to eating that falls out of the "normal" diet. At LivingAfterWLS we have recently remodeled our online Kitchen with many new terrific recipes that will bring variety to your normal eating. The recipes are nicely organized and easy to follow.

At right: Orange and Fennel Salad from Palermo
Photo by Barbara Gibbons

Try some of my favorites:
Chicken Piccata
Halibut with White Wine Sauce
Beef Osso Buco
Chocolate Spice Brownies
Spinach Asparagus Salad

Visit the LivingAfterWLS Kitchen Today!

Chicken & Artichoke Casserole

Catsroomie, one of the excellent weight loss surgery cooks in the Neighborhood recently posted this recipe for Chicken & Artichoke Casserole:

Just came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com and it sounds delicious. Haven't tried it yet, but I plan to this weekend.


Artichoke Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, well drained and chopped (marinated preferred)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pinch garlic pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

Mastercook nutritionals Per Serving for 4 servings (I'm figuring it would make 8 for WLSers): 667 Calories; 53g Fat (69.3% calories from fat); 41g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 119mg Cholesterol; 706mg Sodium. Exchanges: 5 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 3 1/2 Fat.

There were a couple of suggestions added: Drain the artichokes well, squeezing as much liquid out as possible; use half sour cream in place of half the mayonnaise; add some crumbled bacon.

It's relatively low carb. If you're concerned about the fat content, you could make modifications to lower the fat.

I tried this recipe with a minor modification to lower the fat and it was FANTASTIC! Husband even commented that he was pleased there would be leftovers. To lower the fat I omitted the mayonnaise and used 1 10.75-ounce can Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup to reduce the fat.

For more great recipes and community help with healthy modifications visit the LivingAfterWLS Community Kitchen.

June Fruit & Veggies

Have you been to the Community Kitchen in the Neighborhood lately? There is lots of good stuff cooking that feeds our weight loss surgery tummies well. Our LivingAfterWLS Food & Nutrition Director, Barbara Gibbons is busy adding new recipes, product reviews and nutritional know-how to our growing collection of information.

This month she features Pluots© and Apriums© in the "Fruit of the Month" topic. These are new to me and I look forward to adding them to my healthy diet. In the Vegetable of the Month topic she features the southern, Creole and Cajun favorite: Okra. Be sure to link through and learn why these fruits and vegetables play an important role in our healthy LivingAfterWLS way of life.

Reminder: The LivingAfterWLS "Normal" eating: Normal for us means clean, lean protein; nutrient rich vegetable and fruit carbohydrates; healthy fats; limited grains, processed carbohydrates and sweets.

5 Day Pouch Test: Refresher Course

There has been a great deal of lively discussion lately about how to do the 5 Day Pouch Test correctly. The guidelines for the plan are very specific and deserve review.

First Off - the 5DPT is a drastic measure to stop a carb monster or slider food habit. It is a rapid return to compliance with the general rules of successful weight loss or maintenance after weight loss surgery. The 5 Day Pouch Test is not intended to be a way of life - it is a trip to the dietary and mental emergency room in order to stop further injury from out of control or improper eating.
Understanding Hunger, Appetite & Satiety

The 5 Day Pouch Test is intended to prepare us for the eternal Day 6 way of eating that includes a high protein diet with the inclusion of nutritious complex carbohydrate vegetables and low-glycemic fruits and limited whole-grain starch. In addition Day 6 means following the Liquid Restrictions and avoiding slider foods or processed carbohydrate grazing.

From the Plan:

This is the 5-day plan that I (Kaye Bailey) have developed and used to determine if my pouch is working and return to that tight newbie feeling. And a bonus to this plan, it helps one get back to the basics of the weight loss surgery diet and it triggers weight loss. Also, it is not difficult to follow and if you are in a stage of carb-cycling it will break this pattern. Sounds pretty good, right?

The 5 Day Pouch Test should never leave you feeling hungry. You can eat as much of the prescribed menu as you want during the day to satiate hungry and prevent snacking on slider foods and/or white carbs. You must drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day. A reduction of caffeinated beverages is suggested, but do not stop caffeine cold turkey.

Weight loss is not the intent of the 5 Day Pouch Test, however, many who have tried this plan report a significant drop in weight. More importantly they celebrate a renewed sense of control over their pouch and eating habits and easily transition back to a healthy post-surgical weight loss way of eating.

Although weight loss often occurs on the 5DPT it is when we follow Day 6 consistently that we achieve greater weight loss and weight maintenance. We also feel better about ourselves.

Days 1 & 2 are difficult - liquid both days. This is necessary to rest your tiny tummy pouch and reduce any inflamation that has occured from eating food that irritates the tiny pouch and the stoma opening through which food flows to the digestive track. It is very similar to how we prepared for surgery and how we nurtured our new digestive system after surgery. Think of it as coddling an infant - you would not feed a new baby fried chicken or pretzels or ribeye steak or chocolate cake. So why feed a new bariatric tummy these difficult foods? If you feel frightened or unable to do Days 1 and 2 then do a modified test starting with Day 3. Repeat Day 3 twice, do Day 4 twice, move on to day 5 twice (this makes it a 6 day test) and then begin the eternal Day 6. It is better to do the 5DPT as outlined, But doing a modified test is better than sinking further into a processed carb cycle or slider food addiction.

A Plan to Work the 5 Day Pouch Test

There is no such thing as perfection in life or the 5 Day Pouch Test. In fact, nobody has ever done the test perfectly, not me or Queen Gretchen or Toris or any of the other 5DPT experts. But what we have done is our best on any given day and learned our way back to following the proven rules that work with our weight loss surgery. Use the 5DPT as a learning tool; not a measure of success or failure. We have spent enough of our lives measuring personal worth by the way we eat and the number on the scale. The 5DPT is about reclamation of your power to do the very best at living healthy with surgical weight loss and beyond to maintenance. Be kind to yourself.

Some keys to working Day 6:
**Plan you meals

**Add new things to your diet in the way of lean protein and healthy complex carbohydrates.

**Forgive slip-ups and let them teach you.

**Embrace the WOW moments and let them motivate you.

**Never underestimate the power of the pouch - it is there for you if you work it.

**Finally - Remember you are never alone. One year out, 20-years out you have a friend in the Neighborhood.


Questions & Answers:
This sounds like just another short fad diet.
I can understand this feedback, particularly if it comes from one who has not had weight loss surgery or gone through the stages of the post-op diet. The 5 Day Pouch Test is drastic and it has to be. If a person is feeling out of control with their eating, feeling like they have failed at weight loss surgery and gaining weight then drastic action is necessary. This plan allows that individual to take control in 5 days and exchange destructive eating behavior for appropriate eating behavior that results in feeling good and weight loss. In addition, those who started the plan feeling hopeless and desperate come away with new confidence in their ability to work their surgical weight loss tool.

What are liquid restrictions?
After surgical weight loss patients are advised to avoid drinking water 30 minutes before meals and 30 minutes after meals. (The time restriction varies from surgeon to surgeon, but must use the 30 minutes before, 30 minutes after restriction. Follow your surgeon's specific directions.) In addition there should be no liquid consumed while eating. Following these liquid restrictions allows the pouch to feel tight sooner and stay tight longer, thus leaving the patient feeling satiated for longer periods of time without experiencing the urge to snack.

One exception to the mealtime liquid restriction is an alcoholic beverage. Due to the rapid absorption of alcohol after a gastric stomach reducing surgery patients should not drink alcohol on an empty stomach. Patients who elect to include an alcoholic beverage in their regular food plan should drink it only with meals. Alcoholic beverages should be limited to one serving per day or less

Why do I need to take only 15 minutes for meals? My center told me to take 30 minutes for each meal.
Many bariatric centers recommend patients take 30 minutes for meals. Some even instruct patients to use a stop watch and time 3 minutes between bites of food. The reason is to slow down the eating habits of the recovering morbidly obese person. After some time patients who comply with the 30 minute meal rule tend to be able to eat more and often linger over the meal, even though satiation has resulted. Consequently they eat more food, particularly if they are not following liquid restriction and using liquid to wash the food through the pouch.

During the pouch test a person is following the liquid restriction and eating a high protein diet. By limiting the time to eat to 15 minutes one will enjoy the satisfaction feeling that is the desired result of a gastric pouch.

Finally! Read Read Read!
5 Day Pouch Test Blog5 Day Pouch Test Website