Try This Recipe: 5-Spice Beef with Soba Noodles

This featured recipe is published with permission from page 129, Cooking with Kaye: Methods to Meals. Enjoy it tonight!

 

Five-Spice Beef with Soba Noodles

Indy Chef, satisfies carb cravings, beef provides potent protein nutrients

This is a complete meal with the perfect balance of protein, complex carbohydrate, dietary fat, and whole grain carbohydrates found in the heart-healthy soba noodles. Chinese five-spice powder is a pungent mixture of five ground spices. Most five-spice blends combine equal parts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. Look for it on the spice aisle of your favorite grocery store.

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package whole grain soba noodles
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce, reduced sodium
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 (16-ounce) flank steak, trimmed, cut into ¼-inch strips
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 green onions, minced
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 ripe tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
2 green onions; cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Directions: Cook soba noodles according to package directions. While noodles cook, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and steak in a large bowl; toss to coat. In a large high-sided skillet or wok heat oil over high heat. Add minced green onions and garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds until aromatic. Add beef mixture; cook 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add tomato wedges and green onion pieces; cook 2 minutes. Divide soba noodles among four plates and top each with equal portions of the beef mixture.

Nutrition: Serves 4. Each serving provides 374 calories, 28 grams protein, 12 grams fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Try This: This recipe adapts easily to different protein. Try it with poultry, firm fish, or shellfish. ~ Add red or yellow bell peppers to include more antioxidant immunity boosting nutrients in your diet. ~ Hoisin sauce provides sweet and spicy complex flavor. Find bottled Hoisin sauce, also called Peking sauce, on the International foods aisle.


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Try something New - Protein First Recipes You'll Love!

Tired of the same old bland boring meals after WLS? Now is the time to join me in the kitchen with Cooking with Kaye - Protein First Meals You Will Love. 134 all new recipes and detailed techniques to take you beyond the meal to create recipes you and your family will love. Hard-back, comb binding, 196 pages. Must have for any WLS household. Introducing Kaye's new "Pace of Preparation" to identify recipes that meet your time schedule and serve your dietary needs. Meals for the blended household (WLS & non-WLS eaters), couples, singles, all of us. Introductory price guaranteed through December 31, 2013. Order your copy today!

Coupon Code HEAT2013 takes $3 off your orders of $29 or more in the General Store.

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Cooking with Kaye: Methods to Meals
Protein First Recipes You Will Love

Kaye Bailey's highly anticipated cookbook.

134 Irresistible Recipes - Tips & Hints - Nutritional Wisdom

Introducing Kaye's "Pace of Preparation"
Available Now!

Kaye Bailey's all-new highly anticipated cookbook Published Nov. 20, 2012. "Methods to Meals: Protein First Recipes You will Love" features 134 all new recipes and detailed techniques to take you beyond the meal to create recipes you and your family will love. Hard-back, comb binding, 196 pages. Must have for any WLS household. Introducing Kaye's new "Pace of Preparation" to identify recipes that meet your time schedule and serve your dietary needs. Meals for the blended household (WLS & non-WLS eaters), couples, singles, all of us. Introductory price guaranteed through December 31, 2012. Order your copy today!

Supporting your weight loss surgery health management goals one delicious meal at a time.

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Refresher: Why working for your health with WLS matters

Are you struggling to remember why you had weight loss surgery and why working for your health must be a priority? I have those days too. Let's take a look at a few key learning points from Day 5 of the 5 Day Pouch Test found on page 89 of your 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual, Second Edition:

Losing weight is a matter of health: it is not a competitive sport. Contrary to popular culture, weight loss is not a contest. Weight loss is a lifesaving initiative owned by the one taking action. This is your journey: enjoy it at your pace.

Learn to measure your worth by means other than the bathroom scale. Focus on your whole self: your intelligence, social grace, spiritual connections, and professional and scholastic achievements.

Develop strategies for navigating in the real world. When we have surgery we changed and then we return to the exact environment we lived in prior to surgery: the very environment that contributed to our obesity. The only chance we have to make the surgery work is to evolve strategies for navigating our new body in the old waters.

Always practice kindness. Be kind to yourself, our ongoing theme. Express gratitude for your weight loss tool and for your personal empowerment. Celebrate doing the best you could to find a middle ground to respect yourself and your traditions and your new WLS body. This you deserve.

Please take a few moments to consider these key learning points and add a few of your own. We are all in this together!

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All New 2nd Edition-
5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual

The complete 5 Day Pouch Test plan including inspiration, instructions, and recipes in Kaye Bailey's classic empowering style. 180-page easy to read paperback with hints, tips and encouragement that enables you to take charge of your weight loss surgery tool. 2nd Edition includes new guidelines from the FDA, USDA, and the ASMBS. 16 new 5DPT recipes; more FAQ’s; more inspiration from Kaye. Improved format. Same great plan shared with Kaye's encouragement and enthusiasm. Same low first edition price $22.95. Get back on track with Kaye! You Can Do This!
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An Interview with Kaye Bailey

Baseball and Weight Loss Surgery? You Bet!!!

Today is the Major League Baseball All-Star game at Citifield (Home of the New York Mets) in New York City.  In the June 2013 issue of the 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin (View Here) I shared some of my favorite baseball metaphors as they apply (in my mind at least) to our weight loss surgery experience.  Today seems like the appropriate time to share them here, in the LivingAfterWLS Blog.  I hope you enjoy. 

Be sure to link to the full bulletin for more baseball and weight loss surgery content - I think you'll enjoy and be inspired.  And take a look at the recipe Lemony Chicken Soup - Delicious. If you work too cold air conditioning there is nothing better than a cup of soup - even when it's scorching hot out-of-doors. 

OKAY - Here are the metaphors - Play Ball! 


Don't Blame the Equipment: Just Make the Play
by Kaye Bailey

Now, just for fun I've shared some of my favorite baseball quotes and my little interpretation of how they fit our LivingAfterWLS life - I hope you enjoy!  
"I don't care how long you've been around, you'll never see it all." Bob Lemon

No matter how familiar we get with life after weight loss surgery, our bodies will never stop surprising us in what they can accomplish and what they won't put-up with. (Kaye)

"I only had one superstition. I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run." Babe Ruth

I only have one superstition in weight management: I make sure to touch all Four Rules every day. (Kaye)

"I was never nervous when I had the ball, but when I let go I was scared to death." Lefty Gomez

When we take control of our WLS equipment we have nothing to fear. When we surrender control of the equipment to other forces we must be absolutely scared to death. Don't let go of the ball. (Kaye)

"If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game." Rickey Henderson

Life after WLS can be messy: Let's go for it! (Kaye)

"The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series." Tommy Lasorda

It is possible, always possible, to put a positive spin on the outcome we accomplish. While some might say not winning the World Series is losing, others might say they took second place, and that's not too bad. Put a positive spin on things and everything changes. (Kaye)

"It ain't over 'till it's over." Yogi Berra

Weight Loss Surgery should not be measured from start (surgery) to finish (goal weight). It ain't over until the game (of life) is over. (Kaye)



Check out the 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin: June 2013

Are you Walking after WLS? Rule #4-Daily Exercise

Smart Fitness - Walking
by Kaye Bailey - LivingAfterWLS Library

"Step for step, mile for mile, walking is the best cardiovascular activity you can include as part of your weight loss surgery success story. Walking is easy, accessible, inexpensive, individual and effective. It is the gold-star sport for real people with real lives. Formerly stigmatized as cheap transportation and a senior citizens’ sport it is now a credible and fashionable form of exercise. And it’s been around for a long time – anthropoids stood upright and put one foot in front of the other thousands of years ago and we haven’t looked back since."


Read the Full Article

The RIGHT way to Stretch:

• Relax into the stretch
• Never force the stretch, and never bounce
• Hold the stretch 5-10 seconds, ease off the stretch, then relax into the stretch once again for another 5-10 seconds
• Take a relaxing breath as you start each stretch. Inhale through the nose, exhale slowly through the mouth
• Keep your shoulders relaxed at all times

Most injuries during stretching occur due to improper stretching technique. Remember to be gentle, relax, and never force a stretch.

How is your walking program going this week?

Soup in Summer? A Great Idea!

Summer is a time of abundant vegetables available locally grown at affordable prices. Through the hot summer and into fall farm stands dot America's byways as local growers bring to the public an abundance of freshly grown vegetables, fruits and berries. People who control their weight with bariatric weight loss surgery (WLS) can benefit from a stop at the farm stand for fresh vegetables to transform into healthy soup.

A recent study from Pennsylvania State University indicates that people who include a daily serving of soup in their diet are more likely to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight than those who do not enjoy soup in their diet. A homemade vegetable soup is considered a low-energy-density food that is rich in fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. It is "low-energy" because the calories (energy) in the food are low in comparison to the volume of the food. For example, a 1-cup serving of vegetable soup is seldom more than 100 calories, depending on the amount of fat used in preparation. On the other hand a 1 cup serving of ice cream contains 300 calories making it a high-energy-density food with little nutritional value.

The study found that soup as a first course, or a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack, is filling to the point that further calorie consumption through the day decreases. It is believed that soup helps sustain satiation because the fiber from vegetables slows digestion. In addition, carbohydrates from homemade vegetable soup tend to be low-glycemic and do not adversely affect glucose response in the same way simple processed carbohydrates do. As a result our metabolic process is steady and we do not feel an energy surge or drop that is often experienced when eating simple carbohydrates.

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Promotion:

LivingAfterWLS is pleased to present our own Feed the Carb Monster Soup Mixes. Avoid carb cravings with our delicious and nutritious soup mixes. When used with the 5 Day Pouch Test or your regular post-weight loss surgery diet these soups are effective at curbing carb cravings without the calories or guilt.

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Many weight loss surgery patients who complain of "carb-cravings" find that eating a 1-cup serving of soup is an effective way to stop those cravings and curtail feelings of "head-hunger." People who feed "head-hunger" with simple processed carbs tend to eat significantly more calories without satiating those cravings. This eventually leads to weight gain, even after weight loss surgery.

A good homemade vegetable soup can be put together quickly and keeps for up to a week refrigerated. Consider soup making as a series of layers, starting with savory onions and garlic. Heat a healthy monounsaturated fat such as olive oil or peanut oil over medium heat. Add one chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic and cook and stir until soft and translucent. While the onion and garlic cook wash and chop the vegetables for your soup. Select fresh seasonal vegetables that are crisp and unblemished. Vegetables that are good in summer soup include zucchini and summer squash, fresh tomatoes, green beans, carrots, turnips, spinach, napa cabbage, green onions, and fresh herbs. Fill the soup pot with as many fresh vegetables as you like, add the herbs during the final minutes of cooking.

For liquid add low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, tomato juice, or seasoned vegetable juice such as V8 diluted with water. Simmer the vegetables and liquid just until the vegetables are tender and flavors combine. For weight loss surgery patient a thick soup is desired to provide a denser meal and avoid a "slider food" that slips through the stomach pouch too quickly. Portions should be carefully measured at 1-cup per serving and this should be eaten in 15 minutes or less. Taking longer to eat soup will result in greater consumption and a decreased feeling of fullness.

In general, a 1 cup serving of vegetable soup will provide 3 grams of protein and 15 grams of healthy carbohydrate in addition to fiber and beneficial phytonutrients including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. While our dietary focus with weight loss surgery is to eat a high protein diet, a freshly made vegetable soup is a healthy nutritional compliment to that diet. Vegetables are known to lower the risk of many cancers, heart disease and stroke and strengthen the immune system. For many with weight loss surgery raw vegetables or salads may cause gastric distress, but most WLS patients report a high tolerance for vegetable soup.

Kaye Bailey (c) - All Rights Reserved

For more terrific weight loss surgery friendly recipes link to LivingAfterWLS Kitchen

The Secret to Lasting WLS Success

Shared from the:

July 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin

The Weight Management Secret
We haven't heard before

This will change how you think about WLS

 

I hope this message finds you well and thank you so much for selecting this correspondence from the many that fill your Inbox, I appreciate the time you share with me.

In this Bulletin I have taken the liberty of exploring an idea that came to me during a research project I was involved with recently. What if getting WLS surgery right wasn't about the goal weight or my favorite Four Rules or any other little list of instructions.

What if WLS living is about dedication to an ideal goal that, like any other worthy pursuit, requires practice?

What if we put ourselves in training for healthy living? Forget relying on intuition or instructions alone.

What if we take each day as a new training session for healthy living and practice what we know in the pursuit of improvement.

What if daily practice is what makes the difference between hopelessness and thriving?

Is that the secret of making WLS work for us and work for life?  Please take a look at the feature article "Take a Tip from the Professionals" and consider how you can employ the theories of practice into your WLS lifestyle. I've found some really great quotes and shared them throughout this newsletter - they are inspiring to me and I hope you will also find them inspiring.  While you are here please enjoy one of my favorite recipes shared from Cooking with Kaye: Sweet Italian Sausage with Veggies and Pasta. It is delicious and makes practicing this high protein diet satisfying.  I've also shared a terrific piece by Dr. Christine Carter on the Science of Success.  You guessed it - it's all about practice.

Thank you for joining me this month for our 5DPT Bulletin. I wish you the very best today and always!

CHEERS!
Kaye

Note: In case you missed it last month, we published our mid-year Special Edition of the 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin - the most commonly asked questions so far this year. Check it out in our archive: 2013 June Special Edition Bulletin

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Are you a slave to Carbs?

Are you a slave to snacky carbs or as we call them "slider foods"? Is this keeping you from reaching your full potential with WLS? How about a refresher course on carbohydrates and the role they play in our high protein weight loss surgery diet. Check out our 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin free in our online archive. So much good information and inspiration here - take a look! Link to Bulletin

Opening Article: 5DPT Bulletin March 2013

Greetings! 

We know from our search engine reports that many of you find LivingAfterWLS and the 5 Day Pouch Test by looking for answers about eating carbohydrates after weight loss surgery. Perhaps you, like so many other post-WLS patients find yourself taking little nibbles of soft snacky carbs with increasing frequency. Maybe you've regained some weight and are feeling frustrated and discouraged. Maybe you are embarrassed feeling you've broken your WLS tool. You are not alone. And you have the power to change directions and improve you health and weight management. Today's bulletin offers loads of information that empowers you to make changes you can live with.

Most of us, before surgery, agreed to follow the Four Rules and we likely banished processed carbohydrates from our diet - for life. That's because we understood that eating them before surgery contributed to our obesity - the result would be the same eating them after surgery.  But somewhere down the road we relax the rules and dip into the snack bowl. It is not that we are weak human beings. It is because soft carbs are more comfortable to eat than protein and in our society soft carbs are ever present. After weight loss surgery we call these snacks slider foods.

 

"The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured amounts of food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients unknowingly turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein, and it is more comfortable to eat the soft slider foods. Slider foods have played a significant role in every case of post-WLS weight regain that I have ever heard about." (5DPT Owner's Manual page 34)

 

Today we look at the role of carbohydrates in the post-WLS diet and learn how to include nutrient dense complex carbs in our Protein First meals. When we find a balanced plate that works specifically for our individual WLS-pouch we enjoy feelings of fullness, feelings of wellness and accomplishment, and we are likely to lose weight and sustain a healthy weight loss.

You can Do this!
Kaye

Link to Bulletin

Is it too late for me to do the 5DPT?

One of our LivingAfterWLS Friends asked, Is it too late for me to do the 5DPT? Maybe you are asking yourself the same thing. Here is the standard answer from our 5DPT Bulletin and a link to another helpful article. I hope you find it helpful. Have a fine healthy day everyone!

"Question: I had surgery X-many years ago. Is it to late for me to do the 5DPT?

Answer: Only you can answer this question. I know of people who had bariatric surgery back in the 1980's --when the procedure was a simple staple line down the stomach-- who have successfully done the 5DPT. Many times when people ask me if it is too late to do the 5DPT it is out of fear: fear they will learn their pouch no longer works or fear they will learn the pouch does work. The simple back to basics 5DPT will not cause you harm and it is only 5 days of your life. So it is up to you to decide if it is too late."

Helpful read: Three Keys to WLS Success

Was your 5 Day Pouch Test a Success?

View in our Gallery 

Infographic: "Was my 5 Day Pouch Test a success?" Helpful reminders for any stage of life after weight loss surgery. Please note - weight loss measured in lost pounds is not an indicator of success in this infographic.

Check it out! 5DPT Success:

View in our Gallery

Check-up: Do you know your BMI?

Have you checked your BMI lately? Use the American Heart Associations online calculator to see your BMI status and make a plan for continued health and weight management with WLS. From the American Heart Association:

Body Mass Index (BMI Calculator)

The benefits of maintaining a healthy weight go far beyond improved energy and smaller clothing sizes. By losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, you are also likely to enjoy these quality-of-life factors too.

• Fewer joint and muscle pains
• Greater ability to join in desired activities
• Better regulation of bodily fluids and blood pressure
• Reduced burden on your heart and circulatory system
• Better sleep patterns
• More effective metabolism of sugars and carbohydrates
• Reduced risk for heart disease and certain cancers

Your BMI is a good indicator of whether you're at a healthy or unhealthy weight. Find your BMI and what it means with our handy BMI Calculator.

• BMI stands for Body Mass Index
  This is a numerical value of your weight in relation to your height. BMIs are good indicators of healthy or unhealthy weights for adult men and women, regardless of body frame size. A BMI of less than 25 kg/m² indicates a healthy weight. A BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m² is considered underweight. A BMI between 25 kg/m² and 29.9 kg/m² is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 kg/m² or higher indicates obesity.
• Excess weight increases the heart's work.
  It also raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It can make diabetes more likely to develop, too. Losing as few as 10 pounds can lower your heart disease risk.
• To calculate your BMI:
  • Type your height and weight into the calculator.
  • Select a status option if you're under 20 years old, highly trained/athletic, pregnant or breastfeeding. If one of these situations applies to you, the BMI may not be the best method of assessing your risk from overweight or obesity.

This content was last reviewed on 01/10/2013.

AMA BMI Calculator

Lemon Ginger Iced Tea - Comfort That Tiny Tummy

Perhaps you, like me, enjoyed the July 4th food and festivities more than your little tummy pouch could appreciate and you've got a tummy ache or grumpy pouch. It happens this time of year when picnic tables are filled with rich foods, spicy sauces, and seasonal abundance. If you are still feeling blue from the red-white-blue revelry give this simple tea recipe a try and baby that tender pouch. I'm icing-up my glass right now. Cheers!

Lemon Ginger Iced Tea!

There is a certain clean feeling that comes from drinking tea - I think if you are not already including green tea in your healthy weight management plan that once you do, you'll be hooked. Give it a try! Herbal tea counts towards water intake and provides many health benefits.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 green tea bags
juice of 1 lemon
low-calorie sweetener of choice, to taste

Directions: Add water, ground ginger, and lemon peel to medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to where it sustains a gentle boil and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and add the green tea bags. Steep this tea mixture for 10 minutes, stirring or dunking the bags often.
Remove tea bags and stir lemon juice into the tea liquid. Cover and refrigerator for up to 1 to 2 weeks.To make a cup of iced tea, pour 1/4 cup of the concentrated tea mixture into a tall glass and stir in 3/4 cup of cold water, add sweetener as desired.  Add ice cubes and enjoy!

More recipes:
 Day 6 - Beyond 5 Day Pouch Test

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LivingAfterWLS is pleased to offer exclusively books from our publishing line including Kaye Bailey's critically acclaimed 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual and her follow-up Day 6: Beyond the 5 Day Pouch Test; and the all new recipe collection, Cooking with Kaye: Methods to Meals. In addition we are actively building our media library to include publications that will empower you to achieve greater success with weight loss surgery.

LAWLS Bookworm Bundle - Save 25% on Bundle!

Save 25% and build your WLS Library with quality publications! Exclusively sold at LivingAfterWLS Kaye Bailey's work is internationally acclaimed and supported by bariatric centers, nutritionists, support groups, and people just like you doing their very best LivingAfterWLS with bariatric surgery.

Bundle includes: 5 Day Pouch Test Owner's Manual 2nd Edition (2012); Day 6: Beyond 5DPT (2009); Cooking with Kaye-Methods to Meals (2012). Over 250 recipes; 600 pages of effective empowerment supporting your healthy weight management. Publishers suggested retail price $82.95 - Save $21 with bundle.
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Tomatoes, Lycopene & Eating Well after WLS

As we are living after WLS it is important to include as many healthy foods in our diet as possible while still respecting the nature of the gastric bypass system. One of the foods that many patients report having a high tolerance for is tomatoes. It's well known that a high intake of tomato products is associated with lowered risk of colon and prostate cancers, a beneficial effect thought to be due to tomatoes' high content of the carotenoids, lycopene and beta-carotene.

Lycopene is a member of the carotenoid family of phytochemicals and is the natural pigment responsible for the deep red color of several fruits, most notably tomatoes. Recently scientists have found evidence that supports the role of lycopene in human health, specifically in the prevention of cancers of the prostate, pancreas, stomach, breast, cervix and lung, as well as in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.

Lycopene is also believed to play a role in the prevention of heart disease by inhibiting free radical damage to LDL cholesterol. Before cholesterol can be deposited in the plaques that harden and narrow arteries, it must be oxidized by free radicals. With its powerful antioxidant activity, lycopene can prevent LDL cholesterol from being oxidized.

Lycopene is a fat-soluble substance, and as such requires the presence of dietary fat for proper absorption through the digestive tract. To facilitate proper absorption tomatoes can be prepared with minimal healthy fat such as olive oil, canola oil or even dairy fat found in cheese.

LivingAfterWLS Vegetable Recipes

Shopping for Tomatoes:
Choose tomatoes that have a deep rich color. Not only is this one of the signs of a delicious tasting tomato, but the deep color indicates that it has a greater supply of the health-promoting phytochemical red pigment, lycopene. Tomatoes should be well shaped and smooth skinned with no wrinkles, cracks, bruises or soft spots. They should not have a puffy appearance since this indicates that they will be of inferior flavor and will cause excess waste during preparation. Ripe tomatoes will yield to slight pressure and will have a noticeably sweet fragrance.

Tips for Preparing Tomatoes:
Before serving, wash tomatoes under cool running water and pat dry.
If your recipe requires seeded tomatoes, cut the fruit in half horizontally and gently squeeze out the seeds and the juice.

It is especially important when cooking tomatoes to not use aluminum cookware since their high acid content will interact with the metal. This may result in the migration of the aluminum into the food, which will not only impart an unpleasant taste, but more importantly, may have deleterious effects on your health.

Try This: Tomato Basil Saute

Tarragon is delicious: Try Easy Chicken Chasseur

(At left, Tarragon is widely used in classic French cooking for a variety of dishes including chicken, fish and vegetables, as well as many sauces, the best known being Bernaise.)

I love the flavors of tarragon and cooking sherry together - so Continental! And can we ever get enough chicken recipes? This "Easy Chicken Chasseur" comes from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking April-May 2009 issue. After trying it last night I can happily report it is delicious! For the starch eaters in your family serve with rice. But for the tiny-tummies enjoy as is. I can assure you a nutritionally balanced meal and a happy pouch. CHEERS!

From Food Dictionary.com:

chasseur sauce
[shah-SUR]
1. French for "hunter," chasseur sauce is a hunter-style brown sauce consisting of mushrooms, shallots and white wine (sometimes tomatoes and parsley). It's most often served with game and other meats. 2. Dishes prepared in a chasseur style are garnished with sautéed mushrooms and shallots.

Easy Chicken Chasseur
Serves 4 -- Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup sherry or reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 medium tomatoes cut into wedges and seeded

Directions:
Place cornstarch in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken in 2 teaspoons oil. Remove and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook and stir mushrooms and onions in remaining oil until tender. Add the broth, sherry and seasonings; bring to a boil. Carefully return chicken to the pan; simmer uncovered, for 4-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes; heat through. Serve with rice if desired.

Serves 4. Per serving (without rice): 260 calories, 25g protein, 7g fat (1 saturated), 18g carbohydrate.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 very lean meat. 1 starch. 1 vegetable. 1 fat.

Precautions to Take when it's Hot Hot HOT!

 Featured in the LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest. View Here

When the heat index is high, it's best to stay in an air-conditioned environment. If you must go outdoors, you can prevent heat exhaustion by taking these steps:

Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat.

Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or more.

Drink extra fluids. To prevent dehydration, it's generally recommended to drink at least eight glasses of water, fruit juice, or vegetable juice per day. Because heat-related illness also can result from salt depletion, it may be advisable to substitute an electrolyte-rich sports drink for water during periods of extreme heat and humidity.

Take additional precautions when exercising or working outdoors.The general recommendation is to drink 24 ounces of fluid two hours before exercise, and consider adding another eight ounces of water or sports drink right before exercise. During exercise, you should consume another 8 ounces of water every 20 minutes even if you don't feel thirsty.

Avoid fluids containing either caffeine or alcohol, because both substances can make you lose more fluids and worsen heat exhaustion. If you have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-restricted diets; or have a problem with fluid retention, check with your doctor before increasing liquid intake.  

   

Article Source: WebMD 

Heat Warnings & Your WLS - What you must know now!

Hey my LivingAfterWLS Friends - I know I nag on this a lot -- heat related illness after WLS. But with record breaking temps across much of the country I feel I must beat the drum again -- be careful out there in this heat. Check out our Digest (June 10, 2013) for detailed information on the dangers of heat illness after WLS and how you can prevent it. Link below to our archive and stay well out there!

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs144/1101189349792/archive/1113744507088.html

Greetings!

It's hot out there! Across the nation, as we look forward to celebrating Summer, many are suffering from record-breaking hot temperatures. Add to that power outages that have shut-down air conditioning and refrigeration and this is one sweaty country. Aside from being uncomfortable and inconvenient, high temperatures pose serious health threats including dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Those of us with weight loss surgery may be at increased risk of heat related illness if we struggle with the all-important Rule #2 of the Four Rules: Drink Lots of Water. As bariatric patients we are instructed to sip-sip-sip water during waking hours to keep our body hydrated and facilitate weight loss. In situations of extreme heat even a slight case of dehydration can become serious and may include symptoms very similar to dumping syndrome such as dizziness and disorientation.

Please take a moment to review the articles in this week's Digest and take appropriate action to protect your body from heat related illness with proper hydration and other temperature-lowering actions. And be mindful of those around you for symptoms that suggest a heat related illness, sometimes we do not recognize the symptoms in ourselves. Let's take care and avoid being one of the statistics during this season of celebrating our new healthy life. You deserve to take extra-steps to be healthy and enjoy your new life of LivingAfterWLS! Make sure to review our Four Rules and don't miss this week's featured recipe: Smoked Turkey & Melon Salad.

Best Wishes & Good Health!

Kaye

 

Link to Newsletter

 

 

Fish Tacos Tonight!

Fish tacos can be purchased from vending carts in busy marketplaces. When fresh fish is seasoned and grilled it is a good source of protein that most weight loss surgery patients find easy to tolerate. However, when the fish is battered and fried, as often found on vending carts, it becomes unappealing, fattening and consumption may cause dumping syndrome due to the grease. It is easy to avoid unpleasant pitfalls and prepare delicious and affordable fish tacos at home. Try this classic recipe and serve up an unforgettable fish feast for family & friends!

Fish Tacos  

Ingredients
1 pound fresh/frozen firm fish fillets (cod, orange roughy or halibut)
2 teaspoons Mexican seasoning blend
cooking spray
1 medium lime
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
8 romaine lettuce leaves or four 8-inch low-carb whole wheat tortillas

Directions
Thaw fish if frozen. Preheat grill or broiler. In cold running water rinse fish and pat dry with paper toweling. Evenly sprinkle each fish fillet with Mexican seasoning. Place fish on broiler pan coated with cooking spray or on a sheet of foil sprayed with cooking spray if grilling.

For broiling cook 4 inches from heat watching closely. Fish is done when it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Do not overcook. Broiling should take from 4 to 8 minutes depending upon thickness of the fish.

For grilling keep fish in one even layer on foil. Fold foil to seal making a package. Grill on each side over high flame for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest 3-5 minutes. Fish is done when it flakes easily when tested with a fork. Return to heat if you find the fish undercooked.

While fish cooks wash and dry the lime. Zest 1/2 teaspoon lime peel from the lime into a small bowl. Cut lime in half; squeeze enough juice to make 1 tablespoon. Add to lime zest. To lime zest and juice add 1/2 cup sour cream. Stir to combine.

On a serving plate place the 8 romaine lettuce leafs or low-carb tortillas. Using a fork, flake fish into bite- size pieces. Divide fish among romaine leaves or tortillas; roll-up and secure with a toothpick. Serve with the sour cream lime mixture.

Per serving (2 tacos with romaine leaves): 154 calories; 22 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrate and 6 grams fat (3g saturated).

More recipes: Cooking with Kaye Classic Recipes

Cooking with Kaye: Salads After WLS

The Tricky Salad Plate

Summer is here and now is the perfect time to serve-up some delicious fresh salads that support our weight management with WLS. Check out this recent issue of "Cooking with Kaye" for excellent recipes and tips for eating salad after WLS. Online in our archives. Link below:

Featured Recipes:
Tomato Mozzarella Salad Insalata Caprese
Zucchini Carrot Slaw
Chile-Rubbed Grilled Scallop Salad
Tuna-Spinach-Strawberry Salad
Butterhead Lettuce with Egg Salad & Shrimp

Link to Newsletter

5 Day Pouch Test Q&As - Special Bulletin

5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin

If you follow the 5DPT you know I always say don't do the plan for quick weight loss. Do the plan to get back on track with our WLS basics and refresh your memory about the Four Rules, slider foods, and liquid restrictions. Any weight loss during the plan is a bonus. I stand by this.

In this special edition of our monthly 5 Day Pouch Test Bulletin we share the top most frequently asked questions we have received in the first half of 2013. While there are visible immediate rewards to doing the 5DPT such as increased energy and notable weight loss, the thing that matters after Day 5 is what we learned along the way.

The 5DPT as it is written and presented online and in print is an organized approach to getting back to the WLS basics both mentally and metabolically. When followed with attention to details we hear great success stories that include restored feelings of pouch tightness and satiation, lost weight, increased energy and overall improved confidence and mental well-being. 

If you are going to invest five days into getting back on track then do it all the way. Take the program as a whole and immerse yourself in doing it right. Build that storm of enthusiasm and recreate the excitement you felt leading into surgery and the days and weeks that followed. Learn about yourself. Take notes and use the 5DPT 2-page journal. Learn your strengths and weaknesses and harness that knowledge to do better on Day 6 and Beyond.

 

Link to the Bulletin

AMA Obesity Classification & Insurance Coverage

Hello Everyone!

 We have received several emails asking about the new AMA reclassification of obesity as a disease and how this will affect health insurance coverage for obesity treatment. We expect it to have a favorable impact on health care coverage, but it will vary by plan and insurance provider as well as by state. An Associated Press article in our Special Edition Weekly Digest (June 21, 2013) goes into more depth on this topic. Here is the direct link:

AMA: Obesity is a disease, not a choice

Did you miss one of our newsletters?

Premier Weight Loss Surgery content supporting your healthy weight management with surgery. We are all in this together!

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Our LivingAfterWLS Newsletters are available 24/7 online in our archive. Here's a short catalog of some of the great supportive newsletters our readers are talking about:

Weekly Digest: June 10, 2103
Summer Living After WLS: The Heat is ON!
Please take a moment to review the articles in this week's Digest and take appropriate action to protect your body from heat related illness with proper hydration and other temperature-lowering actions. And be mindful of those around you for symptoms that suggest a heat related illness, sometimes we do not recognize the symptoms in ourselves. Let's take care and avoid being one of the statistics during this season of celebrating our new healthy life. You deserve to take extra-steps to be healthy and enjoy your new life of LivingAfterWLS!  Check it out HERE

Weekly Digest: June 1, 2013
Summer LivingAfterWLS: Make this Your Best Year Ever
This week Americans marked the unofficial start of summer with the Memorial Day holiday.  As the pattern goes for those of us recovering from morbid obesity with surgery, many of us will be spending more time out-of-doors in pursuit of health and activity that obesity had made difficult. With that in mind this week's LivingAfterWLS Digest takes a look at ways to make sure our summer activities are health promoting. We certainly didn't come this far in our weight loss to be sidelined with a food-borne illness or a heat related health crisis. So please, take a few moments to review these common sense articles full of great tips and advice for making our summer living fun!  Be sure to check out the recipe for Greek Chicken Salad with Feta - it is delicious!    Link to this Digest HERE

5 Day Pouch Test June Bulletin:
Don't Blame the Equipment
Are you as happy to feel the warm sunshine and good vibrations of the season  as I am?  Long days, cool nights, slower pace (I hope!), fresh vegetables, fruits, and berries; no more heavy coats, and good times all around. On top of my list for summer fun is major league baseball. And let me tell you, I am a sucker for the baseball metaphor. I don't think any other sport produces better metaphors that speak to life than baseball.  So it comes as no surprise that a commentator caught my attention when he said, speaking of a frustrated outfielder who had just tossed his mitt, "Don't blame the equipment: just make the play." How easy it is to take that and apply it our WLS afterlife. I've expanded on that theme in this month's featured article Don't blame the equipment.  (And in case you are curious, Go New York Yankees!)
Go HERE to read the June Bulletin


5DPT Bulletin: May 2013
Day 4: Your New Normal - Now you are managing your health well
If you started the 5 Day Pouch Test on Monday then today is your Day 4! I like to think of Day 4 as the magical breakthrough day when the difficulties of busting the carb cycle or getting back to the liquid restrictions are over. Many report feeling a new sense of empowerment on Day 4. This is your New Normal.  I hope that is how you are feeling today! To help you along our bulletin this month is loaded with Day 4 inspiration and helpful hints. Even if you aren't doing the 5DPT this week you are sure to find a little hint or nugget of information that could make your day a little healthier and your commitment to the WLS a little stronger.   And be sure to check out the Day 4 approved recipe: Baked Mahi-mahi with Macadamia Nut Crust. I think you will love it! Don't wait - check it out HERE

Cooking with Kaye June 18, 2013
The Tricky Salad Plate
 Hello Neighbors! Thank you for joining me in this issue of Cooking with Kaye. Today we are talking salads. Salads can be tricky after WLS, sometimes the raw vegetables can irritate our little pouches. It is so important that we re-think salads and prepare dishes that are light, nutritious using fresh in-season ingredients. When we do this our cravings for other things are diminished because our taste, texture and nutrional needs have been met. Fresh salads of fruits and vegetables tend to sit lighter in our tiny tummies and do not result in the food coma we often experience after eating a starch-heavy pasta or potato salad.  Let's get cooking - Go HERE

Cooking with Kaye: April 29, 2013
Sweet Spring Lamb - Delicious Protein
Hello Neighbors! Thank you for joining me in this issue of Cooking with Kaye. Today I'm sharing some of my favorite lamb recipes. Did you know that lamb is the most widely consumed animal protein in the world? And the United States is a leading producer of open range grazed lamb with lamb being produced for consumption in nearly every state. For many years I only enjoyed lamb in restaurants fearing it too difficult to prepare correctly. A move to Wyoming where is lamb is abundant gave me the opportunity to cook lamb (and mutton) and in so doing I learned to appreciate it prepared simply with fresh ingredients, while keeping a watchful eye on cooking temperature. Overcooked lamb, sometimes called gray lamb for its unappealing color, can be chewy and dry. Cooked just right pink lamb is succulent and tender reflecting the flavors of garlic, olive oil, and fresh herbs. I hope you give these recipes a try and add variety to your high protein menu rotation by including lamb once in a while. Go HERE for great lamb recipes.

From AMA: Obesity Reclassified

As published in today's LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest
Link to the Digest in our Archive: Weekly Digest 06212013

AMA: Obesity a disease, not a choice:
Reclassification will change treatment options

WASHINGTON (AP)  The American Medical Association (AMA) now considers obesity a disease that requires medical intervention, treatments and preventative measures.

The resolution to consider obesity a disease was passed on Tuesday at the association's annual meeting.

"The suggestion that obesity is not a disease but rather a consequence of a chosen lifestyle exemplified by overeating and/or inactivity is equivalent to suggesting that lung cancer is not a disease because it was brought about by individual choice to smoke cigarettes," reads one of the final paragraphs of the resolution (courtesy NPR's posting of the full document).

The AMA hopes the reclassification will change how doctors treat patients; that they will treat obesity as a disease rather than a lifestyle choice or condition.

"Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans," said AMA board member Patrice Harris, M.D. "The AMA is committed to improving health outcomes and is working to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, which are often linked to obesity."

Continue Reading

Obesity Reclassified

 Obesity is a medical condition, not a moral failure

Special Edition LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest
June 21, 2013

Breaking News! A special edition of the LivingAfterWLS Weekly Digest is hot off the press and delivered to your inbox. This special issue: "Obesity Reclassified. Obesity is a medical condition, not a moral failure" is in response to this weeks decision by the American Medical Association to call obesity a disease. You can also view the newsletter in our archive by clicking the link below. Don't miss it!

From the opening greeting, "In the world of obesity treatment and weight management the news was big this week. The American Medical Association (AMA) declared that Obesity is a disease that requires medical intervention, treatments and preventative measures (link to article). People who have undergone a bariatric procedure to treat their obesity have known this all along. If obesity were not a medical condition why-oh-why would we undergo major gastric surgery to treat it?

"This is good for society. But the best benefit from this reclassification is that it allows us, as individuals, to realize that we indeed have a medical disease, a metabolic disorder, that causes us to store excess fat and become overweight or obese. Knowing this we can work at releasing ourselves from the blame and self-loathing that come with being overweight. Obesity is not a moral failure, it is a disease. Being overweight is not a sign of weakness or lack of willpower; it is the manifestation of the metabolic disorder. Once we accept that we can intelligently and systematically work with our medical experts, mental health professionals, friends and family members in a deliberate effort to put the disease in remission.

"In today's special edition of the Weekly Digest I invite you to reclassify your personal definition of obesity. Consider the 5Ls (Look, Listen, Learn, Live, Love). I know that my weight management efforts are more successful when I approach my obesity as a medical condition requiring daily effort to manage. It serves me well to remember that I am me, I am not my disease (link to article).

"I hope you find this special edition useful in your ongoing efforts for improved health with weight loss surgery. Today marks the start of summer and I wish you the very best of health and wellness. You have the power to make this your healthiest year ever - Let's do it together!"

Free Printable because We Are All in this Together!

Greeting everyone and happy Summer-Eve! Longest day of the year don't ya know? I love

Click image to open PDF File for download.

it. Hey - we have had such great feedback on our June 5DPT Bulletin "Don't Blame the Equipment, Just Make the Play" that we have created a complimentary printable with two 6x4-inch images for you to print. The file is a PDF format, just follow the link, download, print, and post where you can enjoy these gentle reminders throughout your day. And Thank You Pat R. in Ohio for the suggestion!

Open the PDF file for download

Follow that link or go to www.5daypouchtest.com and click Tools.

Let us know what you think and if you would enjoy more printables.


If you missed it, here is the June 5DPT Bulletin in our archives: 
"Don't Blame the Equipment, Just Make the Play"  

Salads are Tricky After WLS: Make a Better Plate

This week's Cooking with Kaye newsletter is now in your Inbox and live in our email archive. This week's Topic: Summer Salads! Don't miss it.







Link to Newsletter: Salads are Tricky
 

"Hello Neighbors! Thank you for joining me in this issue of Cooking with Kaye. Today we are talking salads. Salads can be tricky after WLS, sometimes the raw vegetables can irritate our little pouches. It is so important that we re-think salads and prepare dishes that are light, nutritious using fresh in-season ingredients. When we do this our cravings for other things are diminished because our taste, texture and nutrional needs have been met. Fresh salads of fruits and vegetables tend to sit lighter in our tiny tummies and do not result in the food coma we often experience after eating a starch-heavy pasta or potato salad."


Salads are Tricky: Make a Better Plate

Featured Recipes:

Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Zucchini Carrot Slaw
Chile-Rubbed Grilled Scallop Salad
Butterhead Lettuce with Egg Salad & Shrimp
Tuna Spinach Strawberry Salad

Featured Article: 2B/1B Rhythm

Open the Newsletter