Food! Glorious Food!

I'm back to answer those pesky food questions that a few blogger friends have emailed me the past few weeks.
One email in particular was actually the catalyst for me deciding to answer these questions on my blog. The author commented that she noticed that I "talk a heck of a lot about cooking and food and going out to eat". She is in the throes of the pre Lap Band hoop jumping and trying to figure out life beyond the Lap Band. The poor woman has herself convinced that her food-love days are over and she will be relegated to living a life barren of the major cook-a-thons and holidays and celebrations and nights out that have always been part of her life. Hopefully I'm not too late in letting her know that it's going to be okay. I'm hoping that other seasoned Lap Banders will chime in here and agree with me! The truth of the matter is that YES, things will change. At first, it may feel like you will die if you can't eat another huge hamburger or a pound of pasta or a whole loaf of artisan bread. Harsh reality--HOPEFULLY that is true. If it's not, go back to your surgeon and complain!
Let me assure you---you will be fine. Your Lap band will help you. It will take awhile to get adjusted (in more ways than one) but your Lap Band will help you. It won't do all the work--you do have to rely on knowing the rules Then all of a sudden....you will realize that food has become an even more important and more enjoyable part of your life. It will become more about the quality and not the quantity of what you are eating. You will demand that you only eat food that tastes amazing!!! Your nights out will become more about the experience, the company and the conversation (and the drinks!). Your cooking will become more about the joy of the entire process--from the recipe hunt to the preparation to the serving. Trust me, you will have some of your best meals after your Lap band. YOU will make sure of it!
Veteran Lap Banders: Am I right or am I wrong?

Now that we have that all cleared up.....
QUESTIONS ABOUT FOOD.....

*What is your typical daily food intake now that you have lost your weight?

I don't count calories so I could not give you a calorie count (btw, I never counted calories since I got my Lap Band)
A typical Monday-Friday Day looks like this:
Breakfast: Protein drink--8 oz Bolthouse Perfect Protein Soy Vanilla Chai, 4 oz of Tzao Chai Latte Concentrate, lots of ice
Mid-morning: Chunk or slice of a hard, sharp cheese or container of low fat yogurt
Lunch at my desk: Some favorites include: Hummus mixed with feta cheese on pita chips, yogurt and water or low fat soup (from deli or brought from home), crackers and iced tea or a small scoop of tuna or chicken salad with melba toast and yogurt or
Lunch if I am out of office: Soup or small caesar salad or burger pattie with all the trimmings/no bun
Mid-afternoon snack: Almonds and cheese or Yogurt or Starbucks Non fat Chai Latte
Dinner: 3-5 oz of beef, chicken or seafood, roasted veggies or polenta with tomato sauce and cheese or eggplant bake with ricotta or Home made soup with cheese and croutons or pizza made on a whole-wheat tortilla

*What foods do you have to avoid?

I do not do good with bread or pasta or rice. So, I stay clear of those as much as possible. I've had issues with chicken and beef if it's not cooked right. I have to be very careful to take small bites and chew very wel.l

*What foods can you always eat?

The good or the bad??? I'm able to eat a lot of chocolate, mashed potatoes, chips, popcorn, pudding, ice cream...in other words...the creamier or the crunchier, the better.
So, I have to stay very clear of them. Sure, I eat them but not in large amounts. The key is to fill myself up on the things that I can eat in moderation. I do very well with crab--which I adore! So, crab based dishes are always good go-tos for me if I really want to treat myself. Most soups I can eat pretty easily too.
Because we do frequently go out to dinner, I am very familiar with several restaurant foods that work very well for me. My husband is a bit of a picky eater,a bit of a restaurant snob and a creature of habit so we tend to go back to a lot of the same restaurants. When we go to familiar restaurants, I don't even have to look at the menu. When I walk into one of our favorite haunts, I'm positive the waitress says "here comes the gin martini and crab with alfredo sauce girl..."!!!

*What do you do about holiday meals?

This is a tough one to give a general answer since most holiday meals tend to have personal emotions and either family, religious or nationality traditions associated with them. For instance, in our family, our Thanksgiving stuffing is always made with meat and cheese. Being Italians, we always have some type of pasta course. And, our Christmas Eves are seafood-based. One thing is certain--we always have lots of good food that we only eat once a year--which is probably true for most people. So, I don't deprive myself. On holidays--I look at things this way--certain foods have a very emotional attachment to them and I have to taste them to get that feeling of the season. So, that's what I do--I have whatever I want--I take a little bit of all of my favorite things that I need to have! I eat what I can....very slowly....and I am happy.



All that talking about food has me STARVING......
Which proves that sometimes it's mind over matter
Because I'm never ready for food at 5 am!!!! (unless, of course, I've been out all night!)