The first follow-up with my surgeon went very well!
He’s pleased with the amount of weight I’ve lost so far (12-14 pounds). I was permitted to resume so many normal activities: normal showering with washcloth on the wound sites (incisions are healing well); driving, so long as it doesn’t hurt to get in/out, ride, and I’m not on pain pills; Baltic and Ichabod can come back in the bedroom (I’m honestly not sure which of the three of us is more excited about this one); I can go swimming, so I’m cleared for the beach in a few weeks.
The big thing is that I was cleared for Stage 3 food — mostly pureed food. After being on liquids and mostly liquids for about a month (counting the week of prep), I truly thought that this would be heaven on earth. I’m supposed to have about 2 ounces 4-6 times a day. I found a couple of recipes in my binder earlier this week that I thought sounded good. One consisted of canned chicken, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Sounded like something I would love. I even added a tiny bit of plan-approved mozzarella cheese. Pureed it in the Ninja, heated about 2 ounces of it in the microwave. Had 4 or 5 small spoons of it and put it in the fridge. It wasn’t delicious. It wasn’t horrible, but the consistency kinda killed it for me. And I’m supposed to eat 4 2-ounce meals like this a day for seven days. Somehow, I think I’m going to miss sugar-free pudding and sugar-free Popsicles, lol! But I’ll keep trying. (In a week, I can move to Stage 4, which includes beef, chicken, tortillas, and bananas, none of which has to be pureed, lol!)
My protein and liquid requirements will stay the same. 48-64 oz of fluids a day as my target (I typically go over a little, which Dr. Gray says is okay), and 60-80 g of protein. That will be a little more challenging to calculate with food included. I’ve just been drinking two Premier Protein drinks, (30 g each), and having an Oikos yogurt (15 g) most days. Now we’ll be getting into “higher math,” lol!
But I’m so very thankful for progress and for a good report. Hopefully my appetite will return at some point this week. I have at least one more actual recipe to try, mostly cheeses baked together with a little spaghetti sauce, sorta like lasagna without the noodles. Maybe this chicken stuff will grow on me, too. Or maybe the 7 days will pass quickly, lol.
But my babies are back in my bedroom now, snuggled at my feet and beside me. So, yes, as I knew it would be again, life’s so immensely wonderful!
Thanks for the continued prayers and well wishes!
P.S. I have had my first real food now in Stage 3 of the Bariatric program that I truly loved. I’m going to post a picture, as well as the recipe for this Ricotta Bake. Warning: this makes very shallow pieces. If you want non-bariatric servings, I suggest using 3 times the ingredients and baking at least 35-45 minutes, I think. All I can tell you is that, although thin, this tasted like heaven to me today!
Recipe: Ricotta Bake
.5 Cup Ricotta Cheese, Part Skim Milk
.5 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese Natural Cheese
.5 Cup Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
1 Large Egg
.5 Cup Spaghetti/Marinara Sauce (Tomato Sauce)
Mix Ricotta Cheese, Parmesan. Beaten Egg together and place in an 8×8 oven proof dish.
Pour Sauce on top, spread evenly over mixture.
Sprinkle Mozzarella on top of sauce.
Bake in oven at 450 for about 20-25 minutes, or microwave it until hot and bubbly.
Serving size: Approximately 2.5″ square
9 Servings
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