Sunday, November 23, 2008

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
¼ c butter, melted
2 8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese or Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese
¾ c. sugar substitute (Splenda granulated)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and sides of 9 inch spring form
pan.

Combine cheese, ½ c sugar substitute and vanilla, mixing at med. Speed on
electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well
after each addition. Reserve 1 c. cheese mixture; add pumpkin, remaining
sugar substitute and spices to remaining cheese mixture. Mix well. Layer
half of the pumpkin mixture and half the cream cheese mixture over crust;
repeat layers. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble
effect.

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before
removing rim of pan. Chill.

10-12 servings.

Lemony Party Meringue Pie

Lemony Party Meringue Pie

1 pkg. Jello s.f. Lemon Flavor Pudding and Pie Filling

2/3 cup sugar substitute (Splenda Granular)

2 ¼ c water

3 egg yolks

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. butter

1 baked 9 inch pie shell, cooled

3 egg whites

6 tbsp. sugar substitute (Splenda Granular)

Combine pie filling mix, 2/3 c. sugar substitute and ¼ c water in saucepan. Blend in egg yolks and remaining water. Cook and stir over med. Heat, until mixture comes to a full bubbling boil. Remove from heat. Blend in lemon juice and butter. Cool 5 minutes, stirring twice. Pour into pie shell.

Beat egg whites until foamy throughout. Gradually beat in 6 tbsp. sugar substitute and continue beating until mixture will form stiff shiny peaks. Spread over pie filling. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes until meringue is delicately browned. Cool at least 4 hours before cutting.

You can eat this right out of the pie shell if desired for reduced carb.

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

2 tsp. granulated sugar

¾ c fresh or canned pumpkin puree, no sugar added

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch salt

3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8 inch spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with 2 tsp. sugar. In medium saucepan, heat pumpkin, then stir in lemon juice and salt. Remove from heat. In bowl of electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Stir into hot puree until no traces of white remain. Spoon mixture into prepared pan and bake almost 40 minutes or until set and knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving provides: 18 calories, 1 gr. Protein, .1 g. fat, 3 gr carbs and 90 mg. sodium.

Peanut Butter - Chocolate Ricotta Creme

Two servings.
1 cup low fat or part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 or 3 packets Splenda
1/2 to 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 to 1 tablespoon baking cocoa (or 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar-free
chocolate syrup)
Mix as desired, put in 2 serving dishes, chill, and serve. If using
chocolate syrup, you can pour on top instead of mixing in, if desired.

Friday, November 21, 2008

9 months post op

Picture taken last night of me and my daughter.


Gastric Bypass is No Quick Fix

Gastric bypass is no quick fix

By Heather L. Connors
Times Herald-Record
hconnors@th-record.com

Weight-loss surgery is not a magic pill.
That's a point doctors try to drive home to those who are looking
for a surgical fix to their obesity problem.
"It's crucial they change their lifestyle, their eating habits,"
says Dr. Edward Yatco, a clinical instructor at Westchester Medical
Center in Valhalla and a bariatric surgeon at Obesity Surgery
Associates in Hawthorne.
"This is not the easy way out. It's a major surgery that comes
with significant risks and possible complications."
Unfortunately, this message can get lost in the glow of success
stories and miraculous "after" pictures.
In reality, a surgical procedure like gastric bypass (which
retools the digestive system to allow for less calorie absorption) or
the newer Lap-Band (which involves using an adjustable band to limit
the amount of food the stomach can hold) is just the first step in a
process that includes many lifelong adjustments.
And not just concerning food.
Prior to surgery, physicians like Yatco and fellow bariatric
surgeon Dr. Dominick Artuso make sure – via seminars, nutritional
counseling, one-on-one meetings and psychiatric evaluations – that
their patients are prepared to handle all aspects of life post-
surgery. Teens, which Artuso has been seeing a little more lately,
will go to counseling for six months to ensure they understand what
bariatric surgery means in the long term.
Social events, which are often centered around food, might become
a bit awkward.
For gastric bypass patients, a lack of vitamin and mineral
absorption might result in temporary hair loss.
Taking comfort in food will no longer be an option.
"Emotional eaters have to find other ways to deal with stress,"
Yatco notes.
And that's where another part of the weight-loss schematic can
play a key role.
Support groups – many of which are offered through a bariatric
surgeon – are really important, both doctors say. At these meetings,
issues are addressed that go way beyond the loss of food as a friend.
"These people can experience stress in their personal
relationships" as a result of the weight loss, Yatco says. "The
patient's spouse may feel threatened by their newfound confidence. A
spouse might also be jealous that the patient is now getting more
attention from the opposite sex."
He's even had patients tell him that they've had friendships end
because they were no longer the "fat friend," and thinner friends
were resentful of having to share the limelight.
"All these other issues that popped up – we didn't predict them
when we first started doing this," Yatco says. "Now they're becoming
more and more prevalent in patients."
In the end, most patients adjust and are happy to watch the pounds
melt off. And many of them are sorry for only one thing, Yatco says.
"Their only regret is that they didn't do it sooner."

http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/10/12/cover12.htm

This information while educational, is not meant to replace the advice
of a health care provider.

Also as in all weight loss programs, "results not typical"

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Thursday Thirteen


13 things I need to do today


1. Get the kids ready for school & make lunches
2. Pick up my friend and her 2 boys
3. Drive everyone to the bus stop (5 minute drive)
4. Drop my little guy off at preschool
5. Clean the house
6. Prepare for my Brownie meeting
7. Pick up the little one from preschool
8. Pick up the older 2 from the bus stop
9. Hold my Brownie meeting (18 girls ages 6-8)
10. Make dinner for my family
11. Homework with the older 2
12. Get everyone ready for bed
13. RELAX!



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Update

Since my last post I have lost another 6 # and I'm down to 135 and a size 8. It's still coming off, but slowing down now. I am 9 months post op and the "honeymoon" is just about over for me. I have to start being more diligent about what I am eating.
Right now I am having a tough time with all the Halloween candy in the house. I find myself grabbing a piece here and there. Some of it makes me sick, but there are kinds I eat with no ill side effects.
I had also slacked on my vitamins, but just started taking all them again. My problem is that it is ALOT of pills to take throughout the day. I will be going to have my blood work done again soon.