June 2020 - My Excess Baggage

Liver Reduction Diet Day One

Omg – here we go, the liver reduction diet starts today. So what is liver reduction diet?

Basically in order for the key hole bariatric surgery to be done the liver has to be floppy and you need to follow the liver reduction diet (LRD) to reduce the size of your liver. I’m doing mine for 10 days. The length of the liver reduction diet varies with your BMI. The higher your BMI, the longer you have to follow the liver reduction diet.

It appears that different health groups use different types of Liver Reduction Diets. Its either a milk diet where you consume several pints of milk and yogurt, or a very reduced calorie, fat and sugar free food diet. Thank goodness I got allocated the food as I hate milk ……🤢

Fortunately I can work my way round the kitchen. My partner is also doing it with me for support and easiness. I have also decided that it will be easier to have a similar breakfast and lunch every day, we will just vary the evening meal. The menu is as follows:-

Liver Reduction Menu

Breakfast

200g of any berries ( we are using strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) plus 125g of fat free natural yogurt

Lunch

75g chicken. I baked chicken breast in the oven with some dry Cajun seasoning on it for a little extra taste. A small cereal bowl of salad plus 30g (dry weight) rice, obviously its cooked!

Dinner

today we had 50g cooked weight Fillet steak finely sliced and stir fried with no oil in a very non stick hot pan with garlic. In another pan I stir fried 100g each of mixed vegetables with garlic, ginger, chilli and a tiny splash of light soy sauce. This was served on top of a 30g dried weight brown rice.

This all sounds like a good start. The bowls of food look great – but – these are tiny cereal bowls and I’m going to bed with my stomach growling!! Apparently after around day 4 of the LRD you become more used to it. I seriously hope so!

On a more serious note, the liver reduction diet HAS to be followed. If the liver is not reduced then the surgery will be stopped mid flow. That information is enough to make me stick to it, hungry and tummy growling or not!

Last day of excess food, LRD here we come

So, my last day of food excess is finally here.

I feel I should be on death row, it really feels like my last day – I will miss my gluttonous meals . So much food to pick from so how do you choose? (Those on death row often pick a McDonald’s).

Marmite i will miss you

Our plan was to have some white bread toast for breakfast (which I know I shouldn’t love, but I do) and then to pick up a sausage McMuffin from McDonald’s on the way to my parents, to help them move. I then couldn’t decide if I should have Marmite or Jam, so of course I had two pieces of toast, one of each. Of my last day of excess breakfast was complete with toast as I couldn’t manage a McMuffin after.

It was a fraught day, moving my parents into their bungalow which had been updated. They only had a few things to move as their possessions were already in situ in the garage and shed. With a 10 am start we really thought we would be home by 2 at the latest. Not a chance!! We didn’t get home until 8.00pm totally exhausted. Unpacking 50 years plus of stuff from a large 3 bed house to a small 2 bedroom bungalow was not easy. My Mother is Mrs Gadget lady….. they both have enough coats to fully stock the local charity shop. Need I say more! (to just make you appreciate how bad it was, Mum has 5 chest of drawers for her bedroom – we got 2 in, and 3 air fryers…!🤷‍♀️)

The highlight of our day was when my eldest son announced he was going to McDonalds and we all had a Big Mac, large fries and drink. Did I feel guilty? Hell no!!! Last day of excess.

Excess Lunch Maccy Ds

Not much thought had really gone into our final evening meal. We had suggested steak but after the days events we just couldn’t handle shopping and cooking. So the last day of excess meal was a Dominos Pizza, wings and cookies for pure quickness. Delicious despite the food coma afterwards. We also celebrated my new life to be with a bottle of fizz, Nosecco as we no longer drink alcohol.

Tomorrow is a new day and new life with the LRD starting. I’m relieved to get going, excited and incredibly nervous.

Goodbye excess food.

diet fast food liver LRD Marmite McDonalds reduction

BBQ’s aren’t always about the meat

Summer time and the livin’ is easy…

With the temperature soaring into the 30’s this week there’s never been a better time to fire up the BBQ and throw on some… veg… Yes that right BBQ’s don’t have to be about the meat. Grilling fresh vegetables with a few herds and spices can add a refreshing twist to any BBQ. Drizzled with olive oil and maybe splash on some wine. Now you’re ready to enjoy the summer with out filling up on meat and bread. What have we tried… Aubergines sliced up and brushed oil and crushed fresh garlic or garlic granules for ease on the grill are amazing. Asparagus is always a winner on the BBQ… Even if your pee smells afterwards 🤣😂😊

BBQ cooking grilling veg vegetables

Summer Evenings Bike Ride

Another glorious evening for a bike ride here in Norfolk.

So my partner and I suited up and headed out on the bikes. My partner has fitted his phone holder to his handle bars as Strava was always loosing sync with his Fitbit and we were posting rides to 7 meters and after bombing round the countryside working up a sweat. Racking up our rides logging everything on Strava with all its little segment split times makes you push yourself each time to better your personal bests.

Bike Norwich Airport Ride

Aubergine Pizza

10 -15 minutes

30 minutes

Two

Delicious Aubergine Pizza

Do you like pizza? Hey, who doesn’t?! This recipe provides you with the yumminess of pizza topping but with a healthy vegetable base – aubergine. Its gluten free and can be diary free if you don’t add the cheese. Omit the Chorizo and the calories are super low. Swop the Mozzarella for Parmesan and the calories are almost non existant!

Ingredients

2 x Large Aubergines
1 x Chorizo (or just smoked paprika if you would like a vegetarian option)
1 x small onion very finely chopped
1 x small green pepper
2 x garlic cloves crushed
salt and pepper
extra chilli if you like heat
spash of worcester sauce
500g passata

To serve

The aubergine pizza says it all on a plate. Just add a little salad for extra vegetables

Method

Slice the aubergine across the body so you have circles of aubergine, around 3/4 inch thick. salt as usual, rinse and pat dry then brush each side with oil. Place on a lightly oiled baking tray and put into a pre-heated oven at 180 for around 20 minutes
Fry the onion, add the garlic and green pepper for a few moments. Add all the other ingredients and simmer until the mixture is reduced and quite thick.
When the Aubergine is cooked, take it out of the oven and put the mixture on top of each circle. I found this easier by using a couple of teaspoons. Then sprinkle your choice of cheese. We prefer Parmesan. Return to the oven and cook until the cheese is browned.