Tee, Author at My Excess Baggage

Gastric Laparoscopic Stomach Sleeve

Today is surgery day. I had some emotions at the thought of leaving my partner and going it alone to the hospital. Of course, I had to be brave! After an almost tearful goodbye, the driver and I set off for Luton. The driver was good fun and we chatted about anything and everything in the way you do when you have too. Once there, the driver kindly took my stuff and handed me over into the reception. I had to have my temperature taken for covid precautions and put on a medical grade mask. I was soon ushered into the pre op area to wait for the surgeon and anesthetist to go over several documents and explain the format. Once there I recognised someone I had friended on social media and then the other lady came in whom I had met during the pre op day.

There were only the three of us on the preop ward and I have to say, in our pre surgery nerves we had quite a giggle in the way you can only giggle when you are nervous. We were suddenly down to two on the ward and the surgeon came to see me. He was SO reassuring in every way. We talked abouthe gastic sleeve and my liver as I wanted him to check if I had fatty liver disease or any problems from drinking in my younger years. Basically, he was pleased I was fit and well and said the surgery would really help to lower my BMI into the healthy weight range.The anesthetist then came to have a chat about the procedure and she weighed me (eek!). I’m assuming to get the correct anesthetic dosage.

I suddenly had this strange sensation of being utterly calm. I was helped into my gown (the backless ones which you flash off your knickers as you walk!) and surgical stockings. (almost a full body workout getting those things on!)

PreOp Covid and Blood Test

It’s the 8th July and today is preOp test day. Up to now I have had second thoughts regarding the surgery (but not able to pull out as I’ve paid for it) and I’ve been really anxious. However, this morning I woke feeling extraordinarily relaxed and chilled about the PreOp, wanting it over.

We took the road to Luton which is not the best drive from Norwich. We arrived at the hospital and waited close by until it was time for my appointment. I had survived the whole journey without a toilet break and was pleased to find a toilet in the reception area. After a little bit of navigation I found the Cobham clinic. Everyone from the receptionist to the nurse was absolutely lovely and I felt immediately at ease. I also started chatting with another lady who was having a band revision to a sleeve. She was good fun and it was such a comfort to know she was going to be in at the same time as me.

There was quite a few tests in the Pre Op. The first one was a urine test! Quite funny as I had just been to the toilet! I then had an ECG, blood pressure, pulse and oxygen test. Next was a vast amount of blood taken for for various health tests. Finally the dreaded Covid and MRSA test. The covid test was the worst – it felt like my brain and eyes had been scraped from the inside! I also got weighed and had my height recorded (eek!).

It was a long journey just for the preop but I was so pleased I visited the hospital before the surgery and made a friend. It really helped settle the nerves and can you believe it – I was looking forward to having the surgery!

Turkey Burgers and Toffee LRD Day 8

OK, today is a MUCH better day. My head is in the right place and I’m feeling really positive being 7 pounds down since last Sunday on the LRD and 1 stone 1 pound down since Christmas (my new all time high) I’ve made some new social media friends going through the same surgery (such a help and support) and they are feeling the same which is comforting in a way. Those who have already lost following surgery are very encouraging with their life changing stories. I’ve had two new food discoveries today. My protein flavdrops – toffee flavour. Zero fat, zero calories. O.M.G. It transformed my 0% Greek Yogurt this morning with only 2 drops. More flavours are on the way (and I love Natural Greek Yogurt). I had this with Raspberries and Strawberries. Delicious!! My partner also added the drops to his coffee.

Turkey Burgers to die for

The other food discovery was a new recipe which was adapted to fit in with the LRD. I need to be honest here because I have moved my protein from lunch to dinner to enable me to have a double protein portion…. I’m hoping that I can get away with this as my daily totals still add up. The recipe was a turkey burger with courgette and feta (hence the extra protein). I’ve worked out that to get 75g of cooked white meat I need to add 25% weight to the raw weight. This meant my packet of 375g raw turkey breast was great for 4 burgers. I chucked the meat into my mini food chopper and whizzed. I then finely chopped red onion, courgette, garlic and added this to the bowl with some salt and pepper. Once mixed, I re-weighed the ingredients and divided by four to get the correct portion. We cooked and then served with green leaves and 30g (dried weight) of cous cous. The burger was absolutely delicious.

The Weights coming off LRD Day 7

The Weights coming off!

Its Day 7 of the LRD (liver reduction diet) and I’ve lost 6 pounds. To be honest, I didn’t think I would loose that much in a week. I have 6 days until my gastric surgery.

How am I feeling?

Right now, I am petrified!! And I don’t know why. All my adult life I have been in the obese weight range and this is such a good opportunity to actually get into the healthy weight range. But I’m missing food and its comforts and joy. I’m totally scared of going alone to surgery due to Covid-19. I’m scared of any problems after and also the pain.

I’ve not told many people yet – just my sister, 3 of my boys, my personal trainer and my daughter-in-law. I don’t know why but I almost feel ashamed of myself resorting to such drastic measures just to loose 5 stone. I can argue my case though. In all my adult life I have only been out of obesity once. I regularly go up and down by 2 stone. I just cannot maintain or get below that elusive BMI of 30. So surgery it is!

I’ve been asking myself if I would pull out if I could and right now I honestly don’t know. I’m almost relieved that I have paid upfront as the thought of wasting £10k keeps me going!!

BMI gastric liver reduction diet surgery

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!

diet liver LRD reduction weight loss

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.

If you’ve tried and liked Aubergine Pizza let me know on my Facebook page.

Aubergine Healthy Eating Pizza

Rebel Whopper Meat Free Burger

We have 7 more days of Veganuary.

We have tried so many new recipes and have a freezer full of plant based products. We’ve even ordered food from a gastro delivery service – all vegan. I discovered the likes of Hellman’s vegan mayonnaise which I love because its more vinegary. Quorn ‘chicken nuggets’ are a wow. Vegan cheese is not a wow 🤢. We had a plethora of food to choose from but nothing came close the the regular burger from your local drive through. (I can’t believe I’m actually writing this because I usually deny any association with these places or the food).

So, with the masses doing Veganuary, the drive though’s jumped on the wagon and offered a meat free burger. How could we resist? We were straight in there and ordered our first Rebel Whopper Meat Free burger. (And fries and the obligatory drink, all large of course!) Oh My!!! It was sensational. I felt like I was actually eating a proper flame grilled burger. Even the texture emulated a regular burger. My partner and I sat there grinning at each other like 2 children eating their first taste of heaven. We were satiated and it was bliss.

Veganuary has been and gone and from the 1st of February we ate meat again, despite our numerous conversations of continuing to be vegan after the 31st January. (I’m not sure why we thought we would continue being a vegan because once we had a taste of meat, we rather annoyingly switched over to a carnivore diet without hesitation…..) So, the question is, would I have the Rebel Whopper meat free burger now I’m not practising veganism? Of course! The Rebel Whopper is king of the meat free burgers.

I should mention that whilst all the ingredients of the Rebel Whopper were vegan, the Burger itself was cooked alongside regular burgers and on the same Grill. Oh Gosh, perhaps that’s why it tasted so good! 😉

Burger Meat Free Rebel Whopper Vegan Veganuary