June Meet & Greet Reminder & RSVP List

Hi everyone!! 

I just wanted to take a moment to try and iron out a solid RSVP list. Thus far here's what I have-

Yes-
kaytiebugs (+ my 5yo DD, maybe)
lay-T-webb
izzy2008
Atlanta_Laura
LaShelle2
PURPLEPRINCESS
Jayna R.
ladydi1970
ATL Diva 2009

Maybe-
Stacy ..
Psyche (+ DH and little one)

It is not too late to join the RSVP list! Please confirm via responding to this post or sending me a private message. If you are a maybe, I look forward to hearing your confirmation of yes!

Also, please feel free to share your real name with us. Mine (kaytiebugs) is Amanda.

I look forward to hearing from everyone else who decides to join us! Remember, they have food for all diet phases! Everyone is welcome- pre ops, post ops, those researching, family and friends, etc! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are cordially invited to attend the Georgia OH Board Meet & Greet for June! 




Where- Bahama Breeze off Pleasant Hill Rd. in Gwinnett

When-  6/27/09 @ 1:00pm... perfect time for lunch! 

Who- Everyone on the Georgia OH board! Pre ops, post ops, people in the research phase. You are welcome to bring guests and children as well.

Restaurant details- I spoke with the manager. They do not take reservations but I was informed that during this time of day it would be really easy for us to get a nice large area to ourselves in the gazebo area. The cuisine at Bahama Breeze is Caribbean with an American twist. Delicious and creative would be understatements. The environment is very relaxed and fun. The restaurant is right off Interstate 85. There's a light right at the intersection so it's really easy to get in and out of.

Menu: http://www.bahamabreeze.com/menus/ --- They offer something for every diet phase.

Directions: Take I-85 to exit 104 - Pleasant Hill Rd.

If you are going North on 85, you will take a right onto Pleasant Hill. You will see Bahama Breeze on your left at the top of a hill. Turn left at the first intersection you come to, Breckenridge Rd., and the restaurant will be on your immediate right.

If you are going South on 85, you will go left. Cross over the interstate. You will see the restaurant on your left at the top of a hill. The first intersection you come to after you cross over the interstate will be Breckenridge Rd. Turn left. The restaurant will be on your immediate right.

Please RSVP by responding to this post or sending me a PM

If you have any questions let me know. I look forward to meeting all of you!!! 

I'm going to burst your bubble and tell you I just looked up the nutrition information for the lunch menu.  There is very little a post op can or should eat.  Best thing was some grilled chicken breast, but the fat content was still too high.  Even for just 1/3-1/2 of the meal.

Just FYI.  Any post op going to the get-together, look up the nutrional information and refer to your surgeon's guidelines when picking your meal.

That's assuming you can eat the entire portion... which no post op can.

I chose the location based on 1) ambiance; 2) menu; 3) recommendation

Listed below are 300 calorie or less meals (assuming you're only eating half of the meal... because that's about the size of the pouch, if not smaller) Fat content is also relatively low....

Soup & Salad 
Chicken Tortilla Soup (whole portion)
Cuban Black Bean Soup (almost the whole portion)
All of the side salads with a lite dressing
Grilled Chicken Caesar or Cobb salad (half portion)
Oak grilled chicken sandwich (half portion)
Lunch Menu
Bahamian grilled chicken kabob (almost the whole portion, minus the rice obviously)
Vegetable Quesadilla
Fish
Any of the jerk painted fish dishes (4 different fish, and an entire lunch or dinner portion is both very reasonable in calories, fat, carbs, etc)
Any of the "Simply Grilled" fish selections
Any of the "Almond Crusted" fish selections
Any of the "Pan Seared" fish selections
Any of the "Shrimp Saute" fish selections
Sides (sides listed are low calorie and healthy options any surgeon would recommend): Broccoli, seasonal veggies, cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes, fresh fruit salad, vine ripened tomato salad, black bean and corn salad
Dinner Menu (served all day)
Margarita Chicken with roasted corn salsa
Jamaican grilled chicken breast
Breeze Wood-Grilled chicken breast w/ citrus butter sauce
Wood Grilled Top Sirlion Steak w/ cheese and peppers
Center Cut Filet Mignon w/ Onion Ring


I don't know about everyone else, but I'm starving now!! LOL

I'm not familiar with the post op instructions for RNY, DS, etc... but any of the above would fit well into my daily post op lifestyle calorie wise (minus the sandwich, I don't do bread very well). I've seen elsewhere that people have had these types of events at Olive Garden LOL... My first choice was Jason's Deli, but it was out of the target scope which is the Gwinnett area. Do you have a better recommendation for this area? I'm not aware of any restaurants in the area that cater to very healthy eaters (serving primarily whole wheat breads/pastas, very low fat entrees, etc). We're all educated and know how to make our own decisions as to what we should and shouldn't eat. Obviously none of us should be chowing down on a whole Cuban sandwich or the Calypso Shrimp Linguine... 

I'm open to recommendations for another location that has plenty of space for a large group mid-day on a Saturday (that will either take a reservation or won't require 10-15 people to wait an hour for a table), easy access (for those who are still super morbidly obese and/or have problems getting from the car to the door), etc. But if you ask me, the menu at Bahama Breeze is acceptable, so why change it? 

I think it is a great idea. Please put me as a Maybe, I have to check and see if that is my weekend to do overtime.

I wasn't asking for a change.  I would not be able to make this get together anyway.  I looked up the nutrition info out of curiosity as I've been to Bahama Breeze once in my life (more than 10 years ago) and was not impressed.  But I've taken to looking up restaurant menus to see what I can and can't eat.  I would never think of Bahama Breeze, and always looking to find a new place to eat. 

Based on MY Doc's nutrition instructions, Bahama Breeze would be a poor choice for ME:

Soup & Salad 
Chicken Tortilla Soup (whole portion)     12 grams fat/26 carbs...not acceptable
Cuban Black Bean Soup (almost the whole portion)     4 fat/52 carbs...carbs not acceptable
All of the side salads with a lite dressing     This would be okay
Grilled Chicken Caesar or Cobb salad (half portion)  Caesar      20 fat/22 carbs...not acceptable;  Cobb     38 fat/4 carb...fat not acceptable
Oak grilled chicken sandwich (half portion)     19 fat/45 carbs...not acceptable (probably not even taking away the bread)

Lunch Menu
Bahamian grilled chicken kabob (almost the whole portion, minus the rice obviously)  6 fat/49 carbs...might be okay if no rice

Vegetable Quesadilla     48 fat/70 carb...not acceptable
Fish
Any of the jerk painted fish dishes (4 different fish, and an entire lunch or dinner portion is both very reasonable in calories, fat, carbs, etc) *****might be good choices, no nutritional info*****

Sides (sides listed are low calorie and healthy options any surgeon would recommend): Broccoli,      9 fat/6 carbs (gotta have it cooked WITHOUT whatever they do to it to make it 120 cals and 9 fat)

seasonal veggies     .5 fat/3 carbs *****Another winner*****

cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes     9 fat/44 carbs

fresh fruit salad     0 fat/32 carbs  ***okay, fruit carbs a little different, it has potential***

vine ripened tomato salad     1 fat/12 carbs ***doable***

black bean and corn salsa      Who eat just salsa?

Dinner Menu (served all day)
Margarita Chicken with roasted corn salsa     6 fat/30 carbs
Jamaican grilled chicken breast     4 fat/2 carbs *****We have a winner*****
Breeze Wood-Grilled chicken breast w/ citrus butter sauce     (the lighter portion) 23 fat/11 carbs
Wood Grilled Top Sirlion Steak w/ cheese and peppers     21 fat/4 carbs
Center Cut Filet Mignon w/ Onion Ring     23 fat/10 carb

Most of these choices are unacceptable for ME even if I only ate 1/3 of a portion.  I'm just saying BE CAREFUL when ordering.  Choices aren't always as healthy as they seem.  I'm just bringing this point up because I know there are a lot of SHBP people especially who are just getting ready to have surgery and we ALL need to be aware of nutritional information.  That's all.

I was just re-reading this, trying to get a better idea of what I'll eat.... and I realized that your numbers are for the full serving, mine are for half a serving (which will still be too much for most of us).... so pretty much everything listed above just became even more ideal. I was thinking, "How on earth could something with 300 or less calories contain that much fat?!" Turns out it doesn't....

As for the salsa.... I've never had theirs, but I've had similar. It's like a salad type thing. Like corn salad, or that bean salad/salsa stuff they have on the salad bar at Jason's Deli that is so amazingly delish.

Yes, you are right, the nutritional information I shared was for a full serving.  But even cutting the nutritional info in half, still doesn't fit a majority of the items into "my" guidelines.  For example, the veggie quesadillas...48 grams fat and 70 carbs for a full serving.  Cut in 1/2 still 24 grams fat and 35 carbs...still way out of line.  Cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes...9 fat/44 carbs for a full serving.  Cut in 1/2 4.5 grams fat and 22 carbs.  That's cutting it right over the border of where "I" would need to be.

Again, I just want people to do their own research and follow their surgeon's nutritionist guidelines for post-op eating rather than assume just because they THINK it's healthy, it will be okay.

Example...I went to Chili's this past weekend with a friend for lunch.  Did my research beforehand and knew what I was getting.  My friend (not a WLS patient) decided to get a salad thinking it was healthier than some other stuff on their menu.  The salads were WAY OVER THE TOP.  Actually, some of the desserts were better than the salads.  And we won't even discuss their new fire grilled quesadillas that clock in at an avg 1500.

I know exactly what you mean. My friends kill me when they go to Zaxbys and get the 800 calorie Zalad (and that's without the texas toast) , thinking they are eating something healthy. What's worse is they eat the whole thing. That's the same amount I eat in a whole day, all in one meal.

THE GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS ARE TO DIE FOR! ALSO IF YOU'RE ON MUSHIES, THEY HAVE KILLER MASHED SWEET POTATOES.  ALSO BEANS AND RICE. SURE THEY'LL DO JUST THE BEANS. (NOT SURE IF RNY WILL DUMP ON THESE) THE SALMON IS ALSO NICE. THE PAELLA IS MY FAVE. AND THE APPERTIZER JERK SHRIMP.  MMMMI'M GETTING HUNGRY!

I THINK ANYTINE YOU EAT ANYWHERE YOU HAVE TO BE CAERFUL AND HAVE CERTAIN THINGS IN MODERATION.

ONE MEAL WON'T KILL YOU, YOU JUST HAVE TO MAKE SMART CHOICES.

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT.  AND THEY DO HAVE A GOOD SELECTION OF HEALTHY ITEMS.


THEIR NUTRITIONAL INFO IS PROBABLY HIGH BECASUE OF THE HUGE PORTIONS.  AN ORDER OF ONION RINGS IS ABOUT A FOOT HIGH! NOT EXAGGERATING.  I NORMALLY SPLIT A MEAL W/ MY SON AND I AM PRE-OP AND A BIG EATER. IT'S USUALLY ENOUGH FOR 2 PRE-OP, PROBABLY 4 POST OP MEALS.

I THINK IT'S A COOL SPOT FOR A M&G THANKS FOR PICKING IT KATIE.  I KNOW YOU CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY, BUT COUNT ME IN ON THE PLEASED PEOPLE SIDE.

please put my husband and I down.We plan on coming!