planning a meal

i am 13 months out and have basically finished losing all my weight. i am down 120 pounds in that time. im worried, because i still seem to have my love hate relationship with food. i want to eat, but dont know what to eat. i open the refrigerator and nothing appeals cooking a proper meal is rare for me. i do ok when eating out, but at home, i rarely can commit to cooking something ( for dinner), so i graze. im not eating the wrong things, i just worry that i rarely have a so called normal meal. my poor hubby does most of his own cooking these days. im kinda worried that down the line this will all backfire on me. any thoughts?? thanks, jacki

Hi Jackie! I would highly reccomend an investment in a bariatric eating cookbook. This will give you a good plan and structure. If it is just you and your husband that sometimes makes it harder to want to plan and cook a meal. Let's face it, cooking and eating is just not as much fun as it used to be. But it is more important now that we make a plan and stick to it. Look on amazon.com or head to your local bookstore and see what you can find. Grazing is no good. It is possible that the grazing can backfire on you so it is great that you came here. The things from the cookbooks are usually pretty good and things your husband can enjoy too. I am sure he would appreciate the break and good home cooking from his wife too A good book to try is "eating well after weight loss surgery" Here is a recipe that was given on my surgery month board. Zucchinni Lasagna Un-Pasta lasagna with Tomato Sauce 1 large zucchini, peeled and sliced lengthwise in 1/4" slabs (need 9 slabs) 1/2 teaspoon salt olive oil 1/2 pound low-fat turkey sausages (sweet Italian-style) about 2 1 cup chopped red onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon dried Italian season mix 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup sherry or red wine 1/2 packet splenda 3 tablespoons fresh basil (recipe calls for 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil, chopped) 1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Lay zucchini slices on a double thickness of paper towels or cotton towel, sprinkle with salt, cover with more towels, and let stand for 15 minutes. 3. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay zucchini slices in 1 layer and bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool. 4. Lightly coat bottom of a cast-iron skillet with olive oil and preheat. Remove sausage meat from casing and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from skillet and discard any fat in pan. (recipe calls for a nonstick pan but I am trying to use the cast-iron pan to increase my intake of iron) 5. Add onion and garlic to pan and saute for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. 6. Add tomato paste to onion and cook, stirring, until tomato paste begins to darken, about 1 minute. 7. Add diced tomatoes, wine, sweetener, and basil and bring to a gentle boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sauteed sausage to mixture. 8. In a small bowl, combine mozzarella and ricotta cheeses with 2 tablespoons of parmesan. 9. Spoon 1/3 of tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of an 8" square baking pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray). Lay 3 slices of zucchini on top, then layer on 1/3 of the cheese mixture down the center of each slice. Repeat layers, ending with cheese layer. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese and bake for 40 minutes. 10. Serve and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide into 6 equal servings. (recipe calls for 4) Calories: 200, protein:16 gr., fat: 8.7 gr., carbohydrate: 12.5, cholesterol: 43 gr., fiber: 2.3 gr., sodium 1159 mg. Cookbook says this freezes well as leftovers. Good luck!! ~ Terisa

Hi Jacki First off congrats on the -120 thats great. Second I can so relate to the not being able to plan meals. With life becoming so busy and everyone on a different time schedule it doesnt help. Unless of course I can just toss things in the slow cooker an forget it. I'm battling demons of the food presuasion myself nothing sounds good its seems so same ole same ole. I think some new recipes would help some of us out just to tempt us into being interested in trying some new foods. Think that might help you? if you had something new to try? Dawn

hi thank you both for your kind responses. the recipe u posted sounds yummy, unfortunately hubby would not touch it, sigh thats part of the cooking prbolem here. dawn i dont have anything new right now, the thought of cooking makes me ill half the time. i know its sooooooo wrong, but if i cant open a can or make something quick and frozen, it doesnt seem to get made. my son bought me a cookbook for wls patients before my surgery, but to be honest, in a whole year i have only tried one recipe. and hubby wouldnt eat it. oh well, i guess i will have to make more of an effort on my own. thanks again, to both of you, jacki

Hi! Love to have you back on the board! It's a bit LONELY here without you! Ro

Jacki...Congrats on the 120 lbs!!!! I've done the fridge stare myself! Lately, I've found that cooking a bag of Success brown rice, which I freeze in 2 oz snack-size baggies, help a lot. Open a can of chili or soup and you've got a good base meal. I also have a bag of assorted individually wrapped cheese to choose from now. I've bought a variety of frozen veggies to nuke at dinnertime. Whole wheat wraps / pitas are on my "go to" list, but I only eat 1/4 - 1/2 of the standard serving size of most foods. In one shopping trip, you can improve the fridge problem. How's your husband's cooking? If it fits with you program...what a bonus! DH and I place a lot more emphasis on enjoying the dinnertime together; less about the food now. My relationship with food changed too so I know what you mean. Ro

Hi, Jacki... Good Eats!!! Wendy's chili was for lunch yesterday; 1/2 chili and 1/2 plain baked potato with some of their reduced sour cream... Yum. That's a big meal for me too. Sometimes I'll buy a small ham steak or a pack of Al Fresco Mango Chipolte Chicken sausages to have on hand for a quick meal. I bake the pack of chicken sausage and REMOVE the casing, cut the meat into rounds and freeze them. The Al Fresco Buffalo is also good; I've mixed a little Frank's Hot Sauce w/ ICBIN...Butter spray for added zing. The casing has to be removed or you'll get sick... I Did! I weigh my meats...2 oz per meal and eat a lot of 1 oz and 2 oz sides (refried beans, brown rice w/ ICBIN...B, veggies, 1/4 pita nuked then add ICBIN...B and garlic powder) and feel fine about having a Fudgsicle snack or 1/2 mini bag of popcorn now and then. I just sarted eating salads about 1 month ago. I really like the Wishbone Asian spary flavor. When I really don't feel like eating, I usually grab a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt. You're right about having to plan out good meals. It can be a pain. Do you have any favorites that get you through the day? Ro