What's on your Thursday menu today RNYers?

Hi Daisy, and happy new year! I miss seeing you on here! I am always glad when you post, my surgery twin :) I know you can kick the crap to the curb - you have done the amazing and hard work of losing and maintaining and you are strong! You got this. I know all too well how hard the first few days are. But your menu looks delicious and filling...and I am copying your dinner as my lunch :)

QOTD: Yes, yes, yes times a million. Sure, do I wish I hadn't needed surgical intervention? Do I wish I didn't have low ferritin levels? Obviously. BUT, my life is so dramatically different. I have endless levels of energy. I can share clothes with friends. I can sit in a middle seat on an airplane. I can walk 20,000 steps in a day without dying of knee pain. The list goes on and on. While I wish I had done it at 26 instead of 36, I don't know if I would have been as successful and committed, so I suppose I had it at the right time.

I had a tiny downward movement on the scale which really bolstered my mood and motivation. Under 200 and working on losing 25 lbs. I am going to echo what Karen said above...losing the weight is easy compared to maintenance. And for me at least, maintenance in years 2-4 was a hell of a lot easier than year 5. The amount of effort it takes now to lose a damn pound can be pretty sad. But like Karen, I am going to keep plugging away! I find that my kitchen scale is my best friend. I simply suck at eye-balling quantities.

Time since surgery: 5 years and two weeks

b: my tuna concoction (tuna, feta, diced red onion, artichokes, geeen olives, black olives, roasted red peppers, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and a tiny bit of olive oil)

l: turkey tacos. One shell, 4 oz of ground turkey, 1/8 cup shredded Mexican cheese, 2 tbsp sour cream, hot sauce

d: my zesty havarti chicken meatballs. SO good! I made up a whole batch yesterday and now I just have to reheat them in the toaster oven for my meals. They are so easy - I will repost them on Cynthia's thread that's one below this one!

e: boxing-my favorite!

Have a fab day, WLS friends!

I'm going to try your tuna concoction it sounds wonderful!

It's really awesome and so easy. Do you have an Aldi near you? I use a jar of "artichoke salad" that I buy there that has artichokes, roasted red peppers, and green olives in it. That way I only have to dice red onion and throw in some kalamata olives that I have in the fridge. I also get the crumbled feta at Aldi though you could buy it anywhere. If you use some of the olive oil in the jar of artichoke salad, you need very little extra. It's very filling and high protein!

Have you calculated the calories and any other stats for your version? I'm definitely going to try it too!

Yes, I created a "recipe" in MyFitnessPal when I made a huge batch - I used:

84 g of feta (the whole Aldi brand container of crumbled feta) 240 calories

9 oz of chunk light tuna (2 cans) 225 calories

The jar of Aldi brand artichoke salad 75 calories

3 oz red onion 48 calories

5 kalamata olives 45 calories

2 tbsp olive oil (I think I used less but like to err on the right side)

So I divide this up as 3 servings, and each serving has 291 calories, 26.5 protein, 18.4 fat, and 8.5 carbs.

I am sure for people early out of surgery this would be more like 4 or 5 servings.

And it tastes better and better as it sits in the fridge!

This really sounds terrific. Thank you!

You are rocking girl! Keep it up. Glad you are here.

Happy New Year to you as well Sexy! I miss you as well and being here, its really one of my NY resolutions to get back on here and either start the menu thread or be a part of it

I love your response to the QOTD. So much YES girl!! Life is so dramatically different, in every way possible and in ways I didn't know was possible!

Yahoo on the downward movement on the scale, small or not its going down, you so got this. And yes here I go away, I am a broken record but maintenance is HARD. If I could eye ball quantities properly I would never need a scale, but NOPE. I still have "my eyes are bigger than my pouch/stomach issues!" I am so bad that I have to measure out my dogs food otherwise I will over feed them too! Yup portion size has always been a problem for me.

Love your menu! Your tuna recipe is brilliant, thanks for sharing. We have always loved the same flavours and I often see your menu and drool! LOL

Hope your boxing class was awesome, I am so intimidated by boxing, my upper body is so much weaker than my lower body (there is a running joke in my family that I could plow fields with my strong legs ) but upper body, nope I need to work on that!

Keep up the fight girl, I know you will get to your goal, you did it once you can do it again, you know the "rules" and always have a kick ass menu. Love being a part of your post op life and cheering you on

Happy Thursday everyone! I am posting in all the threads:-)

QOTD - I am only a bit over 10 months out, still working to get to my goal but I can easily say this was the right choice for me! It feels like every week I'm learning a bit more of how I was unconsciously restricting myself even though I never felt like my weight held me back. I'll put my penny on the pile as someone that thinks that I should have done it sooner but questions whether I would have had the stick to it ness I know I need and have now. Sometimes things happen on the timeline they should!

Menu today is coffee + premier X2; plus I stopped and got a coffee with half and half and SF blueberry from DD to offset my crankiness and then I'll switch to tea for the rest of the day.

B - 2 oz deli ham; L&F greek

L - 1.6 oz deli lemon pepper chicken breast and 2 oz deli ham

D - last serving of crockpot pizza

76/742/21

Have a great day all!

Hi Jen, Happy New Year!

I love that at 10 months out you are almost at goal, you have embraced the "rules," you listen to the Vets, you give back here on OH and help others, that in my opinion is a big part of my success by staying around for five years and making friends and hanging out with all the awesome people on the menu thread.

Your statement that "sometimes things happen on the timeline they should," really speaks to me. That can be applied to pretty much everything in life and its a good reminder to remember that when something doesn't go as planned or the way you want it, thanks for sharing that!

Love your menu, god I am so jealous of how your lunch is 3 oz of meat, oh the good ole days when that was filling! Ha ha ha ha

Keep up the awesome work Jen, thanks for being a part of our menu thread family!