Chicken & Spinach Bake - Yummy Recipe

Betsy... I'm not big on cauliflower myself, but with the garlic and olive oil...It tastes more like a cous cous if you've ever tried that.... For a more potato flavor...you just have to experiment...Adding a slice of white american cheese helps make it creamier I add a glove of garlic (Either roasted or boiled in with cauliflower while it's cooking) and then whip it all together...It's not as smooth as potatoes, and doesn't stay hot very long...Have to keep it warmed...BUT...with other toppings (usually the fattening stuff) It is quite tasty!  I'd say if you are not woried about carbs and can swallow potatoes...Eat potatoes...LOL  Potatoes DO NOT love me as much as I love them, anymore...They hurt!  LOL STILL! Anita

Anita - Unfortunately that's why I've regained so much weight - I can eat almost anything and it doesn't bother me (including potatoes).  I'm still restricted as to volume, but because of a dilated stoma, food doesn't stay there long enough so I find myself hungry all the time.  I'm getting the RESTORe procedure done the end of the month, so hopefully that will help with satiety. Betsy

Betsy, Dana's chicken recipe kept me full for a LONG time...I know I over ate though, it was just so good... Maybe try more solid protein and nothing that slides and then eat sliders or softer proteins as snacks to hold you over?   I understand about the cravings!  and the hunger...(Don't we all) I'm glad you are getting your stoma repaired!  Good luck with that sweetie!  I hope it's not too bad a procedure...I never heard of it. I learn something new here everyday!  All this talk of food the last few days makes my mouth water!   I wanna hear about how your surgery goes!  Maybe your story will help someone else too!  So leave us a post!  Good luck and hugs.. Anita

Anita - you don't get out much, do you (I mean get around to other forums on OH :-)  -- Go over and take a look at the OH Revision forum and you'll see lots of posts about various revision surgeries and clinical trials (StomaphyX and RESTORe).  I was really surprised, and quite heartened, with the number of us several years out who are regaining, and finding solutions through revisions or clinical trials.  I'm beginning to think it's rare to find someone more than 3-4 years out who is NOT struggling with regain.  I've been reading Eggface's blog and recipes, and am getting psyched about trying some of her recipes.  I'm having my procedure on 2/28 so it'll be pretty much liquid and puree for a month or so afterward, but then I'm recommitting to the right kind of eating thereafter, so those recipes will really come in handly. I will definitely post back here about my procedure.  Betsy

Betsy... :::Blushing::: Nope I was alone trying to do this entire WLS recovery all by my self!  I did not go to a single group meeting....My doctor is WLS illiterate (not my surgeon) but my general practitioner...so yeah...I am like a brand new student here!  LOL  I had NO idea about all the trouble that goes on.  NO IDEA!  I'm still learning all this stuff. I guess I really got lucky for the most part that I had a very uneventful experience except for the pure joy of lossing whole sizes every month.   I didn't even know that there were more than three types of surgerys for WL!  Yeah...I've been living in the dark!  LOL  But I learned a lot through my own experiences and my success and my failures. It's been really great to share this stuff.  I hadn't been taking all my supplements and am just now learning the consequences I may have to pay for that. I FINALLY made a doctor appointment for a complete physical this morning. Here in the Washington DC area it is near impossible to get appointments. I HATE IT!  My doc has a waiting list 2 weeks long!  At least I have an appointment.  Which is better than I have been doing in just thinking about calling.  So about two weeks ago I get an email congratuating me on my 4 year anniversary and I thought...wow!  4 years already?  So I came back here and I was stunned how big this place got. I am just starting to get out and about and read all the boards and post here and there...I feel most comfy here...and some other boards move so fast I can't keep up! LOL  It's a good thing I have work to do on the computer or I'd be reading for days on here! when i take breaks I check in and do a quickie peek and reply or read.  When people start talking vitamins and nubers and hypoglycemic levels and BMI and all of that ...my head spins!  LOL  So I've been trying to catch up on learning about everyone's problems just in case they become my own! LOL Anita

Anita - I just looked at your profile pictures.  What a transformation!  Great looking family too!  It's hard when you're going through this process alone - without the help of a support group, but you've done so well for being so far out.  If you have  not had ANY regain in the 4 years, you truly are success at WLS in every sense of the word.   I used to lead my support group the first two years and I was convinced I would never gain back any weight..  I followed the grads message board for a long time, until my regain started getting out of control.  I still find it hard to believe I regained 45 lbs from my lowest weight.  But it's the simple carbs, the slider foods, that brought back the carb cravings, at the same time as feeling as thought I couldn't get enough to eat.  What I know now, that I didn't realize earlier, is that with a dilated stoma, food passes very quickly out of the pouch, leaving me hungry an hour or two after meals.  Couple that with the carb cravings and it's a recipe for weight gain.  It scares me to go through yet another procedure, even though this one is not as invasive, and wonder whether I'm going to make this one work.  I've been given another chance and I don't want to blow it.  I'll be up in your neck of the woods for my procedure, which is at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.  I used to live in Odenton, MD back in the late 90's before moving to NC.  Betsy