mena2007
Observations for 11/18 / Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe
Nov 18, 2009
All else is going well.
I'm back in the kitchen cooking a little here and there for my family.
Today I made a Jamaican Jerk sauce to marinade some meat for grilling tomorrow. When I was cutting up the onions I felt a little pull in my tummy area which was a reminder that those muscles aren't completely healed just yet.
Here's the recipe just in case you'd like to try it one day.
Jamaican Jerk Sauce
6 sliced scotch bonnet peppers - we call them Habanero peppers :) (jalapenos may be used if habanero peppers are not unavailable)
3 Medium onions, finely chopped
8 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. thyme
2 Tbsp. ground or whole allspice (I like to use whole)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of one lime or lemon
1 cup orange juice
1 cup white vinegar regular or apple cider
2 Tbsp. sugar (I know this isn't good for us but I haven't tried it with a substitute, you might be able to simply do without the sugar)
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tsp. ground black pepper
1 to 2 Tsp of the following (to taste, I like 2 tsp)
-ground cinnamon
-nutmeg
-ginger
Sounds like a lot of spices but this recipe is very authentic.
Everything goes in the blender, blend, blend and then you have your sauce.
Marinade you favorite meat with the sauce (chicken, pork, turkey or fish).
Put the remainder of your sauce in the refrigerator in a tight container.
The jerk sauce can also be added directly to your cooked food for extra flavor.
- My daughter just warmed some flour tortillas and ate them with some of the jerk sauce. She loves it and will eat it on just about anything.
A few observations
Nov 13, 2009
Here are a few observations ....
Two nights ago I ate dinner with my family and didn't have any issues. Last night was a different story! My grandmother came to visit and help me out 2 days before my surgery. She is an amazing cook and last night she did her thing in the kitchen. The smell was WONDERFUL and at some point I sat down while they were eating and said OH NO, this is not going to work. My stomach started making that gurgling sound and for the 1st time I felt like I was missing something. Now ... I didn't want it, but I definitely felt like I was missing out and couldn't eat the meal, if that makes sense. I grabbed a sugar-free Popsicle from the fridge and when in my office.
This morning when I got up I promise the house still smelled like that food ......
Observation #2
This morning when I woke up for the restroom it was very difficult for me to get out of bed, I needed help because I was very stiff. I later realized my tummy was full of gas which was creating a lot of pressure . I was also able to finally sleep on my left side which is my favorite and where most of my incisions are located. Sleeping through the night, the build up of gas and sleeping on my sore side meant I wasn't a happy camper this morning. I took a dose of Lortab and I've been OK so far.I'm moving around a lot better which feels great.
Observation #3
Everything tastes so sweet. All of the sugar-free products that would have been OK to my palate in the past are now really sweet. I had some natural, no-sugar added applesauce last night and it was perfect. That would have been yucky before surgery. I'm happy about the sugar sensitivity. May sound weird but it's something that I wanted, I also don't want to be able to tolerate cakes & bread. I want my body to reject it so I won't be bothered with it.I'm enjoying the tools on http://lapband.com/
I'm enjoying reading and seeing other WLS journey's.
I'm proud of myself for remaining committed and actually going through with the surgery!
Progressing Well
Nov 11, 2009
I'm progressing well. I've accepted that it will take some time for me to completely heal. There are moments when I feel really good and then I get stiff again and it's hard for me to sit or stand. Last night I tried to sit with the fam as they ate dinner. I ate my cream of chicken (nasty) soup as they ate burritos. I love Mexican food but didn't have any emotions of missing the food or being jealous because I wasn't eating any :) At some point I realized I was dabbing the spoon in the soup and just putting whatever stuck to the spoon in my mouth, it was weird. I eventually put it down because I didn't really want it.
Goals for today
#1 Continue to log my food intake
#2 Start logging water intake
#3 Keep track of how much time I spend walking
*A little funny from last night - at some point I said, I don't know about this! My 11 yo said, I think it's a bit late for that! It was so funny but I couldn't laugh because it still hurts ... I think she thought I was talking about the surgery itself, I was actually talking about the soup :)
Day before Surgery - 11/08/09 I weighed 273, today 11/12/09 I weigh 265 ... although I'm sure it's a lot of water that I'm dropping it still feels good to see the scale changing 
On the other side ...
Nov 10, 2009
I'm home and sitting in my office for a little bit on my computer. My surgery went really well. I'm still free of gas pains and loving it!!! My tummy muscles are sore which makes getting in and out of bed a chore but I'm getting use to it. My tummy finally started to rumble this morning. I forgot to eat dinner last night so I'm up bright and early eating breakfast. I have 1/4 cup of yogurt and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese on my baby plate and I'm eating with my baby spoon. I'm curious to see how much I'm going to be able to get down.
This is it!
Nov 08, 2009
If everything works out at 6:30am and my surgeon doesn't call in sick, this will be my last post before I get my "wrench" as I like to call it. I was telling my BFF earlier that I'm past the stage of anxiety and fear ... I've moved back to all feelings of excitement about having lap band surgery in the morning. This has been a long road, started in Dec. 2007, I've study long and hard, now I'm ready.
I understand why I began the WLS conversation with my primary care physician.
I understand the pros & cons of lap band.
I understand this will not work unless I work it ... my diet has to be right and I need to exercise.
I understand I will not wake up thin on Tuesday morning, or next week or next month.
I'm ready to do this!
Ready for a new life.
Wooo hoooo .......
Less than 10 Days to Go!
Oct 31, 2009
I think I'm feeling just about every emotion at this point. As of tomorrow it will be 9 days before my lap band surgery.
I'm vegging out on just about every You Tube video I can find related to the Lap band surgery and others experiences.
I'm sure when it's time for me to hop on that table on 11/09 I'll be OK.
Pre-Op Stats
Oct 28, 2009
11/08/07 – 1st day of my journey Primary Care Physician (PCP) sent my referral over to the Bariatrics Department in South San Francisco – Weight 273
12/11/07 – PCP Visit for EKG (normal) / Chest x-ray (normal) / a bazillion labs (normal)
Weight 271
12/18/07 – Orientation for Bariatric Surgery South San Francisco (SSF) – Weight 273
03/22/08 Sleep Apnea Test (normal)
05/08/08 SSF class Nutrition 101 – Weight 280 ... going the wrong way :(
07/08/08 – Bariatric Medical Director Appointment – Weight 288 (highest recorded weight)
07/11/08 class Lifestyle Management – Weight 285
08/20/08 – Psych Eval
09/23/08 – 1st appointment with Surgeon, Dr. Li – Weight 283
11/10/08 – Appt Dr. Li - Weight 280
03/10/09 Appt Dr. Li - Weight 280
08/05/09 Appt Dr. Li – Weight 281 Goal was to get back to Orientation Weight 273
09/30/08 Appt Dr. Li - Weight 274.2 Surgery Scheduled 11/09 Woo Hoo!
10/27/09 Pre-Op day! Appointments w/ Anesthesia, Admitting Clerk, Dr. Li, labs, Pre-Op class – Weight 274 (holding steady)
I have officially been on this road since orientation on 12/18/07 and I'm ready for the next step!
Pre-Op Stuff all Done!
Oct 28, 2009
Yesterday morning at 8am I started out my journey to South San Francisco for multiple appointments. First stop was in the Pre-Surgery department at 10:30am where I had an appointment with Anesthesia and an admitting clerk to get all of my paperwork out of the way. Then I went to see my surgeon, Dr. Robert Li where everything went well, all release forms for the risks related to anesthesia and the surgery were signed. I did labs. Then there was a break for lunch before my Pre-Op class from 2pm-4pm. The class was and I meet some other ladies who are on this journey as well. All in all it was a good day and things seem more and more real as the days pass. I emailed Dr. Li today and he responded saying all of my labs were fine WOO HOO!
11/09/09 - here I come.
One day I'll go back and count up how many times I've taken that 2 hour drive to SSF for my WLS appointments - I've never complained just curious.
The Countdown begins!
Oct 04, 2009
