Drum Roll Please...

December 24, 2011

Yesterday was my official 13 month post op anniversary. Last week I promised I would update the pics for you at Christmas, so to stay true to my word, I, forced myself to have photos taken at our family Christmas Eve gathering last night...and, as promised, here is my current "current" photo:

Not bad considering that I started out here, just 1 day before Thanksgiving last year:

It really has been the incredible shrinking year! It feels like it just flew by. It's amazing what can be accomplished taken one day at a time. It hasn't been easy, but it definitely has been worth it. In this season of giving, I have taken much time to reflect on what a wonderful gift I gave myself last Thanksgiving when I gave myself the gift of a healthier life. I hope that each of you remember to be generous to yourselves too. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you, or a blessed Holiday of your own chosing. May you always remember that sometimes the greatest gifts we can receive are the healthy choices we make for ourselves.

Well I Know What Doesn't Work, Now To Find Out What Does

So, last week was....well...I'm not gonna call it a fail...I'm just gonna say, I can and will find a way to do better...I just haven't found it yet. I'm not gonna run down everything I ate last week, but instead, will just give you what I tried that turned out not to work for me. Which is good -- the way to find out what you want out of life is to first know what you don't want. I suppose finding out what does work is a lot the same -- Now I know what doesn't work, so instead of calling it a failure, I'll just call it progress.

I tried to just add 3 8oz glasses of Skim Milk a day. Seemed like a great plan. It has good nutritional value, it's good for the bones, and gave me the extra calories I needed. Now, for many of you, this might have been a good plan, but for me....not so much. Turns out I'm lactose intolerant. I'm ok with a little, like my morning Fauxa and maybe even a bit of cheese at some point, but 24oz of milk in a given day and, well....let's just say I get....ummm...well....let's just say I have a little problem with gas. OK, maybe I wouldn't call it "little."  Honestly, in the 2 days I tried this route, I thought maybe I'd end up losing my husband....not that he would leave me, but that my gas might actually kill him. LOL!

I broke down one day and gave into something sweet. I used needing to up my calories as an excuse, since there are almost 300 calories, so why not? I'll tell you why not...now I'm struggling with a sugar jones from hell and have to ride it out again. Damn it! Plus, there was absolutely no nutritional value in the extra calories. Speaking of the whole sugar thing, I realized I forgot a rule in my last post. I have now fixed it, so if you have not seen the updated version, you may want to go back and check it out here:


I did eat 3 tbsp of Peanut Butter one day. I dipped a single 6" celery stalk into it. LOL! A little celery on my peanut butter. I loved it, but the fat content was a little too high, so it's not like I can do this on a everyday basis, but it did help calm my sugar cravings in a healthier way than a candy bar, right?

I have decided that it's a good time to check in with my nutritionist and have her help me set up a plan. It's on my agenda for today. I'll let you know how that works out next time.

Well, last but not least...I know there are a lot of you who have been asking for an updated picture -- so far I just haven't gotten around to it. But, the 24th is officially my 13 month post op day, so at my family's Christmas Eve party, I will have someone take one for me and will post it for you on Christmas.

Happy Winter Solstice to you all. Make good choices and find the beauty in the day.

Yeah Well I'm Still Learning

OK so the last two days, try as I might, I couldn't hit the extra 300 calorie target....but I'm getting closer. Like I said it is a learning process and I am learning. Anyone out there in post op maintenance phase who has any tips for me to increase the calories without increasing the volume of food while STILL staying within my fat and carb maximums (30g fat and 40g carbs) please shoot me comment letting me know of any suggestions you have for me. Thanks in advance to any of you who offer your assistance.

Here is a run down of my Monday and Tuesday:

Monday December 12, 2011

Breakfast:
Double Scoop Protein Shake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flavor
(see my protein shake page for recipe)

Mid Morning:
Single Fauxa (pronounced like Mocha with a "fa")
(Recipe: Espresso, 1oz Torani Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup, 3 oz Hot H2O, 4oz Steamed Skim Milk)

Lunch:
Tyson Frozen Chicken Breast Fillet
2Tbsp Golden Miso Sauce

Dinner:
3oz Carnitas (precooked from Costco)
2Tbsp BBQ sauce
1/4c Finely Shredded Lettuce

Dessert:
Yasso Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Bar (a.k.a. The Best New Thing In The World Today)

This area will be switched for nutrition count later -- I don't have my food journal with me at the moment

I'll tell you about Tuesday in a minute....right now I  want to talk about sugar. First, I have to tell you about these yogurt bars I found at Costco! OMG they are GOOD!! I don't even know how I found them? I usually avoid that section of freezer so as to avoid having to look at cheesecakes and such, but I thought I'll just walk by fast and not look....but I looked. (Kinda like a train wreck happening near you, I suppose? I just couldn't help myself.) What was it that caught my eye? It wasn't cheesecake, it wasn't cream puffs, it wasn't ice cream....it was a box that said "70 calories 6g Protein." Now like I've said, in the past year this way of eating has become very natural for me, so when I saw 70 calories, 6g protein, I thought to myself, "hey I know those values....that's an egg!" LOL! So I opened the freezer door and grabbed a box to look more closely at what it was. They are fat free frozen Greek yogurt on a stick -- they come in a box with 2 flavors, strawberry and blueberry....and both are DELISH! I bought them and took them home with me, but then I worried that they may be too good to be true, so I discussed them with my doc and he gave me the green light!

They are now in my arsenal of "instead ofs"....I, like many of you, am a sugar addict. I'm in recovery, but I'm still an addict. Unfortunately, there are no help products out there for those of us with sugar issues. There have been several studies done on sugar addiction, and it has been determined that trying to break a sugar habit is equally as difficult as as trying to break yourself from heroine. I'd say it's probably harder, though I've never been addicted to heroine to have to ride out the cravings for that, but at lease heroine addicts have methadone to help them....sugar addicts have nothing but will power. IF you want to make BILLIONS.....create a product similar to a nicotine patch that takes sugar cravings away!

I have an easier time of it now that I've been "sugar free" for a little over a year, but I still have a rough time. I have set my life up to not be faced with my demon of sugar on a daily basis. Fortunately, I have a supportive family who agreed from the beginning of this process that my being healthy was more important to them than having access to sweets in the house, so we just don't have that stuff around. I only have a limited supply of will power, and if I needed to use it everyday to "just say NO" to sweets, then eventually it would get all used up and I'd give in.  My doctor likes to say, "Even a fox who is a sworn vegetarian will eat a chicken if you put it in the hen house enough times."  So why would a person who has sugar issues keep that stuff around? Honestly, I just don't know??

Even though I don't keep the stuff in my house, it is the holiday season and so I've been faced with it for extended periods of time occasionally this past month, and there are nights I wake up at 2 a.m. wanting to eat sugar....but because I don't have it available, I am able to talk myself down. I chose not to get up and drive to a 24hr supermarket and buy candy -- but if it were in the house....or if that happened every night....well let's just say I'm glad I don't have to have my will power tested that extensively!

I have a friend Lynn who is struggling with sugar right now and having a hard time, so for her (and anyone else who needs a few suggestions here is how I stay successful in my battle with sweets:

• GET THE STUFF OUT OF THE HOUSE! (Don't use your family as an excuse to keep it around. They love you more than sweets, and they will support you if you ask them too. If one of your family members had a nut allergy or gluten allergy, or shell fish allergy, etc...would you balk at not having the risky items around? No you'd find an alternative -- they will too.)
• FIND "INSTEAD OF's" (For me that is a cupboard full of Torani Sugar Free Syrups [for LOTS of uses...shakes, coffee, flavoring yogurt, "desserts", etc...], an occasional sugar free candy [but don't over do it or....well, let's just say you'll have to stay close to the bathroom for the day], Yasso Bars, Wylers or MIO to flavor my water, & Sugar Free Jello [which I use to make "fluff" from Eggy's website just go there & search fluff].)
• FIND A "SPONSOR" (Have a friend that you can call who won't "sugar coat" your sugar jones and will actually call you on your stuff. Someone who loves you with tough love...but who LOVES YOU -- for me that's my Kayla! Thank you Kayla...couldn't have come this far without you. If all else fails and you can't find anyone else...send me an email and I'd be glad to help.)
• HAVE A PLAN Know what you're gonna do ahead of time when you know when you know you're gonna be faced with sugar. For instance, at Christmas I know there will be sweets -- so I plan on bringing some of Eggy's Strawberry Cannoli. I have used these for every family event this past year and they have been so well received that they often go before the sugared desserts. (I also alter them by using fat free ricotta so they are really healthy alternatives). Another plan I used this year at Halloween was that I offered to "buy" my kids candy from them. I offered them a video game of their choice in exchange for their candy. Then I donated the candy to my son's teacher for her prize box. That way my kids got to do their thing at Halloween and I didn't have to suffer through the temptation of having all that in the house for more than an overnight.

You'll be surprised at how much will power you actually have when you find a way to stop using it up on all the unnecessary stuff. When you stop spreading it thin by using it on EVERYTHING, you really will amaze yourself at just how strong you really are.

Well, maybe Tuesday will have to wait....I've really said a lot already and don't want to bog you down with too much today. After all, it's a BLOG not a BOG! LOL sorry, couldn't help myself!

Long Time...No Bloggie!

Hey!.....Remember me?......I'm that skinny chick that climbed out of that fat chick. Took a bit more than a year to emerge, but here I am....and I'm back!

I know you all must be wondering what the heck happened to me? I do apologize that I abandoned you all for more than 7 months now. I'm a baaaaddd girl! LOL! I used this blog to keep me on track and stay honest to both myself and my readers. The problem? My new way of eating became so second nature, that I was able to just do it without worrying about hitting my targets as stringently as I needed to in the beginning, so I got lazy about spending the time to blog and instead, filled that space up with other things. For that, I apologize to all. The truth is that just because I didn't feel like I "needed" it anymore, doesn't mean that there weren't those of you out there who may have needed it.

Well, now I'm back and making this blog a priority again, so let me catch you up:

• I started this journey as a size 20W and now wear a size 4
• I am currently 5lbs away from goal weight
• I am now a runner who can finish a 5K without collapsing!
• My knees thank me every day
• I went to Great America a couple times this summer and fit in all the roller coaster restrains!
• I take no medicine
• I have great blood pressure
• I no longer suffer from GERD
• I am now able to play with my kids and enjoy it
• I no longer live to eat, but rather eat to live
• I have incredible family and friends who support me 100% in this transformation & I am thankful for them every day
• I have lost evenly and have a flat stomach without the need for plastics. Thank you angels! 
• I am healthy & I am happy

Well, I know that's the really short version of things, but If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will answer anything you want to know there.

I saw my doctor Saturday, December 10. He is very pleased with my results. Because I am only 5lbs away from goal, he wants me to slow my loss rate down and take the next 2 months to get there. This means he wants my calorie intake to be increased by 300cal/day. Which for those of you who followed me before know, that's an extra half a day's amount of food! At first, that seemed a little overwhelming but after further discussion with him, it's doable. The thing is I don't necessarily have to increase the volume, but can eat denser calorie foods to make up the difference. I can now have low fat cottage or ricotta cheese as opposed to my usual fat free. Nuts are easier to include in my day (and a whole serving of peanut butter is now OK)

So my new rules:

• 900-1000 calories a day
• minimum of 85g protein
• maximum of 40g carbs
• maximum of 30g fat
• minimum 64oz water
• exercise 3-4 days/week
• stay active

I know I owe you all an updated photo. I think the current "current" was about 45lbs ago -- I am still having body issues while learning to accept the "new me" so to me I don't look to much different, but to all of you the change will seem drastically different. I will get to that within the next week or so. At the very latest, I will post one of me at Christmas. The thing is -- there's still a part of me who is still that camera shy fat girl, but I'm working on that and learning to be comfortable allowing myself to be on the lens side of a camera -- so bear with me.

Well, that's is I suppose. I am currently tracking the day and will let you know what I did soon. I may not post every day (but rather 3-4 times a week or so) but will include every day in the weeks postings for sure.

Hope you're all having a great holiday season and making wise choices as you are faced with those holiday choices that center around food.

Oh yeah, and my friend Michelle over at The World According to Eggface is having a great contest to give away a Christmas stocking full of samples. You should check out her blog and sign up for your chance to win here:

Stocking Full of Samples Giveaway



While you're there check out some of her delicious recipes -- they have been a great part of my eating plan that has gotten me to where I am now!

A Couple Better Days

I did it! At 12:05 this morning I finally entered the last invoice for April -- which means today I can print them all, stuff envelopes, and get billing out first thing in the morning. I do this every month, so why am I so excited about it this month? The answer to that is that my trip to Hawaii depended on me getting billing out before I left. Now, after hitting the post office tomorrow, all there is left to do is pack, and jump on a jet plane. OK, I know this blog isn't really intended to tell you about my going to Hawaii, but I'm a little excited. I even have a plane plan. I bought two new blender bottles the other day to take with me, so I can have a shake on the plane and one during my layover in Honolulu.

So now that you know what I'm gonna do, let me tell you what I did:

April 29, 2011

I tried the Kirkland Pre-mixed Protein drink. The verdict . . . YUCK! I just can't do pre-mixed.I know there are times when a good pre-mixed would come in handy, but I have yet to find a pre-mix that is what I would call "Good." I could only choke down 2 drinks, one to find it horrible, and one to confirm it really was as horrible as I originally thought. So I decided to instead have:

1 1/2 Tyson Grilled Chicken Breast

On Fridays, my cousin Latisha comes over on her lunch break and we workout here. I always make her a shake for lunch, and since I hadn't yet tried my new shipment, Latisha was my guinea pig! Turns out the protein is good again -- the funny thing is the label is even back to blue -- not shiny metallic blue, but still, the original look of the label -- the label on the bad stuff was white.

After Latisha left, I made myself a shake, since I now knew the powder was good! (LOL) I had a Peach Pie Shake since that's the flavor I made for her and it smelled so good.

By this time of the day, I had only consumed 401 calories and already gotten 86g of protein in, so it seemed like a good day to catch a movie with Kana & Dan, since I definitely had room in my day for popcorn! We saw Hoodwinked Too in 3D. I love 3D movies! Plus, each time we see one, I get closer to getting Dan to agree to buying a 3DTV.

I ate approximately 2 cups Movie Popcorn without the gross butter flavored topping. And that was it. That was my Friday. I definitely felt like it was a successful day, especially compared to Thursday. Now, on to Saturday:

April 30, 2011

Breakfast was a new protein shake recipe. It;s a work in progress, so it's not on my protein drink recipe page yet. I was trying for a Cherry Almond Tart Shake. It's close. It was good enough that U didn't throw it out. It just seems like I'm missing something? I don't know what yet, but eventually I'll figure it out. Here's the recipe: (feel free to make it, try it, and send me suggestions on what to add to make it perfect)

2 scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
1 oz Torani Sugar-Free Black Cherry Syrup
1 oz Torani Sugar-Free Almond Syrup
4 oz H2O
12 Ice Cubes

Lunch was a picnic of Hors d'oeuvres with Dan & Kana. We had Homemade Salami, Cheese, Low Fat Crackers, Chicken Salad, and Lots of Sunshine. After eating, it was off to the pool for swimming and Kana's lesson.

After swimming it was off to our weekly treat of Frozen Yogurt, I had:

4 oz Strawberry Lemonade Yogurt
4 Fresh Blackberries

I considered frozen yogurt my dinner and when we got home, got right to finishing up invoicing (with a quick facebook break and had the live stream of the Merrie Monarch Festival playing split screen) but I did finish up, so I went to bed happy.

My stats for the day:
Calories Consumed: 586
Calories Burned: ? 1 hour swimming
Protein: 70g
H2O: 3L

The So "Super Easy Way Out" That It's Almost Like Cheating Method? Where's That?

So I have something to tell you....I have been struggling. This last week or so has been especially hard. I feel hungry all the time! I don't know if it has something to do with this weird current "void course" of the moon, or maybe my own moon, or that I'm just not tight enough to make any real kind of difference right now? What I do know is that I feel hungry all day and am working very hard to try to make all the right choices. Some days are easier than others, but never actually easy. Some days, well....some days I feel as if I just want to cry, but I just keep moving forward. I just keep trying to make healthier food choices than I wish I had to, and exercising when I really just want to watch TV. Yesterday was a really tough day.

Then, because Life knew I really needed a sign of support, I was given a little gift today. My wonderful friend Kayla finally took my advice and started writing a blog, which she entitled "K & Co." Guess what her first post was about? She was responding to some idiot who pissed her off (apparently, they had the nerve to say bariatric surgery was taking the easy way out).  Well, as I read her words, I teared up a bit, because I felt that she was addressing the difficulties I was going through, without even knowing I was having such a struggle. Thanks Kayla! You reminded me that this decision is NEVER easy, but you also reminded me that I am not in this alone. Sure, I have my "team" just as you do, but I also have great friends who seem to know what I need the most, even if I never tell them what is. I have great friends who have also gone through what I am going through (and continue to do so each day), who inspire me to keep fighting this battle against obesity day after day, no matter how hard it may seem. I will do this every day for the rest of my life. I hope somehow I can be that inspiration to any of you who should you ever need it (like if you ever feel like you're having an especially hard day(s) and need a little pick me up. That's what we're here for, to pick each other up and inspire each other to be the best (and healthiest) people we can be.

As I said earlier, it has been especially difficult lately, and I am not proud of all of the choices I made yesterday, but I did the best I could, (I did better today, and will strive to do even better tomorrow -- that's how we WLS'ers do "easy"). That said, here is my yesterday:

April 28, 2011

The "Easiest" part of life post-op is that you always have to plan ahead. You can no longer just wing it. If you don't give yourself enough time for the pre-planning phase of your day, you're screwed. Say, you wake up late, and run around trying to get out of the house in time to get to your day's appointments, work, etc. Did you make sure you took enough time to make a healthy breakfast meal? Did you make a shake? Did you pack something to take with you (if you're gonna be busy until after your next scheduled meal -- yep SCHEDULED!)? No? Do you have a healthy option plan in place then? How are you going to ensure you get your protein and fluid levels in? Are you going to be able to do so while sticking to your strict 600-800 calorie target? No? Oops! You're screwed! Eventually, how are you planning on handling the guilt, shame, or other emotion you associate with failing? You better start figuring it out. See? Super Dooper Alley Ooper Easy!......NOT!

So to answer the above questions: I woke up later than I was suppose to. I had a nail appointment and a hair appointment back to back that lasted from 9:00-12:45. I rushed around to get my kids up and off to where they needed to go, dropped of my youngest off at my in-laws (thankfully they feed him). Then straight to the salon. Translation: I didn't make a healthy protein filled breakfast, didn't pack anything to eat at noon, and didn't take any water with me. Three strikes before 9:00 a.m. -- not the best way to start the day.

My 1st meal of the day wasn't until 12:45, so I was REALLY hungry! The second "easiest" part about life post-op is that if you have skipped a meal (or two), when you do eat, you have to remember to eat really slowly (a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food should take a half hour to eat and all the contents should be chewed so thoroughly that they are considered "self-pureed" -- if you've never had Bariatric surgery, you should TRY doing this, 'cause it suuper easy! *sarcasm*). My mother-in-law made me:

1 Deviled Egg
1/2 can Tuna
1/2 Dill Pickle

I almost blew it (again!) right off the bat. I swallowed too quickly and thought I was going to get stuck, but it turns out I didn't. So I finished my lunch and even though I was behind on my protein, I did get 18g in this meal. I was super thirsty, but the rules are that you can't drink for 20 mins before or 45 mins after eating. I didn't get anything to drink until well after 2:00 p.m. This part would be #3 on the "easiest part list" -- Eating without drinking ANYTHING before or after still feels unnatural. Eating makes you think you're thirsty. The funny thing is that getting too thirsty triggers a hunger response (which is probably why I got Morbidly Obese in the first place....Morbid.....That means "Drop Dead FAT") Anyway, the dehydration meant I spent the rest of the day battling "hunger" I fought, I exercised, I tried to distract myself (Squirrel!), I drank water and a "Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake" to try to stop the urge to start putting food into my mouth and continue to do so until the feeling went away. It didn't go away and eventually I gave in. I didn't eat dinner because I spent the evening grazing, each time I got a little something the only feeling it took away was the "feeling good about myself" the "head hunger" stayed with me all day long until I finally went to bed. To the best of my memory, I believe this is what the tally result is of my bad choices:

4 Tbsp Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels
1/2 oz Extra Aged Gouda Cheese

So that was my super easy day. Oh yeah, and I forgot to tell you the best part, I went to bed feeling bad about myself, and my stomach was growling like crazy. I felt like I was starving and had just pigged out at the same time. Wrap your head around how easy that is to deal with.

Now, do you think I cheated and took the easy way out? Because I don't. It's not easy, most days it's not as hard as yesterday, but it's never easy. That said, would I do it again? Absolutely! it was the best decision I have ever made. I am so much healthier now than I was before, I no longer have: GERD, high blood pressure, a hole in my diaphragm, my stomach in my chest cavity, I sleep through the night and am no longer woken up in the middle of the night because I am throwing up in my sleep, I can play with my kids, I can exercise, I can live life to a much fuller and higher quality. I am a proud WLS'er! I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of Kayla, I'm proud of Eggy, and if you've had surgery, I'm proud of you. If you haven't had surgery, but are on a journey to be healthier, I'm proud of you too. I am proud of anyone who chooses to fight the battle against obesity, no matter what decision you make to get there. And I am proud to defend you and your choice. Life's too short to not support each other!

My daily stats:
Calories Consumed: 820 (20 cals over my high target)
Calories Burned: 600
Protein: 66g (4g below my low target)
H2O: 2L

I've Lost My Key

I somehow seem to have lost my gym key. Which sucks, because it just gives me one more excuse to not exercise. I have been lucky the last few days and show up at the gym just when someone else has been walking in, so I could get in myself. I need to talk to the owner and let him know I need a new one. I can't believe the damn thing is gone. I hang it up everytime I walk in the door -- first thing! My youngest son said he saw that it had fallen on the ground just below the hook but that was before our housekeeper got here. I have a bad feeling she may have swept it up and threw it away, not realizing what it was (it's an electronic key card), but I'm holding out hope that maybe she just put it somewhere and I just don't know where that somewhere is....yet. Here's to hoping. I'm going to have to pay to replace it anyway, I suppose. Anyway, here was my yesterday:

April 27, 2011

Breakfast: I samples the Kirkland Vanilla Protein Powder I reviewed for you yesterday. (It was so good I had to tell you right away -- too good to make you wait until now!) As I said yesterday -- The TRIFECTA of protein!

Lunch was a Tyson Grilled Chicken Breast and an Easter Egg, I just wanted to see which came first.....LOL,,,,,,, In case you're wondering, it was the egg -- I peeled it and was eating it in under 30 seconds. While the Chicken took 3 1/2 minutes in the microwave. I know, all that time wondering and now you have a definitive answer and can finally put that one to rest! There ya go. You're welcome.

In the mid afternoon I still had one last Hershey Sugar-Free Chocolate bar left, so I ate it. Now I have no more little pieces of chocolately evil around pretending to be heavenly little bites of yummy goodness! I ate it with 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

For dinner I had leftovers from Tuesday Night's Dinner -- Pastaless Lasagna with Spaghetti Squash. Ever since my contribution to the Easter Dessert table, I have decided I am in LOVE with Low Fat Ricotta Cheese! In love I tells ya!......love, love, LOVE!! So this recipe was my experiment with my new found object of affection. I used:

24 oz Lean Ground Turkey Itallian sausage
24 oz Low fat Ricotta Cheese
16 oz Low fat Mozarella Cheese (grated)
2 Jars Ragu Sweet Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce
1 bag Fresh-Express Baby Spinach
3 large Portabello Mushrooms (sliced thick)

1st layer:         Meat and 1 Jar Sauce (blended together)
2nd Layer:       (1) 12 oz container Ricotta Cheese
3rd Layer:       1/2 bag Spinach
4th Layer:       1/3 Grated Low Fat Mozerella Cheese
5th Layer:       Portabella Mushrooms
6th Layer:       3/4 Jar Pasta Sauce
7th Layer:       (1) 12 oz container Ricotta Cheese
8th Layer:       Remaining Spinach
9th Layer:       Remaining Grated Mozarella Cheese
Top With:      Remaining Pasta Sauce

Cover with foil (tightly). Place in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Cook for 1 hour.

I have a double oven so I made my Spaghetti Squash at the same time and served the Lasagna over the squash. I think though, that you could add pre-cooked squash in the layering as if it were a pasta layer, and it would be fine (I'm guessing as this was my 1st experience with this cool new veggie).

Oh yeah, and the above recipe.....It's HUGE! (you gotta read that with a Donald Trump accent! LOL). I used a Large Turkey Roasting Pan and got 24 servings out of it (I have lots frozen in single servings, for quick meals). You might want to cut the recipe in 1/2 for an average Lasagna!

I did workout yesterday and burned 911 calories -- Funny, it didn't seem like an emergency! Hahaha.

Here are my stats:
Calories Consumed: 652
Calories Burned: 911
Protein: 83g
H2O: 2L*

*Here's an interesting fact I just learned:
Research has shown that within 10 minutes of drinking a pint of water, the metabolism increases by as much as 30 percent. Other drinks did not show the same effect. Drinking 2L per day can burn an extra 100 calories!

Why wasn't I told this YEARS ago? The whole, "good for your kidneys, skin, ect..." is great and all, but doesn't have quite the motivation of, "burn more calories!" Well, now we know. Drink, Drink, Drink!!!