About the blogger

Well hello again everyone. I just realized how impersonal the first blog post sounded so I want to give you all just a little bit of information about myself so we can all feel acquainted and then.. on to my very first food post *gasps* I'm so excited!

Hi friends! I'm Barb. I am currently 27 years old, Aquarius, living in South Dakota. I had my full Gastric Surgery done on March 7th, 2006. At the time I weighed 450+ pounds (it was not pretty either), but today my weight jumps between 245-270 depending on the moon cycles I swear it! *laughs*.

Like everyone who had the surgery I had some ups and some downs. I think the worst at first was the fact about two months later I was washing my hair when I noticed the hand fulls of hair coming out. Not just strands but large clumps of it. I broke down crying in my mother's garden tub over the loss of my hair. Thankfully three years later my thick hair is slowly starting to return, with the help of diet, vitamins and I think being stubborn about "Not going bald".

Obviously there was extra surgeries involved (sadly my insurances would not cover the removal of the extra skin so I still have that). I had to have my new stomach's exit hole to digest food expanded and reopened twice (I'm a super healer). Not to mention having to have my gallbladder removed over a year and a half later due to it just not responding to the medication to save it. (Stubborn ex-gallbladder doesn't even call me anymore!)

Because of the surgery I was able to finally get hired by people, buy my first car at twenty-four, move out of my parents house (finally!), have my dogs, get a cat and have my best friend of 12 years move in with me. Not to mention get a cell phone, have no one complain I am not doing anything with my life. And finally prove I am a productive member of society.

But lets try to get back on subject of what this blog is about... food! (Sorry if my typing gets weird, its hard to type with a twenty-five pound draped over your arms, purring.. LOL say Hello to Crookshanks!) Food is the reason, well sort of, we all go through the surgery.. Mainly our food in take probably led us all to be over weight.. and we were all told "your diet will change". They don't kid about the changes you go through either.

For me it was amount, taste and what I could and could not eat. First to go obviously the amount of food and what I could/couldn't eat, yet even three years later I still have problems with some foods. I eat kid-meal sized dinners now (but not kid meals from Fast Food places). I had to say good bye to Mcdonald's food, yet I can still eat a Jr. Whopper (extra pickles + onion) if I eat it SUPER slow.. I was told that beef would probably be a problem for me, the only beef I have problems with is steak. I do however have a issue with most chicken and pork. I have however upgrading to liking spices, some sea foods, sushi, lamb, eggplant, lentils, soybeans/soy products, grape leaves...

So that is why I am here to share my new passions for food, my cooking techniques for having the gastric done, and lets face it.. We all probably keep a lot of beano on hand due to the gas most everything gives us. *laughs*

Anyways, I'm Barb and I welcome you to my blog, and I hope its useful to you.