The Start of my Journey Towards Being Born Again.....South Florida

hi all. So aside from the regular being busy with life, I've just been dealing twice with pelvic and hip joint pain, courtesy of exercising...go figure! and getting sick, In keeping with my regular FREAKEN SLOW SELF...... I've lost 61 lbs in 7 lbs. I'm still happy with looking better and feeling better. I've also become a bit of a shopaholic....but it's actually justified! hehe.....it was either that or going to work naked or in a nightgown. I've had to get rid of SO MANY CLOTHES.....it felt great too. I've heard of other people having separation anxiety doing this....NOT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not for a second. I was sick and tired of the same clothes, dark (brown or black, and some times black or brown...lol). so that was a no brainer for me. Now I have so much more color in my closet, and for some reason I'm not afraid of wearing it either. I've never been a glitzy, blingy girl.....but I guess being reborn can do that to you. And plus being 52 means you don't give too much of a [RS bleep]!!! :-)))) I did tell my surgeon at my last follow up in April, that I knew that surgery wouldn't change the way my metabolism is. That would be unrealistic to think. I think he was surprised to hear me say that because just about everybody expects surgery to be the miracle cure and change-all, and it's not. It helps you eat less but that too can change if you're not careful and start overeating. You can stretch the new stomach. So buyer beware! Because I truly believe that weight loss and success cannot be measured only by that little evil device called the scale, I have been taking my measurements since the beginning of this journey and have lost 41 inches total. Receiving comments at work about how noticeable it is and that I look great. Although it is completely secondary to me (because first I care about how I like myself more than others), but it's always nice to hear. The best part is that I'm back to wearing work jackets (blazers) only once in a while since the Florida heat doesn't quite allow for that too often. But then again, I feel LESS HOT than I used to too!!! WOOP WOOP...nothing but good things. I will confess I am a bit concerned with the haunting my weight has had. I was stuck in 191 or so, give or take a lb. It took me 2 months to get past the 190's. Over the weekend I finally weighed in at 189, but I'm not seeing movement still. I killed myself doing yard work 2 days of the long weekend and it should have showed on the scale and really didn't. So it does frustrate me, but I'm TRYING to look at the bright side. I'm also maintaining and THAT is REALLY important. Losing the weight ain't easy right? but KEEPING IT OFF is even harder. So if I know I can do what I'm doing and maintain it that's a very good thing. I've also had a wonderful yearly check up with my primary beginning of May. My labs all looked great. I was so excited to see that. My blood pressure is FINALLY normal and after about 8 years I am off my BP meds! that was a big goal for myself and so happy to have achieved it. My thyroid meds had to be cut almost in half. I always wondered if losing a lot of weight could actually affect the thyroid and at least for me it did. More great news. Only slightly negative was having to increase my depression medication from the low dose of 10mg to 20mg. I told her I was having serious mood fluctuations. At times I feel so depressed it's horrible. Another reason I hadn't been on here. I don't like spreading those negative vibes. But she explained that many people feel the effects that way due to the lack of carbs (carbs apparently increase melatonin). aggggg! I wasn't crazy about it but since I'm staying away from carbs and I don't want to live depressed, well so be it. I told her, you can't have it all I guess. She said a funny thing to me, before looking at my weight. She thought I had lost 100 lbs....I'm like HUH? no way I WISH!!!!!! SOME DAY, SOME DAY.....I just need to keep working at it. Having a desk job sucks for weight loss. So you gotta put in the work and exercise, do something you are comfortable with, or even if you're not, get started with something. So I do go to the gym with my husband, do cardio and weights for toning (not heavy lifting or anything). And these things help you also lose those inches. So keep at it guys...no matter what. This is for LIFE! NOT A FAD.

so this recipe is from the Bariatric Eating.com website and here it is.
http://www.bariatriceating.com/2014/12/high-protein-fudgy-brownies-yep-sugar-free-too/


High Protein Fudgy Brownies (yep, sugar free too!)
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins

These 'flourless' brownies are fantastic. I could tell they were going to be so good when I hit the button on the food processor and the batter was smooth, rich and very fudgy with a back flavor of mocha. Yum! Coffee lifts the flavor of Cocoa and since there isn't any flour to mute the cocoa... it shines!
Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
One, 15 ounce can black beans, well rinsed & drained (dry on a paper towel)
½ cup Truvia baking blend, the kind in the bag
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
½ cup Dutch cocoa - smoother, richer, less bitter
1 single serving sleeve Starbucks Via, ready brew instant coffee (really puts dish over the top, buy one at Starbucks!)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped sugar free or dark chocolate - you can also use mini bittersweet or semi sweet chips
Instructions
Spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Puree the black beans in food processor until fairly smooth. Scrape down sides and add Truvia, butter, vanilla and one egg. Process until very smooth. Scrape down sides and add 2 remaining eggs, cocoa, Via, baking powder, salt and chopped chocolate. Process until well blended, scraping down sides and processing to a creamy batter.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted 2 inches from center tests done, 18 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into two-inch squares.

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I managed to cut mine into 25 pieces which is really smaller than what the recipe calls for. I have yet to put it into my Sparkpeople recipe builder to break out the portion nutritional info. But I can tell you I'm going ga ga over these!!!! My husband likes 'frosting' or 'cream' on things, so I'm going to have him try some with fat free cool whip I have. yuuuuuumo! I never though black beans could serve such a purpose in life!!!! hahaha!

Picture attached....I'm sorry there are two pieces gone, but I HAD to do quality control (and my daughter tried too and approved).
(just tried it with cool whip and IT'S SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD).

The recipe says you get 16 slices out of it, you'd have to cut them pretty thin for that. I'm getting 15 out of it.

Here it is:

Soul Bread

Minutes to Cook: 45
Number of Servings: 16

Ingredients
1 2/3 c unflavored Soy Isolate Protein Powder (zero carb)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 tbsp Xanthan Gum (Thickener)
2.5 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 c Olive Oil
1/4 c Butter, unsalted
2 drops liquid Stevia (or to taste)
4 large Eggs
12 oz Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 tsp Cream Of Tartar
Prego® Pasta Sauce
Add the Zesty Italian Sauce Sure to Make Your Pasta a Hit. Try Prego®! www.Prego.com

Directions
Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Prepare a bread pan (9? x 5?) or molds.

Soften cream cheese. (45 seconds to 1 minute in a microwave works well.) Melt butter and add to cream cheese. Add in olive oil, heavy whipping cream (or half and half) and eggs. Blend well using a stick blender or hand mixer.

Add baking powder and xanthan gum to an empty salt shaker and shake over the liquid mixture. Mix well after each shake to avoid lumps.

Add protein powder, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar to a flour sifter. Sift over the wet ingredients. Stir by hand just until mixed. (Do not use a mixer or blender.) Do not over stir or the bread will become dense.

Pour into a greased pan or silicone mold and bake at 325 F for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. The bread may be dry on top but adding melted butter helps if you’re eating it right away. Once cool, wrap in plastic to store.

Serving Size: 16 slices