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Thank you for entering Week 4 of The World According to Eggface Things I Heart Giveaway!

The random generator has selected:

Lois
LBL143@xxxxxxx.net

Congratulations!!! You are the winner of the Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Ice-21 Automatic Ice Cream Maker. Hope you have a blast making Protein Ice Cream and Protein Ice Cream Cakes.

Not Lois? No worries... another AWESOME Eggface Giveaway is already in the works. Be sure to follow along on the Blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest for the latest eggciting announcements!

A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts (I try and post them every few days) to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world.

Breakfast: I made a Steak & Egg Bowl. I sauteed a few Mushrooms, chopped up one slice of Boar's Head Low Sodium Roast Beef and tossed that in a splash of Worcestershire Sauce, that went on top of a scrambled egg and a sprinkle off cheese topped it all. A protein packed start to the day.

Lunch: Carrots, Cucumbers and Greek Yogurt with a sprinkle of Greek Seasoning.

Dinner: I had a gift card to Rubio's floating around my purse for awhile so I decided to use it for dinner. Those of you on the west coast (locations in CA, AZ, NV, UT and CO, it's a San Diego original) know Rubio's, those that don't it's a fast casual Mexican restaurant famous for it's fish tacos. I ordered their Balsamic and Roasted Veggies Salad. It normally comes with Grilled Chicken but I subbed Grilled Tilapia (they also have Grilled Shrimp, Salmon, or Mahi Mahi) and asked for the dressing on the side. I used a little but I prefer a squeeze of lime and some of their chipotle salsa. I split this with my Mum and it was plenty for both of us. So good. I love when restaurant menus are available online because I can plan out the changes I want to make to a dish to make them healthier choices. Here are some other tips that have helped me when eating out post weight loss surgery.

Snacks: Lots of coffee and a bowl of Butter Pecan Protein Ice Cream. One of my favorites.

It was a delicious day. More days in my pouch.

Be sure to toss your name in the hat for the final week of the the "I ♥" Eggface Giveaways. This week's prize: a Cuisinart Ice-21 "Protein Ice Cream" Maker. Ends Sunday.

Be an advocate - 5 easy ways

Advocate: active supporter of a cause, idea, or policy.
 
Last year at the Obesity Action Coalition "Your Weight Matters" Convention (and it will be offered again this year) 68+ people flew in a day early to take part in an intensive Advocacy Training Session to learn how to speak directly to elected officials on Capitol Hill on issues related to obesity. It was a great learning opportunity and I highly recommend it but... you don't have to ever step foot in Washington DC to become an advocate.

Here's 5 easy ways to be an advocate in your own backyard:

1. Just becoming a member of the OAC and encouraging others to become members is an easy way ($20/year) The OAC is currently 40,000 members strong representing 93 million people affected by obesity, that is a powerful number to share when advocating for obesity issues. Three people may walk into a legislator's office in Washington but our powerful nationwide coalition stands with them at the ready.

2. Educate the media (and uninformed commenters) - When you see an article about obesity related issues share your story in the comments and if the story is inaccurate contact the author and editor and inform them, tell them you are happy to be a source for future articles.

Prepare to have your blood pressure rise a bit. When I comment on articles, I often get bashed by people who say things like "just close your mouth and get off the couch" or worse name-call. I choose not to engage, "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man." ~Oscar Wilde

Instead I just share my story and let that speak for itself.

3. Contact your elected officials and share your story. The majority of legislators know little about obesity, its effects and treatments. You are the expert and can educate them. There is no one better to share the social, emotional, physical and medical impact of obesity than someone who has been personally affected.

How to find contact info for your legislators.
Sign up for OAC Action Alerts - basically it's an email "heads up" that an issue is being discussed and how you can help.

4. When you spot or are the victim of incidents of weight bias or stigma challenge it by educating others. Example: My Costco experience. I know some may think, heck even some in our own community think, "What's the big deal?" "Don't you have a sense of humor?" but consider this fact... weight is a leading cause of bullying and nearly 20% of girls who faced weight bullying attempted (not just thought about, but actually attempted) suicide (per CDC - Center for Disease Control study.) It is a big deal.

The OAC also has a program called "Bias Busters" that directly combats weight bias issues. Past examples: PETA Ads, Facebook pages and sadly countless more.

5. Spread the word. 

• Ask your Doctor's office or support group to join the Obesity Action Coalition or take part in a Walk from Obesity.
• Share Obesity Action Coalition FREE publications, there's a great Weight Bias in the Workplace Guide every Human Resources office should have a copy of. My favorite to share is the OAC's Understanding Your Weight Loss Options brochure. 
• With your OAC membership you get "Your Weight Matters" magazine when you are done reading it why not pass it on to your doctor's office, library, heck even the hair salon.
• Share, repost, retweet articles and information on social media and forums you belong to. (FYI: I'm @Eggface and the OAC is @ObesityAction on Twitter)
• Share your story with others, especially those that had weight loss surgery, dispel the misconceptions and inaccurate information out there by proudly leading by example.

Remember...

Together we will make a difference.

A day in my pouch

A day in my pouch is a series of blog posts (I try and post them every few days) to show what a typical daily menu looks like in my post weight loss surgery world.  It was Oscar night so dinner was more like a couple of hors d'oeuvres party type foods.

Breakfast: Plain Greek Yogurt sweetened with Sugar Free White Chocolate Torani Syrup topped with a few fresh Raspberries and toasted Almonds.

I put it in a plastic cup, plastic wrapped the top, grabbed a disposable spoon (don't forget this, it sucks when you forget a spoon) took it with me on my walk and found a nice place to sit and eat it at the halfway mark. I make a few of these yogurt parfaits and have them in the fridge for snacks, desserts, or on-the-go breakfasts.

Lunch: Tomato, Cucumber, fresh Mozzarella Salad topped with fresh Basil, sprinkle of toasted Almonds, Oregano, Salt & Pepper and a dollop of Greek Yogurt.

Dinner: I made dinner, well a snacky tidbit type dinner I could make and eat with the Oscar arrivals in the background. It had a loose Oscar theme. The only best picture nominee I saw was "Silver Linings Playbook" so I made a healthified version of Crabby Snacks (if you saw the movie you know the reference, if you didn't here's the back story) and since the movie was set in Philadelphia I made my Philly Cheesesteak Bites.

Shelly's Philly Cheesesteak Bites

1/4 lb. (about 4 slices) Roast Beef (I use Boar's Head Low Sodium), chopped
1 Yellow Onion, diced
1/2 Bell Pepper, diced
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Cheddar or Provolone Cheese, shredded
5 Eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper

Saute onions and peppers till golden. Add beef and Worcestershire sauce and saute for 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

When cool mix all ingredients together.

Spoon into lightly greased (Pam works great) mini muffin tins.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Makes 24.

Shelly's Silver Linings Playbook Crabby Snacks

4 Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat Tortillas (Fajita Size)
1 - 6 oz. Can Crab Meat, drained very well
2 Tablespoons Old English Cheese Spread (Kraft, jarred, by crackers in supermarket)
splash of Hot Sauce, to taste (I used Cholula)
dash of Onion Powder
dash of Garlic Powder
a few twists of Black pepper
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 Green Onion, diced

Mix all ingredients (except green onion and Parmesan) together till well combined. Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon on to each tortilla. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10 minutes at 375. Top with sliced green onion.

The recipe makes enough for 4 Fajita Size tortillas (cut into quarters - 16 pieces) so unless you have a bunch of people you can half the recipe and save the other 1/2 a can of crab for an omelet or frittata which is what I did.

Snacks: Coffee and I made a batch of Protein Ice Cream. Soooo good.

Shelly's Chocolate Almond Fudge Protein Ice Cream

1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk (or Regular Milk)
2 scoops Chocolate Protein Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (any flavor I used SF Chocolate)
2 Tablespoons Sugar Free Chocolate Fudge Jello Pudding Mix, dry
a Tablespoon or so of Toasted Almonds, optional

Mix together milk, protein, pudding mix and syrup. I used this gadget to mix it up. It makes it airy and lump free or whiz it super fast in a blender. You want it fluffy. Pour into ice cream maker. Follow your machine's instructions for freezing.

You can eat it right away it is soft serve-ish (add optional almonds and mix in) but I like to put it in the freezer to set for an hour or so.

Don't have an ice cream machine? This week's I heart giveaway gives you a chance at one. Here's the link for all the 411 on how to enter.

More days in my pouch.