Halloween!

I'm psyched about Halloween this year as it falls on a Saturday. A friend is hosting a party here in NYC, and Alex and I are debating costumes.

I suggested we get Biggest Loser t-shirts (for sale here) so we can go as Biggest Loser contestants, but that didn't go over too well! Ha! In fact, we could one up ourselves and go in weigh-in garb (ie: close to nothing). Suprise surprise, that idea didn't fly either.

So instead, I think we'll be little red riding hood and the big bad wolf. It'll be nice when we're thin and won't have to buy specialty plus-sized costumes even!

But in this case, I'll probably just make them actually, except for Alex's wolf mask.

Just pulled a calf muscle

I felt/heard a pop in my calf while on the eliptical at the gym today and there went my leg. Ouch! I just looked it up and read that it is likely a sprained calf -- when the muscle pulls away from the tendon.

Having trouble walking, which in NY without a car just suxors, as Alex would say. And the gym is all stairs on three levels, so that was fun getting back to the locker room and then back up and out and over to the office. Walking back to work, I was just reminding myself "never take my health / physical abilities for granted."

I happen to have my first fill today, more on that later, so I'll just mention the sprain to the doctor since it did happen while working out to lose weight. So it's not entirely unrelated!

The surgeon asked Alex and I to come in together as this is his 7-10 day follow up. I'm a bit afraid of the fill, but I'm trying not to think of the big 'ol needle. DON'T LOOK!!!!

Almost forgot my band birthday

It's been a month yesterday. Alex and I were banded almost a month apart. The doctor suggested we do it at the same time, but we knew we'd need to be able to help one another.

Mostly I feel very normal, except I can't eat that much.

Curious to see how things change after my fills. I'm guessing I'll be more limited in my food choices.

Alex is out of surgery and all went well!

I'm happy to say Alex is doing well. He was really out of it when I saw him in the anesthesia recovery unit, but he was okay. His biggest complaint was the pain in his shoulder. That hit me when I woke up too, but they've got him on a morphine drip.

I've also already been to the pharmacy to pick up his hydrocodone for tomorrow.

I'll be back to see him later today. I was surprised that visiting hours are only from 2 to 8pm at NYU (Tisch Hospital). Right now, he hasn't been assigned a room yet.

He also had a hiatal hernia repaired in addition to having the lap-band put in.

The most motivating thing was that they weighed him right before surgery, and he ended up losing 25 pounds in his two week pre-op liquid diet. Shocking and impressive!

Alex's big day tomorrow

So the big news is that I'm not the only lap-band patient in the family. My fiancee Alex is undergoing the procedure tomorrow! He doesn't want me posting pics of him, but he said he was fine with me posting about it.

He's lost 18 pounds in his pre-op diet these past two weeks, although his process at NYU hasn't been anywhere near as positive as mine. Mostly it has to do with the people who handle the booking. It was a bit absurd the mistakes they kept making with his surgery date!

Most recently, he went for pre-admission testing and his bloodwork was off. NYU retested it and it was still off. So this week he rushed, got a hematologist, who took 12 VIALS of blood, and finally said that yes, he is perfectly healthy and fine for surgery. But he only got the okay TODAY, and his surgery is TOMORROW morning! So he was quite anxious not knowing whether or not he'd be having surgery.

I'll post tomorrow with an update on his procedure. His surgery is scheduled for 7.30 a.m.

Wow Meal: Peruvian Aji Verde Sauce

While it's not a meal, it will definitely make your meal! Alex made the most phenomenal aji verde sauce tonight to go with our dinner. Alex is half Peruvian, and I first had this sauce at a Peruvian restaurant in Brooklyn.

I found a Weight Watchers version of it yesterday, so we had to try it out.

The recipe shows it with roasted chicken, but we were looking for something simple tonight so we ate it with veggie quesadillas. It completely makes a dish!

Light and fresh and only 1.5 points per serving, it's a blend of jalapenos, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, half & half and a few other seasonings. I was a bit nervous about all the jalapenos, but Alex adjusted the combination a bit so it only had a little kick. Also, a little goes a long way!

See the complete lower calorie recipe here on Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipe Blog.

For the more traditional version, see the Wandering Chopsticks recipe. Photo via Wandering Chopsticks.

Diet Sloppy Joes and Cheese Fries?

I just saw a fabulous sloppy joe recipe over on the Biggest Diabetic Loser. Of course, I'll have to make a vegetarian version with some ground soy. However, Alex can do his with the sirloin.

The carrots and red peppers are drizzled in Green Goddess dressing. The fries are baked with a small amount of cheese.

Visit the Biggest Diabetic Loser for the complete recipe.