I'm going to have to start paying better attention when I get up and get dressed before daylight...especially if I'm still sorta feeling the effects of jet lag or something.
It was while I was walking across the parking lot this morning that I realized the pants I'd put on were feeling awfully baggy....I mean enough room for a couple of cats to race around in! Luckily, I didn't have my hands quite as full as I usually do juggling lunch bag, purse, and a box of books, so I was able to pull them up. Unfortunately, the long-sleeved pullover shirt was on the thin side, so I couldn't yank the pants up to mid-rib because you could see where the waistband is! What a dilemma, huh? lol I decided it would be a good day to re-catalog most of the 398.2 section since I'd be safely sitting and not in danger of losing my pants in front of God and everybody.
Needless to say, after washing these pants tonight, they go in the "too big to wear anymore" box! Woo hoo!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
No cheating...
I think I just passed my first test! I was in Reno from last Wednesday night with no fridge (to keep milk, jello, cottage cheese---lo-cal snacky things) through Sunday, and, I must say, that it was very easy to continue eating well even eating out.
We split all of our meals out....and had more than one discussion about portion sizes served at restaurants. We ate breakfast at IHop where we ordered a spinach/mushroom omelet to share. When it arrived, we thought they'd confused the order because they brought us two omelets. Turns out that the cook had just prepared us two smaller (which were the size an individual should have) ones in place of the one large one. We split a grilled salmon and steamed broccoli dinner with an appetizer of a lobster "martini" (lord, that was soooo good! I'm going to duplicate the recipe and post it.) at Red Lobster. We split a shrimp and asparagus risotto at Olive Garden. Ok...I'll confess....I did cheat just a tiny bit....could you have resisted those cheesy garlic biscuits at Red Lobster? I didn't think so. Well, neither could I!
I took protein powder and string cheese with me and picked up some protein and soy bars, but I honestly didn't really need them. Actually, I probably did, but considering our "schedule" or lack of, I think I actually lost weight while there! Lots of walking and healthy food. Our last night there, we ate at an all you can eat sushi bar! My first time...ummm...it was absolutely beyond yummy! I stuck to smoked salmon and shrimp (all cooked stuff)---the rolls are to die for---wonder how far I'd have to drive from Bonham to find a sushi bar? lol
Kari and I had a wonderful two days together and then to finish the week out, Warren flew in Friday night. Esther flew in Friday night, too. We had even more fun with four of us! Kari, Esther, and I did our presentation at AASL Saturday and it went much better than we even expected (we presented a session about preparing a library for the future if you have one that needs clean-up, weeding, and/or organization) considering that we did what we usually do---tapped danced our way through it without a lot of prep. But hey, they keep accepting the proposals that are submitted, so we must be doing something right! lol The next conference (only held every 2 years) will be in Charlotte, NC.
We split all of our meals out....and had more than one discussion about portion sizes served at restaurants. We ate breakfast at IHop where we ordered a spinach/mushroom omelet to share. When it arrived, we thought they'd confused the order because they brought us two omelets. Turns out that the cook had just prepared us two smaller (which were the size an individual should have) ones in place of the one large one. We split a grilled salmon and steamed broccoli dinner with an appetizer of a lobster "martini" (lord, that was soooo good! I'm going to duplicate the recipe and post it.) at Red Lobster. We split a shrimp and asparagus risotto at Olive Garden. Ok...I'll confess....I did cheat just a tiny bit....could you have resisted those cheesy garlic biscuits at Red Lobster? I didn't think so. Well, neither could I!
I took protein powder and string cheese with me and picked up some protein and soy bars, but I honestly didn't really need them. Actually, I probably did, but considering our "schedule" or lack of, I think I actually lost weight while there! Lots of walking and healthy food. Our last night there, we ate at an all you can eat sushi bar! My first time...ummm...it was absolutely beyond yummy! I stuck to smoked salmon and shrimp (all cooked stuff)---the rolls are to die for---wonder how far I'd have to drive from Bonham to find a sushi bar? lol
Kari and I had a wonderful two days together and then to finish the week out, Warren flew in Friday night. Esther flew in Friday night, too. We had even more fun with four of us! Kari, Esther, and I did our presentation at AASL Saturday and it went much better than we even expected (we presented a session about preparing a library for the future if you have one that needs clean-up, weeding, and/or organization) considering that we did what we usually do---tapped danced our way through it without a lot of prep. But hey, they keep accepting the proposals that are submitted, so we must be doing something right! lol The next conference (only held every 2 years) will be in Charlotte, NC.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Conflicting info....
ok...so when I visited the surgeon this past Tuesday for my 2nd post-op visit, I thought the appt. was to get the band filled. I was wrong (despite what I was told at the last visit). It seems this is only done AFTER he asks you if you are experiencing satiety. Well, my answer was "no." For about the past week and a half, I'm not satisfied very long after a meal. It seems the fill has to be done at 6:00 AM (ugh!) at the hospital and involves drinking some liquid (please, let it taste good!!...and not be a huge amount!!) and then they watch it flow through you. A little local shot to numb the port area and another shot of saline and it's over. [For some reason they can't schedule things like that right then while you are there....you have to wait for someone to call you. Having experience that "wait for someone to call" all summer, I gave them 24 hrs...no call. So called them the next day about 10 min. before they closed and was told they had me scheduled for Nov. 6th.]
I see a nurse before each surgeon consult who weighs me, takes BP, and asks a few general questions. Now I have been weighing on Lisa's digital scale since before the surgery, so that is the one I'm going by to track weight loss. I had NOT gotten on the scales since I'd weighed myself back whenever. After my shower that morning I figured I'd better go ahead and weigh so I wouldn't have a shocking disappointment at the clinic. I couldn't believe that it said I'd lost almost 10 more lbs.!!! I was so excited! However, I did get a shock....there is a 7 lb. discrepency between Lisa's scales and the clinic scales (digital also) and not in my favor!!!! Plus they don't count the 3 lbs. I lost the week before surgery even tho they documented it (*rolling my eyes*). I'm counting it.
The nurse asks if I'm taking my vitamin daily...which I am (I was told to buy Flintstones chewable, so that is what I'm taking). She asks what I'm eating....and I tell her the protein drink for breakfast...soup for lunch...and chicken, salad, fish, or baked potato for supper. WELLL....she proceeds to tell me that the soup is a no-no!! I shouldn't be eating it because it is mostly liquid and by the time I chew up any bits, it just runs right through me. I beg to differ. I told her it is not a very liquid soup, as it is homemade and quite thick like a stew. She still insisted I quit eating soup!
Ok...after the surgeon visit, he sends me to visit with the nutritionist who asks the same questions. She quite patronizingly told me that I should be taking 4 vitamins daily instead of one, after all they are children's vitamins. I had to tell her that I'd actually read the box and it said adult dosage is one vitamin daily and that I was well aware it is marketed as a children's vitamin.
She seems to think the soup is no big deal.
She is not excited that I started working out at Curves...said it is not cardio enough...and that she'd be bored to tears if it were her, but that it is ok for me to go right now, but later I'd have to do something "harder." I told her that I seem to be able to work up a sweat and that I find that it keeps me from getting bored since we change stations every 30 seconds.
I'm hoping that I heard the doctor correctly when he said, "I have patients talk to the nutritionist on the 1st and 2nd post-op visit." I understand that it is for the patients health benefit, but....it all goes back to knowing yourself and what is working for you.
As I leave, I stop at the front desk to make an appt. for my 3rd post-op visit. She gives me a date during the last week of November. I tell her I can't that week, but make it for the following week. She hands me an appt. card with the Nov. date!! Gad!!!
I see a nurse before each surgeon consult who weighs me, takes BP, and asks a few general questions. Now I have been weighing on Lisa's digital scale since before the surgery, so that is the one I'm going by to track weight loss. I had NOT gotten on the scales since I'd weighed myself back whenever. After my shower that morning I figured I'd better go ahead and weigh so I wouldn't have a shocking disappointment at the clinic. I couldn't believe that it said I'd lost almost 10 more lbs.!!! I was so excited! However, I did get a shock....there is a 7 lb. discrepency between Lisa's scales and the clinic scales (digital also) and not in my favor!!!! Plus they don't count the 3 lbs. I lost the week before surgery even tho they documented it (*rolling my eyes*). I'm counting it.
The nurse asks if I'm taking my vitamin daily...which I am (I was told to buy Flintstones chewable, so that is what I'm taking). She asks what I'm eating....and I tell her the protein drink for breakfast...soup for lunch...and chicken, salad, fish, or baked potato for supper. WELLL....she proceeds to tell me that the soup is a no-no!! I shouldn't be eating it because it is mostly liquid and by the time I chew up any bits, it just runs right through me. I beg to differ. I told her it is not a very liquid soup, as it is homemade and quite thick like a stew. She still insisted I quit eating soup!
Ok...after the surgeon visit, he sends me to visit with the nutritionist who asks the same questions. She quite patronizingly told me that I should be taking 4 vitamins daily instead of one, after all they are children's vitamins. I had to tell her that I'd actually read the box and it said adult dosage is one vitamin daily and that I was well aware it is marketed as a children's vitamin.
She seems to think the soup is no big deal.
She is not excited that I started working out at Curves...said it is not cardio enough...and that she'd be bored to tears if it were her, but that it is ok for me to go right now, but later I'd have to do something "harder." I told her that I seem to be able to work up a sweat and that I find that it keeps me from getting bored since we change stations every 30 seconds.
I'm hoping that I heard the doctor correctly when he said, "I have patients talk to the nutritionist on the 1st and 2nd post-op visit." I understand that it is for the patients health benefit, but....it all goes back to knowing yourself and what is working for you.
As I leave, I stop at the front desk to make an appt. for my 3rd post-op visit. She gives me a date during the last week of November. I tell her I can't that week, but make it for the following week. She hands me an appt. card with the Nov. date!! Gad!!!
More discoveries...
1. I'm spending so much less money, it is ridiculous! I guess I just didn't realize how much I spent on food--mainly fast food and food already prepared.
2. My favorite canned soup (Progresso Chicken and Wild Rice)...just doesn't taste good anymore after making homemade soups for the past month. I had some for lunch the other day...blah.
3. The dishwasher is not being used as frequently. Mainly because I'm just a few things over and over, so it seems easier to just handwash them and have them ready again. I've always hated to handwash dishes, but I do it without even thinking of it now.
4. My grocery lists are much shorter! Of course it stands to reason that they would be, but it is quite freeing to just breeze by everything up and down aisles and not even give consideration to 95% of what is available.
5. I continue to be amazed at the energy level I have with only having lost about 1/6th of my goal. I had no idea that so much fat was affecting my brain function to the point of causing malaise.
6. I've noticed that every recipe (soup or meat/fish/chicken dinner) out of the book I'm using calls for 1 md. sweet onion. I've never eaten so much onion in my life!! Of couse, you've probably noticed, too, that they seem to call for tomatoes also. Granted, I've usually cooked with onion, although in a lesser amount than these recipes call for, so I was curious to see if there is some sort of nutritional benefit from onions that I'm not aware of (we all know about tomatoes--which Lisa and I consider the perfect food). It seems that onions are low in calories, and virtually absent of sodium, fat, and cholesterol. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, as well as vitamin B6 and potassium. Onions also have the flavonoid quercetin, which studies have shown to be extremely useful in helping to prevent cancer and reduce symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Some onions are also an excellent source of Vitamin C which can reduce the symptoms of asthma sufferers because it acts as an antioxidant and powerful anti-inflammatory. Also of importance in regards to the health and nutritional benefits of onions are the compounds commonly found in most onions that can help stimulate insulin production and reduce sugar levels. Consuming large quantities of onions has been proven to effectively lower blood sugar levels in individuals suffering from diabetes. Some of you have probably heard of using onions as a poltice on the chest of a person with a bad cough, but you can also use it as a topical remedy by putting a slice of onion on an insect bite to relieve irritation and itchiness. One can also deeply inhale just sliced onions to unclog a stuffy nose.
Ok...that's probably more than you wanted to know, but that satisfies my curiousity about why onions in all the recipes.
2. My favorite canned soup (Progresso Chicken and Wild Rice)...just doesn't taste good anymore after making homemade soups for the past month. I had some for lunch the other day...blah.
3. The dishwasher is not being used as frequently. Mainly because I'm just a few things over and over, so it seems easier to just handwash them and have them ready again. I've always hated to handwash dishes, but I do it without even thinking of it now.
4. My grocery lists are much shorter! Of course it stands to reason that they would be, but it is quite freeing to just breeze by everything up and down aisles and not even give consideration to 95% of what is available.
5. I continue to be amazed at the energy level I have with only having lost about 1/6th of my goal. I had no idea that so much fat was affecting my brain function to the point of causing malaise.
6. I've noticed that every recipe (soup or meat/fish/chicken dinner) out of the book I'm using calls for 1 md. sweet onion. I've never eaten so much onion in my life!! Of couse, you've probably noticed, too, that they seem to call for tomatoes also. Granted, I've usually cooked with onion, although in a lesser amount than these recipes call for, so I was curious to see if there is some sort of nutritional benefit from onions that I'm not aware of (we all know about tomatoes--which Lisa and I consider the perfect food). It seems that onions are low in calories, and virtually absent of sodium, fat, and cholesterol. They are also a good source of dietary fiber, as well as vitamin B6 and potassium. Onions also have the flavonoid quercetin, which studies have shown to be extremely useful in helping to prevent cancer and reduce symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Some onions are also an excellent source of Vitamin C which can reduce the symptoms of asthma sufferers because it acts as an antioxidant and powerful anti-inflammatory. Also of importance in regards to the health and nutritional benefits of onions are the compounds commonly found in most onions that can help stimulate insulin production and reduce sugar levels. Consuming large quantities of onions has been proven to effectively lower blood sugar levels in individuals suffering from diabetes. Some of you have probably heard of using onions as a poltice on the chest of a person with a bad cough, but you can also use it as a topical remedy by putting a slice of onion on an insect bite to relieve irritation and itchiness. One can also deeply inhale just sliced onions to unclog a stuffy nose.
Ok...that's probably more than you wanted to know, but that satisfies my curiousity about why onions in all the recipes.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
So happy...so sad...
I was so happy a week ago when I could wear my favorite bra again!!! However, I think I wore it too frequently....I shouldn't have worn it quite so much...especially to Curves.
This morning while working out, at some point I began to feel a bit "lopsided," to put it delicately. It was later in the day while shopping and trying on clothes (I know....I'm not supposed to be buying any new clothes, but I'm headed to a conference in Reno this week and I wanted at least one new thing to wear!) that I discovered that I'd "broken" my favorite bra! It's my favorite color, too...blue. It's so sad that my over-endowed chest, in addition to gravitational forces, conspired to snap a wire!
This morning while working out, at some point I began to feel a bit "lopsided," to put it delicately. It was later in the day while shopping and trying on clothes (I know....I'm not supposed to be buying any new clothes, but I'm headed to a conference in Reno this week and I wanted at least one new thing to wear!) that I discovered that I'd "broken" my favorite bra! It's my favorite color, too...blue. It's so sad that my over-endowed chest, in addition to gravitational forces, conspired to snap a wire!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Nervous Nelly!
Ok...I go see Dr. Green on Tuesday morning.....I'm so nervous that I'll have gained!!! I'm going to wear the lightest clothes I have and take off my shoes!!
Spent the weekend with Donnas & DeWayne (in central eastern Oklahoma--that would be at Panola) and did very well for my first time away from home. I'd packed a bag with string cheese, jello, cottage cheese, a slice of turkey, and my peanut butter protein powder. We went to grocery store on Saturday morning and I made the Epicurious Tortilla Soup for us...turned out delicious! They loved it and I brought some of it home. I certainly missed my Zyliss food chopper when chopping the onions! I had tears running down my face!!
Guess I won't make a soup today, but I am going to try this recipe:
Chicken in Tomato Feta Sauce
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dusting
1 T. olive oil
1 md. onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes in puree
1/2 c. chicken stock (or can substitute apple juice or cider, veggie stock, or white grape juice)
1 t. oregano
1/8 t. cinnamon
4 oz. feta cheese, drained, rinsed, and crumbled
1/3 c. chopped black olives, optional
Season chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. Heat olive oil in skillet over md-hi heat and cook chicken until well browned on both sides, about 3 min. per side; transfer to serving platter.
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil remaining in the pan until golden. Add the tomatoes, stock, oregano, and cinnamon and season with black pepper. Return the browned chicken to the skillet with any accumulated juices.
Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 35-40 min., until the chicken is tender. Add the feta cheese and olives to the skillet, cover again, and simmer for 10 min. more, or until the cheese begins to melt into the sauce.
Spent the weekend with Donnas & DeWayne (in central eastern Oklahoma--that would be at Panola) and did very well for my first time away from home. I'd packed a bag with string cheese, jello, cottage cheese, a slice of turkey, and my peanut butter protein powder. We went to grocery store on Saturday morning and I made the Epicurious Tortilla Soup for us...turned out delicious! They loved it and I brought some of it home. I certainly missed my Zyliss food chopper when chopping the onions! I had tears running down my face!!
Guess I won't make a soup today, but I am going to try this recipe:
Chicken in Tomato Feta Sauce
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dusting
1 T. olive oil
1 md. onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes in puree
1/2 c. chicken stock (or can substitute apple juice or cider, veggie stock, or white grape juice)
1 t. oregano
1/8 t. cinnamon
4 oz. feta cheese, drained, rinsed, and crumbled
1/3 c. chopped black olives, optional
Season chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with flour. Heat olive oil in skillet over md-hi heat and cook chicken until well browned on both sides, about 3 min. per side; transfer to serving platter.
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil remaining in the pan until golden. Add the tomatoes, stock, oregano, and cinnamon and season with black pepper. Return the browned chicken to the skillet with any accumulated juices.
Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 35-40 min., until the chicken is tender. Add the feta cheese and olives to the skillet, cover again, and simmer for 10 min. more, or until the cheese begins to melt into the sauce.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
