100 POUNDS OF ME ARE GONE!!!!!

Yay!!!!!!!

I was hoping to reach this milestone for Christmas and I got there with ten days to spare.  I am so aware of how much better I feel now than I did six months ago.

I can't be complacent though because I know this is a lifetime battle.  Since eating my lunch doesn't take my whole lunch break I thought I'd do some walking.  During the cold weather though I don't want to walk outside.  I decided to do stairs.  I walked up two flights of stairs today and my heart rate went up to about 130.  I sat for a couple of minutes then went down in the elevator to have my lunch.  (My knee hurts more going down stairs than up.)  I'll just have to keep doing this until I can run all the way up to the fifth floor.  A friend suggested that I set a fitness goal as well as a weight loss goal.  Thanks for the idea Heather! 

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan. 

T'was the night...

T'was the night before Christmas when all through the house,
the calories were lurking all ready to pounce.
There are cookies for Santa placed out on a plate.
I might take a nibble if the sleigh arrives late.

On the Christmas tree we'd hung striped candy canes
I feel my resistance is starting to wane.
The stockings are bulging with goodies galore
Who dropped holiday M&M's on the floor?

We strung some popcorn to hang on the tree
For every kernel used I think I ate three. 
Do I see a big golden box from Godiva?
I'm starting to drool from too much saliva. 

The fridge is stocked with egg nog and more
to be ready for friends who'll come through the door.
A turkey for dinner and pies for dessert
Plus munchies for noshing to keep us alert.

I'll need my strength for the big day ahead
I'd better stop snacking and get up to bed.
For the kids wake up early to unwrap their stuff
And everyone eats much more than enough. 

So to all, who like me, must put on the brakes
And say no to all the candies and cakes.
The best part of Christmas is not what we swallow
but warm family hugs and the kisses that follow.

Cleaning out the closet

Today I filled two plastic garbage bags with clothes that are too large for me to wear anymore.  I'll be taking them to a Good Will bin and get rid of them.  You'd think I'd have more room in the closet now but my husband doesn't think so.  He's always complaining that I have too many clothes, shoes, purses etc.  He doesn't understand how anyone could need more than three pairs of shoes (work shoes, dress shoes and sneakers). Of course if I bring up the subject of all he has in the basement, the garage and two sheds he replies that every bit of his stuff is critical for the maintenance of the house. 

It did feel good to get rid of the big clothes though.  It is nice to wear something that was once snug and find it is very roomy.  Eventually though it begins to look ridiculous and has to go.  Fortunately I am still able to find wearable clothes in the back of my closet.  I have a stretchy black velvet dress that I wear for choral concerts.  It is a wonderful dress because it never looks wrinkled even if I forget to hang it up.  I was still able to wear it at my largest weight.  Now, however, it still looks good but has gotten a lot longer!  (I guess I'll have to give it up when it starts dragging on the floor.) 

I'm looking forward to the after holiday sales to get some bargains for clothing that I plan to wear for this winter only.  I plan on being a lot thinner next winter.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

Surviving Thanksgiving

Well, the first of the big food holidays is past.  I did most of the cooking even though I initially said I wouldn't.  I mean really, is it fair for someone who only eats a golf ball-sized portion to spend all day cooking?  Actually, when I compare my kitchen stamina with previous years I was able to do a lot more.  My family loves my stuffing.  I have to admit it was delicious.  

When dinnertime came I had some dark turkey meat, small bits of mashed potatoes and stuffing with some gravy.  When everyone was eating their pie I had some sugar free popsicles.  I felt satisfied but not overstuffed like everyone else.  I certainly didn't have turkey narcosis from the L-tryptophan.

More than anything on this day of thanks I was able to focus on the joy of being with my loved ones and thankfulness for a better chance to be around to enjoy them for a longer time. 

I hope all my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving and will have a joyous holiday season in the next few weeks.  

Love to all, 

Marlena of Mohegan

Gee, I wonder...

Gastrointestinally speaking I have not had a great week.  First, I had a visit from Chuck.  I thought Chuck had forgotten me.  For dinner the other night I had a fish fillet and some broccoli.  Now the broccoli was well cooked but I guess I didn't chew it carefully enough. It took about five rounds with Chuck to get myself unclogged.  I think maybe broccoli and I are no longer friends as it has caused me problems before this. 

That was not the end of my GI troubles.  The lower end had some adventures too.  I will spare my readers the gruesome details.  It is enough to say that on two different days I had events that required great urgency.  Neither of these near disasters happened at home however.  One was at church and one at work.  I was able to manage the episode at church on my own.  At work I was not so lucky.  Fortunately a special coworker of mine came to my rescue and helped me extricate myself from the situation gracefully. 

I thought I might've had an attack of the dreaded Dumping Syndrome because I had eaten a graham cracker shortly before the episode at work.  It turned out not to be the case as I continued to have symptoms for the next 36 hours. 

Tonight, or rather this morning, I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1.  We arrived at the theater about 90 minutes before the show in order to get good seats.  The movie was 2 hours and 40 minutes long.  I don't remember my bottom feeling so sore from sitting that long in a movie.  I guess it must be because my bottom isn't as well padded as it used to be.  Ah, well.  I'll just bring an extra cushion next time. 

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

Did you kiss a veteran today?

Tonight I took my favorite veteran, my husband of 26 and1/2 years, out to dinner.  Applebees had a special free meal for veterans and current members of the armed forces.  The place was packed.  We had to wait an hour for a table but we met a lovely Scottish lady who kept us entertained.  She was quite a character. 

We had a nice dinner but our server kept asking me if everything was ok.  Finally she asked if there was something wrong with my dinner because I'd hardly touched it.  I explained that I'd had stomach surgery and I could only eat a small portion.  I assured her the  meal was fine and I planned to take the rest home for my lunch tomorrow. 

I had chosen an entree from several that Applebees offers that are Weight Watcher approved.  In NY all restaurants are required to list calorie counts for everything on the menu.  Even before my surgery I was less likely to order a dessert that had a calorie count over 1000 calories per serving.  Now, of course, I don't even think about dessert at all. 

So lovely to go out to eat and not feel guilty about anything!!

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan. 

Onward to the holidays!

Today was my grandson Lorenzo's first birthday.  We had a big party at home and naturally there was lots of food.  I had a few more carbs than usual but I was able to resist birthday cake with ease.  It amazes me to think of all the food we consume  in social situations merely because we think we are expected to eat it.  Nobody minded that I did not eat cake.  There are occasions when we do get pressured to eat something though.

I once had a boyfriend with whom I visited his grandmother on Sunday evenings.  She was Irish but would always fix us Pirogi which for those who don't know is a Polish dish similar to ravioli stuffed with potato, cheese, sauerkraut or all three.  There was always more than we wanted to eat.  Usually for dessert she would give us a dish of chocolate chip ice cream with a side of green jello.  She would start pressuring us if we didn't finish all she prepared.  She would start telling us that she didn't have money to waste and she bought this food especially for us.  Then she would lament that she could not eat all this food herself so we were breaking her heart. 

Other food persuaders might not use the same strategy as grandma did but we all have trouble saying no to friends who make us something special when we come over to dinner.  We don't want to insult anyone's cooking. 

I went to an Italian wedding once where the food started out around 4 pm at the cocktail hour..  There was a huge buffet with more than enough to be called dinner.  The rest of the food was served over the next eight hours.  It didn't seem like a lot of food as each course was graciously  and individually served.  We never felt overly full, just pleasantly satisfied.  My date and I left at midnight although the party showed no sign of winding down.  When we stopped to think of how much food we had eaten during the whole reception we were feeling quite guilty. 

It is so unlike me to be strong in the face of temptation.  I hope I can sustain my resistance to sugar-laden goodies.  I am not even halfway to my weight loss goal.  Before weight loss surgery patients are counseled to expect some periods of depression and feeling of loss.  I have not felt that way yet.  I do miss my morning egg-Mcmuffin and I always seem to hear a McDonald's breakfast commercial on the radio just as I'm driving past McD's on my way to work.  But I have broken the habit of stopping there.  The only thing I ever buy there now is bottled water. 

So as the holidays loom ever closer (at the department stores they're already here) I feel strong yet cautious about all the temptations ahead.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan