More soup

The split pea soup went quickly.  Since we had more cold, icy, nasty weather I needed more soup.  I made tomato white bean and kielbasa soup with zucchini and baby spinach.  I thought it was delicious.  My husband thought he wouldn't like it but when he tried it he thought it was yummy.  It was spiced with chipotle seasoning, chopped onion, cumin and cilantro.  I haven't made the broccoli, barley & cheese soup yet but I will this week.  The coffee shop at work has a chicken pot pie soup that I'd like to replicate.  Someone today was eating stuffed red pepper soup from the cafe that smelled tasty.  We have plenty of soup weather left so I can experiment.

I'm still having somewhat of a plateau.  I'm not panicking about it though.  This week there was someone who I didn't even recognize that I passed in the hall at work and said to me "You look great".  It's nice to hear.

I have a friend who is contemplating bariatric surgery but is having second thoughts.  I told her that I understand how she feels.  It took a long time for me to arrive at the decision to have my gastric bypass.  There are eating habits developed over a lifetime which are linked to family, culture and pleasure.  It's like giving up very good friends.  Valentine's day is eight days away and it ranks high on my list of chocolate holidays.  I think that as the years go by it will get easier to pass by the holiday favorites.  I really don't dwell on what I can't have.

For me, I was to the point of feeling like I would die if I didn't have the surgery.  I had chronic congestive heart failure.  I could not do my job.  I had no stamina to do anything.  I could not sing and move on stage at the same time.  I got winded changing my clothes.  It was a tight fit in the driver's seat of my car.  I had pain in my back if I stood up for very long.  I was taking four shots of insulin per day.  I was more miserable than I knew.

Today I do not take any more insulin.  I don't have any more congestive heart failure.  I don't even need a seat belt extender in my car any more.  I am able to walk, work and move so much better.  My heart no longer races after climbing a flight of stairs or crossing the street.    It has not been an easy road.  Each step of the way had challenges which I have written about in this blog.  I am halfway to the goal I set with Dr. Choi.  I have a long way to go but I'm happy I made this choice.  Not everyone has to feel as desperate as I did when  I made my decision.  However, its your guts in there and you need to be sure you're ready to have them rearranged.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan.

Split Pea Soup

Yummy!  What a nice dinner on a cold day.  I made homemade split pea soup.  I used an old ham bone I had kept in the freezer.  The only ingredients were split peas, bits of ham that were still clinging to the bones, carrots, potatoes, onions, freshly ground pepper, cilantro and celery seed.  Mmm.

 Since we're having another snowstorm on Tuesday I know I'll be in the mood for more soup.  I intend to make broccoli barley cheese soup and also white bean and tomato with kielbasi and baby spinach.  Even when eating tiny meals soup is warm and comforting.

I have posted pictures of some icicles on our church building.  I think they look cool but would be lethal if they hit you on the head.  I especially like the one that reaches all the way to the ground..

Changing old habits

I seem to have gotten past the latest plateau. and have now lost nearly 115 pounds.  The weight seems to come off in little spurts instead of gradually every day.  As long as it goes I'm fine with that.  I find that I still have bad habits that persist.  In the evenings while I'm at the computer I still tend to snack compulsively.  True, I do snack on healthier food but I can still get mindless when it comes to eating.  I posted a photo of the soy crisps I like.  I can eat the whole bag before I know it.  The other day I found Paul Newman's brand of soy crisps which are just as healthy as the Glenny's but come in a bigger bag.  The label indicates that there are 3.5 servings per bag.  I initially thought I'd divide the bag in to separate servings when I opened it.  Well, tonight I just ate the whole thing.  I kept telling my self to stop but I didn't.  I didn't eat it quickly and I never felt over full.  I just won't buy that big bag anymore because I can't be trusted.

Speaking of servings per bag, why would they put 3.5 servings in there?  Why not either 3 or 4?  It doesn't make any sense to me.  At least the labels have improved since I first dieted many years ago.  Back then it was rare that foods listed calorie counts or nutritional information.

I've been craving soup. Good, homemade soup.  I should do that this weekend.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

Needs tweaking

I had an idea for a high protein alternative for breakfast.  Instead of making French toast with bread, why not slices of tofu?  Well I tried it the other day.  It tasted a little bland.  The outside was nicely browned and tasty with some sugar-free maple syrup on top.  I used extra-firm tofu and drained it well.  Next time I try this I will poke holes in the tofu with a fork and let it soak for a longer period of time than one would use for bread.  I also needed to add some salt to the egg mixture.  I'll try this again and publish the recipe when I get it right.

I am in the midst of a plateau.  I need to get my butt to the gym.  Work has been overwhelming and when I get home I don't want to do anything.  I have tried to take Dr. Jarrett's advice about parking farther away from stores and other ways to add more walking to my day.  We're supposed to have very cold weather for the next few days.  That burns more calories, right?  You have to burn fuel to make heat.  At least that's my theory.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

Full Disclosure

Yesterday I had some rare moments when my family was either out of the house or intensely occupied.  I used the alone time for some introspection and decided to look at myself in a full-length mirror without ANY clothing.  Usually when I pass the mirror on the way to the shower I am wearing a big towel.  Its not all that hard to ignore myself in the mirror.  I've been doing that for years.  Well I actually looked at myself.  I really do look a lot smaller.  There is a lot of very loose skin and, gulp, wrinkles.  I'm not planning to wear a swimsuit anytime soon but when I do I'm gonna look for one of those racing suits with the long legs.  I'm a work in progress and I'm certainly better off than I was before my surgery.

I decided to do a random blood glucose today.  I'm supposed to be doing it on a fairly regular basis but I don't.  Anyway, it was 89.  This was not a fasting level.  Pretty good.

I'm still getting lots of great feedback and encouragement from family, friends and coworkers.  Thanks for the support everyone.

Love,
Marlena of Mohegan

The Girls redux

My current solution for the girls is to use a sports bra with a shaping tank top over the bra.  I've been getting through my work days feeling better than I did before. 

Of course these are not shown being worn together but until I find something better this is what works for me.   

I'd like to share my new snack find.  Glenny's Soy Crisps.  I first found them at the coffee shop at the hospital where I work.  Since then I've found them in the A&P and on line.  The cheddar cheese is the best but the apple cinnamon are great too.  They are high in protein but low in carbs and calories.  I even ate them for lunch once when I was on the run.  They taste similar to rice cakes but are much better nutritionally. I hope you'll try them. 

We're having a blizzard tonight.  This is our third big storm since Christmas.  I've had my fill of snow, thanks. 

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

The girls need help!

If this was a fantasy world we live in when we lost weight we would just shrink into a perfect body.  All right.  If we had a fantasy world we wouldn't NEED to lose weight.  Work with me here.  So the downside of losing 100 pounds is that my skin is still rather stretched out in places.  Eventually I may have some plastic surgery but since I have a lot more to lose I want to wait till I've reached a satisfactory goal weight.

In the mean time some supportive undergarments can smooth out the terrain.  The most problematic area for me are "the girls"  I get shoulder and back discomfort when I don't have adequate support.  I've been having trouble finding bras that work for me.  One time I suggested to my husband that I have my breasts removed and stuffed.  That way he could play with them whenever he wanted and I wouldn't have to lug them around.  Naturally that idea didn't fly.  More than once though I've wished I was one of those people who felt under endowed. 

  The larger bra sizes are not stocked well in department stores.  There are scores of cute bras for people with no breasts or little breasts that don't need much help.  Why is that?
Better selections of bigger sizes are available on line but I like to try on before I buy.  I've had to resort to this with mixed results.

Many of the big girl bras have straps that are too stretchy and don't do the job.  Underwires  have a way of causing severe pain if the fit isn't right.   Some bras have nylon stays in the sides that are supposed to keep their shape but have an ugly tendency to follow my body's curves and end up poking me with their sharp points.

Some inefficient designs result in the dreaded UNIBOOB 

	(an amorphous undelineated mass of tit, often caused by old age sagginess or bras that squish them together. in theory, it could be a single cycloptic tit.)  Even worse is the QUADRABOOB (Condition which occurs when too small of a bra size is worn, effectively dissecting the breasts and giving the appearance of 4 boobs.)

When my generation was growing up females were mostly pointed toward nursing, teaching or secretarial careers.  Nobody suggested that we might be architects or engineers.   I was pretty good in math.  I could have been an engineer.  This world NEEDS more women engineers to design things women use.

THE BRA SHOULD BE AN ENGINEERING PRIORITY!  Breasts of the world need more support!!  For too long we have been pinched, poked and misshapen.  Perky ones don't stay that way forever.  When they start to go south who will help them?  

Love to all the girls out there,
Marlena of Mohegan