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