Eating Healthy Helps

There are a couple of items I can't do without.  On my journey to healthy living I have had some foods come and go.  Some I can't give up for anything.

Fage Greek Yogurt.  I have eaten yogurt nearly my whole life.  When I was young the yogurt was more natural.  These days if you check your labels you'll find that there is a lot of stuff in there besides yogurt.  Check the label of Fage.  There is nothing in there at all except yogurt.  Because the Greek method of yogurt making strains out more water and whey the finished product is creamier and more delicious.  And that's just the fat free!  Other brands of Greek yogurt are not as additive-free as Fage.

I eat this with fresh or frozen fruit.  I also add Torani sugar free syrup or Mio water enhancer for flavoring.  One of my newest additives is ground flax seed meal.  Fage also makes a Greek Yogurt dip  I sometimes make my own with cucumbers, onion and oregano.


Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal

I started adding the flax seed meal to my yogurt because I saw someone at work doing it.  Flax seed has loads of nutrients.  It is high in Omega 3 fatty acids.  It is good for digestion high in fiber.  It lowers cholesterol.  What I never expected was that it tastes fantastic!  I love the nutty flavor it adds to my yogurt.  I haven't branched out to other uses of this yet but it can be added to baking.  I keep it in a plastic container in the fridge to keep it fresh.  I've already used up my first bag.  

Mio Water Enhancer. 

This little bottle contains concentrated flavor.  I squirt a little in my water bottle.  I usually use tap water rather than buy bottled water but it works for either.   I use it to flavor my Greek Yogurt.  While flavored syrup is nice to use this does not thin down my yogurt too much.  Unlike powdered single serving drink mix you can use as much or little as you need.  It comes in lots of fruit flavors and also flavored tea.  I'm not a tea drinker so I stick to the fruit.  

I buy these puppies by the case when I can.  At 15 calories per pop I eat them in multiples.  These seem to fill the void that Diet Coke used to fill since carbonated beverages are off limits after bariatric surgery.  I've tried generic brands but they don't have the same flavor or texture.  I either get these or the Tropical assortment.  There is a sugar free multi pack with creamsicles and fudgesicles as well as the ice pops.  The fudgesicles are good but more calories.  The creamsicles do not taste good at all.  Very bland.  They need to juice up the recipe.

Naturally there is a lot more to healthy eating than these products.  I enjoy seasonal fruits.  Right now cherries are in season and cheap.  There are still blueberries but the price is not as low as a month ago.  Any time now we'll be having fresh tomatoes from our garden.  There is nothing in the world that tastes like a home-grown tomato warm from the sun.  

I'll share more healthy eating ideas soon.  I'm always trying new things. 

Love to all, 

Marlena of Mohegan

Old Friends

I had a blast at my high school reunion.  It was great to see friends who share similar memories of another time.  It's interesting to see who has changed and who has not.  Usually the girls are easily recognizable.  Most girls have their grown-up face by the time they graduate high school.  Guys, on the other hand, seem to change much more and many of the changes relate to hair (or lack thereof)  Some of us have aged better than others but mostly I could recognize the women without help.  The best part of the reunion for me was when my husband actually danced with me!  Oh, he'd do "slow" dances back in school but I could never get him to loosen up and boogie.  His technique needs work of course but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

The good vibes from the weekend's events lasted most of Monday.  By Tuesday reality had thudded back into place.  At least the Virgin Health Miles is working out well.  I am averaging over 7000 steps per day which is the number we are supposed to be aiming for.  I am doing over 15,000 steps on gym days and usually around 4000 on non-gym days.  I have room for improvement on my off-gym days but when we have had those high ozone level heat index alert days I keep my outdoor activities minimal.  I could go to the mall and walk where it's cool though.  The trouble is when I go to the mall I want to buy stuff.

I find I still can't tolerate eating certain foods.  I had some rice tonight.  I didn't think I had too much but I became very uncomfortable and my old friend chuck showed up.  (Remember him?  "Up Chuck")  I was not able to relieve myself of all the offending rice and had to be patient as it moved along.  Anatomically speaking I don't know whether that means that it got stuck in the pouch or below it.  Anyway a little aversion therapy is a good reminder to pay more attention to portion control.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan.

It's Wicked Hot. Jungle Hot in NY!

I went to the gym today in spite of the heat wave.  The AC at Planet Fitness was great.  I didn't really sweat much more than I would have at home doing nothing!

 Tonight I will see friends from High School.  Our 40th reunion!  We have a BBQ tonight, banquet tomorrow night and a brunch on Sunday.  I'm skipping the brunch but I'll be there both nights.  When we had a 35th reunion I did not attend although I've been to the 10th, 20th and 30th.  At that time I was not doing much socializing.  I felt I was too big to see anyone.  Is that sad or what?  Anyway I'm feeling pretty good these days and I am pumped to see my old peeps.  Yeah, were getting up there.  We qualify for senior discounts and AARP insurance.  But we still ROCK!

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

Sweating Without Even Moving!

Well the hot weather is finally here.  Right now at 9 PM the temperature INSIDE my house is 86.  No, I do not have air conditioning.  Our 85 year-old house needs wiring upgrades we can't afford.  So we have window fans and I eat lots of sugar-free popsicles.  While the heat and humidity can be brutal I have 155 lbs less of insulation this summer.  I can definitely feel the difference.  Fortunately the AC works great at Planet Fitness.    While riding a stationery bike is short on scenic views at least I don't have to worry about sunstroke (or being hit by a bus for that matter)

  As an ER nurse I've seen the results of over exertion during heat waves.I've seen even very fit people get severe hyperthermia while exercising in extreme heat.  It's very important to keep pushing fluid in this weather even if you're not exercising.  Senior citizens especially don't realize when they are dehydrated.

 Hopefully this heat wave will be a short one.  In the meantime I'll buy lots of my popsicles, drink lots of water and smoothies.  Stay cool!

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

My First Anniversary!

On June 28th I marked my anniversary of my bariatric surgery.  I had a Roux-N-Y gastric bypass.  Since that day I have lost 155 pounds!!!

 In that year I've had to change all my eating habits.  I no longer drink Diet Coke or any other carbonated beverage.  In fact I no longer drink during a meal at all.  I eat small portions and wait at least 30 minutes before drinking.  I eat nothing with sugar.  I eat mostly whole grains and make sure I get at least 75 grams of protein per day.  I take a multivitamin, B12, Calcium and vitamin D every day.  I document every morsel that goes into my mouth to keep track of my calories.

In that year I have made a habit of exercising.  I go to the gym three days per week.  I use the stationary bicycle for an hour and do about 22 miles on the cardio setting.  After the bike I do 10 minutes in the massage chair.  I have tried the elliptical trainer and also done some upper body strength training.  I make sure I do more walking during my daily activities.  I park farther away from stores and walk around in shopping malls.

All of the above has paid off in so many ways.  I feel great and have begun to live a new life. There is no part of my life that has not become easier without those 155 pounds of fat.

There have certainly been adjustments I've had to make.  My wedding rings are now so big that I'm afraid I will lose them.  To prevent that I wear an extra, smaller ring as a guard.  This will prevent me tossing them out when I pull off protective gloves at work. Last year I was not even wearing my engagement ring because both rings could not fit on my fingers.

I've also had to get rid of all my clothes and get new ones although I've  had some donations from a friend who has also done bariatric surgery.  I'm delighted to be able to buy inexpensive interim clothing at discount stores.  Previously I could only wear clothing from specialty stores because of my size.

If you visit my Photos-Progress is a Wonderful Thing page on this blog you can see pictures from from the night before surgery and several intervals since.

I'm so happy I made the decision to save my life.  That is not an exaggeration.  I was literally dying.  I can't remember ever feeling this healthy.  I hope,if you are following my story, that you will be inspired to make positive choices to improve whatever your own body needs.  We all can influence our own destiny.  At one time I could not imagine a whole year without sweets.  I took way too long to make the choice and the commitment.   I have doctors who took great care of me.  I couldn't be happier.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan