My classroom is ready. I have been working like a fiend for the past two days to make it so–this is why I haven’t posted here for two days! I still need to make a few copies for Monday, but I’m going to arrive early so I can run off the few that I have to make.
My outfit and accessories have been chosen. I just need to put them all in the same place so I can dress quickly after I eat breakfast. Also? My outfit is totally FIERCE. The best part of this fierce outfit? It’s a size I haven’t worn since I graduated high school.
Mind. Blown. For real.
This week more than ever, planning for my eating and activity is going to be critical since school is about to be in full swing.
Tomorrow, I will hit up the grocery store for the week’s provisions so that I can fix myself healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks for the week. Now that I am cleared to eat fresh fruits and veggies, I will be shifting my eating a bit so that I can have veggies and fruits as snacks rather than meats and cheeses. I have been looking forward to reintroducing vegetables and some fruits (I’m still not a big fan of fruit) into my eating plan. I miss the fiber, although I have not had issues with lack of BM…I actually go on the regular, thank goodness! So I’m going to work some more of those in this week, especially since I was told I needed to be getting at least 800 calories daily and I still have yet to hit 800.
Things I plan to buy:
- A bone-in turkey breast (I want to make a version of 40 cloves of garlic chicken, but with turkey, and in the crockpot)
- Seasoned chicken thighs for crockpot fajitas. I want to slice up a bell pepper and an onion to toss in there with the chicken so I can have this for lunch and dinner a few times this week. The store I shop at has pre-seasoned boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the meat department. I can freeze most of the meat and cook only what I know I will reasonably eat. Definitely going to put the food scale through its paces tomorrow!
- Snack bags of baby carrots. I can eat a few of the carrots during the lulls in class.
- Fresh cut berries. The grocery store I do our shopping at has fresh cut fruits and veggies, and now that only one of us is eating those right now, it is cheaper for me to buy these containers than it is to buy a pint of berries or a whole zucchini or something like that.
- Unsweetened applesauce. I introduced this last week and it was really good. I can eat half the half-cup and be okay with that. That amount is satisfying as a snack.
- Another carton of eggs. I find that I eat a lot of eggs now. Thank goodness high cholesterol has never been a problem for me!
- Milk for the hubby, who is still on full liquids.
- Snack packs of nuts. I can use the unsaturated fat.
- A bottle of grapeseed oil, which is my cooking oil of choice. I’m nearly out.
- A rotisserie chicken so that I can strip it of the meat (for the freezer) and boil the carcass and wings to make hubby some tasty broth–he is tired of sweet protein drinks. I can certainly sympathize.
Things I plan to make tomorrow afternoon:
- Egg cups with turkey sausage and broccoli: The ham, egg and cheese ones I made last week were really good. I don’t think I’ll make as many this week though. I ended up getting tired of them mid-week. So I will make enough for a few days.
- Mini-omelets for the freezer. I have a food sealer and a muffin top pan so I think I will put them to use tomorrow. The muffin top pan is perfect for making one-egg omelets, because the wells are deep enough to put filling in each one plus an egg. I’ll just buy medium eggs instead of large ones. Also, the great thing about the muffin top pan is that it is non-stick and thus does not require being greased which allows me to cook without additional fat.
- Broth for hubby from the chicken carcass.
- Crockpot 40 cloves of garlic turkey breast.
If I can get the food prepped and made for the week, then I’ll have the hardest part done. Scheduling time to eat won’t be too tough since I will keep snacks at my desk, and I keep water in my vertical filing cabinet. Pre-surgery, I always had a drink in hand (usually water or tea), and that behavior has not changed.
This week I am also introducing more vigorous exercise into my plan, as I was finally cleared for it last week at my six-week checkup. I am packing a bag with my gym clothes and heart rate monitor in it to take with me Monday so that when I leave school, I can just head straight to the gym. I have determined that I am at the point where I need to be working out if I expect a) to look good as the weight comes off and b) make the most of this vaunted “honeymoon” period. I also want to build muscle and start toning the flabby areas (arms, legs). I am also going to sneak in a walk during my planning period just to get some more movement into my day. I had intended to walk more this week while at work but being in meetings all day long where getting up and moving around was not an option made that tough. Now that school is starting, taking off for a quick walk should not be an issue.
I am excited about school starting. I love, love, love what I do, where I do it, and who I get to do it with. Educating kids and teachers is something I am fervently passionate about, and I am lucky to get to do it every damn day. I am forever thankful that I had this surgery so that I can continue to educate those around me. I am pretty sure that if I had not decided to have this surgery, my time in the classroom would be cut short unnecessarily. I am thankful that my surgeon’s expertise and skill has allowed me to slowly regain my health and wellness so that I can do what I do best at work–teach kids to love learning and to love science while mentoring the adults who also teach them.
I am further excited because the beginning of the school year is like my New Year. When you work in education, the first day of school IS New Year’s Day. This year, I am going to work my plan, work my sleeve, and by year’s end, I hope to emerge as a healthier, more fit version of me. That is my resolution, and I’m stickin’ to it.
La Guerra de La Gorda 