As we are currently encased in ice, today was a snow day from school. I slept in, and have had a pretty leisurely day lounging about here at home. The roads are covered in ice, we can’t get out of our driveway, and it’s projected to be 16 degrees F tonight. More ice is coming tomorrow night, and we’re not getting above freezing until Monday afternoon. Fun times!
So I’ve cooked today and read a lot today. I really should be grading work, but my brain needed both the rest and the intellectual stimulation of reading things that were not student work.
I noticed something awesome today. For the first time in my adult life, when I look down, I can see my toes.
Today my toes are stuffed into warm wool slippers…it’s too cold to go barefoot!
I kept looking down over and over to make sure I was really able to do it without leaning over. And I could! I am noticing that my abdomen is finally starting to flatten out some and that the belly bulge is finally starting to diminish. Every day when I look in the mirror, I notice more of the contours and angles that I was built with as they become uncovered by my weight loss. I’m getting more and more used to the body I’m starting to see I will likely end up with and slowly learning to like what I see.
This is tough, because when you are accustomed to seeing yourself in the image of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, seeing yourself as a normal-sized person is a real challenge. Reconciling your physical appearance with the appearance your mind’s eye chooses to see is a tough thing to learn, and it’s something I know I’m going to be working on for a long, long time.
My surgeon has just released his first book, which I finished reading last night. If you are considering any kind of WLS, I recommend it. If you’ve already had WLS, I also recommend it. There is a great deal of really great information inside, but very little about the surgeries themselves. This book is more about the psychological issues one will encounter when a WLS patient, which I think are important ones to consider since these are things that are often not discussed in the information seminars most of us attended prior to having surgery.
In this book, Dr. Nicholson discusses issues ranging from breaking the three Food Commandments to how your relationships with others (spouse, family, friends, co-workers) might change post-op–topics your surgeon may not breach with you. There is also a helpful chapter that provides tips for choosing your bariatric surgeon, which would be helpful for folks who are considering WLS but have yet to choose a surgeon. The last chapter of the book is called “Things Your Mama Should Have Told You,” and in it, there are pieces of advice related to weight loss that he shares with the reader. The best one, and one that is most encouraging was this one:
I can do this. I am doing it. And so far, I am successful.
And I am working on making this part of my life all that I know it can be now. I have my doctor to thank for that. I will be sure to tell him that at my follow up appointment next month.
Recipe time! I put together a soup today that turned out to be super tasty, and warmed both me and hubby up on this icy day. It’s full of vegetables and chicken, and low in fat.
Italian Chicken Vegetable Soup
- 1.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 15 oz can Progresso cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 28 oz can Bionaturae organic diced tomatoes (you can use whatever brand you like; this is what I had)
- 5 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 package shredded carrots
- 1 carton Swanson chicken cooking stock (it has a screwtop lid)
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon chicken base
- 4 cubes Dorot frozen garlic (get it at Trader Joe’s)
- 4 cubes Dorot frozen basil (get it at Trader Joe’s)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon French thyme (dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Put everything in a 6 quart slow cooker, and cook on high for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using My Fitness Pal, I calculated it for 12 1-cup servings with the following nutritional info: 11 g protein, 11 g carb (all from veggies/beans), 3 g fat, 3g fiber, 119 calories. I ate my serving with a half-ounce of part-skim shredded mozzarella and it was yummy!
And finally…what I ate on this chilly day. Protein was high, at 92 grams, with 45 grams carbs and 35 grams of fat. Much better day today than yesterday.
Today’s food choices, from upper right: grilled chicken breast with Rufus Teague touch o’ heat barbecue sauce (not shown); Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs in marinara with mozzarella; Swiss Miss diet hot cocoa; multivitamin and calcium supplements x2, iron supplement; Boars Head Honey Maple Glazed turkey slices; leftover Rudy’s breakfast bowl; Italian chicken vegetable soup with shredded mozzarella.
La Guerra de La Gorda 