Size Update

Shirts: Large and sometimes Medium

Dress Pants: 16 (they're starting to get baggy)

Sweat Pants: Large

82 down, 57 to go!

Mozzarella Caprese Scramble

Mozzarella Caprese Scramble

1 egg

1 small piece of fresh mozzarella, diced (about the size of a small cherry tomato)

1 thin tomato slice, diced

basil to taste (I used a basil paste that comes in a tube from my grocer's produce dept.)

Spray a dash of non-stick spray in small skillet. Heat skillet to medium heat setting. Add all ingredients. Stir occasionally making the eggs scrambled. This doesn't take very long too cook so keep a watchful eye. You don't want an overcooked egg.

I add salt and pepper at the end to taste. This tasty meal is high protein and good for my post-op diet. I also had a very small serving of turkey bacon on the side.

I'm about 2 1/2 months post-op and I was able to eat the entire serving.

Oct. 18, 2009

All of my recent shopping must have done me some good. I'm down 79lbs today. Only 21 more pounds before I'm in the weight-loss century club!

60lbs to go!!!

Oct. 17, 2009

I broke down and did some more shopping. I now have a pair of dress pants (size 16) that fit and a pair of dress shoes. Old Navy had some great stuff on their clearance racks so I purchased some dri-fit running tops (size medium). I also recently purchased a new pair of running shoes. My other pair was shot. There was no support left at all. Ooh, and I bought a pack of t-shirts that support my favorite college football team. They're a size medium! This is fantastic!

I'm hoping I can get by until January with the clothes I still have and the ones I recently purchased. I'd really like to skip buying anything in a 14 and just wait until I'm a 12 or even a 10. We'll see how long this stuff will get me by. = )

There hasn't been too much else going on lately. I feel like I have a ton of energy, but at the same time I'm very sleep deprived. Maybe I should work on fixing that tomorrow.

I'm down 76 and only have 63 to go!

Oct. 13, 2009

There hasn't been a whole lot going on lately so I haven't been posting. I'm down 75 and have a follow-up with my surgeon and his team this week. Hopefully the scale will be in my favor that day. I'm not weighing again until my appointment.

I broke down a couple of weekends ago and purchased a new pair of jeans.... size 16! I haven't been in a sixteen since I started as a freshman in college. Then freshman 50 kicked in.. not freshman 15, freshman 50! I'm not kidding. It was horrible.

My new jeans are a little big in the waist, but they fit everywhere else. I guess I'm not proportioned correctly. Oh well. The extra good news about these jeans is that I only paid 8.50 plus tax for them. Isn't that amazing? Thank you, Gordmans! I also purchased a pair of Adidas running capris in size large for 7.50. I plan on wearing them for my winter runs with a pair of running tights (yes, spandex) underneath.

Speaking of running, I made a couple of purchases this past weekend. My oversized cotton t's just weren't cutting it in the cool weather. Being a beginning runner, I really had no idea what to purchase, so I asked some runner friends. They were a great help.

I purchased a fitted (large) short sleeve dri-fit shirt, a fitted (extra large) long sleeve dri-fit shirt, and a North Face jacket. The long sleeve shirt will be worn over the short sleeve shirt when I'm on my runs. If I get too hot I'll be able to take off the long sleeve shirt and wrap it around my waist. I had to get an extra large for layering purposes. The large just felt a little too fitted for my taste. I bet I'll be there in a couple of months though. Well, that's the plan anyway. The North Face jacket is pretty much the best thing ever. It's super thin, but extremely warm. It also wicks moisture, which will be fantastic for my runs.

I've been wondering if my chest will shrink and be in proportion with the rest of my body by the time this is all said and done. At this point, they're still very large and in charge. I'm pretty sure that they're the cause of my back pains. I'd definitely appreciate it if they'd shrink up a bit. Anyone else wish theirs would shrink?

Food, food, food. What's there to say? Well, every now and then I get a pretty big appetite. It's still a weird feeling to be so hungry and only be able to eat a few bites. While it's weird, it's also very awesome. I love it! There are times I feel like I really do eat a lot. It's still probably only about 3-5 normal person bites. I find myself turning almost everything into finger-foods. It's so much easier for me to nibble and take pencil-tip eraser sized bites. Most days I eat 2 meals, but there are days that I only eat 1 meal. I'm doing a great job of getting in all my required liquids these days. I make myself drink 24 ounces of water before I allow myself to have any coffee. After I finish the coffee I'm back to my non-caffeinated beverages. With this cold weather we've been having I've really enjoyed sugar-free spiced apple cider. It's delicious!

Cooking is absolutely one of my favorite things. I've been cooking up a storm lately and freezing all of the leftovers. Here's a few meals I've prepared......

McMuffin's- eggs, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, ham, broccoli, garlic (theworldaccordingtoeggface calls them egg bites)

Mexican Buffet- (create your own) Taco meat, shredded cheese, grilled zucchini, black beans, salsa

Chinese- Chicken stir-fry (diced chicken with a bit of teriyaki, soy sauce, and lots of garlic with veggies and a sprinkle of peanuts); I made rice for my carby hubby, Bones.

Indian- Chicken Tikka Masala (diced chicken prepared with a spice pack and added plain low-fat yogurt); I made brown Jasmine rice for Bones.

Jambalaya- Chicken and low-fat turkey kielbasa (cooked with okra and tomatoes; seasoned with thyme, sage, and cayenne; added some chicken soup base too)

McMuffin's- egg, swiss, velveeta, basil, and ham

CrockPot Roast- Roast, veggies (green beans, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cauliflower, broccoli), beef soup base (Penzeys.com), 1 can cream of celery soup, 2 cans diced tomatoes (drained)

CrockPot Chicken Enchilada Soup- Diced chicken, 1 can red sauce, grilled red, orange, & green peppers, chopped onion, 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can pinto beans, mushrooms, chicken soup base (Penzeys.com)

Italian Stuffed Peppers- Green Bell Peppers, 93/7 Ground Beef, egg, grilled diced zucchini & onion, Italian seasoning, tomato sauce (pepperoni & mozzarella optional)

Seasoned Chicken- Chicken breast covered in Mural of Flavor seasoning (Penzeys.com) and extra tarragon. (Served with garlic green beans & mushrooms, mozzarella caprese, and green olives)

These are just a few things I've made lately. I don't use recipes when I cook. I just do it! If you're interested in trying something and would like the recipe, please let me know. I can usually remember how I prepared a meal and would be happy to type if up and send it your way.

I am not supposed to eat soups, but I love soup. Soup is especially good when it's cold outside. I abide by the "no soup" rule by straining my soups before placing in my petite dish. For example, I scoop out some chicken from the chicken enchilada soup. After I get out a few bites of chicken I scoop out some veggies and let those strain. I am left with a lightly glazed mixture of chicken and veggies. It's not too liquidy that it will run right through me and make me hungry in a couple of hours, but it's covered just enough that it keeps everything moving in the right direction. I've never had a problem with food coming back up, but I don't want to either. Oh, and as far as eating goes.... I tend to be hungry around 10 am and 6 pm. Today I didn't eat lunch until 12:30 or so and I ate dinner at 5:45. My mealtime isn't usually that close together. I tried to curve my dinner appetite with liquids, but I was truthfully hungry. It's sometimes hard, but I also stick the the rule of "Protein First." I often sneak in a bite or two of a green bean before I'm completely finished with my protein.

Well, it's past my bedtime. I'm getting anxious about my doctor appointment and wonder what he's going to say. I hope I'm on track and that he's proud of my weight loss. The only thing I haven't been doing so well with this past week is working out. The weather has been pretty crappy and I've been super tired. I'll get back into my routine here before too long. Maybe the timing on this appointment will work out in my favor. I think I just might need a good kick in the butt. Bring it on! Motivate me to get out in the cold for my runs!

Oct. 1, 2009

Happy October!


It's definitely a happy day!

I weighed this morning and...
I'm officially down 74 lbs!

Only 65 lbs more to lose!

Does anyone want to take bets on how much more I'll lose between now and Christmas?