Sunday, December 19, 2010

Wee Hour Meanderings

My winter coat is too big for me.  It isn't even effective in keeping out the cold anylonger, there is so much loose fabric to funnel the cold air right to my body.  LOL  Well, I hunted online and found the same exact coat, so I just ordered it THREE sizes smaller!  Last winter, it was actually borderline too small - couldn't snap the last button closed.  Now?  It is ridiculously large on me.  How neat is that? 

Here is another NSV ... I felt my sternum for the first time in over a decade.  It took me a little while to figure out what it was, but location-location-location.  hehehe  Honestly, every other shower seems to be an adventure in rediscovery.  I'm lathering up and thinking, "what is that" and "this wasn't there before" ... Dah.  LOL

Well, I just heard a very excellent reason for losing weight slowly (1-2 lbs/week) ... the pace allows the skin to keep up with the loss, so less likely to have sagging issues and a need for future surgery.  I've not heard that one before, so I guess I need to hunt down more information on the Internet. I have no idea if that is accurate information or not.

One of my relatives married a Greek national, and this is a type of salad (below) his mother made.  I'm not sure what to call it, because it isn't a standard "Greek salad" made with lettuce, so I'll just call it "Opa Salad."  I'm sure it has a name, but it is all Greek to me ... (Sorry, couldn't resist)

12 DAYS OF SALADS

Day 10: 

OPA SALAD

1 lb. cucumbers*
2.5 lbs. tomatoes, cut into 1" pieces (get a variety of color, for more interesting salad) 
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/8-1/4 cup loostly packed fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chooped and loosely packed
1/2-2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

2 TB fresh lemon juice, and rind of 1/4 lemon
1 TB olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

*Note: using peeler, remove 4 evenly spaced lengthwise strips of peel from each cucumber (creating stripes), then cut each cucumber lengthwise into quarters.  THEN cut crosswise into 1/2" pieces.

In a large bowl, whip lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper until well blended, and mix in grated lemon rind.
Add cucumbers, tomatoes, mint, olives and dill and toss until everything is coated with the dressing.  Lastly, sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese on top. 
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Dad is seriously ill with a blood infection, and will be undergoing IV antibiotic treatment over the next several weeks.  He is as cranky as can be, tired (he says) of being a pin cushion.  His normal humor has abandoned him, understandably.  It has been a tough month so far, poor guy!!  Still, we're lucky it was caught in time (the doc thinks). 

9 comments:

  1. One of my fave salads in the universe is a horiatiki salad/village salad/country salad (I've seen it called all those in Greek restaurants). No lettuce. The tomatoes, green peppers, cukes, onion and feta and oregano with the vinegary/oo dressing. OMG. So good. I could eat a bucket of it. Literally...which is kinda an indication of how I got to 300 lbs. Hm.

    I have actually stopped losing and could not get back to losing weight out of saggingskinphobia. I rather prefer losing 2 to less overall a week just in case it does help reduce the awful wrinkly empty skin thing. Egads, that scares me bad.

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  2. I've heard this before too Ann. As much as I'd like to lose this weight yesterday, I'm content to lose just as I've been doing. As of today, my online Weight Watchers tracker says my average has been 1.5 pounds per week...which to me is perfect! I was really worried that my skin wouldn't recover from how large I was when I started, but so far so good. I know I'll never look like a super model, but honestly that's not what I'm going for. I'm working on health with a capital "H".

    I'm sorry to hear about your dad. My dad is going through something similar. There's something very wrong with his blood but the doctors won't know anything until all the results are back in.

    Have a great night!!!

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  3. Isn't it amazing how those bones just pop out after awhile! Nice feeling, soon you'll be feeling more!

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  4. Yes, the slow changes seem to be better for the body. The recommendation I have heard most from experts is "not more than 1lb per week/4lb per month" to allow the body to get used to it. I mean, even with these amounts the results after one year should be great.

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  5. The skin comes back same speed whether you pace yourself or lose it in an hour. Fat people love the slow and steady excuse. Please, do not buy into this crap.

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  6. One of my favorite salads is from Romano's Macaroni Grill and you can make it at home very easily. Insalata Blu
    Fresh greens with crumbled bleu cheese (they put it into a Parmesan grinder and the blue cheese comes out like lace), toasted walnuts, red onions and balsamic vinaigrette. You can order it with grilled chicken which is yummy.

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  7. I don't think it makes any difference how fast/slow you lose weight.

    Loose skin is going to be there for anyone who loses more than 30 pounds. But the younger you are the better the eventual recovery so lose weight now. At 71 there are so many sags and bags and wrinkles it takes forever to dry off properly. *giggles*

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  8. Okay, so I definitely believe in slow and steady.. and Allan, my mother had gastric bypass and has the sagging skin to go with it because she lost so drastically fast..

    I know some of the sagging stuff has to do with genetics, but honestly, I think genetics has a SMALL part to do with it.. lol

    Oh, and I hope your dad gets better soon.. a little medical question for ya.. has anyone said anything about putting in a PIC line? It's basically a "permanent" way of making him feel less like a pin cushion.. and can be taken out when he's done with the IV antibiotics.. just an idea..

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