Restoration Cove

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Have you ever had one of those days when you've been pocked, stuck, prodded, and made to drink nasty tasting drinks???  That was my morning.

• First of all...I had to fast from midnight last night until after all the tests were run.  All morning, my stomach was growling and I kept swallowing to wet my whistle.
• I was up at  3:30am to take my husband to work so I could have the truck to make all my appointments.
• I had labs where they drew 8 viles of blood (bruised both arms).
• Had my left boob squished to the point of any tighter, it would have popped while having a Spot Compression. Uhhhhhh Ouch!
• Ultrasound on the same boob.  Uhhhhh More Ouch!!!
• Two tumors found in boob so I'll be going in for a needle core biopsy.  (sigh....here we go again.)
• Ultrasound on my gall bladder, stomach, and intestines.
• Then there was the Upper GI.  Nasty, nasty stuff I had to drink while being exposed to massive amounts of radiation.

I suppose I need to get used to all this right? LOL

I hope ya'll are having a better Tuesday than I am.

I'm going to make myself lunch then it's nap time.

All my love;
Annie

No, Wasa isn't some battle cry that the kids make when they are about to attack each other. LOL

Wasa is the Swedish company that makes a wonderful flat bread that I've discovered thanks to my dietitian!  There are ten different flavors but what has been recommended to me is the Fiber kind.  With the high protein of the Atkins diet, we NEED a little extra fiber in our diet. LOL


Last night for dinner, I used three Wasa breads and used a Greek yogurt mixed with chopped fresh Garlic as a spread.  Then I sliced up a small Avocado and placed the slices on next, then a few crumbles of Feta cheese.  Then I placed some very thinly sliced smoked turkey and then topped them off with Alfalfa Sprouts.  OMG it was sooooo yummy!  By itself, it wasn't very pleasing, however once I put the toppings on, it instantly augmented the food and brought out the flavors!  I'll definitely have to make this again!

The only ingredients in this flat bread is:  Whole grain rye flour, Wheat bran, Sesame seed, Oat flakes, Water, Wheat germ, Wheat fiber, and Salt.  That's it!  So from now on, it's Wasa for me, not the plain whole wheat sandwich bread.

Here is the dietary information:

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving Size: 1 Slice (10g)
Servings Per Container: about 22

Calories	35
Calories from Fat	5
Total Fat	0.5g (1%)
Saturated Fat	0g (0%)
Trans fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg (0%)
Sodium	60mg (2%)
Total Carbohydrate	8g (2%)
Dietary Fiber	2g (10%)
Sugars	0g
Protein	1g

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	0%	Iron	2%

So Wasa and partake!!!


Lot's of love to all;
Annie

Today, I started my food journal.  I'm not much of a diary person, so getting into the habit of doing this is going to be a challenge but an vital tool.
Along with the Food Journal, I'll be keeping a regular journal to track my progress.  I'm doing this in hopes that when my weight loss journey becomes tough, I can look back and see how far I have gone and all the things I went through to get to that point.  I want to succeed at this and not fall backwards into the black hole that is obesity.

All my love to everyone!
xoxo
Annie

I went through all my clothes and bagged up 2/3rds of them.  Then I took them to Goodwill.  They are out of the house and out of my life.  No turning back now.



Like most, I love to go shopping.  And truth be told, I'm looking forward to going shopping for new clothes when I get to that point.  Until then, Goodwill and I will be the best of friends. LOL

It was always hard to go clothes shopping and see some really cute clothes then realize that I'd never fit into them.  Heck, I'd be lucky to get my big toe in some of them.  Now I'm really looking forward to saying goodbye to the "Women's", "Plus-Size", "Goddess" sized clothing stores and sections that they put in the back corner of the department stores. (As if to say, please shop here, but do it quietly and don't let the rest of our customers see you.)

I'm trying to be realistic.  I'm not expecting to get down to a Small.  But I would like to get down to a Medium.  So that is my goal. Medium.

What are some of your favorite places to shop for clothes?

Lots of love!
Annie

As a lot of other people..I'm a sugar addict.  I love my sweets.  But did you realize that sugar comes by many names?  And once my surgery is done, it is highly recommended that I stay away from the stuff.  And if it's within the first three ingredients, Sugar is a no no.

To make it easier for me, Sugar = Poison.

The sugar industry is creating new names constantly, but here are a few known names:

Agave nectar Barbados Sugar Barley malt Beet sugar Blackstrap molasses Brown sugar Buttered syrup Cane crystals Cane juice crystals Cane sugar Caramel Carob syrup Castor sugar Confectioner’s sugar Corn syrup Corn sweetener Corn syrup solids Crystalline fructose Date sugar Demerara Sugar Dextrin Dextran Dextrose Diastatic malt Diatase D-mannose Evaporated cane juice Ethyl maltol Florida Chrystals Free Flowing Fructose Fruit juice Fruit juice concentrate Galactose Glucose

Glucose solids Golden sugar Golden syrup Granulated sugar Grape sugar Grape juice concentrate HFCS High-fructose corn Syrup Honey Icing sugar Invert sugar Lactose Malt syrup Maltodextrin Maltose Mannitol Maple syrup Molasses Muscovado sugar Organic raw sugar Panocha Powdered sugar Raw sugar Refiner’s syrup Rice Syrup Sorbitol Sorghum syrup Sucrose Sugar Syrup Syrup Table sugar Treacle Turbinado sugar Yellow sugar

Have a great evening!

Annie

Hello from Restoration Cove!

TGIF Everyone!!!

Today I'm going to share with you about some diet information that the surgeon's office shared with me yesterday.

Two weeks before my surgery, they want me to go on the Atkins Diet so I can shrink my liver down to make it easier for the surgeons to get to my stomach.  So I downloaded ebook copies on my eReader of the following:

The New Atkins for a New You by Doctors Westman, Phinney, and Volek.
Before and After: Living and Eating well after Weight Loss Surgery by Susan Maria Leach
The Scent of Jasmine by Jude Deveraux (Ok, that one is purely whimsical. LOL)

I'll be taking my eReader down to the beach tomorrow. LOL

Enjoy your weekend and remember, you are beautiful!

Annie

Do not live to eat but eat to live.

Good Tuesday morning everyone!

This morning I'm going to share with you a wee bit about growing up in my family.

I come from a family of amazing southern cooks and from the time I could hold a spoon in my hand, I was being taught the family art of preparing food.  And like many families out there, all of our social events gathered around a table of food.  Lots and lots of food.  Birthdays...anniversaries...reunions...well, you get the idea.

So how am I going to break this cycle with me and my children?  By living by these nine words that I heard the other day:

Do not live to eat but eat to live.

A simple sentence but powerful.

Other simple sentences that pack a powerful punch:

I'm fat.
I'm ugly.
Nothing in my closet fits.
My body hurts.
No one understands.

Well, I understand.  Better simple sentences.

I care.
You are beautiful.
You matter.
You are appreciated.
You are loved.

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone!

All my love;
Annie