Fun, Fellowship, and Frivolity!

The Walk from Obesity was yesterday, and what a great time we had! The walk started out at The country Music Hall of Fame, then we preceded across the Pedestrian Bridge with a jaunt around LP Field. Then we turned and went back. All in all it was a mile of fun, fellowship and frivolity!

"Look Ma, We're walking"

One of the best parts of the walk, was putting faces, bodies, and voices to everyone. If you have ever been a part of an on line message board, you know what I mean. For months, I have looked at people's avatars, a small 1.5 square inch picture of people I have grown to know and Love. Here's an example:

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Finally I get to hear a voice, or put a face with a face? It's great! And what a great bunch of people! These people are my support, my sounding board, basically my family and friends! They are there for me, and I want to be there for them!

"Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge"

One of the most interesting parts of the walk was listening to this woman describe how beautiful it was downtown. I finally asked if they were from here. The woman exclaimed yes we are. At that point she introduced herself. What was so funny was, she was walking with her husband and I did not even recognize him. It was Dr. David Dyer and his wife Nina! What a lovely couple ! Dr. Dyer is the one who performed Beth's surgery! They are such a sweet couple. Dr. D and his wife both gave me some great words of encouragement, and told me he would see me on the 8th. Sometimes I consider Nashville to small!

Dr. David & Nina Dyer

No rain, a slight breeze, and to top it off...it was not 100 degrees! YEAH! The walk was very easy and was for a good cause. This years focus is on childhood obesity. We all know what that is about.

Anyway, these are a few pics from the walk. If you would like to see more, you may go to the link below and enjoy!

"Walk for Obesity Pictures"

Have a great week!

A couple of recipes plus one!

Well my friend over at Obesity Help has been at it again (Michelle ~ The world according to eggface). She is a wonderful, compassionate, supportive and helpful. Be sure to check out her blog ~ The World According To Eggface , and follow the progress she has made with gastric bypass surgery.

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So these are her recipes, but my pictures! As Michelle calls it- Food Porn. These casseroles I have blogged about here, are what we will be having for lunch throughout the week. In an effort to curb our food intake, we eat a good, healthy lunch, while having a small serving of Tuna fish or something lite for dinner. For those that don't know, neither Beth nor myself arrive home until 8:00 p.m. So lunch is our big, or smaller than it used to be, meal!

Hope you enjoy!
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Shelly's Shepherd's Pie (without potatoes)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, chopped

1 pound Ground Beef (we used 97% ground turkey)

1 Large Carrot, grated

1/2 teaspoon Thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh Parsley

1 clove Garlic, minced

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

Sour Cream Topping:

1 large Egg

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 cup Milk

4 ounces Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

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Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion till golden. Remove and set aside. Sauté ground beef and cook till no pink is seen. Drain any fats. Add onions back, grated carrot, thyme, garlic, parsley, S&P and soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute. Pour into casserole dish. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg and set aside. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking often, until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Lower the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese and ricotta. Salt and pepper to taste. Whisk a spoon of the cheese sauce into the reserved eggs until smooth. Whisk the egg mixture into the cheese sauce in the saucepan. Pour the sauce over the meat in the baking dish. Bake until the top is lightly browned. 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Shelly's Mexican Lasagna

2 whole chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
4 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon Southwest seasoning (cumin, oregano, cayenne)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese + a little for top.
1 - 4 oz. can whole mild green Chiles, seeded and chopped

Sour Cream Sauce

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 can chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter, sauté onion till golden, add flour, and stir well. Add broth, cook till thickened. Stir in sour cream. Set aside. Mix the shredded cooked chicken, mild green chili's, the seasoning and a cup (minus a couple tablespoons) of Mexican shredded cheese together. Layer 2 corn tortillas in the bottom of a 8x6x2 dish. Spoon 1/2 the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, spoon 1/2 of the sauce. Place another 2 tortilla on top. Then the rest of the chicken and sauce. I finished with a sprinkle of reserved cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes till golden and bubbly.

And for something special for dessert, I came up with a parfait type thingy. I started my base with ricotta cheese, DaVinci Sugar Free Rasberry Syrup, and Splenda sugar substitute ( no measuring, just to taste). Mix these ingredients in a blender until creamy. Pour into parfait glasses and chill. At this point I made some sugar free rasberry Jello. Once all the ingredients were set, I layered them in the glasses with a little granola and topped with Sugar Free Cool Whip and granola!

Anyone have an extra GPS?

You know, I think this would be a lot easier with a GPS. You know those things in newer cars! They tell you what road to turn on, how to get to your favorite restaurant, and my personal favorite…”Please make a U-Turn”, right in the middle of the interstate! Sometimes technology is too smart!

I think I need a GPS for the insurance system. As you know, I have just finished my 6 month diet. My 6 month files were to be faxed on 9/15. Guess what? That’s right, it was not done! I called Centennial, where I am having surgery, on 9/21, to find out they did not have my files. Here I go, calling my PCP, preparing to unload! The girl in medical records was super kind and completed the task with in an hour. Now that’s service with a smile!

On Monday 9/24, I found out my file had been transferred to another financial person. At least she had my 6 month files! YEAH! Yep, here it comes…another roadblock. It seems I have to have a surgical consult, along with my nutritional eval, before things may be submitted to insurance. UGH!!!! I am going to my nutritional evaluation this morning, and can’t get into my surgical consult till Mon. 10/8. Hurry up and wait! Seems like the story of my life!

Well, below is my weekly weigh in! And if anyone finds a GPS for insurance companies…please let me know!

Have a great week!

9/24
First day of 6 month diet 355.9
Last Dr. Appointment 297.1
Last Sundays Weight 294.5
Weight this AM (9/24) 291.9
Weight loss this week 2.6
Weight gain this week 0.0
Total weight loss 64

Fly Bys, Pain, and Hot Air...All in the same day!

As you can tell from the title…yesterday was fun, painful, and disturbing! We had another hot one! Or at least it seemed that way. At game time the temp had reached 92 degrees with very little cloud cover. Every once in a while we at least got a small breeze, but that was spectators who were full of hot air! I guess the most fun was had, when the local airport graced us with a fly by right before kickoff. It wasn’t an F-14, but a 747 will do! Kinda cool if you ask me!

The game in itself was brutal! UNA has probably one of the best teams around at preparation and training. They are also probably the best at bending the rules! Anyway, the first half was rough. UNA started out with a run back on the touchdown, and followed up with 2 more before halftime. The Titans stayed strong though! We scored right before the half with a 40 yard run. At the half, the score was 19-7, guess what? The final was the same.

R.J. was pretty banged up the whole day. Once again, the opposing team was double and triple teaming him all day. Right before the half, the UNA Bears ran everything they had right at R.J. My boy was tough though, he never stopped or complained. during the half, the coach helped R.J. work through the pain.

The most disturbing part of the day was the opposing teams fans! At one point, a female fan was right in my ear screaming for her son to straighten up or go home! A parent from our side made the comment, “Wow, some one is taking this seriously”. Well, she thought I said it! She yelled at me and said, “I hope you having fun”! Note, if you are reading this, please add attitude with a capitol A! I told her “Yes, I am having fun, my son is enjoying himself”. I will stop the story here as I don’t want to offend anyone…just use your imagination to finish it!

You know, I believe people like this are living their lives vicariously through their children. Evidently they never amounted to anything when they were young and this is their chance to try again! Well, my son did have fun. Even though they lost, he had fun! These type parents believe it’s all about winning. When you ask R.J. if that’s true, he answers like this…”It’s not all about winning, it’s about playing fair, and playing with heart”. that’s my boy, and I thank God for him daily!

My New Slide Show!

Hey Guys!

Just thought I would take a moment and tell you about my new hobby. Well, not new but recent addition. I was asked back in Feb. if I would take pictures at my Brother in laws wedding. I did, and had a blast. Since then, Have taken over 5000 pics of anything and everything. If it will sit still long enough, and if it is moving, I am snapping photos!

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So, I have added about 50 shots that I really enjoy to the new slide show below. It is labeled "Interesting Photos", and is located on the sidebar to the right., and below the "Madison Titans" slide show.

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If you are interested in seeing more photos I have taken, you can visit my FLICKR page by clicking on this link "Scott's FLICKR Page".

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Hope enjoy and have a great week! Just remember one thing, you don't have to smile when I take your picture!

C'Ya!

Weekly Weigh In

Hello Friends!

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Yes the wait is over! At least the "6 Month Physician Directed Weight Management Plan", don't you just love that phrase. I feel a lot more at ease saying, 6 month diet, but I regress. Anyway, I had my last Dr.'s visit on Friday, and am down another 2 lbs. since last month. So, since the beginning of the year (around Feb. I think),I have lost 62 lbs. On the 6 month diet, I have lost 40 lbs. Either way, this is a significant loss for me!

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Now the "other" wait begins! You know the one, "THE INSURANCE APPROVAL" !!!!! I am going to keep a positive attitude about this, simply because I have laid it all in God's hands. I was told a couple of weeks ago that I probably would not be approved, simply because i have lost so much weight, and have not put it back on. Talk about a bummer!!!! We will just have to see about that though, won't we!!

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No matter what happens, I have been Blessed with a capital "B"! I feel better, I am able to do things that I haven't done in years, and my clothes aren't as tight! So there, no matter what happens, I will fight ! I will fight to be a healthier person! I will fight for and support anyone who needs it! I have decided to keep a positive attitude no matter what! Do you know why?Because it's out of my hands now! It's in the hands of someone higher up, not mine, not the insurance people, nor the person who says, "You don't need surgery, look at all you've lost".

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So there!!!! Sorry to be so long winded this morning, but I just felt I needed to get this out of my system, and I Thank You for being friends enough to support me!

See you at the "Walk for Obesity" !

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Have a GREAT Week!

9/17
First day of 6 month diet 355.9
Last Dr. Appointment 297.1
Last Sundays Weight 294.5
Weight this AM (9/16) 293.9
Weight loss this week 0.6
Weight gain this week 0.0
Total weight loss 62.0

Grilled Sesame Seed Chicken

We tried a new dish this evening, and WOW was it good! Beth has found a great Low Carb Website with tons of recipes. Tonight we had grilled sesame seed chicken, a very small portion of chicken fried rice, and stir fried veggies. What a meal!

GRILLED SESAME SEED CHICKEN BREASTS

1 tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 cl garlic -- minced

1/8 tsp black pepper

4 lg skinless chicken breast

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a one quart 2 pint casserole.Mix well. Rinse chicken in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Add thechicken to the marinade mixture, turning it to coat. Cover and marinate in therefrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade and set themarinade aside. Grill the chicken breasts 4 to 5 inches 100-125mm from medium-hot coals or 15 inches 375mm from medium-hot coals for 15 - 20 minutes or until center is white when cut with a knife. Turn and baste frequently with reserve marinade. Discard any leftover marinade after the chicken breasts are cooked.Serves 4. (Or one if it's my son.)

Per Serving 1 chicken breast (excluding unknown items): 309 Calories; 8g Fat (23.6% calories from fat); 54g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 144mg Cholesterol; 897mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.

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