Day 244 The Low Calorie Omelet and The Best Sleep of My Life

Day 244

The Low Calorie Omelet and The Best Sleep of My Life

I've developed a knack for preparing some of our favorite foods in scaled down calorie friendly versions. There are so many ways to cut calories without sacrificing flavor. The omelet is a perfect example. This morning we had the high school graduation of my niece Mary to attend, so to get everyone up and going, I fixed ham and cheese omelets. My uncle Jimmy taught me how to cook an omelet when I was ten years old. Uncle Jimmy loved a good omelet. It was Uncle Jimmy who always told me that I needed to “eat to live, not live to eat.” Uncle Jimmy never had a weight problem. He understood the balance between loving food and eating responsibly. He thoroughly understood the difference between loving food and being obsessed with food. He loved his omelets, and so did I. I think of him every time I prepare one. The old Sean started every omelet with real butter. Now I prepare them without any butter at all. The key is using a non-stick surface or a zero calorie non-stick spray of some kind. I use to include three eggs, mounds of cheese and loads of ham. Now I use two eggs, a half slice of American cheese, and a couple of very thin slices of shaved ham. I never added the calories of my old style omelets, but I can safely guesstimate at least five or six hundred calories, easy. Now I can make and enjoy a full size ham and cheese omelet for 200. 140 for the eggs, 10 calories for a teaspoon of milk, 30 for the cheese, and a half ounce of ham for 15 calories and 5 calories for salsa. Start with cracking two eggs in a small bowl, add a teaspoon of milk, salt and pepper, then beat until smooth. Put medium heat on the non-stick pan and pour the egg in the middle. Let it spread out nicely covering the bottom of the pan. Put a lid on it to help cook the entire surface, then add the cheese and ham slices to one side. Fold the omelet into a half moon shape over the ham and cheese and plate! Add salsa on top and enjoy!

With Salsa on top-200 calories!

I've always enjoyed cooking for my family and I still do, and with a little calorie awareness, everyone enjoys while staying well inside our calorie budget. The omelet breakfast was a wonderful start to a good morning. The Newkirk Class of 2009 Ceremony was wonderful. We had to park more than a block and a half away from the gymnasium, but now that's not a real big deal. We briskly walked toward the gym and arrived without being even the slightest out of breath. That walk at 505 would have been horrible and I would have made it inside the gym looking half-dead. This is one of many incredible changes that keep me excited about this journey.

I haven't used my C-PAP machine in almost a month. I know I said that I would continue using it until a professional told me otherwise, but really, I sleep better without it! I do not recommend anyone to quit using their machine without first being tested, I really don't, but for me it's been a completely natural change. I honestly do not need it anymore. There are many causes of sleep apnea and some effect people who are perfectly thin, but for me it was an obvious side effect of being super obese. I sleep incredibly well now. I know what it's like to need the c-pap machine and sleep without it. I did for several years. It was horrible back then. Sleep apnea was ruining my life in the 90's. Most of the girls memories of me during their early childhood involved me sleeping in my chair all evening most nights and snoring loudly. My relationship with my children was horrible and my marriage was taken to the brink of divorce in part because of the horrible effects of the disorder. I would wake up with severe oxygen deprivation headaches every day and I was always completely exhausted and irritable. I was constantly fighting the urge to sleep. I fell asleep at the wheel while driving one time because of it, and was blessed that I didn't get killed or kill anyone else that night. The accident woke me up fast and scared me silly, then instead of getting out of the wreckage and getting help, I just reclined my seat and slept for several hours. I almost lost my job over sleep apnea on a few occasions. Falling asleep during a live radio show is not a good thing, and when doing it results in several minutes of dead air, well, you can understand why one station owner was ready to send me on my way. I actually ran into the respiratory therapist who set me up with my new C-PAP machine just last year. I told her that I didn't think I needed the machine anymore and she suggested having some test to confirm. I know she's right, but I also know how I feel. Believe me, if I needed it I'd be using it! When I first started using the machine it was so hard to get use to, but after learning how to breathe through my nose (I've always been a mouth breather) I became hooked! It dramatically changed my life overnight! I wouldn't, I couldn't even take a nap without my machine. After becoming extremely dependent on the life giving change this machine gave me, imagine how terrified I was when something caused me not to be able to use it. Like a power outage, or if it broke! That's why I had to get a new machine last year, my trusty old C-PAP stopped working. The respiratory therapist recalled how frantic I was at the prospect of trying to sleep without the continuous air pressure. I was scared to death at the thought of being without it. Thankfully, they were able to set me up quickly with a new machine back then. To not even need it at all anymore is such a wonderful freedom. I can sleep anywhere! I can go on a trip and not have to take it with me, I can sleep on the couch, I can sleep while holding my wife without the contraption getting in the way. Irene tells me that I don't snore at all now. I'm breathing normally all night and sleeping comfortably in a healthy and sound way. I'm very blessed. What a wonderful benefit of losing weight. I'm slowly becoming free and it feels incredible! If you're constantly exhausted no matter how many hours you're getting at night and you often wake up with headaches, you need to get a sleep study done as soon as possible. Sleep apnea slowly kills you by depriving your vital organs of oxygen for several hours at a time every night. Go to the doctor and get help! Once you do get a machine, you'll be amazed at how it can completely change your life for the better. Sleep apnea is common in morbidly obese people, however it also effects people of normal body weight. I'm very lucky that my apnea was created by my obesity.

Day 244 is in the books! I'm looking forward to tackling a 10K on Sunday with the girls and I'd also like to get into a racquetball court at the YMCA before 5pm. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! Thank you for reading. Good night and...

Good Choices,
Sean