I did it ~ I made another Goal !!

Another Goal

OMG I did it – I made another goal of mine. I am in the 170′s again and could not be happier. I cannot even tell you how long it has been since I have been this weight – at least over 16 years or more.

I am now down a grand total of 107 lbs since my Gastric Bypass Surgery. I am still shocked every time I think about it – just seems so unreal to me. I still have those moments when something will happen where I get shocked by it all.

Like the other day when I was folding laundry and thought a pair of pants belonged to my 12 year old daughter and then I realized they were mine. Things like that will never get old – EVER!!!

I know it has been a bit since my last post, but I have been so busy in the yard and enjoying the nice weather. My hubby and I built the new run on the Chicken Coop for my chickens and it came out AWESOME!!! Hard to tell in the photo but it is very large and has a door so I can walk in and hang out with my chicks. He also put chicken wire across the top so I do not have to worry about hawks or other critters coming in and getting any of my chickens. I was finally able to move the 8 hens that were in my kitchen since chicks into it on Sunday and just in time to get it all clean for the delivery of my new appliances that were delivered on Monday morning.

Oh and earlier in the week my daughter’s pet hamster died – so sad. Then a couple days later she adopted a new pet – a Netherland Dwarf Bunny she named Karrotin.

In addition to all that I was battling the worst sinus pressure headache that lasted for 4 days and finally just today started to subside after taking some Mucinex. It was horrible to say the least.

So I have been very busy with all of that and a bunch of other stuff, but in the end when I weighed in yesterday I got the surprise of making my goal of getting into the 170′s and was so happy and shocked that I ran to grab my camera and take a picture of the scale.

So now it is time to set my next mini goal and I have decided it will be to get to 169 lbs. That may take awhile, but that is ok. I am gonna work hard and while the weather is still cool I will take lots of walks to try and make it happen quickly. I will be in total shock more than I am now to see that number on the scale. That will call for a big celebration and ya know what that is what I will do. When I make that goal I am gonna have a party for myself or buy myself a present – lol.

Stay Tuned…

My sixtieth week after Gastric Bypass

Celebration

Finally Spring is here and as the weather is warm and there is no rain I am outside playing all day long. And just as my hubby said that as soon as that happened my weight would start to come off again and I would break my stall – Guess what he was right!!!

After being stalled and pretty much at a stand still for over 8 weeks I lost 3 pounds this week. I did lose 1 pound last week, but losing another 3 this week I am so excited!!! I weighed in at 181 lbs – that is a total loss of 105 lbs !! My next goal is to lose another 2 pounds by my next weigh in (next Monday) and get into the 170’s – OMG I cannot even imagine – last time I was in the 170’s was over 16 years ago, maybe even longer.

I would like to thank Mother Nature for getting her shit together and finally letting it be warm and sunny out so I can be outside moving my ass.

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the sixtieth week:

(I am gonna add the times on as well)

April 1st

  • 9:00 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:30 pm – 1/2 Oscar Mayer Bologna Sandwich with Mayo – 1 slice of Bologna
  • 3:00 pm – 5 Twizzlers
  • 6:00 pm – Went to Longhorn Steakhouse for Dinner – 2 small pieces of Honey Wheat Bread, a Few chips dipped in Shrimp and Lobster Dip, A small Salad and then 1/2 of a NY Strip Steak and some grilled Asparagus
  • 10:30 pm – 1 small Apple and too many Doritos

Today hubby and the kids went shopping to pick out our new kitchen appliances. We went store to store as I touched them all before finally making my final decision. After that we went out to dinner. We went the Longhorn Steakhouse – we had never eaten there before. Let me say the food was A-Mazing!!! The service was not the best, but the food made up for all of that.

Later that night hubby and I watched TV and I snacked on an Apple and too many Doritos – I went to bed having to take a couple Gas X and not feeling so good at all.

April 2nd

  • 11:00 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 1:00 pm – Small piece of my left over steak from dinner last night
  • 3:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 7:30 pm – Lunchable – Light Bologna & Cheese
  • 9:30 pm – Cup of Tea

Oh my day started crappy and I felt horrible all day long. I wrote a post explaining my “Crappy Day” HERE. Those Doritos late the night before was not a good idea at all and I paid the price for that choice!!

April 3rd

  • 8:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:00 pm – Sausage and Peppers on a Hot Dog Roll and a bite of my daughter’s Fried Chicken
  • 1:30 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 4:30 pm – 1 Slice of American Cheese and Provolone Cheese
  • 6:00 pm – Meatloaf, mashed Potatoes and Italian Green Beans
  • 7:00 pm – Rice Krispy Treat (90 Calories)
  • 8:00 pm – Cup of Tea
  • 9:30 pm – Chocolate Rice Cake Snacks
  • 10:15 pm – 2 Slices of American Cheese with Mustard

Today I had my doctors appointment to get my cortisone shot in my arm and to talk about the MRI results of my back. I wrote a post about it HERE. Then after I got home I did some food shopping with my sister and then worked on the computer until late.

April 4th

  • 9:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 4:00 pm – Bites of left over Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
  • 4:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 7:00 pm – 4 pieces of Sushi Rolls
  • 7:30 pm – Frozen Freschetta Market Veggie Pizza – Ate 3/4 of it. 450 Calories, 20.5 Grams Fat and 19.5 Grams of Protein for what I ate.
  • 8:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 10:30 pm – 4 Slices of American Cheese with Mustard

Hubby let me sleep in this morning and got my son off to school – love days like that. I was so comfy in bed because the cortisone shot in my shoulder kicked in and I was able to sleep on it with no pain – love that. Then I went with my BFF to Sears to order my kitchen appliances which I am beyond excited to come – they will be delivered on the 22nd and it cannot come soon enough. Then later I stayed up late working on the computer.

April 5th

  • 9:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 1:00 pm – 2 small pieces of Rye Bread with I cannot believe it is butter
  • 2:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 4:30 pm – 2 Handfuls of Baked Cheese Doodles
  • 6:00 pm – 4 Sushi Rolls
  • 8:00 pm – Couple bites of Ham
  • 8:15 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 9:00 pm – 1 White Castle Cheeseburger
  • 11:00 pm – Handful of Pistachios

Today I spent my entire day outside doing yard work – woo hooo. Then I finished off the night doing facials with my daughter and then watching our girl shows together in bed.

April 6th

  • 11:15 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 4:15 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 5:30 pm – Sauteed Zucchini and Onions
  • 7:30 pm – Maple Baked Chicken, Baked Asparagus and Sauteed Zucchini and Onions
  • 8:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 11:30 pm – Oscar Mayer Bologna Sandwich with Mayo

Today I slept in again and then had a busy day filled with visitors. I was suppose to be doing yard work, but had a few of my friends stop by and I mostly just sat on the patio and chatted – lol. My hubby did relocate the Chicken Coop to its permanent spot in the yard and we took measurements for the new chicken run he will build. So the day was not entirely lost.

April 7th

  • 10:00 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:30 pm – 1 Slice of American Cheese
  • 2:45 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 6:30 pm – 1 Large Antipasto Salad with Oil and Vinegar Dressing
  • 7:00 pm – 1 piece of Strawberry Upside Down Cake
  • 11:00 pm – 1 SF Ice Pop and 2 handfuls of Pistachios

I caught up on the phone with an old friend who will actually be having surgery in July. Then I Spent the day cleaning the garage with my hubby to make way for all our upcoming Spring projects – gotta start with the hub of it all right? For dinner we had take out and I got a nice big Salad which was soooo yummy!!!

So that was my week – not bad. I did something right because I lost that 3 pounds!!!

As I have noticed before I may not be eating enough on a lot of days. I rarely eat breakfast – not my thing and I really never had. Probably not the best thing, but I am just not hungry or I forget. I tend to pick here and there throughout the day vs. having a meal. I try to have a protein coffee in the afternoon as my lunch and then I usually have dinner and some snacks at night.

My new goal as I stated above is to lose another 2 pounds this coming week to make it into the 170’s – I am going to kick things up a notch and see if I can do it.

STAY TUNED….

My Second Easter since my Gastric Bypass Surgery

Easter Bunny

Today was my second Easter since my Gastric Bypass Surgery – my first Easter I was only 11 weeks post op. I tell ya the time has just flown by so fast.

Since last Easter I am down another 64 pounds – Holy Jelly Beans!!! We spent the day at my Mother in Laws and she cooked up a great dinner for all of us. I did not eat much last year at Easter due to being only 11 weeks out from surgery and this year I did my best to keep myself in control.

Holidays are always so hard because there is lots of yummy food to eat. When we arrived I picked at some of the appetizers – my sister in law makes this awesome bean dip and I ate some of that with Tortilla Chips. I had to eventually walk away from that because I am a dip hog and just love dips. My sister made this great Zucchini Appetizer (will be sharing recipe) and I had a couple of those as well. Again I had to walk away from the appetizers because I knew I would over do it and dinner was in the oven.

So I enjoyed a cup of coffee in between and stayed away from the table with the finger foods. When it was time to sit down for dinner I filled my plate with a little of everything. I never deprive myself of what I want to eat I just take less of it. I normally however try and stay away from the breads and biscuits, but my mother in law made the ones I love – Buttermilk. So of course I grabbed one, buttered that baby up and ate that first. I probably should have ate my Ham (protein first), but could not resist that biscuit.

So as you can see in my before and after of my meal what I was able to finish. Honestly I should not have even eaten that much. I had my sister in law quickly take my plate away from me because I knew if it sat in front of me I would have continued eating even though I was full. My hubby made fun of me (in a funny way) when I had to get up and go lay down on the couch. He was all like she is dumping cause I ate too much. I told him I was not dumping just very very full. Ok shhhh maybe I had some mild dumping from too many carbs. I did go grab and eat 3 of my Papaya Enzymes to help move things along.

The mild dumping did not last long, maybe an hour or so – I just had that extremely full feeling, sweating and tiredness.

After I was feeling better I had another cup of coffee and it was time for Dessert. Of course Dessert was the last thing on my mind, but I had a tiny taste of my sister’s Carrot Cake – when I say tiny I mean a taste. I also had a tiny taste of a Coconut Macaroon and that is it. I could not fit anything more than a taste of each in me.

We came home around 9:30 tonight and I had yet another cup of coffee – Duh how the heck do u think I am still up at this hour typing this post silly!!!

So as with any holiday and being a Gastric Bypass post oper it is always a struggle, but I got through another one. I ate a tiny bit too much, but I lived.

So another Easter is past – we will see how I do on the next Holiday Celebration!!!

Stay Tuned…

My Latest Obsession ~ Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil

Yes I have a new Obsession and I have to share it with all of you. Have you ever used Coconut Oil? If not you better go get some and be prepared to become obsessed with it as I have.

So here is how this new obsession of mine got started. I adopted the newest member of my family in December – an adorable Hairless Chinese Crested Puppy we named “Cupcake”. Being she is a hairless breed her skin needs extra care with moisturizers. One day while I was in Petsmart shopping for goodies for my huge furry family I stopped in to talk to the groomer for a product recommendation for Cupcake’s skin. She told me a great product to use for her skin would be Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.

So on my way home I stopped at the local Vitamin Store and picked up a jar. I have never heard of this before. I opened the jar because I had to smell it and it smelt like the beach to me – a nice Coconut scent and I LOVE Coconut. It says on the jar some of the uses for it such as cooking and using as a moisturizer just to name a couple. The consistency reminded me of Crisco Oil – solid like that and just like Crisco when it heats up it turns to oil. So I had to try some out on my hands and afterwards my hands were soft and smelled yummy!!!

I ended up chatting with the breeder of Cupcake and asked her about using Coconut Oil for her skin and she told me it was not a great idea for her because the oil can clog her pours and told me of other products I should use. So I could not waste the jar of it and so I started using it myself as a moisturizer for my face, hands, legs and everywhere else. Since I started using the Coconut Oil My skin has never looked so good – especially my face. I am truly amazed at how smooth my face and skin looks and I am not lying when I say this – the wrinkles around my eyes are a lot less noticeable.

One night I decided to try it as a hair conditioner, because you can use it for that too. So before bed I applied a bunch (probably more than u should use) to my hair.I put my hair up and left it on while I slept to let it really do its magic. Oh I did cover my pillow with a towel so it would not get all greasy. So the next morning I washed my hair as normal and I was amazed at how super soft the Coconut Oil made it. I am tellin’ ya I LOVE this stuff.

My daughter has made fun of me because everyone I talk to I tell about it now – I am like a live infomercial, but I think everyone needs to know about how A-Mazing it is. My skin is so soft and I smell yummy all the time now – well if you like the smell of Coconuts of course.

There are so many uses for Coconut Oil it will blow your mind – who knew? I feel like I discovered gold. I have to get another jar for my kitchen so I can cook with it and also add it my dogs food – yes it is great for the pets as well for so many different things. Here let me share some more info and uses you can use this for:

What exactly is Coconut Oil?

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of matured coconuts harvested from the coconut palm.

What are some of the uses for Coconut Oil?

There are so many, but I will give you some of the best ones….

  • Moisturizer – Makes skin so soft and will help with those wrinkles
  • Hair Conditioner – Use for a deep condition or put on your dried or split ends when you hair is dry – also helps those fly aways
  • Make-Up Remover – Yes it is AWESOME to use to remove Mascara and Make-Up
  • Before and after Shaving – This is great to use to shave your legs instead of shaving cream and will keep your legs super soft and give you an awesome close shave – then finish off with some more to keep those legs looking soft and sexy.
  • Burns and Scars – Coconut Oil is great on burns for relief and it also is great on scars to lesson the appearance of them.
  • Toothpaste – Yes you read that right – just combine some of the Coconut Oil with equal parts of Baking Soda and say hello clean and sparkly teeth. You can mix up a batch and store it in the fridge.
  • Cooking – Fry with it, bake with it and so much more. It replaces your Vegetable Oil for a great tasting addition and a lot more healthy – you can Google lots of ways to cook with it.
  • Massage Oil – Get your spouse or loved one to slather some of this on your back and work those muscles – you will get a massage and moisturized at the same time!!! Woo Hooo
  • Lips – Use it as a natural Chap Stick – loves this and it tastes good when you lick your lips.
  • Pets – I have read it is great for the dogs to get rid of bad breath, their coat, arthritis, diabetes and help aid in their digestion.

I can go on and on and on – Just Google all the uses and benefits of Coconut Oil and it will blow your mind as it has mine.

All I can say from here is go buy some and see for yourself – just make sure to get the Virgin Coconut Oil. Let me know what you think, but be prepared to become addicted like I have and I warned you!!!

This concludes my Blog Post Infomercial – LMAO !!

My fifty eighth week after Gastric Bypass

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So I continued my Food Journal for another week due to my weight gain and my weight loss stall. I was able to get off the 3 pounds I went up last week, but that puts me right back to the same weight I have been stuck at for about 8 weeks now.

The warm weather has still not come our way even though it is Spring now. Mother Nature must have some kind of bug up her ass because she thinks it is ok to create a snow storm when it should be warm and sunny. I am ready to be done with this winter depression and be outside playing in my garden and working on my yard. I know one of the main reasons I have been in this weight loss stall is due to the lack of exercise and I pray once I getting moving the scale will as well.

By starting up my Food Journal again has been a good eye opener for me and has helped me try and figure out what it is I may be doing wrong. Although I have yet to figure it out exactly there are some things that I see I need to change. Honestly I think the biggest one that always come back to bite me is the “E” word – Exercise – I talk about this a lot, but yet avoid it like the plague.

As I look at the things I am eating and my daily food intake I do not think it is absolutely horrible by any means, but not the best either. I am not eating a lot (which could be an issue in itself), I am not making the best choices at times (such as the sweets and chips from time to time), I have definitely not been getting in 64 ounces of liquid daily and worst of all not getting in as much exercise as I should be.

I miss the days of stepping on the scale and having it just go down each week. I hope and pray that will happen again, but when you are stalled for so long it terrifies me in a BIG way. I am not at my goal weight yet and still have 35 more pounds before I get there. Now even though I know I should be exercising and that will help get my metabolism back in gear I still have not done it. What the hell is wrong with me? Why is it I avoid the “E” word like I do. UGH!! Anyway here is what I ate all week for you to see….

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the fifty eighth week:

(I am gonna add the times on as well)

March 18th

  • 7:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:00 pm – A few bites of left over Roasted Potatoes and Corned Beef
  • 12:30 pm – 1 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • 1:00 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 3:00 pm – A few bites of leftover roasted potatoes
  • 4:30 pm – A few bites of Corned Beef and 1 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • 8:00 pm – A piece of Corned Beef, Cabbage and Roasted Potatoes

Today was a boring day for me I worked for a bit on the computer and then totally cleaned my Bedroom and my upstairs Bathroom. Oh how I hate cleaning bathrooms, but it had to be done – god knows no one else in my family will do it. We also had a small snow storm – ugh – dumb mother nature!!! I seemed to pick a lot today because I was busy and never really sat down for a meal until 8:00 pm.

March 19th

  • 9:00 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 10:00 am – 2 Slices of Salami
  • 11:45 am – 2 Slices of Salami
  • 1:00 pm – Roasted Chicken – I ate a thigh and drumstick
  • 1:30 pm – 1 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • 2:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 3:15 pm – 1 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • 4:00 pm – A small bowl of Baked Cheese Doodles
  • 8:30 pm – 2 Chicken, Rice and Bean Burritos – small frozen ones
  • 9:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 10:30 pm – 1 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie

Today my son had a 2 hour delay due to yesterdays snow so I was able to stay in bed a bit longer – wooo hooo. Then later in the day I had a bunch of stuff to drop off at the local consignment store – love that – nothing like purging!!! Then after that I took my friend to go shopping at Walmart to get all the stuff she needed for her upcoming Gastric Bypass Surgery.

After I got home from Walmart I had to move my hen chicks into a larger cage/brooder because they are growing like crazy and needed more room. My daughter and I added sides to it using poster board and put lots of sparkly flower stickers on the inside for them.

March 20th – First day of SPRING

  • 7:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:00 pm – 2 Spoonfuls of Mashed Potatoes
  • 2:00 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 3:00 pm – 2 Slices of Salami
  • 5:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 7:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 8:15 pm – Lean Cuisine Beef with Broccoli – 350 Calories, 7 grams of Fat, 20 grams of Protein
  • 9:00 pm – Cup of Tea
  • 10:00 pm – Handful of Salt & Vinegar Chips and 1 slice of Salami

So it’s the first day of Spring and I wondered all day where it was because it was not in PA. It was freezing outside with lingering snow on the ground. I am not happy about that and for some reason woke up had some coffee sat down in the recliner and feel asleep until 10:30 – I guess maybe I was hoping when I woke up it would be warm out, but NOPE no such luck. After my little nap I worked a bit and then tackled all the laundry – I even folded it all and put it away – Crazy right?

March 21st

  • 7:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 10:30 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 12:30 pm – 1 slice of American Cheese
  • 1:15 pm – Healthy Choice Steamer Sesame Glazed Chicken – 330 Calories, 5 grams of Fat, 14 grams of Protein
  • 6:00 pm – 2 Chicken Patty Sandwiches on rolls with Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato and Pickles
  • 7:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 8:45 pm – Rice Krispy Treat – 90 Calories

Today I ran some errands and then packed up my hubby and son for a trip they were taking to Boston – a nice father and son getaway. I also got a bit crazy and actually cleaned my oven – yeah totally nuts right? Then after my hubby and son hit the road I got my daughter and took her into her room to clean that. I am working hard with her to get her to part with some of her stuff – I swear she is a young hoarder – lol. She did good and I was able to get her to part with a nice amount of stuff to donate and also bring to consignment. Kids have such a hard time parting with their stuff, but if she doesn’t she will end up being on one of those shows one day – lol.

March 22nd

  • 9:40 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 10:20am – 1 slice of American Cheese
  • 12:00 pm – 3 Dove Chocolates
  • 1:00 pm – 1 7 Layer Burrito from Taco Bell
  • 3:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 5:30 pm – 1 piece of Baked Flounder, 1 small Crab Cake dipped in Tarter Sauce and Asparagus
  • 7:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 10:00 pm – 1 Black Bean and Rice Burrito from Taco Bell and a handful of Chips

Today my daughter and I went out shopping with my sister. Then my daughter had her friend sleep over and it was just us girls since the boys were away in Boston.

March 23rd

  • 9:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 2:00 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 5:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 7:00 pm – Chinese Food – 1 Cup of Egg Drop Wonton Soup and some Garlic Chicken with White Rice
  • 9:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 11:00 pm – 1 Ice Cream Cone

Today was a fun long day. I cleaned in the morning as always. Then I had a nice visit from my mother and sister in law – they know I get lonely when my hubby is not home, I know pathetic but true. Then my daughter and I got Chinese take out for our special girls night dinner and later in the evening my friends and her daughter came over to watch The kids choice awards with us.

March 24th

  • 9:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 1:00 pm – 4 forkfuls of Italian Pasta Salad
  • 2:00 pm – My leftover Chinese Food – Garlic Chicken with White Rice
  • 3:30 pm – Rice Krispy Treat – 90 Calories
  • 5:00 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein
  • 7:00 pm – Eggroll
  • 7:30 pm – 2 Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • 8:30 pm – 1 Small Bag of Popcorn
  • 9:30 pm – 5 Sour Patch Kid Candies

This morning my neighbor came over for a visit with me. Then in the afternoon I spent some quality time with my daughter and we drew and then made some cookies for my hubby and son who wee coming home from their trip today. In the evening I played with my chicks and then caught up on some shows with my hubby.

So that was my week – It looks much better than my one prior as far as eating wise, but still not the best. While I lost the 3 pounds I went up it still just puts me back at that number that won’t budge at all. It is even possible I am not eating enough – I seem to pick all day long and takes bites of food here and there and just tend to eat one meal per day. I do however try and make sure to get protein in each day in my way of the Protein Coffee – this way I know I am getting in at least 40 grams of protein with that anything else I have just adds to it.

I will continue my Food Journal and pray that I can break this damn stall because it truly is driving me crazy now!!!

Stay Tuned!!!

My fifty seventh week after Gastric Bypass

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So I decided to start up my Food Journal again after being on a 7 week weight loss stall. I finally broke my stall this week, BUT the scale went the wrong way – talk about frustrating!!!

While having a weight gain after being stalled after 7 weeks is horrible and depressing – having kept my Food Journal and being completely honest writing down what I ate may help explain what I am doing wrong. To start off I have posted about my winter depression in a previous post here: Seasonal Affective Disorder – Do you have it too? Dealing with this I know has been a big reason why I have not lost any additional weight for so long as well as my now weight gain.

I know my eating habits have gone down hill and I have been choosing foods and snacks that are more for comfort vs being a healthy choice for me. It is easy to know what I am doing wrong and a lot harder to stop and take action, but with summer around the corner and the fear of gaining more back I must take action now. It is a new week and I owe it to all the hard work I have done to make changes and get that scale moving in the direction in needs to go. I am NOT at my goal weight yet and I promised myself I would get there.

Having Gastric Bypass as I always say is NOT magic. Again it is just a tool to help get you started, but it does not fix your brain and how you think. Those who are thinking of going through it must know this going in. The chances of gaining weight back after having surgery are there because it is not a cure to why we got so heavy in the first place – that is the scariest part of it all. Now that I am past the Gastric Bypass honeymoon stage – which they say is at about a year and I am now past that – it is more up to me vs. the surgery to finish and get to my goal. It is not easy as you can read as I write and I am truly terrified right now.

Honestly I feel like all the other times I have dieted and succeeded then got to the point of feeling good and thinking – hey it is ok if I eat this cookie, oh a handful of chips won’t hurt and then it is a downward spiral from there – if you are reading this I know you know what I am talking about. Right now sharing my story and struggles on this blog I am hoping will be a lifesaver and get me back on track. Writing about my feelings and where I am at this point helps me become more accountable for my actions. With this weight gain and keeping my Food Journal this past week and being honest with what I put in my mouth and writing it down also shows me where I am going wrong.

I truly miss the weeks of losing weight no matter what I did after the surgery and the happiness I had to see the scale going down week after week. Again I am so scared that the rest is in my hands more so than before because obviously I had no self control and that is why I ended up to the point of surgery in the first place. I keep blaming my winter depression, but I have to stop with my pity party and get control back or I will find myself where I started and NO WAY do I ever want to be there again.

So let me share with you my Food Journal from this past week so you can also see what I am doing wrong and the changes I have to make!!!

Here is what I ate so you can see each day for the fifty seventh week:

(I am gonna add the times on as well)

Let me also add in I decided to start my Food Journal again mid week because I stepped on the scale on a non weigh in day and saw the scale go up 3 pounds.

March 13th

  • 7:00 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 9:30 am – Bite of leftover Chicken from my dinner the night before
  • 12:45 pm – 1 Piece of Chicken (small cutlet) and about 1/4 Cup Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  • 1:10 pm – Rice Krispy Treat – 90 calories
  • 3:15 pm – 2 Dove Chocolates
  • 4:00 pm – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein (took me 3 hours to drink)
  • 7:30 pm – Medium Greek Salad with a piece of bread (take out)
  • 9:00 pm – Cup of Tea
  • 10:00 pm – Snacked on Pistachios while watching TV
  • 10:30 pm – 5 Candy Sour Gumdrops

As I stated I stepped on the scale this morning and saw I was up 3 pounds and immediately started keeping my Food Journal again. What I ate on this day was not that bad, but as you can see there were some things I could have done without such as the Rice Krispy Treat and the Candies.

March 14th

  • 7:00 am – 1 Oreo Cookie
  • 7:15 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 10:20 am – I slice of Bread with Mayo
  • 10:30 am – Protein Coffee – Contains 40.5 grams of protein (took me 3 hours to drink)
  • 2:30 pm – 2 Slices of Provolone Cheese & Salami Rolled Up
  • 3:15 pm – Finished my Greek Salad and a few bites of Bread
  • 4:00 pm – 4 Sour Patch Candies
  • 7:20 pm – 6 Meat Tortellinis I picked from my daughter’s dinner
  • 8:10 pm – Cup of Tea
  • 9:45 pm – Frozen Freschetta Market Veggie Pizza – Ate 3/4 of it. 450 Calories, 20.5 Grams Fat and 19.5 Grams of Protein for what I ate.

Today I was sooo bored and not feeling the best – I believe I have a sinus infection. I ventured out to do some food shopping, tried to relax with a sewing project and basically just laid around.

You may be wondering about the Bread with Mayo right? Well that is an old habit of mine – to me it is like bread and butter, but with mayo. I ate that because I needed something in my belly that was quick before I took a pain med. Not the best choice, but I had nothing else to grab at the moment. The rest of the day was not so bad until the Pizza. Yes I ate 3/4 of it, BUT it is a thin crust pizza and not heavy at all like a regular pizza – should I have eaten that much – NOPE, but I did. Shhh I enjoyed every bite too – it is yummy.

So I took a picture of the pizza to show you if you wonder how I ate so much – the crust is extremely thin and then it is pretty much a small amount of cheese with lots of veggies on top. Normally I cannot handle a lot of carbs and this pizzas crust is thin enough that I had no issues. Problem is that I should have not eaten 3/4s of it. What I ate totaled 450 Calories, 20.5 Grams Fat and 19.5 Grams of Protein.

March 15th

  • 7:30 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 9:00 am – 4 Slices of Provolone Cheese & Salami Rolled Up
  • 9:30 am – 3 Oreos
  • 1:15 pm – Handful of Baby Back Rib Chips
  • 2:30 pm – Frozen Freschetta Market Veggie Pizza – Ate 3/4 of it. 450 Calories, 20.5 Grams Fat and 19.5 Grams of Protein for what I ate. (yes I did it again)
  • 5:00 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 6:00 pm – Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and pickles on a bun with a handful of baked French Fries
  • 8:12 pm – 1 Oreo
  • 9:30 pm – 4 Sour Patch Candies
  • 10:30 pm – 2 Oreos
  • 10:40 pm – Cup of Tea
  • 11:00 pm – Handful of Baby Back Rib Chips

Wow now that I type this up – I had a horrible day and ate WAY too much – or just made some bad choices. Today my sinus infection kicked my ass and I felt like total crap. In between my eating binges I laid around all day watching TV and having a cat nap from 3-5pm. I am not a good sick person and when I have sinuses and stuffed in the head I am miserable and I was. Obviously it did not stop me from eating bad things, but I think it was more comfort for me. And yes I ate another one of those pizzas again – thank god I only bought 2 and now they are gone so that will not happen anymore.

March 16th

  • 10:35 am – 1 Oreo
  • 10:40 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:00 pm – 1 Slice of Provolone Cheese & Salami Rolled Up
  • 1:30 pm – 2 Leftover Cheeseburgers – No Bun, just dipped in ketchup
  • 2:45 pm – Rice Krispy Treat – 90 calories
  • 6:30 pm – Bowl of Baked Cheese Doodles
  • 10:00 pm – A couple pieces of Broccoli and Cauliflower dipped in Ranch Dressing, 3 Slices of Provolone Cheese & Salami Rolled Up and 3 Oreos

Slept in until 10:30 today due to feeling like complete garbage. On top of that it is snowing – really? Mother Nature is not helping the situation at all. Today was another day laying on the couch watching TV and Movies. I ended up watching The Green Mile and then Forest Gump with my daughter. Those Cheese Doodles were a movie snack. I did not eat much today, but again not the best choices for what I did.

March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day

  • 10:45 am – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer – First thing every day when I wake up
  • 12:00 pm – 2 Slices of Provolone Cheese & Salami Rolled Up
  • 1:30 pm – Coffee with Hazlenut Creamer
  • 6:00 pm – 2 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • 7:30 pm – Corned Beef, Roasted Potatoes with Onions and Cabbage
  • 8:15 pm – 1 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie
  • 9:30 pm – Cup of Tea
  • 10:00 pm – 2 Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Woke up late again today at 10:00 am, but I was finally feeling better. After a hot shower which I did not take for 2 days I felt new life in me again and my sinuses started to clear up a bit – thank god!! I put 3 Corned Beefs in my crock pots and could not wait until dinner – I love Corned Beef and Cabbage!! I pretty much saved myself for dinner, but those Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies were a secret sabotage from my sister I think.

This is me and my BFF who stopped by earlier in the day with her kids to come visit me. I am so happy to be feeling better and almost sinus free – now to deal with my bad eating habits and this darn weight gain!!

So that was my week – well almost week since I started journaling mid week. As you can see from what I had eaten there were lots of things I should not have had such as Oreo Cookies, Chips, Candies and too much of that Pizza.

Ya know what is really strange??? Prior to my Gastric Bypass Surgery I was never one for sweets – or at least candy. For some weird reason I crave candy now. It started with Twizzlers and now I love the gummy Sour Candies. I do not eat tons of them, but as you can see from my week at times I just need a few. Honestly I should 86 this new habit right away before it gets really bad.

Now looking back on my week it really does not look horrible, but not as healthy and full of protein as it should be. I have also not exercised at all and if you follow me you know it is not a favorite thing to do of mine. Over the winter I do not get much and while I can be changing that and use the treadmill that sits in my house I just have not gotten on it. Once spring hits and the warm weather is among us I will be getting outside and starting my endless yard work with plenty of exercise, but that is not helping now in the moment.

So with that all said I am going to continue with my Food Journal and work on making better food choices this week. Stay Tuned and check back next week to see if I got that scale to move in the right direction.

I would love to hear from all of you and what you think of what I ate and changes I should make – leave me a comment below and be honest – I am not too sensitive.

Seasonal Affective Disorder – Do you have it too?

Light Therapy

The Spring and Sunshine cannot come soon enough for me at this point so I can beat these Winter Blues. I am tired of this depression and want to be outside already!!!

I totally have seasonal affective disorder and if you are not aware of what that is I am gonna tell you, because you may suffer from it too like me.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that occurs at a certain time of the year, usually in the winter. You may not suffer from depression at all throughout the entire year and then all of a sudden Winter comes and BAM it hits you.

Infographic Seasonal Affective Disorder

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder:

  • Hopelessness
  • Increased Appetite
  • Less energy and ability to concentrate
  • Increased Sleep Patterns
  • Loss of interest in work or other activities
  • Feeling Sluggish
  • Social withdrawal
  • Unhappiness and irritability

The symptoms are pretty much the same as any depression – the only difference is they start to come on at the end of fall and last throughout the winter for most of us who suffer from this.

So how do I know I suffer from this disorder? Well for one I am a long time sufferer of depression and have been on lots of different medications throughout my lifetime. I finally had found that Celexa works for me to treat it and have been taking that now for years. My depression has been under control for a long time now and I have felt pretty good, but I have noticed a pattern. It seems once the cold months hit the depression comes back as if I am not taking my medication at all.

I have been in a funk the past couple months, hence the slow down in my postings. I have all the symptoms listed above including the increased appetite which scares the hell out of me. I looked back at my posts from last year at this time and that is exactly when I made a post all about depression. I thought it was just because of the surgery, but I think now it was a combo of this Seasonal Affective Disorder and all the changes going on with my body so I think it had made it even worse then.

I have been trying to keep myself busy with projects around the house to try and keep my mind off of it and to at least be able to say I have accomplished things over the winter. I work from home as well, but even my work has suffered because I just do not have the motivation to do that either. Depression is no fun and as hard as you try to wake up and say I am going to have a good day – sometimes that just does not happen.

On a happy note with me trying to keep myself busy with my wall of sticky to do notes I have been able to get stuff done in spurts. I have cleaned out closets, filed papers that had piled up, cleaned out cabinets and areas in my house in need etc… I try to do something every day even if I have to push myself to do so and count down the days until it is warm enough outside to get some sunshine and start all my yard work.

My weight loss has been stalled for about 5 weeks now – it is frustrating to say the least, BUT with my increased eating and less exercise I am not surprised at all. I am hopeful once Spring gets here and I start to be a lot more active outside I will see that kick back in and move in the right direction once again. I happy I have not gained anything but to be stuck kinda sucks too.

So what do you do if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Well some people will go on anti depressants for just the winter months. For me I am already on them, BUT next year I will talk to my doctor and maybe add another one for the winter or possibly up the dose of what I am currently taking to help me through – at this point being winter is just about over I will skip that this year.

They also say that light therapy also called phototherapy helps. You sit near a specialized light therapy box so that you’re exposed to bright light. Light therapy mimics outdoor light and they say it helps cause a change in brain chemicals linked to mood. I think for me I will be purchasing one of these too for next season and see if it helps.

So if anyone has been wondering where I have been, now you know. I have been dealing with the Winter Blues and counting down the days and hours until Spring. Now that I have seen the horrible pattern of Seasonal Affective Disorder I will be much more prepared next year and maybe avoid going through it again.

If you think you suffer from Depression and or Seasonal Affective Disorder be sure to see your doctor for an official diagnosis !!!

So my shout out to Mother Nature: “Can you hurry up and bring on the warm weather and sunshine already!!!!”

My One Year Gastric Bypass Post Op Appointment

1 Year

Dr. Federico CeppaHoly Crap talk about a year that flew by and pounds that melted away, life is good. Today was my Gastric Bypass One Year post op appointment.

I can hardy believe that is has been just about 1 year since my surgery – it will officially be one year on January 23rd. It truly seems like just yesterday that I was waiting and waiting for my surgery day to get here and now it was here and gone.It’s been a crazy ride that has changed my life in so many ways and I would do it again in a heart beat if I had to.

I was so excited for this appointment to show off my weight loss and what a change my surgeon has made for me and my life. It has to be such a great feeling for the surgeons to see their patients when they are happy and successful with no issues to report, don’t ya think?

Gastric Bypass BloodworkSo a few days prior to my appointment I went to visit the vampires to have my blood drawn for my post op labs. So not my favorite thing to do at all – I am NOT a fan of giving blood, but it is all part of the deal. It is very important for those of us who have had Gastric Bypass to make sure all our vitamin levels are good and in line.

So I was a big girl and I went all by myself this time without hubby there to hold my hand – lol. I was upset though when they did not have any purple wrap for my arm after they took my blood, but I got turquoise instead and that worked. They took 6 vials – yuck!!!

So I was up early for my appointment which was for 8:30 am. I kicked myself in the butt wondering why I would have made it so darn early – today I was exhausted due to being very busy with my job the past couple days, but I am happy to report I made it on time – woo hoo.

My first stop was with the nutritionist, Amanda, and to discuss my labs and well duh nutrition. First we discussed my progress – As of my very first appointment back on 1/20/2011 when I first met to discuss having the surgery and before I started losing any weight to get approved for surgery I weighed in at 290 lbs. According to their scale in the office I weighed in at 189 lbs (mine is 2 lbs less at home and what I really go by) I have lost a total of 101 lbs!!! This is the crazy part – I have lost 67% of my excess body weight – can you believe that? unreal!!

Now going by my home scale I weighed in at 286 lbs the day of my surgery and as of my last Weigh In I was 187 lbs – so that is what I go by and for me that is a weight loss of 99 lbs and my goal is to get to 100 lbs lost from my surgery day by my 1 year surgiversary on January 23rd. I have just under a week to get there and I WILL do it!!

So next we talked about my labs. I am so happy to report that all my vitamin levels are perfect, thanks to me being very good about taking all my required vitamins each and every day. My Cholesterol was great too – Good HDL 48, Total 150, LDL 93 and Tri 43 – I could not be happier. Happy Dance in action!!

She also told me now that I am 1 year post op the weight loss will dramatically slow down and this usually happens at about the 8 month post op mark – this I already know because I have experienced it. I also have a lot less to lose now so it is now my turn vs. the surgeries turn to do the work to help speed up the process of getting to my personal weight loss goal. UGH that is where the dreaded “E word” comes in:- Exercise. That darn word always creeps in and it is something I will have to work on if I want to achieve my goal and lord knows I do.

She was happy with my success and that made me happy too – now it was off to see my surgeon….

So in walks Dr. Ceppa always smiling which I love. He says I feel as though I do not have to ask you much since I read your blog and know everything already. Too funny right? Yup when he gets the chance he reads my blog and tells me he loves how open and honest I am. Yes that is me lay it all out there and tell it as it is.

He then asks are you happy you had the surgery? Uh hello – what do you think as I sit here in my blinged out skinny jeans, I thought – Of course I am happy, but as I always say my biggest regret is not doing it sooner.

We also talked about my personal goal weight of 150 lbs and how at my 3 month post op appointment him telling me he saw me leveling out at around 170-180 lbs and I was not having it. I asked him if I made my goal weight would he give me a prize and he told me yes. Now being at 187 lbs we were talking that maybe 150 really is too low for my body type and that I may look drawn if I go that low and now that I am closer I agreed. So we changed my goal to 165 lbs.

So will I still get a prize if get there – hell yeah I will !!! He told me when I make it there if it is before my 2 year follow up to call him and I can cash in on my prize. So what will my prize be? Who knows, but whatever it may be it will make me work that much harder to get there. I like prizes, just sayin’

So just like my nutritionist he was happy with progress and the next time I will see him will be 1 year from now, unless of course I get to my goal prior to that and pick up that prize.

Stay tuned for my actual 1 year Surgiversary post where I will post more pictures of me including me wearing the outfit I wore the day I went for my surgery, that will be fun.

A Weight Loss Game of Dieting for Dollars

DietBet

So this morning I was listening to the Today Show and they introduced this new concept of Dieting for Dollars that allows you to win money to lose weight. This is a great incentive for those who are motivated by Money and come on who isn’t?

Now let me start by saying I am bummed because I cannot take part in placing bets on my weight loss and get into the game because I have had Gastric Bypass Surgery and that would not be fair and of course is a no no in the rules. BUT if this was available prior to my weight loss surgery there is no doubt I would have taken part in this and that is why I had to share it here for those who may not have had surgery yet.

I cannot tell you how many times I have taken part with family, friends and co workers in a money weight loss pool at one time or another. We would put money in a jar for every pound lost and at the end of the time set the person who lost the most would win the pot. This is a similar concept, but all done online.

There are many sites online that have started this, but DietBet is one I will talk about for now. Basically it works like this; You join a game that has already been started online with others or you can start your own private game with friends, family or co workers. You all start by placing a starting wager of what ever amount you set, the minimum is $25 and you can go as high as you want. The more people who join your game the bigger the pot you have to win. The game lasts for 4 weeks and you must lose a total of 4% of your body weight over that time. If you achieve that goal and others in your game achieve it as well you all split the pot. I think that is AWESOME.

Let me tell you there are some games going on the site right now with pots that are over $11,000 right now and growing with about 200+ players, can you imagine? Not everyone will meet the goal and that could turn out to be a great payout in the end for sure.

So how do you weigh in and know no one is cheating? Well there are strict rules for that part of the game and they are laid out on their site. There is a lot of honesty that goes along with this, but I think with all the rules they have in place there should be no issues.

And a big question asked often:

Is this illegal Gambling?

And the answer: No, at least not in the US, because the outcome of your dietbet is based on skill, not luck. Unless your refrigerator has been retrofitted to work like a slot machine, your weight is under your control.

So what do you think? I think this is a great idea and again if I did not have the surgery I would be so be in on the game. It is a great way to keep you on track and no one tells you what diet to do to lose the weight – you choose that. Genius I tell you, just Genius!!

I got a Food Dehydrator – Time to make Jerky!!

Beef Jerky

Guess what I got for Christmas… A Food Dehydrator and I am so excited!!! One of the best gifts from my sister peep for the family.

My sister always gets us the best gifts and this one was not expected at all. Everyone in my family loves to eat Beef Jerky and we all know how expensive it is to buy it. The best part about Beef Jerky is it is high in protein too so for us Gastric Bypass patients it is a great snack.

My hubby could not wait to make a batch of Beef Jerky and a couple days after Christmas he got right on it. So he bought some meat, marinated it in a Teriyaki Marinade overnight and the next day followed the directions, which are super easy, and later that day we had Jerky.

Beef JerkyThat is our first batch of Beef Jerky pictured to the right – while it does not look pretty it tasted really good. I cannot wait to try out other recipes and flavors. In addition to just the Jerky you can also dehydrate fruits, veggies and even make your own fruit roll ups. Now I am counting down until summer comes and Strawberry picking will take on a whole new meaning.

You know I will be sharing lots of recipes using this new toy and again I am excited for all the Beef Jerky snacks I will be able to eat at a fraction of the cost of buying them in the store. If you do not have a Food Dehydrator I say go get one because it is a lot easier to use than you think and if you like Beef Jerky it truly is a major money saver.

Nesco Food DehydratorMy sister got us a Nesco Food Dehydrator (pictured to the left) and all kinds of seasonings to go with it. It was funny because she gave each of us a part of the gift to open. A great family gift that will be very used in my house for sure.

Stay Tuned for Recipes and Snack Ideas coming soon…

Oh and if own one and have any good tips or recipes I should try please let me know!!!