Stacie's "Kind-a" Bars

So I have many reasons to smile these days...

First, I am finally cleared of my "dental drama"!!! EEEEEEE!!!! I couldn't have been a happier girl walking out of the (amazing) third oral surgeons office! Dr. Ban, you are wonderful and I am so grateful to not be in ANY pain anymore!

Along with my mouth pain being done, the semester from hell has ended as well. I did well in my Math and Microbiology classes. I haven't heard back from my English professor yet. I have a feeling I did well, as I have done well all semester (and my final research paper kicked ass... Who am I kidding??).. I may post a link to it someday, as it is a research paper completely devoted to weight loss surgery. I loved writing it!

I am also back to my old routine. Running and meal prepping! It's great to be back and "alive" again. I struggled SO much over the past 3 months and have a whole new understanding and appreciation for those that suffer chronic pain of any kind.. It is truly debilitating and, despite how I used to feel, you can't "just ignore it". I apologize for my former lack of sympathy and concern. I also appreciate everyone who has been so kind and caring while I was having trouble. The kind words, emails, texts, and calls meant so much. xoxo!

On to the title of this post!

This morning, I was battling some cramping and went on the hunt for some Midol in the gift shop of the hospital I am currently working in. That place is a death trap for my wallet! EVERY. TIME.
While in there, I was hungry and in my current efforts to "eat clean', I picked up one of the Kind Bars I have been seeing everywhere. Only SEVEN ingredients in the bar and I can pronounce all of them! Wahoooo!!!

This one was Almond and Coconut. 100% delicious! -- PS-- Please excuse the pic! I had to sneak it at my desk because I had a meeting going on all around me and didn't want to look too dumb snapping pics of my food while at work! ;) After one bite, I swore I was going to try and recreate these bad boys at my house (hopefully cheaper than the price of a box).

Mission accomplished!!!

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you...

                                                            Stacie's "Kind-a" Bars!
I know, I know.. Original name...

                 Engineer approved! (Nice chunk taken out before I could even let them harden. lol)

Seriously though, these babies are the BOMB! Taste JUST like Almond Joy bars, but MUCH healthier and they won't put you're sugar levels on a roller coaster ride.

Want the recipe??? I know you do! I would if I didn't come up with it! ;)

Stacie's "Kind-a" Bars
2 Cups Dry Oats
1/3 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
1 Cup Slivered Almonds
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Almond Butter

Mix all ingredients up. Press in to sprayed pan. Cut in to bars.

STATS:
I measured my stats for 8 bars cut out of each pan. In hindsight, I wish I would have used puffed brown rice instead of all the oats (a suggestion from The Engineer). Not quite as "low cal" as I had hoped for, but still healthy.

Serving size: 1 Bar
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Calories: 177
Protein: 3.5

About the same as a normal "Kind" Bar.. Same size and about 15 cals less.

Have a good evening everyone! Hope you enjoy! 

Coming Out of Hiding...

So this is going to be a bit of a long winded post...

Some have noticed and emailed me to say so.. I have taken a bit of a hiatus from social media.
I DO appreciate the emails and posts I received. I cannot believe people actually noticed. That warms my heart.. truly.

These past two months have been a huge struggle for me. I was very open with the fact that I have been dealing with some pretty major dental issues that caused me TONS of pain and so much hassle that I don't even know where to begin...

It all started with what we thought was a cavity, which turned in to 11 dental appointments, 3 root canals, and finally an extraction. I saw my dentist, 2 endodontists, and a surgeon. I ended up getting a dry socket in the extraction site and had to get it packed.

The day after I had the extraction, I KNEW I was going to need it packed because the clot fell out and I could see it turning white very quickly (not to mention the tremendous pain). When I called the surgeons office, they basically told me I was med seeking and not to call back for a week because they wouldn't treat a dry socket until at least a week out. I was upset because I knew the only way to get rid of the pain from a dry socket was to pack it.. Pain meds only provide temporary relief to a problem that needs fixed and quite frankly I am sick of taking them. I work full time and go to school full time. My life doesn't afford me the luxury of being a doped up zombie.

The pain was so bad about 3 days out that I called my home dentist and explained what was going on. He then prescribed more meds and told me to call him over the weekend to let him know how I was (if I was still in pain, he was actually going to meet me in the office and skip a conference just to put some packing in my mouth to provide me some relief).

Saturday I was feeling MUCH better, so I told him that and figured I would just wait it out and see how I was feeling the following week. Well, Sunday night the pain had gotten so bad again that I knew it was either go to the ER (which again would only mean more meds and not a solution) or wait it out and call the oral surgeon Monday morning. I decided to wait.

First thing Monday morning I called the oral surgeon (I waited a week like I was told) and before I could even get out what I had to say, the nurse chewed me out for taking more antibiotics from my dentist and calling my dentist instead of them... Mind you, I DID call them, but they dismissed me and told me not to call back for a week. I went to the appointment anyway...BIG MISTAKE.

After a VERY painful procedure to pack my wound with oil of clove covered gauze, the surgeon YELLED and lectured me for "making him look bad" by calling my own dentist and not calling him. He wouldn't even let me speak! He just kept yelling. Eventually I broke down in tears and he told me I was "being too emotional"... Ok.... So you try being in terrible pain for 2 months with no end in sight with a million other things to do then get yelled at just for trying to help yourself and not be emotional. Fucking asshole.

That morning put me in a very dark place. I have been so depressed for about 3 weeks now.. I can't exercise because my jaw throbs with every step. My grades are slipping because I can't focus when the mouth pain gets so bad. My eating has just been terrible, though I am still losing because I do continue to keep track of calories. That being said, I don't think eating a bagel every morning is in my best interest... :( I'm finding that I just don't care. It's all too much to think about... I am trying to find the positive and thought I had, but it seems like it was just a tease.

The packing that the jerk put in worked wonders! I felt SO good all week. It was great finally feeling normal again.. I went this morning to have the packing removed (by my dentist) and he even poked around to see if I was still tender anywhere... NOPE! Yay!!... Not so fast, lady...

My dentist told me he wasn't convinced that my bone infection in the jaw was gone yet and I still had a slightly dry socket, but his system was down and he couldn't take xrays today. He wants me to call back Monday so I can come in for xrays.

By this evening I was in such terrible pain again... The dry socket. UGH. I just don't know what to say at this point. I am going to try my hardest to get back on the wagon and get through it. Its been two very long months. All I want in the whole world is for all of this to be over. Thank the Lord that classes end in less than a month, so I'll at least get a bit of a mental break, if nothing else.

This all has to end at some point, right?? It will get better??? :( :( :(

Meal Prep for the Week!

Well, my friends... As requested, here is a little look in to my "meal prep" for this week.

I ALWAYS meal plan, shop accordingly, and prep the fresh vegetables that I bring home every week. For me, it's not only a way of keeping track of my food, but I find that grocery shopping according to a meal schedule is MUCH cheaper and easier.

I keep my list of meals in my phone, so it is easily accessible for me to track. I keep the list and just change the meals out from week to week. Before I go grocery shopping, I take a glance at what I have in my freezer, fridge, and cabinets, then I write out meals for the week. After I write them up, I go over the list and make a grocery list of things I will need to complete each meal (I find that I usually don't need a ton, which is where this is cheaper).
PS-- Sorry the list only goes to Thursday, my phone wouldn't let me screen shot the whole week, but I do plan for Friday! Usually it's our "pizza" day.

This past weekend, my fiance and I were talking about food for the week and he suggested that I "get our stuff for lunches" together to save me some time. That made me think that, yes, I DO meal prep, but could I do more and give myself even MORE time during the evenings. If you know me, you know that time is a bit scarce in my life these days (f/t school and work). Anything I can do to give myself more time is a plus in my book! :)

SO off I went to the grocery store and bought everything I would need to get my week together!

I came home and first worked on my lunches.

I made up 3 of my cottage cheese bowls. I explained how I make them in this post. I also made up the fixings for 2 english muffin pizzas (to give myself a little variety). I put together some snack bags that have a rice cake and almond butter packet to eat as my morning snack.

Next I put my breakfasts together. I have a protein shake every morning, so I made up enough protein packs for the week.

I have a variety of shakes that I make. For this week, I made a couple "Fake Dole Whip" shakes, a strawberry cake batter shake, and 2 espresso shakes.

"Fake Dole Whip" shake
1/2c. Frozen Pineapple
1/2 Frozen banana
1/3 c. frozen spinach (not for flavor, I am trying to add iron to my daily diet)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 c. coconut milk

Mix in blender until "shake" consistency.


Once I finished up everything for my week, I made up The Engineer's lunches (he's pretty easy and predictable.. sammie, fruit, and veggie...EVERY. DAY). And he LOVES it! Me? I need variety! 

I didn't need to do a TON of dinner prep because I actually had a lot already made, but I did some.

Tonight's dinner- Italian Beef sandwiches. This is a roast in my crock pot with a can of crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and a packet of onion soup. I prepped it yesterday and today it cooked all day on low (about 9-10 hours). We came home to a delicious smelling house and all we had to do was quickly use two forks to shred the beef, pull out the buns, and plate our food! Easy!

This is a bag of oven roasted, organic chicken breasts that I chopped up for our burritos this week.

The last thing I "prepped" was some butternut squash to use as a side dish this week. I had a hard time putting this baby in the fridge... Smelled SO good!

I will leave you all with a picture of my fridge after I prepped and finally put everything away. The funny thing is, I got home from work today and realized I literally had my whole evening to devote to school work. Nothing else to do! It was AWESOME! I full plan on continuing to prep like this every Sunday.

Have a great evening!  I will let you all know how the rest of the week went!

What I Ate Wednesday!

I haven't shared much of what I have been eating lately, so this post is going to focus mostly on my eats from today.

Breakfast

I have had the biggest loveeeeeee of any and all nut butters lately. While grocery shopping this past week, I saw that individual packets of Justin's were on sale 4 for $5. Not a huge difference, but enough for me to buy a few flavors I haven't tried yet. This morning, I tried the Justin's Vanilla Almond Butter on 2 whole grain waffles. I can say out of all the butters I have tried, this one was not my favorite. It was good, but I am not a huge vanilla fan. It almost tasted like coconut. I prefer the Justin's Maple or Honey Almond Butter.

Lunch 

Looks a little gross, but I swear it is HEAVENLY! I found a recipe for a ricotta bowl on a fellow gastric bypass patient's Instagram account. I took her awesome idea and modified it to my personal tastes. Yummo and full of protein!

Cottage Cheese Bowl

1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese
2 TBS gravy (I use Heinz Pork gravy)
1 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
3 Morning Star Chx Nuggets

Mix first three ingredients in bowl. Bake nuggets night before (when you microwave them, they get gummy). When ready to eat, microwave bowl for 1 minute then stir in chopped up chicken nuggets. Enjoy! SO SO good!

212 calories
18 grams protein

Snack

 
 I was feeling muchy after work and planned on making honey mustard salmon for dinner, so I snacked on a handful of Smartpop. Ok, two handfuls... Don't judge me. lol

So after all of my "dental drama" from last week, I thought I was finally done and just waiting for my crown appointment on the 24th. WRONG! I finished up my antibiotic on Monday and was feeling great, but all of a sudden, woke up with mouth pain again today. I tried ignoring it, but then had a fever and chills by this afternoon and got a little worried. (If you didn't know, the infection had already spread to my jaw bone, which makes it pretty serious.) I called my dentist and he asked me to come in this evening because he wanted to take more x-rays. I decided to eat a mug of cereal in case he decided to numb me up (I totally can't chew at all when I am numb, so dinner would be a no-go). Well, went to the dentist, got x-rays, and found out not only did the infection spread even further down my jaw (while I was on some seriously strong antibiotics), but it had already started eating away at the bottom of my tooth...For realz!????? Come on dude! SO over this dentist thing! Needless to say, my dentist is very concerned and now referring me to an oral surgeon... :(

Dinner 

When I finally got home from the dentist office, I was a bit hungry again (probably due to the lack of protein in my pre-appt choice of cereal). I decided to make a low carb, low fat, cheese quesadilla. Tasted so yummy! Now I am stuffed and ready for bed.

Hopefully I can get all of this dental crap out of the way soon. It's been making me feel so yucky lately. I just don't have it in me to go to the gym. Maybe I can get myself to do some Wii Zumba tomorrow. That always cheers me up!

Good night! Only 2 more "wake-ups" till the weekend!
 
 

A Very Bold and Terrifying Move..

So it has been forever since I have even logged in to my blog to check stats and such.. Wow.. Time flies when you're going to school and working full time. Ugh!

This semester has been nothing short of a living hell and I can't wait for it to be over in May. I feel like it has been sucking the life out of me. I have also been seriously slacking on exercise, which is terrible because I have my first 5k in June.

I am SUPER excited, but really need to start training again.

If you follow me outside of the blog via Instagram or Facebook, you would have already picked up on the fact that I have been experiencing some MAJOR dental issues this past week. If there is anything I absolutely hate about having a gastric bypass, it is that we cannot take Ibuprofen or any other NSAIDS post op. NSAIDS eat away at your stomach lining and when you have a teenie, tiny tummy... No good!

This leaves us with Tylenol (acetaminophen) or narcotics. I ended up leaving work early twice last week because the pain was THAT bad and Tylenol just wasn't kicking it. It was miserable. At one point, last Tuesday, the pain was so bad that even my prescription wasn't touching it. Thankfully, I was put on a second antibiotic that seems to be healing it up. My mouth still hurts after I eat, but it isn't a constant throb like last week. Man, do I miss Ibuprofen. In my opinion, it works even better than the hard stuff without the loopy feeling. I got so desperate at one point last week that I DID take an ibuprofen (against the many warnings from my fiance) and ended up with a mouth that felt better and a terrible stomach ache.. womp womp! #liveandlearn

WEIGHT LOSS 

**IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE MY STOMACH WITH EXCESS SKIN, STOP READING NOW**

Anyway... A little update on the weight loss and my eats lately (there isn't much in the way of exercise to talk about). So after battling with 3 pounds for what seemed like FOREVER, I finally hit my first big goal of having lost 100lbs from my highest weight. Yay!! I still have about 70+ lbs to go, so I can't party too much yet, but The Engineer did restock my closet with new clothes that actually fit me. Thanks, Boo Boo! You're the best! 

So now is the point where I get very brave. I am truly nervous about this and have debated over and over about the pic I am about to share. I have *officially* lost 103.7 lbs and have only done it with the inspiration I continually get from others who have done the same thing. I am always curious about what people's bodies look like post major weight loss, so I am going to share a side view of my abdomen. I notice a difference, you may or may not. All I ask is for kindness, please. This is very, very hard for me, but since I love seeing other people's pictures, I am sure some of you are interested in what a stomach looks like after having lost 100+ lbs. It is very clear in the pic that I still have fat to lose, but unfortunately a lot of what you see is pure skin that I can pull out inches in front of my body. 

In all of the contemplating I did over whether to post this picture or not, it occurred to me how much I am worrying about offending people, yet if I were a skinny mini in a bikini, it would be nothing. Funny how we think of over weight people in society these days. At any rate, there it is.. My body. My greatest enemy. My project.
                                                                         FOOD

Since  I haven't been blogging lately, I have been skimping on meal pics (other than what I post on Instagram). While making my lunch for tomorrow, I snapped a pic because it is an epic salad. I have been eating all mushy food lately because of my tooth. It will be nice to have some crunchy, fresh greens back in my diet.

I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the super market today and used some of it for this salad. It consists of romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, parm cheese, and a very ripe avocado. Can't wait to pour some balsamic on this baby tomorrow!

Have a great evening and Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of the Irish and "Irish" out there!

Hungry Hungry Hippos

That's the only way I can think of how to correctly describe my day. I have been SO hungry all day long. Don't know if this is post holiday "carb fest" cravings or what, but it's been rough to be good with how hungry I am.

Breakfast

One VERY ugly omelet. As you can see, I failed miserably when I tried flipping the egg on to itself. Oops! Still tasted yummy. I used leftover ham from Christmas and some veggies.

Lunch

I have been craving cheese and pizza lately, so I made up a low carb pizza. Spray a frying pan well. Place 1/4c shredded cheese down in a circle. Let it fry up and get crunchy. Flip then top with sauce and a little more cheese. Not exactly gourmet, but delicious anyway. :)

Snack

I ate a cup of Skinny Pop about an hour after lunch, hoping it would fill my tummy a bit more. Love this stuff. Unfortunately, I was STILL hungry, so about 1/2 hour after the Skinny Pop I killed a ton of baby carrots...

I love carrots because they taste great, give me the "crunch" I am usually looking for in a snack and they have the added bonus of being a "free" food (meaning you can eat and eat without tracking the calories--so says my dietitian). Eat up!

Dinner
I didn't snap a pic of my dinner, but it wasn't exciting anyway. After grocery shopping, I stopped at Wendy's and grabbed us a quick dinner. I had a 1/4lb cheeseburger with no bun or mayo. Yum! Beef!

I bought some yummy stuff at the grocery store and am looking forward to sharing some fun, new, protein packed recipes this week!


I didn't work out yesterday or today because I have been pretty sore. Our apartment complex parking lot was a sheet of ice yesterday morning and I fell not only once, but twice! I am bruised up and feeling some kind of injury in my right hip, so I am trying to take it easy until I get better. Hopefully I will feel well enough to use my Christmas presents from The Engineer tomorrow--Wii Fit and Wii Zumba!!! SO fun!


Have a safe and Happy New Year. Please make sure to have a designated driver if you plan on hitting the streets for the holiday. Better safe than sorry!

 
 
 

Random Weekend Fun

This post is going to be a little all over the place today. I have a ton of pics and wanted to cram them all in, so here we go!

Breakfast
This morning I woke up with one thing on my mind... BACON! I have been wanting bacon for a few days now, so I picked some turkey bacon up to have this morning.

I had a few slices of turkey bacon and the leftover half of a one egg omelet that had cheese and sauteed squash inside. I am LOVING eggs lately. Right after my gastric bypass, eggs were my mortal enemy for months!

Lunch
Lunch today came in the form of hummus and carrots. I have an unhealthy obsession with hummus these days. It is just so good with everything! It is healthy, full of flavor, and very versatile. I actually had it as my evening snack last night as well, only I used Vegetable Crisps as the vehicle to get the hummus to my mouth. ;)

Dinner
The Engineer and I have been enjoying trying new restaurants up by our home the past few weekends since we bought the truck (truth be told, it's an excuse for us to go "ram around" in the new toy).. He uses that term, I just stole it. Thanks, Babe! :) Tonight we decided to try a place I had seen on the Travel Channel a while back, Bonnie & Clyde's. It is obviously Bonnie and Clyde themed, so it was very fun! I forgot to get a picture, but they even had an old antique car out front with a doll driving it. CREEPY!

                         I LOVED the napkins with Al Capone's signature on them! How fun!

Me enjoying some awesome bruschetta. I tend to not do appetizers these day, as I focus mainly on protein, but I couldn't resist! Bruschetta is my all time favorite appetizer and I love trying it at new places! P.S. I apologize for how awful I look, we got rained on walking in and my hair was SOAKED!

For dinner I got their A1 burger and my honey got the fish sandwich. Portions there were HUGE and the burger was phenomenal. Seriously, try this place if you get the chance! The burgers are made from Angus beef and brisket. So tender and juicy! I was able to eat about 1/4 of it and gave half to The Engineer to try. I also need to comment on how amazing their service was! Everyone worked as a team and we were so impressed that we ended up calling a manager over to let her know. Great place and very happy we went!

On to the random stuff...
I know people have mixed feelings regarding "side by side" pictures, but I love them. I love to see other people's and my own. To me, it is very inspirational to see how far others have come in their weight loss journeys, as well as how far I have come. I still feel like I am the same size as I was a year ago (knowing fully that I have lost almost 100lbs). Seeing my side by sides really gives me a reality kick that, yes, I am still losing even though I still have so far to go. With all that said...

When I first noticed my weight loss, I took my first side by side picture and paired it with an old picture from last Easter up at my future in laws.

I cringe when I look at that first picture. I was playing laser tag with my fiance's nephew and didn't even realize how big I really was! I was SO proud when I did this first side by side. Now I look at it and feel like I look swollen in my "thinner" pic! lol I had that same shirt on tonight, so I decided to do an updated side by side with a new pic in the same outfit (smaller jeans, same shirt).

I know it's not THAT big of a difference, but I see it and that's what matters to me. I have said it before and I will say it again. Whatever YOU need to do to motivate yourself on hard days..DO IT!!

Well, that's about it for today. I will leave you with a Grumpy Cat pic I saw today that had me cracking up!

                                                    Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

     Remember: PROTEIN FIRST! Then Christmas cookies! :)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

Wow! What a sight all of the snow is today! It's both beautiful and annoying at the same time. I think most can agree that it would be much prettier if it only snowed on lawns and trees. :)

The Engineer and I have been enjoying the new addition to our little family. About 3 weeks ago, we went out and purchased the beast up in the photo (no, not the Cobalt, silly). His truck has been giving him trouble for a couple months now and it was time. Needless to say, we are LOVING riding around in snowy weather (I've currently been campaigning to go out in it again today, but so far am unsuccessful. haha). We ventured out earlier this morning for some groceries, but it was getting yucky and that's about all we needed to do.

 I went to my first ever spin class at what felt like the crack of dawn this morning. Holy ouch! It was a huge pain in the butt, LITERALLY. I can't lie and say I wasn't watching every minute pass by on the clock, my "undercarriage" was in pain from beginning to end, but I did it and will try it again! Everyone I have talked to says that the key to comfort is sticking with it, so that's my plan. I will let you all know, if you are thinking about trying it, be prepared to sit on an ice pack later on in the day. It was a fun class though! Kate, the instructor, was SO sweet and willing to help me with any questions I had! One of the ladies in the class helped me set up my bike before it started as well. ***Another tip for those thinking about trying spin*** Arrive about 10-15 minutes early in order to have the instructor or a classmate help you set up your bike. This is SO important in order to get the most out of your work out and avoid injuries. Luckily, a friend of mine gave me this little tip a while back, so I arrived early and prepared. Also, let the instructor know you're new. Don't be ashamed! You are there, which is more than some can say. Everyone is a newbie at some point and most people are very willing to help out and share their knowledge/tips.

Breakfast
When I arrived home from class (after a Dunkin Donuts run, of course), I was STARVING! Hindsight is 20/20... I should have eaten prior to class, but I was just lucky to be awake at 7AM on a Saturday without an alarm!  We had ham for dinner last night, so this morning I whipped up this yummy western omelet. SO GOOD! That and my iced coffee..Yum!

 Lunch
After breakfast, my sweetie and I went out for our groceries and I was good and hungry again by the time we got back. Lately, I have been craving tuna and wanting to try out a "noodle-less" recipe, so I did today and it was delicious. Ladies and gents, I give you... Tuna Noodle-less Casserole! 

Ok, I will admit how gross looking it is, but I assure you the taste and high protein content make up for it's lack of eye pleasure!

Tuna Noodle-Less Casserole
1 can tuna in water (drained)
1/4 c. fat free cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. low fat cheddar cheese
Dash of each onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper.

Mix and microwave until the cheese is melted.
235 cals
30 grams of protein....BAM!!!

Snack
About an hour ago I was feeling a little hungry, but not wanting anything big so I dug in to my container of Cherubs for a little afternoon pick-me-up. I don't care what time of the year I buy these, they are always juicy and full of flavor.

MMMM!

Well, that's about it for now.. Earlier in the post I mentioned that I was campaigning to go out and play in the snow. About half way through typing this, The Engineer asked if I would want to go out and try some soup at a nearby delicatessen for dinner. Yay! Stay safe if you venture out tonight!  

Vitamins, Food, and a Little Bit of Everything Else...

 So this week has been for the birds. Between The Engineer being away and a few other things, I just can't wait to say "see ya" to this week. I've been eating for one all week, so my food choices have been interesting. Most nights, I try to make nice, well-balanced meals for us. This week that went flying out the window. Pretty sure Ive been eating the same Subway sandwich for about 4 days now. Tonight, I switched it up a bit though.

I went down to Whole Foods on my lunch hour to pick up some groceries and lunch from the hot bar! --Just FYI, never, I repeat, never go to Whole Foods on payday before you have eaten lunch. BADDDDD decision. I ended up with a taco salad (which looks like a half-eaten blob because I ate half for lunch). I also had a tiny scoop of their mac'n'cheese. I know, I know, carbs!!! I am pretty good about not eating carbs, but I couldn't resist. And ya know what?? It was DELICIOUS!!!

                                       **ATTENTION ALL BARIATRIC PATIENTS**

You see that nasty thing on the side of my mouth? Kinda looks like a cold sore?? Yeah, ewwww! It is a fissure that I got due to lack of proper vitamin and water consumption. Yet another reason why it is SO important for us to make sure we are getting enough water, vitamins, and healthy/fresh foods. I am a bit notorious for not taking meds well. Fortunately, this has improved a very tiny bit since my surgery, mostly out of my fear of ever having to experience a potassium infusion. OUCHHHH!! Unfortunately, it hasn't improved enough. I really need to make sure I take my vitamins every day. Luckily, this time, my MD gave me a vitamin injection and just told me to get more water in my system. Vitamins--THEY'RE IMPORTANT!!

I do not have too much else for this post, so I will leave you with some pics from our wonderful Thanksgiving up at my future in-laws and a few from my decorating extravaganza this past week. :)

                                                             Isn't he the cutest??!?!?!

                             My future mother in law's home made pickles...A-MA-ZING!!

Home Sick :(

Hi People!

Happy Hump Day! And no... I'm not gonna say it. lol As much as the camel makes me crack up, I'm a bit over hearing the Hump Day commercial every Wednesday.

My week has been a bit abnormal, as I am off of work for a while. Monday morning, I had to have my gall bladder out. This was a bit fast. I just found out a week ago that it wasn't in good shape and needed to come out sooner than later. So out it came! The Engineer has been amazing. He took a few days of of work to take care of me because I'm a total baby when I'm not feeling well (Yes, I am pathetic when I am sick). Not surprisingly though, this has been my easiest surgery this year. Aside from being nauseated, there hasn't been a ton of pain. My GIGANTIC heating pad has definitely been a life saver (as it always is when I need it).

Seriously, this thing is HUGE! It's 26 inches long and 12 inches wide. LOVEEEE IT!!!!!!! We bought it originally when The Engineer needed back surgery. It was a nice option because it could cover from the top of his back to the bottom instead of needing to shift it a ton.

I haven't had much in the way of food going on this week. Solid food just doesn't seem to be sitting well in my pouch, so I have been doing a lot of protein shakes.. This also may have something to do with an early Christmas present my wonderful fiance bought for me...

Meet my Ninja Professional Blender Kit! AHHHHHH!!! I have wanted one of these forever! The Engineer surprised me by purchasing it online after I had mentioned how much I wanted one. This thing has it all! Blender, food processor, 2 personal shake blenders, juicer, and many blades for different slicing and dicing! I have been experimenting with it and can't wait to do more! It absolutely pulverizes anything I throw in it!

 My breakfast yesterday morning.

2 scoops Click Espresso Protein Powder
4 skim "milk cubes"--which is 1/2 cup of skim milk
1 cup light almond milk

Turned out SO creamy and smooth! Hello, Frappuccino!

The Engineer also enjoyed a nice strawberry/orange smoothie last night. Needless to say, we are impressed.

The To-Go cups are also nice just to use for drinks. I made some strawberry/lime infused water in one of them to have throughout the day yesterday and today. I LOVE infused water. Just gives such a nice sweetness, but without anything artificial. I find that I am trying to get rid of as much artificial junk as I can these days. Not always possible with a busy schedule, but I try when I can.

                                                      Strawberry/Lime water-- YUM!

Staying hydrated is SO SO important. Whether you're trying to lose weight, not lose weight, or just live. Water is vital for every function in our body. They say to drink eight 8oz glasses of non-caloric, non-caffeinated liquid a day to stay completely hydrated. This comes out to 64 ounces of fluid a day. If you are working out regularly (per my surgeon), it is important to up that to about half of your body weight or at least 96 oz in a day. Staying hydrated not only keeps your mind working correctly, it will also help keep your skin looking smooth, your hair from breaking, and you will have much more energy. Water can be delicious! Try throwing some of your favorite fruit in a pitcher over night and see how much flavor you'll get!

That's all I have for you today! Have a great night and drink up! - Water, that is... ;)

Do It For YOU!

Howdy!

So this week has been a rough one...Is it realllly only Tuesday??
I found out that starting next Monday, I am being reassigned to a location TEN minutes from my house. Free parking (HUGE DEAL--For those that work in the city, you know how nice of a break this is) and I will get lots of extra mileage. SO excited! Unfortunately, the current office I'm working in does not think they are ready for me or my coworker to leave yet and almost put a stop to my "near home" bliss. It was a stressful day waiting to hear the final decision yesterday.

While anxiously waiting to hear the news, I decided to finally go get my new license picture taken on my lunch hour just IN CASE I wouldn't be in the city starting Monday. I've been putting this off forever (have my camera card and everything, just need the pic). With 30 days left to get this done, off I went to AAA. It seriously didn't even take 15 minutes! lol I actually laughed at how long I put this off and it was so painless. After I was given my new license, I naturally decided to look at my old versus my new pictures. I literally "laughed out loud" when I saw how swollen my face looks in the old pic--bee sting, perhaps??? Unfortunately, not...just fat. :(

 As I usually do, I posted the "side by side" picture on Facebook for some laughs. I recieved this oh-so-kind comment after I posted the picture and it sparked a whole fury of conversation.

This brings me to the title of my post today. Whatever you need to do FOR YOU or to keep you motivated, do it! Who cares what anyone else thinks? People will be unkind, nasty, and even jealous. That's a price of success. Be it financial, weight, relationships, or just life in general, someone will always be out to make themselves feel better by making you feel badly. I will admit, this made me feel horrible. I broke down crying in the middle of a grocery store and it took me almost a half hour to get myself back together enough to go in to work. The pain for me was how much he discounted the hard work it has taken me (and many others that have had gastric bypass) to lose weight. I've said it before and I'll say it again...If I don't move, neither does my scale. If I eat poorly, I pay the price. Comments like this man made keep the "they're just lazy" stigma of gastric bypass patients alive. It's shameful.

Thankfully, I have an amazing support system of family an friends who came to my "rescue" yesterday and helped me to realize I do not need negative people around me. I have too many positive people to get in their way. Love you all! Just remember, as an adult, you get the right to CHOOSE who you have around you. I choose to have happy, encouraging people in my life and I choose to be happy!



                                     This one is for you, Jim!

Weird Goals!

Hiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!

How was your Tuesday? Mine was typical...Nothing too horrific. Pretty normal day. Work, gym, home, dinner, and now some time to chill out before I study. Anyone else as excited as I am for the new Snooki and Jwoww season tonight?? I know, I'm weird. Moving on...

Breakfast

Breakfast was some left over bacon from Sunday morning. This was quite the gem when I opened the fridge and remembered it was in there. It reheated very well! Who doesn't love bacon?? I had a few people come in my "office" and ask what I was cooking....I guess the smell was a tease..Sorry guys! 

Lunch

I'm not going to post a picture of lunch. I had more leftovers from dinner Sunday night...In other words, more Russian Chicken and spaghetti squash. Womp Womp! There was SO much! 

Weird Goals???

What exactly do I mean by that??? Well... I have a very weird, and somewhat embarrassing, goal that I would like to reach during one of my work outs someday..

I would like to make my arms and shoulders sweat. WEIRD! I warned ya! 

This all stems from when I was living in a dorm for like 5 minutes (Sorry, Ness)! 

My roommate, and best friend since 6th grade, was a beast when she worked out. She and I would go down in to the basement gym to work out. She would jump on the elliptical or treadmill and just go! I noticed that she would literally have sweat pouring down her arms and at some point I made this my idea of a kick a** work out! Someday, Stac, someday....

We were awesome.

 I always wondered why naturally thin people worked out. I never (until now) put two and two  together to make myself realize that they work out to STAY healthy and fit! Such an odd realization, but it's true. I always wondered why they wouldn't enjoy just having the body they do. Guess what?? If naturally thin people don't work out, their bodies won't be as healthy either! Shocking! I know! So all my fellow chubbie ladies, you can quit hating on your naturally skinny best friend just because she hits up the gym when you would kill to just not have to. :)

So I took my chubbie lady self over to the gym after work for some cardio and lifting. I was supposed to take a class tonight, but wasn't feeling very social. Just wanted to do my own thing. I got in about 40 minutes on the elliptical (no shoulder sweat yet) and about 20 minutes of upper body. I am sore, but I love this kind of sore!

Dinner

 After my work out, I cooked up a DELICIOUS dinner! Breaded and baked chicken tenders, cauliflower "mac" n' cheese, and steamed green beans. I loved this meal. Turns out perfect every time.

The key to keeping baked chicken juicy and tender is vinegar. WHATTTT?? I learned this from a show I watched forever ago. When breading your chicken, put a TBS of vinegar in your egg/milk combo. The vinegar will break down the chicken a bit and it will turn out perfect every time! You won't taste it either! I bread my chicken with Special K protein cereal that I run through the food processor and season because it's lower in carbs and higher in protein than traditional bread crumbs. Makes for a nice crunch too!

I make my cauliflower and cheese just like I would make normal baked macaroni and cheese. Because I try and do low carb these days, I use mashed up cauliflower instead of noodles. Also quite yummy!

There you have it! Another day in my post-op life! :)

Have a great night!!!