6th month surgiversary

Yesterday marked the half-year mark since my surgery. These last 6 months have been some of the most frustrating, rewarding, and hardest months of my life. I've worked my butt off (quite literally!) I could probably go on and on for hours about the qazillion emotions, struggles, and successes of the last 6 months, but instead I am just going to share a few pictures.

I have come so far and I can't stop now. Thank you all so much for supporting me in my journey. This hasn't been easy and all you all have helped me so much!

With love,
Sarah

When life isn't in your favor

When I am at home I have the ability to be in complete control of what I eat. As a control freak I thrive in my own environment. I can plan out all my meals, weigh and measure all my portions, and know that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. The reality of the situation is that I can't always be at home and there will be times where I am put into a situation where the world isn't about me and my weight loss journey.

This week I found myself in one of those situations. I went out to a camp for a few days to serve as the waterfront director for a local school. It was a BEAUTIFUL location and I welcomed the opportunity to get out of town for a few days. I honestly had a great time; everyone stayed safe the the kids really had a lot of fun.

What I did not prepare for when I was out at camp was the food choices. There was one lady in the kitchen that was responsible for cooking for about 75 people, so as you can imagine we weren't given many (if any) alternative options. Our meals consisted of things like hot-dogs, french fries, french toast, sausage smothered with grease... almost no healthy options. There were a few meals where they did put out some celery and carrots, but for the most part I was struggling. On top of the meals they had a ton of cookies and candies that they served as snacks, and of course what's camp without s'mores! They even had a special cabinet of 'goodies' for the counselors and staff. I have a major sugar addiction and at home I am able to fight it some by keeping 'treats' out of the house, but at camp.... things didn't go so well on that front. To make matters worse I didn't have service on my phone so I couldn't even use MyFitnessPal app to see how bad things actually were.

I think was surprised me the most was how my body felt. Even though I was eating more than I had in months, I was constantly hungry. My energy levels were super low, so even when I tried to get moving and do some light exercise the motivation dwindled quickly. I stopped craving my yogurt and protein shakes while my mind turned toward that next cookie or candy bar. Bluntly, I felt like s***. I have can't believe I used to live like that all the time with that much sugar in my body. It was truly a wake up call and a great reinforcement that I am moving in the right direction with my health.

At camp, life was not in my favor. It wasn't the ideal environment that I had set up for myself at home and I struggled. I gained weight, felt like crap, and I've moved on. It's time to put all of that behind me and continue with my journey towards health and fitness.

So what have I learned from this whole experience? First of all I need to think ahead. I need to remember that most places I go will not be set up for WLS patients. I had the ability to pack and bring food from home if I would have thought about it. Also reflecting back I realized that exercise was always an option. No matter where you are all you have to do is keep moving. I am confident that next time adventure strikes I will be prepared with better food and exercise options. :-)

NSV (non-scale victory) of the week: I now fit in my husbands jacket!

I hope all of you are doing well! Enjoy your memorial day weekend!

Fighting the Chocolate Attack

My mind is screaming for anything and everything chocolate today! Instead of depriving myself I decided to indulge in a healthier way. My hope is that by doing this I can prevent a binge later (what would usually happen). I'm allowing myself two things. First these skinny cow dreamy clusters. They are delicious and truly hit the spot when the craving hits.

And then to prevent myself from grabbing two of these I am making one of my super chocolate protein shakes. At least this way I get some nutrition in and can call it lunch!

This shake is made with dark chocolate almond milk, Unjury chocolate splendor protein powder, and one serving PB2. I also added some frozen banana slices to thicken it up and make sure there was no room for anything else afterwards!

The end result was a lunch that crushed my chocolate cravings with 420 calories, and 27 grams of protein. Sure beats demolishing my husbands stash of icecream and oreos and feeling hungry and crappy in a few hours.

Question: What do you do when the craving hits?

New tab coming soon!

Before and After During pictures coming soon (when I get brave enough!)

I've decided to put them in their own tab so only those intentionally looking will find them.

:-)

TWO 5K races and a new commitment to fitness

The last time I updated I was preparing for a single 5K, but I am so proud to say that I've actually completed TWO! I am really starting to fall in love with running and am looking forward to challenging myself with longer distances. What I love most about running is that it is a very personal sport. You can race against yourself and set very personal goals. Coming from a competitive swimming background I love racing against my own time. I may not ever win first place, but I always am striving to beat my own personal best, and that's good enough for me!

Race Day overview: YMCA Run/Walk in Marquette, MI

This race was FREEZING! I think it may have hit 38 degrees by the time we ran... I'm sure glad I have thick yooper blood these days! Here is me before the race! I'm not sure what was going on with the guy in the apron behind me though...

I ended up finishing the race in 40:03 which was MUCH faster than I had anticipated! Micah actually missed me finish because I told him that if he was back in 45 minutes that he could have plenty of time to go to a store. 

The second 5K I did was a part of Journey's Marathon in Eagle River Wisconsin. Signing up for this race was a spur of the moment decision (the night before the race!) so I didn't have as much of a solid training schedule leading up to it. I am SO glad I did it! I was really starting to become lazy with my exercise and this race really put me back on track!

This race packet came with a ton of awesome swag! 

It was the most beautiful day that we have had all year! In the 60s with a light breeze and sun! Here I am before the race enjoying the beautiful weather and awesome shirt!

And after the race: I was a hot mess, but I finished! 

 I am also starting to notice more dramatic changes in my body. Even though the scale has been at a dreaded stall for the last month, I have been fitting in my clothes much differently. I can actually feel muscle coming through in my legs and calves, I feel STRONG! Loving it :-D Some not so nice things have started to show up as well. My boobs are definitely deflating and I'm starting to notice some loose skin. I'm trying to ignore it the best I can for now, but I know it is going to start getting to me sooner or later. 

As mentioned before I've gotten fairly lazy towards exercise after my first 5k, so I have decided to recommit myself to exercise and really focus on fitness this month. With the warmer weather finally arriving I figured there couldn't be a better time. I'm also hoping it will help get the scale moving again!

Wish me luck! 

Update: 2014 goals

At the beginning of the year I set some goals for myself. I'm usually one to forget about my goals about a month in, so I'm trying really hard to keep on top of my updates. I also find that checking back in helps me when I am struggling, and I have been struggling a lot lately.  Being only about 4 months into the year I am actually feeling pretty accomplished and motivated as I look at this list. I still have a good amount to go, but I'm making progress.

Weight Goals 

1. Lost 15 lbs 12/4/13
2. Lose 20 lbs 12/8/13
3. Lose 50 lbs 2/19/14
4. Lose 70 lbs [Current weight loss at 61 lbs] 
5. Lose 85 lbs 
6. Lose 100 lbs
7. Reach ultimate goal weight of 150

Fitness Goals 

1. Run a mile without stopping   1/16/14
2. Race another 5K   4/12/14
3. Run a mile under 10 minutes [current time 13:37]
4. Run 5 miles without stopping 
5. 365 miles for 365 days [Days so far in 2014: 120, Miles completed: 160]
6. Race my first 10K 
7. Complete Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred 
8. Go running with my husband and actually make him try
9. Complete an overnight backpacking trip 

General Goals

1. Get out of the morbidly obese category 2/24/14
2. Stop shopping at the plus size department 
3. Get out of the obese category

Have a great night and happy end of the semester!

Husband approved turkey BBQs with Sargento Cheese!

Hello!

I've been super busy finishing up my student teaching so I haven't gotten around to blogging much lately. Looking forward to summer and having more (too much?) time to relax and get my act together! Today I am excited to share with you a recipe that my little family just loves! The best part is that it can be sleeve (tiny tummy) friendly as well.

I've been experimenting with turkey in my cooking a lot lately because of the lower fat content but so far have had little luck impressing my picky husband. I've even tried to 'sneak it in' but he can always tell. When I finally found something that he actually enjoyed, I was ecstatic!

I based this recipe off of the Sargento Cheese website found here. I actually received some Sargento Ultra Thin cheese slices complimentary of Influenster to test and review.  If you haven't heard of Influenster I'd highly encourage you to check it out! It's a pretty sweet website where you can review the latest products. Sometimes you may even qualify for a Voxbox, which is when they send you free samples of the latest products to review. Well anyway, I received my Sargento Cheese slices in a Voxbox and I just LOVE them! They are all less than 40 calories a slice, and the thickness is perfect for my ham and cheese roll-ups. :-)

So, where were we? Ah, Turkey BBQs! 

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey breast

3/4 cup BBQ Sauce

1/2 diced red onion

Sargento Ultra Thin Cheese slices 

Directions 

Cook turkey until no longer pink, Add onion and BBQ Sauce and simmer 3-4 minutes or until heated through, Place on bun and top with cheese, Serve warm 

The nutrition facts can vary a ton based on the type of BBQ sauce and bun you use, but mine turned out to be around 300 calories and 31 grams of protein! Enjoy!

P.S - If you are interested in joining influenster I have plenty of invites left, so all you have to do is ask and I can get you set up :)