When coffee fell from heaven...

Some days it takes having too much of a bad thing for your body to finally let your brain know how bad it is for you. It's a well known secret by many of my friends that I struggle with sugar. I love it. It is probably one of the main reasons I gained so much weight in the first place. When I made the choice to have bariatric surgery I was told that there was a good chance my body wouldn't tolerate sugar anymore. After praying and praying for that it be the case it had seemed like my wish didn't come true. I seemed like I had a sleeve (my post surgical stomach) of steel that could tolerate whatever I put into it (as demonstrated by my last post where I ate tons of holiday treats). Today I learned otherwise. Sugar in a liquid form is the devil....

I have been enjoying my expensive coffee drinks quite frequently lately but I go for the sugar-free version. I did this to avoid the large amounts of calories that usually go along with these types of drinks. Well today when Micah and I went out for coffee I saw that the 'special' was an eggnog latte. Sounds amazing right!! Goodness that tasted like a piece of holiday heaven. However about 15 minutes after the cup was drained the nausea started to settle in.  I became dizzy, my heart started racing and I just felt sick sick sick. Turns out sugar in the liquid form moves through your system much faster which gave me minor case of dumping syndrome.

With all the talk about how artificial sugars are horrible for you I had been considering turning away from them. After today my body made it perfectly clear what it prefers.

Sugar-free for me!

Shame

Today was rough. Really rough. It started out well. I woke up, had my shake, then went to work. They were having a holiday party and I had a brilliant plan to only pick out one treat to have.

Before I knew it I had a full plate, and kept going back for more during the 3+ hours I was there. It's like that old fat person just came right back out and decided that stuffing my face was worth any consequences that it may have...

The rest of the day just spiraled down from there. I felt sick, depressed, and lost all motivation that I had for the day. I was ashamed. After all the hard work that I've done over the last year it's scary how quickly the old me can come back. The head games are real.

Sorry for the negative post but I am so sick of hearing how if you have weight loss surgery weight loss will be so easy and it will just fall right off. I've worked my butt off in the gym, refused my favorite foods countless times, and it's not like that is easy. I have the ability to stuff my face like today all the time. I CAN eat crap and I can eat plates full of it. If I give up today I could easily gain back all of the weight I've lost in the next few months.

It's days like this where I have to pick myself back up and start again tomorrow. I've come too far to give up.

Tomorrow is a new day.

December Goals

1. Complete my first Project10 Challenge

2. Complete all 30 days of the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred

3. Give PiYo a shot and start working on my flexibility

4. Don't be afraid of strength training

5. Use swimming as 'active recovery' instead of doing nothing when I'm sore


Short and simple. :-)

Moda VoxBox from Influenster!

Hey all!

I've been pretty quiet lately, but I can assure you things are still going strong! I haven't eaten the best over the holiday but thankfully the in-laws have a treadmill that I can use whenever I want!

I'm dropping in tonight to share this awesome VoxBox that I got recently from Influenster! (<- invite link) For those of you who don't know Influenster is a really sweet website where you review products and post about them to social media. Occasionally, they even send you a box of free (often full size!) products to review! This is called a VoxBox. I have been lucky enough to receive a good handful of these boxes and am excited to share my latest one with you. This has to be the best one yet!

Contents of the box:

- Rimmel London Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara

- Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick (red)

-  Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lip liner

- Puffs Softpack

- Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer

- Resource Natural Spring Water

- Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask + Coupon!

- Packet of Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa + Coupon!


Pretty awesome box of free stuff huh?! I can honestly say that I enjoyed testing every single product.

My favorite things by far were the hair mask and the cocoa. The hair mask smelled simply amazing and actually did a decent job taming this wild mane that I have going on here. Sadly it can only be found at Target so I haven't gotten a chance to use the coupon yet (nearest Target is 100+ miles away) ....but next time I head into Marquette I plan to try out Hair Food's line of shampoo and conditioner too! The Simply Cocoa was also amazing. I loved that it only had 5 ingredients and it was a perfect thing to come inside to after a few hours of shoveling.

The part of this box that I wasn't too excited for was the make-up. I'm not a big make-up person to start with so I felt pretty clueless. I even ended up googling how to use lip liner. Overall it just wasn't 'me'. The color made me feel silly and the lashes were a bit TOO big. This could totally be because I'm a make-up newbie and have to idea how to correctly apply these things, but either way I personally wasn't a fan.

The other contents of the box (the water, tissues, & lotion) were good products, but nothing to write home about. The water was good but I prefer my reusable water bottle over plastic and the tissues were.... tissues? I liked the lotion but the hubby was not a fan of the scent. Too bad because it felt great on my skin!

It was so much fun trying all these products! Thank you Influenster for the awesome box!


I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. 

My 1/2 marathon training plan

In case you missed it in my Project10 video I have recently come public with a very intimidating goal of mine to complete a 1/2 marathon in May of 2015. I'll be doing the Journey's Marathon in Eagle River, WI! It's the hubby's home town so it's the perfect location to visit. 

I have been spending a lot of time researching different training plans trying to figure out what would be the best for me. As of now I am not promising myself that I will run the whole thing. My goal is to finish, and if that requires a little walking along the way that is ok with me. However, if I were able to complete the race without walking that would be such an accomplishment! That being said my current plan is to train and plan to run the whole thing, but not to be disappointed if I don't! 

After a ton of research I think I have finally nailed down a solid plan. Starting now I will be working through my Couch-to-10k app three days a week. If I factor in missing a few days (probably due to snow storms) and a few repeat weeks, this should bring me into the middle of January. When I complete the Couch-to-10k program I will be at a point where I can run 60 minutes without stopping (or having to rest for a week afterwards), which is exactly where I want to be when I start my official 1/2 marathon training!! 

I have chosen an 18 week training program off the Garmin training site. This program not only includes 3 runs a week, but cross-training, Pilates, and body-weight exercises! Even if I am not able to run the whole 13.1 miles by the end of it at least I know I'll be a well balanced individual. I have also decided to invest in a Garmin Forerunner 220 to help me with my training at this point. It's a GPS watch so I can track my pace, distance, and time.Best of all I will be able to download my training program from Garmin's website onto the watch so the watch will give me alerts on when to run/walk/rest etc! I am so excited to have this nifty tool. 

Well there you have it! As of now I am super motivated and excited to embark on this couch to 13.1 plan! I'll be sending in my registration soon so I will have NO OPTION to back out! I'm sure the upcoming winter will give me quite the challenge, but I think I can do it!

P.S. Anybody looking for a running buddy?

Have a fabulous Sunday! 

Feeling accomplished

I'm 11 days into my Body by Vi Project10 challenge I can honestly say I'm feeling great. I love the shakes and so far I'd have to say they are the best tasting shakes I've ever had. Perfect for someone with a sweet tooth like me! My only complaint is that they don't seem to be as filling as my beloved Unjury shakes, but there is no contest with the taste. 

My highlight of the day was my workout. I ended up bribing the hubby into working out with me and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed having company after working out alone all these months! We did week 3 of the c25k and then finished up with a circuit workout at home. . I didn't feel nearly as silly doing burpees when he was doing them too! I'm hoping to be a lot better in the future about incorporating body-weight exercises and strength training into my routine.

I've seen a decent amount of weight loss during the Project10 so far too! However, I'm being cautious because I have also cut back on the carbs in my diet which I know can lead to a loss in water weight. Either way, I'm still enjoying the lower numbers! Hope you all have a great night!

Project10 Challenge for Kids

I've decided to stop putting "Day X" on my titles because I've done a pretty poor job sticking to daily posts in October. However, I still am fulling planning on continuing my 31 days of movement and linking them up to my '31 Days' original post, so I promise I'm not giving up!

I am very excited to announce that I have accepted a Project10 challenge with ViSalus! I first heard about ViSalus by a friend from high school who has had absolutely amazing results. Since starting this product not only has she lost 70+lbs, but she is off almost all of her medications, and now takes 10x less insulin per day! Amazing huh! Let's just say I was intrigued. This product clearly was effective, but I already have my own type of protein shakes that I really do love. What convinced me to try their products was when I heard about their Project10 for kids. If you purchase one of their challenge kits and lose 10lbs during the 90 day challenge, ViSalus donates 30 meals on your behalf to kids in need. What an amazing program! Not only can I continue on my own health and fitness journey with nutritious shakes, but I can help kids in need at the same time. I am so excited to have accepted my challenge and my kit should arrive by Tuesday! (I really hope I like it!)

As a part of the challenge I had to submit a video of my first weigh-in. I wasn't too happy about shouting my weight out to the world, but it's even more incentive to film that second video when I'm 10lbs down.

As you might have seen in the video, I have also shared that I will be running (maybe some walking in there too) my first 1/2 marathon in May 2015! I am SO excited and nervous about this! Most of my free time the last few days has been spent checking out different training plans. :-) I can't wait to document this Journey as well (haha no pun intended, but I am doing the Journey's 1/2 marathon in Eagle River, WI!) This will be quite the adventure!

Wish me luck!

*P.S the Project10 program has a system where if you refer 3 people you get your kit for free, so if you're by any chance interested in accepting the challenge as well hit me up for my referral website!

Day 6: Moving day is MOVING day!

Exciting news!!! I've been pretty quiet lately because we've been busy buying and moving into our OWN house! I'm completely in love :-) Things are finally starting to come together so it feels little less chaotic and more homey. I promise I will have pictures of the inside soon, but in the mean time here is the outside!

What you can't see in the picture is Micah's huge two car garage attached to the side. I am SO glad he finally has a garage large enough to fit both our cars AND all of his tools.

Moving really got me MOVING! Check out my Vivofit steps from the last few days. I'm proud to say I haven't been slacking! :-)

Happy hump day everyone! I'm off for a run! 

Day 5: Goal setting + my 2014 goal updates!

Not much has been more motivating to me in this journey as goal setting. I love setting goals and since I'm competing against myself it gives me the extra drive to get going without the temptation to compare myself to others. Like most of us out there, I have always made lots of fitness and weight loss goals around the new year. In the past I've done great for about the first month, only to to eventually give up and let them fall by the wayside.

This year I did things a bit differently and so far have had great success sticking with my goals and keeping them in mind. Here are the steps I followed that (so far) have worked great for me!

• Set multiple, obtainable goals - for instance, instead of setting out with my only goal to lose 100lbs, I set multiple, smaller weight-loss goals. For me this helps keep me from getting discouraged because I am soooo far away from achieving it. Plus, it is SO motivating to be able to check things off my list! 

• Make your goals 'public' - This is pretty much the whole point of this little blog I have here. When your goals are public you are holding yourself accountable to whomever you decide to share them with. Your goals are usually a very personal thing, so I use the term 'public' lightly

• Set daily or weekly goals that will help work towards you main ones - Little things like getting your 10,000 steps in a day, or refusing to take the elevator this week at work can help you work towards many of your health and fitness goals! 

• Write them down and keep them visible! - Out of sight out of mind right? 

• Take pride in your accomplishments, and don't get down if you don't accomplish everything - When I am finally able to cross a goal off my list it gives me such a sense of accomplishment. However, there are some goals on my list that I probably won't get around to this year. O well, they'll make perfect 2015 goals! If I accomplished everything then they were too easy right?! 

**And now my updated 2014 goals! I was able to cross a few more off my list and am getting closer and closer to some more of them! Come at me December 31st!

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 7/11/14
5. Lose 85 lbs 
6. Lose 100 lbs
7. Reach goal weight of 150

Fitness Goals 

1. Run a mile without stopping   1/16/14
2. Race another 5K   4/12/14
3. Run 5 miles without stopping 5/31/14
4. 365 miles for 365 days 8/25/14 [403 miles so far in 2014!] 
5. Run a mile under 10 minutes [Current time 11:46!] 
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 8/10/14
3. Get out of the obese category

Happy goal setting!

-Sarah

Day 4: I joined a running club!

I've never been comfortable calling myself a runner. I DO run, I just run slowly.  In fact, it was two years ago from this day when I ran my first 5K. Since then, I've completed a handful more 5Ks and even two 5 mile races. What I love about running is that it is very personal. I love racing against my own time and working towards improving my personal best. Ok, I love running only when I've been running.  When I've been training for a few weeks I feel good! I get the runners high, and have no problem motivating myself for my next run. However, when I've taken a few weeks.....or months.... off, I hate it. It's SO hard for me to get back going again. Since winter is coming soon, I had started looking for ways that I could motivate myself to say active through the brutal cold and snow (besides shoveling of course!) I wasn't necessarily looking into run clubs, but when I saw The Balanced Life Run Club it just seemed like the perfect opportunity! It did cost me $27 to join, but 10% of the proceeds are donated. Also, now that I paid for it I have another reason to actually stick with it and participate!

As apart of this running club I will be jumping back into my C25K runs at week six and try to regain some of that endurance that I lost. Today I was able to complete my run but I sure did struggle!

I am so much looking forward to what this group of ladies has to bring! I've already been so motivated by hearing other people's stories and about their relationship with running. It's going to be great.

Have a great night!
-Sarah

Day 3: Who's perfect? My 4 minute workout

Hello there again! I've already missed a few blogging my 31 days and it's just the beginning! But who's perfect right? The weather up here has been pretty nasty the last few days. Cold, rainy, and even some snowy rain. I'm not going to call it the first snow of the year yet because it was more like slush, but it's coming soon!

The latest weather was definitely NOT motivating me to get my move on. Snuggling up with coffee and movies just sounded so much better :-) Yesterday we did end up getting out of the house a bit. The hubby is really into 'Jeeping' so we took the Jeep up north with some friends to hit the back trails and look at all the beautiful colors.

It was an amazing time, but I did spend the majority of my day sitting on my butt. We even hit up Applebees 1/2 off apps afterwards so by the time we got home I was SO ready for bed. But then I thought, "Crap, I made a goal to do SOMETHING everyday, and I can't miss two days in a row!?" and after missing the first day out of pure laziness (it happens right?) I decided to bust out my 4 minute Tabata Kettlebell workout.

I don't remember when I first heard about Tabata, but now it's become a regular for sneaking in a very quick workout at the end of the day. With any Tabata workout, you choose a high-intensity exercise, in my case I did kettlebell swings, work HARD for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and repeat that sequence for eight rounds. I even use a Tabata app on my phone that tells me exactly when to start and stop. I love it. Even though it only takes 4 minutes, I really feel like I had a longer workout the next morning. If you're interested, you can learn a bit more about Tabata here.

Have a fantastic Sunday everyone!

Day 2: Group fitness classes

Yesterday marked day 1 of both the 31 days of writing challenge and my personal goal of moving my arse intentionally everyday.  I chose to go back to one of my favorite group fitness class called Core & More. Back when I was still a student I took the opportunity to get a bunch of punch cards at the student pricing before graduating. (score!) What I love about the punch cards is that they take a whole year to expire! This way I don't have to worry about paying for a full class with my variable schedule.  As you can see I don't go often, but it is always well worth it when I do.

I used to be SO intimidated by these classes!  It didn't take long to realize that I wasn't being judged, that my body was capable, and that it was a really fun way to get through a workout that I probably would have skipped otherwise. I tend to lean towards taking a class on days where I'm just not feeling that motivated. No one is going to know if I skip out on my treadmill workout early, but if I leave the group workout in the middle there are sure to be questions. (usually a kind instructor making sure I'm not injured). Plus, whenever I start to feel like I just can't do it anymore I look around and get super motivated by the other people sweating it out. In reality I'm sure it's the competitive side of me coming out. I'll push myself a little further and harder just to make sure I'm not the first one to drop the weights or a take a break.

If you're considering going to a group fitness class for the first time I'd highly recommend it! I am in no way an expert, but below are some tips that I would share to anybody interested!

1. Don't be nervous! In my experience the environment has always been very supportive. If you are nervous ask some friends who have gone before or recruit some to go with you! Don't worry that you won't be able to complete the workout. First check that the class isn't something like 'advanced only' and then any good instructor will suggest ways to modify the exercises to various abilities.

2. Arrive early. This way you can meet with the instructor and see if there is anything you should know before class. Explain that this is your first time and you want to be prepared.

3. Start with lighter weights and then move up if needed. There is nothing worse than shredding your muscles 10 minutes in and then feeling like a limp noodle the rest of the class!

4. When choosing what to wear, go with functionality over cuteness. Everyone is too busy working out out to care about what you're wearing. Might as well be comfortable!

5. Have fun! Enjoy yourself, get a good workout, and give the class a few tries before making a solid decision on if you like it or not.

Hope you all have a blessed day!
-Sarah

31 Days of Movement

October has to be one of my favorite months! Beautiful colors, comfortable weather, and usually the first snow flakes of the year. I don't know about you guys but I woke up this morning with the feeling that it was going to be an absolutely amazing month. The hubby and I have some exciting things coming our way as well! (No, it's not grand kids yet mom)...

I recently found out about this awesome 31 days of writing challenge through a few other bloggers I follow and thought why not join in the fun.  This challenge encourages bloggers to pick one topic to write about everyday in October. My topic of choice is directly connected to my single goal for October.

Move.Every.Day.

I'll be checking in each day to discuss and share with you all the ways I'm discovering to incorporate more movement into my everyday life. This will range from things like taking the stairs to the new exercise classes I'm planning on trying. My goal is to be intentional. Here's my catch. I can't just talk about how I could be moving more each day, but I actually have to get other there and do it!

It should be fun and motivating right?! Hope so!

Day 1: Introduction (you are here :)! )
Day 2: Group Fitness Classes
Day 3: Who's perfect? My 4 minute workout
Day 4: I joined a running club! 
Day 5: Goal setting + my 2014 goal updates!
Day 6: Moving day is MOVING day
Day 7: Project10 Challenge for Kids
Day 8: Feeling Accomplished
Day 9: My 1/2 marathon training plan

How many calories?! Learning from my mistakes

I'm sure you've all be there at some point. You sit down to a nice meal and thoroughly enjoy the whole thing thinking you've made a healthy choice. A couple of hours later you finally get around logging your meal in MyFitnessPal and your jaw hits the floor. I ate WHAT?!? To be honest I've had this happen quite a few times lately. I now know better, but here are some 'healthy' foods that I will think twice about ordering again!

**I was planning on adding some sweet pics of these meals, but I wasn't able to go out and take them all myself and I'm pretty sure it's illegal to post the pics from google, so I apologize about the lack of images! Time to start busting out my DSL ! 

1. Jimmy John's #12 Beach club unwich

You're skipping the bread so this should be good right? This unwich actually contains 470 calories, 37.5 grams of fat, 90mg of cholesterol, and HALF your daily value of sodium!


2. Applebees green bean crispers (appetizer) 

Sure they're deep fried, but they're mostly green beans right? They can't be THAT bad!? To most peoples credit, you probably wouldn't eat the whole appetizer yourself, but would you guess that a plate of these crispers has 900 calories, 86 grams of fat, 65 carbs and 1550mg of sodium?! Yeah, it surprised me too! If you're planning on eating the whole plate, you're better off going to the mozzarella sticks! 

3. Caesar salad with grilled chicken (applebees) 

Can you tell I like applebees? There aren't many restaurant options up north so we tend to visit the same few frequently. I've always heard that Caesar dressing was a huge calorie tank but I figured it wouldn't be too bad of a choice. The chicken was even grilled and not fried ! Lone be hold it came out to 800 calories and 56 grams of fat. Don't automatically think your salads are safe! If you went for the pecan crusted chicken salad you would have found yourself 1340 calories in the hole for the day! 

4. Vitamin Water 

The description just sounds healthy! Most flavors carry 120 calories and 31 grams of sugar! the Vitamin water now has a 'zero' brand that is much better if you're craving a sweet drink with less calories. 

5. Apple cider

It's that time of year! Apple and pumpkin everything. I've never thought twice about getting cider before, but this year when I checked into it I found it to be around 117 calories and 27 grams of sugar for one cup. As someone who is trying to limit my sugar intake this seasonal favorite is going to turn into a very RARE treat. (aka stealing sips from my husband's glass)


Yep, I've made all the above choices but now it is so nice to know better :-) My weight loss has been SLOW lately but I'm trying to keep my head up and push through. Time to plan a workout for tonight and get motivated!

With love,
Sarah 

A week without the scale

So every year my family goes out to Lake Ann, Michigan for a camping trip and it's always an amazing time! My dad is an incredible cook and is famous for his grilling. One of the food highlights this year was making homemade tomato sauce over the fire! The tomatoes came straight from my dad's garden and the results were SO GOOD!

During the 8 hour drive downstate I made the decision that I wasn't going to track my food for the week. I also knew that there wasn't a scale in the middle of the woods, so I had to focus on making good choices, but not obsessing over them.

My relationship with the scale has never been the healthiest. I weigh at least once daily and often allow that morning number to dictate my mood for the rest of the day. This is something I have been working on, but still have lots of room for improvement. So yes, camping! The week was amazing :-) It was so freeing not to be tracking my food at every meal! I tried my best to focus on healthy choices and had lots of fun teaching my mom about high protein foods. I followed my plan for the most part, but did have a 'treat' almost every evening (these indulgences included s'mores, icecream, and hard cider)!

For the most part I felt I was doing pretty good! I went with quest bars in the morning instead of the doughnuts and made sure to have protein at every meal. I even got some exercise in! Mentally I was in a good spot.

Then the last day came around and I started to have some serious anxiety. What if I gained weight? I didn't track, how many calories were in those s'mores? Did I get enough 'intense' exercise? All these questions seemed to hit me all at once until I had convinced myself I had gained 10 lbs over my trip and it would take weeks to undo all my bad choices. I was dreading getting back on that scale when I got home!

We packed up and went home. P.S isn't my puppy adorable! She didn't want us to leave!

So I got home and guess what? No weight gain! I even lost a little... So what did I learn?

• I have a lot of work to do mentally on this journey. The scale can't make or break me. I need to focus on how I feel, my energy levels, and my overall health! 
• I can actually lose weight even if I don't track my food! (I still will but won't freak out if I miss a day) 
• Little treats (on special occasions) will not undo all the hard work I have done
• I have the best support group ever :) Thanks guys for telling me to relax and just enjoy my trip! 

It was such an amazing trip and I already am looking forward to next year!

God Bless,
Sarah 

Talking about my (not so tiny) tummy - 9mth post-op

For the most part I haven't focused my blog posts specifically on my surgery because I knew going into this that the surgery could only get me so far. I knew I needed to focus on the total lifestyle change and not just my tiny tummy. Sometimes I do get the occasional person who misses that fact when just glancing through my posts and I find myself feeling really guilty. I mean besides the posts titled "Why I have decided to go through with bariatric surgery" or "Day of Surgery" I can totally see how my other references could be subtle enough to miss. I hope that everyone understands that I was in no way trying to hide that piece of information from you all. It just hasn't been my primary focus when moving towards my goals of achieving true health and fitness... vs just getting skinny.

With that being said I'm going to talk about my tummy for a bit. At this point I just need to get these fears and concerns out there because I know nothing good will come from holding them in.

My tiny tummy is not so tiny... 

I'm afraid that I have somehow either stretched out my stomach, it was made too large to start with, or I have something else going on. I know the comparison game is a dangerous one, but I can eat a whole heck of a lot more than other sleevers. Like a lot.  I brought this up with my doctor and got a lot of great advice and information. I'm going to share this information as it applies to my personal situation. My hope is that if you are also concerned about your capacity that this post can help you gain the confidence (and give you some questions) to bring up the subject with your own doctor. I am not a professional, so please make sure to consult one before making any major changes to your plan.

An interesting fact:

As many of us know the gastric sleeve is a fairly new surgery in the bariatric world and new research is coming in every day. According to my doctor (I wish I asked for the article he was citing) they are finding that even though the sleeve patient has a much smaller stomach post surgery, it can empty much faster than it used to. This doesn't happen to everybody, but can be a big problem with others and can cause increased hunger along with an apparent larger capacity.

Because it is difficult to stretch the sleeve, this could potentially be what is going on with me. Here are some things that he suggested to try for that.

• Stopping eating before feeling 'full' - This one is very difficult for me. I have almost always used full as my signal to stop eating. Now I have to learn to slow down, listen to my body, and stop eating when I no longer feel hungry. 

• Drink ice water - The cold of the ice water can cause the stomach to temporarily tighten up given you slightly more restriction 

In addition to doing the above things, I was also told to become much more consistent with eating. I am now supposed to eat 4 meals a day, around the same times each day with around the same number of calories and protein in each meal. My eating was all over the map and my NUT wants to avoid confusing my metabolism too much, which makes sense. I am also supposed to be more consistent with exercise, working out 5 days a week. Three of the days with 40 minutes cardio, and the other two days 20 minutes cardio and 20 minutes strength training. This more consistent exercise is preferred to what I was doing where I would go super hard and long for a few days then take a 4-5 days completely off. 

Hopefully you've found something useful or interesting above! I'm looking forward to taking all the above advice and continuing on in my journey. :-) As of now I have lost 62% of my excess weight. I have come SO far but still have a ways to go. Keep on keeping on!

With love,
Sarah 

Hydration

The benefits (and necessity!) of staying hydrated are almost too many to count! To be honest I was never the best at drinking water and almost never reached the recommended 64oz a day.  Now that I've been focusing on my health water has become a priority and it's crazy how much better I feel! Now that I've actually been keeping myself hydrated I noticed the effects of dehydration so much more... Headaches, fatigue, grumpiness... even increased hunger! Did you know that your brain easily mixes up the signals for hunger and thirst? So if you're feeling hungry when you know you shouldn't be chug some of that lovely H20! You may be surprised :)

Everybody is different, but if you struggle with getting enough water (like I did) here are the tips that I used in order to increase my intake.

1. Find a water bottle that you LOVE! For me I found that I drink so much more water when I drink through a straw. I love not having to worry about spilling all over my face at the gym or tipping the bottle in front of my face while driving. My personal favorite is the Camelbak Eddy Bottle <--- Amazon link here! I love that mine is completely leak proof! This allows me to take it everywhere *hint next tip!

2. Take it everywhere! My doctor hit this nail on the head at my three month post-op appointment. I was explaining to her how I was struggling to hit my water goals when she asked me "So where is your water bottle?" I didn't bring it with me into the doctor's office! Silly me! I literally take it everywhere now. In the shower, the car, my bed.... The leak-proof design makes it perfect for all of those things.

3. Measure out your water at the beginning of the day. I use a Pur water filter pitcher to fill up my Nalgene (yay race swag) . My Camelbak doesn't have good measurement markings on it, but I know I have to have at least two full bottles of Nalgene a day to hit my goal of 64oz. Here is a not so amazing pic of my set-up. I guess I'm a fan of the color blue.

I try to keep the pitcher full all the time and leave it in the fridge. Some days I'll throw some lemon slices in the bottom for some flavoring. Even though my tap water tastes fine I'm a fan of the filter pitcher because it make the water feel more fancy. (does that make any sense?) However there are definitely some days where I skip right to the Nalgene. I'll usually leave the Nalgene in the fridge as well and fill my Camelbak up from that. I could make things a lot simpler for myself and just mark my 64oz right on the pitcher, but I want to make sure that is available if we have any guests over and I don't want other people messing with my measurements :) 

4. Don't count anything with caffeine towards your intake. Caffeine has a diuretic effect which can actually dehydrate you!

5. Flavor it! Try out the sugar free powders and flavor squirt bottles. This is seriously the only way I can get my husband to drink anything. They also make some sweet water bottles these days where you can infuse your own flavors with real lemon or fruit. I haven't tried it yet myself but I am planning on getting one soon! 

6. Lastly, always have one cup of water before having any other type of beverage. I find that even if I'm craving that diet soda, if I have the water first I generally find I'm satisfied having just that. It's saved me lots of money going out to eat which is an awesome bonus! Plus, even if you are still craving that other drink afterwards, your one step closer to your hydration goal for the day so you don't have to feel as guilty about it! 

Hope you all have an amazing weekend and don't forget to drink up! You may be surprised how much better you feel with even just a little bit more of the good ole stuff! 

God Bless! 

Our Kayaking Adventure

Since I've been trying to include more exercise into my life I've had a difficult time pulling the hubby along. Micah, my naturally tall and skinny husband, just isn't a fan of traditional workouts. He hates the gym, and since we have such a difference in athletic ability it's been very hard to find active things that we can do together. 

Despite his strong dislike for running, he did agree to go with me to try it out. We had a plan that we would do week one of my couch-to-5K program; me sprinting and Micah slowly jogging. (ok this guy is ALL legs...) The hope was that using this method we would be able to stick together. It worked OK I guess. I was really struggling to keep up with his slow jog so he ended up switching between that and power walking. I am just at that awkward speed where I'm too fast for him to walk but too slow for him to run. Even though it didn't work out as planned I had so much fun! It was so encouraging to have the love of my life out there with me! In an otherwise pretty isolating journey I truly felt supported. After the run I reached out on my facebook page for other ideas of active things that we could do together. I received so many amazing ideas (thanks everyone!!!) ! We decided to rent some kayaks for the weekend and go on an adventure! 

We woke up bright and early Saturday morning to pick up our kayaks! Our college has an amazing outdoor adventure program which offers services like kayak rental for a great price. I'm surprised we didn't take advantage of their services earlier! We loaded up the jeep and headed north into the Keweenaw Peninsula! 

We ended up at Schlatter Lake. It's a remote lake that took some serious off-roading to reach. We unloaded the kayaks, and had a great time paddling around the lake! It was absolutely beautiful! 

We attempted to get some pictures of us together but my front-facing camera was being annoying and washed out all the pictures.

We were sad that the camera wasn't working....

One of the highlights of the trip was finding a river off of the lake to explore! It was a blast trying to navigate all of the fallen trees and other obstacles. It was a great workout too! My arms and shoulders were definitely burning by the end! 

After we were done paddling we headed out to the Keweenaw rocket range for a cookout! It's a really cool spot on Lake Superior ! It was the location of Michigan's first rocket launch!

I built the fire and was pretty proud of myself. The campfire pit and logs were already set up from previous visitors!

Micah cooked the brats right over the fire! 

Can't forget the veggies! Even if they are from a can :)

It was such a great adventure! I loved that we were able to do something active together without out having a huge ability difference. We had such a great time that we hope to purchase kayaks of our own in the future. Thanks everybody for your awesome suggestions! 

If you are working on adding more activity to your life I'd highly suggest getting your spouse or significant other involved! It is super motivating and a great step towards maintaining your healthy lifestyle changes. 

Do you have any healthy activities that you like to do (or want to try) with your family?

On our future list: Badminton, biking, hiking, and rock climbing!

God Bless,

Sarah 

WIAW (What I ate Wednesday) #2

Hello!

I'm happy to share another WIAW with you! I've been doing better with the sugar which is great but it's still a work in progress :)

Breakfast: Mocha Frappe Protein Shake (totally reused last week's picture) However this week I did add some chia seeds -high protein, low carb, low sugar 

• One Cup Unsweetened Almond milk
• One Scoop Chocolate Unjury 
• One tablespoon instant coffee
• One tablespoon unsweetened coco powder 
• Half tablespoon chia seeds soaked overnight in one tablespoon water 
• Three ice cubes 

Lunch: Leftover grilled chicken panini & homemade potato chips from last night's date & green beans from my garden! -high protein, fresh home-grown veggies, probably too many carbs

Dinner: Taco salad with lettuce from the garden & skinnytaste zucchini tots - I ate about 1/2 of what's pictured 

In the salad:

• 3 cups romaine lettuce
• one ounce shredded cheese
• one tablespoon salsa
• 1/4 cup ground beef with taco seasoning 

Dessert: Leftover fruit and yogurt smoothie turned into a popsicle (so tasty!)

Hope you all are having a great week! My 5-mile race went excellent :-) more details to come! 

Low(er) carb update

I mentioned earlier that I was going to try to experiment with lower carbs this month because my trend of higher carbs = higher cravings. So far things have been going ok at best on this front. I haven't been consistent enough to get a handle on what my body needs. I've had a few good days, but it seems like life always takes over by offering me a s'more or something else delicious soon after (no I can NOT say no to s'mores). However I have been able to successfully create some lower carb meals such as this portobello mushroom pizza seen below.

I also have a new obsession with kale chips! I honestly think I like them better than potato chips despite the disgusted looks Micah gives me when I make them. I was lucky enough to stumble upon some locally grown kale that was just out of this world!

I'm going to continue to work on having more low(er) carb options. At this point I want to avoid following a specific program (like Adkins) because I want to make sure my diet is balanced and sustainable. However if I continue to struggle with consistency I may start to follow something. Sugar is my biggest enemy right now, so we shall see.

In other news I have a 5-mile race coming up this Saturday!! I am SO excited for it and am really hoping to finish in under my current best time of 71 minutes. I've heard rumors that the last 2 miles are up hill so it will be a challenge for sure!

Leading up to the race here is my current workout plan! Hopefully I'll be rested enough

Tuesday (today): Elliptical weight loss program (30min) + C25K week one at 6mph (fast for me!)
Wednesday: 1,500 yrd swim
Thursday: Hike Isle Royale (2-6 miles depending) <----- This is part of my amazing summer job!
Friday: Lots of Stretching + 2 mile walk around the lake
Saturday: The Canal Run!!! 5 miles

With love,
Sarah

WIAW (What I ate Wednesday) #1

Hello All!

I've been asked by a few people to share my food logs, and while I think what you eat is a very personal thing I know that I benefited when other people have shared theirs with me. Not only did they give me some great healthy meal  ideas, but I was encouraged by their honesty and willingness to put that out there. Since one of my goals this month is track my food intake honestly and accurately, I figured I would start sharing my WIAW or 'What I ate Wednesday'. Heck, at least it will help motivate me to make better choices on Wednesday's right? :-)

I would like everybody to keep in mind that I am a bariatric surgery patient, and that my diet is under constant doctor supervision. Remember to talk to your doctor before making any major changes in your diet. Even among bariatric patients there is a ton of variance over the amount of food we are able to eat. Instead of including the calorie/macro information for my WIAW, I be making comments on why or why not it was a good food choice (Example: High protein, low sugar, etc...) If you are interested in my specific calorie or other diet restrictions please feel free to private message me over on my facebook page, or follow me on myfitnesspal

Breakfast: Mocha Frappe Protein Shake  - high protein, low carb, low sugar 

• One Cup Unsweetened Almond milk
• One Scoop Chocolate Unjury 
• One tablespoon instant coffee
• One tablespoon unsweetened coco powder 
• Three ice cubes 

Morning Snack: 1/2 serving Fiber One Chocolate Cereal - low sugar, high fiber

Lunch: Mix the tasty things together: Fresh fruit, high protein, high fiber

• One serving Fiber One cereal
• One serving Fage 0% plain greek yogurt sweetened with one squirt liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup local strawberries 

Dinner: So yummy  - Low carb, high protein, fresh veggies 

• Salad with feta cheese, grape tomatoes, lettuce from my garden and low cal dressing
• Hillshire Farm - Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken Breast, 2 oz.
• One garlic herb Laughing Cow cheese wedge

Dessert: One serving Praline Pumpkin Seeds - Higher fat, higher sugar, difficult to only eat one serving

Evening Snack(s): Wasabi peas and Quest Bar
Peas - fulfilled crunchy snack craving, higher carb
Quest - fulfilled sweet tooth, high protein, high fiber, low carb, high calories for a snack

Well I hope you enjoyed my first WIAW :)

What are you thoughts? Would you prefer to see specific macro information or does putting this this way help to avoid the comparison game/over analyzing? I just want to encourage people to make food choices based on what is good for their bodies instead of pure calorie intake. I'm open for suggestions :)

with love,
Sarah

July food and fitness goals

Hello! It's so hard to believe that it's July already! I'm loving the 60 and 70 degree weather that we've been having lately :) This has to be the most comfortable summer I've ever experienced! July also marks the 1/2 way point for our 2014 New Years resolution goals. I recently updated mine here, and am proud to say I have completed about 37% of my goals. I consider this a victory because I don't think I've met ANY resolutions in the past.

Here are my food and fitness goals that I hope to accomplish this July

Food:

1. Track all my food intake honestly and accurately! This month I have started to slack with my food logs. Tracking is really important for me not only so I can see what is and isn't working, but so I can share the information with my nutritionist as well. No more 'accidentally' forgetting to track those late night treats or my grazing snacks during the day. Those calories add up! If anybody is interested in friending me on MyFitnessPal my username is skuiper317  

2. Continue to experiment with lower carb intake. So far I have been able to cut back on my carbs slightly, but they are still heavy in my diet. This month I am going to experiment a lot more with low carb options and continue to listen to my body. I plan on putting my new spiralizer to good use! 

3. Be mindful of portion sizes. For a gastric sleeve patient I have a much larger capacity than most. In some instances I find that I can eat almost double of other sleevers. (yes I'm guilty of the comparison game) I tend to get really stressed out about this and worried that I messed up my tiny tummy. This month instead of focusing on how much I CAN eat, I am going to focus on how much I NEED to eat. I don't need to leave every meal feeling super full. 

4. Find at least one healthy meal that my husband enjoys enough to eat regularly. I'm married to a super picky eater who is NOT a fan of salads or vegetables. He is no where near overweight and while he is supportive of me eating healthier, it has been difficult to find healthy meals we both can enjoy together. Traditionally, he does most of the cooking, but this month I hope to do a lot more in attempt to find healthy meals for the both of us! 

Fitness:

1. Run 3 days a week. I've been slacking on my running lately but I have a 5-mile race coming up! Time to continue with my Couch-to-10K program! 

2. Attend a bootcamp class. I purchased a punch-card for this class early this summer but have yet to attend one. Time to get my butt out of bed super early and get a great workout!

3. 10,000 steps a day! I track my steps on my Garmin Vivofit. 

4. Plan my workouts, put them in my calender, and do them! I love planning :-) time to treat my workouts as appointments and become more consistent! 

Also, I have made a Facebook page dedicated to this blog! Please feel free to stop by, check it out and give it a 'like'. On Facebook I'm a lot better at updating about my day-to-day journey and I also share a lot of great things from other sources such as recipes and motivation :)

https://www.facebook.com/projecthealthandfitnessblog 

What are your short term food and fitness goals? 

With love,

Sarah 

Recognizing a problem

To be honest for the last week or so I've been struggling. I've stayed pretty consistent with my exercise, but my eating had gotten out of control. I was CONSTANTLY craving more food and even though  I wasn't hungry my head told me to have more. My will power also seemed to be lacking. Another thing that got me really discouraged is that I had gotten really close to breaking out of the 200's only to climb back up again. In my mind 200 seemed like a huge barrier and I started seriously doubting my ability to break through it.
I reached out to my FB support group and got some wonderful advice. They told me to take a serious and honest look at my food logs. It didn't take me long to recognize the problem.

Carbs. Unlike most bariatric patents I have never really jumped on the low-carb bandwagon. Following the advice of my nutritionist, I just focused on having balanced meals and avoiding the processed and 'white' carbs. She told me that if I focused on my protein and veggies I shouldn't need to restrict that carbs that much. I completely agree with her balanced eating program, but when looking at my food diary I noticed that I had moved away from those 'good' carbs a lot more than I should, and the result was never good. When I ate these refined carbohydrates and sugar it was always more than one serving. In addition to that the trend for the day was even more carbs! I have come to realize that for me personally, eating carbs means craving carbs.

So now what? I have decided that it is time to start carb counting, at least for a few weeks. I haven't decided on a number yet besides 'considerably' lower. I'm going to try to do this by adjusting things slowly, paying attention to my energy levels and cravings, and hoping my body will tell me where I need to be. Many of my other friends who do eat lower carb report less cravings and better weight loss which sounds amazing to me right about now. I can tell you I am looking forward to KILLING that 200lb wall! I'll for sure be checking in and reporting how this diet change is going for me.

I leave you with this bit of motivation that has truly helped me get through the last few days.

God Bless!

Protein peanut butter cups

As most of you have probably figured out by now, I have a killer sweet tooth. I also have another small addiction... Pinterest. While browsing one day I happened to stumble across a few different pins for protein peanut butter cups. YUM! By looking at these I was able to come up with my own recipe that has no added sugar, and no more ingredients than I would put in my protein shakes. Though these weren't as sweet as the candy variety I thought that they still tasted very good and they are definitely something that I will be making again!

Protein Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients 

4 tin foil cupcake cups 

1 scoop Unjury chocolate protein powder (or your preferred brand) 

1 tablespoon coco powder 

2 tablespoons plain Fage 0% greek yogurt

3 tablespoons of PB2 

1 packet Truvia or Honey 

water 

Directions

In one small bowl mix the greek yogurt, protein powder, coco powder, and truvia/honey. Slowly add in a little bit of water at a time while mixing until the chocolate mixture is liquid enough to pour. Set aside. 

In a second bowl add the PB2 and again just enough water for the peanut butter mixture to be easy to pour. 

Then prepare your cupcake tins by placing them in a Tupperware container. This container should be the size where the cupcake tins are all touching and can support each other, but are not crushed in. Then pour about 1/2 the chocolate mixture evenly into the cups, followed by the entire peanut butter mixture. Top with the remaining chocolate and put in the freezer for at least an hour. Enjoy! 

Nutrition facts for one peanut butter cup (using Truvia not honey)

 50 calories, 5 carbs, 1 gram fat, 8 grams protein, 2 grams sugar

P.S. It's ok to eat more than one! 

Recipe very slightly modified from   http://aleshahaley.com/2013/09/12/protein-peanut-butter-cups-clean-eating/ 

Transformation Tuesday

My transformation so far..

I'm feeling stronger, I'm feeling healthier, I'm feeling happier. I now know that my body is capable of so much more than I ever gave it credit for. I am learning to take care of myself properly, eat for fuel, and become more active in my everyday life. The gym is no longer a place of dread, and I am starting to call myself a runner.

Loving life and looking forward to what the future has to hold.

Love, 

Sarah

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!