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!

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.

:-)