Leaderboard

I just came back home from a huge conference. I was ever so tired. Mom was bugging me about dinner. Sisters were bugging me about dinner. The dog was bugging me about dinner. I swore, my neighbors were bugging me about dinner as well......So I was like "Screw it....Let me make something quick, so these people can shut up" (Talk about family dynamics) So I decided to make an awesome healthy shepherd's pie.The meal serves 6. What you need. 5 large Sweet Potatoes (or Large Eastern Potatoes) 1 Green onion. 1 sweet red pepper 1.5 cup of frozen peas 1 medium carrot one corn on cob 1.5 lb of ground chicken breast (less than 1 percent fat) tsp of olive oil pinch of sea salt pinch of crushed black pepper .5 cup of fat free milk Prep less than 10 minutes 1.Peel potatoes, and cut them in slices 2.Shave, and dice carrots. 3.Thaw peas 4.Chop onion 5. Slice the corn off the cob Cook 1a. place sweet potatoes(or potato) into a pot of boiling water, wait till the potatoes soften, 1b. Take Ground Chicken, and place it in the pan 2. Cook under medium heat, using the spoon to break the ground chicken. 3. Pour Olive Oil, sprinkle salt, Pepper, and corn 4. cook until the chicken is light brown. Potato Prep 1. Drain potatoes, and place them in a bowl (or in a blender) 2. Pour milk onto the potatoes 3. MASH MASH MASH MASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell Yeah! More Prep 1. Place peas and carrots into a casserole dish 2. Place chicken on top of the peas and carrots. 3. dice red pepper 4. sprinkle red pepper on top of chicken 5. Place potatoes on top of chicken Bake Bake for 15 minutes in 350F Enjoy Total time I took- 1 Hour, 3 Minutes

The pounds go down on the scale...so it's been awhile since I've been on or blogged but just a quick update. I haven't had a fill since December... which was great at first then I got to the point where I was throwing up then ok then throwing up then ok... Not wanting to waste the co-pay and not get a fill I just decided to go it on my own.. Come late April/May I evidently hit my sweet spot because I've lost more weight in the last 3 months than I've lost the entire time I've had my band. I was starting to feel like I was a band failure hovering at the same weightloss since 6 months out of surgery... not really gaining, but not losing either.. or if I gained 10lbs losing it (hormonal) then just balancing out at the same range.. So now I am 1 yr 7 months out since surgery, it's been 8 months since my last fill and about 2.5 to 3 months since I hit my "sweet spot" I no longer HAVE to shop in fat girl stores, I am now able to shop in the skinny girl stores even if it's they're biggest size, it fits... So now my band is just truly giving me portion control...the way it's intended and now I'm losing losing losing.. I've also stopped weighing myself since the 1st...So I have absolutely no idea what I weigh at this point but everyone keeps telling me how I look like I've lost so much weight and I actually see the changes on an almost daily basis. I guess I've just stopped worrying about it and just doing my best to live right and eat clean... always room for improvement and it's a process but it's getting better everyday! Hope you're all doing well.

Man time flies by so fast. I am very happy with where I am at with my weightloss so far. I was down a total of 60lbs at my 4 month post-op appt. My doc is VERY happy with me. The loss has slowed down quite a bit. I need to get back to basics and make sure I get protein in first. I also need to keep doing 5-6 tiny meals a day rather than 2-3 not as tiny. I know it makes a difference. I've been out of my Premier protein shakes and I need to get some more. They help me tremendously. I've overdone it by eating a bit too much sometimes and I definitely pay for it - with the feeling of over fullness, belching and throwing up. It is not intentional, but it does happen once in a while. I'm working out 5-7 days a week and rather intensely - spinning classes, circuit training, yoga, hiking, etc... I actually like to work out. Great so far! I hope to get off another 20lbs in the next month..or month and a half...then the next 20.... I got a copy of the 'before' photo taken in my docs office....YIKES! I am so glad I got sleeved!!!! I will post before and current photos soon. One Love.

So if you've been following my posts or my blog at all you'd know that originally I was waiting until I moved to Tennessee sometime around September/October and getting the surgery after that, but now it's not going to be then it's going to be NOW. I mean not literally this second, but since there is a surgeon in the area we feel it might be good that I do it here while I am still living with my mom so she can help if I need it and be there for the surgery, etc. There is a bariatric surgeon in the area and they take financing, too! I am only worried about the financing in the sense that now he won't be able to be the one who signs for it so there is a possibility I will be denied. I don't think I would be since my credit score is "okay" but I don't know if that's good "enough" for a lending company to want to accept me. It all depends. And if I did get denied, I don't know if they would let my fiancee sign from another state. Does anyone else know? So tomorrow (although I guess technically today, just after I sleep) I am going to be calling the surgeon's office to ask a few questions and see about setting up a consult date. I'm not sure if they are going to want me to attend the seminar first or not, since I have already done my homework but I'm sure they can't have any trust in that since they do not know me. So I'm not sure if I will be required to do that first or not. I'm just sooooo excited to get this done, I just wish I had a few hundred dollars extra to throw at my fiancee to come down here for the surgery time. I really want him to but I don't know that he would be able to. I miss him so much. I'm just overwhelmed and nervous because I've always had the kind of life where I try to do my best to be as nice to people and do nice things, but I don't always get that back at me. I sort of have bad luck a lot and people don't always treat me as good and I have been burned in a lot of aspects of my life. I'm just hoping and praying that this will not be another one of those moments where I am let down. This needs to happen for me, and for my health. I am 27 and have little issues that will only get worse as I get older. I want to stop them now from getting worse and live a young adult life like I haven't been able to fully enjoy. By the time I am 30 I want to be able to wear all of those clothes types that I really wish I could wear that have all the cool designs and features that I've desperately wished I could fit in to. That could happen for me. And that process could be starting SOON!!!

Had a some rough food times from week 6 to now week 7 post-op. I tried to move from the pureed phase into more solid food and was not very successful in keeping any food down. I was having to throw it up, which is something that is quite foreign to me. However, in just the past two days, I've been able to eat more solid food with no issue. I've lost 39lbs in 7weeks. I think this is fan-freaking-tastic! However, I have noticed the weight loss is slowing down a bit. I am also working out pretty intensely to taking long walks 5-6 times a week. I am also down two sizes and finding I don't have very many clothes I can wear in my wardrobe anymore. Believe me, I am absolutely not complaining about this!! I am so ok with buying new clothes, however, I'll likely buy just a couple items along the way until my final resting/goal weight! I've got a huge amount of great clothes from size 22-18 that are all bagged up and ready to be given away or donated. I might try to sell some at the Buffalo Exchange (resale shop) as I still have tags on several items. So, I still find lots of comfort going back to the protein shakes and I think they will be a standard in my diet from now on. I'm craving raw veggies and a nice mixed greens salad! Can't wait to be able to have that and keep it down. All is wonderful. I am so happy that I got sleeved and I can't wait to rock some cute Spring and Summer clothing (rather than dread the 'skin showing seasons')!!! I am actually looking forward to wearing cute skirts, shorts and a bathing suit!!! I turn 50 in August and you bet I'm going to be on the beach in a bathing suit and struttin' it! It is so weird to actually be able to look forward to that, when I thought I would never be able to get there before. One Love.