Holiday Party

Saturday was our annual holiday party. I knew it was going to be my cheat day for the next two weeks (I'm giving myself one on Christmas as well). They catered a Mexican buffet. I am proud of myself to sticking just to fajitas, with not tortilla. However--I did have a lot of alcohol that night, but I'd like to think that all of the dancing I did, I worked off a lot of the calories :)

 

Sunday's weigh-in! I've lost 4 lbs!! It hasn't been a week yet since my first re-weigh in, but Sundays will be my weekly weigh-ins. I'm quite happy about this number :) Any loss is good (and I know I will have to keep telling myself that). I didn't put this weight back over night, it is not going to come off over night either.

Oh the temptation!

I survived yesterday (day 1). Today, oh the temptation. BUT, I did not give in.

I planned my meals this morning before work and brought extra food in case I got hungry--no reason to head to the vending machine for junk food.

Then our weekly team meeting came around today...and what did they bring? Bagels, Sandwiches, cupcakes, cookies and chips....oh my! I sat back and did not take a single bite. I thought about grabbing a sandwich, and removing the bread, but I passed. I swear I argued with myself for 30 seconds in my head about it "oh just one..." NO! haha.

Today I had a yummy breakfast, similar to yesterday's. I had one egg, 1/2c spinach, and 1/2c zucchini, with one Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patty. About 170 calories, 11g protein and 3 carbs.

For lunch I brought leftover steak fajitas (without the tortilla), and for snacks, I brought Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt, a tuna-lettuce roll up, and a Cheddar baby-bel. Oh, and 1/4c of this Cape Code Trail Mix I found at Whole Foods (btw...I don't think I'll be going back there anytime soon when a half a bag of groceries cost me $50).

I got these awesome portion bags from Walmart! I separated all of the trail mix so I don't eat too much when I want a snack.

For dinner, I made a recipe I came across an awesome person (@thesweatybetty) it's an Atkins Big Mac...I was never a Big Mac person, but this sounded interesting. Came out great!

Ingredients

• 1.5 pound ground beef
• 1 heaping tbsp of chicken bouillon
• 2 tbsp dried onion
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup low carb thousand island dressing
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup dill pickles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Season with chicken bouillon, dried onion flakes, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder.
3. In a large bowl, place seasoned ground beef. Add cheddar cheese, thousand island dressing, eggs, sour cream, and dill pickles. Mix together thoroughly.
4. Add ground beef mixture to 8?x11? baking dish and spread to corners. Bake for 30 minutes.

Notes/Nutrition Info:

Serving Size: 1 piece Calories: 401 Fat (g): 34.5 Carbohydrates (g): 2.9 Fiber (g): 0 Protein (g): 19.5

Taking Ownership

After having a mental breakdown a few nights ago, I've decided no more. Yeah...my last few blog posts have said that, but after stepping on the scale today for the first time in months, I have to be real. It's time to get healthy again.

Follow me on
MyFitnessPal -Quelyn01
Instagram- Afterthesleeve

Today is a new day.

Breakfast:

-Starbucks K-cup Vanilla Coffee, Great Value Vanilla Creamer, splenda
-2 Eggs scrambled with zuchinni

Turkey Meatball Squares

 

Skip the pasta and just eat the meat! Instead of making meatballs, I made them into squares (well, I guess they are actually rectangles...). 

What you need:

1 package of lean ground turkey (I believe it's 1.25lbs)

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

Garlic Salt

Italian Seasoning

Parmesan Cheese

1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 Cup Spaghetti Sauce

Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl with a fork. Add the turkey, bread crumbs, garlic salt, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning (to your taste preference), combine with your hands.

Using either a pan like the one pictured below, or a muffin pan, spray it with non stick cooking spray. Put your meat in each hole, but do not overfill.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Once the time is up, put a spoonful sauce and sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on each "meatball." Cook for an additional 15 minutes or until turkey is fully cooked.

Bad Habits.

As you may have noticed, I have not posted a blog in quite some time. I have been struggling, pretty bad. I have been between 237lbs-240lbs for 6 weeks. At first I thought it was just a stall...and that stall would not go away, and I have been going back to bad habits.

By bad habits, I mean eating fast food (a small breakfast burrito from McDonald's or a wrap with dressing), coffee every day (not just black coffee with a simple creamer and no calorie sweetener, I mean a large 711 vanilla coffee from the machine, eating wayyyy too many carbs, not enough protein, and not tracking. I even had my first alcoholic drink--a shot of rum.

I feel like I do not have the motivation. I know it's still early in my "honeymoon phase," but I am STUCK.

When I saw my doctor the week after Thanksgiving, he said my weight was okay as long as I am still loosing (even thought I'd only lost 12lbs since the last time I saw him two months prior, and was stuck at that weight for weeks)--but I go back and see him in 6 more weeks, and I'm afraid I will still be the same weight!!!!

I really need to write out a menu for the next week, and start tracking again, but I am lazy, and unmotivated.

My foot is still messed up, I have a spur. I have not been exercising.

ARRRGGGGHHHH!

I did it!

I finally got below 240lbs! I weighed in at 238.8 this morning!

I was so afraid I would have gained weight because I ate too much Halloween candy...guess all the walking paid off!

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN :)

I was a devil...in a red dress. Yup, wore a bright red dress......AND high heels! (They came off after about an hr and a half lol)

What's YOUR number?

My number is 240. What is this number? The number I cannot get under!

It seems like we all have a certain weight where we hit a wall and it's hard to get any lower. Since I have weighed more than 240lbs, I have always struggled getting under that number. And now, we meet again.

My weight is still bouncing between 241-244lbs. All I want to see on the scale is two-hundred-thirty-anything. I don't care if it's 239.9, I'll take it!

I'm getting so frustrated that it will not get below this, it's where I always struggle. I WILL GET UNDER 240, I'm just getting impatient.

I had my husband hide our scale. It has been two days now. I'm going crazy not getting on it, but I'm going to wait until Saturday morning to weigh myself.

My dinner! Yum! Grilled chicken dish!

This came out really good, and was so easy to make!

What you need:

• 4 Chicken breasts, about 4oz each (Or 2 large ones cut in half lengthwise)
• 1 Red bell pepper
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Spices (I like salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, & Garlic Salt)
• Olive oil

 What you do:

Preheat oven to 375 for a later step.

Using a grill pan, heat it with olive oil. Lay the chicken on the pan, and sprinkle with the seasonings.Cook on both sides until it's the color brown you like (don't worry about under cooking, it's going to go in the oven).

While the chicken is cooking, in a separate pan, put a small amount of olive oil in a pan, and fill your bag of fresh spinach in pan. Cook until wilted down and set aside in a bowl.

Cut the bell pepper into strips. Cook in same pan spinach was in, until it's burnt on some edges of it, to give it a roasted texture. Cook until soft.

Using a Pyrex or similar dish, spray with non stick spray. Lay the chicken out in the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes or until it's no longer pink. If you fully cooked your chicken on the grill, you can skip cooking additional time in the oven.

Once chicken is fully cooked, top each breast with about 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, spinach, and strips of red pepper. Top with a small amount of garlic salt. Put back in oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. You can also turn the oven up to a higher degree to melt the cheese faster.

Enjoy!

50lbs!

It's been almost two weeks since I updated, and I do apologize! I hit the 50lb mark last week! I'm now down another half pound or so, weighing in at 241.8. This is me last week :) I still look the same a half pound lighter haha.

Cheesy Asparagus

My friend, who also had the sleeve a few weeks after me, told me about this recipe she came up with, and it's so good!

This is great for use in the toaster oven!

I always boil my asparagus, because I'm afraid of under cooking them and them not tasting so great....but this works great in the toaster oven!

What you need:

Asparagus (whatever serving size you can eat. I do between 5-8 spears), snapped
String cheese
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat your toaster oven to 425. Spray your pan with non stick spray. Lay down the asparagus, pull apart your string cheese and lay across and all over your asparagus, and then sprinkle with a small amount of fresh grated Parmesan cheese! Cook for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Look Ma! Only One Chin!!

Stepped on the scale (yes...I haven't waited til my weigh in day, I just cannot do it!!) this morning, and I'm down 45lbs!!! Weighed in at 247. It's going to be such a victory when I get below 240!!

I think my forehead is growing! haha.

Last night for dinner I made a super yummy simple dinner. When my husband and I went on vacation to Kuaui last March, we had an "island favorite" which is called Moco Loco--I just did mine with ground turkey instead of beef.

You take a scoop of rice, top it with scrambled egg, and a hamburger patty, and cover in gravy!

For the turkey patties, I mix 1 pkg (I think it's like 1.25lbs?) with half of a white onion diced fine, 4 garlic cloves finely diced, and some Worcestershire sauce. Spices I added were garlic powder, pepper, and Mrs. Dash. Mix using your hands. Shape into thin patties, cook on the stove top until no longer pink.

Egg White Omelet

I've never had an egg white omelet, and this was really good!

What you need:

Egg Whites
Spinach
Ham (I used deli meat)
Garlic
Mozzarella Cheese

Putting a very small amount of olive oil in a pan, put a hand full of fresh chopped spinach. Cook until it's wilted down. Add ham & diced garlic to pan. Cook until the garlic is browned but do not over cook. Place in a bowl, set aside.

Place a little margarine or use non stick cooking spray on the bottom of your frying pan. Pour your egg whites.(I used great value brand pure egg whites in the carton. I didn't measure the amount, but it was enough to cover the bottom of my small frying pan.) Once the whites start to show almost cooked through, pour your mixture of spinach, ham, and garlic on half of the omelet. Top with a small handful of mozzarella cheese.

Fold over the omelet, cooking on each side for a minute or two until done.

YUM!

No more daily weigh-ins

Now that my scale says I'm 250lbs (The doctor's scale said 250lbs when I went there, but his scale is always a few pounds lower than mine), I will no longer be weighing my self every day. I will weigh in twice a week--Wednesday & Saturday.

This is going to be hard--but I do get frustrated when the scale doesn't move down, even if I feel "skinny" that morning. haha.

My clothes are starting to not fit me--pants are loose in the legs & waist, and my shirts are really big on my shoulders and my sides (under my arm pits...I didn't realize how much fat I had there!), but the summer is coming to an end, and I don't want to invest into clothes that I will not be able to wear next summer. It's still too hot to buy winter clothes as well. I'm thinking I may check ebay for some deals.

First compliment at work

Today I got my first compliment at work about my weight! Most people I work with don't know that I've had the gastric sleeve.

Today at lunch a co worker came up to me (and I can tell she didn't know how to approach me) and said, "You look really good, you've lost a lot of weight. I couldn't even tell if that was you. And your hair is getting so long, you look great!" And it was from someone that I've maybe exchanged a few words with in the last 2 years I've worked there....it was unexpected and much appreciated.

On a side note, I tried on a pair of "skinny" jeans that I bought about two years ago, and they were realllllly tight when I bought them and I barely fit into them at that time, and then I grew out of them to were I could not even begin to button them--well, I put them on yesterday and they fit so good!! I can't wait for cooler weather so I can wear them, hopefully they will still fit!

The Cycle.

Yes, the cycle. That's what this blog is about. So if this is going to be TMI, please go to another entry :)

My period has always been irregular. By irregular, I mean I could go any where from a period every 2 weeks, once every 3 months, or once every six months (I actually went 7 months without my period before I got pregnant with my daughter). The doctor's never wanted to find out why or give me any kind of a reason or show concern, so I never perused trying to "fix" it. Heck--I was fine with a period only once every few months!

Actually, I take that back in regards to the doctor never did anything. One of my doctor's when I was about 19 or 20 put me on the pill to regulate it....but once I stopped the pill, the issue existed again.

 A few days before surgery I started my period, and it was just spotting the day of surgery. Well, the following week, it came back in full force! 30 days later BAM back in full force....and now it's back again and it won't go away. It's been 9 days! GO AWAY! I do not miss cramps! This bites.

 I know my body is still adjusting to this whole loosing weight thing, and I understand that will cause this. I just hope that if I'm going to continue to get my monthly visitor that it makes some kind of routine schedule and sticks to it! I don't like surprise visitors!

40lbs!

I look terrible in these pics! lol but here are some photos from 0lbs to 40lbs down.Still have a long ways to go....

I'm really getting tired of eating leftovers! I think I need to just stop making so much food. It's hard trying to plan meals for my family of 3 when it comes to potion sizes, and I get stuck eating leftovers for DAYS. I think I'm going to make some zucchini pizza later for lunch. I'll be sure to post it if I do!  

Stepping up on the exercise.

The last week I've been very lazy when it comes to exercise. I did walk twice at the park this week, but not for nearly as long as I should have...I've kind of been taking advantage of the doctor last week telling me to "take it easy" for the next week...

Well, today is a week later, so I guess no more excuses, right?

Goal for the next week with exercise:

2 miles, no matter how long it takes, 4x between now and next Friday. I can do that.

...I need to make a tracking sheet to keep track of my exercise, that way I'll have some kind of accountability to myself. Yes, that's what I'll do!

Cucumber Sandwhiches & a photo of ME :)

Look! It's me :) 37lbs lighter. I'm starting to slowly see results with my stomach shrinking...and I like this picture of me haha.

I still have not had bread (other than the english muffin I tried to eat a few weeks ago and managed to throw it up right away....ugh, not fun!) but I wanted something that sort of resembeled a sandwhich, so I made "Cucumber Sandwhiches."

Two slices of cucumber as the "bread" and a peice of salami and cheese in the middle! I dipped them in spicy mustard, but the second time I had them I used a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese instead of the mustard.

That was the first time I tried that cheese and OH EM GEE. It was so good! :D That can be dangerous LOL

I must stop the obession.

I have to check my weight every day...I've done so since surgery every day once I got out of the hospital, except one day during my short stall.

I'm getting mad at myself when I don't see the scale moving, so I have decided that once I hit 250lbs, I am going to weigh myself twice a week. Saturday and Wednesday, and only track Wednesday's weight.

I've got 5lbs to go to get to 250lbs....