April Snow Showers Bring...

Tonight, I'm sitting here at work (yes, work) on a Saturday night evening dispatch shift and updating my blog.  So, clearly April snow showers are not bringing us anything to do, that's for sure!  In the last 24 hours, we've had a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning (complete with hail) and currently we are in a Winter Weather Advisory.  Don't think you can have all 4 seasons in 24 hours?  Iowa, "Hold my beer!"

This could be us tomorrow morning in Iowa!

Anywho, I've been thinking a lot lately about how once again I've totally neglected my blog.  How I do so much better in my daily food tracking and accountability when I have you all to read about it (or not read about it) and when I put it all out there for everyone to see.  Plus, I enjoy posting the occasional recipe, or maybe my newest find in the WLS world.

When I started this blog YEARS ago, it was my WLS pre-op blog.  A place where I first started my weight loss journey.  Where I wrote about my journey ahead, some of it weight loss related, some of it not.  And then after having my surgery, I would also add in bits and pieces of my not-so-normal daily life.  My ups and downs, my thoughts, my fun purchases and my many, many break-ups with Diet Coke *taking a drink of Diet Coke* (clearly we're dating again).

So, I'm sure this comes as no big shock when I type that I'm going to try to do this thing again.  Be a little better at it.  Be a better Internet blogger friend, even if what I have to post may not be interesting to you.  I know, I know, I've typed this before.  Just like I've typed this before, but my regain has got to go.  I'm tired of carrying it around.  I'm tired of my clothes not fitting and having to buy bigger clothes.  I'm tired of seeing the person I've become, the person that worked so hard to get approved for surgery, to lose 100 pounds and fought so hard to keep it off, only to gain some of it back.  I'm physically, emotionally and mentally tired of the extra weight.  I'm.Tired.Of.It.

Wouldn't life be great if weight loss came with an easy button?

Even though I had my WLS in 2010, I'm still human.  I still make bad HORRIBLE food choices, more often than not, hence the weight regain.  Life doesn't come with an easy button, weight loss doesn't come with an easy button and WLS certainly doesn't come with an easy button.  If it did, no one would be overweight and life would be perfect!  It has taken me many years and numerous times failing things to figure out that I may not perfect and I never will be, but I am me, I have my faults but I'm a pretty good person.  And once I finally came to that realization, I could finally focus back on myself and my health.  I'm not a WLS failure, I failed to use my tool properly. 

Last fall I started having some health issues, nothing too serious, but serious enough that I went to my PCP.  I was sleeping 12 hours a day, I couldn't kick a common cold and I just didn't have any energy.  After a bunch of blood work, it was discovered that my Iron and Vitamin D had bottomed out.  Now, those of you that know me, know I'm not a huge meat eater and I'm not a red meat eater at all, so when the Dr. told me my Iron was low, I wasn't too surprised.  But I have been working my tail off to get that back up.  325mg Iron (ferrous fumarate) a day...yep, a day and 10,000 units of Vitamin D a day.  I started this back in January and within a couple of weeks I started feeling better.  In fact, until the last month when I got sick (thank you very much Mother Nature) I was feeling great!  I had a ton of energy, I was only sleeping 6 hours or so a night and I had started a new lifestyle of eating (more on that next time).  I let my symptoms go way to long, like months too long.  Listen to your body people, it really knows when there's something wrong!

Well, I'm pretty sure I've bored you guys enough with this "Hey!  I'm Back!  Again!" post, so I'll sign off for now.  I just checked our outside cameras and it's still snowing, harder now and I still have an hour and a half of work left *sigh*  Maybe next week will be Spring???

We should have some pretty impressive flowers in our future!

Until next time!

Adulting Is Hard!

Need I say more?!  When I was in high school,  I couldn't wait to graduate, live on my own, have a full time job and be an adult.  Well, it's been fun being an adult for the last umpteen years, but I'm ready to go back and slow down time.  Does anyone else feel this way?  I mean, I can't be the only one that wants summers off again as a kid, zero responsibilities and someone to make me dinner every night.

Adulting...it's hard!  Plain and simple.  And just when you think you have all of your ducks in a row, one of those little jerks wanders off.  *SIGH*  But, you pick yourself back up, you pull up your big girl panties and rock those kitten heels...with a cup of coffee in your hand of course!

But sometimes that's easier said than done.  June was a big month of changes for me diet wise.  I stopped drinking soda the first week of June.  Then the second week of June I stopped my morning snacking and last but not least, the third week of June I stopped all afternoon and evening snacking.  All of this while cutting back my calories to 1200 where they were supposed to be for YEARS post-op.  With all of those changes came a wonderful summer cold accompanied by a severe ear infection.  An ear infection?!  Who at almost 40 gets an ear infection?  This girl, that's who.  UGH!!!!!  But there is a silver lining to all of this, I promise!!!!  Wait for it.....I lost 10 pounds!  10 pounds of my 50 pound regain.  Heck yes!  I'll take it!  It's pretty amazing what you can do when you actually pay attention to what you're putting in your mouth, making the right food choices, measuring everything and quit grocery shopping like your parents left you home alone for the weekend.

Speaking of shopping like your parents left you home alone for the weekend, my trip to the grocery store today actually surprised me, in a great way!  I came home with healthy snacks and ideas!  Foods like red grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, brussel sprouts for roasting and frozen veggies.  For a sweet treat I picked up some Greek and other yogurts and I think I'm ready for my vacation days off!

In an effort to keep my hands busy and to break the snacking cycle, I've really picked up the pace on my Modern Granny blanket.  I have big plans to get it finished before I go back to work next Thursday, so I can give it to a very special little girl that needs a big girl blanket to keep at her Grams' house when she comes to stay.  As soon as this is off my hook, I'll be onto making another blanket to keep my hands out of the snacks.

So, you can guess what I'm off to do...picking up the hook to keep the snacks down!

Until next time!

Is Starting Over (Im)Possible?

We've all be there.  And if you're sitting there saying you haven't been, give it time, you will be.  I have yet to met a single weight loss surgery patient who hasn't pushed the limits of their new pouches, who haven't cheated or just plain given up on their diet.  I will be the first to admit I have fallen completely off the wagon...like bad.  Restricted diet?  What's that?  Is that something I'm supposed to be doing 7 years post-op?

Who remembers the complete and total bliss of not feeling hungry after surgery?  Who else remembers the excitement of actually wanting to get on the scale because you knew you had lost weight?  And remember how much fun it was to go shopping for a new pair of jean because you were buying a smaller size?  Ahhhh....the good old days of weight loss euphoria.

But on the flip side, who remembers the first time you got food stuck?  OUCH!  Or that time your pouch decided it didn't like a food that it liked the day before?  OUCH!  Or when your whole body hurt and you used to be able to pop a couple of ibuprofen and make the pain go away....does Tylenol even do anything or help with pain?

When you decided to have weight loss surgery, you decided to take the good with the bad.  Hoping, praying there would be more good times than bad and for most people the good times far outshine the bad.  We wouldn't have decided to have this surgery if we hadn't thought it would be worth it, right?  So what changed?  Where did things go wrong?  Where did you turn left instead of right?

You know what happened?  You're human.  I'm human.  I am a perfect example of what happens when you think you have a handle on things.  I think I have a handle on my diet so I can start eating things I know I shouldn't, but damn it, I just want to have it.  I think I can have more than one beer in 24 hours because damn it, I want it!  I can eat out more often, it's okay, because I'm not eating as much (lies, lies, lies), but damn it, I want to be normal!

But what is normal?  Normal is defined as conforming to a standard: usual, typical, or expected.  I don't know about you, but I signed away my definition of normal at about 6:30am October 5, 2010 when I checked into the hospital to have weight loss surgery.  We no longer have the typical definition of normal.  We have new definitions and they are anything BUT normal.  We have taken everything we have ever known when it comes to food and eating: mixed it up, moved it around, rearranged it, spit it back out and here we are...some of us are fractions of the person we were before.  Some of us (me) are a bit fluffier than what we would like to be, which brings me back to my post title, do you think starting over is (im)possible?  I know I've said many different times that I've had it and that I'm starting my diet...again.  No exceptions!  I jump in head first, hardcore and then I bottom out and fail.  Every.Single.Time.  When am I going to learn?  I didn't gain all of my weight overnight, it's not going to come off overnight.  Every time I start over full force it feels so overwhelming, I get so discouraged, I end up giving up.  

This time I have decided to take on this task a couple steps at a time.  My first step?  Giving up soda FOR GOOD.  I'm very good about giving it up for a week or two, but then the weekend comes along and I sneak one in.  Not anymore.  Today is one week soda free.  My next step?  Picking a healthier morning snack.  Every day at work at about 11am or so, I would get hungry so I would snack on either some crackers or chips.  Not anymore.  My new snack?  Oikos Yogurt if I'm even feeling hungry.  Up next?  Logging food.  Man, I hate, hate, HATE logging my food, but it keeps me accountable.  And last but not least that I actually just started doing today is adding a handful (which is about 1 cup) of fresh raw spinach to my morning protein shake.  I know it sounds weird and I was very doubtful, but I'm telling you, you can't taste it and it only adds 7 calories to your shake.  7...that's it!  7 little calories and you have a simple serving of your veggies in.  

So, see...as of May 29 2017, it is possible to start over.  You can start over too, you just need to find out what is going to work for you.  Some people do better if they jump in head first, but after numerous attempts, I've found I'm failing.  I'm going to focus on making good, solid changes and work my way from there.  I can do this.  WE can do this.  We didn't come this far for nothing! 

Until next time!

So, I Purchased A Scale And I've Lost.....

One of the hardest things about getting back on track besides walking thru my surgeon's office door was getting the on the scale and seeing how much weight I had gained.  I hadn't stepped on a scale in probably over a year.  When my scale broke, I never replaced it.  HUGE mistake!  

When I first had surgery I got on the scale at least 3 times a day.  That was a little extreme and I finally stopped that and would just weigh myself every morning.  That was one of the many ways I would keep myself in check.  Once again, another thing I just let go in the long list of many in my journey.

After getting on the scale at the surgeon's office and seeing that number I realized I needed a new scale and pronto!  So, today while I was in Des Moines, I stopped by Bed, Bath and Beyond with my trusty 20% off coupon and decided to pick one out.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it because I'm holding out for a Fitbit Aria Scale, but found this scale for $19.99.  With my 20% off coupon, it was $16.  I love their coupons and I like a good deal, so it came home with me.

The New Addition To My #nomoreregain Journey

After I got home, I couldn't wait to hop on the scale and to see how much I weighed.  Crazy, right?!  It's amazing how something so small can make or break your day, but...my hard work over the last 10 days has paid off.  I'VE LOST 7 POUNDS!!!!  In 10 days!!!!  I can't believe it!  It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing!!!!  That 7 pounds is the motivation I needed to keep going.

That's a lot of butter!!!!

It's been a rough weekend for my diet.  Beers on Friday, a birthday celebration last night with eating out and wrapping up the birthday celebration today.  But I think I did okay.  Last night we ate dinner at an upscale diner that had comfort food.  Things like mac and cheese with bacon, chicken pot pie, a grilled cheese sandwich with short ribs.  Name it, the comfort food was on the menu.  I picked the meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.  It was fabulous!  I ate 1 1/2 slices of the meatloaf, a couple bites of the mashed potatoes and a couple of green beans and I was done and stuffed.  I don't even know where to begin to calculate the calories, but look how amazing this was!

The plating was beautiful!

So, now you're all caught up on my weekend, my new purchase and my weight loss.  I weigh in on Wednesday at my surgeon's office and am hoping that maybe I can hit that 10 pound loss by then.  I'm going to have to push extra hard, but if I don't make it, I'm not going to get down on myself, 7 pounds is still pretty good!  I am proof that if you've gotten off track, you can get back on the wagon and if I can do it, so can you!  We can do this!  Team #nomoreregain...we've got this!

Until next time!

One Week Ago.....

Can you believe it's only been one week since I've been to my surgeon's office to get back on track? Me either!  A lot has happened in this last week.  My last soda was Tuesday on my way home from my surgeon's office.  My last Click protein shake was the Friday before that.  I'm down to 1 cup of coffee a day and I am eating more of my protein instead of drinking it.  I've been doing really well at staying between 1100-1200 calories, getting my water in and getting my steps in.  All of that in a week!  Whew!

And in true Katie fashion, I've started my cooking back up and trying new recipes.  Last week I tried 3 new things.  Breakfast Burritos (without the tortilla), Ground Turkey and Broccoli Egg Bake and last but not least (and my new obsession), Overnight Oats.  Have you guys tried these yet?  They are amazing!  You have to try them!  They are low in calories and high in protein so it's a win win for a breakfast!  And they keep me full for a very long time!  What more could I want?  Want to try them for yourself?  Here's the link.  There are so many different recipes out there too, check out Pinterest for even more recipes.  I want to try so many of them, I may have to make an Overnight Oats board!

Here are the 3 I made last week:

Chocolate with Strawberries and Bananas Overnight Oats

Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats

Strawberries and Bananas Overnight Oats

All 3 of these were amazing!  The peanut butter and jelly one was so rich and creamy, but it was too rich for me.  The recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of peanut butter, but when I make it again, I will only be using one.  Tonight I will be making Pumpkin Pie Protein Overnight Oats for breakfast tomorrow. I'm excited and a little nervous, this recipe calls for Greek yogurt and I haven't had one like that before. Fingers crossed that it turns out!  

This afternoon is going to be filled with laundry, dishes, cooking for the next 3 days and filling Scentsy orders and getting them ready for delivery.  I think I'll be busy enough to keep my mind entertained and not thinking about snacking, hopefully.  But, if I'm going to get anything done, I should probably wrap this up and get to it!  Have a great day everyone!!!

Until next time!

The Hardest Part Is Over

As many of you have read or heard, I decided to go back to my weight loss surgeon to get back on track.  I was all geared up and thought I was ready for the appointment, until Tuesday morning when it became a reality.  I was nervous, upset, excited, ashamed, basically a basket case of emotions.  

My surgeon's office is only about 45 minutes away, but it seemed like the longest ride of my life.  I did the "walk of shame" from the back of the parking lot, finally made it to the doors, took a deep breath, walked in and the most amazing thing happened.  There was zero judgement for not being there in 2 years.  Everyone one was excited to see me and welcomed me with open arms, for serious, with real open arms, my nurse that I've had now for 6 years came up and gave me a hug, telling me it was so nice to have me back.  That black cloud I felt had been hanging over me walking into the office vanished.  There was no yelling, no screaming and no harsh words.  My team knew how hard it was for me to come back and instead of nitpicking my failure, they were excited to get me back on track.  My nurse Tracy said it best after I got of the scale, "The hardest part is over, Katie. You're here now, you're taking the first step to get back on track and we're all happy to see you here and to help you."  

Just get started!!!!

After meeting with the Dr, I met with my new nutritionist (we will call her my Nut from here on out) and she too was just happy I was there and so willing to help me.  We only had 15 minutes (I go back August 10 for another appointment with her) but I fell like I have a handle on my weight loss journey again.  Going back to the basics of no drinking 30 minutes before a meal, during a meal or 30 minutes after meals.  1,000-1,200 calories a day.  Vitamins, protein shakes, healthy snacking, breaking up with my Diet Coke.  All of that in 15 minutes.  It was exactly what I needed to motivate me to get back on track.  I have a lot of work to do and a long road ahead of me, but I know I can do it!

So, in true Katie fashion, I jumped in head first Wednesday morning with 100% motivation and zero room for failing.  I cannot fail, I will not fail.  I cannot fail, I will not fail.  SAY IT WITH ME!!!!

Even though I have this new cannot fail mentality and did an awesome job at work the last 2 days (under 1,200 calories on both days, no AM snacking both days, no soda both days, over my step goal both days), this weekend has me very worried.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love my 3 day weekends.  LOVE THEM.  But doing so well the last 2 days that were so structured for me and now these next 3 days of no structure has me feeling a little uneasy.  I need a lot of good vibes sent my way that I don't fall off the wagon in the next 3 days.  So far today it's been okay.  I've been for my walk (I feel I got cheated on my steps, but I'll save that for another post), been to the grocery store and have hit the water hard.  No AM snacks and only my 1 cup of coffee.  But I'm struggling with what I'm going to have for dinner, which really shouldn't be a shock to anyone.  I have out chicken and broccoli, so I'm pretty sure that is what's on the menu.  I do have some strawberries to clean and 2 dozen ears of corn to take off the cob and freeze, so I should keep pretty busy.  I'm also going to try to make a crust less quiche with ground turkey, broccoli and cheese.  Wish me luck on the quiche...I've never made one and may never make one again!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  As you can tell, I have a lot going on in mine LOL  I would love to hear your plans, live vicariously thru you all!  Enjoy your time off!


Until next time!

Time To Shake Things Up!

Do you like what I did there?  Pretty clever, huh?  In getting back on track, I need to make a few changes to my daily routines and eating habits.  I'm sad to say that after 5 1/2 years together, for almost every day, I'm making a clean break from my Click protein breakfast shake.  We had a good run.  A very, VERY good run.  But as the title says, it's time to shake things up a bit.  So, this week I decided to order one of my old favorites.   This morning I picked up a new to me protein flavor, Fuzzy Navel by Syntrax single serve packet at Hy-Vee on the way into work.  My go to for a long time was Roadside Lemonade by Syntrax (which may or may not be on it's way to my house), but I couldn't find it in town so I have to wait.  But I didn't want to wait too long to change things up, because if I wait too long, I won't do it.  I know this about me.  

My Breakfast Today Plus A Banana

My thoughts on it?  Well, it's not coffee.  It doesn't have any caffeine.  And it didn't have any vodka (I swear that's water in that blender bottle) but for 24 grams of protein and 100 calories?  It was pretty darn tasty.  As tasty as my Roadside Lemonade?  No.  Will I get this again?  YES!  The only problem I had was that it took longer to mix in the bottle than I thought it would.  I had this along with a banana and saved about 100 calories.  Worth it?  You bet!

My Next Breakfast Adventure

Next on my agenda?  Actually eating my breakfast, not drinking it.  I'm wanting to try to make breakfast burritos (without the tortilla), portioning them out and freezing them so I always have something on hand to grab to take to work in the mornings.  Any of you have a kick-a** recipe you want to share?  Or a secret ingredient I NEED to have?  I have a very simple recipe in mind:  ground turkey, red and green peppers, an onion, eggs, cheese, salsa and taco seasoning.  Or I might mix it up with some ham or bacon depending on my mood when I make them.  Easy Peasy!  

I think at this point, I might have a handle on breakfast.  I have decided to break my meals down and work on them individually so it's not so overwhelming and perhaps easier to get back to the basics. I'm open to any suggestions or help anyone has to offer.  Any food journals, menu planners, recipes. Anything!  

Until next time!

Fitbit, Bits of Fit, Let's Get Fit

I have been wearing my (dad's old) Fitbit Flex since about Christmas time.  I had purchased the Fitbit Charge about a year before that, but had gotten a chemical burn from the clasp, so the Flex was perfect because I could change out the bands to something that didn't have the same type of clasp.  I had found some really neat bands on Amazon that were really reasonably priced for the Flex, so I purchased a couple of them and away I went.  And by away I went, I mean I wore it.  That's about it. Well, that's not completely true...I did like to track my sleep, or lack there of.  And every once in awhile I would get the urge to see if I could make my step goal but that was really it.  

Since then, my Flex has started to lose it's charge, lasting only a couple of days.  Now, it's had a very good run.  My dad had it for probably close to 3 or 4 years and wore it faithfully every day and I've had it about 6 months or so.  All in all, I would say the Flex has had a good life.  And I wouldn't even be considering looking at a new one if the charge would hold on the Flex and if I wasn't trying to get back on track.

So, what's a girl to do when she needs a new Fitbit?  Well, read all 2000+ reviews on Amazon of course!  I've read reviews, I've watched videos, I've compared the Charge HR to the Alta to the Blaze. I've looked at the pros and cons of them and have narrowed my choice down to the Blaze...for now...

Fitbit Blaze

Look at how pretty it is!  The band comes in Black, Blue or Purple.  The band is removable so if something should happen to it, I can replace the band only and not have to buy a whole new one (like the Charge HR).  The clasp, it's like a watch so hopefully I won't get a chemical reaction.  The screen...HUGE!  I can see how many steps I've taken, what time it is, track my heart rate, receive notifications and more.  Probably more than I need!  But it's early in the week, I could change my mind a dozen times before now and when I go get one next weekend.

The 2 pictures above pretty much sums up how I feel right now while I'm typing this post.  My Bits of Fit is charging, it was DEAD, so I can't possibly can't step right now when it's not going to count, right?!  RIGHT!  I've mentioned my friend Mary Ann before on here, she's keeping me going on my Fitbit by inviting me to do challenges to get my steps in.  My best friend and I also do challenges and have a blast!  She and I work some of the same hours and understand the struggle of trying to get steps in when you're pretty much handcuffed to a computer and phone all day and can't leave your area.  I will tell you this.....it's exactly 27 steps around the 2 dispatch consoles in the Comm Center. One night I managed to get just about 4000 steps in before midnight while dispatching.  That's a lot of circles around that room!  But hey, steps are steps!  

I've only been looking at Fitbit trackers, but I know there are other brands out there.  So, if anyone has any other suggestions or even opinions on a Fitbit, please hit me up!  I've been out of the Fitbit loop and workout world for awhile, so I don't know much about what's out there.  

So, now you know what I've been doing the last couple of days, which isn't much, but I've managed to get some steps in, so not all is lost.  Last night my youngest niece wanted to ride her bike, so I walked around with her and gained quite a few steps.  She had fun, I got in a small walk, so everyone was happy!  I'm going to try to get some steps in today while I dink around the house and yes, walk in circles.  Are you wanting to get some more steps in?  Wanting to do more challenges?  Wanting more friends on Fitbit?  Find me here and let's get to stepping!!!!  

Until next time!

Baby Steps

Usually when I put my mind to something, I jump in 100% with no blinders and just go full force.  In the past, it has worked for me I would say 8 out of 10 times, which really aren't bad odds.

However, when it comes to WLS and being successful, you can by all means jump in head first, but, you're going to hit rock bottom and hit it fast.  WLS patients will agree with me on this, we have to have the patience, ambition and drive to be successful, but we also have to form good habits, which doesn't happen in a week.

I'm ready to make my change and I started yesterday but setting my mind to getting back on track.  And today I called my surgeon's office and made an appointment with not only my surgeon, but also the nutritionist, which is July 26th at 2pm.   I've also made an appointment to have my lab work done Friday (the 15th) and have the results sent to the surgeon's office.  I would say those are pretty good starts for someone who has been putting things off for a long time.

I also added the below picture to my blog for visual motivation.  The picture taken in November 2011 was 1 year after my weight loss surgery.  The other picture was taken at the end of May, 2016.  I love both pictures of myself, but I like the one in 2011 better.  Will I ever get back to that?  I hope so, but it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication and I know, deep down I have what it takes to do it!

Visual Motivation

I want to thank everyone who read my post yesterday, commented and reached out to me.  It meant a lot to me and it's the kind of positive energy I need.  But I want to give a HUGE thank you and shout out to my close friend Mary Ann.  She has been there for me from the beginning and thru many ups and downs and she continues to be there for me.  She's my weight loss cheerleader, my life coach and a wonderful positive influence I need in my life.  Thank you, Mary ♥  I could never repay you!

Until next time!

It's Never Easy Admitting Failure...

Oh, here I am!!!!

I've been sitting here, trying to think about how I'm going to approach this blog post.  It's never easy admitting that you have been sliding backwards in your weight loss journey.  But it's time I throw up the white flag and admit it.  I have gained some of my weight back.  Enough that I need to be held accountable for it.  And to start being held accountable, it's going to start here today with this first blog post since December 2013.

So, where have I been?  NOT working out.  NOT watching my food intake.  NOT eating healthy.  NOT food planning.  NOT keeping appointments with my surgeon..  Basically, I've been doing nothing.  There you have it-I haven't been accountable for a single thing in my weight loss life, including this blog.  Having this blog being public and shared on my social media was one way of keeping myself in check.  You all were unknowingly part of what kept me going and kept me aware of my weight loss (or lack thereof right now).

I have gained back some weight-too much for me to be comfortable with.  I'm finding myself buying bigger shirts, or pulling out older clothes from early on in my journey.  This needs to stop, there's no excuse for this, but believe me, I've managed to find every one of them in the book.  "But I work 12 hour shifts."  "It's too hard to plan ahead on a shift like this."  "I don't get off of work until 7pm, by then it's too late to go for a walk."  "I don't like to drink plain water."  And those are just the excuses on the days I work!  I didn't come this far to fail, failure is not an option.  

Now that I've fessed up, it's time to do something about it.  It's only a lot of hot air if you don't have a plan of attack or goals in place.  

• The first thing I'm going to do is schedule an appointment with my surgeon and nutritionist.  Are they going to be unhappy?  Yes.  Do I need to hear it?  Yes.  It's part of being held accountable.
• Exercise.  Plain and simple.  That's it.  I miss running, I really do.  I'm not sure I'll ever get back to that point, but I sure as heck need to try!
• Menu Planning/Planning Ahead.  I did very well when I was doing this.  Every WLS person knows our daily struggle and anxiety with food.  Not planning ahead can turn into a downward spiral very quickly.  And once you get out of the habit, it's even easier to just keep going down the rabbit hole.
• Stay Positive.  The changes that I made back in 2010 did not form overnight.  The weight I've put on in the last almost 3 years didn't come on overnight, so it's not going to go away overnight. 
• Keep this blog going, even if people I know don't read it, it's out there which means someone will see it.  

They say it takes about 21 days to form a habit, so hang in there with me.  You  may not hear from me daily, but I'm not going off the grid again.  THE Midwest Former Fat Girl is back!

Until next time!

Kates

Did You Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?

Christmas...the most wonderful time of the year!  Even though it was a blur this year (with working days 6am-2pm and doing family stuff at night, getting up at 4am was a little rough) and I was exhausted, but I wouldn't change it for anything.  I didn't get to see my nieces and nephews for long, but it was better than nothing and seeing the looks on their faces when they opened their presents made the lack of sleep totally worth it ♥

I received many MANY nice gifts this year but the best one was seeing how excited my niece and nephew got when they opened their Samsung 3 Tablets and when my other nephew opened his iPod Touch from Aunt Katie.  That made the lack of sleep and extra hours at work seem like nothing!  My sister told my mom that my nephew hasn't put his iPod down since he opened it :)

My parents went all out and got both my sister and I KitchenAid Stand Mixers this year.  I picked out the Empire Red one that matches my kitchen perfectly.  But I had picked it out in October, which meant I had to wait FOREVER to use it!  It was pure torture!  I got it out of the box yesterday, cleaned off the top of my pantry and I think it matches my kitchen decor pretty darn good!  

I got quite the workout hefting it all the way up there!

I have been pinning recipes for the last couple of months to make when I finally got my mixer and decided to try making Garlic & Herb Pull Apart Bread.  It mixed together very easily, but I did need to add about a 1/2 TBSP more warm water.  It pulled right off the dough hook and shaped into a ball without any problems at all.  You need to cover the dough and let it rise until it doubles in size.  Since this is my first try at this, I turned my oven onto it's lowest temp, which was 170, let it heat up and shut it off.  I covered my dough and placed it in the warm oven.

The finished product after mixing.

Cover and let it rise, until it doubles in size, about 45 minutes.

The next part was actually humorous.  I had never rolled out any type of dough, so this proved to be a little difficult in a kitchen that is no bigger than a box.  But, I did it and it didn't turn out too shabby, but I can see where the phrase practice makes perfect would apply here. 

I'm going to need more practice at rolling out dough.

Almost there!  Cover and rise, again!

Ta Da!!!!!  The finished product!

Now, I'm no Rachael Ray, but I must say, this turned out FABULOUS!!!!  The smell alone while it was baking was enough to make my mouth water!  This was my first attempt ever at bread from scratch (besides using a bread machine) and I think it turned out pretty good!  So, round one with the KitchenAid Mixer was a success!  So much so, I'm making another one right now for my niece's birthday party!


Until next time!

What Time Is It?!

 
As many of you know or are just remembering as you're waking up, we got to turn our clocks back an hour this morning at 2am!  Or is that 1am?  And since I was up at 6am, (that's really 7am, right?) I didn't know what time it really was.  Thank goodness my iPhone and docking station turned back on their own, or else I wouldn't have a clue what time it is.  Of course, you're never more confused about what time it is until you start walking around your house and find that every clock you own is still an hour ahead.  Let's see, there was the one on the stove, the one on the wall in the kitchen, the microwave, the one next to me as I type.  The one in the bathroom and the one in the basement.  I think that should be it.  I think. 

I was all excited for my extra hour of sleep when I went to bed last night that I think I jinxed myself and was wide awake at 6.  Wait, 7.  No 6, it was defiantly 6.  New time.  I laid around and watched some Sex In The City and some Beverly Hills 90210 and then decided to get my lazy rear out of bed and do some laundry.  And change some clocks.  A lot of clocks.

So, here's my friendly PSA for the day, don't forget to fall back, change the batteries in your smoke detectors and enjoy your extra hour of the day, no matter what you're doing.

Until next time,

What's Your Secret?

Lately on Facebook, I've been seeing posts from some friends who have posted before and after pictures of their weight loss.  And it seems about every other comment says the same thing, "Congrats!  You look wonderful!  What's your secret?".  When I posted my 100 pounds lost pictures, I received the same comments and never thought a thing about it.  Until last night.

Someone I've known for a long time lost 100 pounds recently and they look AMAZING!  And as I'm looking at their pictures and making my comment of how fabulous they look, there they are.  The "Hey!  You look great!  How did you do it?!".  The "What's your secret?" and "Message me your diet plan!" comments.  And then it hit me.  Their secret is like every one else who has lost weight, HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION!  Those two words are the secret to any success.  There's no magic diet, no wonder food and there's surely no easy way out.  You have to WANT to lose weight, you have to WANT to better your life, you have to WANT to feel better.  So, basically what I'm saying is you have to WANT it.  It's kind of all or nothing, especially when it comes to weight loss surgery. 

Hard work and determination have been my secrets to my success.  My weight loss surgery was merely a tool to get me back on track and to keep me in check.  The rest has been up to me.  And it's up to you!  Whether you've had weight loss surgery or not, your success is YOURS!  So, the next time someone asks you what your secret is to weight loss, you tell them...HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION! 

 Until next time!

3 Years Ago...Yesterday

October 5 2010, I made one of the biggest decisions of my life.  To get control over my weight, my health and my life.  And that decision has been worth it!  All the pain, tears and smiles...worth it.  

I have lost friends along the way, gained inspiration in places I never thought possible and have become a stronger woman.  I have had struggles, disappointments and letdowns, but I didn't stop.  I still make bad food decisions and have diet soda when I should be having water, but I am only human.  But with the support of all of you, my family and friends I got thru it.

3 years and still going strong!

Yesterday was a nice sunny day (a little chilly, but hey, it's fall!) to have a surge-iversary (and yes, in the weight loss community that is a real word LOL) and it was a great night with a couple of close friends to celebrate my accomplishments.  

Today I'm just laying back and relaxing.  It's cloudy and cold out so that gives me a green light to sit around, right?  RIGHT?!  I'm all curled up in my heated blanket, have my dogs by my side and dinner is cooking in the crockpot.  I think I'm ready for the afternoon.

 Until next time!