Favorite High Protein Foods

Since my surgery my life has changed dramatically. I have had to learn to eat all over again. The goals are low calorie, high protein, hydration and to eat no more than four ounces in a meal. I've learned that some foods are completely off limits. Not just because they may be "unhealthy" but some foods just don't agree with my new stomach. It can be challenging at times. After four months though I'm finally finding a little bit of a groove and I have discovered some foods I like to eat that don't hurt my new belly.

Following are some of my favorite foods of the moment. 

Dannon Light & Fit Strawberry Cheesecake Greek Yogurt

12 Protein

80 Calories

Starkist Chunk Light Tuna Pouch 

17 Protein

70 Calories

Special K Strawberry or Blueberry Meal Bars

12 Protein

180 Calories

Parmesan Cheese Whisps

13 Protein

150 Calories

Righteous Felon Habanero Beef and Pork Stick

8 Protein

110 Calories

Special K Crustless Quiche Sausage and Peppers

11 Protein

170 Calories

Give these a try. I promise you won't be disappointed. My goal is to eat 60 grams of protein every day. These foods allow me to get in the protein I need without a lot of volume or calories. One benefit of eating a diet high in protein is that I stay satisfied longer.   

I am always looking for new foods to try. If you have any recommendations please feel free to share.

Spring Cleaning

What do you think of when you hear the term spring cleaning? Does it bring to mind cleaning out closets, deep cleaning your kitchen and bathrooms, or purging your home of clutter? What about your mind and soul? Do you ever consider spring cleaning your life?

While I believe that cleaning our houses, closets, etc.. can be cathartic, I think a spring cleaning of the mind and soul could be tremendously helpful also.

I've been giving this a lot of thought and I have come up with a few ideas for cleansing your life.

• Prayer - How's your prayer life? Does it need a revamp? I personally believe that prayer is a very important part of a personal relationship with Christ. I sometimes get into a rut and need to reevaluate. It's simple really. Like talking to a friend, just be honest and speak from your heart. I believe that God understands that we are human and sometimes need a fresh start. 
• Mind Dump - Do you have a lot of negative thoughts or clutter in your mind? I know I have days where I am overwhelmed by the negativity that seems to surround me. Some simple things to try to purge those thoughts: praying, meditating, deep breathing, exercising, listening to music, reading a good book, starting a list of all the things that you are grateful for; try one or all of these the next time you get overwhelmed by your own thoughts.
• Health/Diet - This one is a top priority for me. I recently had weight loss surgery and my diet has changed radically. I concentrate on getting a lot of protein in my diet, staying hydrated, and eating little to no carbs and sugar. I feel like if we take care of ourselves physically then the mental and spiritual will follow. Let's face it, we just feel better overall if we take care of our physical health. Just remember, garbage in, garbage out.

I think we need to be intentional if we want to live a healthy and fulfilling life. I'm working on me, in every area. It's a daily commitment to create and maintain new, healthier habits. I pick one thing to work on and when I've mastered that, I move on to the next. Trying to change everything all at once is a set up for failure. 

It's not easy to live a life free of negativity, but we can take small steps everyday to bring some balance by engaging in activities to relieve the stress that life brings. 

My challenge to you this week is to choose one area of your life to spring clean. It may be a different area than what I've mentioned. Just focus on decluttering or developing new habits in that area. We only get one life to live and it really is a beautiful life.

Changes Coming Soon

Starting next week this blog will start to include a little bit of everything. It will no longer just focus on health and weight loss, but will include articles about the day to day and hopefully useful, uplifting and inspiring content.

I hope you will choose to follow me on this journey. As always, I promise to be real and share with you life events, tips, recipes and just what's on my mind.

57 Pounds Down

Looking in the mirror is getting a little easier. After losing 57 pounds I'm feeling so much better. It's easier to breath, it's easier to move, my clothes feel better, and my confidence is growing.

It's been a really long time since I've updated this blog. So much has happened and changed since my last post.

I hit rock bottom. I reached an all time high with my weight, I was suffering with several co-morbidity issues, and frankly I was not living my life. I was miserable.

So, in December of 2018 I attended a seminar on weight loss surgery. That day started a year long journey to what I consider the beginning of my chance at a new, healthier life.

This journey has not been easy by any means. I had to jump through many hoops to get approved for surgery. And although it was sometimes very frustrating, I wouldn't change a thing. I would do it all over in a heartbeat to have this chance to make the life altering changes that are leading me to a healthier lifestyle.

November 5, 2019 was my surgery date. The day that has changed my life for the better. Again, it hasn't been easy. I may not have physical hunger like I did before, but I still have head hunger. I can't eat that much at one time, but if I wanted to I could graze all day long. So don't believe that surgery is a quick fix. It is a tool and you have to use it properly for it to work.

I have a ways to go to get to my goal. And I'm still living with those co-morbidity issues, but they are improving. The most important thing is that I have made a permanent lifestyle change, one that I will strive to maintain for the rest of my life.

Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

How Many Times Can I Start Over?

I hate how hard it is to lose weight. The struggle to gain control of my self destructive behavior is a daily battle with myself that is never ending. A battle that I have fought for the better part of my life. I have started over so many times and I hate to admit that I've had to start over again just in the past week.

I'm so tired of starting over. I'm tired of watching the scale go up and down. For once I would love to see it consistently going down. When I think of all the times I have lost 30, 50, 70 pounds just to gain it back I could just cry and then kick myself.

I don't know why, but this time in my life seems to be different. It's so much harder than it's ever been before and I'm heavier than ever. I feel the mountain in front of me is too high to climb. Most days I just want to stay in bed under the covers where no one can see what a failure I am. I feel defeated before my feet ever hit the floor.

I'm not trying to be a downer, I'm just being real. I need to vent. Struggling everyday just to put one foot in front of the other is so frustrating.

Quitting is not an option. There may be days that don't go as planned and I may have to keep starting over every day, but I refuse to stop trying.  I'm praying that a "never say die" attitude will eventually take root in my mind. It's going to take a lot of talking to myself and praying.

Lately I've been weak in my prayer life. No excuses, just laziness, I'm ashamed to say. I know when I'm in tune with God that things are better all around.

Things are fixing to change. I know I can do this if I get my head straight and stay focused on the goal. I'm going to continue with Weight Watchers for the time being. I know it will work if I work it. I really do like the new Freestyle program.

I'm praying that I can turn my attitude around and start believing what I'm preaching. Say a prayer for me. Feel free to comment with encouragement or share any tips or recipes you may have. No negativity please.

Till next time, God bless! :)

Eight Pounds Down

I'm glad to report that this week's weigh-in showed a three pound loss. I have now lost a total of eight pounds since beginning Weight Watchers.

My weight loss is slow and steady, which is good, but also a little frustrating. I really want to see results quickly. When I think, "Oh, I've only lost eight pounds!" I remind myself how heavy a five pound bag of sugar is.

I'm eating a lot of fruit and salad which I actually enjoy. My favorite fruit of the moment is pineapple chunks and banana slices for zero points. I make a salad with a few croutons and a packet of tuna fish and I use light Hidden Valley Ranch dressing for four points. Another favorite snack is Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt for only two points. My favorite flavors are Strawberry Cheesecake and Blueberry. For my chocolate fix I've been indulging in Hershey Kisses for only one point each. For the most part I can say that I'm staying satisfied.

I really need to step up the exercise. I've been doing a little bit, but not enough. I really want to be able to do yoga but every time I've tried I feel like I'm going to die. I'm going to try and work up to it. Do what I can and try to get stronger. I feel very weak, especially in my legs.

For now, I'm feeling better and more optimistic than I have in a while. What I like most about Weight Watchers is that I can have what I want, I just have to count it. Yesterday I had McDonald's for breakfast and that was okay. Yes, I had a salad for dinner, but it was worth it to me. You have to figure out a way that you can live with it. I'm trying to learn to make a life change and get my mind set off of being on a diet.

Hopefully these little updates are helpful to someone. I want to encourage others that it can be done and no matter how many times you fall down, just keep getting back up. Feel free to comment any tips or encouragement you may have.

I give all the glory to God who is my strength. Hang in there everyone and until next time, God bless! :)

Progress Update

Week one on Weight Watchers Freestyle was a success. I managed to stay on track and I lost four pounds. I'm still a little overwhelmed by how much I need to lose, but I'm trying not to focus on that. I'm trying to keep my eyes on one day at a time.

I really like the new Freestyle program. There are a lot of free foods and it really does encourage healthy eating. I've eaten a lot of fruit, eggs, tuna, salad and chicken. There's certainly no reason to go hungry on this program. One of my favorite treats right now is pineapple and banana cut up together.

Tonight for dinner we had Mexican Skillet Chicken. It is almost a zero point meal. The only thing I had to count was the cheese. This is a super simple and quick meal. My family really likes it too.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of cauliflower rice
• 2 small bags of chicken breast fajita strips
• 1 can of petite diced tomatoes
• 2 envelopes of taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Steam cauliflower rice in microwave (following directions on the bag). 
• In a large skillet add cauliflower rice, chicken, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning and chicken broth.
• Stir well to combine and bring to a boil.
• Turn down to a simmer and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with cheese and let melt

I hope this week's weigh-in goes as well as last week. I'm anxious to see results. I'm afraid if I don't lose I will lose my motivation and I seriously can't afford to fail this time. It's not just about losing weight, it's about getting healthy and feeling better. I want to be able to breath again.

I will be checking back in soon, hopefully with good news. Till then, God bless! :)