Just Another Number!

Test, Test…

Just wondering if I still have any followers out there!? It’s been so long since I sat down and wrote out a blog post. I guess that’s what happens when your too busy living life to the fullest and falling in love. LOVE. Isn’t that such a wonderful feeling? As I sat down to write this post I thought back to my first ever blog post and just reflected on how far I have come in only a few short months and how much my life has changed. It has been everything I have ever dreamed of and so much more. While it hasn’t always been easy and to this day I still struggle sometimes with knowing my limits on food and making positive choices. I like to think I am finding a good balance. I am nowhere near perfect as I am sure no one ever is but I still try and make a healthier choice when I can. During the week I focus on clean eating and cooking healthy meals. With life so much busier now and always being on the go on the weekends it is hard to keep making those healthy choices. My weight loss has slowed considerably since I first started out, which I think is to be expected. But I am still loosing weekly and I still loose lots of inches. Every month I have had to buy a new pant size.

The most important thing I have learned in the last 6 months is that this journey is about so much more than how many pounds I have lost. It’s about being healthy. It’s about how I feel everyday when I pick out something to wear. It's about going to a regular store and fitting into a medium or large effortlessly. No more Plus Size stores!! It’s about how I feel doing basic activities like driving in my car, walking up the stairs, wearing seat belts on an airplane, walking around for hours without tiring, having energy to burn, doing a workout class without feeling out of place. It’s about falling in love and having my boyfriend look at me with appreciation and love in his eyes. It’s about all the little things some people take for granted that I never had before. It’s about having everything you’ve ever wanted.

I am now down 86lbs and I have 14 more pounds until my next big goal of 100lbs. Those numbers still blow my mind sometimes but as I said just before this, it’s just another number. I can honestly not put how I feel daily into words or numbers, you only know when you live it. Anyone who has been in love, felt great in their skin or lived life to it’s fullest will understand. If your not there yet I encourage you to find love, or do something for yourself to feel great in your skin. Go on adventures and live your life the way you want to. On a daily basis we are reminded of how short life can be.  

I could have never imagined this outcome back in April when I had my surgery. I have to thank all of you, my friends, family & my wonderful boyfriend Nick for constantly encouraging me to go further. You are all inspiring to me with your comments, likes on my photos and your beautiful words of encouragement.

I hope this love sick blog post didn’t make some of you want to gag. I hope it reminded you of all the wonderful things you have in your life and also remind you sometimes it’s just about the little things life has to offer that are the best.

Hugs & Glitter,

 

Chanty

Say What You Wanna Say and Let the Words Fall Out, Honestly I Wanna See You be Brave!

Ok I'm back! I was on holidays visiting my family, attended my very beautiful cousins wedding and it was such a fab time!

The very start of my trip was a HUGE NSV (non-scale victory). I was boarding the plane feeling an insane amount of nervousness at the small size of the seats. The last time I rode on a plane I was 75lbs heavier and barely able to get the seat belt done up! Once I got into my seat I wanted to hug buddy sitting next to me and explain to him how freaking fantastic I was feeling that I had all kinds of room in my seat, could cross my legs and had a bunch of slack on my seat belt!

So with that hurdle over then came the task of airport eating and eating while on holidays in general. Let me tell you it was not easy! First off I packed little baggies of protein powder that I had planned to mix up at my Nan's for breakfast and even that morning while I was waiting for my plane in Toronto. Well I never really thought the whole mixing a baggie of protein powder into a bottle of water thing through. Needless to say I never had my protein shake at the airport. I looked like a bit of weirdo trying to sprinkle white powder into a bottle of water so I gave up and threw it out. For anyone who is from Newfoundland or has visited it, will understand this when I say there are just some things you HAVE to eat when you visit the province!

I wont even sugar coat this (literally) when I tell you about the treats I tried! Ok, so first of all I had a couple of Five Star bars when I was there. Delish! I know I can make them myself and I usually do at Christmas time, but there's just something about it being made in the province of Newfoundland that just makes them taste better. The second treat I HAD to have was my favorite kind of crunchy Cheetos, the nacho flavor, which you can not get in Alberta. With the Cheetos though I had one small snack size bag and I made it last me 4 days, so I just tried a few each day and I was very much satisfied with just a little taste. This is due to my much smaller stomach and also the guilt I was feeling just buying them because this type of junk food is just something I DO NOT buy anymore. I quickly reminded myself of how far I've come, the fact I was on holidays and also the fact that I was only going to allow myself so many at a time. A little treat never killed anyone and if I can't treat myself in this life every so often, well then what the hell am I doing?

My next task that I knew I wanted to do was walk everyday while I was there. So every morning rain, rain, more rain and sunshine I walked. I really looked forward to it each day. For anyone who has ever been to Newfoundland, you know what I'm talking about when I say its absolutely beautiful and there is a sense of peace there that I've never found in Alberta. Its a different pace of life there and you can see the calmness and friendliness in the people you meet walking up the road. This flat lander's thighs, shins and calves though were pretty much on fire for the week, not used to all the hills and Newfie jigs I did Saturday night.

With all of that being said, I can officially confirm I lost 2lbs as of this morning and I have been back 1 day!! This is the very first and ONLY time I have ever gone on a vacation and not gained weight, but actually lost weight!! I weighed myself every single day of my vacation and I had stayed the same until this morning. This puts me close to pushing that 80lbs mark and it's so surreal to me! This month has been an exciting one for me with many new exciting things going on in my life, my vacation and some successful weeks of weight loss.

 

 

The title of this blog post really spoke to me and many of you might recognize it as the new Sara Bareilles song Brave. The lyrics in this song really touched me and I love the message that it sends. It talks about being judged by others & hiding away from the real world. It talks about letting the light in and seeing you for you. Opening up and being brave. Stand up for yourself and what you want and believe in. This month my weight loss finally caught up to me emotionally. As much as I have been riding a high in the 4 months since my surgery obviously not regretting a second of it, its hard to come to terms with the fact that I'm Chantelle but I'm not really Chantelle anymore. I'm a new me and I'm continually changing. My outlook on life has completely been thrown for a loop. It's all wonderful don't get me wrong, just takes some getting used to standing out for being confident and beautiful rather than standing out because you were the chubby girl. I love the new me and I will continue to do so!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

You're so Vain, You Probably Think This Post is About You. Wait! It is!

So this weekend I realized something. I have become incredibly vain since I've lost 70lbs. Now some people might turn their nose up at me when I'm constantly looking in mirrors or treating everyday like it's #SelfieSaturday, but here's my excuse. After years and years, I'm thinking anytime from 13 years of age until now, I have tried to stay hidden. I've avoided full length mirrors. I've tried to avoid the wrong angles in pictures, which was hard because there were no right angles when you were that chubby. Now I've still got a long ways to go but 70lbs is something to celebrate.


This past weekend I attended a good friend of mines wedding and it was so fab! I think the best part about it was the fact that I felt so fab about myself! OK maybe not the best part, pretty sure the uniting of two people in love and the crazy dance offs were the best part. But hey, I'll take top three. When I put on my dress my jaw just about unhinged because I have never felt so beautiful in a dress for as long as I can remember. That was a true accomplishment for me because dresses can be unforgiving and unflattering. I did a comparison from last summer when I wore a dress to this time on Saturday and I found myself looking at it quite often because I truly still don't believe it. I was never the type to toot my own horn if you know what I mean but shit, I just can't help myself now. I am so stinkin 'proud of myself and I know so many of you are as well because you tell me every time I see you or every time I write a blog post or post a new picture on facebook and it means the world to me!
 

I hope for all of you out there that you take from this blog to do something for yourself whether it be getting a pedicure, new hair cut, buying a new outfit or starting out that fitness plan you've been putting off. You are so worth the extra bit of effort it takes to spend an hour at the gym. To take an extra couple of minutes to pack a healthy lunch instead of eating out. Your health and confidence in yourself is so worth it! It took me a long time to take these lessons to heart and stop taking my life for granted and start living it. I can tell you that everyday that I wake up and get dressed for work it's the best thing I have ever done for myself. Everyday I am around people or meeting new one's, I now have the confidence to talk to because I don't think they are judging me anymore. If people are still judging me for my weight I really don't give a flying shit because I have been working my ass off these last 4 months and I deserve this confidence and I deserve to be a little vain. I hope you all know you deserve it to!

Life's too short to live one more day not being the best of the person you are meant to be!
 

Love you all!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

Wing Wednesday!! Wait... It's Monday & These aren't Wings...

Ok so me and my friend Chels are having a mellow day watching Pretty Little Liars on Netflix. I know what you're thinking, WOW what a great way to spend a rainy holiday Monday! You're right it's a totally fab way to end the long weekend. We were thinking of what to have for supper. We love wings and had a craving but then I thought holy shit no we can't have wings! I looked in my freezer and found some ground chicken breast and it reminded me of something I had seen on Pinterest. I of course changed the recipe quite a bit because theirs had cheese in and it was very high in fat. So this is what I did:

I took one package of ground chicken breast, added mustard and some spices like onion powder and a bit of Mrs. Dash, crushed up 3 Breton crackers and added one egg white to the mix. I mixed it all together and formed into 15 balls. I cooked them for 20 minutes on 375, turning half way through. I then took 1/4 cup of Franks Red Hot Sauce and tossed the meatballs into it then baked for an additional 10 minutes. They turned out great and gave you that hot wing flavor without the high fat and carb content! It was so fab and delicious! I have added the nutrition info below and this is based on one meatball. and a yummy looking pic. My friend chels entered the whole meal she ate into My Fitness Pal and she said "Holy shit Chantelle my supper was only 275 calories!" 
 

This just goes to show you that you can still curb your cravings of certain pub foods without the high calories, fat and carbs!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

My New Outfit Pushed Me To Do It!!

Ok so I am so the girl that loves those e-cards that make fun of people who talk about their work-outs but today, I'm that girl. I think down close to 70lbs & feeling fan-freaking-tastic in work-out gear allows me this once at least!

So today I had a huge moment where I didn't let my thoughts get the best of me. I broke through it all and went to the gym. Now this may seem like an easy step for a lot of you but when the last time you went to the gym you felt totally disgusting and completely out of place, this was a huge step. I have been completely terrified of going back there. I have been walking outside and I know I have been using it as a crutch. I really have wanted to start at the gym for a couple of weeks now but I just couldn't get there. The last time I went to the gym I was 70lbs heavier. I could barely walk up one flight of stairs without feeling like I was ready to pass out from exhaustion and lack of air. I bought a month membership, went the one time, felt so ashamed of myself that I never went back. That was until today! Can't tell you how good it felt to walk up all those stairs to the track and be NOT out of breathe. I thought holy shit, 70lbs really does make a huge difference! I have hit a bit of a stall this last week and so that was a nice little reality check that what I've lost so far is HUGE! I still knew it was time to up my work-outs and really kick this shit into high gear! I've started setting goals for myself and I will not stop until they are met. So today I worked past that insane fear of going back to that gym and being stared at because I was fat, because I felt like I didn't belong there with the fit people. But today I went there knowing I looked great (I had a new outfit by the way) and knowing I could do this.

I started the 5K trainer app on my iPhone and today I did day 2. It is an amazing app and I actually completed all of the running intervals without a problem and felt like I could have kept running. That was a huge moment for me up there knowing I could keep going. The last time I was there I didn't even want to be walking leisurely. I did some time on the stepper, did some free weights and some weight machines for some arm toning. I did some sit-ups and finally stretched it all out. I feel great right now after that work-out and I know the first step is the hardest, but once you do it you feel so damn great it makes you wonder why you stopped in the first place! This long weekend is going to be all about me getting back at it at the gym and setting up a routine for myself so that when I have to go back to work on Tuesday I'll be ready for my after work work-outs.

I'm so glad I found this cute little e-card before I went so I didn't make a fool of myself on the work-out mats!
 

 

 For those of you that are looking for a great long weekend healthy snack food, I found these Special K cracker chips that I love! They taste like kettle corn and who in the hell doesn't love kettle corn!? Also hope you can read french because that's the side I've shown in the picture! :)
 

 

I hope everyone has a great long weekend! I know I started mine right!

 

Hugs & Glitter,

 

Chanty

 

60 is so Damn Sweet!

Have you ever been that chubby person who sat at a Boston Pizza booth and your stomach touched the table?? I have. About 3 months ago I was that girl. I sat with my friend out for supper and my stomach touched the table. And the whole time I was there I was unbelievably uncomfortable because I was so ashamed. Holy hell what had I done to myself? How did I get here? 3 days ago I went back to Boston Pizza for the first time and as luck would have it I sat my ass down in that same gosh darn booth, I took a deep breath and then I looked down. Then I looked at my friend Chels and smiled and shared with her my non scale victory. Then I waved my hand between my stomach and the table. If I had a ruler I think I would have measured the damn distance between that table and my stomach this time! It was glorious. It felt amazing. I’m not that girl anymore. I am free to sit wherever the hell I want and you better believe I’m going to! After that was over I was plagued with the task of finding something healthy on the menu. Boston Pizza does pretty well with this as they have a few healthier alternatives on their menu and they have graciously added the calories and fat content of the dish. Once I chose the steak and veggies option the real fun began. It was funny to me because I’m used the quantity of food I eat now and just how little I can actually eat. My friend on the other hand was not quite used to it, therefore she forced me to keep my fork up and pretend I was eating so she didn’t look like a “pig” she said. Then she mentioned that I should maybe refrain from going on a dinner first date as I would have to explain this whole situation to my potential date whom it might be a lot to take it on a first meeting. I assured her I’d stick to coffee dates for the first little while. It was all so funny to me as I have gotten so used to it, but it was very different eating out at a restaurant compared to eating at home or at a family or friends house. After I stopped laughing I began to think oh my what will the waitress think when my plate is pretty much untouched? I simply asked for a to-go container though and it all worked out good.

Our next stop was the movie theater. Now I don’t know who’s with me on this but Lloyd has the best popcorn ever! I have never tasted better theater popcorn anywhere so of course I was like I have to have some. Now I struggled with this decision because I have not had treats such as theater popcorn since I started this journey. I made the decision and knew I wouldn’t eat a lot of it and was just going to get a kid’s size and then give the rest away. I felt an immense amount of guilt waiting for the movie with a bag of popcorn in my hand. I thought oh my goodness, what if someone see’s me and thinks she shouldn’t be eating that? What if I don’t make my 60lbs this week because of this popcorn?  I know it is all ridiculous and I was having a slight panic attack about eating a handful of popcorn. I thought back to the reason I got this surgery and that is because I never want to be on another diet again. I am NOT on a diet. I live a healthy lifestyle, make healthy, positive choices and live actively. I watch my portion sizes and track what I eat. The number one reason I got this surgery is so I can live a NORMAL life. Be just like everyone else. Don’t miss out on the good parts of life, which sometimes include movie theater popcorn. Let me rephrase that, Lloydminster movie theater popcorn. So I treated myself, I survived, I don’t think anyone made any judgments towards me about it, besides Chels thinking I’m more nuts than usual for freaking out over holding popcorn.

So today is my 12^th week since surgery. It’s been a really fun 12 weeks though. Experiencing new things, and learning so much about healthy eating and portion sizes. I am once again blown away by other peoples support, their positive comments regarding me and my blog. It is completely humbling to be in the company of such great people all of the time. I am now down 60.5lbs and couldn't be happier. I officially reached that number yesterday morning and I got on the scale 3 times after to make sure I was seeing that new number correctly. My jaw dropped and then I did a little dance! 60 is legit, so damn sweet! I have added a few comparison photo's once again celebrating my almost 3 months since surgery.

 

I hope everyone is having a fab summer and enjoys this latest post! Until next time...

 

Hugs & Glitter,

 

Chanty

 

Who Says Healthy Eatin' Ain't Good?

Just made this fab supper tonight and thought I would share! Was so easy and was seriously delicious my mouth was watering!

Took some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and marinated them in a bit of sweet onion mustard, low calorie BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. I didn't really use measurements I just threw a bit of everything in the bowl and marinated the chicken for an hour, not long at all. I cut up a few veggies I had laying around in my fridge which were, bell pepper, snap peas and yellow tomatoes. I stacked everything onto a kabob, in a neat and orderly fashion of course. A little bit of my OCD is showing through in how I stacked and alternated the veggies and chicken. Hope you all appreciate the method there. Regardless, they were delicious cooked on the BBQ and they were low in fat, carbs and cals! Delicious treat for a nice Summer Friday night!

PS: for all the teachers that will read this, please excuse my grammatically incorrect title. Say it with an accent and it'll sound better!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Redneck!

It's Summer time y'all!! WOW I feel like we've all been waiting forever for summer time. I was beginning to feel like Casper the friendly ghost there for a little while. So I'm back from a fabulous weekend at the lake, all sun kissed, juiced up on vitamin D and down 3lbs for the week! Ooweee that sounds like a good week to me!

When everyone suggested going to the lake for the long weekend my first thought was hey, what in the heck am I going to eat at the lake? Something I can possibly cook over a fire, something that is convenient, quick and doesn't require a lot of prep. Hot dogs, smokies, bush pies & chips were out for me. No way was I going to put any of those in my fitness pal, never mind my body without having a slight panic attack. So I thought about the lean prepared meats I could take for lunches and snacks. I thought about healthy suppers I could cook over a fire that were packed with protein. And who could forget the most important meal of the day, breakfast! No fried eggs & bacon for this girl. I thought I'd share with you all the simple solutions I found for eating healthy while at the lake!

For breakfast at home I love to start out with a protein shake. I can usually get in a good 25-30grams of protein with one and it's a quick and perfect start to my day. I buy these Premiere Protein shakes from Costco that have only 160 cals, 3g of fat and 5g of carbs. They are chocolate and they are perfect for on the go! So I checked breakfast off of my list. I then went to lunch. I knew we would be on the go and out in the boat so it would have to be something pre-prepared and easy. I brought some Turkey Bites that only have 50 cals each as well as some pieces of cheese. These also transferred over into my snacks if I needed one so it worked out perfect. I packed some pre-sliced fruit and veggies and some great Greek yogurt dip I found that is lower in fat and cals than any other veggie dip I have looked at. For suppers I pre-packaged some cod fish with a few peppers and some Mrs. Dash seasoning and packed them in tin foil and a freezer zip lock bag. My next hurdle was water! It's the only thing I drink and with the temperatures looking to be scorching I knew I'd need a lot. I brought a 24 pack of it and kept it in a separate cooler in my car so that I could keep it stocked with ice and keep it cool. If I had a chip craving I brought some Special K cracker chips with me, that I didn't even end up eating much of. It was actually quite simple eating healthy at the lake. I love the freshness of summer time fruits and veggies and they were delicious as a snack instead of chips and fatty foods. As much as I remember how good it tasted to eat junk food, you can not compare it to the feeling of getting back from the lake and being down 3lbs for the week! Still have a perma smile.

I had a wonderful time with all my friends at the lake. We shared a lot of laughs and just enjoyed soaking up the sun, floating in the lake and riding in the boat. It was truly relaxing but also was a huge eye opener that food is not a priority to me anymore and does no consume my life.

As much as this hasn't always been easy, it is so, so worth it! I have never been happier in my life and I truly can't express how important it is to take your happiness and health into your own hands and make a positive change if needed. It's something I will never have any regret over. I better finish up this blog now so I can go brush my teeth. With me smiling more than ever, I'd hate to have a piece of spinach stuck in them....awkward!

Oh! PS: how many of you are singing Boy's Round Here by Blake Shelton after reading my title? If you weren't before, I bet you are now!

Aw Heck! Red Red Red Red Red Red Redneck!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

So that was really cool!

Hey! So I decided to do something a little different this time and I've made a video! Hope you guys enjoy it!

The first picture is the start, second is my 4 week post-op and third is my almost 8 week post-op!

This is just a comparison from the beginning to 6 week post-op!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

Country Workin', You wanna start a walking club??

Support.  A keyword in any weight loss journey.  I never realized how important support was until I embarked on this huge journey after VSG surgery. As with everyone, the second place I spend most of my time is at work. I’ve always loved my work environment but it wasn’t until recently that I realized just how great the people that I work with are. The support I was given from the very beginning when I first made the decision to have VSG was great. When I got back from surgery and they seen the change in me, seen I was happier and that I had just bloomed, their support grew to something I never expected.

One day I suggested we start a walking club. After a little bit of ribbing from a few, I soon found that most of the guys I work with were interested. Since the snow has melted and the dirt roads have dried up, we have started. After our first half an hour walk, we all felt so much better. We were laughing, smiling, feeling less stressed, had a clear head and just generally felt more focused to start our afternoon. Regardless if your job is stressful or not, there are always times when work can pile up and stress levels can rise. Our afternoon walks are now something we look forward to. We are all helping each other in that little way by going for a walk each lunch hour. That half an hour is better than nothing at all. We all know how busy we can be in the evenings and your not always able to get in any exercise.

 

The Saskatchewan country side is actually really quite beautiful and we are gifted with working in the middle of it. It is a truly relaxing experience and our walking club has become my favorite part of the day. They tell me all the time that I inspire them and they are so proud of my determination, little do they know they help me along everyday. I am very grateful for their support and I have to give a shout-out to my Landrose guys for being continually supportive and encouraging. I encourage you all if you have the type of job that you can take a little time for yourself, whether it’s a lunch break or a coffee break to get your co-workers involved and try doing something active during that time. Break-time can easily become full of calories with sugary coffees and donuts. If you get active you will feel great, clear your mind and feel re-energized for the rest of your day!

 

Whenever I walk down the dirt roads I can’t help but sing…Country roads, Take me home, to the place I belong. West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, country roads.

Until next time!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty

Risin' up Straight to the Top! Went the Distance, Now i'm not goona stop!

This last month since my surgery has been trying, exciting, and filled with lots of learning. When I first came home from my surgery I was still healing, trying to be careful and was honestly very nervous at how my new stomach would work. I have been great so far with everything I've tried to eat, my stomach has accepted it all. Now a month later I am more comfortable in knowing the amount of food I can eat during meals and how much water I can drink. I knew it would be a learning curve but I never thought I would have that much fear about even something so basic as drinking water. I am learning to use my sleeve as the tool it is meant to be. Just like others use their metabolism, I use my sleeve.

 I still haven’t wrapped my head around the whole concept of the sleeve just yet, but I’ve been told this is normal and takes time. Every time I get on the scale and it moves down I have to keep reminding myself, that’s a few more pounds gone forever! Every time I move out of a size I have to remind myself I wont be going back to that size. That word, "forever" seems so strange in a weight loss scenario. Everyone always wants it to be forever, but it has never before been attainable. Well now that it is for me I wake up each and every morning ready to face my day. I seriously have had a perma smile on for the last month.

This last week had started out a bit trying because I experienced my first stall on the scale. I kept trucking through and started trying on all my smaller clothes and it seemed I had a new outfit to wear every day, only it didn’t come from a store it came from the back of my closet. It was a truly amazing feeling. I was out and about quite a bit this week, running into people here and there and just about all of them noticed I had lost some weight. It is truly the best compliment you can get! Talk about a confidence and mood booster! I have decided as a celebration of my One Month Post-op to post my current pictures. The picture I am comparing it to is the picture I took just before I started my 6-week pre-op diet on March 1st. I am down a total of 42.5lbs. I honestly don’t think I even know the girl in that first picture.  I know this isn’t always going to be a piece of cake (literally) but I have never felt more optimistic in my life. I’m healing, life is changing and I’m strapped in for the ride! Though the seat belt doesn’t feel so tight anymore.

I just wanted to close this latest blog post with a HUGE thank you! I have never been so speechless in all my life than I was last week when I posted my first blog post. The positive reaction and feedback regarding my journey and my blog is truly overwhelming and I can’t thank you all enough for reading and offering me your support and kind words. Thank you also to everyone who said they have always thought I was beautiful and fabulous at any size. You have no idea how much that means to me and its something I should have had confidence in long before I started loosing weight. I promise to continue being beautiful & fabulous! :) Thanks again!

Now everybody do some air punches with me to the beat of Eye of the Tiger!

Hugs & Glitter

Chanty

Wakey, Wakey, Egg's and Bakey!

 Ok so I don't know about you but I work Monday to Friday from 8 to 4. I used to find it hard to get protein in for breakfast. Sure on the weekends I liked to spiff up my breakfast, add a dash of glitter and call it a day. Well now you can have that everyday of the week! We all know eating surgery granola bars and cereals really isn't the proper way we should kick start our day but we do it for convenience. 

I found these little egg cups on Pinterest and just tweaked them a little bit. I bought these silicon mini loaf pans which are totally sent down from heaven because nothing sticks to them and you don't have I grease them! Totally brilliant. I made up 5 of these on a Sunday night and then saved them in a container in my fridge. They were so delicious and I would just heat one up on my way to work or I would heat it up once I got there. It kept me full until around lunchtime and it was low carb, fat and cal! Here are the deets: 

- 2 slices of Maple Leaf natural Selections Deli Meat

- Approx 1/2 cup of egg whites

- 2 TBSP of fat free cottage cheese

- 1 green onion

- 2 TBSP of Red or green pepper

- 2 medium sized mushrooms

- Season with some sea salt and pepper or whatever spices are our fav

I just layered the bottom of my loaf pan with the deli meat then added my cottage cheese. Sprinkled my veggies over that and then filled the rest with egg whites. Baked them on 375 for approx 35-45 minutes. You can obviously change the veggies to anything you want but here are the nutritional facts for one loaf pan according to the recipe.  

Hugs and glitter,

Chanty

I want to start by introducing myself and tell you a little bit about my story. Well I was born as a beautiful brunette, black eyed, 6 lb baby...OK sorry I wont go back that far. For as long as I can remember I have been overweight, big boned, chubby, fat and obese. However you want to call it, I've been called it all. I have always tried to carry myself with the up most of confidence. I've always tried to dress my best for my weight, look cute and put together. I've always loved fashion so this was a task that although was never easy finding clothes to fit, I loved it.

I am only 27 but I am definitely one of those people that have tried literally EVERY single diet out there. Each and every time I started a new one I was thinking this is it. This is the one that will work and I'll loose the weight and then maintain it and just be NORMAL. Normal and healthy. I'll be able to go to the gym and workout like everyone else and not feel like every single person is looking at me thinking look at what that fatty is doing here. While that may seem harsh I am not naive enough to think that people don't talk about me and my weight. A couple of years ago I tried a low carb diet. It was hard and very limiting but I was told by my doctor that my pancreas didn't produce enough insulin in order to properly break down carbohydrates, so it would be best if I lived without them. It was one of the main reasons I was constantly gaining weight while I had been eating whole grains and high fiber. As always I had lost weight on this diet and felt like I was on top of the world. I had a renewed self confidence and felt it radiating off of me. I went to the gym and felt good and while I knew I still wanted to loose alot more weight I felt better than I ever had before. I was going out with my friends more and I wasn't avoiding social functions like I normally do when I have extra weight on. I came off the diet after loosing about 50lbs and I wanted to try and maintain it for a while and maybe I could just be normal and healthy. Needless to say the weight started coming back with a vengeance. The pounds crept up so fast it seemed I was unable to stop it. While I still tried to go to the gym and avoid carbs during most of my meals, it was to no avail. I then stopped getting on the scale, I knew I was gaining weight because all of my smaller clothes were beginning to be too tight and then they just stopped fitting all together. While avoiding the scale was probably my biggest mistake throughout that whole process, I couldn't bring myself to look at it. I was so ashamed of myself and I started to with drawl from everything. I stopped going out as often as I was. I would go out sometimes out of obligation really, I truly didn't want to loose my friends, they all mean the world to me. I was so torn because I was ashamed and uncomfortable that all the people that had seen my weight loss would now be looking at me and discussing my new weight gain. This had happened to me before but somehow I could not get back on track. It progressively got worse and I felt myself pushing important people in my life away from me. I just wanted to come home and hide. I didn't take pictures, I rarely smiled and when I did, it was fake. I was hurt, ashamed and felt like I was at the end of the road with diets. I knew I was going to be this size forever. I never wanted to be weak enough to let my weight control my life, but I was. I disconnected with people that were important to me, I continued to be single, not willing to put myself out there. How could I expect anyone to love me when I didn't love myself? I started dressing more casually, not because I wanted to, after all that is not who I am, but because it was all that would fit and wouldn't show my rolls. I even stopped styling my hair in cute hairstyles. I knew I needed to change something and I know the closest people around me knew I needed a change but getting there was half the battle. My weight had now ballooned to the biggest I have ever been in my life. Ashamed didn't even describe how I felt. I truly felt disgusting. I woke up one day and I said this is NOT me. What happened to my beautiful smile? My passion for fashion? What happened to my friendships and relationships? What happened to who I was and who I am? Where is my life going? Will I ever find that true love that so many people have? Will I ever be NORMAL?

So began my journey with Weight Loss Forever to get Vertical Sleeve Surgery also known as VSG. I had been looking into weight loss surgery for about a year and had looked into the different types of surgery there are. I will admit that for a while I was in denial and never thought I would be one of those people that would get weight loss surgery. It seemed so evasive and major and I didn't think I needed that much help with my weight. Sure I looked at the before and after photos of some of the patients and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I absolutely wanted that to be me. For the people closest to me, they know I have truly never wanted anything more than to be NORMAL, healthy and active. I just wanted to be like everyone else. Be able to eat like everyone else and not gain weight so rapidly like I always did. I wanted someone to love me for me. I want to have a husband and a family of my own some day. It all seemed so far out of reach when I was at my lowest. It seemed impossible. Once I did all the necessary things to apply for VSG, I had to wait. The good thing I found that while I am overweight, I am actually quite healthy. I never had any medical problems other than being overweight. I was approved quite quickly for my surgery and I don't think I will ever forget that day that I got my approval. I felt an extreme amount of hope. Hope that my life was about to change and this time it would be a permanent change. Hope that I could finally be NORMAL. Be happy, be beautiful, be confident and love me. I started a 6-week pre-op diet and already after week 1 I had only lost 6.5lbs but I had my glow back, a little bit of my smile back. People were starting to notice I was happier and day to day it got better. I wanted to get up and pick out my clothes and put things together like I used to. I wanted to try out cute hairstyles again. My surgery date was set for April 16th and I was counting down the days until this would finally become a reality. I didn't have any nervous feelings because I was so ready to get back to who I know I'm meant to be. The day of my surgery everything went well and I had my dad right by my side the whole time. All of the wonderful people in my life who I had told about the surgery were there through emails, texts, face times and phone calls. I felt like I had so much support and I never realized how much support helps you if you just let those people in.

It has now been 3 weeks since my surgery and It has been an amazing experience so far! I can't wait until I am fully healed and I can start making clean recipes, and exercising regularly. I have lost a total of 41.5lbs since I started this journey on February 28th. I wanted to start this blog to share with everyone my journey. I plan on posting meal ideas, exercises I've tried, posts about fashion and just general inspiration. I want to update you on my progress and share pictures. I get alot of my inspiration from other people , whether its a book I've read or that really great song that just speaks to you on another level. Even if I just inspire a couple of people to go for their dreams whether its weight loss, school or a new job. I want to do that. I am here to listen to other peoples stories and meet some really great people along the way. This is only the beginning for me and I thank you for sharing this journey with me and reading my first official blog post! It's absolutely the biggest journey of my life and I will be forever grateful for my second chance at life!

Hugs & Glitter,

Chanty