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