Weight Loss Journey

Fall is among us! Seasons change like clockwork. 

That's what keeps life fresh and new. 

Some people dislike change, but I feel change can be a good thing. 

I have spent the majority of my adult life at an unhealthy weight. Morbidly obese, they say. That sounds horrible. It IS horrible. Horribly scary to know that being obese can contribute to many health problems including morbidity. Over the years, I tried many different diets. Lots of which I failed at. I had a tendency to try to eat properly (or so I thought) , but I would still each too much.

 Much too much!

 I admit that was my biggest problem. I would never know when to say enough was enough. 

I mulled over a procedure I have heard about for a long time. I always said I would never get my "stomach stapled". That sounded like a crazy thing to do. Years ago, that is how they referred to  Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.  It sounded so barbaric. How could I do this to myself? Why couldn't I just eat smaller amounts? Make better decisions on what I choose to eat? 

Why? Why? Why?

So many thoughts were going through my head for many years. 

Finally, someone close to me followed through with this exact procedure. So, I had the opportunity of learning so much more about it up close and personal. I learned a lot about the procedure as well as about the lifestyle changes that MUST take effect in order to have success. 

I decided that I would go to the seminars that were recommended and see a surgeon. 

Fast Forward 9 months.....

Yes nine more months.

Nine months of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. and pain from hauling around all of this extra weight.

But that time flew by,  it was nothing compared to the 30-something years before of being obese. Those nine months included, more dieting, more visits to my primary dr, insurance paperwork, crying, and exercise. I was finally going to start this new adventure. 

I was ready to make the ultimate change.

Sleeve Gastrectomy is a restrictive procedure. It greatly reduces the size of the stomach and limits the amount of food that can be eaten at one time. It does not cause decreased absorption of nutrients or bypass the intestines. After this surgery, patients feel full after eating very small amounts of food. Sleeve gastrectomy may also cause a decrease in appetite. In addition to reducing the size of the stomach, the procedure reduces the amount of the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin, produced by the stomach.

Prepping for surgery was difficult but it did result in a little weight loss mostly from the liquid diet in the 2 weeks before surgery. 

I had my procedure May 15, 2018 at 370lbs which was about 40 lbs less than my highest weight. 

I found out very quickly that I was scared for no reason.

I came home the next day and followed the rules. Sipping fluids and relaxing so I could heal.

That was the easy part.

The hard part was coming to grips with my first bites of food in the next few weeks. 

Literally a few bites of food was ALL I could eat. 

I felt full very quickly and I was grateful for that. Considering, that was my issue. 

However, I didn't know just how strong the "head hunger" would be. 

I wasn't HUNGRY. I just wanted to eat.

It was something I enjoyed doing and I missed doing it.

A few months have now passed and I have learned to handle that feeling. As of September 2018, I am currently 310 lbs. That is a loss of 60 lbs in 4 months. 

Also, during that 4 months I also lost my high blood pressure and my diabetes. 

Walking, water aerobics, and most recently bike riding have been my main exercises. 

I have come a long way in a short amount of time.

I keep myself busy. I enjoy crafting and sewing mostly. I do still very much love cooking though. 

I have learned to slow down when I eat; so when I cook these delicious and much healthier meals,

 I can enjoy eating them!

It has been one heck of a journey and it is definitely not over. 

Stay tuned for some new content coming soon. I will be sharing some recipes that I am loving right now. I hope you continue to follow my journey.

Watch Ya Mouth Game Review

 We received this game free to review.

Watch Ya' Mouth Throw-down Edition is the evolution of the original, wildly popular, hilarious Watch Ya' Mouth game. Rather than just speak phrases, players now go head-to-head with hilarious and challenging tasks - while wearing mouthpieces. Throw-down Edition takes competition - and laughter - to the next level and builds on the multi-generational gaming phenomena.

Throwdown Edition has already been Awarded Top Holiday Toy of 2017 by Toy Insider & selected for the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List.

I am a fan of fun games and activities with family for the holidays. I had the chance to try this game for the first time recently. I decided the best place to try it out was at my relative's house with all the little cousins. We learned very quickly some of the activities were not well received by some of the youngsters. There were music references that were way over their heads and many activities required the use of cell phones. Now, I know cell phones are a common occurrence now days. But, for our kids that isn't an option. In the end we ended up just making up our own fun with the mouth pieces and just looked through the cards and picked out favorites to play.
If you want a fun game this is it. But, just be aware there are a lot of activities might be a little more complicated.

Fun Game and Hot Deal

Watch Ya' Mouth Throwdown Edition is the evolution of the original, wildly popular, hilarious Watch Ya' Mouth game. Rather than just speak phrases, players now go head-to-head with hilarious and challenging tasks - while wearing mouthpieces. Throwdown Edition takes competition - and laughter - to the next level and builds on the multigenerational gaming phenomena.

Throwdown Edition has already been Awarded Top Holiday Toy of 2017 by Toy Insider & selected for the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List.

Want a hilarious family game to play during the Holidays? Your search is over. 15% off Coupon Code: 15THROWDOWN http://amzn.to/2i6NKwG

Halloween on a Budget

Halloween is coming up quick and being a frugal mom I always look for ways to be thrifty while still allowing my kids have their fun. Just like with other holidays I look for fun halloween decor after the holiday to use the next year. So, each year we pull out the boxes and decorate and look through old costumes to see what we can make new again. This year we found a few that can be used again with just a couple tweaks.

This should be fun! 

Along with costumes, we try to find inexpensive activities as well. There are lots of fun pumpkin patches in our area, and they provide all day fun at a great price and we even come home with pumpkins to carve! 

 This one is from a few years ago!

 It's also good to have a fun activity to do at home. Why not color your own trick or treat bag?

This amazing site offers bags, shirts, and even pillowcases to color yourself and make them exactly how you choose. They are so fun and if you choose a glow in the dark bag it'll even add to the costume for the fun night!! 
Use the code FGH15 for a 15% discount.