Bypass Princess

Monday, July 14, 2014

#BEJULYCHALLENGE14-DAY 14

14. Your zodiac and if you think it fits your personality?

So I had to truly look at the traits and definition of my zodiac sign to answer this, mine is the Taurus or bull. Below is the traits and definition of a Taurus.

- Stubborn
- Laziness
- Possessive
- Materialistic
- Self-indulging

- Dependable
- Persistent
- Loyal
- Patient
- Generous

So I think I am defiantly stubborn that is for sure and I tend to have a lazy side that for the last six months I have been aware of and tried actively deal on and work on. I am defiantly not a possessive or materialistic person. On the self-indulging I think this could hit on my issues I have had with food for the last thirty years or so, as I do tend to be self-indulging especially if I am being emotional and using food as a crutch or band aid instead of dealing with my emotions. I am pretty dependable I truly strive to be there for my friends and family. Persistent yes and this cannot also turn into ANNOYING at times lol. I am very loyal and unfortuntatly it can also be a bad quality as I stayed in my marriage for way too long for a variety of reasons and one of those reasons was because I was loyal. Patience is not a virtue of mine, I tend to have a lack of patience the older I get in life lol.

Visit all the bloggers

1.	Teresa @Snapshots Of A Life	10.	Amanda Ripsam @www.mommiesquietplace.com
2.	Fee @ feeisms.com	11.	Karyn
3.	Hilary @ The RNY Life	12.	Jen@ Driftwood Gardens
4.	Angie @ Bypass Princess	13.	Diary of a Former Fat Girl
5.	Molly @ thatmollygirl	14.	Margs World
6.	Manda @ MandaSue.com	15.	Being the Imperfect Mom
7.	Nichole@Autumn-Rain	16.	Megan@ The Adventures of Noble & Pond
8.	Jenn @ Jenn.nu	17.	Vaneese @ Mommy Works a Lot
9.	Rachee @ Say it, "Rah-shay"

(Submissions close in 21d 5h 12m)

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Sunday, July 13, 2014

#BEJULYCHALLENGE14-DAY 13

13. Something you always think “what if…” about.

Ok so mine is the story of "The One that got away" lol That is what I always think of "what if". There was a guy I dated in high school and he was probably the first guy that I ever dated that honestly to goodness treated me like a princess. He was so sweet he always opened my car doors for me, always treated me like I was the most special thing he had ever seen. When I met him he was a few years older than me and had never really dated many people before me, because he was a shy farm boy. He was a very hard worker who worked for a local farm tire company that spent his time changing tires on tractors and trucks in the fields. We dated and even got engaged and but like a friggin idiot right before I graduated I decided to break up with him my reason being was I starting college and wanted to sow my oats just in case. Can you say IDIOT??? The worst part of this little fairy tale gone wrong is that shortly after he broke up with me he wound up dating my best friend and his best friend and the girl who set us up in the first place lol So I lost my best friend and boyfriend in the same week, and it sucked.

On the flip side had I not gone down the path I went down I of course would not have had my daughters, but I often think about that one that got away and wonder about him. I have even tried looking him up on Facebook with no luck lol Maybe one day!

Visit all the bloggers

1.	Teresa @Snapshots Of A Life	10.	Amanda Ripsam @www.mommiesquietplace.com
2.	Fee @ feeisms.com	11.	Karyn
3.	Hilary @ The RNY Life	12.	Jen@ Driftwood Gardens
4.	Angie @ Bypass Princess	13.	Diary of a Former Fat Girl
5.	Molly @ thatmollygirl	14.	Margs World
6.	Manda @ MandaSue.com	15.	Being the Imperfect Mom
7.	Nichole@Autumn-Rain	16.	Megan@ The Adventures of Noble & Pond
8.	Jenn @ Jenn.nu	17.	Vaneese @ Mommy Works a Lot
9.	Rachee @ Say it, "Rah-shay"

(Submissions close in 21d 5h 12m)

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Product Review-New Cheerios Protein Cereals

So I saw at Walmart a few weeks ago that General Mills had two new cereals on the market that were being sold as Cheerios Protein Cereals. So being of course a pre-op patient whom is going to really have to push her protein intake this peeked my interest. But the truth is when you look a little deeper at the actual product, things can be very deceiving.

So the two new flavors they are offering are Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey and also Cheerios Protein Honey & Cinnamon. Now for full disclosure I only personally tried one box the Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey for this article. Now one of the first things you need to read on box is that it contains a nice big red circle that boasts "11 g Protein" but what you might now see right underneath that is the tiny words "with milk". Now this is important because without milk that you add the cereal itself only has 7 g of protein which is not unlike alot of other cereals on the market. So to me it felt as if they lure you in thinking you are getting 11 g of protein before you add your cereal, and if you are not a label reader like I am you would be very disappointed.

So the protein is not as much as they claim on the front of the box but when you compare the cereals to regular plain Cheerios the grams of sugars and the high carb count make this cereal a dangerous morning meal for weight loss surgery patients. Here is the break down between the three cereals.

Regular Plain Cheerios- 1 c serving size contains 100 calories, 2 grams fat, 20g carbs, 3g protein, 3g fiber, 1g sugars, 160 sodium

Cheerios Protein Oats & Honey- 1 and 1/4 cup serving size contains 210 calories, 3g fat, 42g carbs, 7g protein, 4g fiber, 17g sugar, 280mg sodium

Cheerios Protein Honey & Cinnamon- 1 and 1/4 cup serving size contains 22 calories, 5g fat, 40g carbs, 7g protein, 3g fiber, 16g sugar, 220mg sodium

While alot of companies these days are all hoping on the protein bandwagon which is great for us weight loss surgery patients, we also have to be mindful that just because it taunts high protein does not mean the sugar and carb count is good for us. While the taste of the cereal is good it is a nice sweet cereal with a great crunch but it is not sickening sweet like your kids version of cereals. But if you are wanting Cheerios and you are watching your weight I would suggest going for your regular Cheerios than wasting your money on the new Protein versions. Even though your regular version of Cheerios may not have but 3g of protein if you drink a full glass of milk with your Cheerios you can add another 8g protein to your breakfast and make it a healthier alternative than the new Protein Cereals they are offering. For even more protein you could add a unflavored protein powder to your cereal or add some walnuts or almonds to get a little bit more protein in a healthier fashion.

Disclaimer: I do not receive any compensation from anyone for my product reviews currently these are based on my own personal opinions.

#BEJULYCHALLENGE14-DAY 12

12. 5 things you lust after?

Ok I don't know that I lust over things but here is five things that at the current moment I would like more than anything and in no particular order, and hopefully that works lol

Have my surgery done and over with and on with my new life

Find a Man who loves me for ME, warts and all lol

Find a Job that helps me make a difference in people lives and pays the bills

Find my daughter that I gave up for adoption

Complete a GO APE zipline course lol

Visit all the bloggers

1.	Teresa @Snapshots Of A Life	9.	Rachee @ Say it, “Rah-shay”
2.	Fee @ feeisms.com	10.	Amanda Ripsam @www.mommiesquietplace.com
3.	Hilary @ The RNY Life	11.	Karyn
4.	Angie @ Bypass Princess	12.	Jen@ Driftwood Gardens
5.	Molly @ thatmollygirl	13.	Diary of a Former Fat Girl
6.	Manda @ MandaSue.com	14.	Margs World
7.	Nichole@Autumn-Rain	15.	Being the Imperfect Mom
8.	Jenn @ Jenn.nu

(Submissions close in 24d 5h 38m)

Friday, July 11, 2014

Strawberry and Mint Infused Water Recipe

So since I am striving hard to only drink zero calorie drinks I realized that I really needed to boost my water intake, but sometimes it is nice to have some flavor to your water so I like to do water infused flavors using fresh fruits and veggies. Yesterday while at Walmart I was actually looking for a water infused pitcher as those are really nice because you put your fruit and or veggies in a cylinder that goes into the middle of the pitcher, thus preventing the pulp from getting into your water. However they were out but they did have water infuser drinking glasses as you can see from my photo below, it is the same concept it has a cylinder in the middle to hold the fruit or veggies, then eliminating the pulp getting into your water.

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This is a very easy recipe that is suppose to be a great recipe to help detox your body, and it very refreshing especially if you are looking for a good alternative that is not sweet.

Ingredients:

6-8 Strawberries thin sliced

Handful of mint leaves between 10-13 leaves

Pitcher full of water with ice cubes

Directions:
Slice up a few strawberries into thin strips, then put these into a pitcher filled with water and ice which is optional. Now take a handful of mint leaves around 10-13 leaves and put this into the ice water with cucumber. Let this water sit in your fridge overnight or for a few hours before you drink your water infused, the flavors will keep stronger and richer the longer they sit in the water. You can refill your pitcher one more time with water when it is over before you need to throw out your mint and strawberries.

Benefits:

Water or H2O-of course is awesome for our bodies one of the biggest benefits of water is that it helps to remove the toxins and impurities from our body, this also helps to give our organs an easier job of functioning.

Mint Leaves-Mint leaves help to provide a nice refreshing mint flavor to anyone’s water, but on top of the refreshing flavor it has other great benefits as well. Mint will help you digest easier, helps with bile production from your liver, mint also helps cramps in your stomach muscles.

Strawberries-The benefits of strawberries are immune system protection, blood sugar regulation, digestion

Getting Myself Out Of My Funk

So you know how it goes we have all been there, you get into what I like to call a FUNK but I am sure a doctor would say a depressive state. Well I have been in one of those since they canceled my surgery and I have gained weight, shocker I know right? Couple that with my daughters accident and it has been a lovely few weeks to say the very least. But the one thing I have been trying so hard to do is to pull myself out of it.

Yes my surgery got delayed, but at least it is not permanently canceled. Yes my daughter was in a accident, but at least she is alive and will be ok. Still wasn't helping and then yesterday I decided what it was is that I have been slacking on my exercise, yes I go to water aerobics but even that I have been slacking. So I decided I needed to shake up my routine and do something fun or something different so I decided to look into walking hiking trails.

Wouldn't you know there was one like a half mile from my house it is centennial Park in Swansea, IL and it so peaceful and gorgeous there I cannot even explain. From the moment you get there you see you have two choices one is a hiking trail or the other is a concrete biking trail that goes around the park. For my choice I chose the walking and hiking path because you start the trail walking over a beautiful bridge and it peaked my interest. So with water bottle in hand, tunes playing in my ears, and my sidekick Chewy we were off on a adventure.

[gallery ids="1475,1476,1477,1478,1479,1480,1481,1482"]

The trail is one mile from start to finish and it was so breathtaking it was like I was in my own little magical forest. There were other people who occasionally walked or ran by, some with their dogs for the most part it was so quite and peaceful. Even met a old man along the way and stopped and chatted with him. Now the only thing I would change is that fact that about every half a mile I still need to stop and catch my breathe, but I usually only allow myself between 30 seconds to a minute.

Now today I pulled into the YMCA to go water aerobics and realized my friend was not there today, and I decided the walking trail might be more fun. I was kind of worried about trying it today because for whatever reason I felt dog tired this morning and just dragging all morning long. So I went home grabbed my water bottle, got my tennis shoes and grabbed my dog and off we went. Again there was maybe three people I saw on the trail the entire day and it was so beautiful, and today I noticed that little Chewy handled the walk much better he was not panting as much as yesterday. So after resting for five minutes after our first mile, I decided to challenge our butts and go for mile two. And the mile two went even faster than the first. It is just a peaceful spot and I am so glad that I found it and I think it finally got me out of my funk.

Great Online Support Groups & Facebook Groups

So while I am always looking for great resources for support and information I figured I would share some great ones here for anyone thinking of having weight loss surgery or those that have had weight loss surgery also.

Sparkpeople
Weight Watchers

T.O.P.S.

ObesityHelp

Thinner Times Forums

Bariatric Pal

WLS Boards

Bariatric TV

Facebook Groups You Can Join As Well:

If you go to Facebook and you type in the search bar any phrase like gastric bypass, or weight loss surgery, or wls you will come up with a tons of great groups for support but below is a few that I am personally a member of.

Bariatric Bad Girls Club
Bariatric Cafe
Bariatric Surgery Support Group
DS2 Anything Goes
WLS Peeps
BE-FitDEB's Healthy FriendsGASTRIC BYPASSBariatric Surgery Support GroupBariatric NewbiesLosing TogetherGetting Thin With FriendsBariatric Family Friendly RecipesBariatric Recipes & MoreWeight Loss Surgery Facts

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