Eating Healthier on Christmas

Let's be honest Christmas day is going to be horrible to remember to eat smaller portions, be choosy on what we eat and limit all those goodies we look forward to all year long. Personally my hard food item will be Dad's pork loin and pretzel salad, these are amazing. So I have been trying to think all weeks of diffrent tricks and tips I could use to help my own self and came across some great ideas I wanted to share with you all.

• Try to fill your plate with healthier options one idea is to fill your plate half way with vegetables.


• Bring a healthier option that you will also enjoy to the party, this will make sure you have a healthy options at Christmas dinner.


• Hydrate, this is important sipping water throughout the day can help with the cravings and also help you to start to fill full so you avoid eating more than you should.


• Keep it fresh. Choose fresh options whenever possible like your fresh veggies and fruit options.


• Limit your alcohol. If you choose to drink on Christmas try to choose a lower calorie version, because often people forget that your calories can really add up when you start to drink.


• Swap it out. If you are wanting to snack, do not punish yourself but instead swap out a unhealthy snack like cookies or cake with a healthier option like whole grain crackers, fresh fruit and veggies.


• Chew Slowly, Talk alot. Chew your food slowly and be sure to talk alot and join in the conversation. By chewing longer and talking it will distract you from overeating.


• Get outdoors. After your big Christmas meal get outside and go for a short walk, or if you are not able to walk long distances just move around, try to avoid sitting down for long periods of time or falling asleep.

Smaller Portions made easier

I was in with my dietician this week and she had a great tip that I heard in the past but she took it a step farther. We all know that we have to lower our portion size in order to loose weight, and that is one I personally need to work on. Well dietician suggested that you go the store and find the prettiest small salad plate that you love the design and look of. Once you find that perfect plate buy a couple and keep those plates only for you and no one else. By purchasing a plate  that you personally picked out and that you choosed it will make it easier to use. But by using a smaller size plate such as a salad plate and not allowing yourself to have seconds it will help you to only a set amount of food at each meal. Use this same principal for your bowls, I know alot of us have the larger cereal bowls with the high sides, but you should choose a saucer size with lower sides in order to fill with a smaller amount of food. Plan on purchasing my plates today or tomorrow depending on the Christmas crowds and I will be sure share my new plates and bowls!

Exercise Ideas or Obese People

If you are like me you may be very over weight and not sure where to start to loosing those pounds, don't worry we are in the same boat. I am simply going to watch what I eat, cut out soda and sugary drinks completely, and lower my portion size and then be more active. Being active can be a challenge so I looked up some tips that might help you out and get you motivated as well to get to moving!

Water Exercises:

Personally I love water aerobics I know some people think of it has a old person's exercise and maybe it is. All I know is I feel so much better once I am done, and I feel like I actually accomplished something so to me that is all that matters. Working out in the water is easy on your joints and will help you burn calories. Things you can do if you are not going to take a class is simply walking in the water, swimming or doing a simple workout in the water will all help you out. A great idea if you cannot afford classes is to get a water noodle for like $2 at Walmart and use that as your resistance in the water by paddling using that, we used these in the YMCA classes and it gives your arms a good workout after awhile.

Chair Yoga:

I have never heard of this myself, however I am personally very interested in trying Yoga out. But at this moment I want to get more confident in my fitness level before I jump over that hurdle lol But when researching different ideas I came across Chair Yoga and was interested. Chair Yoga is suppose to help you  in improving your flexibility, strength and fitness level. Some people have even found a improvement in their sleep at night, manage their stress levels, help with belly weight and weight loss. SIGN ME UP lol Everything I need lol You can find Chair Yoga DVDs on amazon I will post a few links below for your reference.

Chair Aerobics:

Chair aerobics when combined with resistance exercises like using an exercise band can really help you increase your fitness level and start losing weight and toning your body. It might not be ideal as regular cardio is the best to get you started, but if you are not there yet you can always try chair aerobics there are DVDs available on Amazon as well to help you out. I personally do not think this is for me as I can do regular cardio just not for long periods of time. But I will post some links below to videos that might help you out. And just remember it doesn't matter where you start at, it is that you START.

Exercise Ball:

Now before you go out and purchase an exercise ball and waste your money there are a few things you need to know as an obese person. First off make sure the ball can hold your weight, each exercise ball has a maximum weight allowance so be sure to check that out. Second and just as important is to make sure you get a exercise ball that is anti-burst so you don't have to fret or worry about this, and this does usually cost a little more but it is worth it to have peace of mind. I personally found one on Amazon for $24.99 it holds up to 2000 pd and it is a anti-burst ball. My goal is to use this in my office to start working on my core stomach muscles. They say to simply sit on it on carpet at first in case you fall, and concentrate on the TV not the ball to get your balance and then sit on it a little longer each day. Once you feel confident on your exercise ball then you go onto different exercises.

Excercise ball on Amazon

 

Some Permant Changes After Surgery

For the last few months I have done a ton of research online to make sure that gastric bypass or weight loss surgery in general was for me. Part of that journey was reading tons and tons of inspiring blogs of women and men whom were in the process like me of having gastric bypass surgery, and those whom have had the surgery done within the last few years. This was important so that I truly understood the risk and complications that I will surely face. And the risk are something I am still finding out about daily.

Below are some of the risk that shocked me personally and there are more, but here are some of the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

• You can expect to loose up to 60% of your weight in the first 9-12 months, but you may find after that point that you weight will plateau and you will have to work harder to maintain your weight loss.


• Another VERY important thing to know and understand is that you have to chew chew chew your food to like applesauce consistency at EVERY meal. Chewing your food thoroughly is essential to preventing nausea and vomiting during and after your meal. Large chunks of food can have trouble passing through the digestive tract after surgery, and if it gets stuck along the way, it can cause pain.


• Can no longer have ibuprofen of any kind after surgery will have to switch to Tylenol based products


• Can no longer have caffeine as my stomach will be the size of a ping pong ball and I will only be allowed to hold a little bit of liquid and I don't want to get dehydrated and caffeine is a diuretic that will cause you to loose fluids.


• You cannot eat anything sweet or sugary without serious consequences. One of the biggest is called "Dumping Syndrome" this can mean diarrhea and if you have ever had low blood sugar you can also have the sweats, shakes, nauseous, and dizziness.


• Foods you use to like, now may cause you to be sick or not feel well. Your food taste may also change.


• Hair Loss or changes in your hair. Alot of people I have read can loose up to 1/3 of their hair and this is a normal process that is caused from the anesthesia and the surgery itself. Also some people with curly hair found that their hair was not as curly.


• You will have to take Vitamins for the rest of your life, this is crucial and not optional. And this will actually be a challenge for me because it will require taking up to 7-8 pills per day and I hate, hate, hate swallowing pills. One of my weird phoebe as lol.


• You need to eat a protein at every meal, this is something my dietician stressed that I need to do now before surgery. The reason you are to eat a protein is because it is a very filling item to help you feel full, and also you will not only loose fat after surgery but also muscle mass and you need protein to build this back up again. Some great options for protein are beans, peanut butter (1 tsp), nuts (limit your amount due to high fat content), eggs, dairy and meat.


• DO NOT drink carbonated drinks anymore , the bubbly sensation from the carbonation can cause very painful gas in your small stomach pouch. Especially after surgery as this can cause pain and pressure on the stitches and staples.


• You CANNOT drink and eat at the same time. You have to allow around half hour between eating and drinking from now on. The reason being is that you stomach is so small that if you drink while eating your stomach will fill up with fluids and not allow nutritious food that you need. Or if you eat first and then drink it may wash the food that you need for nutrition down your stomach.


• Limit your alcoholic drinks. This is super super important, especially in women. When you have surgery they have to re-route your intestines and doing this the new section of intestines will not absorb like it use to therefore you will find that you can get drunk very fast. They have actually seen a rise in people whom have had gastric bypass surgery and those becoming alcoholics, so please be mindful and aware that this is a big concern and let you family know so they can watch out for signs of this.

Warning o-Bitch in 2.3 Seconds

Ok this should really be a warning badge placed on me for my friends and families safety. LOL No seriously I have decided that today is the day that I am giving up my other big addiction the dreaded soda.  As you can see from the picture above I am prepared, I have my bottled water with lemon, and excedrin migraine for any impending caffeine headaches. I know it is crazy to start all of this before Christmas I received a TON of notes from friends and family on that yesterday. So let me explain why now, why today.

I went to my Doctor yesterday and started the paperwork for my medically diagnosed diet that is required for my insurance company to pay for gastric bypass surgery. So yesterday started a ticking clock for me, a count down to my six month mark to when I have to have lose 32 pounds to qualify for surgery. So there is NO better time to start than now. Now I am not going to kill myself on Christmas, but I am going to try and make healthier choices, so that if I splurge and have a piece of dessert I will have compensated by making smarter choices for the rest of the day. I don't want to punish myself on Christmas day, but I also don't want to sabotage the rest of my week if that makes sense.

So today I am switching to drinking water and only water during the day. Water I feel is the safest thing to drink and not put calories on me that I no longer need. Now water to me is just plain boring and not something I love to drink if I am not working out and hot so I have to make it interesting. Today I just added some lemon in it, but I am running out today to get mint and cucumber so I can make a few pitchers of flavored water for my refrigerator. Another thing I have picked up is Crystal Light and MiO water enhancer both of these are zero in calories and add some flavors to your drink so that might be an great option for you.

 

 

Quick Lunch Recipes for on the Go!

Ok I will be honest and admit I DO NOT like to cook! So I have actually decided that starting this Sunday I will actually cook alot of meals ahead of time and prepackage them. This will be deter me from eating fast food or eating something that is not healthy for me. I tend to go for convience during the daytime because I am usually in a creative mode of creating my clipart graphics and don't want to stop to cook! So here are some quick lunch recipes I found for myself that you may also enjoy!

Crunchy Tuna Wrap: 382 calories
Why it rules: Greek yogurt makes this tuna salad just as creamy as the classic mayo would, but without all the extra fat and cholesterol!
1 whole-wheat wrap: 130 calories
1/2 a 6oz.-can of tuna: 90 calories
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt: 30 calories
1/2 a celery stalk, chopped: 5 calories
3 slices roasted red peppers: 30 calories
1 handful of baby spinach: 5 calories
1 squeeze of lemon juice: <1 calorie

Add a piece of fresh fruit with this to complete the lunch

Turkey Wrap: 365 calories
Why it rules: Turkey is a tasty and lean source of protein. Bonus points for choosing the low-sodium kind!
1 whole-wheat wrap: 130 calories
3 slices deli turkey: 90 calories
2 tablespoons hummus: 60 calories
1 tablespoon goat cheese: 60 calories
1 handful baby spinach: 5 calories
Side Snack: 9 Parmesan Garlic and Herb Pita Chips (140 calories)

Mediterranean Burger: 400 calories
Why it rules: Subbing turkey for the traditional beef saves some calories without sacrificing flavor.
1 whole-wheat bun: 90 calories
1 turkey burger patty: 140 calories
2 tablespoons feta cheese: 50 calories
2 slices tomato: 10 calories
1 round slice red onion: 5 calories
1 handful spinach: 5 calories
Side Snack: 5  whole grain crackers with 1 stick reduced-fat string cheese (100 calories)

Grilled Cheese With Tomato And Turkey: 345 calories
Why it rules: This healthier version of a grilled cheese has no butter and adds in turkey for extra protein!
2 slices whole-wheat bread: 180 calories
3 slices deli turkey: 90 calories
1 slice provolone: 70 calories
1 small spritz olive-oil spray (to grease pan panini press!): 5 calories
Side Snack: 1 small apple (60 calories)

Pizza Burger: 360 calories
Why it rules: Say so long cravings for greasy pizza thanks to this burger that’s also filled with protein.
1 whole-wheat bun: 90 calories
1 veggie burger patty: 100 calories
2 slices fresh mozzarella cheese: 140 calories
2 tablespoons marinara sauce: 40 calories
Side Snack: 1 orange (85 calories)

Almond Butter & Jelly Sandwhich: 390 calories
Why it rules: Almond butter is a great swap for peanut butter and contains 25 percent less saturated fat.
2 slices whole-wheat bread: 180 calories
2 tablespoons almond butter: 190 calories
1 tablespoon reduced-sugar jelly: 20 calories
Side Snack: 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with ¼ cup fresh blueberries (91 calories)

Strawberry Spinach Salad: 382 calories
Why it rules: Strawberries are filled with antioxidants, and can sweeten up any salad!
1 cup spinach: 7 calories
1 cup strawberries, sliced: 50 calories
1 thick slice fresh mozzarella cheese: 70 calories
2 tablespoons pine nuts: 110 calories
1 cup broccoli: 30 calories
1 tablespoon olive oil: 110 calories
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar: 5 calories
1 squeeze lemon juice: < 1 calorie
Side Snack: A 2-inch slice whole-grain baguette (140 calories)

Meet my Partner in Crime

OK since I am not able to do a lot of cardio right now I have to start somewhere right? Well I decided on a few options! One of course is walking! LOL And so my partner in crime in this adventure is Chewey lol He is my adorable puppy from my best friend! He is a mix of Jack Russell Terrier and Chihuahua and  just plain TROUBLE. lol This dog has the poor "Doberman personality" meaning he thinks he is some big bad ass dog sent here to protect me and Torie from any impending danger lol

So that will be my new partner in crime helping me with my goals of getting more active, now let's just hope his poor little legs will able to keep up! Some of the other active things I have decided upon is I am resigning up for the YMCA right now because if you sign up before end of January they will not charge you the start up fee. And the YMCA offers the swimming pool which is a great option for a low impact form of exercise. Our local YMCA also offers several water aerobic classes so figure I would give this a whirl until our pool in our neighborhood opens up!

Second I have a membership at Planet Fitness and I will use this to work out in, I probably will not work out at the YMCA simply because the work out area is always extremely crowded, and Planet Fitness is only $10 a month. At Planet Fitness I am going to work on exercise bike and all the weight machines. Treadmill right now is a little hard on my back but I don't see to have a problem with the exercise bike so I figure I will start off there and work my way up! If anyone cares to join me at either place to join me for a workout just let me know!!

Oven-fried Herb Chicken

I will be looking for yummy recipes that are EASY to make and sound delish and sharing them here!! Let me know if you try any and if you liked it! Also a good thing I have tried and LOVE IT is you can also add crushed Kelloggs Special K cereal to the bread crumb mixture to give it a little extra crunch like real friend chicken!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs


• 3/4 tsp. garlic salt


• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, parsley or rosemary leaves, crushed


• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper


• 3-1/2 lbs. chicken parts, skin removed


• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise Dressing with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

TOTAL TIME

50 min

SERVINGS

8

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.


2. Combine bread crumbs, garlic salt, herbs and black pepper in shallow dish; set aside.


3. Add chicken and Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mayonnaise to large plastic bag; shake to evenly coat. Remove chicken, then lightly dip in crumb mixture. Arrange chicken on cookie sheet.


4. Bake 40 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Also terrific with Hellmann's® Real Mayonnaise.

Soda Lovers Unite

I am a person whom drinks all or most of her calories! And for me it is a mental thing and it has take me years to understand why I am so addicted to drinking soda! But then one day it was like a light from above lol No seriously my Mom when I was younger from kindergarten and up would not allow me to have soda or chips or snack foods at all. I can remember coming home from kindergarten and sitting with my Mom in the living room and she would be watching her Soaps and drinking her Coca Cola and eating her snack foods in front of me but I was not allow to touch them. Looking back now I am pretty sure my Mom had a problem with food herself.

There were times where I would reach over to grab a chip and she would literally smack my hand away. She became like a monster if anyone tried to take her soda or chips or whatever she was eating at the time. So my whole childhood foods like were eaten in front of me but rarely I was allowed to have them. And even up to death three years ago my step Dad said she was still going to the gas station daily to get a large fountain soda. Now today I find myself doing the same thing. Now I have never denied my kids food, or reacted the way she did towards me, but I do find myself drinking soda daily and getting bitchy and down right cranky if I don't have it. It is the so hard to explain other than as soon as I take my first drink of my soda I instantly calm down and feel more at ease, the same way I would feel right after I took my first puff off that cigerette. So now I need to find something else I can do

Soda is my evil addiction it is as powerful to me as cigerrettes were. It may sound silly but drinking soda is as much an addiction to me as needing to grab that last puff of a good smoke. So I was told to slow down this month on my soda but I have decided it would be best if I did it COLD turkey like I did when I quit smoking. So I wanted to find advice to help me out during this time and maybe it would help someone else out if they too were addicted to sodas.

Problems from Drinking Soda

• People who one or more sodas per day are twice as likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes


• The sugars and sweeteners found in soda will cause weight gain


• The sugars and sweeteners found in soda will also start to erode your teeth by eating away at your enamel

Alternatives to try when trying to get off of Soda

• 100% Fruit Juice is a great option but you still have to watch the calorie and sugar intake on these as well


• Non fat milk which can give you a calcium boost


• unsweetened tea like green tea that way you are still getting your caffeine just not the carbonation and calories and sugars


• If you like the carbonation of soda you could try seltzer water and even add some fruit juice to it


• Coffee with sweetener to help with caffeine


• Water with Lemon or Lime or Cucumber or other fruit in it

 

Physical Symptoms of Being Overweight

I told you this blog would be honest, and I want to keep my promise lol OK a lot of people will look at overweight people out in public and judge us, I know it is hard not too. But I wanted to share how being obese affects my life on a daily basis, so maybe it helps those whom are not overweight understand our daily struggles.

Things as simple as tying your own shoes is a huge struggle, most of my family and friends probably notice I rarely ever wear tennis shoes or anything that requires me having to sit down and tie my shoes. Why? It is hard being fat and having to cross my legs to tie my shoes. It is the honest truth something as simple as tying your shoes is a struggle for me. How about walking in the grocery store? This too his a huge struggle and something I have learned to deal with over the years with a few tricks lol (Which I am sure my kids and friends already know) Whenever I am out shopping I always have to be the one to push the cart, why? Because the weight on my stomach weighs we down so much and puts such a HUGE strain on my back that I need to push the cart to help elevate the stress and pain on my back. In restaurants I cannot sit in a table that has a booth because I feel like you are trying to squeeze me into a section that is to small for me and it causes me huge anxiety.

Just walking in a store will wind me easily and I will have to take breaks to catch my breath. Just cleaning my own house will take me twice as long as it would take someone who was not obese. It amazes me how much I have had to adjust my life and make accommodations to learn to live like this. And it is something I am not willing to do any further, so I guess what I am hoping is next time you see someone whom is overweight. Think before you judge, because you have no idea how their life has been to get them to the point they are at now. Have COMPASSION and UNDERSTANDING that is my goal!

Do you Know the Real Angie Wenke??

Don't worry I don't think I know the real Angie Wenke is either! Well today started my first day on my new big journey in life! Just got done with my appointment with my Doctor to get me started on my new diet and my six month journey to a new ANGIE. This blog is more for ME to help me along this journey but I figure if I can help anyone else out there with my honesty and my struggles than that is even better. First I should start off with a little about me and why I am doing this blog. I will warn you I will NOT sugar coat anything I am going through, this is a HONEST reflection of things I am going through and my journey to help me out.

For most of my child and adult life I have been in some form of abusive relationships and the toll of these relationships have taken a toll on my me as a person. Growing up in childhood I had a Mom who had alot of her own demons to deal with and unfortunately she took out her anger on me. From calling me fat, ugly, telling me she should of had an abortion and so much more. So then as it often happens I went from one abuser to another by marrying my soon to be ex-husband. My ex-husband also had his own demons he is still dealing with, and rather than dealing with them me and my daughters became his outlet.

After hearing for over 42 years of life what an awful person you are from the two most important people in your life it does something to you. First it makes me want to hide from everyone, whether it be friends or family. The reason being is I don't feel worthy, and I am always afraid that everyone is judging me also like my Mom and Ex Hubby did. And let's be honest NONE of my family is over weight and NO one can understand what I am going through. I have maybe two people I can honestly call friends, and that is because I am so scared to open myself up to people for fear of rejection. So I never get to experience things like normal people, just going to church or the grocery store is a HUGE deal for me. I get panic attacks, worrying people are laughing or judging or making fun of me. And for the last year I have  been trying to get a doctors office to help me get started on my journey towards a weight loss surgery, but there was always excuses as to why we were getting no where.

Then in November a friend of mine had a heart attack, a friend I am just getting to know and really care about a lot. And in that moment it scared me to no end, like nothing else has. I am not sure why, but it scared me. In that moment I felt my own mortality. I looked in the mirror and the honest to god truth is I am a little over 300 pounds and am only 5' 1" tall. I am DIEING! There is NO sugar coating that is the honest to GOD truth. I am dieing every day, a little bit at a time. There was NO being in denial anymore! I am DIEING. My kids will no longer have a Mother soon, that is the god's honest truth. And let me tell you folks when you get that scared you are determined to do something about it!

Three months ago I started getting scared when I was afraid I was in the middle of having pneumonia again, due to smoking two packs of day. And I got a little scared to the point that I quit smoking. But not like I had in the past where I told people I quit but would sneak a cigarette or two here and there. I have not cheated ONCE since Sept 28th not one cigarette at all not one puff. And that may not seem like much to you but that is the FIRST time in my whole life that I kept a promise to myself and actually quit one of my addictions! So when my friend had her heart attack that was simply the icing on the cake. I don't even think she knows how much she has impacted my life, I owe her my life.

So yesterday I met with my surgeon along with my Mom and they are sure within six months I can have my weight loss surgery and start on my new life. During the next six months I have a few important goals to work on, one I have to loose at least 32 pounds that is crucial or I cannot have my surgery. Two I need to start discovering who "Angie" is. For too long I have lived my life for my ex-husband or my kids that I have NO clue who the real "Angie" is and I am so excited to learn more about ME. Third I want to LOVE myself, sounds so easy and simple but it is NOT. When I look in the mirror I see a HUGE disappointment to my entire family, a embarrassment to my kids and myself, and someone who is so lonely. Four, I want to develop some new friends and start exploring those things that SCARE ME. Like going out in public, going to the Mall, etc.

And the more I have thought about this today I have decided since I have to start working out now, and with my weight I cannot do much at this point. I figured I could work on two of my goals at the same time and start walking at the Mall. Oh Lord just me typing those words has my heart racing and my blood boiling from being scared! But I DON'T CARE! lol I have to overcome my fears, I am so tired of being ALONE, and SCARED.

So on this blog I will be sharing recipes I find, any exercises or tricks I find along the way, and just sharing my UPS and DOWNs with you. I want this to be the most honest reflection of who I AM. And I guarantee MOST of what I write on this blog will be an EYE opener for my own family and friends, if they actually read this lol So fasten your seat belt it is going to be a BUMPY ride, but in the end it will be a beautiful ride!