A SUMMIT ATTAINED! and the reasons WHY!

I haven't talked much lately about my weight loss. WHY? Because I was forever stuck in a stawl. Very frustrating to say the least when I kept seeing 201 to 205 lbs on the scale for over 2 months...ARGGHH!. Good thing you all didn't hear the obscene expletives used everytime I got on that scale..would make a truck driver blush! I just wanted to break the 200 lb mark!! Then FINALLY I did! I let out a WHOOP and Chris came running in and WHOOPED some more! This happened last week. I didn't blog about it untill I knew it has STUCK lol. That day I was 199.5 lbs ...YES ...Just under the 200 mark, but hey its UNDER! Today it is 197 lbs so I'm glad the process has finally restarted. That day of Whooping, Chris went to work and came home that day with this beautiful bouquet of flowers ..AWE..what a guy.

Many who know little about Gastric Bypass surgery, figure it to be the easy way out. It's a normal thought actually. But untrue. Yes it reduces the stomach size thus restricting food intake. But alot less food means, takes alot less time to digest..and one can become hungry alot faster. In the beginning, eating is baby steps so the weight falls off...it can be painful, difficult and u ask yourself wtf was I thinking. BUT once u start eating more normally, all be it smaller portions, u feel your life get abit easier. That said, even with smaller portions, u always have to watch out for high caloric things...food addicts will always be food addicts so its easy to sneak in stuff, specially if u don't have the dumping syndrome...I don't...but I have tryed to be logical and not gone over board. I have also been working hard on the treadmill and eliptical.many don't. The hard part is dealing with having to eat often, which again goes against what we are used..but that said, we are hungry often because we eat smaller portions. I was stuck for that reason. Nothing was moving. Untill I started changing more things that we eat, I say we, because Chris loves everything I have made from the G I Diet Cookbook . It's what started the motor working again, so here are some more photos of recipes made ...absolutely delicious! Below is White Chicken Chili with low fat sourcream topping on a bed of Basmatic rice.

Below is the Apple crumb recipe but I used Canned peaches instead...worked wonderfully! We loved it!

Below is Chicken Tagine...a terrific Moroccan dish served with Basmatic rice and sprinkled with fresh mint. Just Devine!

Finally , here we have Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing...best carrot cake I have ever had, no joke. It's moist and absolutley delicious...without the icing it's a green lite food, like all the others above..meaning u can eat these foods WITHOUT GUILT they are the things u can eat as much as u want foods...with reason ofcourse...like they say, don't eat 12 apples in a day, it's just not smart lol. With the icing it's yellow lite, meaning a few calories, so be careful. But again the icing is made with the lowest fat cream cheese, no fat plain yogourt, some splenda and vanilla..so its very smart as icings go. It's VERY filling so one piece is enough. Let me point out that the part cut out here was enough for 3 servings NOT one lol, I wanted to show the inside of the cake lol.

I hope I haven't made u too hungry lol. I do hope however that some of you go out to get this cookbook, it has been fun cooking and baking new things but knowing they are all EXCELLENT for us with no compromising on taste, is just the Cherry on the top! Also the only reason I have restarted losing weight.

Please share...have u any really great food tips? Or recipe books you know of that give great healthy alternatives? Btw the link to the book I am talking about is inbedded in the title here G I Diet Cook Book.

MY BABY IS GOING TO COLLEGE!

Hard to believe that my baby will be starting College this January! We got the acceptance papers yesterday. She is very excited! She is entering a program this first semester that is pretty open so she can do credits while seeing what major program she wants to go for. Her goal is arts and music if she can swing it. Time will tell. The important thing was getting her foot in the door.

I think it worked out better that she had to wait a session rather then start last sept because of late credits coming in ect. Why..well,She just turned 17, 2 months ago! But also because she started working in a nice french resturant this summer...in the kitchen.When the tourist season dropped off...she started working with some ppl, putting up TEMO's (they are those temporary car port things ppl errect for the winter). While still keeping her kitchen job during the weekends. So unless it rained...she has been working 7 days a week. I am proud of her...she has been putting money aside to help with her college costs.

She has done some more growing up while earning some money. Also not afraid to work hard to earn it. I think this hard work experience was exactly what she needed before starting college. The fact that she is helping to pay for it herself will also make her more serious about the school part.....I can only hope lol. Reality tells me that the college scene is also full of *LET'S PARTY!* mode but those are things she will have to weigh for herself.

This time last year , she was all about...OMG, I CAN'T WAIT TO LIVE ON MY OWN! ON CAMPUS or WITH FRIENDS IN AN APARTMENT...speach...u know the whole, I NEED MY SPACE...chant. After working for her own money these past months, she realized alot of things...(althought these things I had often pointed out myself) but u know how us parents have no idea what we are talking about.

Anyway, she had these thoughts of being on her own, going to college, working full time to pay for all that by herself. I have nothing against the idea, lord knows many ppl do it. But there was no need in her case. She could still get a part time job, live at home and travel to school with alot less living expenses.

Well low and behold...in the past months, her ideas have reflected the realization that she would get alot more out of remaining home....HMMM I wonder why lol.

It's all good...and it get's even better. She finally broke up with the LOSER bf she had since the beginning of last summer. I knew..as any mother would, that it would eventually die but it was a slow death. Although I.m not surprised as it was her first SERIOUS relationship. She was aware of our opinion of him to a certain extent, but he was welcome here regardless as he was her bf. She had to come to her own conclusions...and thank goodness she did!

She has just turned 17 yet a new chapter in her life begins and I'm just so happy for her. The fact that she is a free bird going in, will help her fly even higher. Knowing she can always land safely at home everyday will make her and MY life alot easier also lol!

I AM FLUSH WITH ANTICIPATION.......

FINALLY...tomorrow, work begins on what used to be the bathroom downstairs!!!! Whooo hooo!! We finally found a contractor to begin work on it with Chris. He was recommended by a friend and with Chris' help it should hopefully, only take a week.

The timing couldn't be better actually, although it's been a long wait...right now, with Chris working weekends this month...he is home for 4 days of the week so he will be here the whole time except Friday to work with the guy. I am ofcourse always here also...but I have to remain upstairs with Luke AND I am not really into doing construction lol. I will stick to paint chips and accessorizing thank you very much!

We are just so happy it will finally start to materialize. The fact that the former bathroom has been totally gutted really saves precious time and money because Chris did it himself. I can't wait to finally add the AFTER pics to the renovations photo folder!

Best of all will be remaining asleep as I groggily make my way a few short feet to the bathroom to pee in the middle of the night.....AHH BLISS......

Rather then wake up, gage how BAD I really have to go...u know that inner conversation we have....I'm all warm, do I REALLY have to go NOW? or if I don't I will regret it in half an hour...arghhh....Now I have to trudge out of the bedroom...then all the way up the MILE of stairs...then undo the security fence we have in the hallway for Luke...then go to the bathroom..by this time totally awake...come out...redo the security fence, go down the 2 MILES of stairs...get into bed.....I know, you all must feel so bad for my whoa's...haha

SO SUE ME! I MISS MY DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM!