New Vlog, Plus Recipes!

This week I'm talking about the joys of the liquid diet. Okay, well, maybe JOYS is a bit strong of a word. It's not bad. It's not GREAT but it's not bad either! Enjoy!

And HERE are the recipes! (Plus a few bonus)

SHAKE RECIPES
All shakes have the following instructions:

In shaker or blender combine all ingredients except ice (if using). Blend or shake until well mixed. If using ice, add ice and blend until the ice is crushed. Enjoy immediately!

Morning Coffee

1 packet or serving scoop(s) vanilla protein powder
Water according to package/surgeion instructions
1 packet Taster's Choice or Folger's single serve instant coffee
@ 1 T sugar free chocolate syrup
dash cinnamon
1/2 C ice (optional)


Gingerbread

1 Packet or serving scoop vanilla protein powder
water according to package/surgeon instructions
1 tsp sugar free caramel coffee syrup
dash cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash ground cloves
dash ground ginger
1/2 C ice


Banana-Berry (or Banana Split)

1 Packet or serving scoop vanilla protein powder
water according to package/surgeon instructions
@ 1 T sugar free strawberry syrup
1 tsp. banana extract
1/2 c ice

Coconut Cream Pie

1 Packet or serving scoop vanilla protein powder
water according to package/surgeon instructions
1 T caramel flavored coffee syrup
1 tsp coconut extract
dash cinnamon
1/2 c ice

Mounds Shake

1 Packet or Serving scoop vanilla protein powder
water according to package/surgeon instructions
1 T sugar free chocolate syrup
1 tsp coconut extract
1/2 c ice

BONUS RECIPE
Shamrock Shake

1 packet or serving scoop vanilla protein powder
water according to package/surgeon instructions
1 tsp mint flavoring
1 T caramel coffee syrup
1/2 C ice


BROTH RECIPES
After adding seasonings, heat each recipe in microwave or on stovetop until just steaming.

Taco Soup Broth

1 Can chicken or beef broth (or 1 1/2 cups)
2 tsp Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning

WonTon Soup Broth

1 Can (about 1 1/2 C) Chicken broth
1 tsp soy sauce
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of onion powder

French Broth

1 can beef or chicken broth
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning OR 2 tsp herbes de provance

Jen's WLS Journey ES. 02

Here's Part 2 in my WLS Journey.
Today I talk a little bit about the non-health WHYS

I talk about POSITIVE BODY IMAGE

and ...

BODY SHOT
(be afraid. be. very. afraid.)

A LIfe-Changing Decision . . .

Ever since I decided to have the Vertical Sleeve procedure, it has been my every waking thought.
Every moment of every day, I dream of what it will be like to not have to physically struggle.
I have dreams at night of waking up in the hospital to my surgeon telling me that everything went beautifully.
For those of you that have been following this journey, you know exactly what I've been through.
I've tried everything known to man.
Diet, exercise - those things are IMPERATIVE. But sometimes, even those things are not enough.

I recently had someone tell me that I could do this on my own.
I have been obese for - literally - 26 years.
I am 36 years old - you do the math.
If it was SO easy . . . If I COULD do this on my own, it would have already been done.
This surgery is a TOOL. If I said it was going to be an easy fix - I'd be lying. It's going to be hard as hell.
It's going to change my life.

I've been thinking lately about how my life has been moving thus far, and there's something that I've realized.
80% of my life revolves around food.
Many of my friends and I have a food relationship.
I am a cook at heart, and love trying and creating new recipes.
When I'm joyful, I eat to celebrate. When I'm sad, I eat to mourn.
When I'm pissed off at my kids, I eat to keep from duct-taping them to the wall.
That's all going to change. Food will no longer be my crutch.
Will I still have the same friendships and relationships in a year that I have now?
I hope so.
But I hope that they'll change.
I hope that those friendships and relationships will become less self-sabotaging on my part.
I am so excited to see the changes that this decision will bring to me.
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey!

WLS Vlog!!

Here's the Vlog I promised a while ago!
I hope it answers your questions - feel free to let me know anything you'd like covered in this series and I'll make sure it gets in! Thank you guys again for joining me on this journey! Love to you all!!

ENJOY!

Coming Soon . . .

Things have been hectic in SuperMom Jen land, and I haven't had the time - or the energy! - to blog the way I've wanted to. My weight loss efforts have struggled from all of this too, but that's turning around as well.

Tomorrow I will be posting my first ever VLOG! I have some exciting news that I want to share with all of you, and plus I've always wanted to do a vlog.
Nervous and excited, to say the least.

"See" all of you tomorrow!

Made to Crave: The Urge . . .

*Please note that I am in no way affiliated with Lysa TurKeurst or Proverbs 31 Ministries. This is my own work using Lysa's book Made to Crave as reference. Thank you - Jennifer.*   

There's a question that many of us Christians are asked frequently. "How do you grow close to God?"

How would you answer that question?

I'm sure there are a myriad of answers: pray, read scripture, go to church . . . Those are almost a given.
But at the same time, you can go through the motions all you like, and never get close to God.
That's because, as Lysa says, "God can't be reduced to a checklist".
Quite frankly, you cannot get close to God unless you want to.
The one part of the equation that many of us forget to tell is that you have to have a desire to grow close to God: You have to have the urge.
It's exactly the same when it comes to a healthful journey.
If you don't have the urge to change, then change won't come. Period.

Recently my Made to Crave group has been dwindling.
As of right now we are down to less than five women, and possibly even less than that.
This has been discouraging for me.
We've been told more than once, "My heart just isn't in this" or some equivalent.
And that's kind of the point of this post.
These women will not be successful right now because their hearts aren't in it. They don't have the desire. They don't have the urge.
I can't say that I blame them: This is a hard road paved with ugly stones of the past that we have to face and trip over one by one.
I haven't always had the urge myself.
But what's discouraging is that I am led to believe that perhaps these women have been at this for all the wrong reasons.
Perhaps they've just been in this for weight loss alone.
Perhaps they've no intention of making any sacrifices.
Perhaps they're just fearful for some reason or another.
Whatever their reason, I pray that they come back. I pray for them to find their urge.

Something else I would like to throw in here, since we're talking about urges . . .
This weekend I had the biggest urge for chocolate chip cookies.
These are quickly becoming my weakness, because every time I have an urge for them, I bake them.
Then I eat half the batch single handedly, which is what happened yesterday.
Not only did I give in to my own weakness and my own temptation, but I dragged my best friend down with me.
I confess, those cookies tasted REALLY good.
But looking back on it now, the guilt I felt after eating them, and the guilt I felt after my best friend partook (I felt like Eve in the garden, let me tell you!) was SO not worth it!
But this morning, God got me up (by way of my Great Pyrenees).
It was a reminder to do all the things that I promised I would do every morning, and have yet to: read my devotional, pray, write . . . And God led my heart to this today.

Now, I have a project for you guys this week.
I want you all to make a list of the things that you have urges for.
Food, money, sex, television, cars . . . whatever. Then scrutinize it.
Then, rip it up, burn it, crumple it and throw it away, whatever you have to do to get rid of it.
Then make a new list:

Things I Have An Urge For
1. GOD

Because God made us to have urges.
He made us to crave: God, not food.
God bless you all,

Tracking Update

One of the things that I vowed to do this time was track everything. Not necessarily to stick to a certain calorie count, but more to keep track of what I'm eating, what I'm not eating and make decisions and changes based on that.

Last week, my sweet best friend bought me a journal to use as a food tracker.

The first few days, I was a rock star. Then I petered out. Then I stopped.
So, I haven't been great as of today.
But that's okay, because today is a new day, so I can start from scratch and keep it moving.

My goal is to hit 270 by February 10 (my birthday).
As of this Friday (January 20) I was at 278.
I have three weeks to lose 8 lbs in order to reach my goal.

Now, let me be perfectly clear.
This is not a HAVE TO.
The scales do not define me.
My world will not cease to turn if I don't make this goal.
This is just something that I have set for myself in order to keep me motivated and on track. It may not be in God's plan  for me to be 270 that quickly. I may hit 272 or 274, and that's okay too. But I'm going to work to hit that goal so that I can at least say that I worked hard for it.

In about three weeks I will be 36 years old.
Weather I make goal or not, I will still weigh less on my birthday than I have for the last five years.
And that's something to celebrate.

God bless you all!