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Wait, you did what?!?

My name is Jennifer and I have had the opportunity to know Stephanie for my entire life (literally for all 25 years, she is my big sister you know). I have always struggled with my weight and never seemed to be able to get it under control no matter how much dieting or exercise I did.

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About a year ago I decided to start working with the Center for Weight Control at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston, MA. This was one of the best and scariest decisions of my life. At the Center, they specialize in various bariatric surgeries for people struggling with weight loss. After many hours of soul searching and research, I decided to go through with the surgery. I had the gastric sleeve operation on July 25, 2016. This surgery consists of removing a large part of the stomach (about 80% of it) and creating a food pouch that is the size of a small banana.

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I am still at the very early stages of recovery, but I wanted to document this monumental event in my life. I have asked Stephanie if I could chronicle my weight loss journey on her blog as she has a wide readership and provides excellent sources of recipes and workouts that are fit for anyone.

I know that there are many people out there who struggle with the “traditional” forms of weight loss. I want you to know that you are not alone and that there are options for you. Yes, I did get weight loss surgery. No, I did not take the easy way out. It has been a complete lifestyle change. It took me a lot of time to decide that this was the right path for me. Weight loss surgery is not an automatic fix to every weight issue that I have. Instead, it is another tool that can be used to help you reach your ideal weight. I hope you will follow my journey as I try to navigate through the world with a different outlook on food and nutrition. I am also working with trainer Stephanie in order to incorporate workouts into my routine that will aid with the speed and consistency of my weight loss. If you have any questions for me specifically or about the surgery in general feel free to post in the comments below and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

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Check back to her some background about my struggles with weight and the process that you go through in order to prepare for the surgery.

~Jennifer~

Follow Jennifer’s story HERE on Infinite Life Fitness. You can also follow her on Instagram @jen_n_juice13

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…Losing Weight with the FitBit…

A wearable fitness tracking device like the FitBit can be an invaluable resource in achieving a healthier

lifestyle, but the journey only begins when you choose the best fitness watch for you at Harvey Norman.

In order to get the best results from using a fitness tracker, there are a few permanent lifestyle changes

that must be made, and it’s important to consider the required input before investing in a wearable

tracker as a tool for reaching your fitness goals.

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Initial Lifestyle Evaluation

A fitness tracker is intended to record the wearer’s normal level of activity for the purpose of identifying

ways to practice a less sedentary routine. Newcomers to wearable fitness tracking technology should

wear their new devices for at least a week to allow it to record the physical impact of your regular

routine as well as taking careful notes on the daily log generated by the tracker.

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Adding Activity

Once the physical nature of your daily activities has been established, you can look for ways to increase

the role of exercise in your routine. Many models of tracker are equipped with features such as step

goals, which can show the minimum number of steps the wearer should take on a daily basis to move

closer to their fitness goals, allowing users to add more activity to their everyday lives. The results of

increased physical activity are not always immediately apparent, but even a slight increase in activity

such as a short daily stroll can deliver a range of health benefits.

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Tracking Diet

Your diet is one of the most important aspects of achieving lasting weight loss, and so most fitness

tracker systems include a resource for monitoring your caloric intake by entering foods into a daily log.

With caloric intake to burn ratio standing as the proven path to sustainable weight loss, logging the

details of your diet along with your daily activities will promote much faster results than increased

activity alone.

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Resting Nightly

Restful and restorative sleep is an underrated factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as 7 to 8 hours of

rest enables the body to properly restore its energy reserves and repair any damage resulting from the

abuses of everyday life. Regular scheduled sleep times also make it much less likely for you to overeat

after hours or compensate for depleted morning energy levels with sugary drinks. This is why the sleep

tracking resources featured on many fitness trackers is critical to determining the length and quality of

your restful sleep, allowing you to alter your routine to enjoy the appropriate amount of rest each night.

A fitness tracking unit can help dedicated users better manage their lifestyles, but it won’t do the work

for you. Making lasting changes to your everyday life is the only way to get the most out of your

investment in a fitness tracker.

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…FALL into fitness…

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As the seasons change, so do peoples choices stay active and fit. The cold weather rolls in, the holidays start to quickly approach, and life gets busier and complicated. You, me, EVERYONE has to remember the sole reason why they want to stay active, eat healthy, and continue to work towards whatever health goals are set.

What is your main reason for setting health goals? Do you have them written down? Do you review them regularly? What do you use to help keep you motivated and going towards your goals each day?

Everyone has to use this Fall season to “Fall into fitness”.  Set your goals and your priorities.  Make yourself and your health goals  just as important as any other duties or responsibilities you have in your life. YOU are the only person that can help you reach your goals.  You can not fake being healthy and fit.  You can have to work for it and make a complete lifestyle change.

Some people may have limitations.  These may be lack of money to have a trainer and lack of money to have a gym membership.  Here are a few at home workouts you can try to help get you started with your fitness journey:

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…Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks…

As the warmer months are quickly approaching, this is the perfect time of year to meet up with new and old pals and grab some drinks. Making good food decisions during these times are very important and one way to help out your festive food/drink  decisions is to make your favorite  cocktails but in a  healthier way! Let’s be honest…everyone will want to enjoy a few treats throughout their weight loss journey to just relax and let loose.  But there is a way to still enjoy a few of your favorite drink and still stay on track with your healthy eating!

Thanks to Fitness Magazine here are some great low cal drink recipes

Pomegranate Martinis

Flavored martinis have gone the way of the pom’. Pomegranate syrup can be found in the coffee or baking aisle of well-stocked supermarkets.

Start to Finish: 10 minutes
Makes: 8 servings

1/2 of a medium orange, cut into wedges
Sugar
1 1/2 cups vodka or gin
1/3 cup pomegranate syrup (grenadine)
3 tablespoons dry vermouth
Ice cubes
Small pomegranates (optional)

1. Rub orange wedges around rims of 8 martini glasses. Invert glasses into a dish of sugar to coat rims; set glasses aside. In a small pitcher, combine the vodka, pomegranate syrup, and vermouth. Place ice cubes in a martini shaker. For each drink, add 1/4 cup of the syrup mixture; shake. Strain into one of the prepared martini glasses. Garnish with a small pomegranate, if desired.

Nutrition Information per serving: 146 calories, 0g protein, 11g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 0g fiber

Orange Martinis: Prepare as above, except use 3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, in place of the syrup. Omit garnish.

Apple Martinis: Prepare as above except use 1/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed, in place of the syrup. Garnish with fresh orange peel curls.

 

Tangy Citrus Lemonade

Prep: 25 minutes
Chill: 2 hours
Makes: 10 servings

6 large lemons (1 1/2 cups juice)
3 medium limes (1/3 cup juice)
3/4 to 1 cup honey
6 cups water
2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
Ice cubes
Lemon and/or lime slices (optional)

1. In a 2-1/2-quart pitcher, combine lemon juice, lime juice, and 3/4 to 1 cup honey. Add water and raspberries. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

2. Just before serving, gently stir to combine. Pour into ice-filled glasses. Add lemon and/or lime slices, if desired.

Nutrition Information per serving: 101 calories, 1g protein, 28g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 2g fiber

Lemonade Tea: Add equal parts freshly brewed iced tea and Tangy Citrus Lemonade to ice-filled glasses. Sweeten to taste with additional honey, if desired.

 

Frozen Lime Margaritas

Start to Finish: 10 minutes
Makes: 10 servings

12-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
2/3 cup tequila
1/2 cup light orange juice or orange liqueur
4 cups ice cubes
1/2 of a medium lime
Coarse salt
Orange slices (optional)

1. In a blender container combine limeade concentrate, tequila, and orange juice. Cover and blend until combined. With blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time, through opening in lid, blending until mixture becomes slushy.

2. Cut a thick lime slice; cut slice in half. Rub slices around rims of eight glasses. Dip rims into a dish of coarse salt to coat rims. Pour mixture into prepared glasses. Garnish glasses with orange slices, if desired.

Nutrition Information per serving: 122 calories, 0g protein, 22g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 0g fiber

Strawberry Margaritas: Prepare as above, except blend half of the mixture at a time adding 1 cup frozen unsweetened whole strawberries along with 2 cups of the ice cubes. Repeat with remaining mixture, 1 cup additional frozen strawberries, and remaining 2 cups ice cubes. Continue as directed, substituting coarse sugar for the salt on the glasses. If desired, garnish each glass with a whole strawberry.

Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through Step 1. Pour into a 1-1/2-quart freezer container. Cover and freeze overnight. To serve, use a large spoon to scrape across frozen surface and pile into salt-rimmed glasses.

 

White Wine Spritzer:
Try diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water.  This in the end means that you get more glasses for fewer calories.  These are about 100 calories per serving. Dry wines are better because they usually contain fewer calories.

 

Vodka Cranberry:
It has about 65 calories, but the cranberry juice also helps to flush the alcohol you consume out of your system. Try to request the light cranberry juice for the lower calories. For an extra zesty flavor (without adding calories) squeeze a lime wedge in your drink.

 

Vodka and Diet Red Bull:
Request to have it made with the sugar-free Red Bull. It’s only about 75 calories.

 

Here are some more mixers that you can choose at the bar that carry small calorie content (Thanks to WebMB):

  • Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories
  • Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories
  • Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories
  • Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories
  • Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories
  • Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories
  • Coffee, tea: 0 calories
  • Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories

Consider mixing up a pitcher of your favorite crystal light  drink and use that to mix in with your hard alcohol!  This option adds zero extra calories, taste great, and will keep you from racking up the extra calories and sugar for the day.

So feel free to treat yourself EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE to a nice cocktail with your friends or just at home after a long day.  The key is to be smart and to enjoy these things in moderation!

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…Fat loss vs. Weight Loss…

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You have to change your focus and your mindset to help you reach your goals!
Try not to focus so much on the scale number.

You should focus on your percent body fat AND how you look and feel.

The scale does not always share the progress that you have.  The scale should be something you use once a month (and no more than that!)  Some people get so caught up with the scale number so you take your focus off of quality workouts.

Some people obsess over the scale and fail to properly train or eat right because they want the scale number to go down.  YOUR BODY NEEDS FOOD!  You should not starve yourself or skip meals just to watch the scale number go down.

Just as fast as the numbers go down is the same speed that it can quickly come back.  You have to find a safe and effective balance to cut the weight and sculpt your body the way that  it should be.

Another thing is that you should make realistic goals so you can accurately achieve them in a reasonable amount of time.  You should aim to lose 1-3 pounds a week.  That is a good healthy goal to shoot for.

And the next main thing is that you need to be patient!  Consistency is key and with time you will start to see the results you have been working for!

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…Fitness/Health Goals…

Over the past few post, I have provided more than enough material to help someone who wants to start to be active again.  Besides getting up and starting your healthy lifestyle, the only other thing that you need to do is set a goal!  It makes it easier when you have a goal you would like to reach so you know how long and how hard you should work.

 

To weight your self…or not to weight yourself…that is the question!…

Some people like to know their starting off right.  This is a good idea.  Although it may be disheartening to find out how much weight you have gained, it is on a temporary number! With hard work and dedication that number will steadily decrease over time.  You can purchase your own scale (which may be good to help you keep track of you weight loss over time) or you can use a scale at a gym, doctors office, or any other place that will allow you to do so.

How much weight you should expect to lose over time… 

On average, with the right exercise routine and a good balanced diet, you should be losing about 2 pounds a week.  If you are losing more than 7 pounds a week then you might want to evaluate what you are doing (because its normal to lose between 2-5 pounds a week).  Accurately losing weight is done by balancing how many calories you burn with how many calories you are consuming.  Naturally, if you are burning off more calories that you consume this will lead to weight loss.  These results will not be seen overnight! It takes time and patience and a regular routine of exercise and a good balanced diet.

what is a realistic length of time to set a goal?…

Lets say that your goal is to lose 20 pounds.  To be honest, the length of time it will take you to lose 20 pounds may be different from someone else.   It all depends on how often you exercise and if you decrease your calorie intake to help you burn fat.  Like stated above you should be losing about 2 pounds for week (but some weeks it will be more than that and other weeks it will be less than that. It is completely normal for that to happen!).  So if you calculate 2 pounds per week this will take approximately 20 weeks (or about 5 months).  Like I said before The length of time it will take someone to lose weight will be different from someone else!  If  are losing about 4 pounds a week it will take you about 5 weeks to lose 20 pounds.  It just all depends on how hard you work and how many pounds you lose from week to week. Do not let the length of time discourage you! These things take time, patients, and dedication.  And in the end the hard work will show.

What happens if I do not lose weight one week?…

It is OK if there is a week that you do not lose any weight or you lose one pound.  Try not to worry or stress out too much if this happens! Just try to push yourself a little harder the next week to help you get back on track to reaching your goal!

What to eat during this time… 

Setting a menu is just as important as setting a work out schedule.  What I have personally found to be helpful is that each time I go to the grocery store, I plan my menu’s (at least for the next week to two weeks).  It helps because I can budget the things that I need to get, and I can also cook some items I need during the weekend so that it can be stored to be used later in the week.  Each month I set a monthly budget for how much I can spend at the grocery store and how much money I can spend going out to eat.  A few years ago I stopped eating fast food all together, so my “out to eat” budget is for the weekly dinners I plan at restaurants with my friends (and I always save half of that meal to be eaten the next day for lunch or dinner! so I get two meals out of going out to eat)  It also allows me to look at the local stores newspaper adds so I can try to get the best price for the fruits and veggies I buy and eat on a regular basis.

What happens if I do not reach my goal in the time that I set for myself?…

If you do not reach your goal in the time you set it is OK!! Just extend your goal time.  Allow yourself a few more weeks to work hard and reach the initial goal you have set for yourself.  What I have suggested to some clients is to possible keep a fitness/health journal.  This can help you keep track of your workouts, if you happen to splurge during one meal (which is OK but try not to make it a habit), or any other things that go on during the time you are trying to reach your goal.  It will not only allow you to keep track of these things, but it can also serve as an outlet of positive and negative things that happen.  You can write it down, or blog about it (there are several sites that will allow you to keep your blog private or let you choose who can/cant see it).  This can also help by letting people see thins and encourage you to keep pushing towards your goals. I also love this idea because if I am out and I hear of something I want to try or randomly find a recipe I would like to try, I have my journal near by to jot it down!

I hope that these tools will help you create your goals and start your own fitness and health journeys.

 

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…Workout Wednesday…

Today is Hump day….so I have decided to try to help you over exercise and health humps!

Still need some convincing to get up and get started? Read this article I found at WebMD.com.  This article gives you 10 good reasons to start your fitness routine (other than just working out to get healthy and see the physical benefits).

Here are some quick tips to remember once you have jump started your routine:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

This is the most important meal of the day! It is suggested that you eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking up.  Your body has depleted all of its food and other nutrients from the day before so it is good to get something to eat in that time frame. It helps to jump-start your day and to give your body the energy needed to get started.  There are tons of HEALTHY options (other than the drive through at your favorite fast food place or coffee place).  Try having 2 eggs (or egg whites) with one piece of toast and a cup of fruit.  You can also have a smoothie, or 1/2 a bagel with low-fat jam or cream cheese (make sure to look at the nutritional packages! Most of the time 1 serving size is a lot smaller than you think!) My personal favorite breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal with pecans with a cup of fruit.  The key is to find something that you can eat that will keep you full for the next few hours until you have your mid morning snack or to make you last until lunch time.

For those of you who are weighing yourself regularly, in the morning before you eat breakfast is the best time to do so.  Usually at the end of the day you are full with the nutritional food and water you should have been consuming throughout the day.

Start and Finish your work out routine

Make sure you have a plan before you start your work out.  It is always good to know ahead of time what you want to do before you start.  It is also important to not forget to stretch! It is suggested that you do a quick warm up (before stretching) and a cool down after the work out.   A quick brisk walk (or any other activity) is suggested for about 90 seconds.  Then after that 90 seconds gradually build up your speed (you can keep it at a slight jog) for about 5 minutes.  After that time is over you stop and do your stretching and then go into your fitness routine.  After your workout you should also do your cool down.  This can be done by doing a slight jog for approximately 90 seconds, and then again doing a quick stretch of all of your major muscles.   This should help to keep you lose and stretched out.  Doing these can also help prevent injury and also help reduce muscle pain after your workout.

Don’t forget to eat right (by not consuming too many “empty” calories)

When I speak of “empty” calories I am talking about foods/drinks with little nutritional value.  These can be found in carbonated beverages, unhealthy snack choices, and unhealthy meal options.  Try to plan a balance meal that will suite your nutritional needs and taste buds.  Also, try to increase your activity by doing your fitness activities.  The key to losing weight is to burn more calories than you are consuming.

Can I afford to workout?

YES you can!

In order to workout you do not have to buy a membership to a fitness facility.  You can work out at home, in the park, or anywhere! You just have to find the space and things needed to help you complete your desired workout.  But if you do go to a facility do not feel self-conscious about the people who are there.  I have had plenty of my friends tell me that they were afraid to go to the gym because of the “guys with muscles walking around” or the “Barbie sized girls that will be skipping around”.  Yes they may be there but I promise they will not be focusing on you.  Like you, everyone is there to get a workout! So do not even worry about them! They will be focused on their fitness goals and what they want to get done in the gym just like you.

 

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