I had an interesting realization today. Not sure why it took me so long to figure it out... and have no idea why I was thinking about it on my drive to work this morning at 7:30 a.m. But.... since I share everything with ya'll, figured I'd share my random thoughts too.

One scoop of protein powder has about 23-26g protein and about 100-110 calories. Right? Make a shake with milk and fruit and you could easily end up with a protein shake that's 300 calories. Filling, yes. Healthy, yes. Packed with protein, yea. Necessary for new post-ops, yes. It's high quality protein and if you take away the extra calories from milk and fruit, it's a very good comparison for my thoughts....

So I absolutely LOVE Jennie-O Cracked Pepper Turkey Breast sliced in the deli to "medium thick." It's one of those foods that I must have in my fridge at all times and is an easy snack or meal that's delicious and nutricious. I love love love this stuff! Seriously. Love it.

Let's compare calories and protein, shall we? For 4oz of Jennie-O Cracked Pepper Turkey you get 24g protein in 100 calories. Whoa! That is equal to a scoop of protein powder, right? And poultry scores at the same level as protein powder on the PDCAAS protein quality rating scale. And 4oz of turkey fills me up and keeps me full for longer than a protein shake does.

I'm not saying that I'll replace my protein shakes with turkey. But I just found it interesting that the nutritional statistics were identical when comparing the two.

Ok... so now you know that I'm crazy, right? At 7:30 in the morning while driving to work I'm literally in the car thinking about nutrition labels and ingredients in food. I think I might be off my rocker or something.

~Pam

So back when I attended college right out of high school (before I become a college drop out) I remember that classes lasted forever. I mean... a semester just takes an eternity to complete, right? My brother is attending a college that has semesters and he goes to each class for 15 weeks.

The college I'm going to has quarters. So on-campus classes are only 10 weeks and online classes are only 6 weeks. It's odd, really. Just when you settle into the class and start to get into the groove of things -- it's done. I'm kind of loving it.

I notice my classes seem to be more intense than my brothers... but I probably can't really compare since he's in a totally different degree field than I am (welding vs. graphic design). Plus he goes to class twice a week for two hours for each class whereas I only go once a week for 4 hours with different balances of homework assignments due. So we can't really compare, it's just my perception.

So what's the point of this post?

I have two weeks left to this quarter and I'm done! WooHoo! Granted there's a TON of stuff to do and get done in the next couple week (next week is holiday break, so I'll technically be done in 3 weeks). But I'm glad these classes are wrapping up and I'll have a whole month off for Christmas break before winter classes begin.

Ok... so was there really a point? Nope, I guess not. Just some random rambling, I guess. LOL!

~Pam

Remember a couple years ago when I made the New Year's resolution to attend more community events? Theater, art shows, concerts.... those kind of events. Well today I spent some time looking at community calendars, playhouse season schedules, concert lineups and stuff. And even bought a couple tickets and put stuff on my real calendar. Here's the plan:

This Weekend --- Play called "Charley's Aunt"

December 5 --- Nutcracker

December 12 --- Three Men and a Tenor holiday concert

There are also a few of the old-time Christmas movies playing at the historic theater in town. White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, etc. I'm hoping to catch a couple of those too.

I love doing these types of things but never seem to take the time to do it. I have the time for events like this if I only take the time to plan ahead and commit to them. I could put those 3 events on my calendar but then never go to them... but if I buy the ticket in advance, I'll go for sure. So now I'm excited for them!

~Pam

Early this morning as I was driving to work I reflected on the morning of my RNY surgery two years ago. I wasn't nervous the morning of my surgery... or in the weeks leading up to the big day. I was impatient and just ready to start the new phase of my life. I remember the nurse asking me if I needed some medication to help me relax and I declined it because I already was relaxed. My mom was more nervous than I was.

When I started my goal was to hit 150lbs by 18 months post-op. To wear single-digit clothing. To be healthy and athletic and full of energy. I wanted to use my vacation time at work for real vacations and not just doctor appointments to treat my obesity-related-ailments. And somewhere in the back of my mind I imagined myself in a relationship with a man I was crazy about. There were other lofty goals too, but these are the big ones that have stuck with me.

When I named this blog "Journey to a Healthier Me" -- I don't think I fully realized what a journey it would actually be. When we start this WLS thing we all seem to have a preconceived notion of how things are going to go. Which steps we'll take, what things come next and how it's all going to be in the end. At the beginning we believe there will be a finish line, but somewhere along the way we realize that this is not a journey that has an end. This is a journey of a lifetime. It's a journey that IS my life.

So when I think about all the goals I have not yet achieved I struggle sometimes. As you know I am still not at the weight I want to be - another 30 pounds would ideal in my mind. And it's not for lack of trying that the weight isn't coming off either. I AM healthy and athletic and energetic. Sorry, no hot man on my arm, so that goal is also unachieved. LOL! I think the lack of weight loss is what bugs me the most. But you knew that already, right?

Remember the Comprehensive Holistic Wellness Plan? The goals I set for all areas of my health -- physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, vocational, intellectual, etc. I haven't forgotten them. I think this is something that is a lifelong plan rather than something, again, with a finish line. I guess right now my whole life seems to be revolving around the intellectual and vocational goals -- going to college full time (while working full time) is taking up so much of my life that there's not much room for anything else. Once this big one is achieved, I'll be able to focus on more of these goals later.

I'm proud of where I am today.

It's taken me a while to accept the weight issue. To realize that my success in this weight loss journey is not tied to the number on the scale, but is based on how I feel about myself and how comfortable I am in my own skin. That post a few weeks ago about seeing myself in a photo of a crowd of people and being a normal size -- things like that go a long way for me in realizing that I'm a success even if I haven't gotten to 150lbs. I AM a success. I AM proud of myself. I AM amazing. And I have the rest of my life to work toward whatever goals I still want to achieve-- there's no hurry, it'll all happen in its own time.

Many people say "I love my RNY" and give all the credit to the surgery itself. I don't really share that attitude. Yes, the RNY was the springboard for my weight loss and resetting my body's screwed up system to allow the weight to come off. But it was ME who fought the fight and lost the weight. So instead of saying that I love my surgery, guess I need to say: "I love myself!" The surgery was great, but ya know... I worked my butt off for these 113 pounds and I'm damn proud of myself!

~Pam

Such a flattering picture, huh? No make up, squinting into the sun and my hair is about the worst it's been all week -- filled with saltwater and totally windblown. But it was the BEST day at the beach of the whole trip. (That's Christine in the background looking just as beautiful as me.)
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It's out last day in Florida... in fact we're leaving for the airport in just an hour or so and we're all packed up.
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It's been a good vacation. Lots of downtime, lots of relaxation and lots of sun. I was also officially on a food vacation, which felts pretty good to not worry too much about what I ate. But honestly, I made pretty fair choices. Yes, too many sweet potatoe fries and too much chocolate... but lots of seafood (usually baked or grilled) and lots of protein-forward meals.
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But I'm craving a salad and plan to hit the grocery store tomorrow for all the fixings.

I brought a supply of my protein hot chai tea, but didn't get it every day --- will be glad to get back to that routine too. Kinda craving a big protein fruit frosty and make have one for breakfast tomorrow.
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Sorry I've had to bore you with vacation pictures all week. I'll be back to my normal ramblings soon. Hopefully some of you have been able to live vicarously through me this week while I've had some time off.
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~Pam

We got up at sunrise today and drove down to the beach near the Army base to go shelling. Not many shells to be found but the we have the beach to ourselves... Just the 5 of us and a bunch of seagulls.  

Now we're lounging in beach chairs and reading (or blogging). The wind is strong so the water is rough which make the waves beautiful this morning. 

We'll stay here for a while then go find some shopping spots and then lunch somewhere. Life does get much better than this.

Pam