And.... now I'm back yet again!

It's been nearly 6 months since my last post, but I have had a LOT of issues and am officially back!

I have since had my gall bladder removed, been in a serious car accident, had a kidney stone, started 2 jobs, and am still going to school while doing freelance art on the side. 

I have maintained my weight throughout. However, I had hoped that I would lose at least a little. But I understand why I have not. I have been far too stressed and also not been sleeping enough.

So... this is the new plan:

I will make at least 1 post per day 

I will upload 1 picture of me per week

I will upload 1 recipe a day 

and 

I will keep a record of not only what I eat, but my measurements as well.

Wish me luck on my new start, I hope this one works for me. 

See you on the morrow for day 1!!!

Basil and Prosciutto Chicken

 

1

tablespoon olive or canola oil

4

boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)

4

teaspoons Dijon mustard

4

thin slices prosciutto or fully cooked ham

1/4

cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1 ounce)

4

fresh basil leaves

• 1Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 6 minutes. Turn chicken; brush with mustard and top with prosciutto. Cook 6 to 8 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.
• 2Sprinkle cheese over chicken. Cook about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with basil.

Recipe of the Day

Good evening everyone!! Since I am only able to eat a limited list of things,

I thought that I would post a gallbladder friendly recipe tonight. 

There are very few recipes online for those of us with gallbladder problems, 

so my goal is to get as many as I can on here since over 800,000 people have this health

problem every year in the U.S. alone. The first is:

SWEET POTATO SKINS

Ingredients

• 2 medium or large sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 bag fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 2 ounces light cream cheese
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Bake sweet potatoes at 350 for 45-60 minutes, or until fork tender.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half and let cool for 5-10 minutes. While sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the shallots with the butter over medium heat until translucent. Add fresh spinach and heat for 2-3 minutes, until spinach has cooked down. Set aside.
3. Scrape the sweet potato out of the peel, leaving a thin layer inside with the peel so that it can stand up on its own. Mash the sweet potato with the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in chickpeas, spinach, and salt and pepper.
4. Coat potato skins with a drizzle of oil and bake for about 5 minutes to get a crispier outside. Remove from oven and fill each skin with the sweet potato mixture and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake again for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and filling is heated through.

Zumba Returns!

Alright, I know we already have this song, but it's a good kickstart

for a new beginning. So here is Shakira:

Waka Waka!!!

Motivation

I talked to my dad the other day, and he said something very inspiring.

So I made it today's motivational moment:

I am doing alright, have drastically changed my diet and lost 5 lbs this week as a result.

Stay tuned for today's Zumba!!

Motivation

I cannot afford to give up anymore, so lets get going!

Motivation

Lets get going everyone!

I've earned my unhealthy body with my unhealthy ways,

now I will earn my healthy body.

I'm Back... Timidly

Hello Everyone. I am back and am hoping to be back to stay.

However, I have a lot going on and it "might" be distracting. Yet I will do my best!

I have had a very rude and scary wake up call this week.  I have had some very dark moments and am now hopeful and determined! Here is what happened:

Monday night as I was driving home from school I had a sharp stabbing pain shoot through my chest. I had had them before, but passed them off as pleurisy pains. They usually would happen once and then go away for a month or so. However, this time it was REALLY bad and I nearly crashed my car. I got home high on adrenaline but not bad. Then within an half hour I had 8-10 more attacks.  I couldn't breathe, I was clutching my chest, wondering if I would have to go to the hospital. 

I don't have insurance and all the insta-cares were already closed. After the attacks subsided, I decided to wait out the night and go to a regular doctor to minimize my cost. For my stupidity, I experienced another set of attacks in the middle of the night.
I went in to the doctor on Tuesday, and was told I have gallstones. I had blood drawn and received the results today, stating that I also have borderline hepatitis . Part of the cause, according to the doctor, was my gallstones, the other is that when I was younger my pain killer of choice was acetaminophen (Ibuprofen). I would take 8 for each headache.

My mother had gallstones and her gallbladder removed in her 40s, I am only 26. It was really drilled into my head today JUST how unhealthy I am! At my young age I have the following already:
Acid Reflux
Sleep Apnea
Kidney Stones
Gallstones (and pending my tests next week: Gallbladder infection)
Almost Hepatitis
ALL OF THESE ARE DIET RELATED.
If I were to lose weight a lot of these would either go away or greatly reduce.

There is also a history of Diabetes in my family and, if I continue on my current route, I am sure to get it before long.

Needless to say this has opened my eyes and I am now MORE determined than ever, so lets get back on track shall we? I REFUSE to condemn myself to this fate, and will take my discouraged mood and re-purpose it as determination.

LETS GET THE LEAD OUT!!!
(check out my second start tomorrow morning with some kick-butt motivation!)