I have been having health issues the past little while ( namely, diabetes,high blood pressure, knee pain) and my weight  has been very out of control, mostly because I have been mindlessly eating and not exercising because of knee pain.  I have come to the decision to have gastric bypass surgery.  John is not comfortable with this, but I have thought about it a lot and have felt that I need to get help
before I have no more options.  I really want to be a good grandma to my grandchildren, I especially want to be a good wife and mother. I want to be able to do things with John as he is getting closer to retirement. I think it would be nice to go bike riding, walking, and other physical activities with him. I don't want to be a burden to him or anyone for that matter. I am too young to be confined to a wheelchair.  That  is where I see myself heading if I don't do something now.
My insurance will pay for the procedure if I take six months to work with the Dr. and dietician,physical therapy,and counseling.   I have begun the process starting in July and have been to track my food that I eat and to learn to chew it longer, to slow down and take my time to enjoy and let my stomach get full before I eat more.  I am trying to develop good eating habits. I am trying to be conscious of all that I eat.  I know that I should have done this all while I was raising my children so they could have better habits.I suppose there is no better time than the present to start.  So I will probably be keeping everyone posted as to what I am doing and when I have the bypass done.  I hope it will be done before the end of the year as our deductible is met now.
I have had a sleep study done and they have found that I have sleep apnea, which is no surprise because I am tired all the time.  I will rent a cpap machine until I can get this weight off. I hope I will not need it after that.  What a pain!
Since I have began keeping a food log I have lost 14 pounds and I have just started my exercise program and hope to get it off faster.  I am expected to lose weight before the surgery. They want want me to be in the best physical condition that I can before. It all helps.  John has said what if I lose 50 pounds or so and was wondering    if I would really need the surgery if I just kept losing like I am.  I have thought about that too.  I suppose I still have options then.  I know that it is a struggle to get down to a goal weight and keep it there, But this procedure is suppose to help get me there and with the things I learn while I am getting there, I hope that I will have developed some very good habits so that I won't gain it back. This surgery is simply a tool to help me.  I will still have to work
hard.  I don't want to be diabetic, and I don't want high blood pressure which I hope to reverse.  I hope my knee pain will go away as I lose weight also.  The knee may need other help but we'll take it one step at a time. So I am one month down and 5 more to go!
I will at some point, post before and after pics and along the journey too!  I really don't like myself too much right now to even post pictures so be patient.

Summer craft and catching up

Okay I am really  not a good blogger!  I just need to do this more often.
Any how, Winter was mild and spring has been warm and cool depending on the day!
I hope Summer is not the same. So John has been trying to eat better but he struggles the same as I do but he is a lot better than I am. I have a food addiction and I need some intervention and soon.
I found out that I have arthritis in both  on my knees and have had treatment in the left knee which was the worst.  If I don't over do it I have pretty good days.  Bicycling and using the elliptical machine is the suggested form of exercise the Dr. prescribed.  I  struggle to get to the gym but when I do I always feel better.   
I have been enjoying being the mia maid adviser. It is fun being in the Young Women's program.
I bought some dollar store composition tablets to make some journals for the YW for my lesson  this Sunday!  I bet you can't guess what we will be talking about? 
I have started selling stampin up products and will no longer be selling Close to My Heart products.  I found that I was buying more Stampin up stuff than CTMH so that is why the change. They offer so much more!
I really like Pinterest and have found this real cute idea for a craft so I had to make it right away! I will post a picture.
Lindsay gave me her camera for my birthday so now I have a camera. No excuses!  Right!

Over the holidays John was really interested in eating more healthy. David and his family were here and David was telling his Dad about the vita mix. John was real impressed so he purchased one for Christmas. It has been real nice in the fact that we can put our vegetables and fruits together to make some real fun concoctions that are healthy and tasty at the same time. I seem to have a hard time eating a lot of raw vegetables so this makes it nice.
We also watched Forks over Knives which is a documentary about the animal fat and protein in the standard American diet. It was very interesting. John has also purchased the book by Dr. Esselstyn " Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" Since already having a heart attack and history of family problems thought this book would help to learn better ways of eating. It basically is a plant based diet. No animal fat or protein. It has taken a while for me to even consider this type of eating but have found that it hasn't been so bad. Of course I am not perfect at it and probably won't be, but have found that I don't have to count my calories and I don't have to worry about how much to eat, you just eat and when you are full you stop. I have found that my sugar cravings have gone away and I feel satisfied for a longer period of time. This is just the beginning for me of a long journey to change a whole lifestyle of many years.
I think one of the key things for me is to have foods made ahead that I can have ready to eat when I am hungry, so I don't revert back to a choice of calorie dense foods. Also to get the junk out of the house that will tempt me. the good thing right now is that our kids want to be healthy also so they are on board with it. Lindsay and Makayla still have their sweet tooth cravings and occasionally will make a naughty treat but for the most part we have support. If any of you have a great recipe that you are willing to share that doesn't have animal protein or fat please let me know . I think that will be the hardest part of the journey, to come up with healthy foods that taste delicious.