Strawberry Vanilla Bean Torte Smoothie

I have a protein smoothie recipe I just created that I'd like to share.

I ordered a 10-pack sample bag of Syntrax Nectar whey isolate protein powder (I ordered from www.mybariatricpantry.com). Last night I tried Strawberry Kiwi in water, and I think the kiwi gave it a weird aftertaste. So today I decided to try the Vanilla Bean Torte, but didn't think it would be that great just with water.

I ended up making a smoothie with strawberries. I used a base recipe for a strawberry-banana smoothie I made before I got any protein powder. Here is that recipe so you can tweak it to your liking.

1 cup skim milk
3/4 to 1 cup frozen strawberries
1 chopped banana
1/4 cup Splenda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

I don't currently have any flavor syrups so I have to rely on fruit. But I love fruit so that's not an issue :) I have a lot of fun experimenting and below is the protein smoothie recipe!

1 cup skim milk
12-14 strawberries
1 serving Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte protein powder
Approx. 6 ice cubes
1/2 to 3/4 cup Splenda

That recipe made enough for two sizable smoothies. I don't detect any aftertaste at all...I am hooked on Syntrax Nectar!

Starting Over -- 249.5

So due to some unforeseen family circumstances, I fell off the wagon for convenience purposes. But I am back on! I joined a $20 DietBet with over $2,000 in the pot and I am going to lose my 10 pounds this time no matter what! My plan:

- Eat three small meals a day
- Take Phentermine once a day
- Take metabolism boosting supplement twice a day
- Drink 3 bottles of water daily
- Gym 5 days a week, 5 cardio days and 3 strength training days

It's a lot of changes, but I am READY! I need something to take my mind off anxiety and getting fit is a perfect way to do it :)

So Frustrated! -- 250

So my "eat days" are out of the question for awhile. At this rate I'm not going to win any of my money back from the DietBet and that infuriates me.

I am so frustrated...I barely eat and I still can't lose the 5 pounds I put on...what is going on?! I can't eat any less than I already am without not eating at all. I just don't understand. I exercise and take metabolism boosters, so what's the deal here? Gosh I'm just so frustrated!!!!!

I did it! -- 245

I did it! I lost 20 pounds!

I joined a gym on Wednesday and made my first visit yesterday. It was a good starter workout. I'm going to try and lift weights today in addition to my cardio: 15 minutes on the treadmill, 5 minutes on the bicycle. I also did two sets of 12 reps of 30 pounds resistance on the ab machine. I want to work out my arms. I may need to ask for help on what machines to use. I also need to take a notebook to write down what weights and how many sets and reps I do on each machine.

I need to lose 3.1 more pounds to reach my DietBet goal. Here we go!

Sloughing It Off -- 247

Yep, down another pound! I weighed again today a few hours after I woke up and before I ate anything. Glad I did! What motivation to keep going! I'm back in first place in my DietBet with a 48% chance of winning. I'm also halfway to my goal there! I really hope I'm the only one who makes it, $50 would come in handy right now! Even $25 would be awesome. Any more than the $10 I placed to bet would be nice LOL.

I learned that I can eat after dinner and still lose weight today, so that's a big boost. I can't remember if I posted about it already but I ordered 7-Keto as a metabolism booster from Dr. Oz's website recommendation of it. It should arrive next week. That will be nice since I don't eat frequently, as in, I don't snack. I lack control in snacking. I find that it doesn't quell my hunger enough to do me any good other than to put more calories in my diet if I don't have something meal-worthy like a sandwich.

Alright, that's my epiphany for today: I can eat after dinner (which I'm up for 8 hours after dinner so this is welcome news) and still lose weight! Until next time,

Katie

Die, Pounds! -- 248

So I weighed in at 248 just now! Woohoo! Considering I started at 265 I am STOKED. In 15 days I have gone from that weight down 17 pounds. Pretty epic :)

I actually just ordered a metabolism-boosting supplement called 7-Keto that I read was good on Dr. Oz's website. I found it at an affordable price and jumped on it. The decrease in frequency of me eating has me thinking my metabolism may be crashing and I want to do everything I can to jumpstart it.

I also figured out why I felt so crappy yesterday -- I forgot to take my phentermine (appetite suppressant). The withdrawal feels like the flu, just awful. But I'm feeling much better now that I've taken it.

Until later!

Whoops! -- 249

I splurged an extra night and ended up eating Taco Bell for dinner late last night. It pushed me back up up to 250. Ah well, more motivation to do well in my challenges!

I'm no longer the winner in the DietBet.com challenge, and the Biggest Loser challenge just started yesterday. I am actually now down to 249 again since I started this blog post last night. However I slept too late and was too exhausted for some reason to do any exercise today. It's like my muscles are jelly!

Oh well, here's to another day on the trail of weight loss and I'll be posting tomorrow, hopefully with a lower weight!