Happiness in a Glass

It's been a little while since I made one of my happiness shakes, so I figured it was time again. Had to run out to Zellers yesterday to pick up a blender.

This shake is really simple to make, is super-yummy, uber-healthy, and is a real 'pick-me-up' first thing in the morning. It really is happiness in a glass.



Ingredients:

• medium banana
• 1/2 cup frozen berries (I used strawberries today)
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk (skim milk is yucky, I use 1%)
• 1/2 cup ice
  
• large handful of washed baby spinach
• 1 tbsp fiber supplement (I use fiber-sure) (optional)
  

Directions:

• throw everything but the spinach in the blender
• turn on the blender till everything's the same color
• throw spinach in the blender
• repeat

The end result was a little bit brownish, it probably could have used a few more strawberries, but it was really yummy!

It's Not All Doom and Gloom!

Being happy is very important to me. Being content. Being hopeful.

What's not important? Being perfect.

There's no such thing anyway. Learning that everything in the world is not black or white, right or wrong, has been great for my self esteem.

Bask in the beautiful sea of gray, savor the sweetness of 'maybe'.

Let 'should' and 'shouldn't' and 'should have' take a flying leap off a cliff!

About Me

"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there." - Unknown


My name is Ty, and I recently turned 30. I've been overweight for the vast majority of my life. Struggling with weight is something I've seen around me a lot. My mom and my sister have both had weight-loss surgeries, and are doing really well. I've tried dieting- the low calorie, no fat kind, the eat-whatever-you-want-so-long-as-there-are-no-carbs-in-it kind, the low-carb low fat "let me inject you with this red stuff" medically supervised kind. I'd do really well for a while, but inevitably I would fall off the wagon. I'd get sick, or my hair would start falling out at an alarming rate.

I have battled with depression since I was a teenager, and am working to conquer my latest, and most intense, bought which started in August of 2009. I'm currently on Remeron, an atypical antidepressant, and have been in a couple of different types of counseling. I'm also waiting to see a neurologist to deal with some 'undiagnosed episodes' which may or may not be epilepsy.

I was recently diagnosed with PCOS, an endocrine disorder that, among other issues, causes insulin resistance, hormone imbalances, and weight gain.

So... why would a girl with weight issues start a blog called Yum?

Because I love food. I love things that are yummy and delicious. Because I want to find balance, and peace and happiness. Because I want to share my journey. It's not a weight-loss journey, per se, but a wellness journey. I don't want to have bariatric surgery, but I want to be well. Getting my weight under control isn't necessarily going to cure all, or any of my medical issues, but it certainly won't hurt.

So Yum is my anti-surgery blog. Primarily it will include recipes and pictures of new healthy (and hopefully yummy) foods, but I will also include updates on how I'm doing, what I'm doing for exercise, and wellness information I've incorporated into my life.