Forgot one thing

Tomorrow morning I am starting off with a whole new ticker- my scale ticker will be changed to reflect where I am starting and my other ticker- I can't decide if I'm going to do "miles" walked or minutes exercised. If I know it's going to be there for the world to see- well, you better believe I'll want to update it!

Out with the Old and In with the New!

well, almost! There are still a few hours left in 2007. So, as I reflect on 2007 this is what I see. I see that I am not happy in my own skin. I'm happy inside- joyful and content- but I'm not happy with the outside. I see that I am extremely blessed. I have a wonderful family who supports me 100% in everything I do. I had the opportunity to see two new countries this summer and hopefully I will get to do more traveling this coming summer. I see that my job is stressing me out more and more and I'm a stress eater! I don't do well with eating healthy when I'm stressed! Therefore, I'm going to take more time for "me" in 2008 to decrease my stress level and get the stress eating back under control. Most importantly, I see a person who is ready to change. I'm ready to begin this new life tomorrow. I'm ready to focus on my relationships- with God and with others. I'm ready to change my life for the better. I hope you'll join me in that journey! Have a safe and happy new year! See you in 2008- ready to make a difference!

Well, I did it!

I joined the Biggest Loser Online Club. I did it mainly for the recipes and the challenges- plus the weekly weigh-ins will be good for me. I'm starting January 1 when the new season starts. I know what's coming up between now and then (Christmas and New Year's Eve) and I'll eat as healthy as I can in the next week but I'm not actually starting until then! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Biggest Loser Million Pound Match

Wow- I'm watching the Biggest Loser finale and I'm just so in awe. I told my friend that if they can do it then I can do it. The new season starts January 1 and they are doing a million pound match. Go sign up for the details here Let's do this together!

ETA: The actual site is not up yet- the link takes you to a place where you can enter your email to be notified of the opening!

Link to swap

Here's a link to the South Beach swap over on SCS- I hope some of you can join me!

Still not going all that great but I'm looking ahead to the end of this week when things should be better after the weekend.

Yes, I'm still Around

I know it doesn't seem like I am- things have been really crazy and not all that great. Work has been better this week. I definitely needed the Thanksgiving vacation and I did a lot of soul-searching over break and realize that I can't expect my students to change but I can be the one to change. I am reprioritizing things within the next week. I am being observed tomorrow so I have been focusing on that tonight and getting ready for that but I do know that I am making myself leave work by 4:00 until I start tutoring (which will be soon). I have yet to use the elliptical and I would use it in the morning BUT I already get up at 5:00 and I don't know that I could get up much earlier. So, I'll have to adjust for that. I also have gained some of my weight back and so that's another reason I need to adjust. Two big thins have been happening that have made me realize the importance of reaching my goal and getting moving. My mom has to check her sugar everyday to keep track of it and I know that I am predisposed to diabetes so I need to change that but you know- it's hard to change a lifetime of bad habits. The second thing- I have been watching The Biggest Loser this season and it's been eye-opening and an inspiration- here these people have given up over 3 months with their families to change their lives- I don't want to get to that point- I need to make that change NOW! So, here we go again. If anyone is interested- I'm hosting a swap on SCS for South Beach recipes. If anyone is signing up let me know and I'll get you the link so you can sign up. I would love to have you! Thanks for the encouragement and I want to encourage everyone else out there not to give up!

I am still here!

There has been a ton of stuff going on and I'm not doing well on my goals. I haven't kept track of anything including my steps in about two weeks. I know that I need to get back on the ball but I'm really disheartened with my job right now and have no energy for anything other than that. I have put off doing anything related to my job all weekend. I leave for church in about an hour so I will be grading papers when I returne and then I need to sit down and figure out a plan because I know that I can't keep going on like this. I know my weight and lack of exercise as well as lack of motivation is not helping me at all in the fight for the prize. All that to say, I'm still here and will return to this faithfully this week!

Fall Break

Well, fall break is officially here. I've been really stressed and I know that because I have been angry this week. I never get angry with my students- never lose my temper in front of them. I don't tend to cry in front of them (I just wait until they leave). I do get frustrated and upset but never angry. Wed. I got angry enough that I hit my desk with my hand (several think they can just go touch anything and everything on it)and bruised my hand good. The whole lower part of my thumb and the palm area underneath my thumb were black and blue and swollen. Plus I had some soreness in my wrist. I'm at my wit's end with this group. We have been in school for 10 weeks and with a few of them- nothing has changed. I have three students that if they weren't in my class- wow, it would be an awesome class- we would get so much done. I'm spending my fall break with my family and while they are working on Monday and Tuesday I am going to spend some of that time doing some heart searching and seeking to find answers. My parents live in a fairly quiet neighborhood so I may even throw on my workout clothes and go for a walk in the mornings and just spend some time in prayer. Needless to say- things are not going so great and being on vacation is going to be a bit stressful food wise but I'm going to try which is what I need to do.

Let's see what else has happened this week?? I got an Orbitrek (which is like an elliptical) for $40 from a friend who was selling it at a yard sale (she wanted $80 but she sold it to me for half that). I have it set up in my living room- right in front of where my new computer is going to be (yes, I bought a new computer). Oh, and one more thing, I finally started getting the emails for the rock on, walk on challenge on Wednesday I think. Have a great Sunday!

Starting Over

Well, I'm thinking I need to start over on South Beach. For me- I know that SB is the way that I need to go because I'm so addicted to carbs. And unfortunately they like me :(. So, I'll start over and try again. And, I'm hoping to get back to posting daily soon. Hopefully the next 9 weeks will be a little les crazy (we are on a 9 week grading period). One more week and it's fall break. i can't wait!

I did walk 6 miles today- I was walking all over the school building today.

Good Day (Health Wise)

I did it! I met with a friend (who is trying to quit a bad habit) to go for a walk and we walked right at 2 miles and that doesn't include the miles for the day. Plus, I did fairly well food wise.

Breakfast- cereal with skim milk
lunch- chicken parmesan, rice pilaf, sweet potato fries, fruit
dinner- turkey burger, creamsicle

snack- fiber one granola bar, curves granola bar, whole wheat sb crackers

dt. dew, 4 bottles of water.

Hope everyone is doing well! Off to check out everyone's blogs!

Saturday

Today was a morning spent with some friends at their yard sale as they tried to get rid of stuff. I actually ended up leaving about 10:00ish and did a couple of errands and then was home by 12:30. I then took a nap, graded some papers, played on the computer and then graded the rest of the papers. I even had a chance to create a card but I can't show it yet because it's for a swap and I can't show it until the saps have been swapped out.

As for the challenge- well, I broke my pedometer again. Has anyone found a pedometer that stays on the pants. Everytime I go to the bathroom (which if I'm drinking my water is a lot) it falls off. It finally completely broke yesterday so I'm on a hun again for another one. This is why I don't want to spend a lot on a pedometer because it's just going to break. I didn't start out my day great but well, it's Saturday.

I did have 2 sausage, egg, and cheese mcmuffins
pb sandwich, bowl of cereal, 1 serving of parmesan basil wheat thins

I also had only 2 bottles of water. I just have a hard time on the weekends drinking my water.

On a good note this past week was my first observation (due to switching grades) and it actually went well- much better than I hoped. It's one of those things that I expect perfection and I sometimes forget that they are first graders and they are only 6. I'm going to get back on track with this because it's the accountability issue for me I will say that I have yet to get any emails for the walking challenge and I have signed up three or four times.

Hope you all have had a great Saturday!

Yikes- I'm still here!

Breakfast- 1/2 pb sandwich, sb cereal bar, 8 oz. skim milk, 1 cup grapes
lunch- roast beef, 2 cups brown rice, 1 cup grapes, s-f pudding
dinner- 1 turkey burger, green beans, mini bowl of warm delights (150 calories)

pm snack- fiber one bar, and about 2 hours later, sb crackers and special k bar

I'm still here

I promise- life has just been really crazy this past week and I have been keeping up with my steps and miles but not my posts. I need to get back on track- I haven't lost or gained antyhing though!

Saturday

Well, I didn't so hot these last two days but tomorrow starts a new week and it's payday this week which means I can stock up on the "good for you foods". I am joining in with Maria and Gail to start the Leslie Sansone program that starts October 1. Please join us and if you nave any questions just go to Marias blog (Journey to Skinnyville- in my blogroll) and click her link. I hate trying to put a link in blogger so I do it as little as possible. In the last two days I have walked 4 miles total. I actually forgot my pedometer yesterday but I just took an estimate and today I only walked about 2 miles BUT about 1/2 mile of that was uphill.

Tagged

Before I fill out the Tag (from Gail) I went back and checked out my previous post with my first cholesterol level- it was 226. That's pretty good progress! Woohoo!!!

Anyway, here's the tag:

Tagged
There is a new tag game going on in blogland.Here goes...


Four places I have lived.
1. Terre Haute, IN
2. Knoxville, TN
3. St. Petersburg, FL
4. Akron, OH (where I was born)

Four places I have been on vacation.
1. Seattle, WA
2. Pittsburgh, PA
3. Athens, Greece
4. Timisoara, Romania


Four of my favorite foods.
1. Grilled Chicken
2. Fruit
3. Green Beans
4. Potatoes (only I'm not supposed to eat them!)

Four places I would rather be right now.
1. Greece
2. Romania
3. Indiana (with my parents)
4. Ohio (with my nephew)

Four friends most likely to respond.
I don't know- Heather (Stampin' the Details), Kristina (Balance), Toni (Stampin Diva), Tami (Broken4Him)

This is actually a fun tag because it is a way to get know a bit more about those who you tag!

A quick Post- good news

I gave blood about a month ago and got the results yesterday. My non-fasting cholesterol level was 189 which was tremendously better than in May when I gave blood last. I told someone it makes all the grilled chicken and fruit and salads when I really want chicken nuggets and fries- taste a whole lot better! Even though I didn't lose anything this week (that's two weeks at the same number- I'm okay with knowing that number went down. It just gives me the incentive/motivation to kick it up a notch!

Breakfast- 1/2 pb sandwich, sb cereal bar
lunch- deli chicken with spinach, and cheese on a low carb wheat wrap, s-f pudding, apple
pm snack- 100 calorie sb snack bar, sb wheat crackers
dinner- grilled chicken fillet, fruit cup and dt. coke from Chick-Fil-A
snack0 1/2 pb sandwich

water- about 50 ounces, plus, diet mtn. dew

Thanks for reading and keep working hard. I walked about 4.4 miles.

Also- I have addresses for 3 of you (Gail, Maria, and Lynette) to send cards (I have two of them ready) so I would love to an address for any of my readers to send a note of encouragment. Just email me at zephan3.17@juno.com and let me know your full name and full address.

Tuesday

Today was an okay day- a long one but okay. We have no kids on Friday so it's helping some to know that's coming.

breakfast: SB cereal bar, peanut butter sandwich
lunch: rotisserie chicken (deli) with cheese, lf ranch, spinach leaves on a wheat low carb tortilla, s-f pudding, apple with pb
pm snack: whole wheat crackers (SB) and a SB 100 calorie bar
dinner: turkey burger and 1 cup brown rice

water: I believe that I drank the majority of the water that I needed to (I drank 4 bottles which is about 68 oz.)

I walked right at 3 miles today so I'm off to add that to my count and tomorrow is weigh-in day (oh, yippee!)

Whew- I'm back

It was not a great weekend or last week. I did fine food-wise (I could have done better) but I survived! I am back though. Tomorrow I'll start back with the food/water details. I also finally got a new pedometer and I think it's going to work! I found at 20 dollar pedometer at Target on clearance for about 13 dollars. It showed I walked 13,000 steps today- which the pedometer shows as 7.81 miles- which is odd because I thought most pedometers said that every 2000 miles is a mile...so.... I will go with 7.5 miles (I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt since I didn't record yesterday's. Hope everyone has had a good day!

Busy Busy Week

This was an extremely busy week! I also have a ton to do this weekend- a lot of grading! It will get done but I am determined to create some cards and projects also! My plan is to do some reading tonight and then tomorrow do some cleaning in the morning, grading in the afternoon, and then creating in the evening! I'm just so tired right now as it is. I am not noting my intake for the past week but I already updated my walking- I put app. 9 miles for the week (again, I'm sure it was a bit more but I haven't bought anew pedometer yet. Talk to you soon!

Busy!

I just wanted to touch base and say I'm still here. I will update everything tomorrow night. I didn't lose anything- but I didn't gain anything either. I didn't do so well this week so I need to get back on track. Hope all is going well for everyone!

Monday!- Blech!!!

Today was a crazy day- kids all over the school were getting in trouble- my kids came in the classroom in bad moods and my ones who usually get in trouble- had pretty good days. i'm starting to think about options that I have and will have. I know that God has placed me at this school for a reason and a season- I'm just starting to wonder if the season is almost over. I leave drained every day- and I actually left things today at school- I am not ready for tomorrow but I needed to leave. That being said here's the stats for the day:

I believe I walked over two miles but I'll have to go with two miles so I'm pretty sure that I did at least that.

Breakfast: hard boiled egg, cheese, milk
lunch: 1/2 chicken sandwich with cheese, 1/2 hard boiled egg, s-f chocolate pudding, curves granola bar
pm snack- special K protein bar and string cheese. I also ate one of the new 3 Musketeers mint flavored candy bars. They come in two small pieces and I ate one. I might be buying the minis bag and putting them in the freezer (that way I won't eat as many at a time)- I think I might be able ration myself that way! They are really good and they have dark chocolate
dinner: turkey burgers with cheese, 1 cup brown rice, and 1 cup green beans - this was a REALLY good meal!! Have a great day!

Weekend off

I decided to take the weekend off from blogging. I forgot my pedometer on Friday and then on Saturday- let's just say I'll need a new pedometer. I put it on Saturday morning and then I walked around the house for a while then went and walked through the post office, walked around my LSS, then Hobby Lobby. I got home and checked it and it was still on 0. Since I don't fly I know that's not right! I'm about over the whole pedometer thing!!!!! I'll try one more but until then I'll just have to guesstimate at about 2 miles per day because that's about my average with a few days that are more. I'm thinking I might try rearranging my LR too so I have a little space to my exercise dvds (it's a very small lr). I'm also having some lower back issues and will be taking a trip to the chiropractor tomorrow. I'm hurting more than I have in a while. I'm not going to record what I have eaten this weekend but I have done pretty good- yesterday wasn't the greatest but I didn't stray too much. Have an excellent Sunday evening and I'll be back tomorrow!

Short Post

Today is going to be a very short post- I'm exhausted and have a ton of things to do tonight. I'm just going to post my food for the day.

Breakfast- peanut butter and banans on a whole low-carb tortilla
lunch- 1/2 chicken sandwich, s-f jello, apple, granola bar
pm snack- fiber one bar and then two hours later- Special K protein bar and string cheese
dinner- roast beef and whole wheat pasta and one slice of whole wheat break. However, I ate too much- I feel blah right now.

water: 24 oz., plus 15 oz. plus 15 oz. (54 oz.), 20 oz. dt. mtn dew and an 18 oz bottle of Fuze (Strawberry Melon). This is a low carb drink made with water and juice.

It also showed I walked about 2 miles but I'm thinking I walked more but that's what I'll go with.

Wednesday

Today was a good day life wise but my kids are crazy. I hope you all know that when I say my kids I'm talking about my kids at school (I don't have any of my own kids). Some of them are okay but it's hard when they come in to the classroom in a bad mood from something that happened at home before school. It just starts off the day on a rough note and makes for an overall rough day. My other rant for the day- I went to a meeting today from 4:30 to 5:30 about doing an extended contract. It's a meeting that if I want to do this contract then I have to attend. I was the only one from my school who went and so I sat near the front of a room to get out on time ( I had somewhere to be). Well, that meant I sat with teachers from another school. The thing that irritates me is when people talk (not related to the session) throughout the entire time. I wanted to stand up and ask these teachers if they like it when their kids talk while they are teaching- pretty sure they would say no! Now, I know that I talk a lot but when someone is presenting something I listen and rarely say anything and if I do it's a brief comment to someone on what we are discussing. Oh, it made me so mad! I really think teachers are the worst at this.

Okay- now that that rant is over here's the good stuff:

breakfast- SB cereal bar, low carb whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter and banana
lunch- parmesan chicken, 1/2 sandwich of chicken (deli) and one slice of cheese (on one slice of 100% whole wheat bread), bowl of fruit (kiwi and grapes), s-f jello
pm snack- curves granola bar
dinner- grilled chicken filet and 6 chicken nuggets

water: 24 oz. plus 16.9 oz., 16.9 oz. (app. 58 oz) 20 oz. det mtn dew and 20 oz. diet coke

I walked about 4.1 miles today and lost 1 lb. this week.

Step 4 and back to the Daily Grind!

Step 4- Get moving with the kids

A study has shown that adults with kids living under their roof take in nearly 5 grams more fat per day then adults who are kid-free. Involve children in fitness to make it seem less like a chore and more likely to get it done. Here are some activities that you can do with children of all ages

Babies- walk or job with the baby in a stroller, sign up for Baby Boot Camp (www.babybootcamp.com) or find a mom and baby exercise class.

Toddlers and preschoolers- Put on some music and dance. Go for a bike rid, go to the park, go on a nature walk, anything to get them moving

School-age children- kick a ball in the backyard, take a karate class together, play tennis, any active movement or games

Tweens and teens- go in-line skating, play basketball or volleyball, play golf or frisbee golf, play tennis.

That's it!

Today was back to the daily grind- my kids are doing fairly well at school (not mine personally since I don't have any) but my first graders are hanging in there behavior wise. I actually probably have one of the best behaved first grade classes and I'm very thankful for that. It definitely helps keep my stress level down. I am enjoying the year BUT it's just draining- time consuming so to speak.

Breakfast- SB cereal bar, cheese
am snack- nothing
lunch- brown rice, veggie soup, a few bites of leftover chicken, and Fiber One bar
pm snack- curves granola bar and then about 2 hours later I had a Special K protein bar
dinner- 2 grilled cheese sandwiches on 100% whole wheat bread (I was only going to have one but I sort of burnt the first one) and a bowl of mixed fruit (apple, banana, and kiwi)
dessert- 2 nsa creamsicles

water: 32 oz. plus 12 oz., plus 12 oz. (56 oz.) and about 40 oz. of diet mtn. dew (yes, I know it's a lot- I need to not drink it quite so much).

I also walked about 5 miles today! Right at 10000 steps.

I'm back!

I'm back home-finally! I had a good visit with my sister and b-i-l (and of course my nephew). However, I did okay on parts of the weekend and not so good on others. I definitely didn't drink the water that I should have.

Friday I had ceral bar and cheese for breakfast
am snack- curves granola bar
lunch- 1/2 turkey sandwich, s-f pudding, grapes
pm snack- curves bar
dinner- grilled chicken filet and 8 piece chicken nuggets (Chick-fil-a)

Saturday
breakfast- SB meal bar
lunch- grilled chicken filet and fruit cup
pm snack- ??
dinner- mini ravioli

Sunday
breakfast- SB cereal bar
am snack- Fiber One granola bar
lunch- grilled chicken filet and side salad with ranch dressing
pm snack- Fiber One granola bar
dinner- SB turkey and bacon club wraps

Monday-
breakfast- SB cereal bar
lunch- 4 piece chicken nuggets and apples (McD)
snack- peanuts
dinner- grilled chicken with mozzarella cheese and 1 cup brown rice with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and cheddar cheese
dessert- creamsicles

I can tell I haven't been drinking my water- ugh! On Sunday, my sister and I took my nephew to the Columbus Zoo and I figured out the trick to the pedometer. It says to put it where the crease in the pants would be but that doesn't work- I realized it needs to be on the side of the leg and then it will give a more accurate count. The whole zoo itself is 2.2 miles and that doesn't include any other walking I did so I estimated (I didn't get a good read because of not having it in the right spot) at 3 miles. Plus, I had 1 mile today (even with traveling).plus at least a mile on Saturday. I'll post step 4 tomorrow (I'm exhausted from traveling back today and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep my eyes open). I will post it tomorrow though! Have a great evening!

What a day!

Well, I found my pedometer at school and wore it throughout the day and it kept up with everything. I went back to the eye doctor today to get a recheck of the contacts. As I was waiting my pedometer got stuck so i went to fix it and the clip popped off. I'm going to have to take it back to WM-ugh- I hate returning things there! I had to get a prescription filled at Target so I got another pedometer there (identical to the one I just bought at WM). However, before it broke I walked about 4.2 miles and I'm sure that I bumped that up to 4.5 at Target.

Breakfast- 1/2 pb sandwich, sb cereal bar
lunch- chicken salad, s-f pudding, grapes and kiwi, cheese
pm snack- curves granola bar and about 2 hours later I had a Special K protein bar
dinner- SB cheese pizza
dessert- nsa creamsicle

water: 3 bottles of 16.9 oz. each, 8 oz. diet coke and 24 oz. diet mtn. dew

Okay, now it's time for the article:

Step 3- Snack smartly

This step starts out by asking if the snack will give your body the enery and nutrients it needs. When deciding when and what to eat , remember that food is a fuel. The goal should be to keep yourself properly fueld and satisfied in order to stay away from temptations.

Snacking can help you beat temptation by being a bridge between meals.

-don't go too long between meals or your energy will dip and it's more likely that you will eat excess calories

-Keep hunger in check by eating a meal or snack that includes protein every three to four hours.

-Measure snacks out and eat from a dish-not the original packaging

-Healthy snacks are planned and not spontaneous

After determining your hunger you should take a minute to decide what taste or texture you want- salty, sweet, crunchy, or creamy. Here are some suggestions for each type.

salty: pretzels, a quarter cup of peanuts or whole-grain crackers topped with one tbs. of peanut butter
sweet: dried fruit with nuts, low-calorie fudge pop or fresh fruit dipped int bs. of chocolate syrup
crunchy: celery with tbs. of peanut butter, handful of wole-grain cereal or carrots with 3 tbs of low-fat bean dip
creamy: low-fat pudding, low-fat yogurt or sugar-free hot chocolate

Step 4 (which is the final step) will not be posted until Saturday (maybe even Monday). I'm heading to Ohio to visit my sister and the baby (and my brother in law) for the long weekend. Have a great holiday weekend!

I'm a dork!

I gave blood today and wore a skirt to school so I took a pair of capris to change into and I took off my pedometer and forgot to pick it up. When I left I had walked app. 3 miles so that's what I will go with. I did eat a little more today- not anything that I shouldn't have eaten but I don't know- I just seemed to be hungry all the time today.

breakfast- lite vanilla yogurt, 1 hardboiled egg
am snack (yes, I got one today)- sb cereal bar
lunch- turkey sandwich on 1 piece of bread with a slice of cheese, s-f pudding, 1/2 apple, turkey (from the school cafe- which thankfully meat is okay to eat)
pm snack- special k protein snack bar
dinner- grilled chicken, apple dippers (McD)- without the caramel (just the apples), curves granola bar
dessert- nsa creamsicle

I guess looking over it I didn't eat that much more but it just seems like it.

beverages: 32 oz. water, 16.9 oz., and about 8 oz. water (so about 55 oz.), 20 oz. dt. mtn. dew, and 20 oz. diet coke.

Okay, quickly- on to the article
STEP 2- Feed your hunger the right way

If, after asking the questions, you find that you are truly hungry then you should eat something healthy and satisfying. However, that usually takes time that we don't want to wait and so we make poor choices. The article suggests preparing healthy snacks ahead of time.

-Make a large roasted chicken or turkey- after serving it for dinner then chop it up and then add it to some homemade soup, a stew, or a chili

-Prepare a pot of Italian-style meat sauce. Use ground turkey breast, tomato sauce, shredded carrots, and herbs. Divide it into portions and then serve it with pasta or a sloppy joe or taco mixture.

-Roast a pork tenderloin- after a meal, cut up the leftovers and serve it with rice and bean, in quesadilla, or in a veggie stir fry.

Tomorrow will be step 3- Snack Smartly!

oh yea, I lost 1 lb.

Tuesday

Well, I took the article to school in case I had time and I completely forgot to bring it home so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I did however walk at school (not as much as yesterday though). I only walked 2.6 miles today (I really don't know why it was different- I felt like I walked as much as yesterday. Who knows.

breakfast- 1/2 pb sandwich on whole wheat bread and sb cereal bar
lunch- egg salad with mayo and mustard, apple, s-f jello
pm snack-Curves granola bar
dinner- leftover roast beef (3 slices) with 1 tbs. gravy and 1 cup Brown Rice, string cheese

Water- 32 oz. plus another app 33 oz. is 65 oz plus 24 oz. dt mtn. dew

Tomorrow is weigh-in day but I'm supposed to be starting my cycle tomorrow so we will see how that goes. I did turn down brownies and chocolate candy today. Actually I didn't even crave it!

New Pedometer works great and article

I am loving my new pedometer. I'm thinking that I have actually walked more than I have been marking down. It shows that I walked over 12800 steps (give or take a few with "fake" steps that it recorded). According to this (which is actually probably pretty accurate) my miles today it was 6.485. That's a lot of miles. I'm okay with this!! Especially since my workout schedule is not really working right now!

breakfast- egg and sausage
am snack- South Beach cereal bar
lunch- turkey sandwich (deli turkey with a slice of 2% American cheese on one slice of 100% whole wheat bread), s-f pudding (chocolate mint fudge-yum!), medium size apple
pm snack- Curves granola bar (100 calories, 17 g carbs, and 5g of fiber)
dinner- 4 slices of roast beef with 2 tbs. gravy, 1 cup brown rice with cheese (and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)

Water: 25 oz. plus 16.9 plus 16.9 (app. 59) plus 24 oz. dt. mtn. dew

As you can tell I was able to start Phase 2 of SB. I'm thrilled (now I can eat fruit-woohoo!)

Okay, on to the article- this came from the Sept. 3 (I think) All You magazine which can be found at Wal-Mart.

The article is called "Check those cravings- and lose pounds forever"

Step 1- Find out if you are really hungry

Ask yourself these questions: Has it been three hours or longer since the last time I ate something? Do I feel a gnawing, grumbling sensation in my belly? Do I feel tired, irritable, light-headed or weak?

You're truly hungry if you answered yes to two or more of those questions and you need to feed yourself what your body needs.

Now, ask these questions: Am I feeling sad, longely, bored, stressed, or anxious? Do I have a tast for something specfic, like salty chips or sugary candy? Do I feel an urge to munch on something right now?

If you answered yes to one or more of these you are having a craving and you're after something other than food.

How do you spot a craving and stop it in its tracks? Most cravings don't last more than 10 minutes so if you can distract yourself for that long it's likely to disappear. If you're cooking and you want to taste test- brush your teeth before you prepare food or chew gum. If you are serving your kids dinner= remind yourself that it isn't yours and then eat a healthy snack (this is if you are eating separate). If you are feeling down and you think of sugar= take a bubble bath or give yourself a pedicure- basically take care of yourself. You sit down in front of the tv and you need to snack= keep your hands busy (hey, make some cards!). You don't want your kids' leftovers to go to waste- serve them less and they can ask for more. If you are feeling anxious then call a friend (or get on and blog) to talk through your anxieties. If you can't get a hold of someone then get moving, walk around the block or something of that nature.

Come back tomorrow for Step 2- Feed your Hunger the right way (may not be until late- I have Open House at school).

Sunday

Another "lazy" Sunday. I love Sundays. At church this morning the sermon as well as my ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship- aka Sunday School) were hand in hand and go along with the Wed. night class that I am taking. Our "theme" for the church is Love God, Love People, Impact the World. It was quite possibly one of the best sermons I have ever heard our pastor preach. The last 6 months have been packed with these types of sermons- he's gotten better and better! Anyway, on to other stuff.

Breakfast- egg and sausage
am snack- about 1/2 ounce of almonds
lunch- leftover from last night's dinner
pm snack- 1 tbs. peanut butter and a slice of cheese
dinner- as of now I haven't eaten yet

water- 60 ounces (as of right now), and a 24 oz. bottle of dt. mtn. dew

I also went to Joann's (to semi-return something) and then walked around Wal-Mart to get the rest of my groceries. I buy my "fresh" stuff at Kroger and my frozen and refrigerated stuff at wm (since it's cheaper). Other than that not much walking but again Sunday is my free day. (I didn't record yesterday's because I didn't get the pedometer until then). Hope you all have had an excellent Sunday- throughout the coming week I'm going to share bits and pieces of an article that I read today. It was very interesting and based on "training your body to make it through cravings" and how to determine if you are really hungry.

Saturday

I got a lot done today! Woohoo! I love those type of Saturdays. I got my haircut and then went to WalMart and did some shopping. I found a pedometer that actually works (I think) so hopefully that will help a lot. I also went to JoAnn's and AC Moore where I did some fun shopping. Yippee!!

Breakfast- sausage patty and egg, 8 oz. milk
lunch- grilled chicken fillet from McD
pm snack- 1 tbs peanut butter
dinner -2 hamburger pattys (lean ground beef) with cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese, green beans with almonds
dessert- nsa fudgesicles

Friday at last!!

Oh, YEAH!! Tomorrow is Saturday and the only thing I "have" to do is get a haircut. I'm so ready to do nothing! And, I'm VERY excited to get to sleep in.

Breakfast- egg and sausage patty, 8 oz. skim milk
Lunch- chicken patty, turkey, cheese, s-f jello
pm snack- nothing
dinner- Cracker Barrel (who has a low carb menu). I ordered a smothered chicken tenderloins (which is grilled chicken covered with bacon and colby cheese), side salad with ranch, double order of green beans

That was the most awesome dinner that I have had in a long time. It was really good AND if I had been going straight home i would have brought some of it home so that I could have had some of it for lunch tomorrow.

I also walked 2.5 miles yesterday and at least 2.5 miles today (but I'm pretty sure it was more). I found out that one of the reasons my pedometer isn't working is because it keeps being reset. Whenever I move a certain way or hold something against my hip around where it's sitting it's hitting the reset button. So, that's one problem with one of my "free" ones. I took the other back to Target because I never got it to work. I'm going to check out Wal-Mart tomorrow.

thursday- the week is almost over

Today was a crazy day at school. The fifth grade teachers and students are gone on a "bonding" experience to a local retreat center which meant we didn't have reading today (our kids all move to their levels and the fifth grade teachers teach kids other than 5th graders). however we found out at 7:29 and we pick up our kids for the morning at 7:30- we literally had one minute to get ready for that. We aren't doing it tomorrow either but at least we had 14 hours warning!

Breakfast- egg, sausage with cheese (from an egg mcmuffin-without the muffin)
lunch-cheese and pepperoni from a pizza (nothing else from the pizza though), turkey (lunchmeat), cheese, and s-f jello
pm snack- peanuts
dinner- grilled chicken sandwich (minus the bun) and 1/2 a side salad from Wendy's
dessert- nsa creamsicle

beverages- 32 oz. water, 10 oz. water, 16.9 oz. water, 20 oz. diet coke (with ice from Wendy's)

Only a few more days on phase one and then I can start adding things in one at a time. I'm trying to figure out what I will add in first!

Wednesday

Well, at weigh-in this morning I lost another 2 lbs. from last week which is a total of 6 lbs. in the week and a half since I started the SB plan. I also have a success to pass along- well, I guess it's more of a "toot my own horn" type of thing. It goes along with my dinner menu so I'll share it there.

Breakfast- 2 hard-boiled eggs, cheese, 8 oz. milk
Lunch- chicken salad, s-f jello, cheese
pm snack- nothing- I ran out of time today
dinner- I went to Chick FilA and those who know me know I LOVE going there. And the thing is, I love the breaded chicken- it's just so good. However, it's definitely not good for you. I also like their fries-waffle fries of all things! YUM-O as Rachel says! Well, I stuck to my guns and ordered the grilled chicken fillet (no bun) and a side salad. I had about a teaspoon of ranch dressing with it (I just can't eat my salads plain and I'm not big on vinegary dressings). I also had a large diet coke. This is HUGE for me to actually order what I am supposed to going there. That's my place of temptation that I normally would stay away from (that and McDonald's). It's also a bit expensive but if I'm going to sit by myself in a fast food rest. (which I needed to do because I had something I was working on) then it's going to be c-f-a. I know that seems weird but it's one of my quirks!

I had about 30 ounces of water this morning, a 16.9 oz. bottle of water with crystal light lemonade, about 12 oz. of another bottle of water, the dt. coke, and a diet mtn. dew (20 oz.). So, I definitely didn't get my water in- I'll try that one again tomorrow. Have a great day!

Tuesday

I was not able to get my pedometer to work yet so i am estimating 2.5 miles (although I think it was more) so I will be returning it tomorrow (or sometime this weekend if I have a chance). I did really well throughout the day but then this morning i got a phone call for an emergency babysitting for tonight and due to a meeting at school I literally had just enough time to go home and change clothes. She told me I could eat whatever was there but the only thing in her fridge that was "allowed" was deli meat and it wasn't opened. I didn't want to open it because I didn't know how long it would last if they didn't eat it right away. So, I had some peanut butter crackers on wheat and about a small order of mcd's fries (they had a large in the fridge and I heated up a few). It's the first "cheating" I have done but there's no way I could have waited until 11 (which is when they are coming home) to eat something "healthy". I did well the rest of the day so hopefully I'm not doing too much damage.

breakfast- 2 egg omelet with cheese, 8 oz. skim milk
lunch- egg salad (with 2 eggs), s-f jello, string cheese
snack- string cheese, 3-4 nuts
dinner- peanut butter on wheat crackers, small fry

water- 32 oz. this morning plus 1 bottle plain water and 1 with crystal lite in it. dt. mtn. dew

Monday

Well, I tried the pedometer again and it didn't work again. I'll try it once more tomorrow (I am going to try to adjust the stride length which may change it- I took a guess before). So, I'll just go with about 2.5 miles because that's been about the average I have been walking.

Breakfast- 2 hardboiled eggs, 8 oz. milk
lunch- hamburger (app. 1 patty), green beans
pm snack- string cheese, 1 tbs. peanut butter
dinner- the topping of a pizza (I didn't eat the crust- only the cheese, sausage, and little bit of sauce- it was a generic pizza)
dessert- nsa creamsicle

water: 22 oz. this morning (plus whatever is left after the ice melts), 2 16.9 oz. bottles (app. 34 oz) so right now it's at 56 oz.

Freebie Sunday

Well, I have decided that Sundays are going to be freebie days (at least until it cools down). That doesn't mean I'm going to eat what I want (I still will follow South Beach) but it means I'll take a break from the pedometer. I just don't walk a lot on Sundays because I do a lot of computer work and school work on that day and I pretty much go to church and then come home for the day. On that note- until now I have not been too hungry today- I never really ate lunch but I'm going to go fix some green beans for dinner. Have a great evening and I'll see you tomorrow evening!

Strange Saturday!

Well, today was a very strange day. I went to Wal-Mart early this morning (around 7:45/8:00) because my batteries in my digital camera died. I needed to take some pics of some cards and to have it for the day at the park. I wore my new pedometer and I decided to test it against my old one to see if there was any difference. Well, there was for a while but then the new one does not keep accurate count. I know this because it said I only walked 2000 steps from when I put it on to when i came home. I walked all over that park today- there's no way it was only 2000 steps- especially since it said I had 1600 when I got to the park (which was also not right). Needless to say that pedometer is heading back to Target and I guess I'll have to break down and buy a more expensive one that 4.99.

Breakfast- scrambled egg, sausage patty
am snack- peanuts
lunch- 2 hamburger patties, hot dog (no bun, no condiments)
pm snack- 1 tbs. peanut butter
dinner- 2 egg omelet with cheese, 1 tbs. peanut butter

No veggies today- I need to up that tomorrow. I'll probably try to get a salad tomorrow or only eat veggies for lunch. The bad thing- payday isn't until Friday and I don't really have the money to go out and buy some more food. I'm almost 1 week through my 2 weeks of phase one.

ETA: I forgot to mention the water intake. I'm going to go through this bottle by bottle because I can't remember exactly how many I had. I started out with a 10 oz. bottle, 2 16.9 oz. bottles (all before 11:00 am), another 16.9 oz. bottle, , an 8 oz. bottle and another 16.9 oz. bottle. I think that's it (but there could possibly be one more bottle in there) so right now that equals 85.6 oz. Wow- I guess when you are out in the heat it's easy to drink it up!

Friday at last!!

Hallelujah it's Friday! It's been an extremely long week- I'm so glad it's over. However, tomorrow I get to spend all day at the park with kids- the same kids I was so glad to send out the door today. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE my job- it's just very stressful and time consuming. On top of that I have work at home to do this weekend and refuse to do it tonight. I do think I figured out one of the reasons I am so tired- I don't think I'm eating enough veggies- it's just hard in the time I have to eat lunch to eat many veggies. I also know that I am not really working like I should. However, next week the only day I will maybe get to leave work early is Friday. I have meetings Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. I also didn't do much walking today- I feel like I walked more than or about the same as yesterday but for some reason there weren't as many steps on the pedometer. I did buy a new one because mine that I have been using was a "freebie" so I don't know if that may have been the issue.

Breakfast- 8 oz. skim milk, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 slice of 2% cheese
am snack- nothing
lunch- 1 1/2 grilled chicken breasts, s-f jello, 1 slice of 2% cheese
pm snack- string cheese, 2 tbs. peanut butter
dinner- 1 egg and 1 sausage patty with cheese
dessert- 2 nsa creamsicles

Beverages: this morning 22 oz. of water, this afternoon 2 16.9 bottles of water, 24 oz. botle of dt. mtn. dew (the last one)

As of right now the steps for today are only about 4000 which is only 2 miles (I don't know what's up with that). I'll be updating the mileage meter (and I'm not going to keep track of them the rest of the evening).

Much Better Thursday

Today was definitely not as stressful as yesterday but boy, I am exhausted. My plan is to stay and work at school tomorrow evening until about 5 or so to prepare for next week so that next week I don't have to stay late on the few days that I can (Monday and Friday). I have a meeting after school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Breakfast: scrambled eggs and sausage patty (from McDonald's), slice of cheese, 8 oz. skim milk
am snack- none
lunch- chicken salad made with 2 eggs, s-f jello, about 4 slices of cucumber, slice of cheese
pm snack- string cheese, 1 oz. almonds
dinner- 1 1/2 grilled chicken breast (small), sugar snap peas with butter (acutally it's I can't Believe it's not butter)
dessert- no sugar added creamsicle

Beverages: 24 oz. dt. mtn. dew (one more bottle), 32 oz. of water this morning, 2 16.9 oz. bottles and am working on number 3 and will probably get to number 4 because I'm so thirsty right now.

As of 8:30 my steps are about 9300 so i'm going to try to up it to 10,000 but unfortunately I don't have a lot of walking to around the house. First of all, it's not that big and second of all, after finishing this post I need to work on grades. This is the bad part of 1st grade- I actually have to keep grades.

"Wonderful" Wednesday

I had a good day "diet" wise but it was an extremely long day- very stressful however, I didn't want any chocolate (I actually had no desire for food but I was hungry if that makes sense)

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 oz. cheddar cheese, 8 oz. skim milk
AM snack- nothing
Lunch- egg salad with 2 eggs, mustard and a tbs. of miracle whip (I know mustard is odd but I like the bit of flavor it adds), 2 oz. cheese, s-f jello
PM Snack- string cheese and tbs. peanut butter
Dinner: grilled chicken sandwich (meat only) and hamburger patty (no bun but greasy)- McDonald's
Dessert: s-f creamsicle

drink- about 20 oz. of a 24 oz. bottle of diet mtn dew, and I think I hit my 64 oz. of water today!!! I had two bottles at school plus a 32 oz. cup with two bottles in it!

On top of that I apparently did some major walking today. I didn't even realize I walked as much as I did. My pedometer shows 11,500+ steps but I take about 500 off a day since every little move triggers the step. I know that I did a lot of walking- back and forth in the classroom but I didn't realize it was that much. So, I walked about 5.5 miles today! woohoo!!! on top of that- when I weighed myself this morning (yes, I know I just started this on Monday but Wed. is my weighin day) and I have lost 4 pounds since Monday morning. Apparently something I am doing is working and I'm so excited that I have not "cheated". If I can make it for the first two weeks then I can start adding stuff back in.

Tuesday Update

I ended up walking 3 miles yesterday and 2.5 today. My food choices for today were again, pretty good.

Breakfast- 2 egg omelet (with a little bit of cheese)- woohoo the first omelet I ever made, 8 oz. skim milk
AM snack- again, no break for a morning snack
Lunch- leftover ground beef/hamburger with cheese (no bun), leftover green beans
pm snack- string cheese, scoop of peanut butter
dinner- egg salad (no bun)
dessert- no sugar added creamsicle

Water- 3 16.9 oz. bottles (a little over 50 oz.), 24 oz. dt. mtn dew (I only have 3 more bottles left so I would have to buy a cup at the store and I try to drink it at lunch so that I'm not up half the night. However, tonight some friends went to Z-Mex and I was going to an SU technique class with them so I went but didn't eat- I did get a 32 oz. diet pepsi. I still may get my 4th bottle of water down today (as long as I can get dt. pepsi finished- still working on it. Have a good one everyone!

Pretty Good Day (Food wise) that is

It was a bit of a stressful day at school but I stuck with it foodwise.

Breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs with cheese plus 8 oz. skim milk
AM snack - none (I have no break)
Lunch- 2 eggs in an egg salad, string cheese, cherry s-f jello
PM Snack- string cheese
Dinner- ground beef (hamburger patty) with cheese and green beans with almonds
Dessert- no sugar added creamsicle

I'll come back and do the steps stuff. Yeah, I'm so glad that I was able to stick with it today!

Forgot to add my water intake- I drink water using the 16.9 oz. water bottle because it's just easier for me to drink the individual bottles throughout the day. I drank 3 of them today which means I didn't meet my water intake for the day (I need app. 4 to be around 66 oz.) and I did have a 12 oz. dt. mtn. dew and about another 12 oz. at dt. mtn. dew at dinner. I'll add my steps tomorrow.

A New Start and a New Challenge

I am starting with my new plan tomorrow. i have a stocked fridge and freezer ready for me to start with South Beach tomorrow. I'm just going to need to pray for the willpower to stay away from the stuff I need to stay away from. I am also joining in on the walking challenge. I found out that it's 514 miles to where Kim lives in IL. So, I'm going to go that way since it is the longer trip. I'm not sure I'll get much of a chance to go work out this week because I'm not on the routine of school yet so I'll do what I can and go find the pedometer and make sure I'm walking around the school as much as possible.

Not Good

Well, I'll make this brief and to the point. I have to go finish planning for our half day of school tomorrow. When I weighed myself this morning I had gained back the pound I lost last week. I wasn't really too surprised- I could kind of tell. My water drinking is definitely picking up though- I can tell that difference already. Monday I'm hoping to get into the routine of things again.

Also- on my last post I said those who were on the challenge with me- I actually meant those who were on this journey with me. If you are reading this because you are on the way to a healthier life please email me at the address in the post below with your snail mail. Thanks!

Blah- and Tuesday Tip

Well, I just feel sort of blah today- yesterday I did well, I had fruit and half a bagel for b-fast, subway for lunch (chicken and bacon ranch on wheat) for lunch, and grilled chicken and brown rice for dinner. I also had a sugar free pudding for dessert. Today however, I did fine until I didn't have a snack when I left work. If i had had a snack I would not have been hungry and would have resisted the temptation of the Sunchips better and then that led to the candy bar. Oh, so frustrating. However, tomorrow is another day and I will try again. I have plans- I just need to make sure I have my snacks with me.

So, my tip for today would be along those lines- before going shopping (which is what I did after leaving school) have some type of snack so that the temptation is not there to snack while out.

Also- I would like for all those who are participating in this challenge with me to please email me at zephan3.17 at juno.com. I would like you to email your "real name" and your mailing address. From time to time I want to send out RAKS of encouragment and I want them to be a surprise.

One last thing- I live in Knoxville, TN if anyone wants to participate in a virtual type of challenge like granny and kim. Just let me know. Have a great day!

Do It Anyway

I received this in an email a long time ago and printed it out. While moving I found it and thought that it was good! It goes along with the attitude being a big obstacle or building block to success.

Do It Anyway
Written by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will sin some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happines, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enoug;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Break Free of Your Food Addiction- article

I regularly get the Quick and Simple magazine and a recent one had a great article. I promised it yesterday and things got a little crazy and I completely forgot. So, here goes:. The question the article asks is: "Can you be addicted to food, a stubstance your body needs to survive?" Dr. Gold (a Univ. of FL addiction expert) says that yes, that as food addicts imagine their favorite foods it triggers "anticipatory brain changes that are virtually identical" to the changes in the brain of an alcoholic or drug addict. The article also states that a person addicted to food experiences many of the same withdrawal symptoms- irritability, moodiness, and anger- as a recovering drug addict.

There were 8 ways to tame temptation:
- Become a journalist- write down what you eat, how much you eat, and how you were feeling when you were eating it.

- Identify and dodge your triggers- keep a list of activities to do do when you have identified what triggers the eating. This is where card making/scrapbooking can come in handy- get your hands busy! If it's a person that triggers unhealthy eating- you might need to steer clear of that person for a while until you have the strength to stand up to her

- Slow down! Food junkies eat fast. Because we tend to eat so fast it takes longer for us to register that we are full. Dr. Gold says that for a thin person it takes 12 minutes to register that food has been eaten and someone who is obese it could take 20 minutes. A suggestion is to set a timer and eat with baby spoons/small spoon or forks to stretch out the eating time.

-Surround yourself with support- which is what we are doing- keeping accountable!

-Switch addictions- Dr. Gold suggests getting addicted to exercise. Do what needs to be done to make exercise a regular part of your life

-Downsize the dinnerware. Use smaller plates and bowls to keep portions more controllable

-Weigh every day. This is something that I personally do but I focus on every other day. It really keeps me aware and doesn't allow it to sneak up on me. I am able to know that I have overindulged and therefore need to adjust- and even though I KNOW it from my journal- the scale doesn't lie!

-Don't give up. Different people respond in different ways to different strategies- find what works for you!

It also included a quick tip- "announce an executive decision the next time you are tempted by food you don't need. Tell that doughnut- out loud- my body doesn't need or want you!"

Quick and Simple magazine- July 31, 2007- quickandsimple.com

WOW!!

I have not had a great week food wise with moving and haven't had made the best choices when I have gone out to eat. However, in spit of that I still lost another pound. I don't know how unless it's because i haven't been snacking. I haven't really had much time to snack- basically I have eaten my dinners and that's it. Who knows- I'm going to keep going and then next week I'm hoping to get in the gym. Hope you are having a great day!

I'm back!

I am finally back. I'm trying to unpack and do all the things that come with moving- as well as all the things that come with the beginning of school. I'm in my last week of "freedom" before I end up "chained" to my work. Don't get me wrong- I LOVE my job but the beginning of the year is a bit stressful. I will say- I'll be back to drinking my water like I should once school starts- I have no problem during school. I'm not posting much of anything today- I'll post a tip tomorrow. I found some really good ones in an article titled "Break Free of Your Food Addiction". It's from the magazine Quick & Simple. I'll post them tomorrow- good stuff. Have a great Monday evening and see you in the morning!

Just a Quick Note

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday but as of the scale yesterday morning I had lost 2 pounds for the week. Now, I don't know if that will stay off- although I'll work at it. I lost them because I couldn't hardly eat at all with the strep and not being able to swallow so once I start eating again I seriously doubt I'll eat that little of food. This weekend will be crazy with the moving and I'm going to to a stamping/scrapping crop this weekend at a friend's house, however, I already know what we will be having to eat so I can still make my decisions wisely! Okay, I've gotta go- have a great day and I'll be back in a few days (I don't know that I will have time to post tonight).

Tuesday's Tip

My tip today will be very brief as I have to leave for training in about an hour and I have a few things to do before then. I have found it very easy to eat healthy snacks (and I wish I could say I did this all the time) when I have them already prepared. Meaning, if I get fresh fruits or veggies I can go ahead and cut them up and put them in containers. I also don't buy bagged cheese. I buy the blocks and I have cheese grater from Pampered Chef and if I have a need for cheese I shred a little extra so that I can add it to a wrap, or eggs, or whatever else I might need it for. Have a terrific Tuesday and I can't wait to share tomorrow!

Newspaper Insert- Parade

My local newspaper carries the Parade insert on Sundays. They have a weekly focus on "The All-America Get Fit Program" and todays was really good. It was talking about eating right and getting more energy. The article was written by Michael O'Shea. He states that if you eat the right foods that can give you the enery that you need to have an effective workout or to even avoid a midafternoon slump. He said that there are a few things to keep in mind:

-Caffeine and sugar offer only temporary bursts of energy- this is my downfall. I love to drink diet mtn. dew (at least it's not the "real" stuff). During the school year I have no trouble with drinking my water because I can't drink anything but that in front of my kids (since that's all they can have) but during the summer or during vacations I have a hard time drinking all of my water.

-Feeling tired can be a symptom of dehydration- enough said

-Eat enough fiber- the goal should be 20-25 grams of fiber per day

-Choose the right energy bar- if you need an energy bar because of being on the run O'Shea says you should look for one that's about 200 calories, low in sugar, and combines protein, carbs, and fat

There was more to this article but I'm going to share a little more on another day. There is a website at Parade where you can create a customized fitness plan and expert advice

Strep

Well, it's strep. i went to the dr. and by the time I got there my temp was 103 and they did a strep test. It came back "faintly positive" which means they hope they caught it early enough to not go into full blown strep. So, i'm resting today and hopefully will be back on my feet tomorrow!

Blech!

I hate being sick. I woke up yesterday with a scratchy throat but figured it was weather related. Well, I guess I was wrong. It progressed on Wednesday into a dry cough and then Thursday I was achy and had a headache. It took me forever to do anything and I had two naps. As the day progressed I was a bit dizzy and then ended up running a low grade temp- it hovered between 100 and 100.9 for a while. For me anything over 97 is a temp. Being sick just takes away my appetite yet I know that's when i need to eat something so I made myself eat some chicken noodle soup. It's about 7:45 and I'm feeling a little bit better so we'll see how the rest of the night and tomorrow go. I didn't get much done today for moving because of how I felt. I have to work tomorrow so I have to feel better!

update on situation

Well, both girls accepted my apology. It turns out some things had changed- and I didn't know about them- since the original conversation had happened. All is good. One of them had a busy day at work yesterday and couldn't get back to me until this morning and she is cool with it. The other got back to me a couple of hours after the original email so as I said- all is good. Thanks for reading my totally random thoughts!

Totally Random Thoughts

One thing I know is that your stress level is just as important to your physical health as to your mental health. My stress level this week has been pretty high with moving and packing as well as unpacking my classroom. Then today something else happened. have you ever offended someone and totally not meant to do so? I did that today- I asked a question regarding something that has been discussed for several months- but I didn't ask the person involved. I asked someone else connected with them- someone else who is also extremely busy. I was just trying to find out a time frame and I apparently stressed them out instead. That was totally not my intention and I got called on the carpet for it. I have apologized and yet, I still worry. I worry that I have lost a friend, I worry that this wound will take a while a to heal, I worry that my offense will eat me up inside. Because that's what it's doing. Even though I have apologized to both parties involved I am still worrying. My stomach churns and my mind constantly runs through ways to fix it. I think the reason that is happening in my mind is because I have yet to hear back from either party regarding the apology. If someone offends me I tend to let it go unless it's really big- at least I think I do- but maybe my perception is different. All that to say that I have cried off and on this afternoon, I have yet to eat lunch because the thought of food just makes me ill, and now I have no motivation to do things at home. I know this will pass and either my friendship will be okay or it will be on edge for a while. I'll just keep praying knowing I have done what I needed to do and if it's not accepted then I'll go the other way.

sorry if my thoughts are all over the place- that's how I get when I am stressed. Now, off to go get some things done!

Well, it's weigh-in Wednesday

I haven't had a chance to actually take my measurements (although I know that would depress me) but to give you a little "insight"/background. I'm 5'7" and when I weighed myself on Sunday I was at 202. Why that's so hard for me to swallow is that two and a half years ago I was there. I lost about 10 lbs. in October through December due to dealing with a bad break up of a relationship and then in January I went to the dr. (2 of them) and they both told me- on the same day- that I needed to get busy watching what I eat and exercising. At the time I worked for the YMCA so I was going by the main facility all the time to take paperwork- it was so easy to go in, change clothes, and drop off the paperwork on the way to the workout room. So from the end of January to June I lost 25 pounds. At the end of May I went to Greece where I didn't gain or lose anything and then from June to the end of July I lost another 5 pounds for a total of 30 lbs. I looked great, I felt great. Then I started a new job at a school that had been reconstituted, which meant that I needed to work extra hours, and that meant I was mentally and physically exhausted and I didn't work out as much, if at all. I still have my membership to the Y and I know that I have to start going. Once I get there I'm fine with being there- I just hate the thought of going. So again, this is another thing where the accountability will come in to play. After I move I'm going to have to start going.

Oh yeah, another measure for me is that I gave blood in May and my cholesterol was 226- i'm going to start giving blood regularly again which means that I am going to have that measure too.

Tuesday's Tip

Tuesday will be tip day! I just got up and need to get on the scale but Wednesday is reporting day so I may wait until tomorrow. It's not been the best week eating wise- my parents are in town and we have gone places to eat that i normally don't go on my own. So, I'm going to base my tip on that- if you know ahead of time where you will be eating (I haven't known) call ahead or check out their website to see what is available for your particular diet. For example- I will have to follow South Beach. I like carbs so much but they end up on my hips. I followed S.B. two years ago and lost 30 pounds (have gained every single one of them back too) because of the food and exercise choices I made. So, i would go online and look at the menu to see what was available to order so I knew ahead of time what I would have. If you go to the places that give you bread (and you're with someone who eats it) as them to only bring enough for your companions and leave one out. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Here We Go!

Maria over at Stampin Inspirations suggested starting a blog group focused on losing weight. Having been down that route before I decided I need to focus on losing weight and then living a healthy life- therefore the name Journey to a Healthy Life. This blog will be an accountability of sorts of my journey. I'll be able to journal by successes and failures and how they have impacted me to date. Hopefully I'll have some type of before picture so that I can eventually have during and after pictures too. So, off we go!