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!