Sunday, December 2, 2012

December Squat Challenge

Hello lovelies! Did everyone have a Sunday Funday? The hubs and I did. We just relaxed, picked out our Christmas tree and I was able to get a lot of work accomplished.

So, I'm a part of this amazing FB group, Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp. I found them after reading Mama Laughlin's blog. They are the most inspiring group of women I have had the chance to meet (as well as one can through the internet) and talk to. The ladies that I get to talk to make me want get healtheir for myself and for them. We all need support when trying to make a life style change. I know I can't do it alone. If I could have  I wouldn't be attending WW right now would I? Oh to be my hubs who can eat, drink and do whatever he wants without gaining an ounce.

MLFC (that's Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp for short) has provided the followers with a December Squat Challenge. It looks like this:
The chart of awesomeness death
I started it yesterday so that I could follow along without having to double up. And by yesterday I mean 11:38 p.m. because there was no chance that I was going to do 45 squats in one day - yet. Even my hubs is impressed with this schedule. I told him I'd be able to do 100 squats by December 31st and he almost choked on his McDonald's Angus Burger.

I'm in. Are you in? You don't have to be part of MLFC. You just have to want to challenge yourself and try something new.

Lord knows I'll be doing it everyday since the hubs and I brought home our Christmas tree. It's naked now, but once Fred the Fraser gets decorated my kitties are going to knock of the ornaments and it will be me, I'm 100% sure, who will have to put them back up. I'll call the move the Squat and Decorate!

And just for giggles, here's Fred.

Happy Squatting!



Saturday, December 1, 2012

Whoops

Hello my lovelies! Welcome to another Saturday edition of From King Size to Queen Size. Today has been a lazy day and boy was it much needed. The past week kicked my butt. I had to complete progress reports, get ready for an observation by my assistant principal not to mention fit in a doctor's appointment and a WW meeting in there somewhere. I usually like to keep my weekdays low key. Such is life.

I wound up with a pound weight gain from the week of Thanksgiving. I figured as much. I planned ahead for my three Thanksgiving dinners but there were a few surprises on the way. Since my aunt didn't make it down in time for Thanksgiving with my side of the family, I was able to visit my grandma instead. I hadn't initially planned on eating a pumpkin dessert, but one of my aunts brought a pumpkin roll over. I caved. It was okay though because I still had my weekly points.

Friday's Thanksgiving with my hubs' family went well. I planned it out and stuck to my plan. What got me was Friend's Thanksgiving that my hubs and I hosted last Saturday. There was lots of wine, stuffing and homemade pumpkin pie cheese cake. My hubs' friend said he was making a pumpkin pie from scratch and I had my doubts; but darn if that pie wasn't yummy!

I can live with a pound weight gain because I'm sure gained more than that last year. It's easier to lose a pound than five or seven. So I got back on track this week and it's going well. Also, I was able to get more activity in since I had kickball last night. My team finally won our first game! It rocked. I made a few plays myself on the kicking end of it. My body feels like a truck ran over it today, however. I really gave it my all last night.

I foresee the rest of the week being hard when I try to get activity in. I'm currently weening myself off Paxil (that's an antidepressant and yes, I have no shame in admitting that I was diagnosed as clinically depressed. No one is perfect and there is nothing wrong with depression). Just this evening I researched some withdrawal symptoms and I was blown away by the many support pages and information pertaining to Paxil withdrawal. Seems to be a nasty antidepressant to ween off of. My major symptom is dizziness. Hopefully I won't fall flat on my butt when I go for a walk or a jog.

It's tough getting healthy so you are ready to have a baby. I will be successful because I am motivated. If I can prevent my future children from any health issues, I will do everything in my power to do so and that means making it through this Paxil withdrawal.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Saturday evening. I have to make room for our Christmas tree. We are getting it tomorrow and I am so flipping excited. Christmas tree smell is the best! I'll have to post pictures once it's decorated.


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Five Is My Lucky Number

Hello my lovelies! Do any of you have a lucky number? I've always had a fascination with lucky numbers since I was a wee tot. Growing up my lucky number was 11. Everything had to be connected to the number 11. I remember that my very first softball jersey for the good ole Bagels on a Hill was number 11. And yes, my team's name was Bagels on a Hill. We sported awesome grape shade jerseys and matching hats. My parents were married in November, which is the eleventh month of the year. See a pattern going on here?

Then during our move to the Sunshine State whenever I looked at the clock in our beat up station wagon,  and actually noticed the time, it was always 5:11 a.m. or 5:11 p.m. From then on the numbers 5 and 11 became my lucky numbers. They have been in every part of my important life events or decisions. Call me crazy ,my hubs already does; but those numbers always meant success in my world. So when I started Weight Watchers again for the fifth time I knew my first week was going to be successful. I was ecstatic when the  scale read FIVE POUNDS less last Wednesday. That's right - I lost 5.4 lbs in one week. HIP HIP HOORAY!

That number has been the driving force for the past week. When I want to go over my points I think about those five pounds. I really wanted to go the lazy route last night, but I thought about those five pounds and made myself exercise. I never want to see those five pounds again. My motivation is back in full force.

I could kick myself in the butt. I knew Weight Watchers worked when I went to meetings. The first time I started resulted in great success. Why was I so stubborn for the past four years? I thought I was above it all. If I didn't need help from someone or something  and if I stayed in control all by myself, I believed I didn't have a food and weight problem. My thinking was wrong. Since I was so stubborn I gained 100 lbs in the span of four years. Pitiful. It's simply pitiful. Now I have to work twice as hard and I was putting something that I want so badly at risk - the chance to be a mother.

My doctor's voice rang loud and clear when he gently told me that my weight could be an issue with conceiving. I already knew this and decided to do something about it by joining Weight Watchers again, but to hear my doctor tell me was like a slap upside the head. So those five pounds are still sticking with me, but not on my body. They are my motivator, my lucky number in this weight loss game. Whenever I want that last bite or I 'd rather sit instead of walk I will think about the family I want and the number five. My lucky number won't be just about lucky anymore. It will mean so much more, like hard work and making a dream come true.




Saturday, November 17, 2012

Maybe the Fifth Time's A Charm

Happy Saturday my lovelies. Today has been filled with the hollies and the jollies of Christmas and Twilight. I had one of those days where a girl has to acknowledge she's blessed. I had a lunch date with my bestie and then we had fun figuring out what Christmas decorations we wanted decking our halls this year. You'd think the fun would end then, but no. My hubs, as amazing as he is, wanted a dinner and a movie night. It was Chinese take-out and Breaking Dawn Part 1 for the two of us. He suggested it! I'm floored myself, ladies.

 Tomorrow we are going to see part 2. I. CAN'T. WAIT. Honest to goodness, the movies got better as they went along. I gave up all hope after the second movie. I didn't think they did the books justice. I take it back for Breaking Dawn.

So, I joined Weight Watchers again...for the fifth time. I'm feeling really good about this round though. My past success with Weight Watchers had to do with my motivation and I had motivation because I went to the meetings. My meeting leader was the best, the funniest, and the most encouraging lady I had met. I wanted to have a great weigh-in for me and for her because she really believed in me. Life got busy, meetings were impossible to go to and so I tried the online version. Three times. Unsuccessfully.

Suddenly a light bulb went off. I am no longer a college student. Now a days I am a professional. My job allows me to leave work by 3:15 p.m. Holy cow, I can go back to Weight Watchers meetings again! Well, that's just what I did. Wednesday was my first meeting and it felt like going home. My favorite meeting leader is still doing the 6 p.m. meetings and I am once again excited to get healthy. The past two days have been no problem! I can't wait for next Wednesday's meeting.

I'm going to keep tracking those points and keep getting that activity in. In just two days I've already earned 18 Fitness Points (more on tha tlater). Like last night at my kickball game. I kicked the ball, gone onto base AND even caught the ball when the other team kicked it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I have the next week off for our Fall Break and I plan on enjoying every moment of it.



Thursday, November 8, 2012

And Oh It Hurts

Hello lovelies. I'm going to try to not be Debbie Downer, but it's kind of difficult. This is a non-weight/health related topic, but I needed to write about it since this blog has become very therapeutic for me.

November 10th is quickly approaching and for those of you who know me well, this coming Saturday was my original wedding date. Since life never works out the way you want it to, my husband and I were married by the Justice of the Peace last December.

 It was thrilling to get married in the spur of the moment. I have never been one for spontaneity when it comes to big life decisions. My hubs and I were wracking our brains this time last year trying to figure out how we would pay for our wedding. The universe was working against us. Nothing was going the way it should have. Clearly seeing how distressed I was my husband suggested we get married without all the bells and whistles and just focus on us. Oh, and he thought we should get married that December. At that moment all that mattered to me was being married to my best friend. So on December 15, 2011 we became husband and wife.

While that moment will be forever one of my sweetest memories I still feel awful about not having the wedding I dreamed of. My wedding dress is still hanging in my grandmother's closet waiting to be worn. I won't lie. I cry when I think of all of the things I didn't get to experience. I didn't have a bridal shower. I didn't have a bachelorette party with my closest gal pals. I never had that first dance with my father.We didn't have a honeymoon. Thinking about it hurts. Pockets of sweet memories to made and kept that I had looked forward to since I was a little girl were just gone in a flash.

In four years my hubs and I plan on having a vow renewal to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary (this December we will be  celebrating our first anniversary). We will celebrate that special anniversary with our closest friends and family. Who knows, maybe a little me or a little hubs will join us on that day. I'll get to take my hubs' breath away when he sees me in my gorgeous dress. I'll get to grin like a simpering little girl seeing him all dressed up in a tux.

We will have that special day. Until then, it still hurts like a dull pain. It won't be the same thing as preparing for the actual day that you get married, but it will still be wonderful. I just hope I can make it happen and that planning the event doesn't fall apart at the seams like it did last year.

This Saturday will be a busy day to keep my mind off of what was supposed to be. I didn't think it would be this bad to face that day, but I was wrong. Hopefully some medieval merriment and friends are the cure.


Saturday, November 3, 2012

Kickin' It

Good evening my lovelies. I hope ya'll are enjoying a great weekend. Mine has been delightful so far. It's been full of therapeutic house cleaning and a lunch and movie date with my hubs. We finally took the time out of our busy schedules to rent Sherlock Holmes 2. If you haven't seen it  go do that now. The movie was worth the wait. Gotta love that Robert Downey, Jr.

So I've been in a funk lately with watching my diet and work outs. I got sick last Saturday (ewe, I'll never wish a stomach virus on my worst enemy) and it put me out of commission. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with a November fitness challenge. Three days of November have come and so far so good.

Guess who didn't have problem with Halloween candy this year? This girl! Instead of sitting around at home with a big bowl of candy for trick or treaters that never show, the hubs and I went to a book signing instead. One of my favorite authors, ever, the fantastical Karen Marie Moning, came to my area to meet and great her readers. Her newest book, Iced, was released October 30th and of course I had to meet her she could sign my copy of Iced. There was no candy involved and it was the best Halloween I have had in a long time.


It's two Karens! 
Ending a pretty great week (I also got my hair cut and colored. What girl doesn't love that?) I played my first kickball game with my fellow school pals. Our team name is the Kickin' Nuggets. Hilarious?  I think so. Personally, I love it; but I'm a nerd like that. To say I was nervous is an understatement. Up until last night I hadn't played kickball since my freshman year of high school.

 I've been programmed to believe that I stink at organized sports cheer leading is a sport!!. My father called me Missy No-Hit when I was growing up and used to play softball. My brother was the sports person. Not me. Imagine my surprise when I realized I was having fun! Every time I went to kick the ball, I did. Truly, I thought I was going to fall flat on my face! Oh and to run to the base was so much fun. I always loved sprinting. And to run without having a stitch in my side or to huff and puff? Priceless. I'm ready for the next game.

A new month and a new experience was all I needed to get back on the health train again. "Slimmer by December" is my motto. Now if I can figure out how to properly meal plan....

Have a great rest of the weekend lovelies. Hugs and love to you all. Mwah!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Feeling Right

Good afternoon my lovelies! It is such a beautiful Sunday here in Florida and I am hoping it is the same for ya'll too. I've got my windows open with tons of natural sunlight pouring in. I'll need it if I am going to power through getting report cards situated so I have minimum headaches tomorrow.

You are all now permitted to give me a virtual slap upside the head. It has been far too long since I've posted. When I go to bed at night I mentally "type" up all of the things I want to share with you but then it doesn't happen because I drift off to sleep. Anyway....

Wow I've been busy lately...with getting healthy! Right now I am jumping up and down like a little girl at a Justin Beiber concert. You see, I've been participating in this little thing called 30 Day Shred made by the one and only (and my new favorite person ever) Jillian Michaels. I'm only on day six of 30 and I'm seeing amazing results. Today I was able to put on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in months because they were too snug. Heck yes!

This smile could not be found after any other workout. 


The benefits of working out pretty much everyday for about 20 minutes are priceless. I have a lot more energy, I avoided getting a cold because I worked out, and because I am seeing results; I have been really good with MFP. I've been watching EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth. Really, blown away is what I am.

Now silly me didn't get measurements before I started 30DS, but I am going to get them tonight. I know I've lost inches in only 6 days. Proof is in the pants and in my nightgown. Not as much belly bulge showing in my favorite nightie. Oh, and I'm down 3.5lbs.

Working out has been my saving grace lately. Work has been stressful, but I know that I can melt it all away with a good workout and a cup of coffee after. That, folks, is priceless. And because I've felt so good about myself I joined a kick ball team with some co-workers. Ya'll are probably screaming "What?!" at the computer screen and I don't blame you.  I can't wait to fill you in on those adventures.

Ta-ta my lovelies. Have fantastic fall day. Mwah!


Sunday, October 7, 2012

Finally!

I have a weight loss announcement. My scale read 245.2 Friday morning. That's a whopping 1lb weight loss this week. HAPPY DANCE TIME. It has felt like forever since I've been able to say I've lost weight.

What did I do to make this happen? Had shakes for breakfast and a few for lunch. I'm having a hard time drinking them at school still. It's seeing all of that food around me. Also I was really, really hungry later on in the day. When I stay at school late I push back dinner time and then I eat everything in sight once I get home. I'll figure it out.

I also tracked everything I put in my mouth on My Fitness Pal. Love it! It's not working tonight though. I'm miffed. Tracking and sharing my tracking with others makes me feel empowered. If I share my food diary for the day I don't want to look like I'm Jabba the Hut.

One more thing led to my success- stairs. My new school has stairs and I am located on the second floor. I refuse to use the elevator (unless I am carrying something very heavy. Then I may decide to use it). I walk up and down the stairs at least 7 times. I'm getting a bit better. Not as winded anymore. It's amazing what a week will change.

And just because I'm nuts, I do believe I will start the Jillian Micheal 30 Day Shred. All my ladies on the awesome FB group I am part of are cheering me on.

Time to find my sleepy place. Last Sunday I didn't sleep at all and it ruined me for the rest of the week. People forget that lack of sleep with mess up your weight loss goals. It's not healthy either.

Sweet dreams my lovelies!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Sunday Funday

Good morning my lovelies! Long time, no posts. My apologies for the lack of posts. Life was put on hold this week as I moved schools. Did I ever mention how OVER packing and moving I am? Hopefully I am now permanently set for a while. I love my new-ish school (I completed my final internship there and was able to teach as long term sub) and I love my classroom. It's purple. Perfect, right?

While all this was going on, once again, my healthy eating went on the back burner. I find it interesting  when my brain goes on overload and cannot possibly absorb any more information that the one thing I put on auto-pilot is my health. It doesn't feel like survival to me. With all of the moving I have done and lack of eating (because I ate poorly, but did overload at meals) I managed to maintain my weight for the week. Thank the stars that I did or I would have cried! There were plenty times this week where I just wanted to let the tears flow with all that's been going on concerning work.

A work friend re-inspired me to get back on track this week. She messaged me to tell me of her 10lb weight loss. I am so proud of her! At her suggestion, I bought a brand new prettified Tervis tumbler that will be used just for my lunch-time shakes. I will no longer make the shakes at school because the last time I did it, the entire staff dining turned their heads to look at me while I ran the blender. Instead, I will make two shakes in the morning so I have one for breakfast and one to bring to lunch. It will go in my pretty tumbler. I even bought fun colored straws to coordinate with. So now I don't have the excuse that I am too embarrassed to make my shake at school.

Goal setting is something that I truly believe in. If you do not have a goal to meet then what is the point of doing something? I have a goal to lose weight and to become healthy. That's a HUGE undertaking. I have to find some checkpoint to reach during this journey. I have finally found it. My hubs and I will celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary this December. We were not able to have the wedding that we had planned on and we didn't have a honeymoon either. The joy of being young and broke. Yeah right...

I told my hubs that I wanted to spend a weekend in St. Augustine for our anniversary and he agreed. Then he thought, and thought and thought some more and decided that was too far to travel with our cars not being what they used to. I drive a 96 Nissan- poor old dear. So now we are going to spend a weekend at Disney World since it is much closer.

Here's the deal: I don't want to be extremely fat on my wedding anniversary. I want to look pretty, enjoy the rides at Disney without my fat hips squishing in the seats and worrying about belts not buckling. I want to eat at Cinderella's castle without feeling like shlub. So my checkpoint goal is 20 lbs by Dec. 15th. That's about 12 weeks. I. CAN. DO. THIS. And my co-workers who are reading this - please help me! Slap my hand away from the bad food. I also don't want you to think that I am not being a team player because I am not joining in the food fun, it's just I need to do this. I can't be who I am anymore physically.

Wow. Long post. I really need to stop having all this time between posts because there is just too much to get caught up on! Thanks my lovelies for stopping by my corner of the web. Enjoy your Sunday!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Lame

Good evening lovelies! Perhaps everyone had a great Thursday and didn't turn out as lame as me. I am lame. No other word for my lack of weight loss progress than that. I've been doing Monavie for one week and I lost .2lbs. It's my fault. Any regular meal I had was not very balanced. I'm pretty sure if you were to balance my meals on a scale the healthy food portion would be skyrocketing into the air from the force of the unhealthy portion slamming onto scale.

I got my act together today and stayed on the course. Thanks to my bestie's sister, I now have the free and amazing MyFitnessPal app on my iPhone to track my exercise and calorie intake. The app pretty much has every food listed which means I don't have to enter the nutritional information on everything I eat. That gets old fast. What is also neat about the app is a little feature that tells you how much you would weigh in 5 weeks if you kept up your current day's calorie intake. Talk about motivator. If  you see that in only 5 weeks you lost 2 pounds then you know you need to get your butt exercising and keep your lips shut.

Part of my "unbalanced" diet was due to stress/depression. Food makes it easy to handle because I feel in control of what I put in my mouth. I know that the piece of chocolate will taste good. I'll dig into that last bite of the chip dip because it will make my stress disappear for a nano second. Do I feel stress free now? That's a big FAT nope. I feel more stressed because once again I let myself down.

My shining light this week was last night's walk. Dad and I took, what is now becoming, our usual 2.8 mile walk last night in only 40 minutes. For that walk I decided when I felt like I was at a  good pace I would jog in intervals. It felt great not to hold back and truly see how far I could run. I would test myself, telling myself, "Only have to make it to this mailbox," or "Just three more houses down." When we reached my parents' apartment complex I jogged most of it back to their place. I felt awesome! My mom thought I was going to die because I turned red all over my body. If I did die it would have been fine because finally I did something I told myself I would do. There was no talking myself out of it.

I just have to frame that moment and relive it every time I want to stray away from my shakes. When that piece of pizza looks good I can just remind myself by telling my brain, "Hey, psst, you there. Remember that jog you promised yourself you would take? Remember that and keep your promise to only drinking those shakes. You've got this."

Maybe if I say it to myself in a British accent, like Becky from Glee, I'll feel more inclined to follow my own advice. Just a thought.


Saturday, September 15, 2012

Day 3 Struggle

Hello lovelies! Um, where did Saturday go? I know I caught up on a lot of sleep, but from 2:00 p.m. on today has just flown by. Hopefully tomorrow is just a slow, lazy day. I'm not ready to go back to work on Monday and walk into an empty classroom. Here's to finding out where I'll be teaching or what grade I'll be teaching by Monday or Tuesday. The wait is killing me.


It is Day 3 of my Monavie RVL life style change. It's been going  pretty well minus the cupcake from yesterday's class party and the s'more I had today with my parents. I'm not going to lie, it's been a struggle though. I find myself constantly going to the fridge to find something to eat when I'm bored. When I do that, I look at my mini blender and remind myself that I spent money on my shakes, they are good for me, and I have to break this habit of going to food for any kind of comfort.

Today was supposed to be a walking day with my dad, but we got rained out. I was looking forward to that too. We're set for tomorrow though. The rain better stay away because it's messing with my exercise. I could get off my lazy butt and do my Walk Away the Pounds dvd, but outside is so much better.

Also, I have to start running. Love my dad and all, but there are times when I get fast enough at the end of my walk and I just want to break out in a run. I feel bad leaving him behind, but at the same time I don't want to ignore that urge to run. Perhaps I could jog for a bit and then walk in place until he catches up? This is why I have problems working out with a buddy. I love having a buddy because it keeps me motivated and accountable, but my buddy and I are never on the same pace. I've gone through 3 buddies too.  We'll see how it goes.

Tomorrow the hubs and I are having a date day that includes lunch, Home Depot and the bookstore. I know, we're an exciting couple. I have to be a good girl and eat sensible food at lunch and make sure I only sip on my shake for dinner. Perhaps I'll try a pumpkin flavored recipe I found. Variety is the spice of life!  It's also easier to sip dinner than eat it when reading a new romance novel because ya'll know that is what I'm purchasing from the bookstore.

So now the question is hunky special ops character or hunky highlander character? Or maybe I'll just go for the book Men in Kilts and get some laughs in with my romance. Hmm...


Thursday, September 13, 2012

First Day of Monavie RVL

Hello lovelies! It's Friday Evenand thank GOD! It's been a tough couple of weeks in the life of this teacher. My grade level didn't have enough students enrolled and so it was that my class was chosen to be split. Right now I am a duck without a pond, but hopefully I'll find out what my future has in store for me sometime next week. I'm just a sad sack because I already love my students so much. It is hard letting them go. I know they will be just fine with the other teachers I have the pleasure of teaching with.

Though the last couple of days have been hard I have had one thing to look forward to - my shakes. My entire system was delivered yesterday. I couldn't wait to get going. Last night I measured my shake mix for lunch, and got my two vitamins and my snack bar all ready for this morning. This morning I actually look forward to breakfast. It's one of the most important meals of the day and I am usually notorious for skipping it.

I used my amazing personal blender and whipped up my breakfast shake. The longer you blend it, the thicker it gets. By the time I was finished, my shake was almost chocolate mousse consistency. Yum! It was easy to stay on the plan today because I was at school for 12 hours. Tomorrow will be easy too. What's going to be my main problem is the weekend when I have all this time on my hands. I can do it though!

My only complaint is that I am hungry right now. I could eat some veggies, but I have been too lazy to actually go grocery shopping. Perhaps this weekend I will fix my lack of veggies issue. I also know that I will get used to eating regular portions again. The hunger won't last too long.

I'm looking forward to actually seeing the scale read lower numbers. With this program and the walking I'm doing with my dad, I'm bound to see some kind of positive results! I better see something or I'll have an upset doctor come October when I gotfor my annual check up.

For record's sake, I'm starting the program today at 246.6 pounds. Let's see what next Thursday has to bring!

Have a great Friday!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Pumpkin Spiced Latte Saturday

Good morning my lovelies! What a beautiful morning it has been in sunny Florida. This morning I was able to sleep in until 7:30 and woke up to the natural light in my bedroom. It's always ten times better to   wake up that way than by an alarm; even if my alarm is the sound of cute chirping crickets. 

More than likely I could have slept in longer but I was too excited because I knew that I had a date with Starbucks. It is officially Pumpkin Spiced Latte season (and the yummy Salted Caramel Frappucino to go with it)! This my new way appreciate fall. My internal clock still is on Jersey time when it comes to the seasons. September hits and I expect cool weather, shorter days, and the smells of an approaching Fall. Since that is quite impossible to achieve in Florida it's Pumpkin Spiced Lattes and ice cold a/c for me. Add a little Bath and Body Works fall scented hand soaps and room fragrance and I'm good to go!

This Saturday has me feeling quite crafty. I'm debating on whether or not I want to organize my bathroom, office, or create a Halloween-themed door wreath. I'm just not sure yet. Hopefully inspiration strikes soon. 

In the health part of my life I am proud to say that I walked 4.5 miles this week with my dad. That's two times this week. I'm shooting for three times next week. And I am going to purchase the first month of the Monavie RVL program. I. AM. SO. EXCITED. When I went to Walmart with the hubs this morning I found the little Hamilton Beach personal blender that I'm going to take every where with me. It's sitting on my counter right now begging to be used to get this girl back on the proper nutrition track. 
See! It's just waiting there to be used. 


I'll have to weigh myself again when I start this. The scale and I didn't have a date this morning because I completely forgot when I jumped out of the bed. Really, I was that excited to get my Starbucks and change my car's oil. I'm strange, I know. 

I'm looking forward to a great weekend! I know it's going to be awesome because my first high school friend, Shauna, had her baby boy yesterday morning. You know the weekend is going to be great when a sweet bundle of joy is entered into the world. Congratulations to Shauna, Ryan and their daughter.  Love all of you! 

Ta-ta my lovelies and have a tremendous weekend!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Ready to Rock n' Roll

Happy Labor Day to all my lovelies! I'm making this a nice relaxing Labor Day with no cook-outs or any other commitments. It's been nice so far.

Today I had the chance to learn more about Monavie RVL. After talking with J (the distributor who was kind enough to meet me), I am ready to take on the 90 Day challenge and get healthy through food again. I've tried everything - journals, Weight Watchers, soup, Slim Fast- but I feel confident in this product. After trying the samples I know that I can get healthy again and learn how to properly control my eating habits. I sampled three snack bars and two flavors of shakes. I only had small portions of the snack bars, and half of each flavor of shake and I got stuffed. I am still full! In about another hour I'm going to have the rest of a snack bar and I'm sure I'll still be full.

Please don't think I'm going to try to sell this to you, my awesome readers, I'm just really excited about this product. When I'm excited about something I gush about it. I hope reading this blog continues to inspire you to take charge of your health in what way works beset for you. For me, I have to have a strict diet and this is it.

So what have I been doing this weekend? It's been a pretty busy one. On Saturday I went out to dinner with 5 of my favorite people. Six years later, and I'm still close with my high school friends. They truly turned into the family that I needed since I had to leave the rest of my relative 10 years ago when I moved to FL. Life would have been boring without them. I was out until 1 a.m. because I did not want the fun to end and then realized Sunday morning I can't do that anymore. Haha. Staying out was so worth it though.

Yesterday I went to MOSI to check out the Mummies of the World exhibit. AMAZING!!!! The oldest mummy there was a child that passed away 6,500 years ago! And get this, it was a mummy from South America. Apparently it predates Egyptian mummification by 1,000 years. To me, it was astonishing that I could clearly see that this tiny mummy was a baby. I could still see it's hair (scientists couldn't determine if it was a boy or a girl). The next strange thing occurred when I looked at a female mummy who died 1,000 years ago in Peru. She was buried with two babies. One was in her arms and the other under her head. I felt sorrow for the death of those so young, but I felt connected. This woman passed away 1,000 years ago, but her hair was perfectly braided like a braid I wore over this summer. I got goosebumps. I was blown away by what I saw and I'm happy that I took the time to visit the exhibit. How many chances to do you have to learn about your past by getting up close and personal with people who died thousands of years ago?

Yesterday ended on a great note as well. My father and I began our walking. We walked 2 miles yesterday. I have a difficult time connecting with my father. I love him like crazy, just sometimes it feels awkward between the two of us. Walking together will be a great bonding experience.

And finally, my NARS gift set arrived in the mail. Ever since I learned about their popular blush, Orgasm, I've wanted to try it. And yes I still giggle whenever I say its name out loud. Well that beautiful blush is $28 a pop. I instead found Super Orgasm on Amazon in a gift set with the blush, lip gloss and nail polish for $31. I am in love! I haven't tried the nail polish yet, but it can't disappoint, especially since my Essie Matte About You topcoat arrived.

Look at my pretties!


Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day weekend. Don't party too hard today or work will be awful tomorrow. Just a friendly bit of advice. :-)

Saturday, September 1, 2012

It's Labor Day Weekend Y'all!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Woohoo! 3 days off. It will be my second 4 day work week as well since Isaac came to visit last weekend and closed schools down. There will be no cook-outs for me, though. Especially after getting on the scale this morning.

I gained 2.8 pounds. Ugh. I expected the weight gain though.

Since school has started I have been on a better eating schedule. You can't munch when you are teaching. There's one little set back though. Once I get home from school I am so hungry that I will eat anything and everything in front of me. Yes, I know this is not ideal or healthy. And then I fall asleep because I am beat from the day's work. I have to pull up my big  girl britches already and get over that.

Next paycheck I am going to order Monavie RVL. I need food rehab. I cannot trust myself with food portions right now and need to be reminded of that. A friend of mine is having success with it and that encourages me. She is also a very smart lady who I trust because I do not go into a food program like this without some research and thoughts from those wiser than me in the area of nutrition. So I'm a wee bit excited about it.

This Sunday I am going to start walking with my dad. He has gained some weight back during his unemployment (there should be a new job on the way late September) so I told him he needs to look sharp for his first day. Since I did not sign up for the Pilates classes at school - more to THAT story later- I can walk with my dad every evening after school. Having my dad as a walking partner will be great. I am glad that we live so close to each other.

Enjoy your Labor Day all of my hard working lovelies! Enjoy any cook-outs, but remember not to go overboard. You'll work clothes will regret it Tuesday morning.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Saturday Mall Madness

WOOHOOO! Saturday marked my first payday in about three months. My bestie called me and asked if I wanted to go shopping. A girl with a paycheck  who has no plans on a Saturday and can hang with her friend at the mall? YES! We went from 3:30 and I got home at 8:30. Think of all the walking!  It was simply amazing. I now have 6 news shirts, two cardigans, a pair of capris, earrings and a necklace. Oh, and everything was on sale. I'm talking 50%-80% off. No breaking the bank for this girl!

My mall shopping was fun but I have a few things to say to the major retailers of the world. Yes, I'm talking to you Victoria's Secret and JCPenney! I find it sad that these companies (along with some others) seem to think it's okay to only carry certain sizes for women. Did you know that Victoria's Secret only carries up to a 38 in it's various cup sizes? If you'd like to order online they may have a 40. But you don't go to the mall to be told that the store doesn't carry your bra size and you have to order it online. Did you know I could only find up to a bra sized 42DD at JCPenney? What about the women who have bigger chests? Where do they go? How are they supposed to feel about  an everyday store that advertises to everyday women?

You know what else is not right? Size 18 pant not actually being size 18. I get this all the time and it infuriates me. I cannot wear a size 18 when I go to the woman's section of stores but when I go to the designated areas for plus size women (which is termed nicely as "misses") I can fit into a size 18W. Why is an 18 not an 18 all around? And why can't these stores mix the 2X and 3X with the rest of the clothing? Why do I have to shop in a different section than my friend? I also am infuriated when I see the prices for the 1X (which is different than XL ya'll) 2X and 3X shirts marked at least $2 more in the plus size section versus the regular woman's section. I found a t-shirt in XL that I tried on because it was nice and on sale for $5.00. I didn't like how it clung to me so I went in search of the 1X or the 2X ( I factor in the chances of shrinking). That same t-shirt in the plus size area was on sale for $7. And apparently larger women don't want to dress as nice as their smaller friends. In many a store I've found hideous clothing that would not flatter any body type only offered in the plus size sections. Way to make a girl feel good about herself.

I feel like I'm not only losing weight to be healthy, but to also save money. It's crazy to me. I feel like it's a " fat tax" or something. Yes someway, somehow I let myself get to this weight. I did not wake each and every morning and say to myself, "Karen, today is the day to gain more weight!" Never. Life dealt me some hard blows and I handled the stress in unhealthy ways. I'm trying to correct that. But I do not need a retailer to make me feel worse about my body. I'm hard enough on myself.

Oh, and by the way major retailers, I lost 1.8 lbs this week, so there ya go! It's not like I'm sitting on my behind not trying to better myself. But what about the other women who can't? The ones who gain weight for medical reasons. The ones who gain weight because healthy food is more expensive than a pack of ramen noodles? Shouldn't they be able to get a shirt for $5.00 instead of $7.00 like the other smaller patrons of your store? Isn't our money all the same?

If you have ever experienced what feels like being an outcast at your local clothing stores, you are not alone. We, the everyday woman, are not wrong. They are.

And on a happy note, woo hoo! I lost 1.8lbs. I'm at 244lbs now. :-)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Back to School

Well hi there! Have you missed me? It's been more than a week since my last post, and I know, shame on me; but my first week back to school as a teacher took over my life. I've never been in so many meetings before! Oh the life of a professional. I love it though. School has been in session for two days now and every moment of being in my OWN classroom has been pretty wonderful. I have an awesome group of 2nd grade kiddos. 

Oh, and the sleep has been great too. Going back to work has worn me out to the point that I've been in bed anywhere from 5pm - 7pm and have not thought about waking up until 6am the next morning. Quite frankly, I'm shocked that I'm awake right now. This has been optimal snooze time. Getting sleep has been a joy and I've been feeling better from it. 

On Friday I wanted to post and amazing special edition Friday Weigh-In where I not only revealed my weight loss (or gain for the week) but I weighed in on some awesome products see what I did there? I was able to test this summer thanks to Influenster. But, as stated earlier, the first week back to school for teachers kicked my butt so I did not post. I'm shooting for that awesome post this weekend. Some of the products I used rocked my socks off. 

Speaking of last Friday, I had a weight loss of 1.9 pounds. I'm rounding that and saying it's two pounds. I was very relieved. There's something to this not being home all the time to snack away on food because I'm bored. I'm hoping for at least half a pound this week. We'll see. 

If my team has anything to say about it, I'll be svelte once the weather cools. HA! What a joke, weather cooling in Florida. But once it does, and I'm saying it loosely here, one of the amazing 2nd grade teachers mentioned walking around campus for about 20 minutes a couple times a week. I'm all for getting some cardio in. Plus, through the wellness program my school board offers, there will be Pilates classes offered at my campus twice a week for 10 weeks starting in Sept. I'm all over that! There cannot be any excuses if I participate in that because I'll already be on campus. All I have to do is change into some comfy work out clothes which will not be hard considering my "dress clothes" are very uncomfortable come 3pm. 

The school year is looking bright. Whenever one starts I feel like I get to experience New Years Day all over again. It's a fresh start for one and all. 

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Gym Class Memoir

It's Sunday afternoon and I know I need to workout. I don't want to. It's hot and I feel like taking a nap instead. That's my way of avoiding a workout. Instead of a taking a nap I decided to write a blog post because it will make me feel silly for procrastinating. So a thought has taken over. Why was I not properly educated in physical fitness? I took gym classes from pre-K through 10th grade. It seems that I should have understood something.

Honestly, I don't have any good memories attached to physical education past the 2nd grade. 3rd grade is when I remember running the dreaded "mile". We would line up on our field, our coach would tell us how many times we had to run around to complete a mile, she would blow her whistle and we were off. For a girl who enjoyed riding her bike and walking, running felt weird. My teacher never encouraged me. She would just snap at me, "Keep going." She never said it in a positive way either. My best advice came from another classmate would told me to bend my elbows and keep them at my side so I met less resistance.

Fast forward to middle school. Chunky Karen had to run in front of her peers. I inherited my mother's knees. There is nothing wrong with them but they have a distinct shape and the back of them aren't magazine-cover ready. Oh and I should point out that I wasn't completely out of shape in middle school. I took jazz classes, Irish Step Dancing classes, was part of the town cheer leading squad and was part of my school's competitive cheer leading squad. I could dance like nobody's business but I could not run for long periods of time.

I had a really great gym teacher, but of course he focused his energies into the boys and girls who were athletic and could already master running and other exercises. He cheered me on when I did 40 push-ups in a row and told me I could complete that mile no matter what, even if I had to walk. There was the positive I needed, but I wish someone had taught me how to pace myself when I ran. How to start small and build up to completing a mile run in under 15 minutes - that is usually how long it took. And when I did feel confident the resident girl bully make sure I felt ten times as small. I remember her whispering, very loudly to a popular girl in our class who I used to be friends with, "Why do the back of her knees look like that? Yours don't and mine don't." It was humiliating.

Now I am in high school. Once again the dreaded "mile" run is the fixture for 10th grade P.E. and I sucked. There are no other words than that. And once again my P.E. teacher took to the students who were part of sports teams and could already perform with outstanding times. Once again I wish someone would have taken the time to train me, to teach me.

As an educator I realize how important is to celebrate the successes of the students who understand a concept right away. I was trained on how to keep them climbing up the success ladder. On the other hand I have to realize how important it is to focus on the student who is struggling. It's not that the student will never understand the concept being taught it's just that he or she needs more guidance. I'll give that student equal attention to make sure that he or she is successful. It's differentiated instruction, it's scaffolding, it's support. Why did my gym teachers never do that for me? I grew up thinking I was just not meant to be good at anything athletic. So now that I am trying on my own it's really hard. I still have that mind frame that if I fail at my exercises it's because I was never really meant to be good at them any way. I am just the book smarts kind of girl.

I'm 24 and I feel like I have to start training myself to get more physical activity in my life as if I were 6 again. So be it. I hope that children out there who were like me growing up are getting better learning opportunities in health than me. I hope that there is a gym teacher out there who believes every child can achieve physical fitness but some may have to have more guidance along the way. Personally, I am going to teach myself to be better so that I can teach my own children. I don't want them to end up like me in their young adult lives.

Well that was all the encouragement I needed. Here's to day one of C25K. I'll tell you all about that. I am so excited!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Friday Weigh-In

Hello my lovelies! Friday is here and I could not be happier. My week has been full of new teacher training mixed in with setting up my classroom. I am whooped. Honestly, I am not complaining because I am happy to be busy again. It feels good.

What doesn't feel good, however, is gaining back 2 lbs. I am back at 247.2 lbs. This is not shocking news since I was a very bad girl this week. There were two Taco Bell runs, a Boston Market outing, a lunch at McDonald's, bagels for breakfast, a chocolate chip cookie, Cody's, Tarpon Pointe, Don Pabolo's, and Jersey Mikes involved. Not to mention a bag of Doritos. Oh goodness I can't wait to be totally in control of what I eat again!

This week I had to participate in 3 days of new teacher training where breakfast and lunch was graciously provided for us. Since I have this weird fruit phobia (don't ask, I'm still trying to figure it out) I went for the bagels for breakfast two days in a row. Then for lunch one day I had a beef dip sandwich with fries, another day the MEA provided yummy croissant sandwiches that weren't too bad nutritionally speaking; and yesterday I had lunch with my principal where I  ordered a blackened grouper sandwich with fries. Yesterday I had one pork and one chicken tamale with refried beans and Spanish rice for dinner. These were not smart choices and they were not taken care of with exercise. I was too darn tired, which is such a lame excuse.

Some of my food choices for this week were out of my control and I had to roll with it. Living off of free food and gift cards to certain eateries makes smart choices a little difficult. I'm dreaming of the day when I can eat celery again! I need to suck it up and work out too. I wish I was more athletic like my brother. He LOVES staying active. In fact he plays softball, tennis and football with friends and in leagues. Why did that gene skip me? When I think of having to lace up my sneakers my body just groans.

I was complaining about the fact that after work I  just want to go home and not work out. One of my colleagues said, "Well everyone does." That simple statement made a big impact on me. It's true. No one, unless they are really into fitness, wants to put in another 30 minutes to an hour sweating it out after a full day of work. What makes those people who do it different from me is that they actually do it. Last night when I came home from Don Pablo's I saw a woman in my complex running at 9:30 p.m. It was late, it was dark and she still found the time to run. She could have come up with a million excuses but instead she had a her butt out there running.

I need to stop talking and actually DO more. Yes, it is true that I cannot do too much for running until I can afford to buy proper shoes but that doesn't mean I should blow off my walking dates with Leslie from Walk Away the Pounds. I can still do that until I get some running gear.

It's a journey to a life style change and sometimes during a journey you lose your way. In my case it is a lot, but as long as I get right back on track again I am still on my way. Bring it on new week. I've got this!


Friday, August 3, 2012

Friday Weigh-In

Why yes, it is another Weigh-In, Friday Edition. I'm going to make the change to weighing myself on Fridays instead of Thursdays. 1.) I probably won't have energy during the rest of the week once school starts. 2.) Seeing weight results closer to the weekend kept me more motivated to not cheat during the weekend. 3.) I just felt like it. Oh, and I'm not doing Weight Watchers anymore so that is part of it too.

Before I go into that detail it is time to share what the scale displayed this morning. It read 245.2lbs. I was angry at first because I thought  it was a weight gain. It's not like I was a bum all week who did nothing and ate everything in sight, but when I logged it in my weight tracker I saw it was weight lost of 0.2 lbs. I was able to get on my with my day without hating the world. As long as the number keeps going down I'll be happy. As I've heard before, it took a while to put the weight on so it will take a while to get the weight off.

Now, I know you are all thinking, "What?! She stopped doing Weight Watchers?" Yes I did. No it was not a rash decision. Lets be honest about this. If I was sticking to the plan the correct way I would have been losing more weight. I wasn't following it exactly and so it was a waste of my money that I could put toward other important things. What Weight Watchers became for me was a security blanket. It made me feel like I was doing something when in reality I really wasn't.

Instead of focusing on making smart choices with my food I focused mainly on how many points something was and ultimately it led me down to a  path of food destruction. It  made me feel deprived because I'd choose food with low points that had little nutritional value just so I could have a larger quantity of food throughout the day. I'll say it - I'm a food addict. If I wasn't one I would not have gotten to this, my heaviest weight. Weight Watchers just was not doing it for me anymore.

The last huge weight loss I had, the 1.8lbs was done on good old hard work and eating small meals throughout the day. And I wasn't stressed about it either. Stress is not healthy and does not help with weight loss. This week's weight loss was based on the same concept of eating small meals and working out. However, the meals weren't as nutritional as the week before (bottom of the barrel food options because it was rent week and so it was pasta and canned soup) but I did it.

So here's to a successful weekend. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night when I get to see a friend I haven't seen in ages. Have fun ya'll!


Friday, July 27, 2012

Friday Weigh-In

Happy Friday, lovelies! Is it just me or has this week seemed kind of slow? I'm just happy that it's the weekend and I get to see my hubs. I got a few texts this week that read "Working later". I hate those texts.

Did you notice something weird about today's title? If you figured out that it did not say "Thursday Weigh-In" you are the winner of a chicken dinner. Yesterday was apartment inspection day starting at 9:00 a.m. I woke up extra early so I could do detailed cleaning because I have never experienced an inspection before. Was maintenance going to look at every little nook and cranny? Did I want the front office staff to see the dust on my nic-nacs? I didn't want to take any chances, but in getting up early and focusing on that I had forgotten to weigh myself that morning; so I decided to wait until this morning instead.

Here are today's results. The scale smiled back at me with the number 245.4. Yuppers, that is a 1.8lbs weight loss for this week. Go me!

Here's the deal though. I did not go to spin class at all this week because I was organizing classrooms on both class days. On Monday I helped my friend with hers and on Wednesday I met up with my team leader so I could start figuring out what I wanted to do with mine. This does not mean I did not work out. There was a lot of heavy lifting involved. I had to move boxes from my second floor apartment to my car and then take those boxes to my classroom. I had to move furniture around, which by the way, moving filing cabinets is not a lot of fun. I also went back to my favorite work-out DVD for some structured exercise. Walk Away the Pounds: Walk and Kicking is the best DVD I have ever purchased. I love it.

Exercise was a part of this week's success and so was the diet. I managed to eat like a regular person. I didn't over indulge on anything (okay maybe a devil dog or two once I finished baking them) but that was it. As far as breakfast, lunch and dinner was concerned I was all about resisting the urge. I think the non-wiches helped too. We don't have bread in the King household this week but we do have meat and cheese. No bread, but meat and cheese makes a non-wich.  Life without bread has been good too.

This week's weight loss just motivates me to continue what I'm doing. I hope you are motivated this week too. Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

I Need the Gear, Dear!

My poor future first paycheck. I have it split up 25 different ways with none of them including bills. Don't worry, the hubs will smack me back to reality once I say the words, "Today is payday!" I know I'll be getting some stuff for my classroom and I'll be buying some new clothes that don't look faded. A  hair cut is in order too. However, I really need to dedicate some funds to serious work out clothes.

How is a girl supposed to get her sweat on if she doesn't have the gear to make it work? It's like a painter not having a canvas or a writer without a pen! An active person without proper sneakers...ouch is all I say. When I've been jogging, which I do inside at the moment because it's too hot out, I've been going barefoot. Not having proper support for my feet makes them ache, but wearing the sneakers I have not gives me blisters. Hmm blisters of hell for 1 week or feet that hurt? Give me the feet, please!

Yeah, I need a few things and I'm making a list now so I don't forget about it later. Also, if you have any ideas for good brands or products to purchase let me know. I'm still a work-out newbie.

What I'd like:

- sneakers (the cuter the better...makes me want to wear them more often)
- sports bras (the ones I have now are Wal-mart version and they are not big enough, but it's the largest they sell. I don't want to get hit in the face by my chest when I'm running or belly dancing - DON'T LAUGH!)
- shirts
- pants
- good socks
- headband to keep hair out of face

Sounds like a good list to me. What I have is sufficient, but I wouldn't want to be caught dead wearing it in front of people. My workout gear tends to be my "around the house" clothes so my shirts have paint splatters on them from painting walls or hair dye on them. I want to feel confident when I work out. If that means feeling like I look decent while I sweat, well by all means I will. I want colors that make me feel uplifted and motivated. I also want to look like less of a clown when I run in public. I know for a fact that the moment I do, my face will be as red as tomato and people will want to know why a tomato is running down the street. At least I'll look like a pretty tomato!



Thursday, July 19, 2012

Thursday Weigh-In

Hello again lovelies. As promised, it is time for Thursday Weigh-In. I must be good at maintaining weight because there is no reason why I should have lost even ounce. It was my staycation week. While I did not eat like a hog, I wasn't worried about Weight Watchers or anything like that. In fact burgers, cupcakes, brownies, veggies with ranch dip, and pasta was involved with this week. I did not go spin class (but I went swimming instead). I lost .4 pounds. That puts me at 247.2.  This drives me up a wall because the weeks when I ate like a saint and worked out, which I have not documented saint-like eating behavior because it happened before this blog, I wouldn't drop an ounce let alone nearly half a pound. I'll go with it.

When I post on this blog I try very hard to be honest with myself. I'll write down if I did not go to a work out class or if I did not eat well. Sometimes there is no reason for why I don't do something. Maybe to those who read this I sound like a failure, someone who gives up easily. It's really not the case. Sometimes every day can be a struggle. Some days I do not want to get out of bed because everything seem worse than it really is. Just getting through a day feels like a ton of work. I wasn't sure if I wanted to put this out there, but I feel the need to let others know that they are not alone.

The reason why everyday can be hard is I was diagnosed with clinical depression back in 2007. Oddly enough it was right after I made it to goal weight when I finally accepted that something was not right. My grades in college started to slip, I started to gain some weight back, and I was always unhappy even though I had everything going for me. My mom finally talked sense into me and I saw my family doctor about it. It was hard to admit that I suffered from depression because there is such a stigma surrounding any kind of mental disorder . Honestly though, you have to think of it this way- if your vision started going bad you'd do whatever you could to fix it. It may mean glasses, contacts, or surgery. If we don't feel good or something is wrong with us we try to find a way to cure it. There is no shame in that; so there should be no shame in finding a way take care of an illness like depression. Something doesn't feel right so I'm finding a way to cure it.

I'm usually really good and I don't have days where life feels like a battle, however it's been hard these past two months. Without work, an income, and a regular schedule it is easy for me to "get lost". Last week was a chance for me to get back on track. I need to focus on not worrying so much about things that are out of my control. Life is pretty good right now when I don't worry like the worry wart I can be.

I don't want anyone to say, "I'm sorry that you go through this." I don't want pity because some people give me that. I don't want anyone to think I'm not capable because that is not the deal at all. Life is much sweeter when you are honest with yourself and being honest about why I have been falling off of the exercise and health wheel these past couple of weeks has made my mind clearer.

Now tomorrow I am looking forward to meeting with a friend at Starbucks so we can talk about teaching 2nd grade. Don't worry I'll order my frappucino light or a skinny vanilla latte.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Stay-cation

Hello lovelies. It is I, back and updating once again. I decided to give myself a little vacation this past week. I had too many worries piling up on my plate so when I had the chance to visit relatives in Naples, I took it as a sign to relax. Friday was the beginning of my "vacation" and it ends today.  So tomorrow I'll be back with my Thursday Weigh-In (um...) and all of my realizations I had from a week of just not worrying about much of anything.

Until then, ta-ta!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Thursday Weigh-In

1.6 pounds back on. How the heck did that happen? I know how it happened, it's called "the weekend". How can just two days ruin an entire week's worth of hard work? There is no one to blame but myself since I decided to let myself derail from my schedule.

My sister-in-law came to visit this past weekend. I haven't seen her since January which made me excited. When I get excited I have a difficult time sleeping. Friday night my husband's friend came over and we stayed up too late talking and catching up. Then I slept in until 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon and my sister-in-law was in town by 3:30 p.m. Needless to say I didn't get any jogging in. 

We chatted until about 6:00 and then took a ride over to her grandmother's for dinner. It was hamburgers, potato salad, home fries, and corn on the cob on the menu. I thought I did alright, but ice cream cake was involved to celebrate Gramie King's birthday. Why?? I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet!

Well we got back home and my husband's friend came over again so he could see Jackie and once again we stayed up way too late. I always get the munchies when I stay up too late. It was chips and salsa for this girl and no way to work it off because you better believe I slept in on Sunday. 

Sunday afternoon Jackie and I met up with our friend to get lunch at Sonny's BBQ. I budgeted my points accordingly that day so Sonny's didn't break the bank, but when we got home from lunch we chatted some more until it was time for Jackie to leave and I fell asleep as the result of my nocturnal weekend. 

In the caloric area of my life I stayed on track after the weekend, however in the physical activity department I kind of slacked.Friday I jogged and Monday was spin class; that was about it for physical activity. Every day I've been staying up later and later so naturally I sleep in later and later. It's not healthy. I'm not disciplined enough to get back on my sleeping schedule knowing I have absolutely nothing to do during the day. I cannot wait to go back to work! 

Today is the start of the new Weight Watcher's week. With that said, I am going to power through and watch everything I put in my mouth, keep a watch on my sleep schedule, and get this the 1.6 pounds gone. My new favorite word is going to be "NO!" 

On the bright side, I have been drinking lots more water. I'm a soda addict but thanks to my Tervis Tumbler I find drinking water much more enjoyable. It's the little things that make me happy. 

Monday, July 9, 2012

A Case of the Mondays

Why are Mondays so bland, blah, and boring? If this day of the week has to be the start of a work week why can't it be more exciting? I have never heard anyone say, "I can't wait for this Monday!" Even Tuesdays are better than Mondays and all Tuesday has going for it is that it comes after Monday. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. I'm not even working this summer and I still have the case of the Mondays. 

With that being said, I have to confess that getting my butt out the door for spin class was a testament to my will power. When my alarm went off at 7:45 this morning my brain started to think of reasons not to get out of bed. Once I told my brain to shut up, I just started going through the motions and some how walked out the door and got in my car. 

I'm a firm believer in going to exercise classes or the gym with a buddy. Knowing that a friend was going to class made me move this morning. If she could do it, then I had to as well. This blog also made me feel accountable for my actions. I knew I needed to write an update and that some people would look forward to reading about my work out exploits. So I got a move on for all of you and for me!

Today's workout was tough after being away for the past week. About 40 minutes into the workout I got really sick to my stomach. How do I stop that from happening? I drink water when I feel the need to and I make sure I eat just a tiny something, not a big something, before going to class. At the 40 minute mark I all I could do was pedal along at slow, slow pace instead of participating in the final few sprints of the class. And my head hurts because I must not have had enough water intake even though I managed to drink an entire bottle of water instead of the quarter of a bottle that I usually drink. I guess some research needs to be done on my part to solve this problem.

Next Monday is only going to be worse since I have to miss Wednesday's spin class because of my cat. I have to be at the Humane Society by 8 a.m. so he can get neutered. I was not pleased that the earliest appointment I could get fell on a Wednesday morning. Oh well, his health is important too.

If you haven't gotten any activity in today go do it! If I can, you can too.

Ta-ta!

Friday, July 6, 2012

La vita รจ bella!

Life is beautiful! A lot of things made life beautiful today. First of all it's Friday. Also, I spent a lovely lunch with some awesome ladies whom I had the pleasure of teaching with this year. I'm so grateful for meeting them and I hope to stay in touch with them.

We had lunch at Olive Garden. I love that place because it's Weight Watchers friendly. Well, I think it is anyway. As long as I get the soup, salad and bread sticks I am good to go. Their pasta e faigoli is only 3 Weight Watchers Points per a serving and it's so filling. When you order the salad ask the waiter to serve it without dressing and get their low-fat dressing on the side. My salad wasn't like that today, but I planned ahead for eating the regular salad. When it comes to bread sticks I sometimes allow myself to splurge. I did today, but like I mentioned, I planned ahead knowing I'd have more than one bread stick.

While at lunch a certain someone told me I need to go back to Zumba. I declared I hate it and that is the truth. I do need something else to take it's place, so I finally turned back to running. I've always hated running. There has never been a good memory attached to any running I've done in my life. I flash back to a P.E. class when I was 3rd grade, running across a field with lots of little stones and wishing I could just walk instead while the P.E. teacher whistled at me and told me to keep running. Ugh.

 When I see another runner I feel like I am watching a god because I swear you  need super powers to keep that up; especially living in Florida. Since I find running to be such a challenge I am going to tackle it. There's also the dream of one day participating in the Disney's Princess Half Marathon. Why not start now? In the middle of summer.

I found this guide through Pinterest that is from a blog called Healthy Living For A Better You. Here is the link if you want to check it out. And here is the guide.


I have started with Week 1 because when you en devour in something new, you need to start at the beginning. Makes sense. However, I tried walking fast and it wasn't doing anything for me so I slowly jogged for 4 minutes and then walked for 1 minute. Surprise, surprise, it was an awesome 20 minutes. I have to thank spin class for getting me through my jogging; because of the endurance I've built from spinning I was able to jog without hating my life.

That's it for today. I have a sister-in-law to get ready for since she is finally coming to visit! I've missed her so much. Little personal note, my sister-in-law is one my best friends - for real! We've been friends since high school and I married her older brother. It's like one of those story lines from a chick flick.

Ahh! I almost forgot! Yesterday was weigh-in day. I stuck to my Points and did not go to spin class so the scale read 246lbs. Thank goodness! I was scared of a weight gain since I did not work out (thank you back!).

Ta-ta!


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July!

Woo hoo! It's good old 4th of July in the beautiful United States. I love this holiday. The 4th meant some special family time during my childhood days. My family would go to the local fireworks show where my dad helped sell raffle tickets for the fire department he volunteered for. There was music playing by live bands and so much for us kids to do - like run around freely in the enclosed football field. That was the 3rd! On the actual 4th we started going to my Uncle's in PA and a grand old family cookout with our very own fireworks display. It was a grand time. It's a little different now in FL, especially since I'm married to a man who also hates the dreaded summer heat, so I watch the fireworks on t.v. in my air conditioned apartment. I still have those memories with me.

Sorry about that trip down memory lane, but I had to!  I am also sorry about such a late posting. I've been a whirlwind of activity since finding out that I am going to be a teacher. Sadly none of that activity actually meant work-out type activity. I'll catch you up, don't worry.

Last Thursday was my weigh-in day. I am happy to show this beautiful sight-
Why yes, I was able to add a stone into my 'Pounds Evaporated" bottle. I lost another .4 pounds last Thursday which finally put me at a one pound loss. Happy chick right here. Though I'm a little nervous about tomorrow's weigh-in because, like I mentioned, my activity did not revolve around my getting healthy. I got majorly side tracked.

I am shame faced and tell you that I did not go to either of my spin classes this week. Ugh, I feel so icky too. On Monday I had to go HR to get drug testing done. I wanted the whole deed finished as soon as possible because it was THAT kind of drug test. In order to get it finished as soon as possible I had to go to HR as soon as possible that morning which meant I was going during my class time. I still didn't feel too guilty because I knew I had Wednesday's class. Yeah...

So it's Wednesday today and I did not go to spin class. I can honestly say it's not because I'm being lazy. I hurt my back. I don't know how I hurt my back. Perhaps I sat too long in one spot while I was reading for school, or maybe I strained it when I was cleaning out the last bit of bags and boxes left in my car's trunk from the move. I have no idea, but it hurts! I didn't think it was wise to stress it any further which makes me sad face because I missed spin. I think I'll walk tonight and maybe spot some fireworks.

Okay, so this was a very long post but I'll call it my 4th of July Special! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and for those of you who do not celebrate Independence Day, I still hope you have a great Wednesday!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Most Awesome News

Hello lovely readers. I have such great news. I'm a teacher; an official teacher with her own classroom and everything! Finally, all of my hard work has paid off. I'll be teaching second grade students this school year and I cannot wait. Give me a moment while I do a happy dance.

Okay, I'm back. This most awesome news came on such a good exercise day too. Got to love that workout high. Today's spin class was GREAT. I felt like everything fell into place. When the instructor gave us beats to count to while we pedaled to the music I kept up with it. Then I took a look at my reflection in the mirror along with everyone else and it was cool. Everyone was in sync and looked like we were dancing. I was just in this happy place. I also made it to a new top speed when we do sprints. My top speed today was 130 rpms. If you asked me at the beginning of my spin class adventures if I thought I could do 130 rpms for one minute I would have laughed. Today I did it.

A funny thing is happening. I'm finding that I enjoy spin class more than Zumba. I don't look forward to going to Zumba. I didn't go today because I needed the time to drop resumes off at schools (this was before I got the awesome news). Guess what- I didn't even feel bad that I was skipping out on Zumba again. I felt relieved.

I think I know why Zumba is not working for me. I put my all into spin class so when that hour goes by I feel like I accomplished a huge goal. I feel great after my workout. I get a smoothie ( a skinny one), go home so I can clean up and just rest for an hour or so. Everything feels beautiful and right with the world. It's my time. The thought of having to go back at it again in an hour and half is just annoying to me. I can't really enjoy my time and then go on with the rest of my day. Let's face it, I went from absolute couch potato to taking on a very hard exercise class. As much as I am enjoying my spin classes, I want my exercise to be done and over with; and one hour is just enough. It's in the morning, I'm done by 9:30 a.m. and can move on with my day.

Some contemplating has to happen since I spent money on the Zumba classes, but I feel like my mind is made up. I don't feel like I'm wimping out. I feel like I'm being smart about it so I don't burn myself out. If there is one thing I know about me, it's that when something becomes unappealing I will not stick to it because I don't see the point. It's like a fat free dressing I purchased. I bought it figuring I'd give it a try. The stuff was horrible. The bottle of ickiness cost me $3.00 so I tried to use it again but I couldn't it. There was no appeal. I didn't see the need to continue eating something that was so nasty to me.  Why keep on doing an exercise class if I don't enjoy it? Exercise should be fun to a point. So that's my only dilemma right now.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day. I hope to keep this gravy train chugging with a weight loss. Until tomorrow!


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Weigh In Update

So this post should have been available for your viewing pleasure on Thursday since that is my weigh-in day. However, I had an interview for a teaching position that afternoon and I was a bundle of nerves. I couldn't type because I was literally shaking from anxiety. It was my first interview ever as a professional so hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from. Being an adult is scary. 

Then to add to the nerves I had an interview on Friday. I couldn't type that day either even though I was up at the crack of dawn with plenty of time to post. Interviews are intense. I hope to get a job soon because I don't know if I can take it anymore. I'd rather go to spin class 4 times a week then endure those interviews. I hope to get good news this week. 

Moving on... I got on the scale Thursday morning to a pleasant number. According to my scale I weighed 246.4lbs. That's a 0.6 weight loss. I'll take it! It like removing two McDonald's Quarter Pounders from your hips. To those that say, "I just lost half a pound"  here is what one pound of fat looks like and then mentally divide that in half. That's still a lot of fat that disappeared from your person. 

Also as promised, the chronicles of my summer work. On Wednesday I went to spin class for the second time. Body snatchers most likely invaded me because I actually looked forward to going. So I get in there, get my bike adjusted, and sit down on the seat to strap my feet in when the searing pain in my behind starts. Oh my goodness, but was my behind angry at me for putting right back on that bike seat. In the words of a fellow spinner, "Will you ever get used to the pain?" 

Posterior pain aside, my second spin class was successful. I did not begin to feel sick to my stomach until 40 minutes into the class. It was a smart decision to not eat just before working out. The water I sipped did not nauseate me. I got out of my saddle a lot more this time around and even made it to 103 rpms when the time came for it. Proud chick right here! Naturally I was starving after the workout so I went next door to Smoothie King and got a delicious yogurt and strawberry smoothie which was delightful and filling. By the way, eating fruit is a big deal for me since I'm freaked out by it. Don't ask because I think I need fruit therapy. 

My awesomeness ended after spin class. I did not make it to Zumba Toning because of my cat. He had a rabies shot late Tuesday evening and was lethargic from it. It was one of the common side effects that he presented, but he was still not his energetic self when I got home from class. I thought it was best if I monitored him instead of leaving him for another hour and half to make sure he was okay. He turned back into his usual playful self a bit after noon so all was good in the world with him. Zumba is canceled for Monday. This makes Wednesday's class pretty scary looking. 

That's it for me. Sorry for the HUGE post but this chick had a lot to say. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Tropical Storm Debby has made it a rainy Sunday and I like it. 

Monday, June 18, 2012

Work Out Hell

Oh my goodness, what did I get myself into? Today kicked off a summer of Monday and Wednesday workouts. Also, I didn't think it was good enough that I signed up for one exercise class, I thought it would be stupendous stupid to sign up for another one. The cherry on top (because I hate cherries) is that both classes are on the same day! I've created my very own hell. You know what? I'm going to power through it and kick my fat's butt this summer.

My morning started off with a spin class. People warned me about the intensity of such a class, but I just shrugged them off. Oh dear lord, my behind hurts. After getting my bike situated to my height, I strapped in my feet on the pedals and began to pedal the bike thinking, "This isn't so bad. I can do this." Three minutes into sitting on the bike's seat I felt my tail bone throbbing! I had at least 57 more minutes to go and the class hadn't officially started yet. Needless to say, my behind continued to hurt through the rest of class and continues to hurt this very moment.

So many thoughts run through your head during an hour of spin. Thoughts like, I'm stuck to this darn bike with no where to go. My feet are trapped, God help me! Or this lovely mantra: I am not going to puke. I am  not going to puke. Then there is this horrendous thought: I'm sweating like a pig. Water. I need it. Oh GOD no, why did I drink the water? I'm not going to puke. I'm not going to puke.

I'm proud of myself though. Not once did I stop pedaling that bike. I may not have done 100 rpms (highest was 59 according to my monitor). I may not have stood up off my seat as many times as the other participants, or for as long when I did; but I managed to complete the entire class without giving up or losing the contents of my stomach. That deserves a pat on the back.

Once I got home from spin it was time to take a quick shower, change work out clothes and head out to Zumba. Only I forgot about one word that I should have remembered. The class is Zumba Toning. I still figured I could survive the class. It was only one more hour. I've danced before so I thought it would be like getting back up that horse that I had fallen off of for the past 10 years. Oh how naive I am. There were mini medicine balls involved. You could choose a 4lb ball or a 5 lb ball. There was no way I was lifting 5lbs. Plus the 4lb ball was purple; on color alone it won out.

I never did so many squats in my life. There was salsa, cha-cha, kickboxing and mat exercises involved with this class. The mat exercises reminded me of the Tracy Anderson Method system that I purchased last summer. I only made it through a week of the DVD's and I was done. I think I let out a moan without thinking about it. I do believe I said, "No! Not Tracy Anderson!"

I'm sore. I'm dehydrated. I'm tired. I'm going to do it all over again on Wednesday. There will be weight loss this summer and there will be fitness taking place. No more couch potato status for me! Although my couch feels pretty awesome right now.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Take That Pizza!

Hello again. I am still doing a victory dance. I faced the pizza dinner with my family and came out on top. With my aunt and uncle visiting, my grandma thought it would be nice to have a family dinner. You don't know my grandma though- food is a big affair. And then we always have dessert to follow, at least three of them.

Usually when I eat pizza my inner self says, "How often do you eat pizza? Have more. Have more!" Then I don't eat just one piece. When I don't stop at one piece I go from two, then to three, and then it's a shameful amount. Oh, and I don't count a single slice. On Friday, I put an end to that routine. I saved all of my Weekly Points (the 49 extra a W.W. gets a week) so I could enjoy pizza and dessert AND count it all. That is a major success story for me.

Remember that wall work out? I've still be doing it. It's getting a little easier. I hope I can continue to do it once I start spin and Zumba. I know me. If I take on too much at once my brain tells me to quit. Perhaps it's a couch potato defense system? Well if it starts to feel like too much, I'll drop the wall work out because spin and Zumba will tens time more fun.

Have a fantastic Sunday! I'll report my exercise story for all. It should be interesting. Until then, ta ta!


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Wall Workout

In my ever continuing search to find some kind of work out routine that is fun, challenging, and something I will want to do; I came across a pin for a "wall work out". It looked simple enough so I thought I'd save it to try it out. Here's the link in case anyone is interested. The wall work out.

My sister came over today so I could help make play dough for the day care she works at. While waiting for the play dough to cool, because you have to cook it so it turns into the play dough consistency we all know and love, I decided to try out the wall workout that I saved. Thank goodness my sister did not have a camera on her since what she witnessed could have been considered black mail material.

The photo from the article featured on Prevention.com made this work out look elegant. For example, this lovely lady looked lean and elongated.
Pictured: elegance while working out.
 However, I am pretty sure I looked like this if my sister's laughter and my cat's persistent  meowing meant anything.



Pictured: what I felt like- a fluffy rollie pollie



I managed to do the first three exercises before my back cried out in pain, begging me to stop. Fair enough. I've been pretty sedentary for the past year. My back was probably shocked by the extra stress. It hasn't been used to doing hard work in a while. So one of my new goals for this upcoming Weight Watchers week is to the same three exercises that I started today without my back feeling like it wants to snap in two.

What do you think about this workout? Is it something you would try? Let me know! I'm off to dream land now so I can be refreshed for round two of my Resume Run to more of the local schools. Night all!



Monday, June 11, 2012

DIY Frenzy

Happy Monday! Last Monday I was dreading waking up. Mondays are such life suckers. However, it's the first Monday job free. I'm going to enjoy it until bed time and then tomorrow I am on the job hunt. My friend, who graduated from college this past May, is in the same boat as me. So tomorrow will be dedicated to dropping resumes off at the many schools in our district so we can be classroom teachers. I feel like a duck without a pond right now. Hopefully that will be remedied soon.

To take up my time I've been on a cleaning whirlwind. My hubs and I have been in our new apartment for almost three months now and nothing is truly put away in its proper place. Today I took the time to do the regular house keeping and then went into DIY and organization mode. The underneath of my bathroom sink is super organized. My goal is to get some kind of shelving under there. I also put some awesome pictures from my Scotland calendar into pretty frames I got for Christmas. I'll have to have my hubs put them up because he likes to point out that I can never center or level anything I hang. That's fine with me; it's less work.

The final thing I finished for today's DIY fest was my visual weight loss reminder (or as I learned in W.W. - an anchor). The final product came out cute considering it was my first experience with Mod Podge.


To make these I used two washed Starbucks Frappucino bottles. Then I put orange scrap paper labels and hearts on them with Mod Podge. After the labels dried up I wrote down "pounds to melt" and "pounds evaporated" on each to measure my weight loss. There are 100 beads in the first bottle because I intend to lose 100 pounds. That will get me close to the weight I felt good at. I can't wait to move my first bead over to the "pounds evaporated" bottle.

Only a week until spin and Zumba classes begin. I can't wait!