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!

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 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.

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 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. 

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!

La vita è 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!

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!