Get Fit: Week 13

 If you'll remember, I decided to take a break this week.  Rick was going to be gone and with being so busy at school, trying to fit in all my activities AND working around the kids, meal planning and working out was just going to be too much.  Mainly, my break was going to involve food.  I ate:

• cheese
• ice cream (a big bowl of cookies and cream)
• peanut butter
• muffins (no flour or sugar, but still)
• TWO helpings (not one, TWO) of beef and noodles
• an ice cream sandwich (it was the first PR Party...come on!)

...yep.

Exercise: 14.5 miles, and four yogas.  Not bad for my break week.

Diet: See above :)  I was pretty much on it the entire rest of the time though.

Breakthroughs:

This week, I weighed in at the lowest weight of my adult life:

146.8

Can I tell you that I was shocked?  I hadn't eaten well this week so I hadn't been weighing myself as frequently.  I honestly thought I was in for a higher number, and that this would have to be next week's breakthrough.  So I was BEYOND excited to see this number!

• Total weight loss so far: 38.7
• Just 1.8 lbs to go!

Today we had my nephew's birthday party.  I hadn't seen many of the family since my regime began, and they were SO complimentary.  Rick's grandpa told me how proud he was of me.  It was nice to hear - I'm proud of me, too!

Week 14 Goals:

• Enjoy Labor Day with the fam. Not sure what our plans are, but I believe they include getting out of town for the day!
• Rock solid on the diet.
• Lose 1.8 lbs. This is the first time I've put a time frame on my weight loss.  It's happening by the end of this week.  If I can eat that crap and STILL lose a pound, I can certainly eat the good stuff and knock off this 1.8, right?

It's happening.

What. A. Week.

Rick has been gone all week.

Monday night Charlie woke up screaming because his ear hurt.  Sure enough, fluid was literally gushing out of his ear.  Had to go see a specialist and received ear drops from a $150 1 oz dropper.  Great.

I've yogaed once and only done 7 miles.  Feeling decent about this.

I have eaten bread, ice cream, granola, peanut butter, and beef and noodles.  Also had two small glasses of (DELICIOUS) cow's milk.  At the moment, I am stuffed (beef and noodles were tonight) and really regretting that second helping. (Yes, I had a second helping.)

And, on the way home tonight, my daughter somehow missed her diaper entirely and crapped out the side of her diaper into her car seat.  And got it all over both her legs.  The cherry on top of my week.

I am so exhausted.  I don't know how single parents do it.  Thankfully, Rick's flight got moved up because they finished early, so he'll be home soon.

Which is good...because I feel like I'm about to LOSE IT.  Bring on that 3-day weekend!

Get Fit: Week 12

Exercise: I yogaed four times this week - Monday and Wednesday and then both days over the weekend.  I ditched my normal Friday because we went to KC to see the Royals game.  I did 14.9 miles (which, if I had realized, I would have done at least another tenth of a mile and made it an even 15), including my first official "run."  Yep, that's right - I ran 1.3 miles.  That is HUGE for me.  I don't run, folks, mainly because it hurts and I hate it. And I can't breathe.  The ONLY upside (and the reason I did it) is that it takes less time.  So all in all, a pretty successful week activity-wise...though I would have loved to have had that Friday yoga date.

Diet: I definitely had my moments this week.  I started off trying to take pictures of everything I was eating...and then I forgot a few times...and then I just fell off the wagon entirely.  But BEFORE I did, here are a few shots of my meals:

Quinoa salad (I made it for a potluck and had a lot left over, so I pretty much ate this all week)

Mmmmmmmmm grapes. And they have been on great sales at Aldi lately!

Quinoa salad, 1 c cucumber soup, banana

Treated myself to a fruit smoothie at Juice Stop.  I miss the days when my son didn't know what I was getting...

1 c black bean soup, quinoa salad

1 banana muffin (ate the 1st half for breakfast and the other for lunch)

This was a bit of a cheat, but it was delicious and not that bad for bread!  Jo Marie sent me the recipe - find it here.  I made it for my kids at school and they loved them.  Said you totally couldn't tell they were healthy. :)

My go-to this week

This has been one of my go-tos for breakfast, mainly because it's quick, easy, and has sticking power.  I am not a fan of rasins by themselves, but have found that I really do like them when combined with other things, like almonds.  I really didn't know much about rasins and their nutritional value.  They seemed "clean" according to the contents, so I did a bit of research.  I found this article which states that drying foods simply compounds the contents of that fruit.  In the case of grapes/raisins, the antioxidant count increases, but so does the sugar and calories :/ Might be a good snack for maintenance, but I should probably lose the rasins until then.

Of course I sampled the batter of the muffins, but other than that I was pretty good on the diet this week.  

Week 12 Goal Review:  

• ROCK SOLID on the diet.  I don't know that I can cross this off.  Technically, rock solid on the diet would have been much more in the way of leafy greens.
• Keep a log of what I eat.  I tried.  Too much maintenance for me.
• Yoga four times.  Done
• Walk 12 miles. 14.9  

Breakthroughs:

• Hmm...I really can't think of any.  It's been a pretty hectic week, to be honest.  I am impressed that I was able to exercise as much as I was.  It's going to get really difficult to do all of this when it starts getting cold. :(
• Weigh In:  147.8 - and I'm actually happy with this.  I am sick of these last few pounds, but right now, I am too busy to be thinking about dieting.  I have five million things on my plate with school, my family, my house, etc.  I'll take it the pound.
• Total weight loss so far: 37.7
• Just 2.8 lbs to go! 

Week 13 Goals:

• Take
• a
• break. 

I am tired.  I've been eating like this since May.  I've been exercising like this since May.  I am now two weeks into school, and I am stinking tired.  My husband leaves tomorrow morning at 5 AM for the airport and won't get home until Friday evening.  I am tired.  Instead of stressing about meal prep, whether I'm going to get my mileage in, how often I can get to the studio for yoga, whether the scale is going to go up or down - I am just going to RELAX.  And trust me, by "relax," I mean keep the craziness to the job, house, and kiddos.  A trusted mentor - someone who understands my need to follow rules - told me just this morning "Take the week off.  Or heck - take the next two or three weeks off.  You look great.  You've worked hard.  So you're three pounds away - big deal?  They will still be there in three weeks."  Oh how I needed to hear this counsel.

A break I will take.  See you again...sometime!

Heartache.

This week, it was announced that 12-month-old Grayson Irwin was diagnosed with leukemia.

You can read Janelle's full story here at their CaringBridge site.

Grayson is about the same age as my Lucy.  His older sister, Kate, is about the same age as my Charlie.  His daddy, Brady, is our age - we went to high school with him.  His mommy, Janelle, is a year younger than us.  They were high school sweethearts, just like us.  They grew up in church, just like us.  Just like us, just like us, just like us.  Only now, their baby boy has cancer.

I have been in and out of tears all week.  As I have heard people talk, read the Facebook posts, searched their site, and pondered all of this in my own mind, I continually come back to this: why?  Why this child?  Or any child, for that matter?  Why these people?  Why this sickening illness?  I don't understand.  I can't.  I tried to talk to Rick about it, but he refused.  He wouldn't even allow himself to think about it would be like.  So I am left to think about it on my own.  I cannot imagine the fear, the anger, the stress, the pain - watching your infant child go through something you would gladly bear a million times over to keep him from it.  But you can't.  You're helpless.

Please understand - I am not trying to be eloquent.  I am not trying to be politically correct.  I am not trying to throw God under the bus (though, let's face it - He's God.  I think He can handle it).  I am trying to be brutally honest.  I don't understand.  In my head, I know that "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  I know that God is in the business of transforming bads into goods.  And I know that in His power and His might, he can heal this little baby.  But why hasn't it happened?  What if it never happens?  In my heart, I am upset that God would allow it.  It's not even my kid.  I'm not even close to them, really.  I see their parents at church on Sunday, I ooo and ahh over their adorable Facebook pictures.  And I'm torn up.  I can't stop thinking about it.  And how selfish am I being right now, thinking about myself and what I would be thinking if it were my kid?

Here is what Janelle said on their Caring Bridge page:

Our world has been rocked, but my faith has not. My God is mighty to save and will give rest to the weary and faint of heart.

If anyone knows what's it like to be weary and faint of heart, it's them.  What a testament to the power of faith.  I am awed and inspired by Brady and Janelle and the death grip they have on the promises of God.

Oh to have faith like this.

I am praying for their marriage, their faith, their little girl who doesn't understand, that sweet baby boy who just knows he hurts.  The doctors and nurses.  The families.  The insurance.  The travel.  The details.

And I'm praying that God will help them (and me) remember that He is as the sky and we are as one single drop of rain, knowing not what the sky intends, but only that he has a job for us, and that we will do it whether we are one of many, or the only
drop
of
rain
in
the
sky.

Get Fit: Week 11

Exercise: I yogaed Monday morning before school, Wednesday night, Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, and Sunday afternoon.  That's FIVE times!  I'm proud of this, folks.  AND - I got 15 miles in! I've been walking every day with a coworker and most evenings with the kids.  I feel very good about 15 miles, especially in light of the fact that this was the first week of school with kids.

Diet: Crash. And. Burn.  I made a multitude of bad choices this week.  Don't believe me?

• Date night.  Rick ordered these on our date night.  He knows french fries are my favorite food.  He did ask me ahead of time if that was okay, and I agreed, thinking, "I have done so well. I'll even eat a few." Ahem.  A few turned into a whole handful - with Ranch and everything.  Ugh!
• TWO restaurant salads.  I ordered a salad on date night (after the cheese fries) and ate the whole thing - cheese, meat, and all.  And then the next day Rick's parents took us all out to Red Robin and I had ANOTHER restaurant salad - toppings and all.  I dipped my dressing...but still.
• Cookie dough.  I think baking needs to be a thing of the past for me.  I can't do it without sampling the doughs and batters.  And this particular night, Charlie was having so much fun putting M&Ms in and sneaking them and eating the dough that I just threw in the towel and joined in.  I probably ate about half a cup of cookie dough total and a good handful of M&Ms.  And felt physically awful afterward.  And then the next day I ate one of the baked cookies.
• Banana bread.  I allowed myself one small slice. It was made with applesauce instead of oil, but it was not okay. Oy.

Please don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with doing the above things every once in awhile.  But if you are trying to lose weight, things like this really set you back.  I gained at the beginning of the week and had to work my tail off at the end to lose any weight at all.  Not a good practice, and I am SO CLOSE to my goal that I really can't afford weeks like this.  UGH!

Week 11 Goal Review:

• Yoga 4 times.  FIVE! Woot woot!
• Walk 10 miles. FIFTEEN!  As my son would say, "Yay-uh!"
• Keep up the water-drinking. I've been trying to drink 24 oz before I even get to school, 48 while I'm there, and at least another 24 in the evening.  Not a complete success this week, but close enough.
• Have a GREAT first week of school.  Things were GREAT with the kids.  I am excited about this year!

Breakthroughs:

• Saturday morning I walked into the living room getting ready for yoga.  I hadn't put my shirt on yet, so it was just me in my shorts and my sports bra.  I caught my reflection in the mirror and was like, "Wow.  This look so much better than it would have three months ago."  My husband walked in and gave me the eyes and the head-nod.  It was nice. :)  I didn't look great by any means, but I looked great considering!
• Rick and I went shopping and he found me these neon pink pants to try on.  I was like "Really?"  They were 8s. I'm not there yet, but I tried them on to humor him.  They fit.  I nearly had a conniption.  The last time I fit into 8s was nearly a decade ago, and it was only one pair.  I bought them mainly because of that.
• This morning at church, a lady did a double-take and said, "You have lost so much weight!" And then she looked at Rick and said, "Dude, your wife is hot!" To which my husband responded with noise something like "Tpschtch yeah she is!" :)
• I'M IN THE 140s!!!!! This hasn't happened since 2005!!!
• Weigh in: 148.8 (Wish it were more, but the lesson is poor eating does not equal weight loss, no matter how many times I yoga or how many miles I go.)
• Total weight loss so far:  36.7
• Just 3.3 lbs to go!

Week 12 Goals:  

• ROCK SOLID on the diet.  I'm sick of these last almost-four pounds.  No, thank you.
• Keep a log of what I eat.  I am going to try a photo diary of what I eat, starting with this evening.  We are headed to some friends' house in our old town and, in an effort to keep myself accountable to eating only plant-based foods for the week!
• Yoga four times.
• Walk 12 miles.

And, for the first time, I'm giving myself a weight loss deadline.  I want to be at 145 before the month is out!  It seems pretty doable - maybe even easy - when I consider that I only have 3.3 more lbs to go, but the last 8 or so lbs have come off MUCH more slowly than before.  Hopefully I can lose this week and next week and be at my goal by the end of this month!

Normalcy PLEASE!

The picture board by my desk. It makes me happy. :)

One of the most difficult things about August is reestablishing routine.  Training my son to get up early.  Remembering to get everything out and packed the night before.  Meal prep with 1/16th of the time I used to have. Adjusting to being away from my kids.

And at school.  Bringing my meals.  Getting the first thing and agenda on the board before the bell.  Getting to the office to check my box and get ice before 1st hour.  Getting a to-do list together during lunch.  Running team meetings that accomplish everything we have to do in just 40 minutes. And so on and on.

The good news?  The first week was GREAT!  We seem to have a good crop of kids (though the honeymoon is still happening) and I'm really looking forward to Open House next week.  Yep - I'm that teacher who likes Open House.  I love being able to make contact with parents early in the year because I believe that it ultimately makes my job easier.

And can we have a moment for being 35 lbs lighter at the start of the school year?  I've had students from last year come down and say, "You look-" and then they stop, like they are trying to decide whether it's rude to say I look like I've lost weight.  I've been finishing for them by saying, "It's the hair," and smiling.

One week down.  35 more to go. :)

Get Fit: Week 10

Exercise: This week was so much better than I expected!  I was able to go to yoga Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.  I also walked more than 10 miles by walking over my lunch break with some friends at work, and then I walked another 4 miles with some friends over the weekend. AND on Tuesday night, I did 2.2 miles AND RAN 6/10ths of a mile to get home faster! A huge accomplishment for me. I can't say I enjoyed it or will be repeating it, but I did do it.

Diet: Another great week for the diet, though I did indulge in this pink lemonade sorbet at Coldstone this afternoon:

It looks huge, but this is actually the small one, and I only ate about half of it.  The other half went to Lucy or melted - it was hot outside.

It's been pretty easy to keep myself on track since I've been at school.  I've done a good job with food prep and planning AND I've added a few new recipes!

• Greek Salad - we used to eat this all the time with friends in Lawrence and I've forgotten about it until recently.  I wasn't a huge fan back then because I hated tomatoes, but this time around, I am making myself eat tomatoes in the hopes that I will learn to like them.  So far, it is working.  All I did was chop up two tomatoes, one large peeled cucumber (seeds in), and half of a vidalia onion.  I mixed it up and topped with oil, balsamic, and a small bit of dijon-style mustard and feta, and voila! DELICIOUS!
• Cucumber Salad - Lindsey sent me this recipe and I made it thinking I would freeze it for future lunches.  I stuck a spoon in just to see and OH MY GOODNESS!  It was so good.  I'm not even a huge fan of cucumbers and I loved it.  I think the avacado is what kicked in that extra, delicious flavor.  Yum!

Week 10 Goal Review:

• Yoga 4 times. Woot woot!
• Walk 8 miles. More than double that - 18.4!
• Drink. More. Water. I have had more water than usual, but I know I still need to be drinking more.  I tried flavoring my water with veggies and fruit this week.  A few weeks ago I had a cucumber that was about to go bad, so I chopped it up and stuck it in the freezer, wondering what I would ever do with it.  So I stuck a few in my water one morning like they do with lemons and drank cucumber water! I tried strawberries too.  It was cool...but I really do love the taste of straight water.
• Don't stress out if I have to take things a little easier this week. Definitely did, but I ended up exceeding my goals, so this must be key...

Breakthroughs:

• I started back at work this week and it was really nice to hear all the compliments :)
• Weigh in: 150.0 (SOOO close to the 140s!)
• Total weight loss so far:  35.5
• Just 5 lbs to go!

Week 10 Goals:  

• Yoga 4 times.
• Walk 10 miles.
• Keep up the water-drinking.
• Have a GREAT first week of school.

:)

Advice on Becoming a Teacher

When I posted this about going back to school, I received a comment in which the reader asked, "Do you have any advice on becoming a teacher?"  And since I love to give advice and am passionate about public schooling and teaching, I thought I'd post some of the things I think are most important when considering a career in education.  And, since I know most of my reader base are already educators, I invite you to weigh in in the comments section if you are :)

Let's start with a few guiding questions.

• Are you a good time-manager?
• Do you like to be busy?  Like, don't-have-time-to-pee busy?
• Are you a good people-person?
• Are you unlikely to confront people or problems?
• Do you have trouble multi-tasking?
• Do you have problems surrendering your own ideas in favor of ideas that may seem, well, stupid, for the sake of commonality and peace?
• Do you have a good memory?
• Are you in the habit of living your life in ways young people can and should emulate?
• Do you have a loud voice?
• Are you able to keep your cool in stressful situations?
• Are you a natural leader?
• Are you tech-savvy, or willing to become so with little to no training or resources?
• Are you willing to put in ten hour plus days with no overtime?
• Are you willing to pour your heart into kids, many of whom will not appreciate it and maybe even resent you for it?
• Do you get hurt or offended easily?
• Are you organized and responsible enough to keep track of 351 things at once?
• Are you easy to work with?
• Are you energetic?
• Are you able to remove or apply emotion at will and adequately assess what situations require which?
• Are you willing to take work home?

There are so many things required of us as teachers.  As an engineer, my husband can go into work, sit at a desk, maybe talk to ten people all day, and perform his job to its fullest extent.  As a teacher, you never sit, you talk to a hundred people - maybe more - and you never feel like you have performed your job to it's fullest extent.  There is always something you should have done differently, something you forgot, something you wish you had said.

The other part of this is the reality that teaching itself is only one small piece of the pie.  This is something they don't teach you in college.  Of the 480 minutes in my duty day, only 230 are devoted to actual class time.  The rest is supervision (bus duty, passing time), meetings (team, SIT, IEPs, parent, PLCs, faculty, etc), communications, technology, lesson planning, making copies, gathering materials, working with kids who are behind, generating handouts, worksheets, projects, you name it.  It's like the ice cube in the cup.  The part above the water is what happens in class and the part below, which is the huge part, is what happens "behind the scenes," so to speak.

And teaching is rough.  Kids who are mean and disrespectful to you and others.  Co-workers who don't pull their weight.  Teaching a lesson that flops and realizing they didn't get it and now you have to start again from scratch.  Administrators who don't support teachers.  Parents who tell you how to do your job, which essentially means requiring their kid to do nothing because that's what they do at home.  Providing free and appropriate public education without the funds to fully and correctly implement it.  Kids who feel safer at school than at home.  Working late and missing spending time with your own family.  Awkward and angry parent/teacher conferences.  And so on and so on and so on.

But for every negative, there are multiple positives.  Kids who do their work, for instance.  Co-workers who love and support you.  A card or gift from a parent saying that they appreciate your work.  A kid who drew you a picture (yes, even in middle school).  The "aha!" moment, when the kids GET IT.  A fabulous, fabulous piece of writing.  A kid helping another kid.  Smiles.  Waves.  Weird quirks.  Whole class laughter because the kid used dish soap instead of hand soap and flooded the sink and counter with bubbles.  Because when the kid delivered his speech he gave an involuntary burp in the middle of the word "plagiarism."  Because the teacher accidentally said "the grant and the asshopper" instead of "the ant and the grasshopper."

Because while there is nothing particularly special about reading, or science, or social studies, there is something extraordinarily special about relationships.  And ultimately, that is what all of teaching - and life, really - comes to.  Investing in
students.
writers.
readers.
mathematicians.
athletes.
loners.
bullies.
neglected sons and daughters.
leaders.
followers.
fighters.
outcasts.
the hopeless.
the confident.
the confused.
the hurt.
the down-trodden.
the loveable.
the unloveable.

If you can focus on these.
If you can manage all that other stuff as secondary - important, but secondary.
If you can fix your eyes on relationships, you can be successful, effective, and fulfilled as a teacher.

My two cents. :)

Bring on the SCHOOL YEAR!

Before we dive into the school year, let's get one thing straight - the end of the summer and the start of the school year are NOT the same thing.  The end of summer is sad, difficult, and fairly tragic.  The start of the school year is energizing, exciting, and full of anticipation.  They are very different situations, which means I can be both devastated about the end of summer and pumped for the start of school at the same time.

Summer has been AMAZING.  I have had time to clean my house, prepare GOOD food, spend quality time with my children, go fun places, throw things together with only a few hours' notice, etc.  Like I said, amazing.  And waving bye-bye to it is sad.  It's okay to be sad about the end of the summer.

But I am excited about the beginning of the school year!  We have always had a fabulous group of kids.  Last year was the roughest, but I attribute some of that to the fact that I missed three months with them at the beginning of the school year, which is key relationship-building time.  I struggled with classroom management as a result (a first...I don't put up with nonsense), but I eventually got them whipped into shape.  It was tough.  But since I am not pregnant, there will be no extended absence this year!  I am also much more content with my life situation.  I think God has worked on me a lot over the last year, reminding me that this is my calling.  My calling is not to be a stay-at-home-wife-and-mom (and though summer was wonderful, it was an excellent reminder of this truth).  My calling is to be a devoted wife and mother while contributing to society outside my home by investing in the lives of my co-workers and the young people in my classes.  This is me.

I got an email from my dad yesterday wishing me well...and saying that he's kind of jealous.  He is a retired teacher.

He gets it.

So bring it, class of 2019! (Yowsers...)

Shopping Trip

I really hate to shop.  I hate to spend money, I hate to mosey from store to store without a specific purpose (or even with one, come to think of it), and I hate crowds.  Shopping is not for me.  But I do like to be with people, I do like to look nice, and now that my body is 32 lbs lighter, I do need some new stuff.  So I asked some girls at work to take me shopping.  This was the perfect solution because they were picking out stuff and I was enjoying their company.  I was also enjoying being a MEDIUM in many cases instead of a large (or extra large) and being a size 10 in pants. :):):):):)

When Jo Marie commented on my post yesterday asking for a run down of clothes purchased on my shopping trip, I tried my hand at Polyvore. I'm not very good and wasn't able to find the exacts of ANYTHING, but here are the general ideas:

Outfit #1

Outfit #1(ish) by randi-stones featuring a white denim jacket

The white jacket is from GAP (though the one in the picture is from American Eagle because I couldn't find the GAP one).  The tank is from LOFT, but it's not this tank (though I LOVE this tank!).  I searched for the exact one I bought and couldn't find it, so then I just went for colors.  Mine is navy with a teal pattern.  I bought dark jeans from GAP as well.  And I don't even know if you can see the necklace, but it's long and silver with circles.  The one I bought (from Charming Charlie's) has circles in various sizes.

Outfit #2

Outfit #2 by randi-stones featuring a short sleeve polka dot blouse

(Please forgive my poor editing skills.  This is my first time.)  I got a green cardigan very similar to the one pictured from LOFT.  I also purchased a tank blouse in these colors but not quite this pattern.  And, I didn't realize it at the time, but I can pair the tank from the first outfit (which has more navy in it than the one in the shot) with this cardigan as well. I didn't buy the pants, but I have a similar pair of grays that I am going to pair with this.

Outfit #3

Outfit #3 by randi-stones featuring cotton shirts

The cardigan I bought is this cream color but has one design of a large flower outlined in black.  This is the closest I could find.  I am having a little bit of buyer's remorse today because I didn't buy the mustard colored shirt in the picture.  I could have and it looked nice, but I didn't.  So I'll be on the hunt for something similar in the future.  I didn't buy the pants either, but Chelsea gave me a similar pair that would be perfect with this outfit.

I bought a few other shirts that can be interchanged with the above outfits, so overall I am feeling VERY happy with my purchases and excited about the possibility of accessorizing with some more jewelry and maybe even a few pairs of shoes.

Thanks again to Lindsey, Jolie, and Jenny for their help yesterday!

Get Fit: Week 9

Exercise: This week, I was able to yoga on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.  Wednesday and Thursday were simply impossible because Rick has been leaving early and working late to make up for missing hours for our trip to Colorado, and unfortunately, yoga does not have daycare. (But it would be SO AWESOME if they did.)  And Sunday is a no go because we are taking a girls shopping trip to KC and between that and church, there simply isn't time.  In terms of walking, I did 4 miles with Lindsey Wednesday, 2 miles with my kids Thursday and 3 on Friday, and my 5k on Saturday.  That totals just over 12 miles.  A pretty active week when you consider I was at work for two days doing enrollment!

Diet: I was freaking awesome at the diet...for the first half of the week.  I had a few slips near the end.  On Thursday we had a girls night.  I ate four small triangles of whole wheat pita bread (which, if I'm going to eat bread, that's the kind to eat!) and I don't know how much of the cool whip + strawberry yogurt dip stuff.  It was delicious.  And then on Friday, we went bowling with the cousins and met daddy for pizza afterward.  I had a delicious salad full of greens...and two bites of Rick's pizza.  And one of his crusts.  To give you an idea of just how big a crust is...

Yep - that's my boy eating a piece of pizza bigger than his head.  I rationalized by saying I had hot yogaed and walked 3 miles that day, totaling more than two hours of straight exercise, and that it was the last Friday night of the summer. :)

Week 9 Goal Review:

• Hit the diet hard this week. Except the pizza and girls night, I did pretty well.  Happy :)
• MY FIRST 5K! Yep! Read about it here.

• Walk 13.1 miles.  My exact mileage for the week was 12.3.  Not quite, but very close, and close enough that I can say I'm happy with it.
• Yoga 5 times.  Only got to 4, but again, not from lack of trying.  Couldn't get childcare.

Breakthroughs:

• My size 12s simply don't fit.  I don't think they fit last week either, but this week I've had to be places where I had to look (slightly) professional, and I just can't keep them up!  Yay for skinny, sad for losing the clothes.
• My mother-in-law shelled out the big bucks for an expensive juicer...which means she handed her old one off to me!  I'm excited to try some of these juicing recipes!
• 
  
  
• Shopping!  I went out with some friends to Kansas City and got a pair of jeans (10s), white denim jacket (size M), two cardigans (M & L), and four shirts (3 Ms and a S! Yep, that's right!).  I also got a necklace. It was lovely. I normally hate shopping, but this was a BLAST!
• Weigh in: 153.8 (This was my lowest weight this week. For some reason this morning I weighed in at 155.4.  Calling it a fluke, proceeding as if it is and sure hoping it was...)
• Total weight loss so far:  31.7 
• Just 8.3 lbs to go!

The weight is definitely coming off more slowly now, which I think is normal.  I've just got to stick with it and keep making good dietary decisions.  I truly believe they are the single most important factor in my weight loss.

Week 10 Goals: 

• Yoga 4 times. I start work this week so I'm kicking it down to 4.  If I can get 4, I'll feel pretty good for week 1.
• Walk 8 miles. I have been thinking about walking over my lunch breaks at school.  Between our building and the high school we have a pretty extensive campus and a few laps ought to equal a few miles.
• Drink. More. Water. I am not drinking enough.  I can tell by the color of my pee.  I've always found it easier to drink water while at school, so hopefully this will be easier this week.
• Don't stress out if I have to take things a little easier this week. Transitioning from summer schedule to work schedule is exhausting in and of itself.  I'm going to try to hit the goals above, but also extend myself a little grace!

New Thing: 5K

Several weeks ago, I saw this sign while stopped at a stop light:

It's a horrible picture, but it says BIG SHUNGA 5K Walk & 8K Run

It sounded like something Lindsey might be interested in, so I took a pic and sent it to her.  Our texting conversation went something like this:

L: We should totally do that!

M: Um...we?  I meant you.

L: Why not? It's a walk and it's only 3 miles.

M: Mmm...I don't think so.

L: Why not? You can cross it off a do list.

M: It's not on any of my do lists.

L: It will be fun.

That was the basic gist.  It sounded totally intimidating.  She was right - it was only 3 miles, and she and I usually do 4 when we walk together so it really wouldn't be a big deal, but this was, like, official.  Like...a race.  I don't think so.  But when a co-worker of ours showed an interest in doing it too, I decided I could handle it.  It would be a new thing, and something that I could put on a do list and be happy to cross off.  Plus it would be a small sort of culmination of my work this summer.

So I signed up, showed up, and felt a small thrill as I donned my super cool race t-shirt and pinned my bib number thing to my shirt.

I look like the biggest nerd in this picture.

I was very happy to be among such wonderful friends and coworkers.  Cindy and I (two on the left) were first timers, but Lindsey and Luke (on right) are veterans.  Luke is in particular, being a track athlete in high school and college and a coach now.  He was doing the 8K run, of course.

I walked the whole way.  I could have run some of it, and in fact, I guess I did a little.  I didn't realize that it's race etiquette to pick up your drinks and then LITTER by throwing the cups on the ground.  I picked up some and ran them back to the trash and then ran back to catch up before Lindsey had a chance to tell me that it was okay - there were people designated to come around and pick them up.  (I could NEVER throw my trash on the ground, whether someone was following behind me or not!)  But aside from that and sprinting the last twenty yards (so I could beat Lindsey), I walked.  It was wonderful.  It was muggy.  There were bugs.  I was sweaty.  But it was fun!

And I am going to hang my bib number thing in my classroom as a mark of this small accomplishment. :)

Delicious Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

When I went through the Eat to Live diet, I discovered an amazing soup at Panera Bread - Vegetarian Black Bean Soup.  A few years ago, I found a recipe that resembled what I imagined went into this wonderful bowl of tasty, hearty goodness.  It could also be called "Mmmm...Yummy Soup."  I like that.  I made a few changes and here is the recipe we use now:

• 1 onion
• 4 celery ribs
• 1 bell pepper (color your preference...I had green on hand)
• 4 cloves garlic (I was out of fresh :()
• 3 c vegetable broth
• 3 cans black beans, undrained
• 1 t salt
• 1 t cumin
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• *1 pkg kielbasa (not pictured...and only if you don't want to go the vegetarian route, or in my case, have a husband to please) 

You will notice that I have beef broth instead of vegetable broth.  This is because I just made this beef and noodle recipe of Lindsey's (which was a HUGE crowd pleaser - thanks Lindsey!) and didn't have vegetable broth.  I have substituted beef broth before, so I know it works just fine.  But officially, it is no longer a vegetarian dish.  If that is important to you, take note.

STEP 1: Chop, chop, chop!
Chop up those veggies.  If you live with people who do not like large chunks (my family), then dice, dice, dice!

1 onion

1 bell pepper

Looks like I have a way lot more celery than the other veggies.  I went back and changed the ingredients list above from 6 ribs of celery (which is what this is) to 4.  Not sure what happened, but as I like celery, I used it all anyway. :)

This would probably be a way easier task with a food processor, but I don't have one, so I dice, dice, dice.

STEP 2: Throw it into the pot!
Combine your first five ingredients: onion, pepper, celery, garlic, and beef broth, and bring to a boil.  Simmer 10 minutes.

STEP 3: The beans (+ kielbasa, if you don't want to go the vegetarian route)
Puree one can of black beans.  *Side note:* In making an effort to eat as much fresh food as possible, I examined the label on the black beans.  I know nothing about beans or how to make them - I have always used canned beans.  They contain "Prepared black beans, water, salt."  I'm sure the sodium is overdone as a preservative, but beyond that this didn't sound too "dirty."  (Chelsea, can you weigh in?) *End Side Note* I use the magic bullet, which might be my second favorite kitchen appliance.  (First is the Kitchen Aid mixer in the background :)  I use it for banana bread, baby food, and all sorts of other great stuff.  If you don't have one, I'm sorry, but an immersion blender, or even just a regular blender would probably work fine.  Add it and the two other cans to the pot UNDRAINED.  Also, if your husband prefers to have meat in all his foods (ahem), chop up some kielbasa and throw it in.  I have to admit, it does add some flavor.

STEP 4: Add spices and simmer
Add salt and cumin.  Spoon out about three tablespoons of the broth and combine with 3 tablespoons of corn startch to thicken the mixture.  Add to soup and simmer until veggies are completely cooked.

STEP 5: ENJOY!
Mmmm...yummy soup.  My family likes to treat this dish like chili and add sour cream, cheese, and chips to the soup.  It is delicious, but quite unhealthy, and honestly, I don't think it needs anything else.  It is simply PERFECT!

:)

#athleteproblems

(Note: I don't really know how to use the hashtag.  But it looked cool.)

Lindsey and I were walking last night and I was telling her about how my hip flexors (actually, I called them my "right heres" and pointed - she supplied the correct term) are extremely sore and I can't figure out why.  Her response?

"That's an athlete's problem."

An athlete's problem?  Say whaaaat?  She said something about how this was a typical problem for athletes, and that I probably was an athlete now, and a few other things until I was able to steer the conversation back onto comfortable ground.

But it required reflection, nonetheless.  If that's an athlete's problem, that must not be what I have. I'm not an athlete.  I never have been.  In my youth, I prided myself in that fact because it showed off my rebellious side, since I hail from a family of athletes - my dad coached every sport the school offered and my brother played every sport the school offered.  Not being an athlete was part of my identity.  But now...could she be right?  I don't know.  I don't play sports, so I would say no.  However, being a word person, I looked up athlete on dictionary.com, and here is the exact, word-for-word-, CNTRL+ C and V definition:

noun

a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Hmm...too many references to sports and contests.  But if I cross out some of the words that don't apply to me, the ones around the "or" word, it looks like this:

noun

a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Well, yes, technically, this does fit.  I have been "training" in yoga for nine weeks now, averaging five times a week.  I have been "training" for my 5K (at least, I suppose you could call it that) since I started walking in May.  Both require physical agility, stamina, strength, and skill.

Could this be me?

Perhaps.  Exercise has become a habit.  If I don't do it, I feel weird.  Physically weird - like something's missing.  There are also mental and emotional reactions if I don't work out.  I seem to be more stressed if I don't do it.  Now granted, part of that is because I'm working hard to get fit and lose weight and not being able to fit a workout in adds to my stress load.  But I really think the rest of it is because my body is becoming accustomed to it.

Maybe...