sept 5
Question:
Hello, I haven’t posted in the last week, but I’ve been lurking. I started work again(I teach
Ican surely relate,MB,I travel to 7 schools a week (traveling art teacher) and carry my snacks and lunch in my backpack…these schools I serve are typical elementary,all the teachers bring goodies for the faculty lounge….lord help me,holiday time is tough going with all the groaning tables full of food. I make sure I pack in plenty of cold water,cut up vegs,cereal,yogurt,salads.etc.At some of the schools you can preorder a salad or baked potato for lunch and I bring my own dressing. At goodie time,I make sure and fill up on vegs/fruit then try a small sweet or 2.I do have to watch it around the candy machines and at holidays as I ‘m a sweets monster.I don’t deny myself,just watch what I take in and always workout daily. W Example: On Friday we had the dreaded pot luck
Response:
I really enjoy reading your posts, MB — you have such a terrific attitude! And you’re doing so well on your diet. Congrats on 10 pounds gone! — KC 194/187/135 Eating smarter since 8/8/98 (reduced calorie/reduced fat/increased protein/low-glycemic/high-fiber WOE)
Response:
Hello, I haven’t posted in the last week, but I’ve been lurking. I started work again (I teach – summer’s are great, but I’ll tell you, it actually gets HARDER to go back after a big break like that! do you pity me yet?) I am a little worried about the new WOE with work starting. Teaching is so stressful, especially the school I teach in, what do they call it, "urban" "inner-city youth" "at-risk". Plus, sometimes teachers behave wacky. There’s no explaining that phenomenon. Anyway, kids come back on Tuesday, but teachers were due to work last Thursday and Friday too. I went a few other days, because that’s how I am – is it possible to express compulsive behaviors in only ONE part of your life?? I had already started some of my old habits, working too hard, too long, not eating all day, blah blah blah. So I decided to "nip it in the bud" and I brought in fruit, yogurt, bagels, homemade tuna sandwiches (i refuse to even engage in speculation about the amount of mayo used at delis!) etc. for lunch and afternoon snack (so i wouldn’t be starving when I got home) and then I made sure I ate cereal before I left in the morning. At first I was sitting on the "pity pot" – poor me, this is so much work, wish I could just eat what i want, boohoo, etc. (insert light bulb) It hit me: it’s easier to be healthy than to suffer through being overweight. It’s easier to pack a lunch, make sure I make it to the market and have plenty of fresh and clean foods, than to suffer through low self-esteem and not being able to wear the clothes in my closet. Then I realized, it’s much easier to eat well NOW than it was two months ago, because I’ve already changed so many of my old habits. Example: On Friday we had the dreaded pot luck. I volunteered to bring green salad (fat free red wine vinegarette) so I could eat a lot of something – ANYTHING!- and other people brought spaghetti, chicken, bread, PIZZA, brownies, brownies, brownies, cookies, chips, chips, etc. Lord have mercy. But you know what I did, I ate pizza. One (count ‘em, ONE) slice of veggie pizza, lots of green salad, and about a 1" square brownie that I ate with a fork in about 14 bites, mostly because then it’s like you didn’t eat it at all. that’s the law. So, I was thinking, that’s pretty good. Actually, that’s great. It’s awesome. Here I am two months ago: 3 to 4 slices pizza, maybe a LITTLE salad, a brownie. A cookie on my way out. Sneak back for fortune cookies when no one is looking. Take the bag. I was telling my husband, it’s like before I was sleep walking. I was totally unconscious of what I was doing, how I was eating, etc. Now I am totally awake, I’m participating in the decisions that I need to make to be a healthier person. It’s a nice feeling. Finally – is there a point to this (besides the one on my head?) – I just wanted to say thanks for your support a week to 10 days ago. I was the one going on about TOM, WW weigh-in, boo hoo. I lost .3 pounds that day (last Saturday) and it was right in the middle of TOM. You all were very sweet about not letting me get wrapped up in the stupid scale (the whole reason I don’t own one, I only get weighed that one day when I go in for a meeting). Rosie even wouldn’t let me call myself a dork just for being proud of my lame little loss. I went back today, and I had lost another 3.4 pounds. I got a "I lost 10 pounds" marker. It’s up with the 5 pound marker from 2 weeks ago ( I was at 7.8 then) on my refrigerator. I finally feel confident that this change will last, that I CAN do it even when I am working (my job is very consuming for me – it’s like a holy grail or something), that it IS more important to FEEL good than to worship the patron saint of calibrated scales. Thanks again for posting here, where I can read it and relate! Smiling Mrs. B 208.8/198.3/140? (YAY!! under 200 – forget what I said about perspective & the scale – that feels GREAT!) WW123 since 8/8/98
