HERE I GO AGAIN..

Sup, yo? What'd I miss??

Soooooooo...I discovered a whole new world on Instagram. A world of teachers who go gaga over Papermate FLAIR pens, planners, and pink pencil sharpeners. Who knew? O, by the way, I teach...Special Education. 

Anywho, one of the teachers I follow on IG, Bradley from @bradleys_learning_paradise, started a challenge on DietBet. I think I may join in. 

What have I got to lose...besides weight (Ha Ha. No pun intended). Besides, ringing in my 40th a few lbs. lighter...works for me. 

I need to sleep on it though...

SIGH...HERE I GO AGAIN!

Survival of the Fittest

Not quite the fittest, but I survived my first week back to work. Next Tuesday the students return and my room still needs some major  tweaking.  Since I invested so much time and moolah in my previous classroom aesthetics, I decided to keep my western theme. YEEHAW Y'ALL! 

Just a little preview...

Soooooo....I think I may start a educational blog spotlighting my adventures in teaching. Maybe...IDK.

I would love to blog more, but I'm tireder than a one-legged man at an a$$ kicking contest...sweet dreams peeps.  

Grabbing the bull by the BALLS...

Since I failed to win the lottery or marry into money, tomorrow I return to work after a much deserved restful summer hiatus! YES, I plan to marry for wealth, not love. Pssshh...love is overrated. Been there, done that...got the shirt, the mug, the pen, the book, the hat, the bumper sticker, AND wrote the script for the Lifetime Movie. 

Thanks to my impending 40th birthday next year, I spent the majority of my summer internally wrestling with my demons. At the forefront...weight loss *heavy sigh*. After my MANY MANY episodes of Internal Dialogue Theater I came to a realization.

I am in the midst of a  MIDLIFE CRISIS, aka midlife transition. And I also just realized I do not know how to spell midst...thank you spell check.

I admit I spiraled out of control a few times this summer and engaged in some audacious behaviors like...well never mind that.  Anyway, in an attempt to rein in the madness I decided to turn this so called "crisis" into an opportunity. An opportunity to make some life-changing decisions and grab the bull by the balls. Or is it...grab the bull by the horns. Either way, I'm grabbing something...

So, life changing decision number #1, GET BACK IN THE WEIGHT LOSS GAME before I end up like THAT...AGAIN!

So, now what? 

First and foremost, I must stop succumbing to the F**k IT Fallout Effect! I falter one time, and say to myself, "F**k it! I quit. I'll pick up where I left off...tomorrow." And the fallout, one bad behavior snowballs into an avalanche of F**k its! And the next thing I know, I find myself eating sour gummy worms for dinner...true story.

Instead of falling prey to the F**k It Fallout Effect, I need to WORK ON the following:

• STOP. STOP and think. STOP criticizing myself.  STOP and realize I made a faux pas. It happens to everyone.

• ASK. Ask myself, what did I learn from my faux pas and what do I need to do differently to make my healthy lifestyle change WORK?

• FOCUS. This weight loss undertaking requires dedication and commitment. Consequently, I need to stay focused and not surrender at the first sign of trouble.

• EXONERATE. The most important aspect of any weight loss plan, forgiveness. I need to remember, in the event of a faux pas, I MUST exonerate myself, not dwell on my mistake(s), and KEEP IT MOVING.

Check it out I created my own acronym...SAFE. 

• STOP
• ASK
• FOCUS
• EXONERATE

O_o I just glanced at the clock and it read 1:48 AM. I wholeheartedly appreciate my summers off, but as summer progresses, I fall into a routine of languidness which drastically alters my schedule. As a result, I stay up until the break of dawn and sleep til noon or later. I wonder if any other teacher suffer from Summers-Off-Screwed-Up-Sleeping-Pattern Syndrome.

I digressed. Back to the subject at hand...

Damn grabbing the bull by the horns. BALLS. I choose BALLS...more aggressive. And I need to be MORE aggressive in my ATTACK this time. My 40th birthday approaches and I WILL BE...

FORTY, FIERCE & FABULOUS!

Did you read my last post? FYI, It's pretty cool.

back from the dead...

Lately...

I have not blogged.

I have not tracked.

I have not planned.

I have not exercised.

The old fat me squeals..."Hells to the yeah!"

The new fabulous me screams..."O Hells to the NO!"

 

This picture inspired my post!

"Is that you? Yeah...that me."

Real quick, tell me what movie my post title hails from. Okay, first let me provide a hint:

[Doorbell Rings]

[Rings]

Okay. I'm comin'.
Hello?
Geez, this place is so confusing.
Okay.

[Screaming]

Go away!
I call F.I.B.!
I call police!
Go away.!

Open the door.
No way, Jose!

Open the door.
You beat up my face!
You grabbed my nuts.

[Gong clangs]

Is that you? Yeah.
That me.

SIXTEEN CANDLES!!!!!!

Sixteen Candles is my most favoritest (not a real word) movie in the whole wide world. Along with Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Valley Girl, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Some Kind of Wonderful and Weird Science. Sixteen Candles brings back so MANY wonderfully angst filled memories. RIP John Hughes.

Anyway, to the real point of my post and the reason why I started the post with a quote from Sixteen Candles...
As I sat and still sit here stewing in my own swirling pool of negativity, procrastination, defeat, yadda yadda, I failed to mention a major back to work NSV.

So last week while at work one day, I started walking down the hallway to my room and I heard a familiar voice call me name, "Trina?" The voice sounded unsure and then I heard my name again, "Trina???? Is that you?" I thought about answering, "Yeah, that me." Hence the Sixteen Candles quote.

As I turned around to answer the question I recognized a familiar co-worker who shares my obsessive passion for the Twilight series (84 days, 4 hours, 46 minutes, and 28, 27, 26, no 25 seconds until New Moon!). Okay, so I greeted my co-worker and the following exchange occurred:

Twilight Lovin' Co-worker: "OMG girl look at you! Did you lose weight?"

Me: * Twirl* " Lil bit!"

Twilight Lovin' Co-worker: You looking good girl!

Me: Thanks. *Threw in an extra twirl*

You know what? After writing about my NSV, I resign to stop the stewing and start doing (I just decided that at this very moment...right now)! Like I tell my kids suck it up! Man up! And to quote my self in my post Special Ops Mission #1: What's Standing in My Way?

1. I can sit here and whine like a little biyotch about being fat and do nothing (I know that sounds harsh)!
2. OR I can CHANGE and do something about it.

Once again, I choose #2. I don't want to be "THAT BLOGGER." You know, the blogger that cries EVERYDAY like a lil girl about being fat, and then you have to bust out your tiny violin so you can play as you read their "woe is me pity party posts."

Don't get me wrong, stewing and venting is okay from time to time.
But everyday...Ay dios mio!!??

Ay dios mio: Oh my god (in Spanish) mostly said when someone is getting on your nerves or when something bad just happened.

Tomorrow...do over, clean slate, back to square one, new beginning...or as Hollie put it, "Day 1, Again!"

How bought some back to school highlights?

My bulletin board used to display my student's work:




I just love the newness of school supplies!!







Well that concludes the back-to-school highlights, just one of the many events keeping me busy. I hope things fall into place soon, so that I begin posting consistently... at least 3 or 4 times weekly. Also keeping me busy, my Mom's gardening blog Bountiful Harvest. I encouraged my Mom to start a blog about her fabulous gardening adventures, and yours truly provided blogging tutorials to get Bountiful Harvest off the ground. Check it out (shameless plug).

Rocky Road...And I Ain't Talking Bout the Ice Cream

Wheeeeeeew sums up last week and my return back to work. Last week started out rooooooooooocky

Monday:

6:15 AM - Cell phone alarm sounded

6:15 AM - Picked up cell and pushed snooze

6:25 AM - Alarm sounded

6:25 AM - Hit snooze

6:35 AM - Alarm sounded

6:35 AM - Hit snooze

6:45 AM - Alarm sounded, wiped sleep out of eyes, looked at time, rub eyes again, and yelled "CRAP!" after I realized the time.

Tuesday & Wednesday:

My schedule pretty much mirrored Monday's. A rumor started floating around about signing in via computer vs. last years pen and paper method. Wednesday during a staff development meeting, the management team confirmed the rumor. Uh oh...accountability time. So, for me, a sufferer of CLS (Chronically Late Syndrome), this signing in crap greatly impacts my morning and nighttime routine. Now, it is of the utmost importance that I PLAN, PLAN. PLAN! So far, NOT so good.

My rockiness flowed into my weekend as I received my WI results, +.6. I take full responsibility for my results and I rejoiced that I only gained .6. The funny thing, after the receptionist handed me back my WI booklet I continuously stared at my results as though the numbers would magically transform into a loss. C'est la vie.

So last Saturday's meeting How to Get Back on Track, served as the perfect ending to a rocky week. The leader started the meeting with the following questions:

1. "What causes us to get off track?"

For me, my off trackness (not a real word) resulted from a combination of summer vacation ending and work beginning. I struggled to find balance. Balance still eludes me, but I refuse to throw in the towel.

2. "Why do we quit when we don't get the results we want?"

For me. I quit WW a million times before (hence my blog name, repeat offender) due to slow weight loss. A million times before, I weighed in week after week only to watch others drop more weight than me. At that time, I failed to realize that weight loss differs for each and everyone of us!

Now, a million times later, I STILL feel a little frustrated when I fail to obtain the numbers I want, but now I plan to keep the following guidelines in mind:

POSSIBLE PLATEAU CAUSES FOR SLOW WEIGHT LOSS

RELAXED EFFORTS (GUILTY!) -This includes but is not limited to:

• Not tracking points
• Eating more crap (a.k.a. 100 calorie packs) rather than more filling foods (e.g. fruits and veggies).
• Inconsistently exercising.
• Not measuring foods or watching portion sizes
• Missing meetings and weigh-in

TOO MUCH WEIGHT LOSS TO FAST

• If you lose too much too quickly, you start losing muscle. AND muscle is needed to burn fat.

THE BODY'S CHANGING NEEDS

• The less you weigh, the fewer calories and/or points you need.
• WW members must remember to take the points allowance quiz after a birthday, whenever level of activity changes, after certain increments of weight loss, and/or gender change.

NEW MEDICATION

• Various medications can cause weight loss to stall.
• Example of meds causing plateaus: beta blockers, steroids, arthritis, etc.

YOUR BODY ADAPTS TO YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE

• Switch it up!
• Introduce muscle confusion into your work out plan. In other words work out various body parts on different days.

So, the leader provided some great tips to help me, as well as the other members get back on track.

1. BOOST THE AMOUNTS OF FILLING FOODS in order to fell satisfied and full.
2. RECOMMIT TO TRACKING
3. DOUBLE CHECK PORTION SIZES
4. GET BACK INTO YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE. Instead of rewarding weight loss, I plan to reward my self for exercising at least 5 times a week,
5. MIX UP YOUR ACTIVITY AND FOODS . Your body gets boards when you eat the same foods and complete the same exercises.

So for ME, I need to do the following:

• GO TO MEETINGS AND WI WEEKLY for accountability!
• DO NOT JUDGE MY WEIGHT LOSS PROGRESS ON ONE WEIGH-IN!
• GET IN THOSE FILLING FOODS
• JUST MOVE!!!
• DON'T GIVE UP!!

In the immortal word of Dory (Finding Nemo) , "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming (even though I'm drowning.).

Alas the time has come...

Well folks, as of 12:00 AM my Summer officially ends :-( Tomorrow, the teaching staff must report back to work(Actually, I went to work last Friday to jump start my room preparations.).

This past week I walked around in a funk in anticipation of my return back to work. Don't get me wrong, I am more than grateful to be gainfully employed, but I can't help but feel a tinge of remorse as I enjoy my last few hours of Summer. My back-to-work funk interfered with my weight loss endeavor, and knocked me off the wagon. I only worked out once last week, but i managed to make somewhat sensible food choices. Even though I worked out once, my week kept me super busy and active.

Despite residing in Funkytown last week, I managed to drop 2.4 pounds bringing me to a total of 32.6 (something like that) pounds removed! This week I plan to get back on the wagon and ride it till the wheels fall off. GAME ON!

So tonight, I contemplated writing a post about my weekend OR last weekend's end of STATS class celebration OR my mom's red boots, BUT instead I decided to create a photo montage celebrating my first summer off. I hope you enjoy my montage SUMMA-TIME 2009:

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com