Dieting Can Be Hard

When your desk looks like this everyday:



These pics are actually from a few weeks ago, but I still get at least a bag of chips, two bags of cookies, and two or three juices EVERYDAY. But thankfully, I'm not tempted to cheat. The chips are the hardest, but recently it's been Ranch flavored Doritos, my least fav. And the cookies have been the plain animal crackers (I only like the one from the cool little-circus themed box). Plus I rarely drink juice, so that's not a problem.

Besides South Beach, the other major thing going on is I'm finally an official Kindergarten lead teacher. That means I'm privileged and one of the chosen to attend special banquets, luncheons, and meetings. My first is a trip to Austin next weekend. All the ladies are going Saturday so we can stop in San Marcus and shop, and all the guys are coming Sunday after they attend the Texans game. As much as I love new shoes and accessories, I would so rather go to the football game! Oh well. So much for remaining under the radar.

Back to the Beach

South Beach that is.

I strayed away after I went to England. I tried to get back on Phase I when the school year started, but the stress of school and the breaking of the addictions gave me migraines everyday for a week and I just couldn't hang on. Thankfully I still had the SB principles and ate well 80% of the time.

But now I'm back with a vengeance! I'm not a goal-oriented person, so it's a little difficult. But I am a devoted friend, and I think that's what's going to help.

I'm doing it with my friend Melissa and she has major health problems, so compounded with being over weight, her body is basically shutting down. For her it's a matter of life and death. Thankfully, her family is being more supportive and have already started to notice an improvement in her. And, amazingly, her husband even said if it works for her he might need to do something too!

I would cringe every time I saw her wash down a bag of potato chips with a can of coke; not to mention all the fast food. Granted, I'm not one to judge, but still, I don't think I was that bad! So I told her I would make all the food for lunch if she would eat it as well as boiled eggs for breakfast.

We started Monday and she's already lost 6 pounds! I've lost about 4 (not too sure cause I forgot to weigh myself Monday so did it Tuesday). Next week we're going to start weighing in with the ladies over at One Weigh Or Another.

Wish us luck!

The Prodigal Returns

But no slaughtering of a fatted calf, or whatever, for me. No sir e. More like 15 minutes on the spin bike (which inflicts pain upon areas that God never intended to receive pain apart from childbirth). 2 miles walking at 4.0 and 3.5 on an incline. I had to reduce the incline cause i was nearly falling off the treadmill! Plus 250 knee lifts. Then outside for 4 laps around the parking lot (which equals a mile). Then this weird kicking thing where u get a partner and, beginning w/ the right leg, alternate kicking at each other's waist at the same time. 2 sets of 40 and 2 sets of 50 kicks. Then another 2 laps around the parking lot. Then suicides -- where u run to the first line, touch it, run back to the starting line, touch it, run to the 2nd line, touch it, run back-- I think u get the idea. When I got home I made a beeline to the spa. Unfortunately it took 20 min to heat up, so I occupied my time w/ eating a nice South Beach dinner of halibut, brown rice, and roasted brussel sprouts. Mmmm . . .

Anyway, that's what happens when you don't see your trainer for nearly a week. He tries to kill you.

So I'm still amazed that summer is SPEEDING BY. It's crazy! I've had trainings this week and last. They've been very informative. But the best part (besides that they were free cause my school actually paid for them) is all the free stuff I've received. Literally hundreds of dollars worth of materials. It's awesome! Today's seminar I had to pay - a whole $20 - but I won a door prize AND got 3 reference books. I love this teacher training stuff! Esp since I get to see at least 3 or 4 friends at each session!

So that's how I've been spending my time. What about you?

Oh, and did I mention I'm going to England next week? Very excited! I'll be there for 17 days! Mostly in Bedford but I'll go up to Sheffield to visit some friends and down to London to visit another friend and I hope to see more of the country; something that didn't happen on my previous visits cause I was working or visiting w/ people. So far my friend Justyna and I have trips planned for Brighton (which I always read about in Jane Austen books) and Cambridge (which I know will make me want to go to grad school -- at Cambridge. Keep dreaming, Deb). I'd love to visit Ireland or Scotland, but Justyna's Polish passport has expired and she may get deported if she gets caught. Something I don't think her hubby would appreciate . . .

Back in the Saddle Again

No, I'm not dating, I'm back at the gym. And I'm a bit sore today.

I fully intended to type up this post last night but I had a migraine that would NOT go away. It finally did around 2 am, thankfully.

Anywho, yesterday I was a big girl and made my way across town to meet my trainer. He was very gracious and didn't work me as hard as I feared he would. Nevertheless, I was DYING at the end of it.

Normally I would go and he'd work me for well over an hour; closer to an hour and a half. I'd be exhausted at the end of it all but feel well. Yesterday, I was about ready to throw up and I couldn't believe I was having such a hard time. I didn't realize how much my strength and endurance had drop after many months of inactivity. So sad.

Here's what he had me do:
-Warm up on the bike; 12 min on level 5
-250 leg lifts (I did 300 cause I was waiting for him to come back from talking to someone else)
-200 jumping jacks (who knew that fun childhood exercise could be a form of torture 20 yrs later?)
-15 stairs (going up and down 15 times; this is the one that surprised me -- thought he would give me more, then happy he didn't cause that's around the time I was ready to puke)
-1 mile on the treadmill (this also surprised me; used to do 2 or 3. but again, I was ready to lose the contents of my stomach)

For John the Trainer, this is an easy workout. As I was finishing my mile he was calling people outside for a torture camp. I was so paranoid he would call me out there I kept my head down and kept walking/jogging. When I finished my mile (which took a good 14 minutes, sadly) I went over to him and said I was about to throw up. He said those three beautiful words, "You're finished, sweetie." He didn't have to tell me twice; I got the heck up outta there!

I'm supposed to go back in a couple hours. I'll let you know if I make it out of there alive again.

Dieting by Default

So, my brother Eric/Bird and his wife have been on South Beach Diet for a few months now. Amazingly Eric has stuck to it, hasn't cheated, and therefore, dropped 40 pounds! (Good for u, bird!)
So last week my brother David/Sha decided to give it a try, after seeing how successful Eric has been. Plus Bird and Brandi convinced him he could drop 5 pounds by the end of the week, allowing him to fit more easily into his suit for the funeral. Well, we all went to lunch that first day (Tuesday) and Bird and Brandi schooled him in the ways of South Beach. I told them all I will do South Beach for the week, to give Sha moral support. Honestly, I just didn't want to be the only one pigging out all week.
Fast forward to today, 9 days later: Everyone's gone, but I'm still dieting! What the heck?!
I figured I would try to hold out and complete Phase I. Plus, Sha is still on it. Now, I'm okay with one brother weighing less than me, but not BOTH OF THEM. Plus, I'm pretty sure I can do whatever they can do.
Therefore, I'm dieting by default (with a tinge of sibling rivalry mixed in).
And I've lost about 10 pounds. Hopefully, next week I can start consistently going to the gym again . . . I wonder if my trainer remembers me . . . He better, since he's engaged to one of my best friends and they're coming to my birthday party next week!
All that being said, I want sugar, darn it! I can't wait to start Phase II so I can start eating those two squares of dark chocolate everyday!