The More I Eat, The More I Lose...

     High school students - there's only one thing that I don't miss about them: they have the ability to make me feel older than dirt when I'm still in my twenties. How does that happen? Someone in their thirties can make me feel like a young buck...or doe...or whatever the female equivalent is to that metaphor, but someone who is sixteen sends me straight to retirement age but without the beauty of menopause providing cramp free living. I often gave examples pertaining to films, actors, or actress to my students in order to further illustrate a point, and I would get, "Who was in what?" I would stare blankly and wonder how they missed something so vital as the existence of Molly Ringwald. These students who can quote every episode of Family Guy cannot pick Morgan Freeman out of a lineup. An entire generation that is being raised to think that vampires are Abercrombie wearing glitter boys gave me a lost dog look when I spoke about Elton John...except for that one time when a young girl said, "Oh yeah, he was that guy that did that duet with Lady Gaga once..." It floors me. It doesn't matter that I graduated high school ten years ago because technically that was yesterday, but to them, it does matter...I'm "old."

     Now, for those who are not "old" but who are awesome will understand the comparison when I say that when it comes to packing a lunch or eating a meal, I am no one short of being Emilio Estevez on The Breakfast Club. I pack my lunch everyday, and when I say pack, I mean that I prepare myself for a North Korean-invasion-lock down-fire in the hole-kinda day. And I eat everything that I put in my thermal Tote lunch bag, everyday. I'm a school teacher, and I believe in No Crumb Left Behind. So, the probability of me eating your crumbs if you dine beside me is high...you have been warned. Now, is it necessary? Yes! I am an active couch sitting individual, and I need to fuel my body for such related activities. Actually, since my husband is TDY, I'm back to my gym going habits which has sparked this 'over eating is a good thing' realization. So yeah, I'm a gym rat when he's gone. What else am I going to do? Clean the apartment? Unpack untouched boxes? Attempt to understand the Kindergartner's mind? Learn Korean? Ummm, I figure my choices were gym rat or gluttonous doughnut eating alcoholic. I decided to save the second one for when he deploys.

     So yeah, the realization that I had actually happened when I went back to the commissary. Why in the world was I making so many trips to the store? Because I was eating myself out of house and home and apartment and flat and cardboard box. Why am I not gaining weight? Is it because I'm working out and teaching classes again? No, I'm only getting an hour a day, if that...besides my five hour Tuesday workouts...that's a brag session for later. How is it that I am eating more and have lost four pounds in three weeks? Which is a huge accomplishment for this girl because I have been on a steady weight gain since I moved out here. Anytime I see a loss, I shall celebrate it! Wouldn't you believe that all those people who say that if you eat healthy, you might just lose a little bit of weight are actually right...well, heck-fire. The reason I am going to the store so often is because one, all of the foods I have been eating are fresh, so they need to be eaten before they go bad, and two, I am genuinely relying on fruits, veggies, and lean protein to get me to the end of the day. I have my one cup of coffee in the morning and then that's it for the caffeine. It would be hazardous if I went without that one cup: it keeps my hands from the potential frostbite that we fight off daily on our way to work.

    If you took a look in my lunch box, I have at least three pieces of fruit, two servings of veggies, some form of protein loaded calcium, a carb source of some kind, and either a soy or tofu product, and sometimes, I even put a big ol' pickle in there. Oh yeah...! As much as I'd like to be little Ms. Clair and pull out my fancy schmancy box of sushi and soy sauce, I believe in quantity over quality when it comes to lunch. Now, I do not sit and eat all of my food at once. I snack on it throughout the day because when my little ones go to lunch at 10:30...seriously...I am still digging my breakfast sandwich from teeth at that hour...that's the time I usually eat some fruit and veggies. I graze all day, and all day, I'm happy. And that's just lunch!

    This kind of eating works for me. I'd much rather eat all of that food which probably totals around 500 calories that are also full of vitamins, nutrients, and pretty colors instead of a 1,000 calorie loaded item I could get from the food court. The biggest benefit from doing this all week is that when I do fall off of the wagon, and this week, did I ever fall, it's not detrimental. I'm not putting one, two, or three bad decisions on top of a week of bad decisions. Plus, eating like this becomes a habit, so when I do steer off course and eat a bag of Haribo Gummy Bears, it's literally an off course moment. So again, I've been doing well during the work week, I give myself a little room on the weekends, and there still seems to be a weight loss when I go to weigh in...sounds pretty good to me. Don't hold me to that this week, though. I am one to own up to my mistakes, and this past week was just a huge mistake. I think I would have eaten the face off of a puppy in order to distract myself from cramps that were hand delivered by Satan. But thankfully, the cramps have convened else where in order to plot out 'certain death' tactics for next month, and because they have left me alone for now, I am appreciative.

    So yeah, when it comes to eating my lunch, I only eat foods that have so much good to offer my body when before I ate foods that only offered my body cellulite, loss of jean button, and self loathing. I am all about eating to lose weight; it's just too simple to do, why wouldn't I want to do that? For my next few posts, I'll discuss exactly what I pack and why it's the most delicious thing ever. Even though I go for quantity over quality, I do not sacrifice taste...ever. I'll also be sharing the must haves for the fridge and pantry, and I'll share a few tips for those who are just like me, The Chronic Snacker!

     If you pack your lunch, here's my most helpful suggestion for you. Pack something that needs be in the refrigerator. If you are eating something that can sit out all day, there's a chance that it is processed, and that is no good. Is it easier to choose a frozen meal or a can of soup? Yes, but think about it this way. If you put the energy into choosing and packing the right foods, that food will put the energy back into you. If you were lazy and chose something off of the shelf, that food will be lazy right back to you. And humor me, will you? I say fridge because I like my fruit and stuff cold, but if you can eat an apple that you kept on your desk, then I am obviously not talking to you. That's my little challenge for you this week, and this doesn't just apply to those who pack lunch. This can be for anyone who eats lunch, so I guess the majority of my peeps are being addressed. This week, I wish you happy packing! 

     

A Treadmill Can't Buy You Happiness

     I believe that it was October when I decided to make Pre New Year Resolutions in order to avoid overwhelming myself with a bunch of "impossible" resolutions. Everything was going well and then I got a job. Not just any job, one way out of my comfort zone that is proving to be more difficult than I ever thought possible: Kindergarten Teacher. Yup, I taught high school English for four and half years; this is my degree, this is where I feel most comfortable, this is the content where I get so excited I can't contain myself...this is where I am meant to be. Since the high school is no where near here, I must take what is offered to me and thank God for blessing me with new opportunities. I also believe that God needed a good laugh every now and then. I now have a ton of respect for elementary teachers; they deserve a raise and a bottle of Moscato. My husband pointed out the other day that I used to be obsessed with having babies and wanting to get pregnant right away, and now, I never even mention having children. This job opportunity shook up my schedule and my nerves, so it's time to do what everyone else in the world has done and make some resolutions.
     The key to making resolutions, however, is to add little things on there that can actually happen. For instance, sometimes at night I fall asleep reading the Kindle without having washed off my daily makeup, leaving me all sorts of icky in the morning. My little resolution would be to wash my face before I pick up the Kindle...something that easy is possible. I have spoken with people who make these huge goals that intimidate the pants off SNL's Pat...and that's a difficult task because Pat does not go without pants. I am a believer in making short term goals in order to complete long term goals. I am also a believer that some people are all work and no play when they are making their resolutions. The most common thing I see on resolution lists is the idea of losing weight or working out or something of that nature. They, including myself, want a healthier lifestyle. You won't meet anyone who is more of a fan for that than me. But it takes a lot more than those two things (exercise and diet) to be healthy through and through.
    I have learned that if I am not mentally healthy, I'll never be physically healthy, and that works on both spectrums. If I lay around on the couch while stuffing myself with Kit Kats and ice cream (that was my Christmas break) because I believe that I can't look any worse than I do right now but say it with a smile, I am accepting defeat and hurting myself more. If I run twelve miles everyday, lose 30 lbs, and eat only organic because I am too scared of looking in the mirror to see "fat Abigail," then I am being driven with negativity to reach my goals...not mentally healthy. The way we talk to ourselves when we look our best or our worst shows exactly how mentally healthy we really are. Again, baby steps, short term goals need to be made in order to reach that true level of happiness and personal acceptance. So you've been going to the gym all this past week; good for you! Are you rewarding yourself properly? Are you patting yourself on the back? Are you bragging about your accomplishments? Or are you staring at everything else you still have to do? Are you telling yourself that you could have tried harder? Are you beating yourself up because you missed a day or had too many calories? Again, you can look the part of being healthy without really being healthy. Do not cheat yourself out of these accomplishments.
    I, too, have made resolutions to be a healthier me, but I have been a gym rat before and have still hated me to the core, so I want to be proactive and avoid that personal abuse. These are my resolutions to a happy, healthy brain:

I'm Fat
NO MORE SAYING I'M FAT. My husband and I have both decided to alleviate this from our vernacular. True, there are moments where I feel bloated and pudgy, but I don't need to announce it to the world. It doesn't help me, or those who are around me.

Gossip
This might seem unrelated, but negative comments and slurs can bring down your moral and hurt any chance of having a positive outlook. I am removing myself from conversation, only adding positive remarks, or totally switching subjects. It's not nice, and I won't have anything to do with it.

Write It Down
I just read recently that it is bad facebook manners to post your workouts, that it looks like you're bragging. Well, duh!!!! I am bragging! Even the fittest of fit persons has a right to be proud of a workout. If I do it, I'm going to tell someone. In fact, when I see on facebook that people are working out or making healthy decisions, I feel more apt to do it. So yeah, I will write down and document my journey. Take that facebook posting bullies.

Blessings
There is not a day that goes by that I don't count my blessings. I have so much on my plate that God has given me that I have no reason to be upset ever again in my life. I do get the teary eyes and the trembling chin when I get homesick, and on more than one thousand occasions do I miss teaching high school, but at the end of the day, I am blessed. God has provided me with so much that I will not ruin my days with complaining about stuff that I don't have or things that have gone wrong.

Smiling
I have started smiling in public all of the time. If I am walking down the hall, down the side walk, or I'm going down the elevator, I am smiling. If someone sees it, they smile back, and how can that not make your day?

Share the Love
I have started giving compliments to people even if I don't know them. I'm not doing it because I'm lying or just trying to be nice, but these are things I really think about, so that person should hear it. It usually makes them smile, and then it starts the whole domino effect of positivity.

Listening
I am a chronic interrupter, and it's usually because I get really excited that I know what the other person is talking about, but now I'm putting forth the effort to listen and just nod. I'm learning more about people, and this helps me to understand different concerns and frustrations that others may have, making me more sensitive to certain subjects.

I am a big fan of making 2012 the year of healthy decisions, but I am going to make sure that I cover every area. Life is too short, time is measured, and it's just too easy to get lost in the negativity that is around us. Embrace what you have, celebrate you, and smile...keep the dominos falling.