{30 thoughts} the new girl at work...

I realized the other day that people at my new school don't know the "old Annie". They don't know the Annie that weighed 220 pounds, ate processed foods, and was miserable.

September 2011

Crossing guard duties

They know the "new Annie". I feel new compared to how I was 2 years ago but yet, I feel like this is who I was meant to be all along. I just hadn't found my place in the world or hit my tipping point!

I am trying to really stay positive at work even when I don't feel like it! I am eating left overs & salads for lunch every day. I go workout after school! When I leave, people ask me what time my barre3 class is or if I am going to the gym. At lunch people ask where I got the recipe for my dish.

barre3 strength. I broke the stapler ;-)

It is so much more fun being the positive, balanced, and healthy teacher. My days are full of schedule changes {I teach 12 groups a day}, lots of kiddos, and paperwork. I am using my time much more efficiently at work, focusing on present during any part of my day {not checking email/phone}, and making sure that first and foremost I am happy.

Because when I am happy, I can do anything.

Fingers crossed {that this year is my best year yet}!!!

just down the hall....

...is one of my biggest inspirations!


My coworker Amy has been on her life style change for a few years now! She started her journey in the second half of 2010, Which is just about a year before me. Her beginning weight was within a couple of pounds of my beginning weight, so when I first started my journey it was very motivating to see someone who was as overweight as I was, could do it.

Amy is a weight watchers fanatic!! She loyally tracked every single day and now runs her own weight watchers meetings!! Amy lost her weight by eating correctly, talking to people about what she was learning, and by becoming a runner.



The pictures in the left-hand column are from our end of year staff retreat in June 2010. Amy says this is pretty much right before her tipping point. I still had a year and a half until my tipping point and I would bet I gained another 20-25 pounds from this picture when I was at my heaviest. From both of our heaviest we have lost 154 pounds combined!!! That's more than either of us weight now!

It's quite an awesome experience to have someone losing weight the healthy way who you work with. It's daily motivation.

Fingers crossed {that I continue to inspire others}...

Friday treats {the I heart Skittles edition}...

Well, this week didn't go as good as last week during Friday Treats. I blame the Skittles. Skittles and Starbursts are my weakness. I don't particularly like chocolate unless it is dipped on a strawberry or mixed in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

But as far as going out of control is concerned - I know what it was. I've been following the barre3 ~ 28 to Great challenge food this week and am feeling deprived. I am SICK of eating lettuce. This is why weight watchers has worked for me...I can still eat what I want to. It's not that I'm not loving the challenge but I feel so.freaking.hungry. It also didn't help yesterday that a co-worker sat across from me at lunch eating a Burgerville burger and fries and commenting on how good it was. Yeah, that didn't help one bit.

Back to the treats...

My plan of attack this week was to get fruits and veggies (and a few Skittles and 1/4 of a muffin) before lunch. THEN...when I went back in for lunch I'd have more fruits and veggies and a treat or two (or a few handfuls of Skittles) of what was left. It worked...until I went back in for lunch!

2nd Grade Team ~ 1.11.13

 

Let's start at the top and go around.

 

pretzels, chipotle pretzel thins, tortillas chips, salsa with cream cheese, brownie bites, mixed fruit salad, random carb tray (that's my name for it), sweet peppers, Costco muffins, almond cinnamon roles, Greek dill yogurt dip, tangerines, veggie tray. There was also chips, candy, and SKITTLES on the table.

 

So, how'd I do?? Well, like I said. There were Skittles involved. Okay, let's talk about Skittles and just get it over with. I love sweet sugar. Not chocolate, sugar. I had quite a few, probably half a cup, which it turns out is 9 weight watchers points. 9/26 for the day. Whoops.

 

Moving on...

 

From the table I had 1/2 an almond muffin, way too many tortilla chips with salsa, 3 tangerines, about 1/2 cup mixed fruit, and about 1/2 cups carrots.

 

Fingers crossed {that I do better next week...and there aren't any Skittles}...

weekly treats in the staff room...

Each Friday is our staff room a different group of teachers is in charge of "treats" day. It is a weekly will power struggle for me. Sometimes I do really good - sometimes I don't.  It's easiest on the days where there are fruits & veggies because then I try to eat those first and let myself have a little bit of something I'd really like {but don't need}. I'd like to be able to show weekly how I handled the Friday Treats Table... I'll try to post about what I was thinking, what I ate, and how I felt.

Friday, January 4th ~ 5th Grade Team

 

Muffins from Costco, red grapes, tangerines, strawberries, bananas, cherries, Club crackers, variety of cheese.

 

 

What I had ~ 2 tangerines, 4 crackers (with my lunch), and 1/2 of the almond poppy seed muffins.

 

I was happy that there was fruit & veggies to choose from. I ate the fruit and 1/2 muffin after school had started. I've started eating a "snack" about half way through the morning - usually an apple. It's really helped! For lunch on Friday I didn't have a salad because I didn't have any lettuce so I had a larger portion of soup. I probably didn't need those 4 crackers but in my head I said "well, at least they are multi-grain".

 

We'll see what next week brings!

 

Does anyone else have treats around at work?? All week? On certain days?

 

I actually like that it's really only every Friday. I can mentally prepare for it!

 

Fingers crossed {that next week there is fruits & veggies}!!!

the next steps...

While 2012 will always be the year that started this journey for me...I'm hoping 2013 will be the year the pieces really begin come together! There's more to life than the list below but this is where I'll be focusing a portion of my energy.

Here's a few ways I'm planning on making this happen!

Naturopathy

I have my first appointment for the end of February. I'm actually kind of happy that it's that far out. It will allow me to go to my 1 year Endocrinology checkup January 22nd and process some of the information I recieve there. It's my plan to go off the Metformin sometime in the next year. It may be February, it may not, but I'm okay with either way. I know there are a few insulin-inhibitors out there, I just need to educate myself about them. My naturopath will also help me with this. I found a nathuropath who isn't totally opposed to "western medicine" so I am happy with that. More updates next year as I begin treatment with her! The above picture was actually from a handout she had in her office...pretty much sums me up! I'm excited to learn more about PCOS this year and what it means for my future.

Healthy Eating Choices/Routine {this is NOT a diet}

I plan on this being the year I start to understand food more. Part of this will be through the naturopath, part through the barre3 challenge I'm doing, part towards what I've read in the last year, and part in ways I cannot yet imagine. I have it on my "to do list" to watch/read Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and Forks Over Knives. While both of these programs seems pretty extreme I know there are pieces I can take and put into my life. I need to start planning and implementing a menu/rotation and also setting aside a time one or two days a week to cut veggies and foods so I'm not doing it every.single.night because that can get tiring! I am ready to take the next step in food. It's been over half a year since we've had crackers or candy in the house. {I'm not counting the ONE candy cane Santa brought me}.

Exercise

This is actually becoming the easiest part of my routine. I am in love with barre3 - which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who reads this blog! And while I've always wanted to become a runner I just don't know if it is in the cards for me. I'd need a dozen rolls of duct tape (to tape my boobs down) and a few dozen inhalers (to keep my asthma in check). Oh, and a new lower back! Arthritis and running don't seem to go well together. Last year my goal was to workout 4 days per week. And while I don't think I hit that, I bet I came close! I bet I did 3 times a year. This year I KNOW I can do 3 times a week. I'm going to try to figure out a real & easy way for me to track all of this...you know how I like my data!

Personal Balance

This is a tough one for me. It's tough for me to deal with and tough for me to blog about, partly because I don't know who is reading this blog. I haven't made the blog private yet...because I want to inspire people, not hide from them. But because of that, there are just some things I won't talk about. I recently watched The Secret. I was very intrigued by it. I think I actually used to have the book but I never read it and it is no longer on the shelf so I must have dontaed it. It just wasn't the time for me to hear the message. I'm not even sure this is the time but when I was listening to it I knew I wanted to watch it again, with my husband. Maybe there is something to it...

Personal Relationships & Technology

I want to unplug and reconnect with those around me, especially my husband. We both definitely need time to unwind and veg in the evenings but it is getting old being on the computer or iPad's all evening. I know that my husband's job requires him to work 24/7 and while I don't like it, the fact that he has to do it isn't going to change. We've starting by sitting back at the dinner table instead of infront of the TV. And even though it is only 10 minutes or so...it's 10 minutes that I now look forward to after only 1 week of implementation.

 

I also have some friendships I need to continue to workout. Some that I need to not work as hard at. And a few I'd like to try to progress from the "a few times a year friend" to something more. I want to try to find new ways to connect with my friends. Birthday cards? FaceTime? Writing a letter? If anyone has any other ideas...feel free to leave them as a comment!

 

 

 

Fingers crossed {that this is the best year ever}...

back to school...and out of synch!!!

Well, it's back to work for me... I love teaching but man, being a special education teacher can be a draining job!!!

I am definitely trying to be a creature of habit this year and so far it is kind of working...I really need to stop working 10 plus hour days so I can get to Barre3!!!

 

~creating habits at home~

 

~ making my bed every morning. I have never, ever, ever in my life done this. It isn't very pretty but it is done and tidy looking. I do it while brushing my teeth so many that is why it is messy ;-)

 

 

~ cleaning up my stuff in the bathroom before I leave

 

~ making my lunches at home the night before

 

I've been documenting my lunches on my Instagram Account. You can find me under the hashtag #annieslunchbox

 

first day of school!

yesterday.

 

~food management. Last night when I was making dinner I was triple-tasking. Making dinner, packing my lunch for the next day & cutting veggies for the next day's dinner!

 

Since I just started services two days ago I have yet to really go into a routine at school...we'll get there!!

My biggest goal is to figure out how to schedule and plan exercise! One of the nice things about Barre3 is that you can sign up online ahead of time and if you don't go/don't cancel you still get charged - which is really motivating to go!!! They have 4:15 times and 5:30 times most days which will eventually work for me (someday) when my schedule simmers down!! I've also been doing some mybarre3 and I am doing the "28 to Great mybarre3 challenge" starting next week!!!

I'm so excited to get started and see what it is all about!!!

 

If you're a teacher...how do you fit exercise in your schedule?!?!