Success

As I posted last night on Instagram, I was really looking forward to my first weigh-in since my trial week of restarting Weight Watchers. (It wasn't really a trial, I suppose, since I legit stuck to it and did a darn good job, but I wanted to "officially" restart at the beginning of the month.)

Well, I had reason to be excited:

You read that right: three pounds are gone.

I'm really proud of how well I made a goal and stuck with it last week. There were ample opportunities to "slip up," including a Panera-catered breakfast on Monday morning, candy galore at various meetings throughout the work week, and treats in the staff lounge nearly every day. There were also a couple of days where I really wanted a glass of wine or an easy-to-grab-but-full-of-calories dinner, but I opted against all of the above, especially when I saw the "blue dot" was within reach.

(A "blue-dot day" happens when you're close to hitting your daily points target: ten points below or five points above.)

What can I say? For better or for worse, I am extrinsically motivated. Gimme all the blue dots.

Yesterday was a weird day, including breakfast at 11:00 and lunch at 5:00, so don't judge me on my popcorn dinner.

I mostly stuck to the pre-determined meal plan, too. Some of the meals got moved to different days, and there was one recipe I didn't make at all; but, that will be tonight's dinner instead.

What I am really excited about is that I was not hungry -- like, at all. I think drinking a lot of water and trying to fill myself up with fruits and veggies really helped in that regard.

Also, I was able to have fun meals, too; for instance, I had a poke bowl for lunch/dinner yesterday that was to die for, and on Friday, I had a bagel sandwich (with smoked salmon, capers, and arugula), which was worth every single point.

Last week, I also worked out five days, despite coming down with a late-summer cold. I took Wednesday morning off (a day I normally do Pilates), and I skipped Saturday as well. I normally don't work out on Saturdays, but I was also so ridiculously exhausted (and not feeling well) and pretty much slept all day anyway.

I had some other successes as well: I more than hit my goal with water intake every single day except for one when I was just short of it. (It was Saturday, and I was too busy sleeping all day to drink water.)

I had Caribou and Starbucks once each and sushi zero times; but, to be fair, I did grab a poke bowl twice instead. What can I say? I love me some ahi tuna.

I did an okay job with phone time, but I found myself "ignoring" the time limit a few days. Oh well: baby steps.

What I really need to work on now, though, is sleep and steps. I only met my sleep goal four times last week (although I was just four minutes short one night). And, I didn't hit 8,000 steps or 10/12 "movement" dots at all; perhaps that was due to lots of meetings and focused work time, but regardless, I need to up my game.

All of this is to say that I am really excited about keeping this momentum going. I am ready to feel good again -- and am determined to make it happen.

Thanks for reading. :)

Proud

I haven't updated y'all with a weight-loss / weight-gain post since February 4th, which was a whopping three weeks ago. So, here's the result of that time period:

Honestly, it's what I expected, as I mentioned in my last post: with traveling, having 8,000 snow/cold days, coming down with The Plague, and just getting off track in general, the scale was bound to move in the less-desired direction.

So, you may be wondering why in the world I titled my post Proud. Well, friends, let me tell you:

1. I have had two super-hard workouts already this week. Both yesterday and today, Pilates was tough, and I pushed myself.

At my main location (Woodbury), we're working on an advanced-to-me move, Snake:

This video is 100% not me.

I am very strong, and I am pretty decent at most Pilates moves. I am not, however, good at anything that involves holding myself up with my arms/wrists/hands, especially when it involves a moving surface.

I'm not entirely sure why. Part of it, I think, is that my elbows hyper-extend quite a bit, and I'm worried about them doing so when I'm trying to hold myself up; also, this hyperextension can make my wrists pretty sore when I put weight on them. Part of it is that I am not confident in the strength of my arms versus the power of my legs.

Whatever the reason, these types of movements terrify me.

But yesterday, I attempted a very-adapted version of the exercise pictured above, and I was able to get up -- albeit for a short time -- on my wrists. And that made me proud.

2. I stuck to my nutritional plan both yesterday and today. Yesterday, it was fairly easy, but today, I chaperoned a field trip, and our wonderful cafeteria workers packed me a sack lunch. While I ate the apple sauce, I opted out of the turkey sandwich, chips, and animal crackers and instead ate the lunch I packed. (I did, however, eat the animal crackers -- and tracked them -- on my way-too-long commute home.)

And speaking of that long commute home, I really didn't want to cook and instead wanted Jesus and I just to head to a restaurant instead. But, we made a good choice: we got home, cooked some fast (and delicious) chicken, and noshed on a salad instead.

3. The aforementioned field trip was so much fun. We took our Student Leadership Team to Base Camp for team-building and leadership-strengthening activities.

We started the morning with a goofy ice breaker; most of the students participated, but some were definitely "too cool."

That quickly changed, though, when we did the first "challenge." The whole group had to "island hop" across a "lake full of lava," and they only had two thin boards to use for assistance. It started off as a very individualistic activity, but students quickly realized they had to work together -- and did a really great job of it.

We did another activity where they were all thisclose to each other, which on any other day would likely have not worked; my students really like their space, often wanting to sit all alone rather than with even one more person at the table. But they all participated, and they all did great.

After a quick lunch, we were going to do a high ropes course but instead opted to rock climb. I was originally a bit salty about this, as rock climbing is hard, and I have never been super successful at it. I really wanted to participate -- and be a kid with, well, the kids, but I was uncertain that I could, simply because I am not good at rock climbing.

Well, guess what?

That's me! And I'm, like, a little more than halfway up the wall!

It was really, really hard, and I was really, really not confident, but I did it!

I asked a student to take photos while I was climbing, and I'm not going to lie: while I wanted photo documentation of my attempt, I was dreading what the pictures would look like. I mean, it's hard to look amazing (suck it in, pop it out, get the good angles, find the light, etc.) while in weird climbing formation.

But you know what? I'm not super disappointed in these photos! In fact, I think I look pretty darn strong! And, I'm really, really proud of myself.


So even though the scale has gone up over the last three weeks, I am overall very pleased with how I'm doing: I feel strong, I feel (more) confident, I am stepping outside of my comfort zone and taking risks, and I am looking better -- even in those unplanned, unposed photos. :)

Oh, and even with this recent gain, I'm still down 9.8 pounds overall.

And as I continue to stick to my nutritional plan, I know I'll keep going down.

Adios!

Expectations: Met

Last week started off super strong on the nutrition front, and then it kind of tanked.

This may fall under the realm of TMI, but if you're a long-time reader of my writing, you know that we're past that point. I mean, remember these posts?

If you didn't click on that link yet, go ahead and do so now: you will see that nearly five years ago, I opted for an IUD. As a result, I haven't had a "real" period since, and it's been glorious. However, likely because my body is realizing that this device's time is nearing its end, the ol' monthly visitor has been slowly but surely making a reappearance -- and has been bringing all her baggage right along with her.

Cut to this weekend: all I wanted was pizza and French silk pie.

Pizza, I can understand: it's seriously one of my all-time favorite foods, and prior to Weight Watchers, I bet we ate it once a week (or at least once every two weeks). I haven't had pizza since prior to Thanksgiving, and I was craving it something fierce.

French silk pie, though? I don't know where the heck that came from. Sure, I like pie, and yeah, I like chocolate, and I suppose French silk used to be my favorite (like, years ago). But I haven't had a craving for pie ever, nor have I even eaten French silk pie in probably ten years.

Nom Nom Nom

Cravings are weird, y'all, and they're something I haven't missed in the last five years.

The intense desire for pie started on Thursday or Friday, and I kind of brushed it away: I did not need pie. By the time Saturday rolled around, though, and the craving hadn't dissipated, I acquiesced -- and picked up a frozen pie on my weekly grocery run.

So for dinner on Saturday? We had pizza, French silk pie, and -- wait for it -- salad. I mean, we couldn't be totally unhealthy, right?

I also had two pieces of pie yesterday: one for breakfast and one for after-dinner dessert. And yep, I finished off one slice this morning. (And now the whole thing is gone, THANK GOD.)

So needless to say, I gained weight this week.

Even though this was a direct quote out of my mouth a few hours ago -- "I ate the last piece of pie and now hate myself" -- I'm actually okay with it.

I know that a few factors contributed to the weight gain: the aforementioned nutrition, a few days of not getting enough water (and too much sodium), and missing a day of working out. (I know realistically that one day of missing a workout isn't going to kill me, but...I still wish I would have been able to make it happen.)

I'm trying hard to be optimistic about this week, but there's a lot of lack-of-routine happening: we had a snow day today, and tomorrow and Wednesday are already cancelled due to crazy-low temperatures. And honestly, I will not be super surprised if we don't have school on Thursday either. Time will tell.

I thrive on routine, which is why weekends are kind of hard for me on the nutrition front -- which is also why I really wish I would've chosen any day but Monday to weigh in. :) So, the fact that we have what is effectively a five-day weekend right now is tough.

Today could have been better on the nutrition front (hello, pie), but I'm going to refocus and start anew tomorrow morning. Although, all I want to do during Polar Vortex 2019 is drink wine and eat alllllll the carbs.

Accurate photo of me preparing for hibernation.

Stay tuned, y'all! And stay warm! :)

Seven Days for Every Body

I included this photo in my last post and mentioned that I intended to write more and not simply focus on weight loss. 

And here I am, six days later, and I haven't touched on any of these topics.

Because I have some free time right now (and some motivation to write), I thought I might as well write about all seven.

My 2019 Mantra

Balance

I have gotten pretty good at this over the past year or so -- especially in the last couple of months. But, there is always room to improve, and I want to continue working on balance.

Yes, I need to continue to balance work and home: as a teacher, it is very difficult to leave work at work. There are always lessons to be planned, papers to be graded, etc., but my students also take up a lot of my thoughts; I work in an alternative school, and as a teacher who values authentic relationships and who encourages her students to speak their truths, I often have students unload on me, and it can be very emotionally taxing.

I will say, though, that I have gotten much better at this in the last several years. However, even as I was focusing on balance, I thought to myself that I should really, really be planning my next unit right now. So, I clearly have some work to do.

In addition to work/home, though, I also need to balance some other things: time with my partner, time vegging out in front of mindless TV, time reading, time planning the wedding, time with friends, time writing, etc. Again, this has improved in the last several weeks, especially through the use of my habit tracker, but I know I can still do better.

And, I want to be better about balancing being super-duper healthy (i.e. working out like crazy, eating very healthy, etc.) with being a little more relaxed (i.e. taking a rest day, not freaking out about having a brownie). I am continuing to improve in this area -- and Weight Watchers has certainly helped, especially with the mindset around food -- but yes, there's still room for improvement.

My Go-To ZeroPoint Food

Weight Watchers has a list of more than 200 zero-point foods; these are foods that can be eaten in unlimited amounts. (I mean, these foods still have calories, but they are deemed "zero points" because it's a lot less likely to binge on a bag of chicken breasts than it is to down a bag of chips.)

I have two favorites:

Sometimes I wonder when I'm going to turn orange due to carrot consumption. Jesus's former roommate, actually, used to tease me non-stop about the amount of baby carrots I brought over.

What can I say? I love 'em.

I'm also a huge fan of apples and bananas; they are a constant on my grocery list, and I panic if we're getting low on them. I know that eating all that sugar likely isn't the best, but I usually eat one banana and one apple every day.

My Why

In Weight Watchers, the "why" is essentially your motivation: why did you join Weight Watchers? Why do you want to lose weight?

This certainly deserves a longer post, and I will definitely write it soon. For now, though, I will just say that my "why" is to feel more like myself. Sure, I want to look better, but I also want to continue feeling better. And, of course, I want to look smokin' hot on my wedding day. (But, that is also not my ultimate why. I don't think it's healthy to focus on just appearance or on just one day.)

A Fitness Move/Class I Love

I think y'all already know this one: I love Pilates, and I love lifting. (I would really like to be able to love running again, but I'm not sure that's in the cards for me with my shoddy ankle.)

Speaking of lifting, I had another amazing victory the other day: I leg-pressed 680 pounds for 20 reps. Prior to getting on the machine, my trainer (Tyler) told me that we were going to hit 20 today, and when I saw the weight he added, I was like, "Bwahaha!" He told me to just do as many as I could, and we would adjust accordingly.

Around rep 16, I told Tyler that I didn't think I could do anymore, and he said to keep pushing, that he was right there with me. With a teeny tiny bit of assistance from Tyler, I pushed out the last three reps (and even held the final one for almost the full 15 seconds -- which, let me tell you, is super freaking hard). I think that both Tyler and I were surprised that I was able to do the entire set at that weight.

These big-ass legs are good for something!

I will say, though, that I did a lot of sitting down the rest of the day -- and I was thankful that I forgot my wedges at home and had to wear my Uggs all day instead. My legs during my workout on Friday morning, too, were totally shot; my muscles were pooped.

Fave Weight Watchers Freestyle Recipe

This is another topic about which I would like to write an entire post, similar to what I did for the Whole30 a long time ago on my previous blog.

I have made a lot of amazing recipes, and most of them have come from Skinnytaste -- both online and from her cookbooks, all three of which are incredible.

One of my favorite recipes that I have made from the Weight Watchers website, however, is Creamy Mexican Dip. I made this as part of "taco night" when I hosted book club at my house a couple of weeks ago, and I also plan on bringing it to a potluck at school on Wednesday.

It is sooooooo delicious and does not "taste healthy" at all. I could eat it by the spoonful -- which would actually be better than the 18,000 tortilla chips that I would prefer accompany it.

Compliment Yourself

You know, I am doing really great, and I am really proud of myself. I have been kicking butt -- both in the gym and in the kitchen. I have lost weight, and I have gained incredible strength. And, I'm starting to finally notice that I'm looking a bit different; Jesus and my trainer reassured me that I am, in fact, looking different, which is obviously nice to hear.

The face of someone who is awfully proud of herself.

I'm excited to continue pushing forward, improving both my fitness and my nutrition.

Show Off Your Support Squad

My number one support person is my mama; she's the one who encouraged me to join Weight Watchers, she's the one who's answered every question I could possibly have, she's the first one I call when I'm excited about various things, and she's just the very best mama in the world.

Jesus is also super supportive of me and is my everyday cheerleader. He also eats what I cook and tells me it tastes good, which is always nice. :)

Best Company Ever

I also get a heck of a lot of inspiration from people who don't even know I exist on Instagram. I'll have to accumulate a list to share at some point. Stay tuned.

Well, that's it for now, friends! I'll "see" you tomorrow with our regularly-scheduled "weigh in" post. Hopefully I'll have good news to share (although, the week started out way better nutrition-wise than it ended...eeek).

Peace out!

That's What I Like to See

Well, friends, I'm back on track, and the scale is moving in the right direction yet again:

Unfortunately, this still means that I'm two pounds over where I was two weeks ago, but I am confident that it'll keep creeping down as I continue.

I have, however, been a little hungry lately, and I'm wondering if I'm not getting enough food. Also, as I've mentioned before, Weight Watchers seems to limit fat, so I'm wondering if I'm not getting enough fat in particular. I also know that I'm working out pretty intensely (like, really intensely), and I'm wondering if I should be factoring that into my daily points.

(I do get "activity points" for Weight Watchers, but I tend to just use those "as needed" rather than factor them into my daily points. Maybe I should average those out over the course of seven days and up my daily points accordingly? I don't know.)

What I should really do is have a stash of hard-boiled eggs and other zero-point options at hand all the time.

Also, on a completely random side note, I have realized that I should not have tortilla chips in the house: they are a major weakness of mine. I'm fairly confident that the additional two pounds is comprised entirely of tortilla chips.

Two things to note:

1. I went to the doctor on Friday, and I was honestly dreading the scale a little bit. For some reason, I feel like the scale there is totally different from the scale I have at home, and I was worried that it wouldn't show weight loss. But, it did! It showed that I have lost seven pounds since the last time I was there (in October, I think). Considering my app is showing that I have lost 9.2 pounds since I started tracking (and I went to the doctor after school and had all of my clothes and shoes on), I was pretty pleased!

2. I did something I was sure I would never do: I signed up for a Diet Bet. A few bloggers that I follow regularly host these challenges every so often, and I've always frowned on them (Diet Bets, not the bloggers); and honestly, I'm still frowning on the idea of these challenges. But, I decided that since I'm actively trying to lose weight and have had success thus far, it might be beneficial to add another layer of motivation.

Essentially, if I lose 4% of my body weight in four weeks, I get back my entrance fee ($35) and split the pot (that is currently up to almost $36,000). Truthfully, that seemed totally manageable -- until after I paid (kind of by accident via PayPal) and actually calculated the pounds I would have to lose.

It's going to be rough, y'all. So, bye-bye tortilla chips.

Before I wrap up for the night, I'm going to leave you with this:

I saw it on Instagram and immediately took a screenshot as writing inspiration. I can't promise that I'll write every day for the next seven days, but I am going to write about each of these at some point.

I certainly don't want to just write about my health journey via this blog, as I am so much more than just a number on a scale. But, I have so many other things going on that make writing regularly relatively challenging. Since I want to be sure to track my progress, though, I feel like talking about weight and Weight Watchers is all I'm doing.

Here's my schedule: I wake up at 5:15 every day, workout, teach, get home around 4:45, clean up, cook dinner, veg out for a hot minute, take a shower, and go to bed (hopefully before 10:30 p.m.). Sprinkle in some reading, some wedding planning, some hanging out with my boo, and some TV watching, and I have very little time left over.

But, writing is one of my "habits" that I'm tracking, so I would like to get into more of a routine.

So, that being said, other than the above ideas from WW's IG, what are some topics you would like me to cover?

Peace out for now, friends. "See" you soon!

The Time Has Come

Unfortunately, my holiday "binge" caught up to me. As expected, I gained weight this week.

(Of course: as soon as I make the blog "public," I gain weight for the first time throughout this whole thing. Awesome.)

Truthfully, though, I'm not too worried about it.

First, I felt super bloated this morning when I woke up, but that quickly changed after two cups of coffee and breakfast: without going into the realm of TMI, the bloat quickly disappeared.

Second, I know that I did not do an amazing job tracking during the latter half of the week. My soon-to-be step-daughter was in town, and we took her to United Noodles, an amazing Asian market, for ramen and to explore (she is a "Koreaboo" and thought it was the coolest thing ever). Then, we went out for a second night in a row -- to a Chinese buffet, of all places. (I abhor buffets, but it was Xio's choice, and since it was her last night in town, we obliged.) On Saturday, I indulged at Laurie's birthday gathering, and on Sunday, I had a couple glasses of wine while watching the Golden Globes.

Side note: I love watching awards shows "with" my mama. Even though we're in different states, we text throughout the entire thing, and it makes me so happy.

I really wanted them to win all the awards.

Third, I know that I have been slacking in the water-consumption department lately. I'm not sure I drank any water on Saturday, and I did not have much yesterday either. This is absolutely unlike me; I typically guzzle it all day long. Staying super hydrated really does a number on how I feel and, I think, how much I weigh.

So anyway, I gained weight this week. I'm still down more than seven pounds overall, and I know that I will lose again next week. (Heck, I may even be down a few pounds by tomorrow; scale fluctuation is real.) I'm back to tracking absolutely everything, maintaining more control over what I put into my body (i.e. cooking rather than eating out), etc. Healthy choices will be happening this week.

All in all, though, I'm not stressing about this week's weight gain, and I think that shows a lot of growth.

Also, it turns out that blogging is wayyyyyyy easier during winter break. I'm exhausted, y'all!

School started back last Wednesday, and Xio left on Saturday. I feel like I have been go-go-go since before winter break, and I am absolutely wiped. So with that, I'm going to go chow down on some zero-point chili, drink a glass of water, and likely knock out fairly early.

Adios!

Stop Doubting Yourself

The title of this post is my new mantra: stop doubting yourself, Emmy.

After over a week of not tracking a single thing, eating an entire box of ginger bread cookies, going out for drinks two nights in a row (who am I?), grabbing a bite of candy and/or brittle here and there, etc., I still managed to lose weight.

Yes, that's right: I made it through the holidays and lost a pound.

For those of you keeping track (i.e. my mom, the only person who reads this), here's the grand total for 2018 (well, the last five weeks of it, that is):

Eleven point two pounds overall? That's not too shabby -- not too shabby at all.

After a week of (feeling like I've been) binge-eating, I am back to tracking religiously via my Weight Watchers app this morning. As soon as these thyroid meds kick in (I have to wait an hour after I take them to eat), I'm going to indulge in some Mushroom & Swiss Potato Breakfast Casserole. It's been cooking all night and smells delicious -- and, it's only two points!

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time prepping for nutritional success in the coming year. And that preparation has some special (crazy?) kind of "Emmy Organization" to it.

I have found myself cooking a lot of Skinnytaste recipes over the last five weeks: first, her food is super tasty, and second, she already has the points values figured out, so it is much less work for me. But, every week when I go to make my meal plan, I spend quite a while perusing her website -- when I own all three of her cookbooks, have already made (and love) several of her dishes, etc.

So, I went through each of her cookbooks and noted recipes that I would like to make, sorted them (by type of dish), wrote down the title of the cookbook and the page number, and found how many points each was worth. I then went through and highlighted ones I'd already made.

The "Chicken" section is much more highlighted. We eat a lot of poultry.

This will be a super helpful ongoing document: I know that I will continue to look on her website --as well as the Weight Watchers website, Pinterest, Cooking Light, etc. -- for new things to make, so I can update this as I do so. It'll make life so much easier.

And speaking of meal planning, this is how I figure out what the heck I'm making:

First, I identify what my schedule for the week is (second row from the bottom) -- like, if there's anything "out of the ordinary." Then, I figure out when I am able to work out; typically, I do Pilates on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, and I workout with Tyler on Thursday. This week, though, is a little goofy because a.) the studio is closed for New Year's on Tuesday, and b.) I have an afternoon meeting instead of a morning meeting on Wednesday, which means I'm able to workout in the morning.

Side note: when I first started working out before school, I always scheduled my Pilates classes far in advance, knowing that if I "just pressed snooze one more time" and missed the class, it would be a $20 no-show fee. What can I say? I'm externally motivated. Now, though, it's just the norm for me to wake up at 5:15, so I don't usually schedule in advance; also, with it being winter and the weather being so dicey, I don't want to risk not making it due to ice/snow/sleet/etc.

So after I figure out my schedule and my workouts, I plan my meals accordingly. If I have an evening obligation, I know that I should plan an easy dinner for that night (i.e. something in the crockpot). I also know that when I make something that has several servings, I'll be able to eat a lot of leftovers -- hence the duplicates, especially for lunch.

I also obviously left a few "time slots" empty. I don't want to over-plan for a couple of reasons. First, I may have way more leftovers than anticipated, and I don't want food to go to waste. Second, I want life to be able to happen. Like, if I come home from school, and Jesus wants to cook dinner, awesome; I'll let him do so and save my planned meal for the next day. Or, maybe we decide we want to go out to dinner -- great!

Just because all of Sunday is empty for now does not mean it'll be a free-for-all. If I do end up going through all of the planned food prior to then, I'll just quickly plan another menu for us to stick to on Sunday. It'll all be okay.

When I have the week figured out, I look through all of the recipes, make a list of all the ingredients (separated into four columns: produce, refrigerator -- meat, cheese, dairy, freezer, and aisles), "pantry shop" to cross out what I already have, and then do one big run to the grocery store. I sometimes have to stop at a store on my way home from work if I can't find something on my big grocery run, but that's a rare occurrence.

And that's that, friends! Here's to continued success in 2019!

Week Two

I was not feeling as successful this past week, and honestly, I was nervous for weigh-in day (stay tuned for reasons why).

But, here we are:

This makes a grand total of 8.2 pounds in two weeks, which is a-okay, if I do say so myself.

I do, however, have a caveat with this morning's weigh-in: I typically try to weigh myself a few times, just to be certain the scale is as accurate as possible, isn't fluctuating, etc. I did the same this morning, and I kid you not, the scale was drastically different each time I stepped on it -- like, up to a six-pound difference, despite it being minutes (and no added clothing, no food/drink intake or the opposite, etc.) between weigh-ins. But, considering last Thursday I was 0.2 pounds lighter than what I originally weighed stepping on this morning, I went with that.

As I mentioned, though, I was quite nervous stepping on the scale today. Last week had a lot of meals that were difficult to plan. For instance, as I was driving home from work on Tuesday, Jesus asked if he could take me out to dinner. We rarely go out to dinner, so I jumped at that offer -- and panic-ordered a cheese burger, French fries, and a glass of wine. I pretty much spent my weekly points in one night.

On Thursday, I met Laurie for coffee. As we were leaving, she grabbed Thai food for takeout at the restaurant next door, and I opted to do the same; after the day I had, I just didn't want to cook. I opted for a chicken and vegetable option and only ate half the rice; I entered it as best as I could into my Weight Watchers app, but who knows how accurate I really was. Also, I feel like it was loaded with sodium, and even though I'm drinking water like a fish, it was just too much.

And then this weekend, Katie came to town. On Friday, we went to a burrito joint for dinner, and I had a bowl as well as a small chips and salsa. At the concert, I had two vodka-sodas. Again, I entered as best as I could, but who knows.

On Saturday, we went out for breakfast, had two beers at local breweries, and then ate tacos and chips and guac for dinner. Because none of that was cooked by me, it was tough to track. I did it, but I doubt it's accurate.

But, I am proud of myself for two reasons: first, I did not say screw it and go haywire with food or drinks this weekend. Rather, I imbibed in a reasonable amount of fun things and attempted to track everything, too. Second, I did not feel too guilty and kick myself about a "bad" week. When I have followed specific nutritional plans in the past (Whole30, I'm looking at you), I almost developed a sort of disordered perspective on the whole thing: in fact, I often found myself apologizing for food I was eating. "Yeah, I had oatmeal this morning. I know it's bad, but..." This time around, though, I'm really trying to change not only my habits but also my mindset.

And I think it's going fairly well so far.

Now, though, I need to go chug some more water. I have been guzzling (and peeing) all day, and I am still super thirsty. That's what eating out so much will do to me, I suppose!

Adios!

One Week Down...

...and I am feeling so successful.

I know that this is not necessarily what I should ultimately be focusing on, but I'm pretty stoked:

I have tried several different "diets" (for as much as I hate that word), and Weight Watchers -- despite having the worst name ever -- just makes sense. My mom calls it "Whole30 without the crazy." After all, there are over 200 zero-point foods, meaning I can eat as many apples, carrots, and chicken breasts as I want without having to log a single thing. And, I can* eat whatever the heck I want -- within moderation.

*I hate the word "can" when it comes to nutrition. I can eat whatever the heck I want; I am choosing to eat certain things in order to achieve my goals, however.

And that moderation? It's not restrictive. For instance, I ate oatmeal with chocolate chips every morning last week. I also had popcorn and wine a couple of nights. And Saturday was far from a "compliant" day, as I had two dark beers, potato pancakes, schnitzel, chorizo, fry bread, etc. -- it was a day of cultural festivities. While I had no idea how to track most of that, I tried the best that I could.

But y'all, it didn't even matter: I still had 36 points remaining at the end of the week.

This is more than manageable -- and it is absolutely sustainable.

I will say that I have had a bit of a headache all week and have been a bit more tired than usual. (On Friday, we didn't have school, and I was knocked out the majority of the day.) I have been drinking water like it's going out of style, so it's not a dehydration headache. I've also been drinking coffee each morning, so it's not due to a lack of caffeine. I'm not sure what the reason is, but it's been pretty annoying.

Also, I will add that there have been times I've been a bit hungry. My mom mentioned this initially, but it feels like Weight Watchers is still kind of on the "low-fat" bandwagon. Fatty foods tend to "cost" more points, which makes me hesitant to eat them. I think I'm going to start adding some in, such as one Chobani Flip (8-ish points) per day.

As far as my other goals go, I'm pretty much smashing it:

Workout: I got my five workouts in -- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

Drug/Supplement Regime: I'm seven for seven!

Water: I have gone above and beyond in this category. Aside from the few alcoholic beverages and daily coffee I mentioned, I only drank water last week. And I drank a ton of it.

Steps: I did not do so hot in this regard. I was between 5,000 and 7,000 each day, and this was even with adding steps at work. (Like, I would go from my classroom to the bathroom and back, and then I would go from my classroom to the water fountain and back -- rather than crossing all of those off in one fell swoop.) I just don't think 8,000 steps a day is feasible right now, but I'm going to continue walking as much as I can. And, perhaps even more importantly, I'm going to intentionally stand more at work. Instead of sitting at my desk during my planning period or while students are working, I'm going to try and work at a standing desk more often.

I'm feeling really good, really strong, really healthy, really motivated. I'm excited to see where this journey takes me.

Goals

I know that I have written endlessly about goals in the past, and while sometimes those game plans fall by the wayside, I am often more apt to stick to them when I call them out and, more specifically, when I write about them.

So, that's what I'm doing now.

But first, I have some super exciting news!

On August 15, 2018, my best friend, my partner, my boo, asked me to marry him.

We are over-the-moon excited. We are so happy, so in love, and so loved. Also, I just want to marry him tomorrow; just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Photo by Nicki Lynn Photography

A week after we were engaged, I "said yes to the dress." I tried on two of them and knew almost immediately that the second one was the one for me. It is beautiful, and I am going to feel even more stunning in it when I feel just a smidge better about myself on the daily.

So, I have a plan.

1. I am going to continue my workout plan; I am currently exercising five days a week, and that's going pretty well for me. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, I do Pilates; three of those days are normal reformer classes (with springboard, barre, etc.) sprinkled in, and one of those days is a reformer-based cardio sculpt class. On Thursdays, I workout with an incredible trainer who focuses on High Intensity Strength Training, training to Momentary Muscle Failure. It is so, so hard, but I already feel so, so strong.

2. I am going to continue my newly-adapted drug and supplement regime. About six weeks ago, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I had been feeling so ridiculously exhausted; like, I woke up in the morning and immediately thought of when I would be able to take a nap, I had no desire to do anything other than work or sleep (simply due to lack of energy), etc. I told my friend, who is a physician's assistant, that I was going to see a doctor about anti-depressants, and she encouraged me to ask about a thyroid test. I told her that I'd had one last year, and it came back normal. She read the results and said that I needed a full panel. So, I requested that, and sure enough, the doctor called and said I had low thyroid and needed to start medication.

I noticed a change almost immediately, and it has been wonderful. Sure, there are still days that I'm more tired than normal, but those are typically after a busy day at work, a night of not-so-amazing sleep (which is really quite rare), or a weekend in Paris.

This is during my stretch of 36 hours without sleep.

Clearly, ponytails were my preferred hairstyle on this whirlwind trip.

(How bougie did that sound?!)

In addition to taking my thyroid meds, I started taking some supplements: a probiotic, Vitamin D (which will also help with fatigue), and a pre-natal vitamin. (No, I am not pregnant; yes, I do want amazing hair and nails for the wedding.) I am also drinking a glass of Metamucil every night because, well, fiber is the most magical thing on the planet.

3. I am going to continue drinking alllllllll the water. I am currently drinking a huge glass of water in the morning when I take my thyroid drugs, a bottle of water at/after Pilates, 2-3 glasses of water during the school day (which is challenging, simply because I'm not able to pee whenever the heck I want), one glass of water in the evening, and then a glass with Metamucil before bed. Other than water, the only things I drink are coffee (every day), kombucha (maybe once a week lately), and wine (maybe twice a week). I'm going to try and up the water intake a little bit, just to ensure I'm as hydrated as possible. I notice such a difference in my satiety -- as well as my skin, bloat, etc.

4. I am going to get back to steppin'. I have an on-and-off-again relationship with my Fitbit. I wore it every day for months -- and got 10,000 steps every day for months. And then ankle surgery happened. And then excuses happened. I'm going to shoot for 8,000 steps a day to start, simply since it's getting to be winter, and I don't have a regular gym membership (hence no treadmill access) anymore. Stay tuned.

5. I am going to work on my nutrition. 

I started this post a few weeks ago, and at that point, I wrote about how I was bouncing between nutritional plans, primarily sticking with Whole30/Paleo but wondering about keto and strongly considering macros. Essentially, I mentioned how I did super well at home but then failed miserably when it came to the treats that miraculously appeared in the teachers' lounge.

Since that post was drafted, though, I decided to try something else entirely: Weight Watchers.

I chatted with my mama over Thanksgiving, and she encouraged me to give this a go, as it really helped jumpstart her nutrition-wise. I checked out the Black Friday sales, and I (kind of impulsively) bit the bullet with a six-month membership. I've been messing around on the app and website a little today, and I am officially starting the program tomorrow.

One thing that I think is going to help me stay on track is money. First, I'm spending quite a bit on my workout regime -- Pilates and the trainer -- and I'm now spending money on Weight Watchers, too. Reminding myself that I am doling out those dolla dolla bills so that I can look and feel a certain way -- and then not eating the best that I can (most of the time) -- is effectively a waste of that money.

I am very externally motivated, so that just may work.

And although I'm not going to make this one of my "official" goals (as I really, really, really like multiples of five), I am going to try and blog more regularly. Like I've mentioned before, writing does good things for my spirit -- and is definitely a creative outlet for me -- and I know it'll be pivotal in tracking my progress, holding myself accountable, etc.

Hopefully I'll "see" y'all within the next couple of days. :)

Peace out,