BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl

Tag Archives: Food


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Healthy Challenges Update – A Slug With a Cold

I bring you this update with a belly full of ice cream. I’ve been on a sweets binge lately, and it’s not good.real

I’ve also been kinda sorta sick for about a month now, and it’s making me feel a lot like a slug. Yes, I’ve been to the doctor, and he thinks it’s viral, but it just keeps hanging around. UGH. So I just keep hanging around and waking myself up at night coughing and sniffling and then I feel like a zombie during the day. The whole thing is rather unfortunate. And annoying. And getting OLD.

As I was feeling sorry for myself, it occurred to me that I haven’t really been keeping track of my challenges, so maybe it’s time to revisit them. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Stay away from Starbucks – Generally still accomplishing this one. I did have a week a while back where I went more than once, and that got me to go cold turkey again, so overall I haven’t been there much in 2015.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables – Hmm, not so great, but not so terrible. I used to go days on end without any produce passing my lips, but now I generally try to have at least ONE fruit or vegetable a day. I know it’s not much, but it’s still better than nothing. I need to work on this one.

3. Stay away from the drive-thru – Overall I’ve done well with this one too. I’ve gone through a couple of times for a quick breakfast, but not nearly as much as in the past. We’ve been making a lot more meals at home and not eating out so much, so this one is pretty much a victory.

4. One Soda per Day – Most of the time I adhere to this one, but sometimes I don’t. Most of the time, though, I do. As the weather gets warmer I have to make sure that I bring enough water bottles to school, though, because I get really thirsty!

5. Move More – Fail. I’m a slug. A couch potato. A lazy butt. I don’t want to exercise. I don’t want to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather we’ve been having. I want to stay in bed and read, or better yet, sleep. UGH. Must. Shake. This. Cold.

So there you have it, some successes, some failures, and a lot of stuff in the middle, as usual. What are your challenges, and how are you doing with them?


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Split Personality

aheadsI’m at an impasse. I’m not sure what to write about. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say. I ALWAYS seem to have something to say. It’s just that I’m not sure in what direction I should go at the moment.

This blog began as a way for me to bitch and moan and then celebrate a little about how I was treating my body. I was going to get fit, dammit! And I was going to be accountable along the way by sharing my trials and tribulations with all of you out there in blog-land. Naturally, I would digress from time to time, but that was fine, especially since I planned to be completely anonymous.

Well, it didn’t take long for me to start writing about my family of origin, and my current family situation. After all, this is my life, so welcome to it. Again, I was anonymous, so whatever raw emotions I was feeling I spilled out onto the screen and didn’t think twice about hitting the publish button. I am what I am, take it or leave it. Something like that.

Then I started to sneak in some of my professional life. I’m a teacher. Teaching is an all consuming profession. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about SOME aspect of my profession. Lesson plans are swirling around in my brain, the endless to-do list nags at me at the most inopportune times, and I’m constantly thinking about how I can be more effective. It’s impossible to be me without also being an educator, so again, into the blog it went.

One of my education pieces got picked up by Scary Mommy, and that was a lot of fun. Thousands of readers took in my words, and honestly that was a rush. The piece was also translated into Greek and posted on no fewer than 8 Greek language websites. That event also marked the end of my anonymity.

Now in addition to an educator, I’m a writer. As time has gone on, I’ve come to realize that writing is something that I’m meant to do. I’ve been writing, reading about writing, learning about writing, and writing about writing. And yes, I put that into the blog too.

So now what I have is a big ‘ole mess. The blog has turned into a giant mish-mosh of stuff, from fun fitness for fat chicks to fabulous books for fourth graders to my childhood memories of gingerbread to my feelings about frito-pie and standardized testing. I’m afraid that as I’ve spread out my topics, I’ve lost some momentum. I feel like I’ve lost my edge by wandering around discussing this topic and that. I feel like I need to narrow my focus and find my niche, but I’m not sure I exactly WANT to do that. I like writing about a little of this and a little of that. And I don’t think I have the energy to run several blogs at once.

Even if I did, what would I call them?

BulgingButtons – or how two years later I’m still fat and struggle with making good lifestyle choices

All the Pretty Words – The Journey to Becoming the Writer I Believe is Hiding Inside Me

Give Kids a Chance – My Take on How our Education System Ought to Help Kids

Past, Present, Future – My life as it was, is, and hopefully will be

I know bloggers who have revamped their blogs, or started additional blogs to address new topics. What do you think? Shall I soldier on? Make some changes? Rein in some of my topics? Avoid others all together? I’d love some feedback, and if you’ve been with me for some time, thank you, your support means a lot.

 

 


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I Drank Two Sodas and I’m Not Ashamed to Admit It

bob-esponja-okIt happened yesterday. I was working away quite diligently when I realized I was thirsty. It happens. I drank a water bottle in the morning, then enjoyed my delicious Diet Coke (with lime, of course) at lunchtime. By around three pm I was really thirsty, specifically for a cold refreshing soda. What to do?

I could have taken a drink from the drinking fountain in my classroom (the one that all the germy little students use) but for some reason that just didn’t seem appealing. It was soda I was after, particularly soda with a little boost of caffeine.

You see, I had just come from a training session that was slightly less than exhilarating. It was nobody’s fault. The information was valid, it just a) wasn’t really new to me, and b) didn’t really have a practical application for what I do. That combination of factors, plus the sleep deficit that generally catches up to me by Friday afternoon, caused to be feel, shall we say, slightly drowsy.

I wanted a Diet Coke.

But the challenge. The “only drink one soda a day” challenge. What about it? Would I be able to live with myself if I drank two whole cans of soda in one day?

Turns out the answer to that question is, “yes.” Here’s why: I made a choice. It was a conscious decision to have a soda. I was thirsty. I was looking for caffeine. I thought over my options and decided that an ice-cold soda from the vending machine was the best choice at the time. Should I start bringing along extra water bottles as the weather heats up? Absolutely. But am I worried that I’ll fall back into my mindless soda guzzling ways because of one can of Diet Coke? No, I am not.

The whole purpose of the challenges is to help me change habits one step at a time. So far it’s been going surprisingly well. Since I began this nonsense, yesterday’s soda situation was the first time I’ve “broken” any of the “rules.” My one failure? An extra 12 ounces of soda. No biggie. My successes are way more important in my book.

Each week I’ve declared a new challenge and each week I’ve succeeded. Not just for the week, but for the long haul. So far I’ve quit Starbucks cold turkey (and saved a bunch of money), upped my intake of fruits and vegetables (and discovered that my sweet tooth is a demon), and curbed my soda habit (making me appreciate each one, but lessening my desire for it). I’ve also gone a week without a single trip to the drive-thru; any drive-thru. I did stop in to McDonald’s for oatmeal and an iced-coffee one morning, but I parked and got out of the car to do it. It was a deliberate action, not a mindless whim.

What are some of the health and eating habits you have that need tweaking or replacing? How are you handling them? What are some ideas for next week’s challenge? I’m taking small steps, but they’re all going in the right direction, and they add up. Come along with me, and share your successes, I’d love your company.