GREENERBOBALINK's SparkPeople Blog

What a Lovely Day!

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:18:35 EST

So, to start off, last night my honey and I made some pizzas! We used his mom's tortilla recipe and just savory'd it up a bit, then added tomato sauce, light cheese, veggies, and on one ground turkey, the other pineapple. This is the one with pineapple...

They were so yummy!! I had to stop myself when I realized I was getting close to my calorie limit, haha. That pineapple I got on sale at the store yes...

It's All Just Ups and Downs

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:23:54 EST

This morning I was going to write a blog and then I got distracted...

By happenstance, this will be quite a more cheerful blog.

Out of curiousity, I weighed myself every day this week. I was wondering if maybe I weighed more on certain days or because of stress or anything. Anyway, when I weighed myself today I was a wopping 3.7 pounds higher than yesterday. This might have been because I basically ate only pizza yesterday which has a lot of sodium and it could be water ...

Woah. How'd that happen?

Sun, 5 May 2013 00:01:32 EST

So today I overate.

I started out great with a piece of toast, Greek yogurt with banana slices and a cup of coffee on the back porch with my honey in the sunshine after a wonderful morning jog!

I guess it must have started with the fact that we got so caught up in a game we were playing together that I completely forgot lunch. I decided on a healthy lunch and even snacked on some broccoli while I was preparing the tortilla dough to make little tortillas for veggie burger...

Just a quick thought about preparation...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:09:11 EST

I have been overthrown by the rise and shine challenge!! I am a college kid who generally likes to wake up at noon-ish, or usually about 10am. Lately I have been going to bed around 10 or 11pm and waking up at 7 or 8am! This is a huge difference and I like it a LOT more.
At my age, I guess I try to stay up late with everyone, playing video games, maybe having a few beers... but lately I've been the one in bed first and up and at 'em the earliest! I won't lie, this is a rough adjustment f...

Fast Break Results

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:29:02 EST

Alright! It's been two weeks so far of giving myself a bit of a break and focusing on the smaller things.
The SparkDiet says that for the first two weeks you should find the time, pay attention to what you are eating, set up shop, keep goals in mind, and find a strategy that works for you.
I know I am a big Emotional Eater, there's no doubt there. Over the past two weeks I have noticed that I eat pizza too damn much. That happens with half of our household working at pizza places. O...

Rise and Shine!

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:43:33 EST

In honor of the rise and shine challenge, I have been trying to wake up early to exercise. I have also been trying to go to bed early. (Having a healthy breakfast is a cinch for me!)

So today I finally succeed in waking up at 7am, going for a half hour jog around the neighborhood, and then fitting in some stretching!

What a great way to start the day! After I come home we did some chores,made breakfast and coffee, then watched some of our favorite cartoons. I really do ...

Food Confessions - A Review

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:04:24 EST

So I really went off the rails last week, but it did help me understand some of the mental and physical reactions my body has to that type of eating. Luckily, I have been doing well the past few days with a couple (MAJOR) revisions in my plan.

Although I still have my ultimate weight goal in mind I decided to start slower,since I was having so much trouble getting back in my healthy habits and that was something contributing to my stress.

Here are some of the things I am...

Food Confessions

Sun, 7 Apr 2013 13:01:28 EST

Alright, usually I don't talk about my downfalls when it comes to food...This comes from my days of being bulimic... Yeah, I just kind of started admitting that to people besides, well, myself. Anyway, I am comfortable with binging and hiding it. Since I haven't tried to "purge" in a long while, I can still get in to the habit of a semi-secret binge...

So I got stuck on a binging loop this last week, I don't know if it's because I want to stick to my original plan so badly that I a...

My plan (with revisions)

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:11:29 EST

Hello! So this is one of those things you hear a lot around here, but I am going to give it that last little push to get to my goal and I start TODAY. NOW, in fact. Here are some things I am going to keep in mind for the next couple of months:

- A day where I slip up is just that: a minor slip-up. I don't have to work harder to counter-act what I ate, and I don't have to starve myself the next day, it just may make my next weigh in less than a pound higher than I expected. It may n...

A confession

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:45:52 EST

Hiya!!

Today has been wonderful, my lesson plan went just as I had hoped, everything I wanted to discuss was brought up, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, which is good.

My little kitten is doing better today, this morning I woke up with him attacking me, so I know he has made some recovery! I didn't write about what happened because I am so deeply ashamed at myself that I didn't really want to admit it.
Amuro was climbing on my towel the other day and I c...

Strawberries

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:16:57 EST

The little red fruits slip between my fingers
Grabbing, pinching, trying to attract one for lunch.
I catch one, finally, and toss it toward my mouth before it escapes,
Red juice running down my fingers,
Slipping in between the cracks.

The flavor infuses my mouth with Spring,
It's so sweet it makes my jaw ache!
The seeds are like little landmines
Between the softer, sweet crunch of the meat.

The minute I swallow one I want another!
...

Decided to take some pictures at the gym...

Fri, 8 Mar 2013 17:05:00 EST

Okay, to start is the funniest one, this is what my school gym looks like on the Friday before Spring Break:

Anyway, I do my strength training in one of the class workout rooms before I get on the elliptical, and it's got these big mirrors, and I'll be honest, I kind of like them. At least when I am consistent with working out and eating right, which I've been doing the last four days now woohoo a streak!!

Gettin' back in the groove (and ignoring the obstacles)

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 18:41:12 EST

Hey everyone!
So since my last blog post I have been working hard at trying to get back into my groove after the incident with the new scale and the new place. My BIGGEST difficulty, by far, is snacking in the evening. I will be doing good all day and get my workout in, eat properly proportioned meals, then I get home and have dinner, then my planned snack, then about 2 hours later it all goes haywire!! I've tried chewing gum or drinking water but I get this compulsive eating thing that ...

New scale (Oh Cripes!)

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:40:00 EST

So...

I got a new scale the other day since I moved into our new place! It is very cute and a really good scale, my honey said we should splurge on it since it is such a priority in my life right now. (Hurray!)
So my first weigh-in on the new scale was a bummer. It was up .8 of a pound from the last time I had weighed, which was about a week before that.
Okay, so here we are: I had been exercising, but not eating as well as I would like. It is extremely hard for me to adj...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:22:44 EST

My honey knows me so well:

That... or he's trying to mess with me...
Just kidding! Here's to hoping that box o' chocolates lasts more than this week!

Rock climbing!!

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 20:28:56 EST

I wish I got pictures so I could post them, but the only girl who had a camera with her said she didn't even think to take pictures!!

Anyway, I took my English class to the climbing wall at school today! It was awesome, everyone was playing around and talking more and you could really see a team building there. =) Made me feel like a good teacher!

I made it to the top 3 separate times and made it halfway up another!! It was such a blast, I had so much fun. And by the end...

What was up with this weekend??

Mon, 4 Feb 2013 03:04:48 EST

So here's the quote for today/tomorrow:

For me, it was moving in to a new place that threw me off track. I've stayed with my exercise, so that's good, but I ate like all the food in the house would disappear after an allotted amount of time if I didn't scarf it down.

BUT, I have already planned out tomorrow and I plan on going back to the gym and getting back into my regular schedule, so I am...

My own motivational calendar

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:18:26 EST

Okay, so excuse the picture, my camera went to hell and back on New Year's Eve...

So this is my handy-dandy calendar!

It is what helped me get back on track and stay on track since then. It is right by my door with a cup of markers for me... A smiley face means I made calorie range that day, a sad face means I didn't... And all the other marks around it are for the January Jumpstart challenge....

Climbing Wall!

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:49:40 EST

So this is awesome, I just finished writing out my Unit 2 calendar (Home, family, and culture) and there is one reading that we have called "Our Wounded Hearts". It's about a girl whose father dies of heart disease, so we will be discussing health that day. Hurray! So I wanted to talk about health issues and being healthy and how that will make it easier to come to classes if you're well-fueled and well-rested and stuff like that.

So I booked 2 hours at the climbing wall on campus!...

Also, a quick vent about my mother-in-law.

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:57:12 EST

I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the moving date, when we can get out of the in-laws house. We will be self-sufficient again, closer to school, and out of the in-laws house. Have I also mentioned that we will be NOT LIVING WITH THE IN-LAWS? Hahaha!
Yes, I am excited for that most of all. My mother-in-law, for whatever reasons in her past, is quite a crabby lady. The fights that my honey and I went through last year didn't exactly make her warm toward me, either. I mean, most of my honey's friend...

Moving and Losing

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:33:36 EST

Hi everyone! Here is today's motivational quote:

This month I have been focusing on forgiving myself for slip-ups. This may have been the reason I stopped my program last June; I had indulged at a weddings, and bar-be-ques, then birthdays, then holidays... So I figured I would just tell myself, hey, you are learning. Really, time passes. And you can use that time to become healthier, or you can let the time s...

1.2 lbs away from a total of 50 lbs lost...!

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:43:35 EST

So I am back to where I was last June, JUST about to hit 170... But honestly, it just seems like this is the point in my weight loss journey where I just have to try HARDER than I used to! When I started, I was easily dropping 3 lbs a week and sometimes eating over my calories. Now, my weight loss has slowed to (a healthy) 1-2lbs a week. This last week I have worked harder than before (doing the January Jumpstart Challenge) and eating around 1200 cal a day and I lost 1.4lbs. This is a little ...

"You are such an inspiration!"

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:49:49 EST

Hello!

Here's a little set up of my life right now:
I just started my new job as an English instructor at the college here and it is AMAZING!
Anyway, I am also tutoring at the learning center on campus and I am taking a class in medical terminology.

My favorite part about it is probably the way all my students look up to me, even though I am the same age or younger than some of them. There's the whole, "well, she's done it so I can do it too!" thing that just m...

One of my favorite things about weight loss... well, a few things I guess.

Tue, 8 Jan 2013 16:27:22 EST

Number one favorite thing: When I get out of the shower and wrap up in a towel, the towel goes all the way around and then some! Before it would gap at the side, but now I can snuggle up in a towel after my shower. It really makes me feel small. Talk about a daily reminder!

Another thing that I love is all my friends and family who are asking me for advice, or signing up for SparkPeople, and it makes me feel like I'm not alone at all in this. This is something that a lot of people ...

Three cheers for gift cards

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:31:19 EST

My new water cup!!!!

4 of these a day is easy-peasy! =)

Rewards

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:47:34 EST

Recently, I gave myself my first present for losing the weight that I did this year. I haven't had a lot of money recently but I got a gift card for Christmas that I used on new work-out clothes (honestly, my first NEW work out clothes) that I feel awesome in. The feeling of choosing a LARGE SIZE pair of pants in the regular clothes section, as apposed to XL or anything from a plus-size store and then trying them on in the store and them fitting well, was... amazing. It was totally remotivati...

Rewarding myself for having some self-control over the holiday

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:32:00 EST

Merry Christmas!
I love Christmas food. Pretty much all of it. My downfall is chocolate and peppermint. Yum! Anyway, this Christmas I stuck to the plate guidelines (1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs) and had a tiny piece of cake for dessert. I've snacked a little on the treats people got me as presents, but I've been trying to track them. My shelf is still full of candies but I haven't binged my face off over them, haha!
Anyway, a present for me for doing good this year and gettin...

A few things I love about being smaller...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:12:14 EST

1. My boyfriend finds every excuse to put his hands on my waist. I used to shy away from that, but now I just love it, it points out to me how smaller it is! (He is an awesome motivator)
2. In a similar vein, I love his hugs, he can totally wrap his arms around me now.
3. Hugs from anyone! People even hug me differently now. I get arms all the way around instead of just around my shoulders.
4. Getting out of bed/getting out of the car. I don't have to rock myself out, I just fl...

Week 1, second time around

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:16:02 EST

A little over a week ago, I decided to stop with the excuses that I've been using since June and start getting back into my old, healthy habits. From January to June I was rocking it and losing about 3 lbs a week! I think the moment I slowed down was at my mom's wedding where I just ate everything I could get my hands on! (She had a morning wedding and the most amazing brunch afterwards.)
Anyway, almost every day I have been telling my boyfriend, "Today is the day! I am going to start ag...

Thinking of those around me (Long post, feel free to skip to the sparkfriends paragraph)

Fri, 21 Dec 2012 14:36:59 EST

So here come the holidays! I love this time of year... not for the presents and money and all that...
I love the brisk air, the chill that tells you something is coming, I love when sunshine hits the snow and gives you hope for the coming Spring. I love how everyone, even strangers, act like they all are in some some big secret. They smile more. They give more. There are hugs and handshakes, friends and family, loved ones, lost ones... This is the time of year when people sit back and ge...

Celebratory Eating

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:24:40 EST

So my main weakness is celebrating by eating. This comes in many forms, including family get-togethers all the way to just hanging out with friends. A big issue for me lately is alcohol! I mean, this weekend for example...
Saturday was an adjunct faculty meeting with breakfast and lunch provided... I did well, but ended up eating a bit too much in the evening.
Sunday started out well, but we were invited to a cousin's house for his birthday and that ended in too much chocolate and t...

Hello, again

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:48:58 EST

Hello, World!
Well, it has been a very quick... 6 MONTHS?! What? Where did that time go? Well, as it is, I have been maintaining a steady 175lbs for the past 6 months. It has been an interesting place to be stuck at... I haven't been this weight for a long time and for a while there I was really enjoying being this "thin". A lot for friends and family have commented on my weight (which IS 45lbs lighter) but the novelty is starting to wear off and I am feeling a little soft 'round the mid...

"I'm Still Here" or "Oh Hello, Plateau!"

Sat, 1 Sep 2012 12:19:48 EST

So here I am after being hired for a new job in June...

Alright! Lookin' fabulous! But something has changed recently...

Okay that's not fair... A LOT has changed. A lot of stuff in my life has taken precedence over working out and eating right. Although, I will say that I have been trying to make better choices even if I haven't been making the best choices...

So here's what has ch...

Alright, let's do this.

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 19:18:22 EST

So here's the deal. I recently got a new job, which is a serving job so it's in the evenings, which puts a big damper on my workout routine. Here in the desert it is harder than heck to exercise when I wake up because it's already pushing 90 by then. I am just getting back into having money, so I bought some good foods, but I didn't set out a shopping list so I don't really have the foods I want to follow my plan.

Anyway, point being: I have officially fallen off the wagon and I ne...

My green shorts...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:53:07 EST

So these are my small shorts that I felt kind of uncomfortable wearing last summer...

These shorts are one of the things that I can really see and feel my weight loss when I wear them. Here's me wearing them recently...

Look at that! Thos...

There will ALWAYS be excuses!

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:01:35 EST

So last night there was a big "Beginning of Summer" party at my Aqua Zumba class, which is easily becoming my favorite thing to do, and I had a blast! The lights were down except for some late afternoon sunshine coming through the back door and a really fun light display at the front of the room. Chris (our instructor) was awesome, inspiring, and wild as usual. He threw some bracelets to us and for our last song he...

Wedding 9/11 Vs. Wedding 5/12

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:00:49 EST

So these are some of the pictures that got me thinking about my weight... I didn't start losing until the end of January, but I started exercising after seeing myself looking so bloated....

Now, don't get me wrong, I had a ton of fun and I look pret...

What's going on here?

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:42:24 EST

So... here's where I am right now.

I have been wavering around 175lbs for about three weeks now. Wow! Three weeks sounds like a long time when I write it down. The thing is, I'm really proud of myself, and extremely happy to be 175! I can't remember weighing under 200 for a few years now, so 175 is amazing for me! Go Emily!

The thing is, I've just gotten back into the habit of indulging in everything, especially at night-time. And sweets! What's strange is that once I ma...

Aqua Zumba... !!!

Thu, 7 Jun 2012 22:00:54 EST

That. Was. Awesome.

Okay, so I just went to my first Aqua Zumba class, and it was pretty much the coolest thing EVER. I walked into the gym, asking politely where the locker rooms were, the pool, etc... I was a little late, so I got into the locker room (at a new gym, you know, when you don't know quite how okay it is to be naked) and quickly changed, looked at my goggles and cap, decided against it...
Finally found the door to the pool (it was through like three other doors b...

The In-Laws.

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 19:54:12 EST

So, my number one reason for emotional eating and low self esteem: my in-laws. I feel like every thing I do is never enough for them, and I'm the kind of person who hates it when someone doesn't like me. It is so difficult!!
So here's the latest from my father-in-law... I asked him to fill out a reference form for me for a job working with children, and it is pretty in-depth. One of the questions is, "Do you know if this person has any problems with domestic violence?" And he checked,"Do...

Alright, I'm falling down a little.

Sun, 27 May 2012 18:37:57 EST

So I have been doing amazing since I started, I was tracking my food every day and had a good exercise routine going... then a few things happened, I lost my job, I had a fight with my boyfriend which brought in a bunch of family drama from his parents, which is so stressful- living with them is so stressful!! I feel like they are constantly critiquing my every move, and when my man and I have a fight (because we are young and immature) they seem to see all of the bad aspects of it. They used...

Then or Now?

Fri, 4 May 2012 21:21:41 EST

I was antiquing the other day with my boyfriend (who got stuck at the old comic book section) when I came across an awesome sewing book from the '70's! Check out these super ads that I found inside...

This one cracks me up, it offers a diet and exercise program along with a cosmetics system and package that allows you to look pretty! Hahaha!

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:27:26 EST

I know that's a strange title for someone as excited as I am.
I am 5'6", weighed in at 184.2 this morning.......
That means I have crossed the line from "Obese" into "Overweight"!!!! I am so excited! I am no longer obese! Never again!!!!!

BMI: 29.8

Hey, hey, hey!!!!!!

9

Learning to Jog

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 16:14:40 EST

So my jogging adventure begins with a sad story from my childhood, when I didn't understand exercise or eating right (and didn't really care) but my mom cared.. too much. Next, was the doctor who told my mom I had "exercise induced asthma". Next, was the gym teacher who tried to fail me because I couldn't make it around the track jogging once.
So why take up jogging when my whole life I have been turned against it?

I'm taking it back!!!

My asthma, I think, was trigg...

Frisbee Golf on Sunday Morning!!

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:25:51 EST

So today I went to play frisbee golf at this totally awesome course, it's in the desert so there are little cliffs and things to throw off of. This was my first time there in a couple weeks and I could feel all these different things about my body.
First of all, my honey said, "wow, you look so much skinnier than last time!" and kept noticing what better shape I'm in. =")
I mean, the pants I was wearing are fro...

Father-in-Law. (Dun-dun-duun!)

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:55:14 EST

Okay, I was inspired by the message board post, "How do you help family members who are overweight?" My response became so big I just decided to write my own blog about it, which I've kind of been meaning to do.

Each person you are connecting with (or maybe sparking?) needs or doesn't need their own thing. Does that make sense? Here is my example for my family...
My dad is overweight and has heart problems. And anger problems. When I told him I was going to try losing we...

Emotional Eating - being honest with myself

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:38:48 EST

So... my car died yesterday. She (Gizmo) has been with me through a lot... road trips all over then west coast and southwest.

So I noticed that right after the lady called me and told me the car was kaput, I started mindlessly checking the cupboard and fridge "to see what was in there" haha, but I think when I'm alone and have heard bad news I kind of get the munchies! I always just figured I was an emotional eater when I was at a party, because I LOVE party food, but I think I'm s...

Buh... Bummer.

Sun, 4 Mar 2012 11:34:46 EST

So I only lost 1/2 lb this week... The past 4 or 5 weeks it's been about 3 lbs a week. I was thinking I would be under 200lbs (I just want to see the scale read under 200!!) next week. I guess I've been building it up a bit for myself but now I feel like I've been set back a week.
I've been trying to stay positive about it, you know, I know my weight can go 2lbs in either way. Plus, (boys, earmuffs) I am on my period and that could be affecting my weight. It's just that I've been losing ...