Teachers struggling to lose weight - Page 2 - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

braillelady · 08-26-2003, 10:58 PM

Hello everyone! I am brand new to the list. I teach students with visual impairments in PA. I am itinerant, so I drive a lot between schools to see my students. I just began my 3rd year, and I'm enjoying teaching.

I have been trying forever to get my weight under control. It's not too far out of control, but it's not where I would like it...or where the chart says it should be. Anyway, I woul really like to lose about 20 lbs., but I feel stuck. I am very busy, and I usually feel so worn out from everything I do to exercise. I know that's not a good excuse, but it's the way it is. I really like to walk, and I try to do that as much as possible--even if it's just parking further away than I normally would. Every little bit helps!

I just finished a toning class, and I'll be starting a step class in a few weeks.

Are there any suggestions (food, exercise, or just good tips) you could share? I usually do pretty well eating healthy (low fat), but I have my moments when I need a little chocolate! I limit my sugar and carbs as much as possible, but the low-carb thing doesn't work very well for me because it's too difficult to find enough things to eat when there's so much you can't have. I control my portion sizes and try to make good food choices as much as I can.

Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and have a great school year!

Braillelady

HatterasMermaid · 08-26-2003, 11:44 PM

I could use some chocolate tonight! LOL All elementary teachers and assistants were required to attend a convocation with our new superintendent this morning. We were bused there via school buses (slow boats to China!) AND when we got to the auditorium, there were not enough seats for all of us. What I mean is....over 50 of us sat on a concrete floor for over 2.5 hours.

It was unbelievable...and VERY painful! Luckily I had no access to any chocolate OR anything other than concrete!

Today I managed to stay OP, I do WW. That is ONCE I got some lunch....This morning I was in such a hurry I actually *FORGOT* my breakfast! Geesh!

I got my water in! I exercised! Things were nearly ok!

Of course, I haven't even MET my class yet! LOL

take care,
Robyn

storylady · 08-27-2003, 08:59 PM

Hi everyone! Robyn, while I can't say I can relate to the sitting on the floor for hours, I can sympathize! I actually got to miss our big meeting with the Superintendent this year, for some reason I got to stay on campus and work, cool! I do WW too, the old 123 Success, what got me to goal before. I never did adjust to the Winning Points very well. Are you doing the FlexPoints? I'm kind of afraid to, I don't cope well with change as you can tell! Good job staying OP after that ordeal, I may have used it as and excuse to 'reward' myself!

Braillelady, welcome! I think we all have those "chocolate" moments! My plan of eating my mini meringue cookies is working for me, they are so sweet one usually does the trick and I don't long for the chocolates in the candy jar. Like I said I follow WW, it's a very healthy way of eating, of living. I've lost almost 20 pounds since school let out last May and I feel so much better. I am tired at the end of the day, but not exhausted, not like last year. Low carbing doesn't work very well for me either, I'm just not enough of a meat lover to compensate for what I have to limit or give up, end up feeling deprived and bingeing. That's why I love WW, it lets me have everything I want, maybe not every day, or as much as I might want, but I know I can have it.

Summer, Noah and Diva, how's it going with your classes? Don't let the back to school rush get you down, hang in there! Let us know how you're doing. I think it's cool that we all do such different things classroom, vision impaired students, library, what a range of experience!
Great Wednesday, all! Labor Day weekend is closing in fast, hooray!!
storylady

Suzanne 3FC · 08-27-2003, 09:01 PM

To Summerlover: I'm hoping you will see this message, since you wrote to say you were watching this thread and needed your password so you could post again

We've attempted to send you a password email to reset it for you, and I have also emailed you about this. However, all email are being returned to us marked by aol that you are not accepting email from the sender. Please either add our domain to your allowed list, or sign up for a hotmail address and send me the new email to update your account.

Thanks!

Summerlover · 08-27-2003, 10:47 PM

Hello fellow teachers! I feel so bad being out of contact for several days. My hard drive crashed, failed, or whatever you call it when it no longer functions, on Saturday. I have been without a computer until yesterday. I had to hand write my lesson plans, and then they were stolen off of my desk! My brother in law installed a new hard drive, which in essence means that I have a new computer. I had one heck of a time logging back onto 3fatchicks, because I forgot my password. Anyway, lots of aggravation later, I'm back!

Speaking of being back, today was my first official day with students. WOW

what a day!!!!! I teach public pre-k in an inner city. I get crack babies. I get children who have never done anything except watch t.v. and eat junk...children who have never been read to. Anyway, we had a lot of crying when it was time for the parent to leave. But the worst was the boy who took off running out of the room, down the hall, and almost out the front door! I managed to get him back in the room. I will have bruises all over tomorrow. My paraprofessional had to sit in front of the door to keep him in. He cried, swore, hit, kicked, and bit for about 30 minutes. Eventually, he calmed down and participated.

On a happier note, my daughter's kindergarten orientation is tomorrow, so I'm taking the day off of school. I am so happy that I am getting a break. Then I just have to show up Friday and I will have Labor Day Weekend to chill and write lesson plans.

My eating is atrocious. I hope that now that I am back where I can get and give support, I will get back on program. I will catch up with all of you soon!!!

Summer

educated diva · 08-28-2003, 07:23 AM

Summer
I'm sorry you are starting the year with so many problems.
I also teach pre-k in a public school in an inner city. I can relate to what you were describing in your class although most of my kids are happy to be in school..well..some of them anyway..at least by June :-)
Teachers go back on the 2nd and the kids arrive on the 8th..i've been at school the last two days working on my room and i'm going back this morning..setting up a pre-k classroom takes a lot fo work and the place is filthy from the summer.
Summer, you mentioned that many of your kids are accustomed to eating junk food..I do an entire unit on nutrition and we eat ONLY healthy snacks in class..most of which we make ourselves..
By encouraging my kids to eat right I am reminding myself.
Sheila

Summerlover · 08-28-2003, 09:57 AM

Hi Sheila. I will be doing a unit on nutrition as well. I am hoping to do "Captain 5 A Day." My district does not have the curriculum for it, but I could probably borrow it from my daughter's pre-k teacher from last year. As far as snacks, my hands are tied. I am required by the district to give them the school breakfast (AM class) and the school lunch (PM class). The meals are very unhealthy for the most part, i.e., sugary cereals, pancakes, waffles (the deep fried kind), chicken nuggets, nachos, fried mozzarella, etc. Once in a while there is fresh fruit, which I encourage. But the milk offered is chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and regular. Take a guess which kind the kids choose. In the morning, I only allow regular, but in the afternoon, the group begs for the flavored milks. I wish they weren't available in the first place. In a few weeks, we will do a unit on apples. That is a great opportunity to make applesauce, but my school doesn't have a kitchen. We will sample apple products and do other apple activities, but I wish we could cook...it promotes independence.

Today, I'm home because my daughter's kindergarten orientation is later today. She starts school tomorrow with a half day. My husband is taking the day off because her day is so short, and we didn't have child care. This week was rough because I started Monday with meetings. So, I had to line up babysitting for Mon., Tues., & Wed. That is not an easy task since my parents passed on, my in-laws are not local, and everyone else I know works. Her teenage and college babysitters were either back at school or busy. Needless to say, I was calling in favors this week. Now I owe some generous people big.

I have a new start-up date. I will get back on program on Tuesday. Yesterday was impossible. I missed lunch because a child from the morning class was picked up 35 minutes late, and I was forced to work through my lunch period. (We are not allowed to eat in our classroom, and we are not allowed to bring children into the teachers' lounge.) By the time I got home, I ate everything that wasn't tied down. My daughter and her Godmother baked brownies for me to celebrate "my special day." Isn't that sweet?! (Gee, thanks a lot!) Then my husband took me out for dinner for the same reason. By then, any resolve I might have had was completely gone. My head was pounding like you wouldn't believe. We went to an ocean front restaurant called, "The Beach Clam Shack & Kahuna Lounge!" The first thing I did was order a margarita. Yum. I had fried clams, baked potato, and salad. At least I didn't have french fries. Then we walked on the beach and got ice cream cones at another place on the beach. It was good for me. I was almost able to put my crappy day behind me.

My goal for this year is to do my best, but not worry as much about everything at school. I have a lot of pressure put on me because if I don't get accredited with NAEYC, my classroom will be eliminated. I came in on the 3 year process in its second year as a brand new pre-k teacher (I taught K the year before). I have a lot against me because of the facilities...unsafe playground, no bathroom in my room, asbestos tiled floor etc. I am still awaiting the results from my May visit. If I get deferred, I have one more chance. This is it. I will try my hardest, but I can't let it affect my personal life like it did last year. I really need to take care of myself and relax.

Does anyone else feel utterly underappreciated, overworked, and totally stressed out from the pressure of "No Child Left Behind?"

I just really needed to vent. Sorry. On a lighter note, I hope everyone's day is going well!

Summer

storylady · 08-28-2003, 06:26 PM

Hi Summer! I had a fairly good day all in all, but why is it one child, in a short period of time and ruin the whole day? I had a child in one of my classes today, I think the child is mildly ******ed, if that's completely politically incorrect please forgive me, he definitely has special needs, and right now one of those needs is either private school or medication. He was medicated last year and while he was difficult, he was not uncontrollable to the point he is now. It's is our second week of school here and we are still having what seems like a lot of cryers down in Pre-K land, one or two hitters and a couple of runners. Monday I and the teacher I work with had to go outside to look for a kid who had taken off. Very scary. One of the many reasons why I'm content not to be in a classroom, responsible for those little guys by myself.

The end of today was definitely a challenge and I wanted to EAT!! But I didn't , I managed to stay strong. I hope it gets better soon, enjoy your weekend, I plan to!
storylady

educated diva · 08-28-2003, 06:39 PM

Summer
i'm sorry you had such a challenging day..i have all day pre-k which i think is a bit easier than two sessions. I had two sessions in a different school five years ago and much prefer all day. I'm sure your godmother meant well but can you nicely tell her not to "be so good" to you next time..it's hard to turn it down when it's in front of you.
I don't understand about the NAEYCE requirements. I can't remember but I thought you were in a public school. Isn't the school or the director if it's a private school responsible to be in compliance. We don't have bathrooms either in my classroom. The NCLB doesn't seem to effect the Pre-K in our schools..no one even knows we exist.
Try to do breathing exercises if you can..sometimes it helps and is better than eating to feel better.

Story, i lost on the 123 success also and while I'm going to meetings I am following South Beach more than WW. I am not that excited about the Flex Points. It's really the same as the old program just reworked differently. Either way I would never use those extra points unless the President was coming to visit and even then I would think carefully before using those points.. I told my leader that flexibiliy was what got me back to the meetings to begin with..i need tight structure..
I was at school today setting up my room so that doesn't really count as being back to work..we go in on tuesday..and the kids come on monday
sheila

Summerlover · 08-28-2003, 08:01 PM

Hi Sheila & Story! I guess it is universal. There will always be children with special needs, children who cry, and children who take off.

Today, I saw the new school year from the point of view of "the mom." I took my daughter for kindergarten orientation to meet her teacher, etc. She had to sit on the floor in the gym with the other kids in her class, and I had to sit in a chair with the other parents. When it was time for the parent meeting, and for the kids to go to their classes with their new teacher, she made a scene, crying, and wouldn't let go of me. (She did the same thing two weeks ago at the bus inservice. She even made it in the newspaper because she looked so pitiful.) Anyway, I missed the parent meeting, because I had to go along with the class. I caught the last two minutes of the presentation, signed up for the P.T.A., and went to her class for the next part of the orientation. The teacher is sweet, and she had a great idea of doing a scavenger hunt around the room. It enabled us to tour the room and get cool prizes, like 5 pennies at the math center, cookies at the kitchen center, a pencil at the writing center, etc. I will be stealing that idea! When we were done, my girl announced that her teacher is "great!" She is pretty excited tonite. Tomorrow, my husband will be bringing her to her first day of school. (I took today off, and tomorrow is his turn.) I am glad he is doing it, because I'm afraid that I will cry and make it harder for her to be strong.

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday, because if the day sucks, I will have three days to recover. I need to do up my lesson plans on my computer, and I am having trouble with Word since my brother in law installed a new hard drive. So, hopefully he will come to my rescue soon so that I don't have to hand write them again.

The reason I have to do NAEYC is because of federal funding. My district can't afford to provide pre-k, so we rely on grants etc. My entire program is funded by grants, and I must comply with their standards or the money goes away. In the long run, it is a feather in your cap if you are NAEYC accredited. They put you through a rigorous evaluation.

Gotta go.

Have a great Friday everyone and a fabulous Labor Day Weekend!

Summer

braillelady · 08-28-2003, 10:57 PM

It is so nice to hear from other teachers as we all start the year. With all of the stuff we have to get past just to teach our kids, it's really easy to forget why we're there, isn't it? I feel it's all suddenly worth all the trouble when an idea works, a child laughs or smiles, or you feel like (despite all the paperwork) you really made a difference today.

I've gotten back on track this week, thanks to reading your posts! I've bought only healthy foods at the store and have been cooking more rather than going out just because it's quicker. I have so much more control over what's in my food if I make it myself. I get migraines, so I have to be careful what I eat, and I'm learning some of what causes them for me. I went for a walk tonight because the temperature was so comfortable with low humidity...finally! Then I came home and did some toning for my arms.

I've also decided on a plan for exercise. I'm going to get up 1/2 hour earlier and do an aerobic exercise video and toning before work. I think this will work better because I'll exercise before my day gets too crazy, and it won't take away from my time I have to get things done in the evening. I'll be more likely to exercise in the morning, too, because it'll hopefully make me wake up faster than hitting the snooze button a few times!

Have a great Labor Day weekend, everyone, and thank you again for your ideas!

Braillelady

Summerlover · 08-29-2003, 07:45 PM

Braillelady: Thanks for the uplifting post. I have been such a total complaining crab this week! I'm glad that someone on our thread is doing well. I think when I am more settled into school, I will be in a better frame of mind. I am so happy to have three days off. Take care! Summer

storylady · 08-30-2003, 08:56 AM

Good morning everyone! Are we all doing the Labor Day Happy Dance?

I'm sorry to say that though I managed to stay strong through the stressful Thursday class, yesterday's TOM cravings did me in and I gave in to the call of the chocolate. What is up with that? I swear it felt like I needed chocolate. I'm going to try to get back on track today and move on, not beat myself up too bad about it, a bad habit I have.

I have a lot of errands to do today, mow the lawn, piles of laundry all calling my name, but here I sit instead. Ah, life is good! Braillelady, so glad to hear you found something inspirational in our ramblings. I too, feel stronger just knowing others go through the same frustrations. But to be reminded of why we invited these feelings into our lives, love of the children, helps, so thanks to you, too. And, coincidentally, I also started getting up 1/2 hour earlier to exercise before starting the rest of my day! Great minds and all that, right?!
I hope everyone has a wonderful, restful weekend.
storylady

Summerlover · 08-30-2003, 09:36 AM

Hi all! Yes I am most definitely doing the Labor Day Happy Dance!

I read how Braillelady & Storylady will be getting up early to exercise. Hummmm...I would like to say that I will do that. But in order for me to be successful, I must be realistic. I currently get up at 6:15 am to get my daughter and myself off to school. It isn't as early as she got me up when she was a baby, 5:00 am, but it is still difficult. I guess you could say that I am not a morning person. She is in bed by 7:30 pm, and I love to stay up to have some alone time. The summer was great for that. I would stay up past midnight and sleep till 8:00 am, when my daughter would "allow" me. The 6:15 am is hitting me hard right now. I think your idea is very good, but it just seems too hard for me at the moment.

I need to begin with "baby steps." As I get organized with the new school year, (My computer still won't allow me to write lesson plans.) I will integrate a healthier lifestyle.

I pledge to visit the gym twice per week. I pledge to walk to my daughter's school to pick her up on my scheduled pick up days. I pledge to consider waking up earlier to exercise during the week.

How's that?

Enjoy the break! Summer

Summerlover · 08-30-2003, 07:18 PM

Today helped me feel a little better about school. I got to sleep a little later. I had a chance to catch my breath. I took care of all of my errands today. (I got spoiled by being able to go anywhere at anytime over the summer.) It feels good to know that I won't have to run to the post office or anything this week after school. My computer is now entirely straightened out. I will be able to do my lesson plans and some other school work tomorrow. It feels good to have already accomplished a lot and still know that I have two more days to finish up and maybe even relax and do something fun with my family.

So, my mood has brightened

I feel more in control. This will hopefully translate over to my eating habits.

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend. We are supposed to have thunder boomers all weekend, but I don't even care.

Have a good one!

Summer