Start of Week 2

Today is the start of my week two. I will say that I am the kind of person that likes to stay busy and I have had not much to do for the past three days so I was extremely restless and tortured by my fridge all weekend. But I made it and weighed in at exactly 2 pounds down from last week !! Wahoo !

I am still trialing my plan as I have not walked everywhere but have walked to the gym several times. I have also cut back on TV but have not canceled it all together. The no coffee and no sugar have not been so bad as I have found other ways to enjoy these types of comforts. I have allowed myself to take cat naps , and have been eating peanut butter and cinnamon protein bars before or after my work outs . They  are amazing and take the edge off my sweet tooth and give me energy that I need. I have also been taking my study notes to the gym and reading them while I work out so that I am not so focused on how long I have been walking. So over all still good.

Now - the extra spending part had been a little hard as I have been buying my protein bars at work and at the gym and did attend a girls night out and some family time where money was spent on food. So I will have to watch this more closely . I think that I will try and make my own protein bars as I have seen a few in magazines or on pinterest. Still working on the cooking at home as I DREAD the idea of trying to figure out what to eat every day. But I still need to feed my body to fuel my body to workout and be mentally strong.

One week down , the start of week two has begun and I hope and pray that this week will be better and that I will continue to find the strength within myself and God to move forward , resist temptation, and be a better version of myself every day. -

Feel the Burn

Had my first clinical observational experience for this school year and got to follow some wound care nurses around. It was pretty cool as I go to scrub up and go into surgery with them. And a few other things were cool but pretty gross.

It was my day to go to the gym on my own and I really didn't want to at all. I was doing school stuff all day and didn't get home until after five. I did however go to the library after the wound clinic and get all my homework done so that was great. But I just did not want to go to the gym . So I thought that I had a great idea instead. - Rollerblading . Ummmm I have not rollerbladed in years so my technique was a little rust to say the least . But I think I made it 5 miles , so I will be very sore tomorrow.

I passed up chocolate snacks at lunch today and still have not had a big cheats since last week. The no coffee no caffeine is wearing a little on me today but I forced my self to not take a nap so that I could get a good night sleep tonight.

The weekend is coming up and I don't have to work and am having some time with a few friends . So I will really need to watch what I eat and drink and can't give into to many glasses of wine. :)

Almost a week and gliding along strong !

Stress !!

What was your stressor today? Mine was trying to find a study group at school and trying to figure out what I was suppose to do. I am not a big fan of making waves. I am one that may sit back and ride things out as I am hiding a bag of nibs in my pocket trying to find a way not to get involved. So today I have failed !! I will admit that I had a bar and a day old sugar cookie form the school cafeteria  and it was so NOT worth it. Made my tummy roll and the next two hours for class drag by as I was in some sort of junk food coma :( gross !

But my night ended with a good workout with Marne, a trip to CJ Callaways (not sure if thats right) for dinner, one drink (see still being good with only ONE ), and home in time to relax a little and get ready for the morning.

Still trucking and feeling better every day !!

Week One: Still truckin !

Well I honestly forgot what day I was on but I am still in my first week :) I am down 2.5 lbs and I still have not had any sweets or coffee. My workout yesterday with my trainer Marne was awesome . . . until about 3:00 today when my muscles started to tighten up at work and I started walking and moving like a was an 80 year old horse jockey . Ofta. So I will admit that I did take today off from the gym .

I did FINALLY make it to the grocery store and had a great idea to only buy several things and several small meal item so that I was not so overwhelmed with the whole healthy food buying process. I think that it was a success. This may mean that I will be going to the store more but if it help relieve the anxiety about making healthy choices then its good.

I had another 12 hour shift today and was very very busy . I didn't really think about eating but relieved that if I ate my lunch earlier in the day and had a snack later on I did better. We will see how that does after a week or two.

I have a week off of work so I will try to continue to eat healthy , meditate, and spend my money wisely. Next monday is my first official weigh in with my trainer so I will have plenty of time to workout in the next week .

Day Three : Feed to Fuel

Today I have realized that I need to "feed to fuel" my body and keep me going. I think that the main reason why I was so down and crabby the other day way that I was not fueling my body with enough good nutrient to keep me going , hence Debbie Downer .

So on Sunday at work I did eat down in the cafeteria :( I know that this is one thing that I did not want to do . One for the money and two because there are way too many temptations .  But I did great ! I only spend $6 the whole day.

Breakfast : Apple muffin
Lunch :
Chicken
mixed green beans and carrots
sliced potatoes
small salad with veggies on it
and just a dab of dressing

I felt lik I was eating a horse but when I look at the choices that I made it was good. I then had enough energy to get through my day with out feeling the need to binge on snacks or be extremely hungry when I got home. So this is something that I need to continue to work on and change my thinking about.

Side note : I always seem to struggle finding my place in life and this summer was interesting to say the least. I was so bored ! I am a very routine person and I like to somewhat know whats going on and this summer I had NOTHING going on. My job at the hospital is something that I like but don't always really really enjoy . The mix of days on and days off and nights are always throwing a wrench in a plan here or there if I have one. So I am happy to be back in school and on some sort of a routine but I am still trying to find out who I am and still looking for the one whom I am "suppose" to be with and the life I am "suppose" to have .

So for now,  I write this a day late on this Monday as it's finally my Saturday I will try to do my best at being myself , loving what I have , moving forward,  studying hard , work on making friends, building relationships , and for now trying to JUST BE. I am thankful to God for what I have and for what I am yet to experience - please keep me strong as I continue my 6 weeks wreckage .

Debbie Downer on Day Two

The day started off great with my scale reading that I was down 1.5 lbs in one day ! Yahoo !

The biggest thing that I was worried about today was the fact that I had to work a 12hr shift at Avera today. I am always worried about what time I will get a break and get to eat. You never get to eat at the same time and the food is not always the best , but man the chocolate peanut butter bars are to die for !!!

By mid afternoon I had drank my water and had my lunch (sack lunch - no extra spending remember) and my snack and then BAM here came Debbie !! Some family was SO nice that they decided to give us a large bag full of candy , which of course I have given up . "Oh Kelsey , you should have so candy, its sooo good." No thank you I will just sit here and drink my beef broth ! Then the head ache and eye twitched started in. Not sure if it was lack of caffeine or the fact that I didn't sleep well last nice do to my awesome effort at drinking more water. . . umm water in equals water out. . even at night time.. . must remember this for tonight.

So no coffee , no candy , and a throbbing head ache in my eye ball ! I scrounge up one last piece of gum that I threw in my lunch box and go to town. AND let me tell you an old piece of gum that was left in the hot sun for several weeks in your car then who knows how long in a lunch box does not take away a craving - Debbie got pissed .

I tramped my way home only to realized that I still had not gone to the store (HAte hate going) and there was nothing but a half thawed lb of hamburger and some generic rice for me to try and cook and then choke down.

So for day two I stand a little thinner , with yet again no TV , no air, no extra spending, no coffee , and no sugar. I may be a little crabby and NO I am NOT withdrawing form my bad habits . . Im just being a Debbie Downer. Now off to soak in the shower and curl up with a good book or a little Hulu. :)

Day Two : -1.5

Day One and off to a good start !!

Today started off with 20 min of good prayer and meditation to get me into the right mind set for the day. It was nothing fancy and may consisted of, "god please don't let me eat anything bad today." But hey a prayer is a prayer.

I had class today and didn't have to work so today was a good day to get started. Packing my snacks and lunch was not as bad as what I thought it would be and going with out coffee was no problem at all.  I did join my parents as a third wheel to their date night at Granite City but it was super easy to pick a healthy sandwich.

Another part of my challenge to myself was to walk as much as possible everywhere that I was trying to go and this means to the gym and store. The gym is 1.5 miles from my house and its an easy walk to and from.   There was no problem getting there beside the slight wedgie that seemed to follow me block after block - may have to think about wearing better under attire next time :)

I am starting this challenge at a healthy 179.5 lbs (gasp- I know right) and hope in 6 weeks with the help of my trainer and my support team to be down 12+ lbs. This is a healthy goal that I talked to my trainer about and is attainable for what I am doing.

Going without TV or air today was a breeze beside the fact that I got bored pretty fast. But at least my apartment is EXTREMELY clean today and I got a lion nap in as well , (lion nap is longer then an hour :) ) So today was a good day and I look forward to tomorrow as it was present new challenges as I am working all day. Wish me luck .


Food for the day :

Oatmeal with walnut and truvia
lots of water - sorry for getting up during class so much , but you got to go when you got to go.
cutie
two hard boiled eggs
apple
vanilla protein shake
ham and cheese wrap
caesar salad
1/2 of a chicken sandwich
some sweet potato fries

This will be . . . interesting :)

Hello and welcome to my first Blog ! I am starting this blog in conjunction with a class project that I am doing. We are suppose to select an area of our life that we would like to improve , write a nursing diagnosis statement about it , and implement the plan for approximately 6 weeks, hence the title of my blog :)

So here is the place that I will be completely honest and share a few things about me , my life , how and why I am at this place in my life and the steps I am taking to move forward. I have been back in Sioux Falls for a year and the day after I moved back I stated a new job and entered nursing school as a 26 year old non traditional student. Talk about feeling old , when everyone around you is 18 or close to it.

I am the kind of person that believes that every thing happens for a reason . I believe that I am truly finding out who I am and I am doing things that I have always wanted to do . I am striving to move forward and conquer the world.

                          Things that I want to do :

• Save Money ( so I can give it all away!!)
• Become a Doctor ( work with children with special needs or Alzheimer's research)
• Travel the world ( and just be in peace )
• White water raft (just because)
• Hip hop dance ( so I can look cool when I dance by myself in my apartment)
• Learn to sew ( so I don't have to throw things away ) 
• Be fluent in Spanish ( in the medical field ) 
• Have pink hair (yes I am not kidding)
• Be the best bell ringer at christmas (ya know the ones who stand out in the cold at christmas time)

So my 6 week challenge to myself is going to be . . . be in the best shape that I can be in and cut extra spending . 

1. I will be giving up sweets, pop , and coffee

2. I Will work go to the gym 5 days a week and work out with a trainer 2 of those days. 

3. I will get 7-8 hours of sleep a night

4. I will discontinue my cable 

5. I will hang dry my clothing and not use the dryer

6. I will not spend any outside money besides bills 

7. I will not use my air conditioner

8. I will pack my own lunch and not eat at work

9. I will cut coupons and chose healthy foods at the store

10. I will learn to relax , find , peace , love god , others and myself. 

So please follow my blog as I will be blogging about my experience , my ups and down, my funnies, and my out come. Thanks for reading -