Tammy

Organized Style

November 21, 2009

I slept in this morning.  After a long work week, and the promise of a week’s vacation, I gave into my body’s signals not to move at the sound of my 7:00 am alarm.  At 9:00 am, my body was ready.  But sleeping in had made me groggy and unmotivated.  Thankfully, the coffee pot was brewing due – God bless my husband!  One large cup of nirvana later, I was ready for breakfast and to prepare for a local high school state playoff game. 

Now, not too long ago, I would have scoured the pantry and the refrigerator for something to stop the hunger pangs.  It would have been something calorie laden, fast, and overall not very satisfying.  I would have been hungry an hour later, and the guilt from the poor health habits would make me want to give up and give in to all my cravings.  “I’ll start tomorrow”‘, I’d think to myself.  And the feeding frenzy would begin.  As would the stuffing of the feelings under ALL THAT FOOD And lack of attention to self.

After attending numerous Weight Watchers meetings, Franklin Covey planning seminars, professional trainings, and masses, I know that all successful people in diets, the workplace, and spitituality, have a plan – a blueprint – a goal.  And it is prominent in their lives.  It drives all their other decisions.   As does my plan – a plan that consists of priotitized lists.

All of my family’s breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are planned two weeks in advance.  After I plan our meals, I prepare the grocery list.  And, yes, I shop for two weeks at a time, from paycheck to paycheck.  I used to get to the end of my paycheck and still have more days left  – and not enough food to make healthy meals for my family.  Oh, we made due, but it was depressing.  Especially considering what I had spent my money on:  clothes we didn’t need, eating out on a whim, hotel stays just for the heck of it.  Now, I buy the food first.  The money I still have left at the end of my paycheck now is amazing to me.  I can pay my bills, eat satisfying, healthy meals, and still have a little left over for recreation.

I am equally as pleased with my weekly wardrobe planning.  Wait ’til I tell you about how I never worry about what I am going to wear and whether or not it is stylish and appropriate. 

Until then, remember – Lists are stylish.

Hello and blessings on this beautiful Sunday morning! I hope everyone enjoys their day of rest in whatever way they chose to spend it. As for me, I will get my family to church, get caught up on some of my stuff for work, and then watch some football! I have my Baltimore Ravens jersey on as I type! LOVE football season.

Plan to drink all my water today - seems to be hard for me recently - and stick to the program. Best wishes to all of you as you love yourselves through the day by eating sensibly and moving those fabulous bodies!

Today is all about football for me!  My West Virginia Mountaineers are playing UConn (God Bless the family of Jasper Howard  #6; rest in peace young man) and my daughter cheers for her high school team this evening.  Football season rocks!  Should be a wonderful day!  The only downside to this time of year is the food that is associated with it.  I have my menu, however, and that makes me stronger.  When I don’t plan, I get stressed and eat whatever I can get my hands on first…NOT good…LOL.  I have even gotten to the point of planning my entire wardrobe a week ahead.  It is one less thing I have to deal with in the mornings.  Less stress = more control.  Yep, probably a little obsessive.  My daughter’s friends always tell her they want to prank call me and tell me they know what I am wearing (my lists intrigue them - I’ve got them for lots of things…)

I lost one pound last week.  I’ll take it.  I ate a full dinner before weigh-in (was too hungry to think about sitting through a meeting w/o something to eat), so I am pretty happy with the one pound.  I didn’t get this way overnight.  My daughter lost 3.7 pounds!  Whoohoo!  She is extremely happy.  The cheer uniform fits better already!  She is my inspiration!

Have a good weekend eveyone!  If you are so inclined, route on my WV Mountaineers and keep the UCONN Huskies in your prayers.  Their teammate, Jasper Howard, was fatally stabbed last weekend.  A defininte tragedy!  Young, handsome, and bright gone in an instant.  Makes me sad and just sick. 

We are blessed to have this day.  It is a gift.

Well, I took a “hiatus” from my weight loss efforts and, as of last Thursday, was back up to 185 lbs.  That’s ok, because I joined Weight Watchers again that very night and I know the program works if I am faithful to it.  I weigh in tonight, but I went ahead and changed my weight ticker to the 185 from last week’s weigh-in.  I want to be honest with everyone - including myself.  I think that’s how I get in so much trouble with my weight and my emotions - I lie to myself about my weight and act like I am happy all the time with everyone else when, in fact, I am sometimes not so happy.  Most of the time, instead of lying, I merely “ignore” the issues/weight/food going into my mouth.  NOT ANYMORE!  I’m BAAAAAACK!

Mine was waking up on TG day in southwestern Ireland with my husband and kids. We got up and wished each other Happy TG, and embarked upon our daily journey. It was not until late that afternoon that an elderly woman in antigue shop remembered that it was TG in the states and wished us a blessed TG. Being a thoroughly american holiday, we should have anitcipated this, but it was weird nonetheless. It was a good lesson for our children that the world is bigger than the US. It was also a good lesson for my husband and me that the TG tradition is important to us and we do not wish to miss it again if we can help it.

Hey All!  It has been far too long since I was on Buddy Slim.  Thankfully, nothing terrible has happened.  The kids busy schedules and my job just caused me to lose focus for a while, but I am back. 

I would like to personally thank my buddy Tamieka for giving me the push I needed to make myself a priority again.  It is AMAZING what one person can do!  I am always telling my principals and teachers that one person can make a difference to a kid.  Well, one person can make a difference to an adult too.  Thanks, Tamieka!

Today it is back to counting points and WRITING THEM DOWN - not just guesstimating how many points I have eaten.  It is back to exercise and blogging on BS too.

 There is only one me and I have only this life to get it right.  I am too old to keep making excuses.  I know better.  If I am not honest with myself, I cannot be honest with others.

Here I go! 

Tammy

Hello everyone!  Since I last posted, the teachers in my district are back to work, the continuing education I planned and executed to 500 professional personnel went off w/o a hitch, test scores and notice of who made and did not make adequate yearly progress (No Child Left Behind stuff) have all been delivered, and the schools are looking like kid-friendly zones once again.  Whew!  Just glad I am no longer a high school principal.  My real work would just be beginning  :-) 

Well, the prayers you have sent up for my family have certainly worked, but in the funniest manner.  Once you guys started praying, I kept seeing quotes on posters, in newspapers, online, etc. that made me think I was getting signs.  The one that really jumped out at me was, “Bite Your Tongue”.  It was from an advertisement a local church put in the county paper.  There was an explanation that followed saying that sometimes we needed to bite our tongues and really think about something before we act/speak/you get the picture.

 So I did it…I bit my tongue when I wanted so badly to lash out.  I bit my tongue when my daughter came to me for a sympathetic ear - not advice.  I just bit my tongue.  Short of a bloody mouth (LOL), I had no other ill effects, but I had such joy at seeing how my daughter has recovered from this mess and how she is rising above it all with a newfound wisdom and strength.

So, thanks again for the prayers.  This is the quietest I have been in my life and it has really paid off.  My husband wonders where I went…

Now I have to bite my tongue so I don’t eat too much…LOL!

 Tammy

Hey All!  I came on here at the beginning of the week asking you all for prayers for my daughter and you definitely came through.  She has discovered who her true friends are and she has a tremendous amount of support.   I hope you will continue to send some up for her because we are still struggling with some of the fallout from the situation.  Her “best friend” is not being as supportive as Sara thought and you know how that hurts a 14-year-old; not to mention the high school admin and coaching personnel having a lukewarm approach to dealing with it…

At the risk of sounding very needy, I ask you to continue to pray for us, please.

On to my weight loss.  I dropped another pound this week, which puts me at 30 lbs total lost!  That has been a highlight of my week.  I really needed a loss.

I will tell you that this situation with my daughter has been so bad at times that I couldn’t even eat, so you know it has to be pretty tough.  I tend to eat to smother all of my feelings.  This cannot  be covered up by food.

With the job I have, in the very small area in which I live, I cannot share my feelings freely w/o the whole little Peyton Place running their mouths, and I am turning to you guys too much probably.  But I am trying to remember what my dearly departed father always told me growing up -  ”Pride cometh before the fall.”

 I love you guys…

Tammy

Hey everyone.  Had a ridiculous day.  Without going into great detail (she would be embarassed and I love her too much), my daughter is going through hell right now and her dad, brother, and I are so hurt for her.  She is a strong girl and will no doubt get through this, but I know the power of prayer on Buddy Slim is a powerful force.  My family so needs it right now.  Thanks everyone…

Tammy

Oh and don’t think it didn’t enter my mind to just chuck it all and eat away the pain.  That is why I am fat, you know.  I am fat becuase I eat my feelings.  And from the looks of it I have a lot of feelings.  LOL.

My buds know I work for the school system as a district administrator.  We are working on lots of electronic transmission of classes from one high school to another (4 hs’s all together) to help kids get some electives they wouldn’t otherwise get.  Long story short, the principals are throwing blame for the little bugs we have to work out instead of pulling otgether to make it a success.  I have thought about it ever since the meeting we had this afternoon. 

I thought about it when I drove home.  I thought about it when I came home and helped my husband make dinner.  I thought about it during dinner.  I thought about it when I drove my daughter and her friend to the county fair.  It thougt about it on the way home.  I came in the house and went directly to the cupboard.  

Then I started thinking about how other people’s actions were controlling my feelings and ruining my evening.  I allowed people who have no control over me - I am their boss for God’s sake - cause me to want to eat.  Baloney!

I had a 3-point treat and came here to write about my feelings instead of eating them.  Tammy - 1; All others whose feelings I have no control over - 0. 

I am the winner!