Still Fighting the Weight -- BUT, I'm Still FIGHTING it.

So, it's been a minute since I last wrote, and some things have changed in my life since I wrote my last post. I'm teaching again, in the classroom as opposed to online, and I don't have to tell you which I prefer. I just haven't been hired to teach online this year, so there you have it, I was forced to return to the brick and mortar rooms filled with screaming children. I say children, this is my 4th year to teach 9th graders, so they are around 14-15 years of age; nevertheless, they are still rather loud, obnoxious, and in most cases incapable of meeting state standards.  Hey, that's OK, I'm there to help them, and to hopefully make them realize that meeting the standards of our state, while important, is not the end-all to their lives. They have to want to learn, and most do.  They have to seek an education, and most would if it came right down to it. There are those who would rather sleep through life, but you know that after a few years they too would wake up and realize that their ship(s) were about to sail away without them aboard.  It's a trade off; I wake up early and fight the good fight, and they put up with me bellowing at them constantly about reading more, writing more, and spelling correctly!  (Just between you and me, they rarely spell correctly.)

I'm still fatter than I want to be. I pass by a glass panel at school, say a window or a door, and realize my gut is sticking out, my roundness is absurd, and I really haven't lost enough to make a dint in what I wanted to lose by this time! I've given it so many chances, but my body just won't respond to good sense, most probably because I'm not backing up that good sense with enough exercise, water, and more exercise.  I bought an elliptical machine that should have helped, right? Well, it did for 3 weeks, which is about as long as I used it. It wasn't expensive, and every time I climbed aboard it I could only work it 6-8 minutes without passing out from exhaustion. The strides were shorter, so it felt more like a stair master, which hurt my knees and pumped my heart to the point of popping out of my chest.

I'm giving the elliptical to my daughter Caity, she accepts any good challenge, this one will not be a problem for her. She'll work her magic and lose all the weight she ever wanted to, her and her fantastic knee strength! Ha! Take that ELLIPTICAL!!!  I'm starting over with a new piece of machinery. I bought a recumbent bike, it's to be delivered before October 11, that's 12 days. I bet it shows up on October 9th or so. I'll be happy when it's set up and I can start working out with it instead of climbing ungodly amounts of stairs. Recumbent bikes are designed to help your back while riding. I used one for 30-40 minutes at the gym now and again, and it was wonderful. I think I can go about 4-5 miles a day on it, and possibly get in the cardio I'm needing. I walk anywhere from 2-3 miles a day in the classroom, round and round and round. I even tell the students to move their backpacks because I'm trying to get my steps in without killing myself!

I've taken to drinking the green smoothies in the morning, as well as drinking the apple cider vinegar two times a day. I started today on the ACV, and believe me, it's not an easy thing to do. I have to use good strong cranberry juice to mask the horrid taste of Braggs ACV!  STRONG STUFF that is, and they know it!  It's been curing people of next to everything for a million years, it may as well be credited with helping me lose 60 pounds...did I say 60?  I mean 40, but if 60 feels like falling off I'm not going to stop it. I'm at 190 now, so I could stand to be a waif! Bring on the size 2, I can handle it. LOL (No, not really, I think I'd die after 140...I think my bones weight that.)

Autumn is here, and it's time to put on the sweaters, sweat pants, and onesies, making it easier to cover up this fluff for sure, but I want to lose it.  I want to be a good sized, healthy, active woman with a story to tell. This time, it's MINE to tell. It's hard as hell, but I'm going to make it happen with prayer, lots of prayer, apple cider vinegar, green smoothies, walking, drinking more water, riding horses and pumping that bike! I WILL BE smaller by Christmas. I will be in my size 8 jeans on Christmas Eve. THIS is my goal.