Did you Die?

No I didn't die but the last few weeks have been really busy. Really, really busy. This is what happens when you’re in the academic world and you have finals, final projects, etc. due. I try to support my students by being available for consultation and office hours because I want them to do well on their projects and exams, but this comes down to one thing: time. Also, I know the students spend a lot of time working on everything, so I spend time being thorough in grading their work but this too comes down to time.

While I value making this investment in students, their work, and their development, if I am not careful this can crowd out the time I usually spend on me and on my journey to get healthy. This has most certainly been the case in the past few weeks. I’ve eaten out a lot, cooked very little, and just in general been kind of caught in the haze of busy-ness (not a haze I like). When grades are turned in at the end of the week, it’s time to turn over a new leaf and recommit. Time to get back to cooking and packing healthy lunches.

I know I talked earlier about how eating crappy food didn’t seem to affect me. Well, that was true – but after about 1.5 or two weeks of consistently eating crappy stuff, I have to say I felt worse. I also have to say I started to require more sleep – at exactly the time when I really couldn’t afford to sleep more. It surprised me that the change was so dramatic and so sudden. It was as though I hit a brick wall, and my body started to revolt.

“Really? Are you sure you want pizza?”

So, I have started to listen. I pack fruits and vegetables for snacks, and have been trying to make sure to eat protein at each meal in an attempt to keep my energy up. I also have been trying to make healthier choices when I eat out, but I have been eating out a lot. I am excited for this to die down as I finish off the semester. Back to eating healthier and back to getting this scale to move downward

Editor’s note: I gained only about 2 lbs. during all of this. While it is a gain, it is nowhere near as significant as I would have expected. This tells me that my approach to portions is changing, and that I am actually changing part of the way that I deal with food. I’m by no means there, but I am making progress which is not something that – prior to the last year – I would have been able to say. Let’s celebrate the small things J

Another editor’s note: I wrote this Wednesday in a room with no internet as I proctored an exam. I learned later that day that I lost 3 lbs on WW. That gave me the motivation to start eating way more clean again. In fact, I even got to cook last night, and my food was so delicious -- I made spanish rice, fajita style shrimp, black beans, corn, sauteed peppers and onions, salsa (which I have been meaning to post a recipe for), and put some sour cream and cheese on there. So delicious -- and I have enough packed for 4 lunches!