Teachers unite

Good day to everyone. I am a 31 year old 6th grade teacher from Texas. I am trying to loose around 40 lbs and I only started at the first of the year. I think that it is important for us teachers to stick together for support. If anyone out there, any age, any gender, wants to lets start being there for each other. 

 

Teachers Unite 

Thanks xyourzer0x! Hope your weight in delights you!

Starting weight: 230lbs

Today's weight: 226 lbs

Goal: 150lbs

Long way to go. But I'm so happy that the diet is working :)

I have lost 10.1 lbs since the start of the year. I still have around 50 to go, but it is a great start.

To the rest of you that have posted, great results and keep up the good work.

Well, it is again Weds and time for the weigh in. As of today I have lost 13.3 lbs since the start of the year. I hope that everyone else is doing great.

Hi

It's so good to see eductors come together for the well being of each other, focusing on ourselves rather than so many others.

I teach in Alabama. I have the pleasure of teaching hands-on math and science to every student in the school, along with many other duties. The down side is my schedule is so hectic that I usually grab a candy bar and many cokes to keep me going. A teacher in my school told me about this site. I was so excited to stumble upon a teacher support group. I need to lose 40 pounds. I want to do this slow and in a healthy way so I will keep it off. 

Hi!  I'm a 48 year old teacher in Texas.  I teach hight school english and creative writing.  I have 3 older daughters 29, 25, and 24 in addition to one very active thirteen year old (cheerleading, select softball, and church activities).

Recently, I visited a weight doctor who put me on a 1200 calorie a day limit.  That led me to google calorie counting where I found this site.  I need to lose 50 lbs.  Not having a weight problem for the majority of my life, counting calories is not something I'm accustomed to doing.  After becoming a grandmother 5 years ago, I gave myself permission to eat whatever I wanted - whenever I wanted... Not a good plan.  When I started to have health issues, I decided my permissivness had to stop for my own good. 

Like you, I find myself grabbing high calorie snacks throughout the day, or not eating at all. If the latter, I find fast food stops on the way home completely irresistable.  Fast food - definitely one of my weaknesses. 

We're at softball tournaments almost every weekend through the season - eating out, eating at the ball park, snacking on junk... and the season is beginning... I'm scared...

I just joined a gym.  : o I'm hoping I can force myself to use the time to improve my health.  Fifty pounds... that's a lot!  But since beginnig last week I've lost 6.  It's a beginning I guess... 

Sorry this is soooo long... : (

Given my subject, I am either teaching, planning or grading through the school year.   This leaves little time for me. 

 

welcome to the group. As another teacher I know how hard it is to find time to go to the gym and eat right. Pack your own lunch every day and make time at a minimum 2 days a week for the gym. You will be amazed how quick the lbs come off.

Yay!  A place for me!  I'm an 8th grade ELA and English I teacher (shout-out to WILLLE!!).  My weight loss started right after Thanksgiving when My doctor gave me a scrip for Phentermine and I joined the new YMCA less than 2 miles from our house. 

I lost 17 pounds pretty quickly, stalled, found this site, learned I wasn't eating enough, got off the pills, and recently lost  few more (according to MY scales). 

When I started at the end of November, I had to buy a size 16 pants to have something comfortable to wear.  Yesterday I bought a size 10!  I could only fit in a 10 in a certain style, but I don't care!  My goal is an 8, though I would like to see a 6 for a few days at least! 

My 20th high school reunion is this summer, and my husband and I are going on an Alaskan cruise in August.  Of course I want to get healthy, but those two big things help keep me motivated!

With state-mandated testing coming up and all the eventsthat spring brings this is hard time for me-I stress eat.  I do have lot of people at school rooting me on so that keeps me from the vending machine! 

I look forward to reading the posts from my peers!

Hi.  I'm a school principal at a juvenile correctional facility, but was previously an administrator at a high school (where I gained 60 pounds in 6 years).  Here are rules I wished I had followed at the time:

1. Stay OUT of the teacher's lounge (full on negativity and "goodies")

2. Do not eat school lunches...they are (poorly) designed to meet the caloric and nutritional needs of growing children, not grown adults

3. Eat a snack at the end of the day BEFORE leaving school.  I would get home famished, and eat all kinds of things in large, impulsive quantities.

4. Take advantage of your training as educators (especially special ed teachers).  You've taken classes in behavior management, so conduct an FBA (Functional Behavioral Assessment) of your own eating behavior and develop a BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan).

Now, things are a little easier, because I always pack a lunch...jail food is terribly offputting so this was an easy shift (for me a change in position/school was a key).  I also have a sliced apple with 1 tablespoon of PB before I leave at the end of the day.

Hey all,

 

I teach 6th graders.  We have recently covered plant and animal cells.  I assigned a project in which they had to make a cell and label the parts and write a paper with it. About 1/2 the kids choose to do edible cells. (Tomorrow is our 3rd and final day of cake!) Stupid me! (but on the plus side, they all LOVED the assignment, and I've heard complaints from other teachers that now their students want to do it to.)  

I'm also taking phentermine, but it doesn't seem to be affecting me the way it apparently affects most.  I'm struggling daily.  I'm also a stress eater, and a social  eater, and an anger eater, and a sad eater... I could go on and on! I JUST LOVE TO EAT! My appetite is voracious!  I'm only into my second week, and I'm already beginning to feel cruelly deprived.  Did I also mention I'm a "feel sorry for myself eater? : [ My doctor also gave me some "sensotherapy medication" which is supposed to make me feel full... not working... I'm very compulsive with my compulsion - o'kay, now I'm not even making sense!  I NEED SOME ENCOURAGEMENT! QUICK!  I feel ready to attack a box of chocolate Ho Ho's for goodness sake! 1200 calories ARE NOT ENOUGH! 

I am a 7th and 8th grade english teacher! Yay for stressed, over-worked, and good humored teachers helping each other! I am 24, 5'6'' and 165. 

I was just laughing about how mcuh all lounges seem to be the same! I have such a hard time with all of the well meaning cookies and treats left to encourage us! 

As soon as it's not snowing outside, I'm going to follow the brisk walk and quick lunch idea...I walk all over the school all day, but I think the out doors might encourage me! Thanks for the idea! 

I teach 8th grade English and French.

I eat in the lounge, but yeah, sometimes there are goodies in there. Carry-in lunches are the worst. The group at my lunch time is all women, and almost all are trying, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, to lose weight. It's the American way.

When someone gets negative, I do one of two things, start a separate conversation with someone sitting near me, or leave. Which one depends on whether I've finished eating and what kind of mood I'm in.

I'd love to walk the track outdoors, but ALL our outdoor space is currently off limits. On one end of the building they're building a new two-story wing.  On the other end they're building a new elementary school, as a separate building but sharing our campus. Our old staff parking lot is gone, so we have to go across a muddy area, then loose gravel, to the area we now get to park in. And all this continues at least through the next school year (2008-2009).

Oh wow--is it too late to join?  I teach special education to grades K, 1, & 2.  This is my first year of teaching (fourth in the corporation--first three were as an assistant).  I am HOPING to get hired as a general ed. teacher in the fall (my DREAM).  Anyway, I live in southwest Indiana so it is definitely too cold to be outside and walking on my lunch.  I am one of the lucky ones who gets to go home on my 30-minute lunch break.  I just live down the street and YES, I know I could walk but it's far enough away I wouldn't have time to eat if I did. 

My weight gain started in college and has, pound by pound, increased to 150.2 pounds!  I am 26 years old and 5'3" (when I stretch).  I am down 7 pounds and have a goal of 120.  I totally agree that teachers do not spend the time/energy on themselves because they are giving their "all" to everyone else!  And believe it or not, I rarely go into our teacher's lounge...it's at the opposite end of the building and since I go home for lunch, I really don't go in the lounge much!

Keep up the good work everyone--and thanks for letting me join!  One can use all the support one can get.

Is there room for another?

I am a special education teacher case manager / reading instructor at the high school level - nights I work with adult learners preparing for their GED exam.

I make my lunches, count the calories here and have lost sixteen pounds (eighty-four to goal) since mid January. It's a good start, but motivation and exercise are going to be my challenges.   Here in NH shoveling snow seems to be the only exercise I get lately. I am planning to start walking in another few weeks once temperatures climb a bit higher. . .

How does everyone add enough exercise to their days to make it "count"?

Hello everyone. Sorry it has been a while since I have posted. I have been down with the flu for most of last week and am just now about back to normal. I went to the gym for the first time in 8 days last night.

 I think that it is amazing how so many of us educators have almost the same story about our weight. Staff lounges, stress, eating way to much when we get home, it all sounds familiar.

 Well, as of today I have lost 16.6 lbs for the year and am feeling good about myself. On sunday I wore a pair of shorts that I haven't been in in a year or more. Everyone keep up the good work, keep posting results, questions, advice, and support. For you other Texas educators out there, TAKS is just around the corner.

You had me right up until you mentioned shorts.

I've lost 16.6 pounds too, since Jan 2.

However, I am on the second snow day in a row. Up here in Ohio, we're not thinking about wearing shorts anytime soon. 

Today is the second Snow Day we've had this week...and I just got the phone call that we are cancelled for tomorrow!  No V'day for us.  Actually, the kids will have their parties on Fri., which is a better party day than Thurs. anyways.

I lost another 0.5 pound this week bringin the grand total lost to: 7.6 pounds!

I have NOT been lazy (much) or lounging around since we've been off.  I've been grocery shopping, to the gym twice, and am hoping to brave the 30 min. drive to yoga tonight.  I've been watching what I eat and trying to fill up on more veggies.  I bought red, yellow, and green bell peppers, yellow squash, zuccini, baby carrots, and broccoli and chopped them up for steamed veggies last night.  I put the leftovers in the fridge and have been munching on them.  I also bought fruit for smoothies, but it's been too cold.  I think I'll just eat the fruit.

Any other special needs teachers working on their Spring ACR's?  I need to be, but can't bring myself to get very far.  We may be one of the only places that does all our conferences in the spring.

I disaperared for like 2 or 3 weeks, I had a bad thing going. I gaind 6 lbs but I got a new scale a digital. So maybe it's not that much and this scale is more accurate. But I'm fixing this and I am determined to stay on track. :(

Thanks for the brisk walk idea! We have a sidewalk that goes around the building. I hadn't thought about walking around the school during my lunch time. I have been taking my lunch since January. I've stayed out the lounge. Our parents set up food in the lounge at least twice a month for us. I don't have much will power when it comes to sweets, so I'm just trying to stay clear of the lounge. I'm a big snack person, so I've purchased a lot of 100 calorie snack to help me control my portion. I don't like vegetables, but I've been eating fresh fruit.  I don't know how much I've lost. I get discourage when I weigh, especially when I haven't lost as much as I think I should have.