After a long hiatus, I am returning to my blog! I'll try my best to sum up the past 8 months of my life and get everyone caught up as to where I'm currently at.
My last post was back in August 2013, which was shortly after I moved to West Allis and in with a friend. My work caseload at my job as a Crisis Stabilizer was slowly building and my schedule was becoming more and more hectic. By the time it was October / November I was really ready to quit. I worked 7 days a week, was on call 24/7, and would work throughout the entire day with pockets of "free time" in between appointments. I'd sometimes work as early as 8am and frequently wouldn't arrive back home for the night until after 8pm. I felt I had little support and training, and at times my role wasn't really that clear to me. I realized there was a reason the job description was so vague...my role involved almost anything and everything, it all depended on what the family or team needed and I was the "go-to" person. With such a crazy schedule I found it very difficult to find time to mentally relax, knowing I was always on call. I felt I could never get away. I became very isolated and I quickly fell out of touch with friends. It felt like my job consumed me, and the work I did was very exhausting, mentally, emotionally, and physically. As much as I hated the job, I learned so much from the kids I worked with and the things I saw; it really became a life changing, eye-opening experience. I feel I have matured a lot and have gained valuable insights during my time off of school.
I finally was able to quit the job in February when I was offered a position as a special education paraprofessional at a middle / high school. I also decided I wanted to pursue a Master's Degree in Counseling. I applied in January and I have been accepted to start at UW-Milwaukee in Fall 2014. I'm still a little unsure between Community Counseling and School Counseling, but I'm not too concerned about that for now. I'm just thrilled to finally have things figured out and I can't wait to go back to school. This past year off has been difficult in many ways, and I'm happy to
I finally was able to quit the job in February when I was offered a position as a special education paraprofessional at a middle / high school. I also decided I wanted to pursue a Master's Degree in Counseling. I applied in January and I have been accepted to start at UW-Milwaukee in Fall 2014. I'm still a little unsure between Community Counseling and School Counseling, but I'm not too concerned about that for now. I'm just thrilled to finally have things figured out and I can't wait to go back to school. This past year off has been difficult in many ways, and I'm happy to
Now for the bad news. Back in the fall and winter, as I was trying hard to eat healthy, despite being always on the go, I was frequently falling off the wagon and was not always making the best choices when it came to my diet. Not only was I always having to pack everything in tupperware and eat on the go, but the stress and isolation did not help me any. And with the awful, bitter cold winter we had, I was not being as active as I had hoped to be. Part of me is ashamed to admit that I put on about 10-12 pounds, mostly between January and March. For the first time in a long time, my clothes fit tighter and I was having to go up a pants size. It felt completely awful, and I hated it; but I have reminded myself to forgive myself and realize that although it was not an excuse to gain the weight, that I was going through a difficult time and to not be so hard on myself. All I can do is acknowledge my mistakes and take action to take the weight off. I'm not proud of the fact that I have gained weight, but I have come a long ways, in that I don't feel as guilty or ashamed as I would have a year or two ago. I am trying to see it as a learning experience, and I can pride myself in knowing that I will be making healthier choices from now on.
As I had been talking about in the Fall, I have been very interested in Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live plan. The plan is focused on eating foods with a high nutrient density, and it is largely a plant-based diet. I had attempted to start the more strict 6 week plan several times over the past 8 months, but failed to really stick with it. After doing some more reading on it and preparing by cooking some recipes and buying the right foods to have on hand, I began the plan today. I have decided to blog about it along the way as a way to keep me accountable. Summer will eventually get here, and I'm ready to really commit to this new way of eating.
Day 1 Eat to Live:
I had off work today and I'm battling a cold so I slept much later than normal. Because of this, I had a light fruit breakfast. Later on for lunch I had a large salad with several veggies and beans to top it. For dinner I had some leftover steamed kale, a small salad, and a recipe from an Eat To Live cookbook, Swiss Chard and Beans Italiano, which was pretty good. Later on I ate a little more fruit. Overall, the day went pretty well considering my late start to the day. I didn't feel hungry and experienced no cravings. I survived Day 1!
I had off work today and I'm battling a cold so I slept much later than normal. Because of this, I had a light fruit breakfast. Later on for lunch I had a large salad with several veggies and beans to top it. For dinner I had some leftover steamed kale, a small salad, and a recipe from an Eat To Live cookbook, Swiss Chard and Beans Italiano, which was pretty good. Later on I ate a little more fruit. Overall, the day went pretty well considering my late start to the day. I didn't feel hungry and experienced no cravings. I survived Day 1!