The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[Karli]

Hi, Diana. Thanks for updating your journal, it sounds like things have been a bit rough for you guys and I sure wish you both the best !! Sorry for your losses .

But, I have to congratulate you on your remarkable and completely beautiful progress. Wow, you just shine and I just love reading you. I love your list of things you have learned .

Cheers to you,
Karli

[Mike]

February was kind of a difficult month.


If I don't like the oatmeal, I don't have to eat the oatmeal.

And let me tell you, she WILL NOT eat the oatmeal as oatmeal. Although, when I make it into pancakes, she will tolerate it. Although we have both decided that there really is nothing that helps the Peach.

I love my wife

[DonicaB]

Diana~ I loved reading the list of things you've learned. You have put a great deal of thought into that.

I'm sorry you've had such a rough month. Being a teacher, especially a middle school teacher, can be stressful (I know). And......if morale is low the stress multiplies. We don't often get to see if we really have any impact on our student's lives. Trust me, though, you are having a positive impact on your students' lives. It is obvious in your spirit that you are a beautiful, caring person.

What I want most is to be the living sacrifice Paul describes, a vessel that can max out its potential usefulness in acts of worship. I don't want to have weak handles, to be difficult to move, to be too big for the table it's to sit on but too small to hold what's intended. I want to be a vessel that shines from the patina of daily use. I want to be a vessel characterized by what's constantly spilling out of it. I want it to be one the Lord constantly reaches for in working out His Plan.

I have read this part of one of your posts several times. So many times, I have heard the passage you are referring to and never really thought of it in this manner. Thank you for sharing this. I want to be that kind of vessel also.

I'll be praying that March is a much better month.

DonicaB

[dede4wd]

I love your list Di!

Let's do this, let's get into the 100# club together!

You've been through a lot and you've come through with flying colors. No matter how hard these tests and such are on you...you're changing kids lives, be proud of that!

DeDe

[Diana]

I'm with you, Dede!! It feels good to be back in "the zone" again.

[Karli]

Di, you're inches away from ONDERLAND

[Diana]

Yep! Yep! Yep!! Before onederland, I'll hit the 100# club, then about 3 lbs later, I'll be in Onederland! Thanks for noticing, Karli.

AND today, I wore my size 16 jeans to school!! This is officially half the clothing size I was last year at this time! They're a little muffintoppish, but I could stand, sit, walk, teach, crouch, all the things one is expected to be able to do...comfortably. They feel like college jeans!

I bought a temporary (read "costume") wedding ring late last fall, 2 sizes smaller than my originals, and now IT'S sliding off! Perhaps it's time for one of Biki's sizer thingies. Next year, Mike and I are getting new rings - for symbolic reasons - but in the meantime, I don't want to look single. (Not that it hasn't been fun on occassion! )

AND I told my principal yesterday that I don't intend to return. I'm ready to be a fulltime Health Advisor. This is a year sooner than projected, but it seriously looks like it will work! The irony: I found out yesterday that I'm being nominated for Teacher of the Year. The person selected isn't awarded until the next school year. Vanity and human pride, however, are not enough of reasons to stay.

The whole decision has been monumentously difficult, but has become clearer and clearer over time. Teaching, after all, has been my chosen carrier ever since we studied The People in Your Neighborhood in 1st grade. (A lot of folks on this forum weren't even twinkles in anyone's eyes yet.) My mom's a teacher, my sister, my cousin, my aunt, my husband, his aunt, his cousin... I spent 5 years getting my BS, then another one to get my first credential, another year for a second and yet more time to finish my masters. I started as a preschool aid when I was 15 and worked my way up to supervisor, then switched to an actual classroom once I was qualified, then administration. And now I'm bagging the whole thing. It's not without a certain amount of mourning, not to mention breath-holding.

One thing I know, though: I am completely replaceable as a public school teacher -- and probably by someone who's a better speller!

That's not why I'm leaving, though. I'm leaving because it's time. I've been there, done that and have ALL the tee-shirts (and sweatshirts). I've come full circle and tried everything I set out to try along the way. I see an opportunity before me that is a better match with my desires, my goals, my needs, and my values regarding not only myself but my marriage and my family at large (and shrinking!).

But in the meantime, I'm only 1.3 lbs away from my gold start and 4.1 lbs away from Onederland!!! How cool is that?!?

[Tawanda]

Diana, what an exciting time for you. Not only in the weight loss but also in the new direction that you are planning with being a full time Health Advisor. It must have been a very difficult decision but it sounds like you are excited about making the change and I wish you every happiness .

[bikipatra]

Congrats on the major career move. I wish you every success!

[Lizabette]

Whatever you do, DI,I know you will do it with all your heart, and all your strength, and all the love you have in you!
My thoughts and prayers will be that your desires and goals will all be met in due time.
You are almost in the 100# Club and sneaking up on Onderland! Whohoo Baby!
And congratulations on the comfortable size 16 jeans!!!
I sure enjoyed reading your 'learning list'...
What an amazing full-time Health Advisor you are gonna be...spelling and all!

[Karli]

AND today, I wore my size 16 jeans to school!! This is officially half the clothing size I was last year at this time! They're a little muffintoppish, but I could stand, sit, walk, teach, crouch, all the things one is expected to be able to do...comfortably. They feel like college jeans!

That is just awesome, Di. I am really happy for you .

The whole decision has been monumentously difficult, but has become clearer and clearer over time. Teaching, after all, has been my chosen carrier ever since we studied The People in Your Neighborhood in 1st grade. (A lot of folks on this forum weren't even twinkles in anyone's eyes yet.) My mom's a teacher, my sister, my cousin, my aunt, my husband, his aunt, his cousin... I spent 5 years getting my BS, then another one to get my first credential, another year for a second and yet more time to finish my masters. I started as a preschool aid when I was 15 and worked my way up to supervisor, then switched to an actual classroom once I was qualified, then administration. And now I'm bagging the whole thing. It's not without a certain amount of mourning, not to mention breath-holding.

One thing I know, though: I am completely replaceable as a public school teacher -- and probably by someone who's a better speller!

That's not why I'm leaving, though. I'm leaving because it's time. I've been there, done that and have ALL the tee-shirts (and sweatshirts). I've come full circle and tried everything I set out to try along the way. I see an opportunity before me that is a better match with my desires, my goals, my needs, and my values regarding not only myself but my marriage and my family at large (and shrinking!).

You know, I just have to speak up here a little bit with my usual opinions and thoughts about life (sorry everybody ). You are not actually bagging anything besides another shell. Everything that made you the success you were as a teacher (and face it, you have obviously been a big success), ALL of the effort that you put into earning your degrees and working toward what you have been doing, is not going to just serve you well in your new career, but has actually aided in preparing you for and getting you to where you are now going. All of that experience that you have will find a new home and I think you will be very surprised at how much of it will be tangibly present in your new life. It's just one continuous line, really. All you are doing is obediently following a way that will best use your talents and gifts, and will promote your own fullest potential at the same time ! And, I suspect that you have felt something like this all along in your career choices, or at least have always been aiming for it in whatever you do.

But in the meantime, I'm only 1.3 lbs away from my gold start and 4.1 lbs away from Onederland!!! How cool is that?!?

WAY COOL

So many congrats to you, you deserve all of the blessings you feel.


My best,
Karli

[nickieluv]

Diana;

This sounds like an amazing and scary change you are making. I can understand why it took so long for this to brew under the surface. It's hard to feel like you are throwing away all the education, and the money spent on it! But that's not the case!

Karli is absolutely right. Everything you do in life is preparing you for your ultimate best self. There is no way that all your experiences were for nothing. At the very least, would you have met Mike if you chose a different path? Would you have found TSFL? And you learn so much when you're a teacher, about people and about yourself, having to constantly make value judgements about what are the most important things to teach, how to interact with and reach out to people from different backgrounds - all of those skills will be important as a FT HA, and the millions of other things you've learned in life.

I am adding myself to the list of those who are VERY EXCITED for you. I know this will be a positive in your life!

[chelleA]

Hello! I started at the beginning, and skimmed thru to the end. Your journal is amazingly motivating. The love you too have is very rare!

I am also a teacher. I'm in the process of looking for another school. I have a principal that thrives on seeing it ANY other way than mine, with no compromises. I'm even the subject of the jokes at school. When she's coming down the hall, they warn me. When she talks to me, they rub my back as if to get the STAB marks off But tease me that when she needs something done, she'll be nice to me again. I'm her "go to girl" who can't seem to get up enough nerve to tell her NO!

Being on sabbatical has given me the time to think about my job. It has also been scary because I know that in order to be "visually appealing" to other principals, I have to get this weight off. No matter that I have a BA in Early Childhood Ed, and a Masters in Early Intervention(of handicapped birth and up). My shining stars are obviously dulled by my weight. That is why your journal reminded me of me.

From the diets............OH MY !!! I've spent thousands! WW, Diet Center, Metabolic Research, LA weight loss (just threw my $500 in the door and never went back!), Atkins, Nutrisystem, Sugar Busters, Quik Trim, and EVERY prescription I could get my hands on. I've also read EVERYONE'S BOOK....Dr. Phil, Oprah, etc. It wasn't until I lost 75 pounds in 5 months with New Direction......hospital based and basically soups, shakes, and hot cocoa....very similar to MF, that I knew that the only way to get it off, was to drastically change my ways. The most is that I have to MAKE myself eat. I skip LOTS of meals, so I have to make myself eat healthier. I have had 2 babies and 3 back surgeries, but I know that going back to old ways are REALLY what caused me to gain it back.

I have decided to do this for ME! And while I'm home for this semester, it makes it easier to "contain myself"! I DO live in Louisiana.....food for every reason.......and Baptist to top that off! We believe in Fried Chicken!!! So I don't worry about the temptations at work!

Anyway, didn't mean to be so long winded......but YOU INSPIRE ME!!! I just wanted you to know how much I admire you. Congratulations on your successes and bravery! I would love to change professions, but I'm too scared to do anything else.

Kiss that wonderful husband......and tell him and yourself how lucky you are to have him. It's wonderful that you are traveling this road together!

[Mike]

Chelle,
There will be an opening for a great teacher at our school next year (due to Di's absence - ). Feel a move to California?

Glad you are having success, and hope that "evil" principal gets off of your back.

[Diana]

Many thanks for your input and encouragement, MediBuds. And you're absolutely right -- I have noticed that my training up to this point, particularly as an administrator, has done much to prepare me for this next step. I learned a lot about the business end of education, especially monitoring and managing. The new piece, of course, is "marketing," but that's coming with guidance, practice and refinement.

We attended the memorial service for a very dear friend today. It was a profoundly sincere tribute to his incredible life. There were about 250-300 people in attendance.

And I'm all a mix of emotion. Since he's been battling cancer for some time, the grief process started long before this last week. As his daughter mentioned, it's more a feeling of relief that he's out of pain and now alive, well and whole in the presence of God. My dad has a saying: some things never get easy but they do get hard less often.

So, with all that, I'm feeling a bit vain and self-centered in awaiting tomorrow's weigh-in. According to the scale, I'm a mere 8 oz (0.5 lbs) away from the 100# club. It's SOOO EASY to pass up homemade potato salad and chocolate devil's food cupcakes, even lemonaide when the goal is this near. In fact, never in my life have I been this detached from food! I was dressing after a massage and there was a box of chocolate on the table. Usually, I would inspect it and sigh as I passed it up. I wasn't even interested in inspecting it!

I remember last July when I had to attend a training where everything was catered (there were at least three of those last summer) and someone decried the temptation of the chips or cookies or something. I hadn't even realized they were in the room! (This situation is not to be confused with the one in August after I had gone off plan and suddenly was accutely aware of every grain of sugar and droplet of fat within a 50 foot radius.)

So, I'm excited. But a little too excited. I'm determined to be in the 100# club by my TSFL anniversary (next Friday) and in my vanity I want it as part of the official Roll Call tomorrow, not NEXT week's Roll Call. I will, however, post additionally should I NOT make it tomorrow morning but make it sometime during the week.

Then I'll grieve properly for Marvin -- because I've been a little too distracted today. No criticism necessary -- I know this is totally self-centeredness, vain, egotistical, immaturely self-serving, etc and so forth. But it's also meant that for once I wasn't a blubbering idiot at a memorial service and could actually HELP!

Allrightythen, time for bed. Think thin! Think thin! Think light and skinny!