Boo-yah.. there goes 2 lbs

Lost 2 lbs (which most likely water weight) from the 7 lbs weight gain since school started. I worked out this morning and I'm feeling really good! :)

I finally got the chance to clean up the house and that was a pretty good "workout" as well. I'm slowly getting back on track and I'm really excited in finally have time for myself.

Breakfast:
Head cheese
Baked fish

Lunch
Chicken corn soup

Dinner
Lean shake
dinner salad

Oy..

Workout
60 min spin interval
3 hours working around the house

One Down ... Three More to Go!

I'm officially on Winter break! Whatever heck that means hehe.  First semester went by so fast it was ridiculous. There was a lot of growing up and I had to say I've learned a lot about myself and how I deal with things in the first 16 weeks of my pre-nursing career.  And I know for a fact there's a lot more to learn and I sure look forward to it!

So... 16 weeks and 7 lbs gain later LOL.. yea it's the Panda Express and Panera Bread run I've been doing to possibly cope with school stress.

Stress = stuff my mouth with bread and orange chicken LOL. The nursing school work out I planned out didn't work out. So the new plan is to make REALISTIC schedule to put in some exercise. I have to get back to you on that.

So the plan in the next 6 weeks of break is to lose the nursing school weight gain and maybe get back to the same weight I started of 160 lbs. more or less.

I haven't been here in a while, so I will probably post more often now that I have more spare time

Till then.. to better health!

Gertie

When it rains, it pours --- where the heck is my umbrella

quote of the day -- heck for the last 2 weeks more like it.

I'm sooooooo over it though. I got a good negative purge out of the system (ha! how do you like them paradoxes)

I'm moving on and I'm looking forward.

Yea as you can tell you know I got a lousy grade at my first test.  I'm changing my strategies and hopefully this will help me land a better grade next time.. if not I'm reaching for that twinkie that's been calling my name every time I stopped for gas at the chevron station enroute to school

yea. I bought pie too.. lol Banana cream .. Mmmmmm.. aarggghhhll....

But suprinsingly I lost a pound... I know yay cereal!!

I'm starting clinicals on Monday *gasp* :)

It should be fabulous. and of course I'm totally... TOTALLY fronting. I'm nervous as heck, but I think i can handle.

As long as I don't do anything embarrasing as like shining the opposite end of my penlight when I check PERRL (which I had done in skills practice hehe ---good times)

The last thing I need is my patient thinking --- how the heck did this girl get in nursing school lol

Total workout hours this week --- uh 40 minutes lol.. But! the week is not over yet.. it will be 80 by tomorrow. I'm planning to work out tomorrow..

PS: PERRL means pupils equal reactive to light... normal parameters for neuro assessment.

How are all you lovely people doing anyway? :) Love to hear from you all! Till next time!

First Exam was Okay -- Diet is still okay (I think.. hehe)

It has been forever since I updated this blog. At first I didn't understand how some other student nursing blogs never seem to update their stuff --- well now I know. Time is is like a unicorn, in a student nurse world -- you never seem to find it.

But here I am. I needed a break to relax and here I am. Just a quick recap. School's been fabulous and shitty. Pardon my french.

Life has to happen and nursing school will NEVER wait for you, so you just had to do what you have do. Deal with it. Right? Right.

Anyway, my weight fluctuated back to my favorite range 159-160 lbs. which I'm okay as long as I don't exceed that.

I've been consistent with my eating habits as far as types and portions. I probably eat a little less now than prior since I'm always choosing to do school work than "waste time" eating lol.

Honeynut cheerios and soy milk has been my friend in the last week -- I broke it yesterday after an exam and had Asian food with my honey.

It was salty and oily -- Check my serum sodium it's probably +145 mEq/L

I'm kidding of course.

I have skills practicum this Monday so I really need to prepare for that.

Despite the stress and the workload it's been good. Actually too good.  I'm enjoying making friends and bonding with fellow students.

And as much as I love bonding and making friends. I really need to remain focused and remember my priorities.

Anyway, off to my once a week date with the spin bike and maybe... MAYBE a Jillian Michael video.

My Mind Went on Strike an Hour Ago

I've been doing school work since 6am this morning -- what can I say I like to come prepared for lectures.
But I can't seem to find any more motivational juice to continue and I don't even care --- at this moment anyway.

I got midterms already in the horizons next week and I really need to get into the groove and organize my study materials. It sure feels never-ending and it's only been 3 weeks!!! -- wow

I've been trying to put in some workouts in and it's difficult because I'm mentally exhausted and I really just want to get more stuff done for school

Sleep is sort of getting better, but I still don't feel like I'm getting the restful kind. I bought a "decelerating book" -- How to survive nursing school and even love it.

It's an okay book. I was hoping to get more tips in studying, time managing, and other things. But it seems to just say what I already know.

My goal this month is to really lay off the sweets and not sweat the small stuff. It's easy to catch the headless chicken syndrome

Commuting to school sucks --- only because I kept on thinking how much stuff I can do for class with that 50 minute sitting in my car trying to get home

it's a joke of course.

No one wants to participate in and run for class council. Which makes sense because I'm sure everyone just wants to pass, get this program over it and move on.

The last thing on my mind right now is graduation venue.. First semester is way too early.

Geez.. let me pass fundamentals first why dont you. I think it's a distraction.

Skills Lab and Week 1 Weigh In

Two weeks in nursing school -- wow.

I honestly don't think what's being taught in nursing is difficult. What makes it difficult is the fact that there's never enough time to do complete and do everything in a regular pace.

I am manage my time and I'm pretty good at it. I am super organized. But I feel like I'm constantly chasing after the clocks.

I know it's not me --- it's just there's a lot of stuff to cover.

Anyway, the weightloss gods granted me the honor of losing 2 lbs in the past 2 weeks. Which leaves me puzzled because for one I only worked out a total of 40 minutes last week. My diet was wholesome, I was eating high fiber bread and desserts.

The only difference was I wasn't eating the same portion like before -- lol I never had time to eat -- I usually grab an apple and yogurt and that's it till dinner time

Oh and wheatgrass juice, I drink that every morning.

Heck I'll take it!

Skills Lab -- Oh my freaking god. What irks me is that the instructors won't do a demo -- they just refers us to the videos. I guess I was expecting this program to be of what I was use to in my pre-req class --- being spoon fed lol.

Definately lots of independent learning, which I'm managing but my own self time suffers because I'm just consumed with nursing school. I breathe, eat, live nursing school  -- but i love it.

Been having trouble sleeping as well. My mind is going 100 miles per hour, going through skills checklists, lectures and everything else in my head that I can't get a good night sleep. I haven't since school started -- it really sucks.

Any tips of how to deccelerate at night? Someone told me sleepytime tea really works. Suggestions I have so far are sleepy time tea, tylenol, or shot of tequila LOL

Margarita anyone?

Yowza! I'm Busy!

Hi Everyone!

First off, thank you - thank you for the awesome comments from the previous post! :) All the encouragement really helps a lot and I appreciate it ladies! :)

I finally had a bit of time to surface up for air every since school started. I've been submerged in school work since Monday.

My mind is in overdrive right now and I figured I need to tone down a bit and relax before I start doing it all over again. I got through clinical lab for week one and lecture by the end of the week.

It really is a humbling experience, it's like when you think you know -- you really don't know.

My professors are just AWESOME ---- they're super helpful and I just love them. The fact that everything (stuff to learn) is being thrown at us at 100 miles per hour, they made it a bit easier by being friendly and approachable.

I haven't had any good night's sleep in the last three days -- probably from all the excitement and rush to get stuff done. Any tips of how to manage anxious nerves and slow down?

I know with this speed -- I'll burn myself out in no time.

Anyway, last weekend was super fun my fiance's brother and his son was here for a visit. We went to the Tehachapi Rodeo and Six Flags Water park --- I had a fabulous time!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. The goal for the week is to be consistent with the diet and put in some exercises as much as I can.

It's really tough to put in personal hours during the week, because I really can't afford to lose time that should be for reading and skills practice.

But it's just the beginning and it's all about adjusting right now -- especially waking up at ungodly hour :)

Much all to everyone!!

Last Week of Summer --- Monday is the Day

a new chapter in my life called nursing school begins ...hey! I like that :)

In the last couple of days, I've been doing a lot of reading mainly my ADN manual and the syllabi for Professional Nursing and Fundamental of Nursing

As much as I try to keep my cool and not freak out...  I see a lot of work and studying in the next 16 weeks --- which I think is doable.

Diet wise, I haven't really put much thought in it lately, much less stepped on the scales.

I've been cleaning and setting up the guest room for my (future)brother-in-law and his son. They're due tomorrow, so I need to make sure the house is clean and 6-year old proof.

It'll be hectic tomorrow because my fiance and I will be in town for groceries, drop off Daisy for grooming, and  do some clothes shopping. I'd like to finish by noon tomorrow, so we can do some yard work (our front lawn looks like a jungle! lol)

I feel good in general and looking forward for the semester. I can finally "test" my diet/fitness schedule and see how well it works with my school schedule.

During orientation, the dean mentioned not to worry if our uniforms feels too big, because she said, we're not going to lose any weight in the semester, but in fact, may gain weight. I started laughing to myself because she said exactly what my concerns are.

But I truly believe that if I am prepared and plan specifically ahead, the outcome may be different. I really just need to push myself and follow through the guidelines I set up.

I just wanted to thank all you ladies for following and commenting. I truly enjoy hearing from you *hugs*

And for those who are passerby's and anonymous visitors say hello once in awhile, I do like to know you all out there!

Weekend is almost here... yay! I wish you all a fabulous day :)

Food I Miss

I can name a dish or two that in a perfect world (where people don't gain weight by eating bad) I can eat in careless abandon.

I suppose I'm just in my moment of fancy, wishing I can eat anything and everything I want and not suffer the consequences.

I really hate being told what to do. Eat this.. not that. Blah!

Although I know what is best for my overall health, I still look over my shoulder and make goo-goo eyes over sweets and desserts at the bakery department of the supermarket.

Only because maybe I want to prove to someone I can still do it and no diet nazi is going to tell me squat.

Is that human nature at work here?

Is it really true that when told what to do, we tend to be inclined to do the exact opposite?

I think you see it most prevalent in kids. Eat your vegetables -- it's good for you and they will not. But if you tell them it taste good, there's a good chance they may eat it?

I don't have kids, so I can't attest to the accuracy of that statement. But I was a kid once and having my mom tell me something is good for me, is not enough reason to convince me to eat it.

I never like drinking milk when I was young, and she constantly tells me I should. Well Mom I made up for lost time since then! :) lol

So what about diet food --- is saying that this "healthy" items are good for my cause (to lose weight) enough to convince me to stick with?

Probably not. I have to make that conscious decision to proceed with it or not. There has to be free will.

No one can ever make anyone do what they do not want to do.  For anything to be successful, one must make the conscious effort and commitment to make all necessary changes and actions to achieve them.

So why do I still eat the junk? Because I'm not 100% committed to my diet.

But that's okay. I'll get there soon. This is not an overnight operation and I'm well aware that I didn't gain 40+ lbs in 24 hours, and I'm sure as hell will not lose them in 24 hours.

I'm not trying to rationalize past bad behavior. I am acknowledging it and learning from it. Because when you know where you've been, then you will have an idea to where you want to go

Role Call

I'm happy to report that I've lost 1.8 lbs this week... Wassssssupp! :) And the funny thing about it is I didn't really try as hard. I did not do any back breaking fitness routine and I've been eating "normal" no extreme low carb.

The only difference that I can think of is that I've been eating my carbohydrate meal and I've been drinking my iced water with lemon in the morning (which definately moves the GI track in the right direction). The rest of my meals for the day are protein and veggie combos.

And of course I get an occassional oreo mint cookie. lol

In other news, I've been making progress with reading Unlimited by Jillian Michael's. It's a great book about self-realization, no b.s about it --- my kind of book. I'm sort of taking my time with it because it's one of those books that you relish every paragraph, so you can get the most of it.

I wanted to briefly talk about a topic that I'm currently reading and it's about personal labeling. How we limit ourselves by assigning roles and labels that WE THINK we're supposed to be playing

Interesting huh?

Supposedly at some point in our lives, we assign a role "based on the patterns we have been playing out since childhood ie. the victim, the martyr, the hero, the dumb pretty one, the smart ugly one, the nice guy who never gets the girl, blah blah blah..."

I love Jillian, she cracks me up.

These roles are from the experience and memories, which defines our self-image. And self confidence interconnects with how we see ourselves. So if we believe that we have a negative life story, then we automatically assume a negative future.

Like self-fulling prophecy. For example, I've been overweight my whole life and if I continue to embrace the story of my "past", I will play out that same scenario for the rest of my life until I wake up and say I am done with this.

It's all about thinking thin and fake it till you make it---Thinking like a RN, while being a student nurse.

I think this is a way to break the chains that prevents us from moving forward and embracing our true calling.

I feel like I can conquer the world --- dont' you?

Warning --- Information Overload!

Will self-destruct in 5 seconds...Blaaaphth! hehe opps.

But seriously...today was hectic! I was actually having some seconds thoughts of logging in today because I have an endless to do list for school, but somehow I feel like I need to detach (even for a moment) and relax -- so here I am!

Besides, Rach's excitement in hearing about my orientation is infectious -- so I couldn't wait to let you all know what happened today :)

The orientation started at 8am this morning, which I had to wake up around 6:00am and I was on the road by 6:45am. It was a 5 1/2 hour orientation --- the longest one I have in my whole life lol

It's pretty much the meet and greet session, hospital policies, safety, patient confidentiality, uniform, textbooks, and all other pertinent information we all need to know for clinicals and the program.

We had free lunch (yay!) from Subway

Some 3rd semester nursing students made a presentation about being a member of NSNA (National Student Nurses' Association) and brought some yummy cupcakes (almond and strawberry flavored cakes with either chocolate or vanilla frosting) for the group.

Oh NSNA you had me at strawberry cupcake with chocolate frosting --- I'll sign up on whatever you want me to sign up for that cupcake!

I must have signed my name on 20 different pages of paperwork -- My hand was starting to cramp!

Filling out the forms and putting the title student nurse seems surreal. I truly cannot believe that I am finally here.

It seemed like it was only yesterday I decided to shift gears in my career path and started taking my pre-requisites. I thought to myself (in that moment) how far I still need to go and how long of a wait I had to do from applying and getting accepted in the RN program.

That day finally arrived and the reality sinked in while I sat there at orientation.

It feels like a page is turning and a new chapter in my life is about to begin.

I am beyond humbled and grateful to be given a chance to seek my dreams. I have my fiance and God to be thankful for that.

The ball is on my court now and it's up to me to make use of this opportunity to better myself and the life of those close to my heart.

I am ready to work hard.

When it comes to Life, I truly believe that there is no such thing a luck. Luck is merely being prepared when opportunity knocks on your door.

Swimming Up From the Bottom

Wednesday is the mandatory orientation for my nursing program. Exciting!! 

The days are flying by and before I know it Fall Semester is here. My uniform finally shipped yesterday, so it'll probably arrive Friday.

I feel a lot better this week and my energy level is improving everyday. I did the Ripped in 30 DVD yesterday and it totally kicked my butt. It's been a while since I've done circuit training with Jillian Michaels -- I feel fantastic.

I started this morning with a cold 16 oz of iced water with a dash of lemon. The motivational fish finally took the bite and I'm slowing getting my groove back as far as weightloss

The great thing about the human psyche is that when we're down, we never stay down --- we eventually pick ourselves up. And that is something to look forward to when I find myself on the bottom of the proverbial barrel

I just needed to be consistent and push myself to the right direction. It usually resolve itself in time.

My weekly goal this week consists of :
- Fruit instead of  Processed Sugar
- 1 Fitness DVD instead of computer chair warming
- Home made smoothie instead of ice cream

Secret to Success -- Diet Staple?

 What is the secret to every weightloss success? There's so many opinions and different strategies out there that it is so easy to get lost because each and every one of them contradicts the other in so many ways. But I think it all comes down to what works for the person and her lifestyle.

In my weightloss journey, having a failure proof nutritional strategy is a lot more critical than having a fitness routine. Exercise comes easy for me and I manage to be consistent with it.

Food, on the other hand, is a total different story. When it comes to food, I tend to be a little undisciplined and unpredictable.

My tastebuds are synonymous to a 8-year old diagnosed with A.D.D. I'm constantly looking for the next best palate thrill. I get easily bored with the same type of food --- I strive for variety.

And this is my ultimate diet downfall.

Having a diet staple is indeed a life-saver.

1. It is versatile enough to keep my palate interested.
2. It makes food shopping easier because I have a consistent list of foods that I know I can work with
3. It also prevents me from buying junk food that will sabotage my weightloss efforts.

When junk food isn't hanging around my fridge or pantry -- I won't be eating it. And it is something that worked wonders for me so far.

My diet staple consists of :

MorningStar Veggie Burgers*
Kirkland Mahi-mahi or Salmon*
Lean Ground Beef or Turkey*
Chicken breast (Stater Brothers has the 99 cent/lbs every week -- love a good deal)
Knudsen Lowfat Cottage Cheese*
Milk 2% or Skim milk
Lowfat Yogurt
Egg whites
Kirkland Stirfry Vegetables*
Romaine Lettuce*
2 types of Fruit ie. peaches, cantalope (whichever is on sale I try to stay away from bananas though)
zucchini
cabbage
kale
100% Oat bran
la victoria green taco sauce
thai sweet chili sauce
Braggs liquid aminos - low sodium alternative to soy sauce

My Body is On Strike

Just to let you know Amber --- you're not the only one who's been MIA.  I had been feeling a little under the weather in the last 3-4 days (mostly feeling fatigued, minor aches in the heel joints, headaches off and on, and weird stomach phenomenon)

I know it does sound like the flu, but I feel like I'm a walking hangover everyday and I didn't drink. I managed to put some exercise, but I can tell you, I'm not a hundred percent this week (although I did try)

I just couldn't get my old mojo back. Hopefully this next week will be closer to success than the last.

The No Sugar Project is also a bust and I have to say I'm disappointed, but not defeated. I really just need to get back in the old state of mind where I really want to make a difference in my body and right now... it's challenge.

And despite the setbacks this week, I'm am not giving up. I'm putting myself in line and going back to work.So let's start over shall we?

Start Date : August 6, 2011
Current lbs - 160.6 lbs -- yea I know back to square UNO.
Waist - 134"
Arms - 12.5"
Thigh - 22.0"
Bust - 40.0"

Follow Up Date : August 20, 2011
Nutritional Strategy - manage sugar, 80:20 ratio vegetables and protein
Fitness Strategy - 30-60 minute circuit training with target body strength


What about you? How keep the motivational fire burning? How do you set your mind into gear to help you stay focus and on plan? How do you deal with setbacks?

Brunner's Med-Surg --- Largest Book I have Ever...

Owned. Holy Kumquats it's huge! It's like the Godzilla of all textbooks --- all of its 2240+ pages. FedEx delivered it this morning, so I have one more textbook I have yet to receive.

I'm in a 3 week countdown till first day of school and I'm really trying to enjoy the last days of freedom till I'm all school work and not much time for play.

 My fiance's brother and nephew are coming over in 3 weeks for a weekend visit, so it should be fun. We're heading out to Six Flags Waterpark for some fun which means I have to wear a swimsuit --Eek!

I've been shopping around for something descent and flattering. The vintage 1950s bikini really caught my eye because the bikini bottom is high-waisted, so it sort of hides the jiggles better than the modern bikini cuts


I found this one at modcloth.com but I can't really see myself paying $80 for a stinkin' bikini. So I'm still thinking about it.

The goal this week to establish fitness and food routines for the school year. I am happy to report that this is Day 2 of 21 Sugar Free. Auntie M is on her way out the door, which explains the stable hormones and less sugar cravings.

Happy Monday and this is going to be a great week!

Breaking Up --- is Soo Hard to Do

Day 3 1 of 21  Sugar Free

Well this is embarrasing

Taking sugar off the equation is indeed CHALLENGING.

I'm not going to list the reasons why it happened or why I failed on my first attempt. I knew what I was doing and I ate it anyway. And in comes the guilt and remorse (on qeue)

It really is like a viscious cycle -- it starts with craving, obsession, giving in, and then guilt. It's tough, but just like any addiction, it's a process of recovery.

If breaking the sugar habit is that easy, we wouldn't have people writing books about how to get rid of it in the first place.

It's a new day, move on --- I hate sounding like a clique. Does knowing that I can always start over gives me the excuse not to stick on plan and give in to the temptations?

I should feel bad about this slip because I pretty much broken a promise to myself that I will change. If I had done this to another person, I would feel pretty sh***y about it.

When did treating myself less than how I treat others become okay?

Self-Care Theory and Picking Up the Pieces

"Health is a dynamic state of wholeness or integrity of the individual."

This is from my nursing theory reading material (Basic Assumptions Underlying Self-Care Theory) Health is all about the coherence and integrity of a person.

Without health, is a life of imbalance and chaos. It is the core gravitational force that keeps all that makes us who we are (mind, body, and spirit) -- together.

In the past week, I've been lagging on my weightloss efforts and it truly feels like I'm compromising the integrity of my health. I'm feeling far from peaceful and physiologically -- I feel like crap.

So I'm picking up the pieces and getting back on track... and on plan. This is the first day of many (21 days to be exact) sugar free lifestyle.

 I'm loading up on cruciferious vegetables (ie. broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage -- fart fest in my future ---yes!TMI) to help detox the liver and not forgetting my multi-vitamin.

Honestly, I wasn't a believer in vitamins because not much of it is absorbed by the body, so what's the point. But I gave it a shot anyway, and been taking Women's Ultra Mega Active for about 3 weeks now, and I feel somewhat better than before. Who know it could just be another placebo effect.

The goal today is to stay focused, mindful eating, moderate exercise (I'm not 100%, so I'm taking it easy for a week)

Day 1 of 21 Sugar Free

21 Days --- to make or break a habit

Some say this is a total myth. Breaking or making new habits will happen as long as it takes. But I'm a gal with a mission here.

I want to prepare mentally for nursing school and what better timing is it than now --- to tackle and wrestle my demonic sweet tooth.

I'm a sugar addict (there I said it) and I am in need of an intervention.

Today I ate like 1/2 a casserole pan of cheesecake. Damnit. There really isn't anything more shameful than that.  I feel gross, nasty, and dizzy (probably from the spike of sugar from it all)

As much as my friends would tell me --- it's just one day of binge, get over it and move on.

Oh I will move on from this, but I will not get over it. I will not rationalize bad food choices because I knew fully well that will happen the moment I decided to baked that darn thing.

If I have any chance of achieving my goal (to lose weight during nursing school) I need to establish rock solid rules that I need to live and breathe by.

I want my guidelines simple and no brainer because school will be my number one priority and weightloss secondary.

So, for the next 21 days (3 weeks), I'm going to concentrate putting in my dietary foundations which is no processed sugar, 1-2 servings of fruit each day, unlimited fresh veggies, multivitamins, monitor carbohydates and sodium intake.

Simple right?

Distractions and pre-school jitters

They are everywhere. From technical difficulties, hormonal imbalance, stubbing my foot, and having a mild case of plantar fasciitis (from exercising too much and too often).

Okay granted the pf is a self-diagnosis, but I think I can safely say that I know when my heel hurts and it's been bugging me for days.

I'm happy to report that I am almost done with my dimensional analysis (It should be called dimen-tial analysis if you ask me -- but I digress!) practice problems. I only have to do the 1 hour 40 minute review test and I am done! Next on the agenda is reading my Module III Nursing Theory

I got all my textbooks -- two I'm waiting on to arrive
I got all my nursing materials except for the patches for my uniform. I'm going to get them when I drive down on August 10 for the mandatory orientation

 I've been negligent and passive in the last 3-4 days. I have not weighed in, did not monitor my carb intake, oreo mint cookies. I mean enough said right?

Game plan for this week is strict food monitoring because I'm laying off any lower body exercises, so my foot can "heel" up lol..(Seriously, I can amuse myself for days.)

Message to my fellow 3FC-ers

Thanks for bearing with me ladies. As I mentioned on my mass message, my 3fc page got a little wacko after the system maintenance last night. So if you were trying to post your week 1 measurement status on my comment page,  I can't seem to receive them or post anything either.

The measurements aren't due till tomorrow so hopefully by then everything will get resolved and back to normal *fingers and toes crossed*

Worse case scenario it won't be resolved tomorrow, so back up plan would be posting Week 2 Fitness Challenges and Mind Make Over Challenges here.

The good news though is I can still post in all your individual blogs -- whew!

Anyway have a great weekend and best of luck in your weigh in! I'm excited to hear about your fantastic results!

Yours, Gertie :)

Broke --- /brōk/ Adjective: Having completely run out of money

That's the word of the day... week... month... the next two years? -- actually probably for a long time until I finish school, get a job, and finally make sssoommme moolah...

I have all but one of the 11 textbooks for this semester. Good lord, am I broke or what.

I may be broke, but I'm pretty rich in spirit. Very excited for school and I am READY to get work done!

My goals for the next two years of school are :

1. Study hard
2. Be humble
3. Be a sponge
4. Be forgiving of myself when I screw up
5. Stay positive
6. Stay diligent
7. Make friends and study buddies
8. Make time for myself at least one day out of the week
9. Accept criticism
10. Accept compliments

Ten so far, I'm sure I'll be adding some as I go along.

The Joys of Dimensional Analysis

Ah--- gives me gas. Okay maybe it's this low carb diet I'm doing for the last 6 weeks of summer. Is that too much information? Probably. lol

So who's out there loves conversion factors and dosage calculations?

 I sure don't, but heck we all have to deal with it, learn it and be good at it. Because you never know, there could be a power failure in the hospital and *gasp* no nifty little computers to figure out proper dosage for you.

And God know the last thing you want to happen is screw up on the meds and over dose your patients.

Hypothetically speaking of course

Going back to low carb,  I just have to say it does work, but you can't be on it for straight weeks. I do a modified carb cycling where I consume 55 g of carbs max for 2 weeks, increase it by 60-70g the following week by introducing high GI fruits and veggies and only eat whole wheat variety.

I stay away from white breads and pasta, but if I honestly have to have it, I have a little bit of it.

Lost like 4 lbs in one week, probably just water weight, but heck it's a boost in my weightloss morale!

Any other nursing students out there that's going through the same anxieties of the dreaded 15lbs gain from clinicals?

Image courtesy of Glasbergen.com

6 week Countdown

August 22 is the day my life (as I know) it will change.  No more slacking and no more of anything but studying.

I'm perfectly fine with that. I've been waiting for this for a long, LONG time.

I've been trying to shed some poundage before school starts, but so far I've been tethering around 158-157 lbs.

My goal is to maintain my weightloss program through my RN program.. hehe I'm laughing because it's gonna be one hell of a two-years and I hope I can maintain a good balance between school work and weightloss.

Heck, with stress and all, I know it's going to be difficult. But I'm sure as hell going to try.

Wish me luck!