Protein Diet - Giving it the old college try

So here is the skinny, LOL. A while back I was sick. Throwing up everyday, migraines, anxiety. It was bad. I lost 33 pounds in 3 months and ended up quitting my teaching job in hopes that it would fix those issues. It did. Now 7 months later, I have gotten off all the medications and feel much better. Except, one of the draw backs of feeling better was that I gained most of the weight back. While I hated how the weight came off (vomiting is not fun), I did love the weight loss. I felt better when I looked in the mirror, when I put my clothes on and they were loose.

I have found another job and will start soon. So I decided that it was time to make a change and lose weight. I have heard that for every pound you lose it is 100 pounds of pressure off your back. As weird as it seems I absolutely believe this is true. I remember waking up and rolling out of bed without my back popping and hurting when I was down those 33 pounds. Now I am back to hurting and cracking and popping, so much so that I sound like a dang cereal commercial.

A friend of mine has lost over 80 pounds since September of last year by doing a high protein diet. She drinks a Muscle Milk shake for breakfast and lunch, snacks on cheese sticks and then eats a high protein dinner. My starting weight as of today is 254.6 pounds. I am not expecting a miracle, so I have set a goal of losing 20 pounds by January 1st. I figured that is about 5 pounds per month, which sounds completely doable. Of course, if I lose more all the better, but I don't want to set myself up for failure. My weight didn't happen over night, so I must tell myself that it won't come off overnight. Baby steps my friends, baby steps.

So I decided since I really don't have a following, I would use this blog as a diary of sorts to keep track of my progress, successes and failures (as I am sure there will be some). Maybe along the way someone will find my blog and decide that I can be their inspiration.

Education Holding Me Back

Have you ever been told that you are overqualified for a job? Well I have...several times over the last 7 months. I have applied for so many jobs that I have lost count. I have gone to over 50 job interviews. If I meet the experience requirements, I am over-educated (I have a Masters degree in Criminal Justice). If I meet the education requirements, then I do not have the experience necessary to get the job. It is a catch-22 situation that I cannot seem to figure a way around. I am more than willing to accept a lower paying job in order to work a few years to get the necessary work experience, but they see my Masters degree and think I will run the first chance I get.

My 16 year old daughter has a job. She got it so she could learn some skills, meet new people and get out of the house during the summer. Sad to say she has had to help us buy groceries and pay bills with her paycheck because her mom cannot find a job. I have had people tell me to just go get a job at Walmart or some other minimum wage paying job. I am more than willing to do that, truly I am, but it won't be enough to cover our bills. Besides I have a very large student loan debt that is coming due. I was able to qualify for a deferment when I became unemployed 7 months ago, but they have sent a notice telling me that it is over and I have to start making payments.

The stress is beginning to settle in. Depression weighs me down most days. I feel so discouraged at times. I thought pursuing my education was going to help my family down the road, but it seems like it is hurting us more. I have saddled us with a huge debt that we cannot afford to pay because I cannot get a job. Hopefully something comes through soon.