checking in

This is the 'super soup' I made tonight. It doesn't smell that good to me but tastes surprisingly yummy. It's supposed to be very healthy and good for weight loss. I think I'll add celery next time.


Everything else has been quiet. We still haven't escaped winter so nothing to report in the garden. I have a shockingly dull life! Of course with all that's going on in the world right now, dull is a good thing.

Surreal

Work was so weird today! The building I work in is right next to a river and my cubicle is in the basement. With the massive amounts of snow upriver and the sudden change from freezing to very warm there are flood warnings out all over the area. Today we had to prep for the possible damage by clearing out all lower desk and file cabinet drawers, getting power cords and strips up off the floor and removing anything hanging on the cubicle walls (they're going to raise all the walls 5 inches). I had to move my computer from it's place under the desk and there are pallets of sandbags ready to be used. Plans are being made for some engineers to work at the other facility and others to work from home in case the worst happens.

It would probably be easiest for me since I already work from home a couple days each week. Part of my paranoid nature has me keeping back-ups of ALL my boards on a thumb drive. That means if the network is down, power is out, or any disaster struck at the office, I could carry on with my work.

I'll be keeping a close eye on the news to see what happens with the river in the next few days. I'm very glad I don't live by water!

dragging

This is nuts, but after having my son home for the spring break week I am shattered now he's gone back to school. The depression feels like a heavy weight across the back of my neck and shoulders, pressing me down. If I didn't have to drive 8 miles to reach the nearest fast food joint, I'd be eating right now. This is going to be really tough if I'm so easily derailed.

positive reinforcement

I have a chart similar to this that I keep on my desk to track my debt payoff. Some months I can only fill in a thin line, others a bunch of lines but it's been a good reminder of the progress I've made. So, I tried to find one for my weight but couldn't. This is my homemade version which will reside on the front of the refrigerator until it's full. It's marked in half stones up to five which is 70 pounds. My plan is to fill in two of these, then evaluate how much further I want to go. Because of the amounts involved this will be a very long term project (another similarity to the debt payoff!). I've decided to be satisfied losing one pound a week on average...which is still 52 pounds a year!


Sometime in the next 65 pounds I'd like to think of a nice reward to celebrate filling the sheet.

Nice weekend

Nothing exciting to report; more snow today and my son is home for spring break so we're taking it easy. I did exercise this morning (Sunday, better note that since it's after midnight) and made a Slimming World recipe for spaghetti which turned out nice. My son came out to tell me the smell of cooking garlic was making him hungry again (this is after he ate an entire pizza).

I've been thinking about why this feels like the right time to get healthy. My finances are in order and no longer take extra thought or stress. My preps are as well done as is feasible within my budget so there's no benefit in stressing over that either. My health is really the next logical problem area to tackle. In fact, now is probably the perfect time before my weight has caused any health issues. That I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure or joint pain is almost miraculous so why take the chance anymore?

Meals

For fun I took pictures of today's meals. The basic idea of the Slimming World plan is to fill 1/3 of the plate with 'superfree' foods - generally veggies or fresh fruit.

Breakfast: lean ham and eggs with fruit.


Lunch: chicken, lettuce and carrots with fat free dressing.


I've sort of run into a mental block on dinner so all I know I'm eating so far is beets.

The biggest challenge to date is getting past the cravings for junk foods. I'm eating generous portions of the healthy stuff so I know the urges aren't caused by hunger...more habit and taste. So, is the fact that I feel healthier from eating this all in my head or can it be biological so soon?