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Friday, October 17, 2014

It's been awhile


Lately, I have been stuck in a rut with not enough motivation to do anything about it.  This situation where I am not moving forward or making progress is getting old.  Real old. 

Fortunately though, my weight is down since my last post.  I've still been eating the wrong foods and too much of them, but maybe a bit less than usual. 

My lack of progress all boils down to personal responsibility.  I know that I need to be more active and start with walking, but I don't.  I know that I need to cook, but I don't.  I know that I need to eat more vegetables, fruits and lean proteins rather than starch and sugar, but I don't. 

Now that I have described my current situation, I should next insert my plan of action to change.  No can do.  I don't have one yet.  Until I do, at a minimum I will eat less (smaller portions of garbage). 

If this posts sounds negative, it is not intended.  I am not depressed or giving up, just being honest.  I will check in again soon and try to do so more regularly. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

16 Years


It really is difficult to find words for a post when I am so off-track.  What can I say that I haven't already said many times before.  I'm struggling.  Instead of waiting to post until I find my way back to healthier habits, I thought I would check in.  Who knows, maybe the act of checking in will be the trigger that turns things around for me.  A girl can hope.

This last Friday, my husband and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.   Time sure flies, because it sure doesn't feel like that long to me.  I love him more than I did when I married him and believe we are in it for the long haul.  Unfortunately, this means another anniversary happens this week for me.  After returning from our honeymoon, I weighed over 300 lbs for the first time and have never seen the 200's since.  Today, I weighed in at 393 lbs.  I haven't allowed myself to pass the 400 lb gate, but I remain way too close.

The reason I am stuck is not a mystery to me.  I'm not cooking and I'm sitting the majority of my day.  The mystery is more about why I was able to cook for myself while my husband was on business trips, but will not cook for us when he is home.  We enable each other and neither of us have been able to find the strength to stop us.  One of us has to make the first move and start being the strong voice that stops us from eating out or having too much at meals or from buying or making high-sugar, high caloric desserts.  Honestly, I don't think he will ever be the one to do this.  The man just has a hard time saying 'no' to me.  While that isn't always a bad thing for me, as far as our health and eating habits are concerned, it can be.  If we are ever to change our ways and improve our health, it's up to me.  I know that if I would say no to take-out, didn't eat snacks and started cooking, that he would be all for that.  He wouldn't do those things without me.  Well, he would still eat some foods that I wouldn't want to, like more processed foods.   For the most part, we agree on how we should eat and what types of food.  Doing it is where we struggle.

There isn't a switch that I can flip and magically start behaving the way I would like and need to.  If there were, it would have been flipped long ago.  Instead, I need to keep trying with one smart decision and then another and then another.   I am keeping it simple and setting three goals for myself this week.  First, I want to drink at least 80 ounces of water each day.  I want more, but am drinking way less currently.  Secondly, in an effort to get myself out of the chair more, I will walk at least 21,000 steps this week.  What?  You can do that in two days?  I wish.  I average less than 2000 steps a day, most days getting 1500 or less.  3000 steps/day is a nice stretch goal for this week.  Lastly, and probably the most important goal is that I will cook at least  two dinners this week.  Since I usually cook zero dinners, this is a big task for me.  They may be easy-peasy simple concoctions, but I will do it for sure.  All three goals will be met.

Sheesh, I do feel a bit more motivated and inspired to get back on track since writing this post.  Now it's time for action.

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying what is left with our summer.  Thank you for stopping in and for all your support.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Not there yet, but getting closer


So far my week has not been the great recovery week that I had hoped for, but  I am closer to being on track.  Even with some food choice struggles as I fight myself to do the right thing and not always doing the right thing, I'm okay with that.  I'm not stuffing my face and making wrong decision after wrong decision as I had done this past weekend.  Still, I can do better.  I need to do better. 

When I think about my actions this last weekend, I am disappointed with myself.  I reacted badly to seeing an unexpected weight gain.  Most of my reaction was based on fear and instead of doing what would help the situation, I did the opposite.  I know all this and I want to stop this behavior but I still worry whether I can or if I will.  That being said, I don't want to dwell on it.  I won't ignore it and I'll still be aware of it, but I want to move forward.  Like many of you have pointed out, there will be bumps along the journey.  This was a bump that I made bigger than it needed to be. 

My plan is to keep trying each day to get back to a place I was a couple of weeks ago.  I need to eat most meals at home, stop snacking or at least stop having sugary snacks, drink more water and move this big body more.  Tonight will be the first time that I have cooked a meal since my husband returned home from his trip.  He returned on August 9th, so that means that I reverted back to my old ways.  Meaning, I haven't been cooking and either he cooks or we dine out.  For change to happen, I need to make it happen.  It will be a simple meal of roasted butternut squash, spinach and salmon, but I know my husband will appreciate it.  The challenge will be cooking another meal soon.  I've got to do it though.  I need to share responsibility.  The more help I can be, then the less we will eat out.  That's what we need the most right now.  Healthier meals cooked at home will provide us with more energy, a better feeling about ourselves and probably much more.

It feels like this post is a jumbled mess.  Sorry, writing is not my strongest skill.  The point to all this is that I'm not quite back on track, but I'm almost there.  I'm moving forward.  Before I go, I just want to thank you all for stopping by and for all the wonderful encouragement you have given me.  For all of you that have traveled here from the help of Biz, thank you so much for your kind words and pieces of wisdom gained from your own experiences.  I love this blogging community and send you all great big hugs!

Monday, August 18, 2014

How Three Bad Days Wreck 3 Good Weeks


The last three days were filled with bad decision after bad decision.  The first of which was stepping on the scale Friday morning for a status check.  Even though I had eaten out Wednesday night, I thought I might still be down a pound or two from last Sunday's weight.  That was not the case, in fact the scale showed a five pound increase.  I was upset.  Maybe a bit more than upset as I sat at the kitchen table for what seemed like forever as I tried to hold back tears.  I didn't want to cry over the scale, but I was wrecked.  Mostly, I was afraid of my slow metabolism and worried that it would be impossible to lose any weight. 

Even though I knew better, I let the scale effect my actions negatively.  I knew I should stick to my plan and eat within my calorie budget while continuing to work on making  healthier food choices.  I knew that was the smart thing to do, the correct thing to do.  I did the complete opposite of that.  For seventy-two hours plus, I ignored my better judgment.  Knowingly, I screwed up over and over again.  I ate a lot of doughnuts, a lot of ice-cream, burgers and fries, and three orders of Olive Garden's Chicken Parmesan with Fettuccine Alfredo.   That five pound increase that I was devastated over on Friday morning is now much more.  

My first inclination was to hide my  shame and stay away from this blog.  Like I have done many times before, I thought I would disappear for a while.  The problem with that is then I would not have the accountability that I need.  when I am in hiding, then only I know whether I am continuing to stuff my face or if I am on the right track.  When I am in hiding it is too easy to continue making bad decisions day after day while repeating the 'I will do better and start fresh tomorrow' cycle. 

Needing to end this self-destructive behavior, I am not sticking my head in the sand.  I'm here with all my flaws and mistakes exposed.  I've weighed over 300 lbs for sixteen years and over 360 lbs for at least six years.   I have had many weekends that were similar to this past one.  Yesterday morning I weighed 390 lbs and that was only two days in to my three day food fest.  I was too afraid to face the scale this morning and won't do so again until at least next Sunday. I have gained in three days most if not all what I had lost in three weeks.   I'm not expecting to lose all that I have regained in just one week, or two for that matter, but I hope to make some progress.

Today, I will return to tracking my calories and making better choices.  I wish I could say that I will never have a weekend like this again, but I'm not yet sure how to stop myself.  I will spend some time reflecting on the decisions that I have made and keep trying to improve. 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Bring Back the Sun


This will be a quick post tonight.  I wanted to check in and let you know that I am still plugging away.  My eating so far this week has been okay.  It hasn't been quite as good as the previous week, but still have been eating within my calorie budget and tracking everything.  Tonight however, I exceeded my budget by just under 300 calories as we stopped to eat on the way home from work.  I definitely could have made some better choices, but overall not disappointed.  This was the first time we dined out since he returned home five days ago.  That is probably some sort of record for us.  My plan is to not eat out the rest of the week and I know we can follow through with it.  I am motivated to finish this week strong.

Something else that I would like to do this week is purposely move more.    By that, I mean I want to get up from my desk or wherever and take short walks in an effort to get more activity.  Also, I want to use the treadmill at least once.  I'm probably thirty pounds over the maximum weight limit, but I'll risk it.  Even if I can only do five minutes the first time, I want that first time to happen before this Sunday.  This is the week I stop talking about moving more and I actually do it.  Putting it down in writing here will help me stick to it.

Hope your having a great week and it finishes well.  Thanks for all the support!

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Focusing on the Positive


This morning I weighed in for two reasons, one being that Sunday is my chosen weigh-in day and secondly because hubby and I both wanted to see how we had done while he was away on business travel.  I'm both happy and not so happy about the number I saw on the scale.  I weighed in today at 383 lbs, which is one pound less than last Sunday.  I was wishing and kind of expecting more of a loss, like at least two pounds.  While I am worried that my weight loss is going to be way slower than I want, the truth is that this is just the result of one week and it's way to early to become discouraged especially after following an eight pound loss the previous week.  Looking at the positive side, I did lose twelve pounds over the sixteen days my husband was away. 

For me, the I-don't-cook gal, the twelve pounds is a fantastic success.  The result is entirely contributed to me hunkering down and cooking for myself.  Only one time, and that was the second day in, did I eat a meal that I did not prepare myself.   I think my husband is in shock over this fact and of course, now he wants to know when I will be cooking for him. 

Worried (big time worried) that we might revert to our bad eating habits once he returned, I had groceries delivered yesterday with meal ideas in mind for the whole week.  Some of the meals will have leftovers that we can either enjoy at lunchtime or save ourselves some mid-week cooking.  Buying the food and having a soft plan in place is only part of the battle.   Actually cooking and eating the food after a long work day rather than stopping at our regular restaurant will take some strength.  There are sure to be many inner dialogue battles waged this week as I work to keep myself on track. 

Today, we're taking it easy so that he can rest his body.  We're also waiting for his luggage to be delivered.  His first plane was late to arrive in Seoul, so he had to hustle to his connecting flight.  He made it, but his bag was not so lucky.  It's good to have him home again, real good.

Hope you all have a great week.  Thanks again for all of the wonderful support.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Not a good reason to swing by the drive-thru


A couple of nights this week  all I could do was think about stopping at McDonald's on the way home from work.  I wasn't necessarily craving their food but it did sound familiar and  appealing.  I didn't feel like cooking and was less in the mood to do dishes afterwards.  That was the big draw.  As I have mentioned many times, I have not been in the habit of cooking.   Meaning, I don't cook...ever.   Either my husband cooks or we eat out.  We eat out a lot.  However, when he travels for business, maybe a few times a year I am left to find my own food.  On past trips, I would eat out maybe half as much as I would cook.  This trip, however I decided to use the time to start working on changing my eating habits.  That meant I would need to cook and I have been.  It can be a lot of work though and after a hard day, it would be much easier to swing by the drive thru, eat the food and then toss the food packaging in the garbage.  My drive home  took about an hour and I was debating the issue the whole way.  Should I or shouldn't I?  In the end, I decided not to eat out.  Hooray! One of my main concerns was the sodium, I could use less of it and that place is a salt bomb.  Also, knowing that it is going to be challenging to avoid falling back in to my old habits once my husband returns, I wanted to push through and finish the week strong.  I'll say it again...Hooray!

My husband returns Saturday afternoon and I can hardly wait. Sure having the house to myself and doing what I want, when I want is nice, but after two weeks, I am craving our routine and having him near for instant conversations.  Since we work together, seriously his desk is one cubicle aisle over and I can hear him sneeze or  talk to his co-workers, I am hardly apart from the man.  We are two peas in a pod.  A one-pea pod is just not right folks, it's just not. 

While I am looking forward to his return, I am also concerned.  Will we start eating out again?  Will I ask him
to pick up a red-velvet cupcake or two from our favorite cupcake shop?  I've been tracking my calories for over sixteen days straight now.  Will I continue or will we have a blow-out that I don't want to record and then I will stop?  I don't know what will happen, but all I can do is take it one day or one meal at a time and keep fighting.  I say fighting, because it will likely be the internal struggle that is most difficult.  A struggle with myself where I keep thinking should I or shouldn't I? 

Tomorrow is Friday and I plan to stay on track my last day alone.  If I am successful and I believe I will be, then I will have only eaten one meal prepared outside the home (Taco Time) since he left July 25th.  That should give me sweet dreams tonight.   Hope you  all have a great Friday too.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Wash, Rinse and Repeat


Maybe I don't need to shampoo twice, but instead repeat my efforts from last week as they pertain to cooking and tracking my calories.  While my husband is out of town, I had to fend for myself.  Since I don't usually do the cooking, it was a big challenge to not eat out every day of the week.  You might consider it a tiny miracle (I know I do), but I have cooked all my meals except one since he flew the coop a week ago Friday.  Did I enjoy cooking?  Sometimes.  Am I looking forward to doing it for another week?  Not really.  Was it worth it?  Yes!  I weighed in yesterday, as Sunday is my designated official weigh-in day, and saw a lower number than the previous Sunday.  Moving in the right direction finally, I weighed 384 lbs for a loss of 8 lbs for the week. 

Tracking my calories and preparing my meals at home is a big improvement from my usual eating habits.  Even though I am not eating out, I have had a couple of days where I chose to have a huge sweet treat.  I knew what I was doing going in, but I also know that this behavior can get carried away quickly and is something I need to avoid in order to continue losing weight.    These treats were on 'buddy' nights with my sister.  She comes over two or three nights a week to watch reality programs with my husband and I, since my brother-in-law doesn't watch those types of shows.  We keep saying that we don't need snacks, but yet we indulge.  She will be out of town until Sunday, so it shouldn't be an issue the rest of this week.  However, I need to plan ahead and either have healthier snacks ready on Sunday or commit to not having a snack.  Just as I am writing this, I think to myself 'but it will be the first buddy night since hubby is back home, maybe we will want a treat'.  This just goes to show, I am still a work in progress.

This week my plan is to keep cooking, keep tracking, drink more water and take-in less sodium.  Accomplishing those items will score a win for the week.  Exercise or at least more movement in the form of walking is also needed.  Even a slight increase, since that is all I can probably manage, will go a long way in helping the back pain, overall stiffness and flexibility.  That's my plan, now it's time to go do and make it happen.

How did you do last week?  Any change in plans this week?  I appreciate all your comments.  I feel like were on the same team and supporting each other brings out the best in all of us.  Have a great Monday (you know, if that's possible).

Friday, August 1, 2014

Sliced my finger cleaning the cheese grater


As I mentioned in my last post, my goal is to consume between 1500-1800 calories per day.  Over the last seven days, I have tracked my food consumption with myfitnesspal.com and have succeeded at staying within my calorie budget for five of the seven days.  That’s okay, but I can do better.  I will do better.  I will aim to stay within my budget every day, but if once in a while I go over, I won’t cry about it.  Or, I hope I don't cry about it. I will move on.  Since I am trying to lose weight, staying within my budget more often than not will determine how successful I am at taking off the pounds.  I would prefer not to go over my calorie budget more than once a week and really not more than twice a month.  Thank goodness today is the start of a new month, or I would be in trouble having already gone over my daily calorie limit twice.  Well, I will chalk that up to a learning experience as I am just beginning to track my calories. 
Even though I went over my limit a couple of times, I still think I am doing well...for me.  A positive worth mentioning is that I have only had one meal that was prepared outside the home (Taco Time) since my husband has been out of town.  Normally, at least 50% or more of my meals are take-out/dining out.  I've mentioned several times before that I do not cook.  Either my husband does the cooking or we will eat out.  Which means we eat out a lot.  In order for us both to succeed at weight loss, I need to do my part and start cooking.  For some reason, I do cook (and do dishes hence the title of this post) when he is not here.  Here are some of the meals that I prepared for dinner this week:

Potatoes, Eggs and Bacon
Turkey and Bean Tostada
Chicken, Cottage Cheese and Butternut Squash
Mushroom, Spinach and Cheese Omelet
Salmon, Butternut Squash and Spinach

I have enjoyed every meal and I am happy to report that I didn't overcook my meats like I did with the chicken a few weeks ago .  Both the chicken and salmon were moist.  Score!  I'm preparing my breakfast and lunches too.  I even had a salad.  The shock!  I need to improve with these meals, as I am having some foods that are not as healthy as I would prefer (bagel, cream cheese, granola).  Finding healthier options and cutting out the processed foods will happen over time.  For now, my goal is to stick to the calorie budget, whether the food is good, bad or ugly.   Convenience and likability will play a big part as I am starting out.  Hopefully the choices I make are still better than if I were eating fast food. 

My husband will be out of town until next Saturday.  That means I will fend for myself for another eight days.  I know it takes longer than two weeks to change your habits, but I hope that once he returns, I will start helping with the cooking.  That's a big wait and see though.  For now, all I can say is that I want to lose weight and to do so, I have to help with the cooking.  If I am serious about this, then I will.

It's Friday!  Hope you all have a great weekend.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Giving an old plan a new try


For the next couple of weeks, I am home alone as my husband is on business travel to Xiamen, China.  I look at this as both a good and bad thing.  It’s bad, because of the disruption to our routine and because I will miss him.  On the other hand, having him away may help me eat better if I don’t succumb to take-out the whole time.  While he was home for two weeks between trips, I put on a couple of the pounds that I had lost earlier in the month.  Without a plan in place, we reverted to our usual habits of dining out often and snacking daily.  Fortunately, I am still down five pounds for the month so I am at least making progress albeit slowly.

My plan for the immediate future is to stick to a calorie budget.  I’ve found from past experiences, that if I track my food intake I tend to eat better.  It’s not much of a plan, and not the best plan, but it’s a plan. To start off, I will aim for 1800 calories or less per day.  If I can average between 1500 -1800 calories, I will be happy.  For the most part, I will try to eat healthier foods, meaning unprocessed, less grains and less sugar.  I am unable or unwilling or a little of both to cut off all sugar and grains cold turkey.  I will start with the calorie budget and work from there.  Knowing that the healthier the food is, the more I can have of it will hopefully cause me to look for ways to eat better.  That’s the plan anyways.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Get out of that chair


This weekend was very restful.  My husband, a little sore and swollen from traveling, had a bit of jet lag.  He had missed his lazy boy chair and made up for his absence by spending as much of this weekend as possible with his butt glued to the seat.  Even though it was a beautiful sunny summer weekend, we kept mostly indoors napping and catching up on television programs.  Yes, it’s a sedentary life.  Each year it becomes more sedentary, at least for me.  This might be the reason why I cannot stand for very long and often seem to be in pain. 

My husband doesn’t get much activity, but what he does get is still more than twice of what I might do.  Our workplace just completed a six-week challenge for employees to be more active.  T-shirts and other prizes are awarded just for participating and the top go-getters will win nice prizes.  When an employee signs up they select a daily step goal.  The lowest goal they allow is 6000 steps.  I am lucky if I walk 2000 steps a day.  Over the six-week challenge, my husband walked more than twice of what I did.  He does our shopping and most of the errands requiring walking.  I hardly seem to go anywhere anymore besides work or over to my sisters.  To become more sedentary, I am afraid, would mean being housebound.  I’m probably heading that way and if I want to avoid it (I do), I need to start moving more. 

While I work to change my eating habits, I also need to increase my activity level and decrease the total time spent sitting.  I sit while I work, play at my computer, read, watch television, eat, and nap.  I am a champion at sitting not walking. Last week, I walked an average of 1800 steps per day. 
This week I plan to step it up.  I’m not sure that means that I will take a walk outdoors in the public.  It does mean however that I will find ways to rise from my chair more often throughout the day for some movement.  Because of my stiffness, joint pain and overall sluggishness I need to move more.  I need to move more before I can’t.   This week I start.  I will increase my average step count this week and then increase it again next week.  I imagine a day when walking and activity will be more a part of my day than sitting around.  It may be far in the future, but the sooner I start, the sooner that day will come.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Failed my goal for this week


Not eating out until my husband returned from his trip seemed like a reasonable goal.  I had less than a full week left when I stated the goal.  As much as I hate to admit it here, I need to.  I picked up fast food last night.  I ended up working three hours overtime and did not feel like cooking.  My plan tonight was to have the fish that I didn’t cook last night.  Yet again I worked a long day and was feeling sluggish so I picked up something quick.  Working longer days isn’t a good excuse to veer off track, but that’s what I did.  While I am disappointed in myself, I am not going to beat myself up about it.  It happened and now I need to keep going and keep trying to change my ways.

My husband landed at SEATAC airport a short while ago and should be in a shuttle van on his way home.  He has been enjoying cooler temperatures for the last couple of weeks and is coming home to the mid 80s.  The combination of the heat and traveling for the last twenty-four hours means that his weekend will include a lot of rest.  What I hope it doesn’t mean is that all of our meals will be prepared outside the house.  It will take focus and commitment to stay on track this weekend. Right now I feel somewhat optimistic but know that it will be a huge challenge. 

Even though I have been consuming smaller quantities of food while he has been away, I still have given in to sweets.  My blood glucose readings are looking better too, but a huge part is due to insulin dosages.  Still I am working to have better control by eating less sugar and carbs.  There is much room for improvement.  I do not feel like I can give up sugar entirely cold turkey, but I will work to reduce, reduce, reduce.  I’ll need my husband and sister’s help with this.  The less we bring in the house, the less tempted I will be.  I know it is ultimately my responsibility and I accept that, but it would be nice if they could help.  I am weak, oh so very weak.  In the next couple of months, I hope to make big improvements in this area.  Stay tuned.

I feel like I am rambling in this post, so I will end for now.  I hope you all have a great weekend and spend time with people you enjoy and love.

Monday, July 7, 2014

He told me I need to lose weight



Some would think that a person who basically spends 24 x 7 (we work together) with her husband would welcome the break when he goes out of town.  While I’ll admit that it is nice to have some extra time for reading or whatever I want to do when I want to do it, for the most part I miss the guy.   
I miss our routine and I miss having him around to talk with at any given moment.  He’ll be home Friday evening, so I have another week of cooking for myself.  Oh did I not mention that I miss having the cook around too? 
My goal for last week was to eat meals prepared at home for at least 75% of the time.   I was successful.  There were a lot of scrambled eggs, some dry chicken and some processed food (canned chili).  I stopped for fast food three times. My plan this week is to not eat out at all through Thursday.  I have meals planned, so I am pretty confident I can make this happen.  Eating at home and drinking way more water than I normally do helped with the scale.  Yesterday, I weighed in at 390 lbs which is down seven pounds for the week.  I like that start but I’ve been here before.  I must find a way to keep going and keep improving my eating habits.

This afternoon I spent some time playing with my just-turned five year old nephew.  He has so much energy and is a great deal of fun.  At one point, just out of the blue, he told me that I needed to lose weight.  My sister did not like that and told him that he shouldn’t say things like that to people because it could hurt their feelings.  I accepted his apology and told him that he was right and that I will work on it.  I never want to be a source of embarrassment for him, but some days I worry that my size will do just that.  Just one of the many reasons I need to stay focused on improving my health.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Next time I will use the thermometer



Having gained weight in the first half of the year and feeling more sluggish and more pain all over, I need to make changes and start dropping some weight.  One of the biggest changes that I can make to aid me in losing weight, is to stop eating fast food or dining out on cheesy gooey Mexican food.  My goal for this week is simple.  75% of the meals I eat this week need to be prepared by me at home.  Totally doable, right?  Yeah it should be, but here’s the catch.  I don’t cook.  Unless my husband is away on business travel (which he is right now), I don’t cook.  Either he cooks or we eat out/dine in.   It’s been that way for years.  It wasn’t always like this, I used to cook.  In fact, a couple of the early years of our marriage I did most of the cooking.  Not sure when I stopped, but it has been years.  My husband won’t be home until a week from Friday, so I need to step up and cook me some food.

Tonight’s dinner was a big fail.  I should stick with breakfast.  I can scramble the heck out of some eggs.  In fact, last night’s dinner was scrambled eggs with mushrooms and bacon.  Let’s all say it together, ‘mmm bacon’.  Aaahh.  Tonight, I prepared a chicken with broccoli and rice meal.  The rice turned out and the broccoli was perfect, but the poor chicken was dry as a bone.  I put the leftovers in the fridge, but I’m not sure that I will eat them.  Reheated already-dry chicken doesn’t sound appealing to me.  One of the problems may have been that I used chicken fillets rather than whole chicken breasts, so they cooked faster than I expected and longer cook time because I was slow putting all the ingredients together.  From now on, I will use the meat thermometer and pull the meat on time.  Even though I won’t win any Michelin stars for tonight’s meal, it was edible (barely) and still counts towards my goal. It was better for me than fried food.

This morning I was out of the house early for the 30 mile commute to work.  It was nice to find closer parking.  Yes, I need exercise, but in my current state I need to work up to it.  My legs felt a little bit better today, but my back was still hollering for a break half way there.  I am working from home tomorrow and Monday, so I will not be back in the office for five days.  Unless I want to start from scratch, I need to work some walking in this weekend.  If you have read any of my previous posts, you might remember that I have issues with being out in public.  I may try to hit the park this weekend for some short walks.  If I go early enough, maybe I will avoid too many people and be done before it gets too warm.

Thanks for taking time to stop by.  I appreciate all the support and know how important it can be (giving and receiving) along this journey.