Day 32: Never Lose Hope

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”

Wise words from Helen Keller. How can you not be inspired by someone who didn’t let the significant obstacles in her own life prevent her from achieving so much ? Whenever bad things happen in my own life I remind myself there is always someone else struggling with more. Plumbing and heating issues made me want to tear my hair out but at least I have a roof over my head and a place to go if it were necessary. Closure of my office left me worried for the future but I have options available to me that many others do not. I’ve been down .. I’ve been defeated .. but I’ve never lost hope. This storm will pass and I look forward to the calm that will follow.

Day 32 ! The start of my second month on Nutrisystem. Breakfast today was a 1.4 ounce 150 calorie cinnamon bun bar with vanilla caramel crème coffee. I don’t mind the bars for breakfast because you also get a PowerFuel (PF) – which was 2 string cheese today. I was only eating one but then I realized a PF is supposed to be 80-120 calories and one string cheese is only 50. Morning snack was a 120 calorie vanilla shake (PF) and a 90 calorie veggie cake (Smart Carb or SC). Those were a great find and I’m glad I bought them. It helps that a fellow shopper grabbed some while I was looking at them and advised me they were wonderful ! I met my water goal yesterday so I’m determined to repeat that today. A very kind colleague shared a packet of a 10 calorie flavoring I can add to water. It does have stevia, which I try to avoid, but I will give it a try. I don’t know that flavored/sweetened water vs plain water will make a difference. I have always struggled to drink enough water – it was the one thing my care team always harped on while I was going through my cancer treatment. When I was in the hospital they just gave me more intravenous fluids but when I was at home it was up to me to drink enough. In some ways I think was a challenging patient ! I’m more inclined to drink water in the warmer months so I may enjoy these fruit flavored add ins more then. Lunch today was a 4 ounce 220 calorie spinach and cheese pretzel melt. I had some raw carrots and cottage cheese (PF) with it. Today I kind of feel like I’m eating more than I’ve ever eaten ! I guess the difference is I’ve finally eating as per the program AND I’m eating things that are good for me, rather than junk. My afternoon snack was basically a peanut butter sandwich ! 2 slices of 45 calorie whole wheat bread (SC) and a tablespoon of peanut butter (PF). I actually had to make a list last night of what I needed to pack in my lunch bag today so that I didn’t forget anything. Dinner tonight was a 7 ounce 230 calorie package of chicken breast and barbecue beans with a bowl of the veggies I roasted yesterday. I’m close to meeting my water goal and probably will before I go to bed. The only bad thing about that is I won’t sleep through the night. I was up at 3 this morning but I was able to go right back to sleep.

It was nice to walk into work today without being bundled up in 6 layers to keep warm ! The temp at 1 pm was 57 degrees !!! That is like Heaven after the deep freeze of last week !! My colleagues who make the move to Florida will certainly not miss our awful winters ! I know a lot of people retire to Florida but I have no desire to leave my home, even when I do retire. I wouldn’t mind being able to travel to some warm destinations but I’m happy living right here. When I’m retired I won’t have to go out in the cold unless I want to !

The cold temps pretty much put my body in hibernation mode and I’ve had zero motivation to get on the treadmill. Now that the weather has warmed I really need to push myself and restart my exercise program. I have some brand new workout clothes I haven’t even tried on because it’s just been too darn cold for sports bras and calf length leggings. Don’t worry … I will not be sharing full length photos. I’ll share time and distance and a pic here and there. Maybe some day you’ll see a “before” and “after” but that’s a ways off !