A Bit of a Ramble

I don't have an official weigh in number for today because I was not home this morning. I always weigh first thing - before I eat. I can tell you that yesterday's weight, however, was DOWN 2 pounds! Of course, that was at least 2 weeks since I last reported, but 2 pounds in 2 weeks is still a Victory.

I have not been feeling well lately and it seems to be finally settling in today....I even have a fever today. I've gone to bed for a nap twice and still feel like I could sleep. I'm hungry, though.

I mentioned in my last post that I've decided to do more cooking for myself at supper time. It is not alot of fun to eat alone every night so I have tended to just have the same thing at noon and in the evening.

Just a minute, maybe I should explain a bit for those new 'followers'....don't know if you actually read this blog, but just in case.....

I am happily married but my husband's career has him working away from home for various lengths of time. He is a well site supervisor in the oil and gas industry. This is seasonal work at best, meaning that when 'activity' is high, he has to work as much as he can because there is always at least a month with NO work at all in the spring - often up to 4 months with no work, then over the summer, 2 weeks a month is the most we can expect. Fall/winter is the busy season. We enjoy the long periods of time he can be home in the spring and summer, but he has to work very long periods during the fall/winter so we can continue to pay the bills and buy groceries when he is not working.

This year, because of the very low price of natural gas (he works mostly gas wells) there is NO new activity at all .... the oil company cannot even break even on a new natural gas well at these prices. So, he is working on old wells - fixing and repairing and shutting in for good. We have no idea how much of this work will be available so we cannot afford for him to 'pace himself' ..... if there is a job for him, he is going to go to work.

This is why I talk about eating alone and cooking for myself so much. There are pros and cons to this ...... I do not mind eating the same thing day in and day out which makes food prep quick and easy. (Jim likes variety, usually) For a long time, my staple meal has been homemade 'taco' soup - noon and supper. Breakfast is usually a smoothie made with FF SF yogurt and berries.

I noticed, however, that when Jim is home and I eat more 'normal' meals, that I lose more quickly - even though I'm eating more calories. Therefore, I concluded that I need to add to my usual fare. Of course, everything I've learned over the years of attempting to lose weight supports this conclusion....you do need to eat in order to keep your metabolism burning efficiently. So, I've determined to plan and cook a full meal for myself at supper times.

One of my favorite meals is Spaghetti squash topped with ground beef and spaghetti sauce and lots of roasted vegetables.....carrots, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoe, squash (butternut or delectia). I can usually prepare enough at one time to have leftovers for at least one more meal.

Last week I made my own spaghetti sauce......I chopped up some of the tomatoes from my garden, added a chopped onion, some garlic, and Italian spices. I drizzled olive oil over it all, mixed it up, and put it in the oven at 450 F for about 25 minutes. Oh, the heavenly smell this produced! When the tomatoes and onion were carmelized, I took it out, let it cool a bit, then put it through the blender. Very good - and I know there was no added sodium (something I try hard to avoid). Also, I know it is full of nutrients since I grew the tomato and onion myself.

But, as I said....I am not feeling well today and so did not want to cook. I do not have any vegetables left since I ate them last night with my chicken breast, but I may have the spaghetti squash and ground beef. I'm feeling hungry, so I suppose I should make a decision soon.

I travelled yesterday afternoon to where my hubby is staying when his day is done. (A two hour drive). He arrived at the hotel at 8 p.m. so we had a few hours together. I do not do this often because he always stays up later when I am there and then it takes a couple days for him to 'catch up'. Since his day begins at 5 a.m. and does not end until 8 pm at the earliest, he disciplines his sleep time as part of his work....when he stays up past 9:30 or 10, he gets too tired.

For my part, I have a hard time going to bed at night when he is gone - which means I sleep too late in the morning - which means I feel like I do not accomplish anything in a day because my day does not start in the morning. Hopefully, since I was up with him at 5 this morning and am feeling sick, I can begin to get myself on a more productive schedule.

I am a person who lacks discipline and thrives on routine. I know what I should do, but have a hard time making myself do it. Once I get past the initial hurdle of 'just do it', I am fine.....I love to be organized and follow a plan. I am glad that I was able to establish my routine of eating healthy before we came back to this lifestyle (we had about a year of more regular work - another story for another time) so at least I do not struggle much with what to eat or what not to eat.

Anyway, this has been a rambling post....not going anywhere, really. I need to go have some supper and start to think about going to bed (again). I was supposed to spend the next 2 days with my DIL and grandbabies since my son is going back to work tomorrow, but they've had to make other arrangements - don't want any of them getting sick! The last thing Victoria needs is to be sick while recovering from childbirth. Hopefully, I'll be well enough next week to 'hang out' with them for a couple days. Tor is very efficient and really doesn't need alot of help, but I was looking forward to the time with just her and the babies.

Oh well.