Another quiet, very cold day on the prairie. The temperatures have barely been above the single digits again today with a brisk wind that has made it feel even colder. The walk down to the chickens and back up this morning was brutal. I’m grateful that it isn’t any longer than it is. I had tears in my eyes from the cold on the walk back up to the house.
I took the first pan of wheat sprouts to the girls this morning. They didn’t know what it was and seemed afraid of a pile of greens. Jim said it was gone this afternoon when he went down so they must have gotten brave and tried them and liked them. I started another pan of them. I keep two pans going and am able to give them a green treat every three to four days. I brought up 19 eggs this morning and Jim brought one more up this afternoon.
I had trouble finding sleep last night so took long nap this afternoon. I have a hot line shift this afternoon and needed more sleep. I took seven calls last night. I had a few weird ones that were not into problem solving. I have to trust venting does some good for them. We will see what happens tonight.
Today is the third anniversary of my Bright Lines Eating journey. Except for eating chicken noodle soup, crackers, Manuka honey and toast when I had C-Diff this summer I have gone three years now without eating foods that include flour of any sort or sugar of any sort, including artificial sweeteners. I have gotten to the point where desserts and foods that contain flour or sugar do not even look good to me. I try to eat one ingredient foods as much as possible. I avoid processed foods most of the time. Bacon is the one exception I make – gotta have bacon! Since I have had C-Diff I have also learned I need to avoid grains and dairy. White potatoes I eat only very occasionally as they bother my gut too. I still am not back to eating raw vegetables or high fiber veggies. I can eat beans again although for a bit I couldn’t.
This journey has gotten easier as I have progressed down the road on it. Eating out used to be a challenge but I have learned safe things to order. I am no longer weighing my food as I did when I first started. I have pretty much learned what a protein size should be for me and eat accordingly. At this point I am maintaining my weight, and not trying to reduce it dramatically. I still avoid snacking most days. I allow myself a snack on my hungry days occasionally but it is rare that I eat one.
It has taken me a long time to accept this version of myself in the mirror. I didn’t see the weight loss for a long time. I still felt overweight. I felt like a fraud of sorts when I would shop and buy small sized clothes. That has gotten better but am still not sure I see myself as others see me. I am down 60 pounds from my heaviest weight. It is funny how an image of oneself can get stuck in your head and it can take a long time for that to change. I went from a size 18 pants to a size 2. I wore XL tops and now wear Small or even XS sometimes.
I had gained almost 30 pounds back last year but have managed to take over 20 of it off again. I think I had gotten too thin at one point so am happy with where I am now. I realize I will always have to watch what I eat as I have a tendency to gain weight quickly if I take my eye off of it. I am grateful I found this way of eating as it works for me.
The four lines one is not to cross of Bright Line Eating is to weigh and measure your food, eat no flour or sugar, eat only three times a day, and plan your food for each day. I still follow the no flour and no sugar and eat only three times a day. I never did write out what I was going to eat each day and no longer weigh and measure my food. It works for me so I guess that is what is important. Everyone has to find what they can live with and how to make it work for them.
No plans for the weekend except to stay inside and stay warm. We have a wind advisory for tomorrow which is going to make this brutal cold feel even colder. I trust my chickens will stay warm enough. I may need to put a heater in their coop if not.
I finally remember to call the internet company. We keep having to reset out computers connection to the internet and to reconnect the printer every time we want to print something. The guy I spoke with suggested I try a different surge protector. So far – so good. I hope the fix was as simple as that. It was getting very frustrating. We have limited options for internet service out here in the country. There is a new company working their way towards us but not here yet. I will switch to a faster speed internet when available.
Jason texted me this morning to ask me to babysit their four year old today. I didn’t see the text until late this morning and by then they had figured out a plan. I was sorry I didn’t get the chance to have him come out to play. Maybe next time I can help out.
A week from tomorrow we will get our second vaccine. I am so ready for that to happen and then to count down the four weeks afterwards when we will be reasonably protected and a bit freer. It has been a long year since we were able to move around freely.
We are having leftovers again tonight so dinner will be easy. I’ll have to think of something fresh to fix tomorrow night as this has been the second night of leftovers this week. Good to get the refrigerator cleaned out though. I hate to waste food.
Grateful to have discovered the Bright Line way of eating, grateful we may have fixed our internet problem, and grateful we are able to stay home and not have to get out in this bitter cold.