With a Little Help from my Friends...

... I'm getting by. I've had such nice people stopping by with low-sodium high-veggie soups (potato-leek, onion with duck fat, carrot and pear, squash and sweet potato, minestrone and chicken noodle), deviled eggs, egg-salad sandwiches, roasted chicken and veggie casseroles... wow, such great friends.  It was also so nice to see such lovely comments from you all out there in the blogosphere; it really warmed my heart :)

My man is also more helpful these days, but not as a cook. He calls himself a sandwich-master and microwave jockey. He's been keeping busy with laundry, cleaning and  shoveling snow. We had our first big snowfall of the season, which usually happens mid to late November.

Unfortunately this recovery is taking longer than I thought, but the worst of the pneumonia is over. I'm still on strong meds and have been taking things slowly. I get dizzy a lot of the time, so slow is okay! I've also received advice from friends about eating immune boosting foods, taking various supplements and products. I think for me it was just bad timing... picking up a sinus infection which slowed me down, then picking up pneumonia, likely at the Dr.'s office or hospital, and that knocked me out. I haven't been this ill since I was a child, when I caught everything under the sun as children do. 

This time of year also is sad and difficult as it's the 2nd anniversary of my father's sudden death. Last year, we visited the grave; this year I could not go outside. It's been too cold and my lung can't take it.  I had to honour his memory a little differently by looking at pictures of the good times we shared, remembering our reflective talks and peaceful canoe excursions at the cottage that he built, and feeling that grief, not as sharp and breath-catchingly painful as it once was, but grief nonetheless.  My mother still has a hard time, of course, and I wish I could help her, ease her pain somehow... but she has made progress from last year when she had difficulty seeing a future for herself.

I did weigh myself because I was concerned about some bloating, my lack of activity and not tracking anything. I'm at 172.2 lbs,  so pretty much where I've been for the past while, in the low 170s.  It's reassuring that I haven't gained but for right now, I'll just concentrate on getting well and back to my old self again. 

Everything all at Once

Sometimes you go through periods when everything happens all at once and it's like that now for me.  I'm still sick, but with pneumonia now. So lots of drugs, rest and all the rest. Feeling lousy and it hurts to breathe. Tracking weight is not a priority, so I haven't weighed in. 

Thankfully I have a great man taking care of me and some great friends who have stopped by with some homemade soups. My stockpile of soup in my freezer ran out last week and I'm not a fan of the high-sodium low-veggie canned stuff. Once I feel better and am on the mend, then I'll get back to my old routines. 

Quickie Update

Another day left on antibiotics, hooray! I am shaking the sinus infection and feeling better than last week, but this is week three of the yuckiness and feeling meh.  Just started commenting on blogs again... got a lot of catching up to do online!
Still sticking with what works: lots of liquids, rest, some exercise, eating well and probiotics.
Weight is up by about a pound to 171.6 lbs.

Sicko

Not feeling my best these days, I was thinking it was just a little cold that wouldn't go away. But no, it's a bacterial sinus infection. Yuck! So I'm on antibiotics and taking every kind of measure to get better and to minimise the drug's side-effects:

• Lactose-free probiotics. There is a brand that is readily available in my neck of the woods that carries a choice of fermented rice or soy. 
• Drinking lots of liquids like water, water with lemon, seltzer and the occasional juice. I feel like it's about to pour out of my ears, but I know it's good for me. 
• Eating a bit less than usual since I don't have much appetite: scrambled eggs, sweet potatoes and lots of soups like chicken soup, onion, carrot & leek, squash&carrot. It's easy when I've already got a little stockpile in the freezer. Plus I'm getting lots of good vitamin C from natural sources.
• Exercise. No reason to stop moving except some fatigue. Walking in the morning but not briskly, well-off my pace but still moving. Pilates and yoga in the evening. I'd rather curl up on the couch and watch some cartoons but that's my old fat girl's excuse. 
• Rest. Getting a good night's sleep is essential. I do wake up to blow my nose but usually go right back to sleep. If I have trouble, I just listen to a short podcast or some soothing music and I fall asleep within 10 minutes.

Weight-wise I'm about the same, 170.7 lbs.

Long Sad Day and Wednesday Weigh-In

Getting this out of the way first... weighed in this morning as is my usual and the results: 170.5 lbs.  A 1/2 lb less than last week.  

It's been a very long day, a terribly sad day.  An incident on Monday where a soldier was killed surprised a lot of us and we had been told security levels had been raised from low to medium. Now today, a soldier was gunned down not a 10 minute walk away from work.  My heart really goes out to the families, this is so tragic.  Fellow Canadians killing Canadians is just a shock.

The office was on lock down all day, meaning no one could leave.  This was the first time we've faced this kind of emergency so everyone had varying levels of stress.  People reacted in very different ways:

• Some urged chocolate and comfort eating. 
• Some were generous enough to pool healthy lunch items for those who had planned to go out to a restaurant so didn't have any food to eat. There is no cafeteria in the workplace only vending machines.
• Some used gentle humour to diffuse tension. 
• A few were afraid and crying. 
• A few were angry. 
• And one colleague in particular spewed the most racist and hateful remarks I've ever heard, ever.  From past experience, I know there is no reasoning with this woman. She's been previously warned about her inappropriate behaviour. 

I just kept faith in the RCMP and local police and knowing that they were doing all they could to get the situation resolved.  

A few nice things happened today: 

• Most of us bonded together and helped one another through the long day. 
• The weather was nice enough so that when we were finally allowed to leave, walking an extra 30 minutes to get to public transportation was an easy walk. 
• A reward of a SweeTango apple (Honeycrisp hybrid) was all the indulgence I needed on a day like today
• Many loved ones and friends sent messages to ask if I was okay.

Off to take a bath and then to bed; it's been a long day. Take care out there folks.

Unexpected Thanksgiving Challenges

Going to stay in an environment where I have no control over the food in the house is tough. I was surprised at the amount of junk food in the family home.  My mom has regained 30lbs of the weight she lost.  We had a good talk and it's basically she went back to eating convenient and fast food like pizza, Chinese (the deep-fried stuff, not authentic) and pasta.  

She's been having some health challenges, fibromyalgia is the main one, and the pain and fatigue has thrown for a loop lately.  Her pain interfered with her exercise classes and sometimes even walking 15 minutes is too much.  Playing into this is also the emotional... it's been almost two years since my father passed away and where she is in her grieving process she does not say.  She admitted to turning back to using food for comfort.  Sigh... yes, like mother like daughter.  At least she did have lots of fruit and veggies stocked, so she hasn't fallen too far.  I gave her my advice, but just being there for her, listening without judgment, and leading by example are the best things I can do.

Leaves floating on the Lake

Although I tried to keep on my feet and active, there was a lot of sitting and talking with relatives.  And sitting and more sitting. I volunteered to help do whatever chores or setting the table, ect., when I could just to keep moving. My man and I did get out for a walk and luckily enough it was a nice day.


As for my weight post-Thanksgiving, I'm up slightly to 171.0 lbs.  Was expecting a bigger gain but I'm just fine with .4 lbs given all the salty ham I ate!  Really I did keep my portions small, filled up on veggies and fruit, didn't drink too much alcohol and for dessert only had a slice of apple pie.  Yes, just the one :)  

For improvement this week: Hydration! At work, the water fountain is out of order so it's a trek to get to the nearest one. Not a trek really, more like the opening to that old TV show "Get Smart"! At home on weekends, it just seems that I forget. Solution: Carrying a 1 litre refillable water bottle wherever I go. And refill at least once during the day.

Pre-Thanksgiving Weigh-In

With all the activity and preparations in the next few days before Thanksgiving, I figured I'd post now.  So pre-Thanksgiving weight is 170.6 lbs, so slightly less than last week.  No big loss, but a loss nevertheless.  Although I'm happy that the scale is moving in the right direction, I know I still have a ways to go. Not to undervalue coming from over 220 lbs, the reality is I am still not near to  where I'd like to be.

Fall colours while walking on the weekend

Thanksgiving could be a good excuse to go off the rails and fall face first into a bowl of ice cream. That won't happen in my world, but what could is less activity than usual on account of travelling, spending time with relatives and just being out of my routine.  With brisk walking, I can do that pretty much anywhere. There will be tons of chores to do so I'll try and keep busy, on my feet and away from the cushy living room sofa.

As for food, that can be a mixed bag. As I've mentioned before, some relatives equate food with love and if you reject the food you are essentially rejecting them. It has gotten a lot better over the last few years, but this is always a concern.  

The menu for the various suppers usually is a roast beast of some sort, carby fixings, gravy and vegetables. My man does not follow the same eating style as I do, so he usually has no problem with any glutinous carbs that cross his path. But we both have issues with the desserts. The past few years, my Mother has retired her recipe for pecan pie (a.k.a. the devil's pie LOL) in favour of apple pie so I'm hoping the trend continues. I'll likely have one slice, one :)

Wednesday Weigh-In

We've really had the most beautiful Indian Summer that I can remember and the leaves are turning all sorts of pretty colours. The sun is setting earlier and earlier. The other evening I went out to do some gardening after supper and it was already dark at 7:30pm! Time really flies.

Starting to slowly change from spring/summer clothes to fall/winter clothes. I tried a couple of nice sweaters and a pair jeans that I had packed away a few years ago that were too small and they now fit. Very happy about that! 

Next step is the clothing store. I've been avoiding it because I don't have much time (or much money) lately to try on outfits and shop, but... it's come to a point where I've got to get a few new work basics: Blazer, cardigan, a couple of new blouses, dress pants, dark denims. One thing I've learned is to ALWAYS try things on. Every time. I find more and more odd variations in clothing. How can jeans in the same brand, same size, same style but a different colour can fit so differently? Just odd. 

Balancing work and getting my own stuff down has become more challenging. The work days are filled with meetings, appointments and other demands so no time for nice leisurely lunchtime walks with colleagues. I did a few quick solo walks around the building to at least get a bit of fresh air and the blood pumping :)

Down this week to 171.1 lbs, a couple more pounds gone. Some weeks, like last week, can be difficult but I'm learning that a bad week is not the end of the world.