Day 3 - Getting It Done

 

I originally prepared this blog to document the beginning of a new job, but over 2 months after being laid off there is no job in sight. Therefore, I am choosing to use this for something more positive.

Today should have been the 23rd day of my latest effort to lose the weight and stick to the Nutrisystem plan. However, I've been off track due to falling back on "excuses" and just being lazy. As such, I decided to renumber the days. I haven't been "on track" for 23 days. It's only been 3. At day 23 the first time around I had lost 18 pounds, so it makes more sense to go back to Day 3 instead of chasing yet another impossible goal.

Here is the link to my original Day 3 . It was Sunday January 6, 2019 and I was preparing to return to work after my holiday vacation. I was excited to go back to work ... little did I know life was about to change.

After a late night, it was a little bit of a struggle to get up at 9 am today, but I knew the cats were waiting AND I had that 11 am call. Once the cats were fed I settled on the couch with my breakfast and coffee. I had plenty of time to overcome a desire to reschedule my call. Of all things, the village decided to take down the gigantic dying tree that is across the street from the house Doug bought. It's been dropping large branches anytime we have a big wind or heavy snow, so it was definitely time for it to go. It's sad to see those old majestic trees go, but the house next to it contains 4 small children and their safety comes first. Fortunately, the bulk of the noise was done by the time I got on the call just after 11. In another "wouldn't you know it", my old computer received a Windows update and it was a struggle to get through all that and connect to the zoom call. I was there before the meeting host, so that is all that mattered. The call went well and it turns out that most of what I've been doing in my job search is exactly what she recommended. Customizing my resume to the job description, joining talent communities, using AI tools to assist with the resume. She did offer some tips on maximizing LinkedIn searches too, so that was helpful. One tip was to add the word remote to any title I search. I submitted my current resume to their "branding" team, who will review it and make suggestions to improve it. That's a valuable free service ! So the good news is I am doing all the right things and I just have to keep at it.

After lunch I went out to do my errands. I left about 1:50 and got back around 3:50. I got gas at Delta Sonic ($3.08 !) then headed to Wegman's. I got 2 heads of lettuce, a big bag of celery sticks, a bag of radishes, another big bag of carrots, a tub of cottage cheese and a 3 pack of pita bread. I got the cottage cheese because I feel like 1/2 cup of that is more satisfying than one cheese stick, even though they both have 80 calories ! I got the pita bread so I can use the frozen chicken I brought home after my PA trip. It's only 90 calories per piece and they're good size. I bet I can make 3 sandwiches with the chicken I have ! I only spent $25 after my $3.50 in bottle return credits. Next stop was Valvoline but they had an hour wait for inspections. I will try another day in the morning. I was on my way home and didn't think I needed a Walmart stop, but then I thought I needed Diet Coke, so I stopped at Walmart in Central Square. Nearly $150 to get out of there ! I bought another big bag of dry food for the strays, along with a 40 pack of canned food for them. I also got 2 boxes of canned food for Minnie. I won't need any cat food for a while, other than possibly a new bag of dry food for Minnie. I also grabbed a can of the flea powder for carpets. I think there are fleas under my desk in my office, as Minnie was snoozing in for office chair for a while when she had an active flea infestation and I got a couple bites this morning while I was sitting in there on my call. The only other things I got were another bag of those spicy pretzels and a can of whipped cream. 

So what did I eat today ? Breakfast was 150 calorie Nutrisystem pancakes with low cal syrup. I forgot to have my yogurt and I didn't have a morning snack. Lunch before I went out was a 220 calorie pepperoni pizza melt. Hours after I got home I had that 80 calorie yogurt. Dinner was 220 calorie rotini & meatballs. I added some romano cheese for flavor. I also had a 10 oz. bag of green beans. Adding the veggies back into my diet will help me feel full in the evening.

I haven't had any raw carrots the past 2 days as I wanted to give my digestive tract time to recover. I was fine all day yesterday but last night after I went to bed my stomach felt a little off. Going forward I will cook the carrots. It's easy enough to steam them in the microwave and even throw them in the air fryer to get a quick roast. I'm not working so I have time to do these little things. If I do happen to get a job soon I can pre-cook some veggies to save time.