I have not been doing well trying to stay on track. Between the lack of exercise and my inability to stay on the right path with foods (coupled with my illnesses), the past week has not been a good one for my diet. As of this morning I have gained back four of the five pounds that I lost when I was in Cuba. I have to resolve to do better. That should start with today.
Author: Mitch Garvis
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Day 770
Yesterday did not go as planned once again. I suppose the big wrecker was that I went to Hamilton to the tailor, only to find out that my appointment is today and not yesterday… even though they sent me an email telling me it was yesterday. I came home and prepared a piece of fish and some rice… and then I had a roll with avocado butter and jam. Added to the fact that I ate so much, I ate it all late. I did not expect any better that I got when I stepped onto the bathroom scale this morning… my weight was up a full pound.
This morning, I had to run out to be at the notary’s office at 8:30am so that I would be back at my desk in time to teach. I am not happy about the documents that I am having notarized (and there will be another one in the next couple of weeks) but I am not ready to discuss it… at least, not here. Maybe in a few days, or weeks… we’ll see. My regular readers can read into the fact that I have not been discussing my wife or my marriage for a few months.
This evening, I will prepare a light dinner, and then I will head out to my appointment. I will not make a stink about it, but I am a little miffed that I ran out to be there on time, paid for parking, and waited 45 minutes before realizing they were not coming. Yes, it was their mistake. No, I am not going to do anything about it. Mistakes happen. I will go in and pick out a few new shirts… and maybe a sports jacket. Whatever happens, I will not overeat again!
Okay, it is time for me to start teaching for the day. See you all tomorrow!
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Day 769
After yesterday’s horrible 2.4 lbs. gain, it was a relief to drop most of a pound this morning. I understand that I am not as active this week as I would like – what with the class that I am teaching, but also with my recovering from a terrible head cold (in addition to nearly a week of diarrhea), I have not been in the right headspace (or I suppose body space) to work out. I am still not feeling great, and do not expect to be back on the treadmill before the weekend.
I made a pretty spontaneous decision yesterday… I booked another trip to Havana for the last week of March. Yes, that is scarcely a month after I got back from my last trip… but it might also be my last opportunity to go away for a few months, as I am starting a teaching contract April 1 that will have me teaching three evenings per week until the end of July. That is good news for my ability to earn a living and pay my bills but does not bode quite so well for my ability to go away… at least not to destinations where reliable Internet is a myth.
I am skipping dinner tonight… sort of. I have a couple of errands I need to run, and then I am going to Hamilton to pick out a couple of new shirts to have tailored for me. Yes, it is that time again… the Hong Kong tailor is here for a couple of days, and while I have been in the dumps lately, I am going to get a couple of new shirts, and maybe a new sports jacket. I don’t know… something new to brighten my wardrobe for the summer. We’ll see. In any event, I know that I will be out of the house from 5:30 until 9:15 or so, and I am not going to eat that late; I will take a protein bar with me in case I get hungry though… and maybe I’ll pick up some peanuts.
By the way, when I do get home from all of those errands, I will have a meeting with my diet buddy. We have not spoken since before I left for Cuba… it will be great to chat with her again!
Tomorrow morning, I have to go to get a document notarized. I would give anything to change that… but that’s life. Not all of life is pleasant, and not all of it is in our control. We can only control ourselves, and sometimes the whims, perceptions, and mental issues of others can crash down on us. The best that we can do is survive and try to recover. That is what I will do.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
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Day 767
My weight gain this morning was within the margin of error – which is to say that I might as well have not gained anything. After a day of complete rest and recovery (while still eating) I am not surprised that I did not lose weight and am quite satisfied to be up 0.2 lbs. from yesterday morning.
Sticking with my plans of resting, I was in bed at 8:00pm and asleep by 8:30pm last night. My sleep score (according to my fitness watch) was 84, with a total duration of 9h26m. It is not often I try to go to bed early, but last night I knew I could either stay awake and watch television, or I could try to get as much sleep as possible. Sleep won out, and Her Floofness was only happy to keep me warm all night.
I am still not feeling well this morning, but aside from feeling a bit light-headed, I am not sneezing as much as I did the last few days. I am sure that I will be able to get through the day unscathed.
See you all tomorrow!
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Day 766
I was disappointed yesterday morning to see that my weight climbed a bit from the previous day. I also did not follow my regimen very well yesterday, so I was expecting to see that happen again today. Imagine my pleasure to see that not only did it drop, it dropped to below Friday’s weight. In fact, my weight has not been where it is in a month. I am happy for the progress.
As for the emotional side of life? I am trying to stay balanced. It is hard… but I am trying. My time away helped, but returning to the onslaught of reality was not easy. Doing so with a head cold made it harder. I am going to spend a lot of time in bed today… again.
Speaking of bed: my Sleep Score from yesterday was the best I ever remember seeing. I am not sure I have ever seen it above 90, so 95 was a shock! According to my fitness watch I slept 8h39m with the right amount of every measure. Last night that score dropped to 72, probably owing to the fact that I went to bed at 8:00, and then two hours later I was up for three hours. I will get more rest today, and will really try to take it easy.
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Day 765
I am still not feeling 100%, but I know I have been doing the right thing by resting and staying close to home. I have been invited to a herf to smoke cigars with some friends this evening but I am going to stay home. It is not only that I should be coming down from the massive amount of cigars I smoked while in Cuba, but also because I simply need to allow myself the time to get better. I am going to run out to the store for a little while because I need some supplies, but other than that I have no reason to not relax and recuperate.
I will eat normally today, and I will make sure I have done everything that I need to prepare for the class that I am delivering this week. Microsoft Learn has made it a lot more complicated to download courseware over the last couple of years. Fortunately, I was able to figure it out, and I will spend some time reading the newest version of the course to make sure there are no surprises waiting for me… and for my students.
Okay, I guess I should get my day going… I will run to the store to pick up the few items that I need, and then I will come home to prepare lunch.
Have a great day folks!
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Day 764
I am still sick today, and I am going to take it easy. Princess Sophie and I stayed in bed until after 9:15am (which for me is nearly unheard of), and then after my morning ritual, we went for our walk.
I have been asked to define what I mean by ‘sick.’ I have a head cold and have been sneezing and my nose has been running unabated since Wednesday. Owing to that, my nostrils are chapped and a bit painful, but I bought a ChapStick (not the brand, but similar) to ease that. I have also had… soft stool (a very polite way to say it) these last couple of days. For me to sit down in the airplane washroom on a three-hour flight is unheard of unless I am having issues. I do not think that these issues are related to anything that I ate or drank (although I suppose that is possible) but because of a bug of some sort. I will live. As I said, I will take it easy today and tomorrow, and I’ll be fine for my class next week.
I was on the fence a couple of times during the trip, especially when I was eating a lot of pasta and on the days when I was drinking somewhat heavily (there were two such days). I also know that my 36-hour travel ordeal was not going to help. With that said, I was quite pleased to discover this morning that I weigh five pounds less today than I did the morning I flew out. I guess all of that walking really paid off!
I ate a very late breakfast today, so I do not intend to eat my next meal until 3:00pm or so, as such, I likely will not be having dinner, although I might pick up challah rolls to ring in the Sabbath. We’ll see.
You may have noticed these last few days that I am back to signing off with ‘Have a great day!’ which I had dropped since the problems began in early November. I am not going to discuss them in any detail, but one of the reasons for my trip to Cuba was to reset. I think I did that successfully and even though I wish things had gone differently, sometimes there is nothing one can do to fix someone else’s problems. I wish her health and happiness but am getting ready to move on with my life. For everyone who has told me that there are plenty of fish in the sea… I am not ready for anything real and will start with catch-and-release for the foreseeable future. With that said, at least I have come back from Cuba with a slightly clearer head than I had two weeks ago. (Not to mention five pounds lighter!)
Have a great day folks!
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Day 763
The plane from Miami to Toronto was delayed several times until finally it was delayed overnight. I waited in line for nearly three hours to get a hotel room from American Airlines, and once I had it I took a cab to the hotel. I showered and went to sleep, anticipating three hours rest before I had to get up and head back to the airport. Needless to say I did not. Eat well yesterday or today. I also have a cold which means I have been blowing my nose constantly since yesterday morning.
I got a good nap this afternoon and have to go out this evening because of an obligation that I made before the head cold and the sleepless night. Sigh.
More tomorrow.
