Crisis averted and the experiment continues! I spent some time out of the house and out of my head, enjoying not one, but two cheat days this week, which I regarded as mental health days.
I don’t plan on taking too many “cheat days” but I did need a few days to bring the BP down and try to shake off the depression.
Mission accomplished on the former, but still working on the depression. Here’s how the week went, by the numbers.
Sunday 11.11.2018
The beneficial effects from Sharon’s visit were short lived, but I managed to drag myself out of bed and get at least a little bit of work done. Not quite as cold today, which helped some.
Breakfast: Multigrain cereal (just one serving) 180 calories
Lunch: Boxed dinner – Rigatoni (270 calories)
Dinner: Boxed dinner – Salisbury steak (280 calories) + Can of corn (70 calories) = 350
Half Coffee: 150 calories
Total: 950 calories
Monday 11.12.2018
Today was probably the worst day where the cold and depression is concerned…that, combined with the fact that I’m radically changing my eating habits which is sending my BP crashing after a spike is leaving me feeling like a zombie. Hate it, but hopefully by tomorrow things will be looking better. I NEED to get back to good so I can start kicking ass where the writing is concerned, but so far, that’s just not happening. My stats for the month SUCK.
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: Rigatoni (270 Calories)
Dinner: Meatloaf (boxed dinner) (280 calories) & mixed veggies (110 calories) = 390 calories
Half Coffee: 150
Total: 810 calories
Tuesday 11.13.2018
Relying on boxed dinners and canned goods this week, both of which have less sodium than the freeze dried foods. Will start incorporating the freeze-dried stuff again next week, but for now, getting the BP down has to be the priority. I don’t like using my limited stocks of frozen dinners at such a rapid clip, but I’ll figure it out.
Today was cold, but the light had an amazing quality to it, so I took some pictures of patches enjoying the rays of sunshine.
Bella got jealous, so in order to steal the spotlight from Patches, she brought me a trophy in the form of a freshly killed field mouse (she figured out how to defeat the security of the rebuilt drawbridge after all – I have NOOOO idea what to do about that).
After I thanked her for her gift and praised her hunting prowess, I snapped a picture. She was licking her chops and giving me a bit of visual insubordination at confiscating her prize, and her fur is a bit frizzy (static electricity), so she looks a bit disheveled, but…she got her picture taken, which knocked Patches out of the spotlight and ultimately that was the little Diva’s goal.
Breakfast: 1 serving of multigrain cereal (180 calories)
Lunch: 1 meatloaf (280 calories)
Dinner: 1 Salisbury steak boxed dinner (280 calories)
Half coffee: 150 calories
Total: 890 calories
Wednesday 11.14.2018
Got a call from my landlady about a storm coming. She was just checking in and making sure I was ready. She obviously didn’t know anything about my preparations, but I assured her that I was as ready as I was gonna be and battened down the hatches.
Limited progress, but I’m slowly moving the ball forward. Feeling a little closer to normal today as my blood pressure continues to drop.
Breakfast: Tomato soup (225 calories)
Lunch: Can of chili (580 calories)
Dinner: Can of beef stew (660 calories)
Half Coffee: 150
Total: 1615 Calories
Thursday 11.15.2018
Power wound up going out late in the evening. Fortunately, I had already eaten dinner, so just went to bed early. Cold, but I’ve got plenty of blankets. Just buried myself in them and went to sleep. Another day of very little writing progress.
Breakfast: Multigrain cereal – 2 servings (360 calories)
Lunch: 2 boxed rigatoni dinners (540 calories)
Dinner: PB& J (230 calories)
Half Coffee: 150 calories
Total: 1280 calories
Friday 11.16.2018
I had been talking with the friends I left behind when I moved away from the beach and had been planning a short trip down that way for quite some time. Today’s the day, which works out well, given that there are no lights on at my house currently.
Got up with the sun and packed a bag in the thin light of the morning. Despite the heaps of blankets, the cold seeped into my bones.
I made a nest for the cats, made sure they had plenty of food and water, and headed to the beach. I hate leaving them, especially when it’s this cold, but they have an extra fur coat that I lack and don’t seem bothered by the precipitous drop in temperature.
Spent the day on the road. Packed snacks for the trip so I could resist the temptation to stop somewhere for a grease burger. I REALLY want one.
The drive was nice, actually. Gave me some time to do some thinking. I can’t say that I talked myself out of the looming depression, but I at least took a tentative step in that direction.
Breakfast: Bag of Mixed nuts (675 calories)
Lunch: Bag of mixed nuts (675 calories)
Dinner: Huge steak with a side of spaghetti squash. Delicious! (estimating this at 2100 calories)
Half Coffee: NO COFFEE!
Total: 3450 calories
Saturday 11.17.2018
Return trip. Got up early, did a little work, then had lunch before driving back north. Got an email stating that power had been restored. I left the heater in the bedroom turned on before departing for the beach, so the cats would have some heat if the lights came back on before I returned. Plus, it would give the house a chance to warm up a little.
That turned out to be a good call.
The drive back felt like it was a lot longer than the drive down, mostly because I wanted to get home. Despite being tired, I managed to do a little more work when I hit the door, then face-planted, glad for the warmth.
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: Chicken Cheese steak before heading back north (1200 calories)
Dinner: Bag of mixed nuts (675 calories)
Half Coffee 150 calories
Total: 2025 calories
Stuff I’m Watching and Listening To
More “found footage” films. I didn’t realize they made so many, but I guess that makes sense. They’re cheap to make, but unfortunately, most of them are awful. A couple of keepers in the bunch though. It’s actually good that most of them suck – they provide background noise without being good enough to suck me in and distract me.
Stats
BP: 136/74 Better.
Weight: 330 (not really sure how I managed to gain weight – a couple of big calorie days, but offset by a few light calorie ones – meh. Whatever, I’m just glad to be feeling a bit better).
Standing trade deals
Just the one. Bust two pallets a month for 2 gals of milk, half a dozen eggs and a venison steak.
Not a very exciting week, but a pivotal one, I think.
-=Vel=-
Hope you feel better soon and can continue with your work.
Hey! Sorry for the late reply – just saw this, and thank you! Feeling much better!
There is no way you will send your auto biography to India right? Your Quora post on travelling adventures piqued my interest.. but I don’t have good money to give to a “starving artist”. Sorry..
Just sent you an email. 🙂