Day 32: The Ordeal

 

Day 32 of Nutrisystem 2.0 started at a balmy -12 degrees. I didn't want to get out of bed but my cats were hungry and I needed to check on my pipes. It was about 7 am when I woke up and the first thing I did was feel the register in my room. It wasn't very warm and I was worried, but then I realized the electric heating had brought the room up to 70 degrees, so the thermostat was off. Stepping outside my bedroom I could tell the house was super cold and I worried that the heat was off. Well, it wasn't ! It was trying it's darnedest but it was 55 degrees in the dining room and in the 40's in the laundry room. It just cannot heat this poorly insulated house when it's this cold. I'm hoping siding will make a difference ! I tried the water in the kitchen and it started slowly - making me worry about frozen pipes. However, the flow got stronger within seconds and I suspect it was on it's way to freezing. Good thing I got up relatively early ! I tried the faucet in the laundry room and that was fine too, so the plumbing was doing fine. Heat registers were hot so the heat was working fine too. I made a cup of coffee and my breakfast, then grabbed what I needed for the cats and headed back upstairs ! By 8 am it was -14 so the temp was going in the wrong direction !

Breakfast was a 270 calorie Jimmy Dean Delights breakfast sandwich - comfort food on a cold winter morning ! Morning snack was an 80 calorie yogurt. Lunch was a 220 calorie pepperoni pizza melt. By afternoon snack I was headed off the rails. I had an 80 calorie piece of cheese and an undetermined amount of crackers. Dinner was a can of Bush's Grillin' Beans, the Southern Pit Barbecue flavor. This was 850 calories of good old fashioned comfort food. Evening snack was a 130 calorie strawberry shortcake cupcake ... followed by half a bag of s'mores snack mix. I also had a package of "thins" cookie - I think they are 100 calories.

When I made my second cup of coffee at 8 am the kitchen faucet hesitated for a split second, so I knew I'd be going up and down the stairs until the temperature came up outside. The sun was out so that was a good sign ! I thought my pipes would be fine, but I was wrong. For whatever reason, by 10:30 am the cold water in my kitchen was frozen. I should have ran it every half hour, but I got lazy or overconfident. I had cold water in the rest of the house, so I'm not too worried about it. I did try to thaw it with my hair dryer but made no progress. It's going up into the 40's tomorrow so I am sure it will resolve itself. The temp rose throughout the day and is expected to continue rising during the night. It unfroze by itself last year too. 

So last night my eating went a little off the rails. I consciously gave in to stress eating. I don't know any other way to survive really, really stressful situations. I'm all alone and I have no one to talk to or rely on. I'm it and food is still my comfort. I allowed it to happen because I knew it was only one night. One night of worrying about my plumbing and my heating system. In the end, neither let me down completely and I am so grateful for that. My day was fine until after work. Temps were headed below zero and every time I checked the forecast the overnight low was getting lower ! I had the heater in my bedroom on full blast yet it was only 68 degrees. I tried plugging in a second heater but that blew the circuit breaker. Did that twice .. 2 trips to the basement. Then I blew the breaker in my office while I was on the treadmill, because the heater in there was running on the same circuit. Third (and last!) trip to the basement. At that point I shut off the treadmill, rationalizing it by acknowledging that electricity demand was high due to the extreme cold. Seeing the temp drop in the house I knew I had to move the cats and me upstairs, which I did. Minnie didn't mind because she spends most of her time in my room and she settled right down on the heated throw, but Abby had a hard time settling. I couldn't let her go downstairs where it was so cold and she finally settled after midnight. I think it helped that I turned off the light and settled in for sleep. 

I'm glad I grocery shopped last week because I had zero desire to go out today ! I may go out tomorrow just to get out of the house, as it's going to be up in the 40's. I spent the day watching YouTube videos and drinking coffee, between trips downstairs to check the pipes and make another cup ! By 8:45 we were up to -12 and my pipes were hanging in there. House was still at 55 degrees and I knew I'd be spending most, if not all, of the day upstairs in my room with the cats. Minnie was fine with it, Abby was not. I gave myself permission not to exercise and I tried my best not to stress eat. I did bring the bag of s'mores snack mix up to my room and it was comforting just to have it there. 

By 2:30 pm the temp in the downstairs was only 58, so I knew we'd be spending the rest of the day in my room. Hot water heat takes a long time to bring the house up to temperature. I brought a few more things up for the cats so I could keep them fed, keep their box clean, and keep my room clean ! As the day warmed up I was able to turn down the electric heater in my room as the temp rose to 73, which was a bit warm. It was 5 degrees outside. I expect the temp in the house will be normal by morning.

I went through this same thing when my heating system wasn't working in November and the cats didn't like it back then either ! I think this time I was more prepared and not so upset about it. I really believe that siding the house will be a big help, so I can't wait to start that project in the Spring ! I was glad to have all the streaming services on my tv, along with the online games on my tablet to keep me occupied.