The Clock Is Ticking

 

I've been on a long break from diet and exercise. My mind and body haven't been in sync for quite some time. Today is December 30 and the New Year is almost here. I'd like to believe I can shake this off and get myself on track, but I'm not sure it's going to happen.

I've gained back at least 100 pounds and this is devastating. I worked so hard to get it off and felt so good about the way I looked and then I let it all go. It's done and I can't sit here and wring my hands about it. In my head, I feel like I'm ready to get back on track. My body isn't cooperating as I've been sick since I got back from Florida. We arrived home very late on December 9 and I'm still recuperating. I believe I contracted COVID as this all started with a mild sore throat on Thursday December 7. By Friday December 8 I was running a fever but managed that with Tylenol and continued on our schedule. By Saturday December 9, our departure day, I had a runny nose and the beginning of a cough. The cats and I got home to Mexico about 2 am and it was all downhill from there. I lived on soup, Nutrisystem food and water until Thursday December 14. I was starting to feel better and wanted other things to eat so I used Instacart to have food delivered. By Sunday I felt like I could leave the house so I made an appointment at urgent care because my sinuses and ears were plugged and very painful. This was 10 days after symptoms started so I was likely past Covid and they didn't bother to test me for it. What I did have was a sinus infection and a double ear infection, so I left there with antibiotics and steroids. I might have had strep but the antibiotics would treat that if I did, so they didn't bother to test for that either. Within a couple days my sinuses started to unplug and I was finally on the road to recovery. I've finished the prescriptions but I'm still not 100%. I still have some sinus drainage and my ears are still slightly plugged. I am also very tired, likely because I've spent the last few weeks on the couch. I'm starting to realize you don't bounce back as fast as you age !

I missed 4 days of work, but 4 days out of the whole year isn't bad. I'm glad I had this week off to further recuperate. Work has slowed down so it was relatively easy to catch up once I went back. I got a lot done in the 5 days before Christmas !

So, how was my Florida trip ? Well, it wasn't that much fun. I blame a lot of it on my weight and my age. I just couldn't keep up with Lauren and she wasn't willing to make any concessions for me. Sunday was our first full day there and we spent it at Disney Springs. I did enjoy the shopping ! The first 2 park days (Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) I was SO tired and it turns out I was double dosing myself with Dramamine !! I enjoyed both days anyway ! I took no Dramamine on Wednesday and had the best day at Magic Kingdom. Thursday I was starting to not feel good and spent most of the day on my own at Epcot. I lost Lauren shortly after we got there and she never called to ask where I was ... and I didn't call her to ask where she was. I knew she preferred to just do her own thing, so I let her. I enjoyed wandering at my own pace and I think she enjoyed herself as well. Friday was Mickey's Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom and I wasn't feeling well at all. Since the party wasn't until 4 pm, Lauren went to Disney Springs in the morning and I stayed at the hotel to rest. We did some rides together at the party, but then lost each other again. I did enjoy the fireworks and parade and got a few videos. Saturday was check out day so we checked our luggage at the hotel and had lunch at Disney Springs. I didn't eat much as I was getting sicker and ordered a dish that was too spicy (shrimp & andouille sausage mac & cheese). I think I'd have loved it if I wasn't sick. Our flight home turned disastrous and Lauren freaked out. Our flight from MCO to ATL was delayed several hours and she was convinced we were going to miss our connecting flight from ATL to SYR. I never gave up hope but I rationalized that there was nothing I could do about it, so why panic ? I bought a book and some cold medicine at a shop in the airport and just waited. Once on the flight I tried to console Lauren but she was so deep into her anxiety that she was quite mean to me. She was convinced we were going to miss our flight. We didn't speak after that. In the end we landed at ATL, took the tram one terminal over and our flight boarded a few minutes after our arrival. Crisis averted and we just ended up spending our ATL layover in MCO .. lol ! Rich picked us up at the airport and Alyssa had brought my cats to Kim's house, so I was able to pack them and all their stuff up and go right home. I didn't care how late it was. I knew I was sick and I knew I needed to get home. Lauren didn't even help me lug all the cats and their stuff from the basement. It nearly killed me but I did it all myself. Sometimes I just run on fury. I unpacked the car when I got home, fed and settled the cats and then collapsed on the couch. Over the next few days I only got up to feed the indoor & outdoor cats or feed myself. I lived on the couch until this week. Over time I managed to bring my suitcases in from the garage, unpack them and wash everything. It took well over a week. I've put most everything away but I'm only about 75% done.

Lauren apologized the following day and I'm not holding it against her, because I know she has anxiety issues. However, I'm not sure I will take another Disney trip with her unless I have the weight off. I believe she is planning a trip to Hawaii next year so I wouldn't expect any Disney plans before 2025. If I do go again, we may have to agree in advance that we go our own way for part of each day. I also feel like we don't need to spend a ton of money on dining reservations. Most of the restaurants are just "ok" and I'd rather eat at quick service places and maybe do 1 or 2 dining experiences. I would also plan to arrive at the parks for rope drop, because the ride lines are not that long. If we can get all the important rides out of the way first, the remainder of the day will go at an easier pace for me. I did better with packing this time around, but I still brought a lot of stuff I didn't need. You don't need shampoo, conditioner or body wash because the Disney resorts provide it. I also used it as face wash. I brought more clothes than I needed too, so I would trim that down again as well. You will ALWAYS buy t-shirts at Disney, so there is no need to bring one for every day. 

So while I've been sick I've also been eating pretty much nothing but junk. Soda, pizza, pizza rolls, frozen mac & cheese, frozen chicken/mashed potatoes/gravy/corn bowls, ice cream, pop tarts, toaster strudel, chicken tenders and french fries. Once it's all gone and I'm 100% feeling better, I will restart Nutrisystem. I was hoping to do that on 1-1 or 1-4 but I'm not sure I will be ready. As such, the goal now is to officially restart on Monday January 8.

Thinking about the restart reminded me of one thing that really made my Disney trip suck. MY HOKA SNEAKERS !!!  OMG - I had blisters on both feet every single day. We're talking huge painful blisters. Every step was agony every day. The shoes I brought are the ones I've been using on the treadmill and they never bothered my left foot before. I'm not sure why I ended up with blisters on the baby toe and the one next to it. I also had blisters on the baby toe of my right foot (no surprise) and then on the instep of both feet. My feet were just an agonizing mess. Needless to say, those shoes went right into the trash when I got home. I have a brand new pair of Clifton 8's and I'm hoping they are trouble free. I'm sure part of the issue was my feet swelling because of my weight gain. One thing I need to do before I start the treadmill again is soak my feet and make sure any and all dead skin is removed. I haven't been able to do it yet, so perhaps next weekend.

I missed out on cookie baking this year (12/16) but I made it to Christmas Eve at Rich & Barb's and Christmas Day at Kim & Joe's. Tomorrow we're doing New Year's Eve game night at Kim & Joe's. It runs 4 pm to midnight and I'm not sure I can last that long, but I'll try. I'm bringing deviled eggs. I boiled & peeled the eggs today, so tomorrow I can just make the filling and fill them before I go. I went to Walmart Thursday and found out Thursday night about New Year's, so I had to go to Tops yesterday for eggs, mayo and mustard. I had to go out and pay my water bill anyways. I forgot to buy a big bag of dry food for the strays, so I'll be making a quick Walmart stop tomorrow. If I don't do that, I'll have to go out on New Year's Day and get it, since I go back to work on Tuesday.

I didn't overspend at Disney and it helps that the airfare and hotel was paid for long ago. I'm easily able to pay off my credit cards this month, so I will continue to not carry a balance into 2024 ! In 2018 I made 3 resolutions: lose weight, pay off my credit cards and not carry a balance. I achieved all 3 but I've only managed to keep the credit card resolution going. I'm pretty proud of that and very lucky to have the job I have. It pays the bills and I love it ! I checked in on my accounts today and was surprised to find $8k in my checking ! I was a little nervous about the $1800 I have to pay on 1/12 for Disney VISA, but it turned out I didn't have to worry ! I have plenty to pay all my January bills, which includes car insurance and property taxes. I am so blessed. Thanks to mom I got the exterior of the house redone and with any luck I'll have the front porch fixed up this Spring !