I made my own chicken soup from scratch!
As it became more and apparent I had no clue what I was doing, I simply had to laugh.
How was it possible, at 47 years old, I had never cut up a fryer chicken before? Why did neither I, or the Buckeye, own a fat strainer? More importantly, why did I think all of this would fit in that pot I used to cook the chicken?!
That’s 2 large onions and 10 cups of chopped butternut squash with kale (the carrots are behind me.)
The Buckeye’s injury had slowed him down to a shuffle; he walked with a cane when we are out and about at the new year. Granted, it’s a kickbutt cane; it was my great-grandfather’s and is over 100 years old.
Henry’s cane, made out of a tree root or limb, around the turn of the last century.
Me, being the huge optimist, sees a very unique opportunity here: the Buckeye is now slower than me. Meaning now, more than ever before, is the very best time to start my quest afresh.
Four years ago, I suffered a traumatic brain injury, much like my husband is now suffering. Granted, his brain bled and mine did not, and we hit different areas of our skull. But post-concussion syndrome is something I am VERY familiar with...my fitness quest started because of it. In this blog, I frequently whined about having/not having a partner...hating exercise, etc.
Welllllllllll......
This guy can’t go balls to the wall anymore in sport, and has been reduced to golf and hiking as his primary outlets for activities.
Me, too!!!!!!!!!!
I CAN DO THOSE THINGS!!! I can also kayak, canoe....bicycle not down huge mountains, meander in general....!!!
While he sees a setback, I see a companion. At this moment, my lungs are on par with his weak body. What if we Quest together????
Our 5-2 diet returned on January 2nd; my healthy cooking is part of it. We did this before amazingly well, only forgetting as the stress of my unsold house (and us living 100 miles apart) took its toll. It once was a habit, and it’s going to be a habit again. As the Buckeye reestablishes his hiking habit...why can’t I join him? What if I take those baby steps with him?
If I’m awake, I’ll try to remember this!
Last year, I joined the Buckeye in becoming a Browns fan.
The first time I wore this jacket to a restaurant, I was told they didn’t serve Browns fans.
I told him that OU’s hotshot QB Baker Mayfield, who he did not like, was going to win the Heisman, be the #1 draft pick by the Browns, break the Browns losing streak and the Browns, who were 0-16 the prior season, would win at least 6 games.
This is the aforementioned Mayfield, planting the OU flag in the middle of the Shoe, after humiliating the Buckeyes in 2017 😎
Baker did win the Heisman.
And he was the #1 draft pick.
And he did break the Browns losing streak.
And they won 7 games, not 6.
The Buckeye had to buy me Mayfield’s jersey...yes, it was a bet:) If all came true as I said, he’d have to buy it for me. What neither of us foresaw? Manchild joining the Dawg Pound with us.
As I championed Baker, I decided to watch his pre-draft mini documentary on Facebook, Becoming Baker. I was surprised to learn he had walked on to OU’s football team, and delighted to learn this brash young man seemed to have solid roots. This was not Manziel 2.0, as my Buckeye claimed. While he had some immaturity issues, he had a strong work ethic and dedication to doing right. Furthermore, he had habits. One habit I particularly I liked: he used negative things to motivate himself to do better.
This candy orange was full of lucious fluff...let’s not talk about calories, shall we?
So I’m looking at my weight as a negative I can be inspired by. That helped when I stepped on the scale on 12/31 and I weighed 179.8 lbs - yeah! I was under 180. That did not help one week later, when I stepped on the scale and weighed....
179.8.
So the positive is I didn’t gain any weight. And to be honest, we started fasting on 1/2, so we only had one day in that week...and I was still super stressed, so I ate waaaay too much the other six days.
Week two, we fasted Monday and Wednesday, as was our old habit. I learned that the diet had been updated, and two things were changed: 1) you could eat up to 800 calories on a fast day and 2) any calorie consumption under 50 calories meant you hadn’t broken your fast (as I suspected.) This was awesome for me, as I don’t believe in breakfast. Never have. One cup of coffee with one tablespoon of creamer (35 calories) is all I need, and I’m good until 4ish. Then I have a snack-of about 300 calories, that has some fat in it-avocados mixed with a few spices does wonders! Add in a fairly normal dinner, and I’m easily under calories....
And I weighed 178.2 on week three:)
I’m finding it’s best if I only weigh myself once a week. The idea is healthy lifestyle, not losing weight like crazy. I did notice (like before) that I was finding myself fuller on non-fast days; I had to consciously choose not to eat more when I was full.
I also dyed my hair peacock colors right around then...
Why blue-green hair? Well, I love it, and the Buckeye loves it, and why not? It’s only hair, and I can control my hair. Right?
I admit, I was surprised I rarely heard a thing about my hair in public. Maybe two “I love it” and nothing else...society has apparently been well trained that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say it at all.
Week four? 177.2
Down at least a pound two weeks in a row, with a full tummy and denying myself really nothing. Just better food choices.
Which is awesome, as my handsome Buckeye is really turning the corner in his recovery-we’re going golfing soon as “therapy!”
As the year ended, I was plummeting towards depression. The horrid circumstances we were still facing, the Buckeye’s injury, my parents moving 2000 miles away and immediately getting injured, difficulties with business. My stress eating didn’t help, and I put on eight pounds in December...which is coming off one pound at a time. Healthy foods, recognizing bad habits and initiating old good ones (5-2, exercise, devotions, limiting screen time) have helped me tremendously...21 days into the new year I have some good habits in place.
Sounds like the Browns have some new good habits, too.
What this all boils down to is this: we all have a choice. Everyday, in every circumstance.
Will I do what’s best for me, or will I react negatively?
As things start turning around in every area of my life for the better, I recognize that many of the changes are due to simply making better choices. My health is entirely the result of my choices. As I watch the Buckeye daily push to regain his physical strength (he no longer needs the cane!) I see his choices impact the rest of our lives together. I don’t ever want to look back and wish I’d made better choices; the only “what if” is right before me, today.
What if I chose to do it right, right now?
This man is showing me that every day, as he fights his way back to health.
While the Buckeye won’t be able to do what he loved to do (competition rugby, mountain biking, coaching basketball by playing full contact) he’s focusing on what he can do, and what new things we can do together. He had a headache for 42 days straight, and kept his cool 98% of the time (better than most of us without headaches, I might add.) As I focused on the circumstances, he looked forward to the future, set goals, and then started working towards them...even while in tremendous pain, everyday.
In truth, I’m doing what we all know to do: eat healthy, exercise, self-care for the body, soul and spirit. I chose to do it when my world seemed very dark...at a time I thought I could not change anything. What made it possible?
Taking it one moment, one hour, one day at a time. That lesson I learned from my husband...by example, as I watched his progress continually move forward daily.
Having peacock colored hair?? It’s an amazing mood picker-upper:)
All thing work together for our good...if we simply make good choices, one moment at a time.
