It’s been a lot of fun trying to get used to Jerry’s new work schedule.
First, it didn’t go as planned. Jerry started his first day shift a few days after Christmas and then was off work over the holiday weekend. When he returned, his boss told his team that they were going to run a special project for two weeks: ON THE NIGHT SHIFT. So he had to work nights for a couple of weeks. Yesterday was his second shot on his first day on the day shift, haha.
I’m so used to Jerry sleeping during the day. Our bedroom is super dark (black walls and room-darkening blinds and curtains make it pitch black) and you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. When I have to get in and out of there during the day while Jerry sleeps, I am always very quiet and use the dimmer brightness of my cell phone screen to see what I need, etc. Fortunately, Jerry sleeps like a rock and has no problems with noise during the day; Still, I like to be calm.
Yesterday morning was no different. I tiptoed as usual and used the light from my cell phone screen to search for something inside the cabinet in my room. That’s when it hit me: Jerry was at work! Hahaha. That’s something I would LOVE to have on the day shift. I can wash bed linen and put away clothes during the day, vacuum, do dishes, etc.
Anyway, about this week…
Jerry and I have done very well with our veggie challenge! But he couldn’t have picked the worst time to do it. Since he had to go back to night shift for two weeks, we couldn’t have dinner together (which made the challenge not as fun). However, we both really like it, so we’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. I will continue making recipes with lots of vegetables and we will continue trying them to see if we like them.
One thing I’ve gotten into the habit of doing (I’ve added this to my current list of “atomic habits,” things I want to keep doing until they actually become a habit) is eating a small salad before dinner. It’s one of the habits that Dr. Michael Greger suggests for several reasons, but mostly I’m curious to see if it helps me feel fuller so I don’t snack at night.
As you know, I don’t like salad. I don’t *hate* it, but it’s not something I eat. However, getting leafy greens was going to be difficult for me. I thought the easiest way was all at once with a small salad before dinner. It’s not even special: just a mesclun mixture topped with a homemade turmeric dressing (I think it’s called Caesar dressing in the How Not To Die cookbook, but it doesn’t taste like Caesar, FYI). The more complicated a salad is, the less likely I am to eat it, which is why I like the mesclun mix and super healthy dressing.
I’m so surprised that I actually like eating salad before dinner! Dr. Greger specifies eating it before dinner instead of during dinner, and I find that by doing so, I eat more slowly (and less food) during dinner. It’s not on purpose: I eat until I’m as full as I was before I start eating a salad before dinner, but it feels good to know that no matter what I eat for dinner, at least I’ll eat my vegetables. !
Even better, it has definitely helped me not snack at night. It has nothing to do with it, but I have gone to bed very early (around 8 or 9:00) and then I have gotten up very early (3 or 4:00). I think going to bed early also helps me avoid snacking at night. I really like that sleep schedule because I love being awake so early in the day. It makes the day seem much longer than when I stay up late at night.
So how has all this helped me lose weight? Today I lost a couple of kilos on the scale:
I was at 144.4 last week, so seeing 142 today was good. I’m trying not to think about what was like a few months ago or even a few weeks ago. Right now, I’m only focusing on one pound at a time. But mostly, I’m just trying to stick with my new habits because they definitely seem to be working well.
