It was so fun trying to adjust to Jerry’s new work schedule.
First, things didn’t go according to plan. Jerry started his first day shift a few days after Christmas, and then he got off work over the holiday weekend. When he returned, his boss told his team that they would be working on some special projects – night shifts – in two weeks. As a result, he had to work nights for weeks on end. Yesterday was his first day working the day shift for the second time, haha.
I’m used to Jerry sleeping during the day. Our bedroom was so dark (black walls and room darkening blinds and curtains made it pitch black) you couldn’t even see your hands in front of your face. I was always quiet when I was in and out of there during the day while Jerry slept, using the faintest glow from my phone screen to see what I needed, etc. Thankfully, Jerry sleeps like a rock and he doesn’t have noise issues during the day; nonetheless, I do enjoy the quiet.
Yesterday morning was no exception. I crept around as usual, using the light from the phone screen to look for something in the cabinet in the bedroom. That’s when it dawned on me – Jerry was at work! Ha ha ha ha. That’s one thing I love about having him on the day shift. I can wash bedding, put away laundry, vacuum, clink dishes, etc. during the day.
Anyway, this week…
Jerry and I did really well on the veggie challenge! My timing couldn’t have been worse, though. Since he had to go back to work the night shift for two weeks, we couldn’t have dinner together (which made the challenge less fun). However, we all love it so much that we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing. I will continue to make recipes with lots of veggies and we will continue to try them and see if we like them.
One thing I’ve gotten used to doing (I’ve added this to my ongoing list of “atomic habits” – things I want to keep doing until they actually become a habit) is eating a small salad before dinner . This is one of the habits Dr. Michael Gregg recommends for a number of reasons, but I was mainly curious if it would help me feel fuller so I wouldn’t snack at night.
As you know, I don’t like salads. I don’t *hate* it, but it’s not something I eat. However, eating green leafy vegetables is difficult for me. I think the easiest way to do this is to eat a small salad in one sitting before dinner. It wasn’t even anything special – just mixed with homemade turmeric sauce (I think it’s called Caesar dressing in the How Not to Die Cookbook – but it didn’t taste like Caesar, FYI). The more complex the salad, the less likely I am to eat it, which is why I love mixed salads with super healthy dressings.
I was so surprised how much I enjoyed eating a salad before dinner! Dr. Greg specified eating it before dinner instead of during dinner, and I think by doing this, I ate more slowly (and with less food) at dinner. It’s not intentional – I eat until I’m as full as I was before I started eating salad before dinner – but it feels good to know that no matter what I eat for dinner, at least I’m eating vegetables!
Even better, it actually helped me stop snacking at night. This is somewhat unrelated, but I’ve always gone to bed very early (like 8 or 9:00) and woke up very early (3 or 4:00). I think going to bed earlier also helps me not snack at night. I really like this sleep schedule because I love waking up so early in the morning. It makes the day feel much longer than when I stay up late.
So, how does all this help me lose weight? How many pounds did I lose on the scale today:
Last week my score was 144.4, so seeing 142 today was good. I try not to think about what happened months or even weeks ago. Now, I just focus on one pound at a time. But most importantly, just trying to follow my new habits because they seem to be working really well!