Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 138

It has been so funny trying to get used to Jerry's new work schedule.

First, it didn't go according to plan. Jerry started his first day shift a few days after Christmas, then he was off work for the holiday weekend. When he went back, his boss told his crew that they are going to be running some special project for two weeks--ON NIGHT SHIFT. So, he had to work nights for a couple of weeks. Yesterday, was his second take at his first day on day shift, haha.

I'm so used to Jerry sleeping during the day. Our bedroom is super dark (the black walls and room darkening blinds and drapes make it pitch black) that you can't even see your hand in front of your face. When I have to go in and out of there during the day while Jerry is sleeping, I am always very quiet and I use the faintest glow of my cell phone screen to see what I need, etc. Thankfully, Jerry sleeps like a rock and he doesn't have a problem with noise during the day; still, I like to be quiet.

Yesterday morning was no different. I did my usual tip-toeing around, and used the light from my cell phone screen to look inside my bedroom cabinet for something. It was then that it hit me--Jerry was at work! Hahahaha. That is one thing I am going to LOVE about having him on day shift. I can wash bedding and put away laundry during the day, vacuum, clang around dishes, etc. 

Anyway, about this week...

Jerry and I have been doing really well with our vegetables challenge! I couldn't have picked worse timing to do it, though. Since he had to go back to night shift for two weeks, we weren't able to eat 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'll keep making recipes with lots of veggies and we'll keep trying them to see how we like them.

One thing I've gotten in the habit of doing (I added this to my ongoing "atomic habits" list--things that I want to continue to do until they truly are just a habit) is eating a small salad before dinner. It's one of the habits that Dr. Michael Greger suggests for several reasons, but I'm mostly curious to see if it helps me to feel fuller so that 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, to get in leafy greens was going to be difficult for me. I figured the easiest way was in one fell swoop with a small salad before dinner. It's not even special--just mesclun mix 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 uber-healthy dressing.

I'm super surprised that I actually like having the salad before dinner! Dr. Greger specifies to eat it before dinner rather than during dinner, and I think by doing that, I eat more slowly (and less food) during dinner. It's not on purpose--I eat until I'm just as full as I was before I started having a salad before dinner--but it feels good knowing that no matter what I eat for dinner, at least I'm having my greens!

Even better, it has definitely helped me to not snack at night. It's kind of unrelated, but I've been going to bed super early (like 8 or 9:00) and then waking up super early (3 or 4:00). I think going to bed early helps me to not snack at night as well. I really like that sleep schedule because I love being awake so early in the day. It makes the day feel so much longer than when I stay up late at night.

So, how has all of this been helping with my weight loss? I was down a couple of pounds on the scale today:

I was at 144.4 last week, so seeing 142 today was good. I'm trying not to think about what it was a few months ago or even a few weeks ago. Right now, I'm just focusing on one pound at a time. But mostly, just trying to follow my new habits because they definitely seem to be working well!