When you can't do anything for awhile, the mundane can seem so much more exciting and vital!
I hadn't planned on making a caption, but I found a picture and ended up writing a story that I can relate to during these "unprecedented times" in our society. Here in Southeastern New England, we are finally at the first phase (slowly heading into the second) of returning to normality, whatever that means! Some restaurants can be open, if the tables are outdoors, and soon nail salons and hair dressers and barber shops will be available to the general public too.
Going out to restaurants was my GF's big way to have fun and relax after shitty weeks of work. Without her, I won't be eating out nearly as often, but I do miss it, and in a month or two, I will definitely take my daughter out for dinner.
But I noticed something. It can't be JUST the grief and subsequent injuries that have made me lose weight. I haven't had a meal prepared by someone that wasn't me or my best friend since the middle of March. I am not one who pigs out on food when I am stressed, so unlike many of my friends who have said that they've gained weight, I am down 45+ pounds since the shut-down. Who knew that fast food and rich-tasting restaurant meals could make your waistline larger? Everyone? Ahhhh. That would explain a lot!
So I ended up working that into this caption, I know it's a bit of a "Everything old is new again!" cliche, but why not? When you are denied something you had before, getting it back can be an eye-opening experience, and it elevates it higher than when you took it for granted. And of course there were some more changes than the usual here in the caption, but sometimes we need a happy ending, or in this case, a happy restart to the rest of her life.
I was SOOOO into this album when it came out, and this was my favorite song on it. Pretty much sums up my views on religion in general. Well, organized religion at the very least. Two of the most virtuous and pleasant people I've ever met were pagan or antheist, and the other is Mormon.
I like to think that a lot of lovely gurls spent the lockdown learning to look pretty! After a couple of months becoming comfy as their femme selves that stepping out to a restaurant shouldn't be a big deal!!!!
ReplyDeleteOn another note.....forty five pounds!!!!
That's a really dramatic weight loss.....in a really short time.....I don't know where you were weight-wise to begin with but that seems a little extreme to me....are you sure you're OK?
I'm very concerned about this.....rapid weight loss could be a sign of more serious problems....
If you haven't told a doctor about this, you should....
I was getting a little chubby a few years back when I stopped running for a while due to a knee problem....and when I resumed running the weight dropped off fast....and everyone was concerned that I was ill instead of healthy...
I hope that's the case with you....
Kisses
Kaaren
The weight loss started a few weeks before the GF died. While some of it was probably some depression, I think one of the big factors was what I mentioned above. I used to eat out A LOT.
DeleteAs in, every workday I'd get at least one breakfast sandwich, but many times do the "2 for 5 dollar deal" instead of paying 4 bucks for ONE sandwich. Hey, I'm saving money! 2-3 days a week, I'd also grab lunch as a take-out, mostly Taco Bell or Domino's pizza. Then, one night a week, the GF would bring home Chinese food when she'd get home from work AND we usually hit some sort of sit-down restaurant at least once during the weekend, sometimes two or three times. Once the pandemic started, and for us we were prepared by St. Patrick's Day .. We started to eat mostly from home. Since then, I've continued to just eat what I have at the apartment.
I really think that has been one of the main reasons why I dropped the weight, which I hate to admit, is about 1/5 my weight when I was at my heaviest. I am sure most of you out there can figure it out math wise. I'm sure that some of it has to be muscle mass, because with various issues, I have not been very active, but maybe I can get my core strengthened and then add some of the previous weight back as healthier lean muscle. We shall see.
But THANK YOU so much for being concerned. I had a coworker in the office today at the same time I was there (first time in 3 months!) and they remarked about how different I look now and that I must feel good. I don't think I will EVER be a size 5 (my daughter is quite petite and is usually a size 3-5) but I do want to maintain a healthy weight, so let's hope I can stick around where I'm at now!
First the cap. Love it! It has that great ‘oblivious’ vibe to it and feels current and relevant with both the covid mention and the weight loss you’ve been talking about. And there’s something about ‘her’ in that image… she’s adorable and I can’t get my eyes off of her! Great image choice even beyond the subject as the background beach bar vibe fits with the story.
ReplyDeleteNow on to you. It sounds like there were a myriad reasons for your weight loss. Loss, grief, and mourning can all have weight loss effects. It sounds like your eating habits were ripe to help you lose weight when getting restaurant food was suddenly taken away, especially fast food breakfast sammies, Taco Bell, and pizza. But, medically, 45 pounds in 3 months is still a lot at your calculated weight. It’s probably worthwhile just to get in to the doctor’s office for a physical. Nothing pressing, nothing urgent, but getting some blood work to make sure the internals are doing fine and getting a once over by the doc to make sure you’re fine. One last word from nurse Caitlyn before I got back into fangirl mode, beware that such fast weight loss almost always includes losing some lean muscle. That’s where a lot of your resting metabolism comes from, so gaining the weight back will be just about as easy as it was to lose it. If you want to retain the weight level (or even have it continue down) look for ways to maintain a healthy diet.
Okay, enough of that. Lovely cap! I think it sounds like a fun way to remember your girlfriend. Maybe trying to get a friend or your daughter at least once a week to go out to a restaurant.
Love ya, miss ya, and I hope you’re healing internally and externally.
The model must be some sort of social media influencer, because I saw quite a few photos of her like this on Pinterest, hosting what I assume are instagram photos of her eating out, trying on clothing, etc ..
DeleteI am planning on getting more fit, once I am able to do more physicality. I did a bit of shopping on Thursday, and it hurt quite a bit to bring 4 bags of groceries up 3 1/2 floors to the apartment. I'm hoping that at some point soon, I will be able to feel my pinky and palm not be all "feel asleep pins and needles". But one day at a time!
So glad you have some time off to visit the blogs again. Hope your mom is staying healthy and the same goes for the rest of your family!