Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The morning after the day before

No - the title doesn't mean I gave up 18+ years of sobriety yesterday in order to tie one on. It refers to something more benign, thank goodness.

I've posted about being a morning person before, and it seems to only continue, seeping into my very bone marrow with each passing day and beyond. Everything in my mind is percolating at high speed in the mornings - right through early afternoon. But from about 4 p.m. on, it's a slow and steady decline of mind, body and spirit. I'm old, people, and my inate biorhythms have changed. I continually see how I need to adjust my patterns to best be a productive and perky member of society.

"What the hell is she rambling about NOW", you ask? It's the fact that the absolute hardest part of photographing my food and and posting the pictures is posting them in the evenings after dinner. Here's a description of yesterday late afternoon - I came home from work, walked the dog, had a snack that I dutifully recorded for posterity with the camera, turned on Oprah and promptly fell asleep until 6:30, when I heard the Mister rummaging in the kitchen presumably for dinner. About a 2 hour nap, for Pete's sake.

I dragged myself resentfully off the couch and got my own stuffed pepper leftovers along with the fresh salad and asparagus Tom made, took the picture of the plate (or so I thought), then ate dinner and within another hour was back asleep! Before I nodded off for the second time I kept thinking I needed to get on the computer and do the whole picture post thing, but every cell in the body resisted. So I'm going to do the posting this morning, and also say that I'm doing that from now on (through Friday, which is my initial committment for the pictures). It just works better for me that way. I have no idea why I was so tired yesterday other than the fact that I accomplished the Herculean task of staying up 'til 11 to watch the Lois Wilson movie Sunday night (with a little help from Starbucks). To think I used to be a total night crawler. I'd probably be a little concerned about this change in my sleep patterns were it not for the fact that all my baby boomer friends are experiencing the same thing!

As I just got the pics into my work computer, I see I don't have the dinner picture. I swore I took it, but it isn't there, though my snack after dinner is. Go figure. Breakfast was an orange, a cup of Go Lean in a Snoopy Christmas cup with 1 ounce of 1% milk, and an HB egg - 280 calories. Didn't eat until 11 because I just wasn't hungry. I know! How odd is that??

Lunch at 1:30 was a good size salad with a few green olives, cut up tomatoes, cucumber and carrots, and packet of tuna and one Tbs. of salad dsg - 290 calories.

My after work snack was a Chobani yogurt, peach flavor - 140 calories


The unphotographed dinner was 2 stuffed pepper halves, 10 spears of asparagus, a large salad with avocado and a Tbsp of dsg - around 500 calories. Great dinner and filling enough to put me right back to sleep!
Dessert was a Vitamuffin chocolate muffin top - 100 calories. I came within a millisecond of having a second one, but didn't! A real victory for this gal!

Calorie total for the day was approximately 1310. Again a little lower than I'm going for. I suspect I'd have eaten something else had not fallen back to sleep around 8. Since I got no formal exercise yesterday, it's just as well.

My exercise has definitely been light for the last week - mainly dog walks and a couple dogless ones that were MUCH more prductive and aerobic, but not enough mileage. I need to get back on track with it, hitting the gym after work. Can't do it today because of a late meeting about a client, and tomorrow a manicure. Hmmm, not a good pattern, but I'll get back to it. That is never the hardest part of the healthy life style for me.

On another subject, some of you were reading last year when I was going through a series of 3 thyroid biopsies over 9 months because I have a lot of nodules. It all turned out fine - finally - but it was nerve wracking during the process. It finally ended with the Endocrinologist letting me know that the nodule in question was FINE, and that she'd follow me once a year. Well, yesterday I had a message reminding me that my appointment is May 5, next Wednesday. Siiiigh...I know there is nothing to worry about, but it'll be a long morning during which time the doc herself will do an ultrasound to survey the landscape of my neck and it'll just make me nervous. It's a whole week away, so a little soon to get cranked up yet, but I'm not looking forward to it. One good thing, I love the doctor and I know she likes me. She told me last year that I'm very "grounded". Huh?? But she's mine forever because of that. I didn't tell her my grounding was due in large part to regular attendance at AA meetings!

Have a good day dear blogger buddies!

14 comments:

  1. First of all, you are NOT old! Secondly, post when you can. Thirdly, we know what the peppers look like anyway cause you showed us yesterday ;-)

    I was just writing on Biz' blog today that I exercise in the morning because if I don't too many things interfere, not to mention my energy level is low in the evening. Maybe you could do that? Or do you have to be at work too early?

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  2. I love AA. Saved my life.

    I am a morning person too. Long ago I thought my Granmdpa was crazy getting up at 4am, now I am doing it. I am good for nothing after about 4 pm myself. I just arrange my schedule to do things early in the day. I walk at 5am. Works for me!

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  3. You are SO not old. I agree with Helen. Also, our energy levels fluctuate as we age and we have to take advantage of the times when we have lots of it. I have no energy in the evenings either!!

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  4. You are not old.

    Everyone has different energy levels from day to day. It's normal.

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  5. Hmmm. I little change in my sleep patterns would be a good thin. I have a really hard time getting to bed before midnight--often it's closer to 2a.m.

    I have regretfully discovered that age HAS removed my ability to function well on 5 hours sleep. I've been planning on working on that getting to bed early thing. :)

    Your pictures are beautiful. Love the Snoopy cup! :D

    Deb

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  6. LOL @ You are old. You are NOT old!

    I am getting to be like you and my brain goes on auto-pilot after 4 pm.

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  7. Lately I am falling asleep earlier and earlier but most of it is from brain strain. I am lucky if I can grab 30 spare minutes a day to blog (and that includes visits) so I admire you getting most of your meals posted in picture form.

    I will be thinking of you next Wed - of course you can worry - but I am sure your doctor is correct.

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  8. Hmmm you and I might be about the same age so please don't say you are old! :-) My energy level starts to decline around 4:00 but I am an early riser so it makes sense to me.

    Post when it works best for you. No pressure, now worries-blogging is suppose to be fun.

    You have my prayers for your thyroid check up. Things like that make me nervous too.

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  9. Here I thought that tired brain was from chiclets sucking out my brain cells when they were born, and causing further brain damage by tormenting me at all hours of the day and night. Good to know. I give up.

    Good luck with the endocrinologist. I know the feeling of an intense visit. May you get no more familiar with the brilliant deducing doctor.

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  10. I'm with you, Sista, except I'm not a morning person. I really don't know what I am, except for tired all the time....

    Give yourself a break from all of that photography if you need to. This is fun and friendship, not obligation.

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  11. I realise they had to give you advance notice - but too bad there wasn't some way to just call you 15 minutes before and say - we're waiting for you now. I HATE that before time - would much rather just be done.

    Good day to you too!

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  12. I was going to say you're only as old as you feel, but that wouldn't be cool with your screwed up knees, lmao....you know I love ya' girl. Age is a state of mind..there! How's that?? :)

    Posting pics the next morning is totally cool...and my camera "eats" some of my pics, too, sometimes. Total weirdness.

    Oh I had such a bad eating day today Leslie. Stupid, stupid choices. Pasta salad...Chinese. I'd rather be "old" than "stupid". :)

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  13. Hi Leslie. Personally I'd love to more alive in the mornings! I can't imagine that I'll ever be a morning person - but if it ever happens I'll be delighted!

    It makes total sense to post your food pics in the morning when you're most in the mood for fiddling on the computer.

    I hope you don't get too stressed over your check up and are able to prioritise holding your eating steady through the next week. You CAN do it!

    Bearfriend xxx

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  14. I feel ya on the changing body-clock getting older. I watch my teenage daughter sleep until 1 p.m. on Saturday and realize that I've been up and accomplished a whole day's work while she's been woozy-snoozing. I don't necessarily want to trade places with her, but I'd love to be able to sleep in until say 10 a.m. one day...

    Getting older sucks, but it beats the holy hell out of the alternative.

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