Day 153 & 154: Finally Warm !

 

Time for a new mission statement. My goal for 2025 was to lose 100 pounds by 12-31-25 but I've failed miserably. At some point I need to pick myself up and try. A realistic goal at this point is 50 pounds by 12-31-25, so that is where I will start. When will I start ? I don't know .. do I need a "starting point" ? I don't. Every day that I don't "start" just adds to my misery. I plan to just take each day as it comes and do what I can to move closer to where I want to be. Life has changed and I haven't been able to adapt just yet.

Quick catch up: it was 92 yesterday ! Hottest day of 2025 and I loved it. It was rock & roll bingo day so I didn't exercise. I spent the morning doing the usual: YouTube and online slots. Bingo was fun and although we all came close, none of us caught a win ! I had a burger and fries instead of the usual pizza. It was SO good, but I'm not going to get fries again. I need to step away from all those calories and get a salad instead, like Kim does !

I was awake at 9 am today even though it was after 3 am when I went to sleep ! I was up before 9:30 and mama cat was waiting with the old orange cat. He's her main baby daddy ! Once the cats were fed I sat down with my coffee & cinnamon roll (180 calories) to enjoy some YouTube and the slots. I was dressed before noon and made my protein shake. It's 12:06 now and I plan to put on my shoes and get on the treadmill by 3 pm. It's not as hot today, only 74 today but the sun is shining and it's perfect ! When I came downstairs today the house smelled really stale, so I opened the kitchen windows and one in the dining room. I also have the doors open. Minnie has barfed on the carpet in a couple places so I need to clean those up and vacuum. I might spray some air freshener too. I tend to avoid that because it's not good for anyone to breathe that in. However, some days you just need a little aromatherapy !

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I uninstalled CluBillion and I'm so glad I did, as I don't miss it at all. The challenges took too long and raising the bet level to 1B in order to be eligible for the Grand jackpots was just ridiculous. It really took the fun out of the game for me. They also limit you to 100 "friends" and that means you collect less than 9B coins per day. The challenges net you less than 1B, so what is the point ? They raised the bet levels but didn't adjust anything else. It's a money grab as they want you to buy coins, but I will never do that. I have been tempted but never gave in ! 88 Fortunes took all my coins early this morning (my own fault) but I managed to finish off the challenge just now. Dancing Drums is holding steady around 80B coins and the challenges are relatively easy to complete, so I still enjoy this app. Jackpot World is going well. I figured out that playing the Jackpot Quest is the way to go because it allows you to complete all the other challenges at the same time, while earning extra coins. The challenge seems to let you win more often so that you can actually complete it ! Just now I went from 26B coins (2 spins) to 2T in the span of 5 minutes. I like the fact that with this game you really do have to strategize to maximize your winnings. I keep figuring out new tricks and that makes it fun ! That's not to say the coins don't disappear fast, because they do ! The nice thing is they give you plenty of ways to earn coins and you can have 500 friends to send you more.

I checked in on my bank account today and all is well. I have a lot of big bills coming up. Car insurance in August, house insurance in July, village taxes in June. It's going to take a bite out of my savings over the next couple months, but that is nothing new. At least I can turn the heat off now and lower my utility costs ! I really regret all the money I spent at the casino. Imagine what I'd have if I had banked all my extra cash ! Mom would have had tons in the bank if not for that place !

I'm seriously considering canceling my Nutrisystem subscription. I'm kind of bored with the food and I'm thinking I could spend less if I just buy from the grocery store. I also suspect they're trying to get away from the subscription plans so they can adjust prices on a per item basis. They gave me a "free" advantage subscription for one year, which is where you order whatever you want and pay the per item price. It would be a good deal if they continue to run 40 or 50% off sales, but otherwise it would cost way more than I'm paying now. I've pushed my next delivery out to July 24, so I'll eat what I have while experimenting with real food ! I will proceed with caution since I'm paying about $3.17 per item right now and I will never get this plan back once I cancel. I'll have to look at the cost of what I prepare myself to see if I can actually save money AND stick to appropriate portions. Let's examine each meal below.

Breakfast is no problem as I already sub in pancakes, waffles and breakfast sandwiches. The sandwiches are on the high end of the calories and require eliminating the yogurt I usually have.

Morning snack is technically a protein shake right now. I'd like to continue that but once the Nutrisystem shake mix is gone I'll have to switch to something else. Easy enough if I can find something in the low calorie range.

Lunch might be a bit of a challenge, but it's doable ! Buy a large pack of chicken breast and cook it all. Then portion it out for chicken sandwiches, salads, or dinner entree's and freeze it. I kind of miss tuna fish, so I could make that and serve in a lettuce leaf or low calorie bread. Again, portion control. Soup would also be permissible, especially in winter ! Homemade would be best and cheapest ! I can also cook & freeze slider size hamburgers !

I haven't really had an afternoon snack in a while, but if I want to follow the Nutrisystem routine of 6 meals a day I'll need to reinstate that. It's easy enough with fruit, cheese, crackers or yogurt.

Dinner would use the same chicken and hamburger that I prep for lunch. It would be nice to cut into a "real" piece of chicken instead of the minuscule bits that a Nutrisystem entree contains. That's not to say I will sit down and eat an entire chicken breast. I will weigh the meats and do the best I can to limit calories. Slider sized burgers or even muffin size meatloaf would be easy enough to prep and freeze. I can also get some turkey breast and replicate the turkey & mashed potatoes meal that I get from Nutrisystem. I can buy a bag of potatoes to cook & freeze. I can also make enchiladas or burritos and freeze them individually. It would be a lot of work but I have nothing but time now and I need to start doing something other than sitting on the couch all day.

Evening snack would be the biggest challenge. I could try making cupcakes with a sugar free cake mix. There are also sugar free brownie mixes I could try. Those would be easy enough to bake and freeze. There is also sugar free ice cream, pudding, Jello etc. Portion control is again my biggest challenge !

The thing I really, really need to do is eat more veggies and that includes bringing salad back. However, I'm not going to buy all the add ins since they are expensive and the olives and feta cheese add calories. I'm going to put in carrots, radishes, celery and cucumbers. As previously stated, I'm also eliminating the flavored coffee and (eventually) the sugar free syrups. I want to get away from the artificial sweeteners as much as I can. I can drink black coffee !

All in all, I've learned a lot from Nutrisystem but I haven't been good about sticking to the plan for the past couple years. I think part of the issue is boredom with the food, since I've basically been eating the same thing for 5 years ! The bottom line is I want real food. Between now and mid-July I'm going to eat the Nutrisystem food I have while also trying to prep some meals with real food. I have to get an idea of cost before I make a decision. It sounds stupid, but for me this feels like a monumental task. I suspect that once I do it, I'll kick myself for not doing it long ago !

What concerns do I have ? Dishes ! Right now everything is single use and goes in the trash. If I prep and freeze I'll have to wash the containers I freeze in. However, I'd also like to eliminate plastic utensils and the paper plates and bowls. They're getting more expensive all the time and it's a lot of waste. So that's even more dishes. That said, I have a perfectly good dishwasher and I'm fully capable of hand washing. It's all about commitment. Can I commit to cooking for myself ? Can I commit to keeping up with the dishes ? Can I commit to portion control, which is the most important component ?

Speaking of commitment, it's 3:02 and I need to be on the treadmill. Putting my shoes on now and getting it done !