Cabin Fever: Getting through the Cold and Dark to Become Light

I’ve found myself a little down these days. I think it’s a case of Cabin Fever.

I thrive on sunshine and interaction but the weather around here has been somewhat brutal – from the foot of snow that dumped down in our region to the frigid temperatures.

Now you know I’m an adventure girl. I grew up in Vermont and Canada so I’m not afraid of snow. Even though I’ve hiked Kilimanjaro in temperatures so cold that my water bottle froze solid,  there is one thing that I don’t like to do in the winter: Bundle up to work out.

But the worst thing about the winter weather for me is isolation. I work from home most days so I don’t need to go outside other than dropping my girls off at daycare and school. The truth is, it gets lonely here.

All that plus a major let down on a project I’ve been working on, meant I found myself munching a lot more often. Whether I’m feeding abandonment issues of my past as a latchkey kid, emptiness from being lonely or boredom of the walls of my home – I just found this month very, very hard to stay on track.

In all honesty, I was glad to have BistroMD here to keep me somewhat on the straight and narrow. But admittedly, I was off the rails many days – nibbling on this and that (especially sugary stuff that didn’t come in my weekly stash of food).

For example, instead of my snack of fruit and low-fat cheese, I’d reach for something carb-y. And then, since my stomach is like a bottomless pit when it comes to that stuff, I’d reach for it again and again.

I’d hate to think what my weight would be like if I didn’t have that reminder with every BistroMD meal to stay on target. If I was on my own this month, I have a feeling there would have been a lot of comfort foods simmering in my kitchen and instead of my weight staying the same – it would be up.

So this month, I didn’t lose anything. But more importantly, I didn’t gain anything. Since I’m doing this publicly with monthly blogs, it offered me an opportunity to reflect instead of struggling in the dark, cold days of winter and ultimately padding on more pounds.   It gave me a chance to figure out what was going wrong -- and fix it.

So, I vow to get back into it – to drop all those added foods that crept in and to follow BistroMD exactly as prescribed.

Also, I vow to cure my Cabin Fever. Earlier this month, I joined along with my online friend Megan Castran’s Mile-A-Day challenge. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk a mile on my treadmill. Of course, many days I go beyond it.  But on those days when I am struggling to get it all done, it is a relatively achievable goal – whether it is accomplished at 10 a.m. on a Sunday or 10 p.m. on a weeknight.  It is a fabulous reminder to keep moving forward – one mile at a time.

I leave you with a song -- "Carry On" by Fun that I just fell in love with. It is my theme for the month ahead:

 

BistroMD is providing my meals for six months. I am blogging about the experience. If you would like to join me in the journey, check out www.bistromd.com

Missing: 11 Pounds (Please Don't Return Them)

Emily and Me

I’ve been on BistroMD for about a month now and I’m happy to report that I’ve dropped 11 pounds!

That’s not too shabby when you consider that the first month was over the holidays. Our company party was at Sofrito, an amazing NYC Puerto Rican eatery that isn’t into counting calories. (Let’s just say it was the best sangria I’ve ever had and the portions were double what they should have been. My husband ate my leftovers when I returned on program the next day). Then there was Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day... an exhausting amount of meals and things on the to-do lists.  There was a lot of extra food around and eggnog in my coffee from time to time. But after each holiday meal, I just got right back on program with the next meal.

Also, I didn’t have clearance to exercise until the last week of December. And really, with my oldest daughter on school vacation and another daughter too young to drop off at the gym daycare, it just didn’t happen.

Ultimately, the BistroMD program has been a lifesaver in my sleep-deprived, one-handed world as a new mom and then last week when I started work again. Getting the girls ready and out the door is a skill set unto itself. I may be qualified to be an air traffic controller now.

With all this stuff to do, BistroMD has helped me take care of myself.  Healthy meals have been selected, made, delivered to me each week. All I have to do is stock them in my freezer and when it is time to eat, pop it in the microwave.  Seriously, it couldn’t be simpler.

I’ve promised myself that I would try everything (practicing what I preach to my almost-5-year-old daughter). There have been some that I haven’t liked so I went on MyBistroMD and adjusted my selections so I won’t have to see them again. Then, there have been others that have been surprisingly good. As I write, I am enjoying the Jungle Chicken Crepes with Rosemary Red Potatoes.

Jungle Chicken with Rosemary Red Potatoes

 

I feel like I’m set up for success as we enter the New Year. I just started going back to the gym more regularly. I’m even planning on hitting a Spinning class for the first time since I got pregnant (please excuse me if I can’t walk for the week after.  ;-)

Most importantly, I’m going to start hiking again this weekend. The weather looks great – almost 60 degrees. My hiking boots have been lonely these last several months when I avoided the activity that I love most (because I worried about my balance while pregnant on the trail). I hope to head out with the Union County Hiking Club for a ramble in the woods. It will be a slow and short hike but the first steps toward bigger goals such as Machu Picchu!

BistroMD is supplying my meals until June and I’m writing about the experience. Join me on the trail to health.
If you’d like to try BistroMD, use code NEWLIFE and they'll give you $50 off the first week.