Winding down

It's sooooo quiet around here.

My husband's grandsons, two-year-old triplet boys, filled the house with life and energy and laughter over the weekend. Their six-month-old sister giggled and smiled and is without a doubt the sunniest baby I've ever known.

Yesterday was a day of laundry and putting things back where they belong, so I was pretty busy. And I noticed the quiet, something I don't usually pay much attention to.

I'll admit there were times over the weekend when I looked forward to silence. Three toddlers can take a toll on an old lady if she's not used to it. But they were so much fun and now that they're gone, well, maybe it's just part of the general letdown after you've completed a big project.

Got out for another five-miler yesterday. It was a really nice day here. Today, however, the wind is whipping and the temperature has dropped a lot. I think I'll be good to myself and use the elliptical.

I need to pay closer attention to what I'm eating, too. I haven't logged any food since the 3rd of this month, and then I quit after breakfast. When I don't log, I don't eat very well. Food journaling, as both of you know, has been shown to be a predictor of weight-loss success. While I'm still not successfully losing weight, I'm also not gaining. I'd like to continue maintaining the status quo at the current calorie level (1700/day), and keeping a food diary really helps.

Lest you think I'm upset that I'm not losing, let me reassure you: I am thrilled to eat normal amounts of good, healthful food and maintain my current weight. Everything I've learned from Jeff and Russ has convinced me that I've done some damage to my metabolism, and that once I stop starving myself (by eating too few calories) I will slowly begin to lose. And if I don't, I don't. At least I'm not hungry all the time.

But I'm hungry right now! Time for breakfast. Sunday morning I made a huge pot of oatmeal with cinnamon, apples and dried cranberries and divided it into single servings. It should last all week. Here's hoping a healthful breakfast will get my eating back on track. The leftover cupcakes are going into the garbage. They were fun while they lasted, but you know what? If I want a cupcake in the future, I can make more.

Note to Elora: I have no idea what Chinese characters you saw on the blog. I took a look and didn't see anything. Doubt if it's anything to be alarmed about, and I hope it won't keep you away.