Reducing sugar in my diet

I'm back to reducing the amount of sugar in my diet. I find that I'm more sluggish when I have sugar in my system. 

Don't worry. I'm still eating bananas. Natural sugar is fine. 

I have found Lily's dark chocolate peanut butter cups. They are yummy! It uses stevia as the sweetener. I'm a fan!

Update on my debt reduction and fizzy drinks

Being in a pandemic for months has been unnerving and uncertain. One positive that I have mentioned in the past is that I'm not shopping all that much, other than for essentials (groceries and medication), and the odd need (computer eyeglasses).

Because I haven't been commuting to work, I have saved time, money, and aggravation. With money, I have saved so much that I have been putting that money towards my emergency fund and retirement savings (it's called a Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP in Canada), and paying off my debt.

For a few years now, I didn't have an emergency fund. Either my paycheque was that fund or I'd have to dip into my RRSP. I was not proud of doing the latter, but it did help. I am so pleased that I have an emergency fund for unexpected expenses at long last. I hope that I don't have to dip into my RRSP again.

I have been building up my RRSP. I have regular monthly payments that I contribute to my own plan. I also have a certain amount put into my RRSP plan with my employer. I have contributing a bit more, which makes me feel good.

I have also been paying my credit cards in larger amounts. I'm extremely happy. Progress is good.

Even though I haven't been shopping that often, I decided to treat myself by buying a Sodastream machine. It basically makes tap water fizzy.

Why? Well, I drink tea and diet pop. With the latter, it's time to reduce the number of cans and bottles that contain pop. Instead, I can make my own carbonated drinks and reuse bottles.

I pick up my Sodastream machine later on today. I am looking forward to figuring out my new hobby!

The weekend - the possibilities!

The weekend is here! I have a good problem. I don't have an agenda. I simply have a number of places that I'd like to visit.

I have my usual errands to run. I need Diet Coke. I'm out of cream cheese.

I also have some Groupons to use up. I like exploring new places.

It's nice to have a weekend where I have a ton of flexibility. It's also nice to unwind. Shorter work weeks tend to wear me out faster.

Low-carb changes for the better, including chicken wings and bacon

On the whole, getting back to a low-carb diet has been pretty good. I have lapsed a few times, but I'm okay with it. I'm doing a ton better.

I make sure that I have salads for lunch again. I definitely have more energy.

For lunch the other day, I ordered New York-style wings. I didn't know that having wings that aren't battered or dusted is the Big Apple way. You get sauce off to the side. I asked for my wings to have sea salt and pepper, and ditched the sauce. Yay!

It has been ages since I have bought bacon to fry at home. It was on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart yesterday. I got a package. I'm thinking that a bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad sounds inviting.

Fifty Shades Darker is a day away from being in the theatres... I can't stand it!

I cannot contain my excitement! Although I won't have a chance to see Fifty Shades Darker on its opening day, I am so excited. I can't stand it! The wait is killing me.

There is yet another new trailer for the movie. I can't find the one where Christian Grey is working out on a pommel horse. It is a mighty impressive pose! However, this trailer makes me equally as happy:

I am going to do my best to go see this movie on Saturday. My guy said that he'd like to fondle me while watching the movie and vice-versa. He thinks that it can be done if we're sitting at the back of the movie theatre.

I like how he thinks. He also told me that he would get me real Diet Coke and not bring microwaved popcorn to the theatre... haha!

I can't wait for him to return home.

Medication, diet, sleep, and travel

I decided to take Monday off as a vacation day. This weekend is a three-day weekend for me. It is much needed!

My guy has been on medication to counter depression for nearly a year now. I have definitely noticed that his mood is more stabilized. Of course, any medication has side effects. In his case, it has increased his blood sugar.

It has been helpful that I have been able to support him. I lost sixty pounds and have kept it off for five years. I reduced carbs and sugar from my diet. He has done the same. 

His doctor has decided to put him on another medication, to keep his blood sugar down. 

"Sorry I haven't called you," he apologized on Saturday. "I haven't been exercising since I went on my new medication. Exercising while talking to you helps a ton."
"It's okay. You are probably enjoying not working out in favour of sleeping in."

Although we both laughed, it is a fact. My guy would rather sleep in than exercise. I don't blame him! He has promised to exercise three times a week. He simply needed to test out his new medication.

My guy hasn't travelled much lately for work, which has been great. We have been spending more time together. He does have a trip in December for a week. That's not bad at all.

Costco and real Coke

My guy loves shopping at Costco. He called me tonight while walking on a treadmill at the gym.

"The new Costco is fifteen minutes away from my place if I walk there," he explained. "It opens in early November."
"That's great. You might as well live there. You can set up your bed with a new mattress and call it home," I replied.
"Shopping makes me happy," he admitted.
"I know. You get high on saving money," I said factually.

He loves talking to me while working out. He shared the results of his blood test. He knows that I have plenty of supportive suggestions to offer, as I have been there.

He is on a mission to reduce his sugar. His medication that he is on for depression spikes his sugar levels. He is doing well and has lost some weight.

We had a discussion about Diet Coke recently. When we first started dating, he told me that he'd take me to a movie and buy me real Coke instead of a generic cola.

"You can tell when a guy is really into you when he buys you real Diet Coke," he hinted.
"That's true. You are into me in more than one way," I said.

We both chuckled. So true.

Exercising, cutting down on carbs, and missing me

My guy is exercising a lot more these days. He is cutting down on carbs, which is an area that I am familiar with. Both changing my diet and exercising more caused me to lose 60 pounds, which I have managed to maintain for nearly five years now.

After we had bumped into each other at the liquidation centre and spent some time chatting on Friday, I could tell that my guy still missed me. He was with a bunch of friends there, so he had to go. I was good with that, as I wasn't expecting to hang out with him.

He called me that evening while taking a walk after dinner and we chatted some more.

"I hope that your friends didn't think I was strange for caressing your head in the store, but I got excited seeing you with a cleanly shaved head," I explained.
"It's okay. They didn't say anything, so I don't think that they saw," he told me.
"That's good. It's just me," I reasoned.
"I know. I'm glad that you did. It felt good. I wish that we could have spent more time together. Had I known, I would have shown up by myself."

He's sweet.

Q is for quibble

I normally have difficulties trying to find a topic that starts with the letter q that I can write about. Well, I had a weird encounter today and feel like it's good to share it.

I went to the movies on Saturday, in the afternoon. I finally went to see Batman vs. Superman. I felt like I was the last person in my circle of friends and colleagues who hadn't seen it. Well, judging from the turnout, I didn't feel bad.

To me, the best spot in the theatre is in the centre, in the second row from the walkway in front on the section. The reason is that I can rest my legs on the metal horizontal bar. I have long legs and I like to stretch.

I bought a bag of popcorn and a drink. I had asked for a cardboard tray, being the klutz that I can be. I put the cardboard on the seat to my right, which was resting on the armrest on the right. I also placed my purse on the seat.

While the trailers were being shown, about seven minutes before the movie was about to begin, a family of three came over. The woman decided to sit right next to the seat that my cardboard tray and purse were. Had it not been there, I am sure that she would have sat next to me.

She looked over at me. I decided to move my tray so that she wouldn't hit it with her elbow. She went one step further and told me to put it on the other side.

"It's fine," I said, smiling.
"Pardon?" she asked.
"The tray is fine here," I said.
"Pardon?" she said again.
"It's okay," I said, saying it a bit louder.
"Why are you yelling?"
"Never mind. All is good."

First, I knew that it was a losing cause when she clearly couldn't hear me while the loud trailers are taking place. Second, I didn't understand her hangup. My moving the tray wasn't interfering with her armrest space. Third, she allegedly couldn't hear me. I needed to raise the volume of my voice, which is completely different than yelling. Fourth, after her not hearing me more than once, it became a pointless exercise to continue.

I read people pretty well. I knew that she was the type who causes trouble and wants everything her way. She came in late and was being rude disrupting my time watching the trailers.

"I was just saying that you can move it to your left," she continued.
"That's okay. I moved it over here," I explained.
"Pardon?" she said. I got fed up, but I was still polite about it.
"I wasn't being rude. It seemed like you couldn't hear me, so I talked to you louder," I said, and continued to watch whatever was left of the trailer.

She actually managed to be passive-aggressive by asking whether I had "paid" for the seat that my tray and purse were occupying. I finally decided to take the high road, and ignored that question and her. The theatre was busy, but it was barely 30% full. The only person who seemed to have taken exception for some inexplicable reason was this woman. She had her husband and probably nine-year-old son. Three people with plenty of room in a row that could easily fit twenty people is not a reason to claim to be hearing-impaired and attempt to spoil my day. With me and my purse, 25% of the row's capacity was occupied.

Well, I could tell within the first five minutes of the movie that her son was not interested in watching it. Later, she spent two minutes rattling a plastic bag, cracking shelled peanuts. After that, she spent another minute trying to open a bag of candy. Fun!

I would estimate that this family left halfway through the movie. The family had grown to five people who just picked up and left. Good riddance!

So, my original thought was correct about this woman. She was trouble and I should have ignored her from the start. At least I eventually did ignore her.

Pardon? I think she needs to get her hearing, her head, and her personality examined. She needs help.

Sharky, butt watches, diets, and circles

I have talked about a project manager at work who likes me. My guy has nicknamed him Sharky, because he often circles around the cubicle that I choose to sit at when I'm in the office.

Roughly four years ago, I decided out of a whim on a cruise to change my diet. I know that it sounds peculiar. You have all the food you can possible eat on a ship and you're on vacation. You decide to cut out carbs and sugar right then and there?

Yes, I did. It was pretty simple. There were sugar-free desserts. I went for low-carb items, rather than cutting carbs out completely.

Two weeks later, I was down ten pounds. I proceeded to lose a total of sixty pounds and have kept them off ever since. No pills. No weirdness. The challenge is a daily one, to maintain the weight.

My guy always marvels at the fact that I like baked goods, such as chocolate croissants, but I still manage to maintain my weight. It helps to have such goodies from time to time. It's okay to indulge. More importantly, I exercise, and eat fresh food as often as I can.

Anyway, when I was about halfway through my goal weight, I had a pair of jeans on that were loose. I knew that I needed to buy a belt.

I had to visit the women's washroom at work. I got up and went through two sets of doors. Sharky was behind me.

There was a glass door in front of me. I had to walk towards it and then make a left to get to the women's washroom. I could see from the reflection that Sharky was looking at me. In fact, he was looking at my butt. It was a nice, quiet compliment.

I told my guy about that a while back. He told me that any man would want to stare at my backside. He is just the lucky one who gets to grope, smack, and pinch it.

My guy's right. He doesn't have a jealous bone in his body, which is nice. He freely admits that any guy would want to have me, including Sharky. However, my guy knows that my heart is with him and the reverse is true, too.

Sharky isn't a shy guy. He does seem shy around me, though.

Last Friday, he was standing behind me when we were both ordering lunch from downstairs. He didn't say a word to me. I did when I turned around after he had placed his order.

My guy and I think that Sharky is being respectful, knowing that we are a couple. It's nice that he finds me attractive, but it's also a bit creepy when he does his circling routine or can find me anywhere in the office.

As for my guy, he likes to sweetly tell me that I am his. I am. And, he's my guy.