TGIF...No Really...Thank Goodness!

TGIF!!!  Not only is it TGIF but it is also the FULLER HOUSE PREMERE on Netflix.  I am so super excited.  You can actually start streaming it at 1am Idaho this morning and I can’t wait to watch it.  I loved Full House so I am super stoked to watch Fuller House.  If I wasn’t so super busy this weekend I’d be binge watching all 13 episodes back-to-back for sure.  I was actually invited to a premiere party on Friday but shhhhhh…don’t tell anybody I’m watching some episodes early.

I have been boycotting Netflix for years.  It really irked me when they split their plan into either discs in the mail OR streaming and each had a separate cost.  I had to give in to Netflix so I can watch the Fuller House episodes.  Thank goodness for a one-month free trail!  You won’t be getting any money from me Netflix.

I am very ready for the weekend and yet my weekend is JAM PACKED!  We are possibly going to be short handed at work due to a coworker having a family emergency; however, I had to decline helping out.  I’m just way too busy.  I think if I didn’t have three days of to get focused on packing/moving AND trying to catch up on some sleep than I might have a nervous breakdown.  I am exhausted! 

We got some pretty bad news on our possible new home purchase.  I’m not sure how we got as far as we did before anybody noticed that we can’t get the extra addition to the garage as we had hoped.  The floor plan we really love is a stacked floor plan in that the second and third bedrooms sit on top of the garage.  Therefore, the garage can’t be extended.  Damn!  I was in tears when I found out and even after meeting with our buying agent, it is still very difficult news to take.  There are other homes out there so I know we won’t be homeless (I hope at least).  It is just a really big bummer as we both really loved the floor plan and I love the charm of the alley load homes.

We are now looking at traditional homes again but hoping to have a larger home on a smaller lot thus less yard work/maintenance.  And if we do go this route I’m sure we will not put grass in the backyard as it doesn’t come with the backyard landscaping.  Instead of paying for grass and sprinklers to be installed, which we both hate yard work, we might as well just put rocks or some sort of other type of landscaping out there.  I’ve been looking for ideas so if we do go this route I hope we can come up with something fun.

Saturday night I have the Fuller House premiere party, Sunday I am hosting an Academy Awards party, and Monday I am going to attend a meeting for a group called The Well Armed Woman.  It is a group of gals that get together to learn education on firearms and practice shooting.  Firearms have never been my thing but Kenyon enjoys recreational shooting so perhaps I can get comfortable and tag along to the outdoor range from time to time.

Between all that we are packing and moving.  We need to rent a storage shed and get a Uhaul to move out or large items to make our house look less cluttered for staging purposes.  We also need to finish putting bark in the front yard by the house/bushes and clean up the back yard.  We really should get the power washing done this weekend as well.  The sign was delivered to our yard on Wednesday afternoon.  When I was in the living room I saw a car drive by, slow down to look at the house, and then continue driving by.  It was pretty exciting!  It made me realize that the outside is what people see first so we had better get that in tip-top shape.

 

If it isn’t the stress of selling…it is the stress of buying and vice versa.  Ugh this is quite the process.

A Pretty Ugly WI

I barely squeaked by getting my WI done in the month of February.  I attended a meeting last night at the center by my house.  It was a leader I don’t particularly care for but it was still a good meeting.  We talked about goals and the importance of making sure they are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time sensitive).  She came up with a great analogy where we all made a paper airplane and started in the back of the room to throw it as the bulls-eye (goal) drawn on the white board.  We quickly realized that unless you make an amazing paper airplane that you had to get closer to the board to hit your intended goal.  It is easy to want to focus too much on the big picture and when we don’t achieve those large goals we often feel we are less-than-perfect. 

When we talk about goals and more specifically the WHY for joining WW, I am reminded that the why that brought me to WW nine years ago isn’t the same why today.  While nine years ago I could barely buckle a seatbelt on a plane, today I would love for my clothes to fit better.  While nine years ago I wasn’t active at all, today I would love to be more active than I have been in several months.  The one thing that hasn’t changed is how overwhelming it feels to have to lose weight again.  I thought 130 pounds seemed overwhelming nine years ago and yet here I sit with 50 pounds of re-gain to lose and it feels just as overwhelming.

That is why small goals are important.  Today I started with weighing and measuring my food again.

My WI was ugly.  I have not been to an official WI at my WW meeting since the week of January 30^th.  Three weeks later and I have gained an additional six pounds.  Ugh.  I’ve been hitting new highs on the scale that I’ve not seen in over seven years when I was going through my weight loss phase.  It is really sad and I am very upset with myself for letting it get this bad. 

There was a guy in the meeting that shared his story behind the five pound star he earned.  He has been working on this star since April of 2014.  His doctor wanted him to lose another five pounds so he could get off a medication.  He has been at goal for quite some time and knows this will be his last star earned.  He said that he never thought years ago somebody would tell him he would need the WW program to lose his 67 pounds.  You could feel the energy around him as he spoke of WW and his loss.  He was so proud.  I miss that feeling and I almost starting crying right there in the meeting. 

When I look back at my current WI record I can see that I have gained 11 pounds since the first date on record in the book on December 12, 2015.  Why did I let it get so bad? 

Showed A Small Loss This Week

Hi.  How are you all?

Despite eating out often this week and eating pretty poorly these last few days, I got on the scale at home and showed a slight loss.  I was able to make it to Curves a few times last week and I think I met/exceeded my Movement Goal of 350 calories for five days last week.  Whoooo Hoooo!  With our busy week of packing up the house I’m not sure I’ll try to get to Curves.  I know I should still carve out time for that but I’m feeling very overwhelmed.

Even though I am feeling overwhelmed I need to get better about my meal planning and grocery shopping.  I’ve been eating out quite a bit and up until this weekend it was semi healthy choices.  I also had some sugar/treats this weekend and didn’t feel very good afterwards.  I know I feel better when I keep my food in check.  I wish the reminder happened BEFORE eating the stuff that makes you feel yucky than after. 

I’ve not been to a WW meeting in the month of February yet.  When I switched to night shift my plan was to attend Monday meetings.  Well between overtime and/or other commitments I’ve not made it to a meeting.  I am going to swing into a meeting on Wednesday night at the location close to my house.  Once I get back on day shift I can attend my Tuesday AM meeting and as a back-up I can attend  the Thursday AM meeting where I’ll see my leader Donna.  I hear there is another charm coming for meeting attendance and that is one way to lure me into my meetings.

Also, going to my meetings really helps me with re-focus which I could use a lot of right now. 
 

Time Is Moving At Lightening Speed

Hello and Good Evening.  I’m sorry I didn’t check in yesterday.  Our Saturday was jam-packed.  I’ll tell ya, this house buying/selling stuff is crazy and we are moving at rapid speed!

So, here is what has been going on.

Friday we met with our realtor to discuss putting our house on the market.  Saturday we met with CBH Homes to tour some homes and discuss pricing for some structure upgrades we want on the floor plan (extension on the garage, extension on the patio, tile walk-in shower vs. bathtub, etc).  The meeting with CBH Homes went really well and we decided to have her draw up a contract so we can turn in earnest money and hold our lot.  This means that for at least 45 days the lot can’t be sold out from under us but that construction won’t start until we sell our home.

There just so happened to be an open house across from the CBH Homes we were touring and they invited us in.  It was a cute house (crazy colored walls) but wasn’t what we were looking for.  We also had plans to stop into an open house in a community we had looked at but didn’t like the small size of the streets and visitor parking since I am big on entertaining.  I’ll admit I’ve been really excited to see inside these tri-level houses but it just doesn’t fit our needs.

We decided to drive out to the lot/neighborhood to make sure that if we enter into contract that it is the lot we want.  We found out that in order to get six extra feet on our garage we need to select a certain lot and it happens to be the last lot available.  The other existing lots would only allow us to get three feet of extra garage space.  While we were out at the property we bumped into the agent that is selling the lots in the community.  He offered us the change to tour one of the alley load homes that is under construction and we talked a bit more about the area, the lot we were looking at, and the extension on the garage.  He really had us nervous that we needed to get into contact soon or we could possible lose that lot.  As is, they price of the lot and the home have already increased in the last week and a half.

After a tiny freak-out and worry of missing out on our dream home, the representative from CBH Homes called with a question about the contract.  I discussed the information that had just been shared with us and she suggested signing the contract that evening and turning in the earnest money on Monday.  That way we won’t risk losing that lot to another buyer.  Kenyon was worried we were moving too fast but I knew this was to be our new home.  After talking with our realtor and reviewing the contract, we signed on the dotted line.  The builder has until Wednesday to approve our structure changes and an offer to pay $5,000 of closing costs and/or $5,000 in design studio upgrades (this was due to me brining up the price increase that occurred in just over a week and a half).   

Assuming the builder approves our contract we now have 45 DAYS TO SELL OUR HOME!!!

Gulp.

This isn’t quite what we had planned as we wanted three weeks to turn our house around and get it ready for sell.  Oh boy.

I am confident our current house will sell and I am also confident this is our new home.  We meet with the mortgage broker on Monday and hopefully she won’t crush my dreams of owning this new home by telling us the monthly payment is more than we want to pay.  We also meet with the staggers to help tell us what to take out of our house in getting ready to sell.  We still need to get a few professionals out to our house for a few fixes and then we need to work like mad to get our house on the market. 

We have an appointment on Friday with the CBH Design Studio to talk about what comes with the price of the house and what items are available for upgrade.  This is the scary part because if you are willing to spend money, they are willing to give you a pretty fancy interior home.  The meeting with the mortgage broker will help us know what we are willing to spend as a bottom line AND hopefully keep us level headed.  We want to make sure we don’t skimp on things we really want but we also don’t want to go bankrupt either.

I hope to keep my sanity over the next few weeks.  There is a lot going on and I’m also still working the graveyard shift at work.  Yikes.

It's FRIDAY!!!

I don’t have a ton of blog content to share today so I’ll share some funnies I’ve been saving from Facebook.  We could all use a laugh as we start our weekend eh?

(I should apologize in advance for the colorful language)

 

Kenyon and I met with our realtor and signed the paperwork to put our house on the market.  Eeeeeek.  I am a big ball of excitement, stress, and fearfulness all wrapped up into one.  I hope we will have a smooth selling process and that we find a house to buy.  Our plan is to have the house ready to list in three weeks timeframe.  I guess I had better get busy!

Happy Friday to you all.  Enjoy your weekend.

Refuse To Regain: Cyle Of Maintenance

Two of my WW Buddies shared a blog post from Refuse to Regain titled The Cycle of Maintenance, which you can read here.

I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of Judith Beck and have never been able to force myself to read her book, which I purchased several years ago.  However, I really like her recent blog post and I agree very much that maintenance has a cycle.

“A big misconception about maintenance that we hear all the time is this: dieters think that they’ll get down to a weight and ultimately stay there; they think that maintenance is a straight line.  In reality, for almost everyone we’ve worked with (ourselves, included) maintenance is actually a cycle.  It’s a cycle of getting down to a certain weight, which requires a lot of energy and focus.  Eventually we naturally start to lose a little bit of focus and we loosen up in certain ways.  After a while, that bit of loosening up starts to feel completely normal and we loosen up even more from there, and then the scale goes up by a few pounds.”

She goes on to talk about how the cycle continues between tightening up, loosening up, and then eventually what happens when you don’t stay on top of your gains.  Before you know it, you have gained back most or all of your weight.

 

 

In this blog post, Beck suggests combating your gains by stepping on the scale regularly. 

“If dieters aren’t getting on the scale, it’s extraordinarily hard to catch a loosening up at the two or three pound mark.”

I would agree.  I admit that I’m not as diligent when I know I am not going to make it to my WW meeting.  During my weight loss journey and early maintenance journey I never skipped my WW meeting.  Since I’ve been really lax lately in my cycle of maintenance (ahem…50 pounds re-gained) I skip my meeting more than I ever did.  This doesn’t keep me as focused and accountable as I once was.

Beck also suggests identifying the “slippery slope items” that derail you. 

“Everyone has different slippery slope items. For some it may be that they’ve: started eating standing up again, have started eating in response to stress, have stopped eating very slowly and mindfully, have stopped eating in a structured way on the weekends, have lapsed back into eating snacks in the evening instead of a real meal, etc.”

I would also add tracking to the list of important tools to combat re-gaining the weight.  For me I pay a lot closer attention when I am tracking my food and I evaluate my “is it worth it” meter more.  I know that tracking holds me accountable to the WW program and to my healthier lifestyle. 

Getting On The Scale After A Two Week Hiatus

I’ve had one full successful day of healthy eating and activity and I’m building on that with my second day.  Hooray!

Yesterday I got myself back on track, prepared/packed my food for work, and dumped a Wendy’s frosty down the drain.  I haven’t done that in a very long time (the frosty dumping).  Since I was really focused last night and I work with a supervisor that gets slightly offended when you turn down food/treats, I decided to just set my frosty aside until it melted and then pour it down the drain.  I don’t think anybody noticed. 

I had a last minute invite to a MS talk/dinner tonight at Cottonwood Grille just before I came to work.  I love the food there and had my usual chicken with a lemon cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and veggies.  I love their house vinaigrette on the salad.  I had decided ahead of time I wouldn’t have any dessert and most likely would miss the dessert service due to having to get to work.  The dessert choice was cream brulee so that was also easy to pass up.  After my dinner I was feeling a bit of the itch for something sweet so I chewed on some gum and cut out of there before dessert was served.  Another success!

I got on the scale at home yesterday and it wasn’t a pretty sight.  I have gained about seven pounds from when I last did my WI at home. 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure how many weeks it has been.  Two perhaps?  My grandpa said he had gained seven points since that day my grandma went into the hospital.  I can see gaining weight when you are eating out all the time but what is my excuse?  That is why any excuse is never a good one.

 

I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill at work in the early morning hours and then got in my Curves workout this afternoon.  I am hoping to get on the treadmill again during the early morning hours as I’m sure I’ll be tired.  Adjusting back to night shift isn’t easy.  Especially when Kenyon is off work and I would rather be awake to spend time with him.

 

 

The Return Of Healthy Eating And Exercise

Oh my goodness!  My head has been in 50 million places these last few days.  We are considering putting our house on the market as we have found a house design in a Phase 1 development we both really like.  To say I’ve been obsessed is an understatement.  I wish I could get obsessed with my diet and exercise again!

Which, I have made strides today towards a healthier lifestyle.  It feels good to be back on track!  My last official day of a true workout was January 29^th.  Oy.  When I woke up it was in the 60s so I thought I’d go for a walk instead of make the trip to Curves.  When I went outside to get the mail it wasn’t as bright and sunny as I had hoped so I rounded up and headed to Curves.

 

It feels good to be back at it.  I’ve got four more weeks of graveyard left so I’ve got to make the most of my membership while I can during the hours I’m awake.  Hopefully I can start sleeping until 2pm and then head for my workout before returning home in time to get ready for work.

As far as the food front, I made some oatmeal when I woke up (between naps) and then got SouperSalad on my way to work.  I cooked a chicken breast and some frozen peas for my meal later tonight and have yogurt with frozen fruit and Grapenuts for my really late night/early morning snack before I leave work. 

I believe as I type this my supervisor is getting us each a frosty since our whole team is all here on the same day/shift.  I might have to pull a fast one and just trash it or “save it for later” and never actually get to the later part.  I’ve had so many sweets these past two weeks eating on track just makes me feel good.

Three cheers for the return of healthy eating and exercise!

A Tearful Goodbye

Hello and Happy Monday.  I hope you enjoyed that extra day off for those that had the day off.  I have taken the last few days off of blogging and have enjoyed spending time with my family and with Kenyon. 

Grandma D was laid to rest on Friday.  It was a very nice service with and included a Catholic mass.  She was buried at the Melba cemetery, which is where both Grandma A and Grandpa Amos are buried.  She was placed in the plot next to their long-time Owyhee County neighbor and friend Dick Jayo, who passed away a few months ago.  It is always sad to say goodbye to our loved ones.

There was a very fitting poem that was placed in the program.  I wanted to share it here with you:

God saw she was getting tired,

and a cure was not to be,

so He put His arms around her

and whispered, “Come With Me.”

With tearful eyes we watched her suffer,

and watched her fade away.

Although we loved her dearly,

we couldn’t make her stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

hard working hands put to rest,

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best!

 

Grandma and Grandpa had 65 years together.  I posted the photo taken at their 60^th wedding anniversary on Facebook in honor of Valentine’s Day yesterday. 

 

Dolores V. Ihli

May 3, 1932 – February 7, 2016

Exercise, Or Lack There Of

I have not made good use of my Curves membership over the last two weeks.  I was all set to get in a good workout last Monday despite what felt like a head cold coming on.  I got into my workout clothes and had planned to swing by Curves in between visiting my Grandmother in the care center where she was at.  After seeing how bad she was I decided staying at the care center all afternoon with Grandpa was a better decision.

Tuesday we got word that my Grandma was in cardiac arrest.  My head cold was also in full blown annoyance mode.  I was exhausted and only sleeping for a few hours at a time plus still trying to work my graveyard shift at work.  By Wednesday I had just decided that rest was more of a priority over activity.

I had planned once again to get back into it this week but after Grandma passed away on Sunday exercise hasn’t been the top focus.  I have the time to exercise and my cold is pretty much gone so it just comes down to my own excuses as to way I’ve not been to a Curves work out this week.

 

 

 

I suspect life will once again get back to normal after the funeral service on Friday.  Kenyon and I have a reservation at The Anniversary Inn for Friday night as we planned this for our Valentine’s Day weeks ago.  We are still going to check-in that evening and spend some alone time together.  I also have Saturday off which we plan to spend together too.  Come Sunday though,  the excuses need to stop.  We have been having warmer temps with sunshine and that makes me itch for Spring-time. 

It is also blaring apparent when trying to select an outfit to wear to the funeral that none of my clothes fit well at all.  It is quite depressing and makes me mad I let myself get this way.  Every time I’m trying to squeeze into an outfit and start to get depressed I remind myself that there isn’t anything I can do about it in that exact moment so I need to just be as confident as I can. 

The Evolution Of Weight Loss And Eating

My WW buddy Nichole pointed out that today is National Pizza Day, National Bagel Day, and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).  Before knowing it was even National Pizza Day I actually met Kenyon for lunch and we went to the pizza buffet.  Now that my pants are tight, I’m super uncomfortable and in honor of Fat Tuesday, here is something to make you laugh.

 

I was thinking today about the evolution of weight loss and eating.

·        When I first started my WW journey I was eating really unhealthy.  To make the program less overwhelming I started with small changes such as going to Subway instead of McDonalds, putting condiments and salad dressing on the side, and omitting cheese once in a while.

·        As I got closer to my goal weight I ate a bit more restricted.  I started experimenting with recipes and cooking at home.  I would use substitutes for various food items and see if I could make the points lower.  I was more careful on my social outings and always made sure I pre-planned everything.

·        Once I hit goal I was grooving along pretty well and the habits I had built were holding strong.  It wasn’t uncommon to eat two slices of pizza but along with it a really big salad or a couple of trips to the salad bar.

·        A few years after goal (and 50 pounds of re-gain) I have increased the amount of my social gatherings and I don’t hold back on the food and alcohol.  My lunch today consisted of four slices of pizza and only one trip to the salad bar.  Then I got an ice cream shake for dessert.  No wonder my pants are tight and I feel really fat and bloated.

I wouldn’t say my unhealthy habits are as unhealthy as my pre-WW days but they can improve greatly.  It is getting pretty bad.  In the spirit of evolution…I need to evolve more to the heather spectrum of eating.  My splurges need to decrease and my salad eating needs to increase.  I’ve been off track for a couple of weeks now and once again, I need to get this ship turned back around and continue to work at making my clothes fit better.

A New Life Begins And An Old Life Ends

I had planned a blog post that was a little closer to getting back on track with life.  Since Monday last week my family has been living our life in limbo.  It is very difficult to go about regular life when you know your loved ones are hurting.  So, today’s blog post won’t be back to regular life…I need one more day.

 

This morning when we woke up Kenyon announced to me that “Maya had hatched”.  I was so excited to hear she had the baby and asked if there was a photo.  Kanani Raye Hamilton was born on February 6 at 11:22pm.  She is 6 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 inches long.  She is also quite adorable.  We are very excited for Mom and baby.  We hope to visit in April if we can make a trip to NM for Kenyon’s Dad’s 80^th birthday.

 

With each new life and old life must end.  Grandma D passed away at 1pm today.  She has not been well since August but got really bad a couple of weeks ago when a bedsore became infected.  The infection was deep and had gone to the bone.  She went into cardiac arrest last Tuesday and never fully recovered.  She has been on comfort care first at the hospital and then at a care center since Tuesday.  I am relieved she can finally rest and isn’t in anymore pain.

 

Eventually life will return to normal. 

Checking In On A Friday - Memories Of Childbirth

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday.  Being on night shift has me all messed up on when I get my blog posts published.  I should have checked in last night but I was super tired towards the end of my shift.  I am working a few hours earlier so I can get off a few hours earlier.  That way I can be awake earlier to spend time with Kenyon on our day off tomorrow.  Saturday is our only day off.  Kenyon has been in Nevada all week taking a gun class at Front Sight.  It will be nice to have him home.

 

We had a false alarm yesterday with our niece Maya in New Mexico.  This is the third time she has been sent home from the hospital after not being in active labor.  I’m not sure why she thought her water broke.  Poor thing is ready to have this baby.  The baby’s due date is February 17^th.  She will come when she is good and ready.  She is stubborn like her Momma.  Ha!

 

It makes me think of both of my sister’s births.  Katie scheduled to induce with both of her girls.  With Hailey we arrived at the hospital early in the morning and it took all day for her to dilate.  Once she did it only took about 45 minutes to push her out.  Since this was the first baby for all of us, my dad and siblings were all in the waiting room.  Once they had Katie and Hailey cleaned up we were all able to go into the room and visit with her.  It was crazy to think Katie had just become a mother.  She never even babysat as a kid.  However, it was like an instant switch flipped and she learned to be a pro in no time.

 

With Emma’s birth six years later, I remember it taking most of the day to dilate as well.  However, the actual birth was quick.  There wasn’t the whole entourage in the waiting room like with the birth of Hailey.  I had stepped out of the birthing room when it was time to push.  It was only a matter of moments before Mom told me I could come back in and see Emma.  I had never been into a birthing room so quickly after childbirth.  Boy was that an experience.  It was wonderful to see that little naked baby crying.  I was once again so very happy for my sister.

 

I don’t know that I’d ever actually want to watch childbirth.  I will admit though the experience is interesting and has me curious.  It will always amaze me how a person can grow another human being.  Mothers have TOUGH gig.  But, without mothers the world would cease to exist.  Maya will have her hands full once this bundle of joy arrives.  It is hard to tell a young emotional pregnant woman to relax and let nature take its course. 

The Circle Of Life

After a very long day at the hospital yesterday where we all were able to say our goodbyes to Grandma D, she has decided she isn't ready to go yet. They are keeping her comfortable and will move her to a care center that is a close drive for Grandpa. We continue to wait and spend as much time with her as possible.  They are keeping her comfortable so she isn't in any pain. I am very thankful for that.

On a positive note, our niece in New Mexico is about to have her baby. Her water broke around 10:30am. Soon Kenyon and I will have a new great niece.

I was thinking yesterday about the Circle of Life. When Grandma A passed away five years ago my sister Katie became pregnant with Emma and my cousin became pregnant with her twins. Since our niece Maya is on the other side of the family I wasn't really thinking about her new baby coming into the world as Grandma D would be leaving it. I was updating my supervisor DeLisa when she was the one that pointed out the Circle of Life. I'm not sure if the circle will be complete in this particular case but when Grandma D does decide she is ready to go, the world will gain a new baby somewhere. It is pretty amazing how life works.

The Last Of The Grandmothers

Please excuse my absence.  It has been a rough few days.  My grandmother isn’t doing really well.  I spent time with her on Sunday and Monday at her care center visiting and then yesterday she took a turn for the worse.  The end is near and soon she will no longer be in pain. 

My grandparents will have been married 65 years in September. 

 

Grandma will be 84 in May.  Growing up I was lucky to have four grandmothers in my life, two grandmothers and two great-grandmothers.  Grandma D is the last living grandmother.  My family and I spent yesterday at the hospital sharing memories of all four grandmothers.  It was a nice way to pass the time and lighten the mood. 

At one point we were even joking about emotional eating.  We had gotten a few Subway sandwiches, chips, and cookies to share and Dad wanted a second cookie.  I said, “have as many as you want, we are emotionally eating today.”  That probably wasn’t 100% correct as I’m not sure many of us even had much of an appetite.  I have a pretty bad head cold so I know my appetite is all out of whack. 

But, as we all know you must first take care of yourself before you can take care of anybody else.