Sorry it’s been so quiet on the blog this week; the week before a break is always a bit madcap and hectic, and this week was no different. Actually, this one had it’s own unique and terrible twist to it.
Thursday afternoon around 1:45pm, I received a voicemail from someone saying he worked for PG&E. In the message he said he and his crew were working on “an issue at my neighbor’s house” and that they had to jump my fence to get to my side to get to the meter. Say what?! (I have a lock on my gate because we live on a busy street, and I want the added layer of security).
When I called him back, he asked for the lock code, and I told him that I wasn’t going to give him the code over the phone, but that I was on my way home and I’d open the gate myself. I was still reeling because of the fact that they’d jumped my fence, and when I asked how the dog reacted to him jumping the fence he said, “what dog?” which made me drive all the faster.
As I pulled up to my house, there were 3 huge PG&E trucks, they’d blocked off an entire lane of traffic, and they’d already started tearing up the sidewalk. Oh, and they were also blocking both entrances to my driveway.
Me: “What is going on? Can you move one of these trucks so that I can get into my driveway?! I am really not happy that you just hopped the fence without any sort of notice or waiting for me to get home.”
PG&E: “There was a gas leak at your neighbor’s.”
Me: “A gas leak? Do you think that would have been good information for you to give me over the phone?!”
PG&E: “I didn’t want to worry you.”
Me: “Really?! You don’t think hearing that you were hopping fences was a bit worrisome?”
As it turned out, he said they’d be there for 6 hours working on the lines. And because he’d said gas leak, and the noise was ridiculous, and my gas had been shut off, I quickly gathered my computer, iPad, a change of clothes, Sofi, and Minne (my sister’s dog), and headed to my parents’ house.
Long story short, PG&E told us we could come back around 8:30pm, and I thought that meant they’d be going home soon. But no, of course not. They were still working, and making the entire house shake with their equipment, until past midnight. Sofi, who is normally really calm and even-keeled was a nervous wreck, which put me on edge, and led to a terrible night.
I woke up on Friday happy that it was Valentine’s Day, but feeling like I’d been run over by a PG&E truck. Even though I’ve stayed up past midnight many times and woken up for school the next morning, for some reason all of the previous day’s stress made me extremely exhausted. I could tell I wasn’t at my best.
Have you read the study from August 2013 out of UC Berkeley that showed that sleep deprivation led to junk food cravings? Well, unfortunately, yesterday I proved that to be true. I’d started the day with my usual protein shake, but was dragging all morning. Luckily, it was a minimum day, and because of my prep period, I was finished at 10:35. I came home, saw Sofi, did a few things around the house, but then got in the car and drove to McDonald’s, giving in to a strong craving for a Quarter Pounder with cheese and some fries.
I didn’t eat the whole thing, maybe 3/4 of it, without the top bun. I had less than half of the medium fries. As I was eating the burger, it tasted good, but as soon as it hit my stomach, I felt gross. Uncomfortable, sick, nauseous, and most of all, very disappointed. I haven’t had McDonald’s since before my surgery, almost 9 months ago, and it’s not something I’d ever planed to eat again. I know how bad it is for me, and I wanted to fuel my body with better ingredients. Which is not to say I’d never eat a burger or fries again, because I will; I’ve made them for myself for dinner once in a while – a healthy version. I just never wanted to eat fast food hamburgers again. Eating like that left me so lethargic that I didn’t workout at all, either.
Since the bad choice came at lunch, I didn’t eat much else for the rest of the day. I did have some Greek yogurt around dinner, because I was a bit hungry, but I still wanted to keep my calories in check. All told, I logged everything into MyFitnessPal, and I ended the day mercifully under my calorie goal.
This morning as I stepped on the scale (as I do every morning), bracing myself for a gain, I was shocked to discover that I didn’t gain an ounce, and in fact, had dropped a couple of ounces. I have no idea why I got this pass, but I’m not going to question it. This is the kind of lesson that I’m glad to learn. Even though I was extremely tired, I didn’t have to give into a stupid craving. I’m going to use this lesson, and my body’s response, to spur my actions today.
I’m going to make good food choices, move my body, and be eternally thankful that today proved to be an entirely blank slate.
Bella on the Beach 
How stressful! I pretty much went off fast food when I gave up meat in 2001, but I still ate bean tacos from Taco Hell occasionally. When I got on my own healthy path, I pretty much stopped even that (though I do eat Subway if I’m traveling). At one point in about 2010, TB was convenient and sounded good so I got my usual bean tacos. The resulting intestinal distress was enough to ensure it truly was the last time for me. My stomach was so upset for about 48 hours. Ugh. Doesn’t even sound good still, about 4 years later. Lesson learned for me!
I’m sorry that you had that awful experience, but you’re right, it’s lessons like these that we learn from. Good for both of us for figuring it out and changing.
Good to hear the gas is fixed. A leak can be a pretty scary thing (dangerous, too). Too bad the company was not more forthcoming about the problem. Especially knowing you have pets.
Several years ago I had given up ALL sweets for over a year. Yeah! I had to go on a car trip through the middle of nowhere. After staying over at a small motel the only breakfast in town was a convenience /gas store. So I made the mistake of having a doughnut and a coke for breakfast. This was the least offensive “food” in the store. I still remember how gross the sweet fix was. I would have been better off going without and driving to the next town hungry.
Now I prepare for my trips with water bottles and fruit just in case.
Go easy on yourself. Your body told you to back off and you did. They make that food to tempt us on purpose! It was a good reminder to eat your own delicious healthy hamburgers instead of their frankenburgers!