Personal entry: An “interesting” time for Almost Fit
Ed. note: This entry is a personal post on where I’ve been over the last few weeks. Normally Almost Fit sticks to one central concept: eating real food in moderation. I will be writing more on my main subject in the coming weeks, but I felt that many readers might be interested to know where I’ve been since I haven’t posted in a while. If this doesn’t interest you, it’s totally understandable - feel free to skip the post. But rest assured I’ll be resuming my usual subject matter soon. Thanks for reading.
As the title of this post says, it has been, for lack of a better term, an “interesting” time for me over the last few weeks. I have never gone this long without a post on Almost Fit, but I hope this is the last time that I have to set it aside for a while. I am currently writing this post a couple of hundred miles away from home, waiting to return tomorrow after a week of work at a new job.
As I mentioned in several posts in mid summer, I left my day job behind in favor of pursuing some business ideas that made a lot of sense to me at the time, and still do in that context. I also really needed some time off with my family, and although it wasn’t as focused as I thought the time would be, we did enjoy a flexible schedule and several local getaways, and equally important I was able to restore some of my own equilibrium after a lot of extended hours and working weekends. We were also able to develop some excellent, frugal habits over the summer, which I really believe will stick over the years to come.
Unfortunately, one major thing changed: the economic slide impacted our family directly, and I’ve had to do a bit of scrambling to figure out our next move. Part of my business plan involved funds that were tied up in the stock market - and as many of us discovered rather abruptly, that wasn’t necessarily my strongest choice. We haven’t lost nearly as much as many folks, but when that money is central to how you are going to pay your mortgage, it does force you to reconfigure a few of your assumptions.
In my case, even before the market fell through, conditions prompted me to start looking for work in my old industry. In September I was feeling clearly the indications that businesses were not spending much money on some of the services that I was developing; and although I of course had no idea how bad it would get on a global scale, I realized that my business was not going to take hold as quickly as I needed it to.
Without droning on about it, I began looking for work that used my old skill set, and after watching several opportunities literally dry up over night (for example, several promising employers suddenly instituted hiring freezes when the economy crumbled, including one company that was forced to rescind job offers they had made in the days before the crash), I consider myself very lucky to have landed a contract that will get us through the coming months. As a result however, I’ve had to pull my focus from Almost Fit for a few weeks while I figured out the job aspect of life.
The good news is, tomorrow will complete my first week with this company, and I am enjoying it thoroughly. I actually worked for the company many years ago, but under significantly different personal circumstances. From an Almost Fit perspective, it has been an interesting time because when I worked here before, I was fully engrossed in the typical 20’s male American diet - some low fat choices here and there and the occasional crash diet, but mostly eating pizza and soda whenever I could get it, enjoying the waning benefits of youthful metabolism.
This time, it’s different. I’m a little older now, I’ve developed a taste for eating better quality food, and my metabolism has definitely moved into a molasses-like state for lack of significant and consistent exercise. The danger of course is that given that I’m working 200 miles from home staying in the temporary environment of a hotel room, my eating habits are truly at risk. Not to mention, the familiarity of working here resurrects old food cravings, not unlike I suppose someone who has given up smoking, and then returns to the old bars and restaurants in which they enjoyed the habit at the time.
To head off the urge to return to old fast food haunts that were part of my previous time with this company, at the beginning of the week I went to a local food co-op and picked up fresh fruit, some decent Fair Trade Certified coffee, and assorted “good choices” for the week. Although I must confess that today, out of convenience (and a lack of planning) I made a mistake: I did go to a fast food restaurant, breaking my longest running streak. But true to form, it made me feel physically ill afterward, which was a great wake-up call. I returned to my healthier habits for dinner, eating an organic chicken caesar salad for dinner with an apple for dessert. And although exercise is as usual, lacking, I feel energized again because I’ve made it through a week in an old context with my new habits primarily intact.
And maybe most importantly, my visit to a fast food joint today stimulated the need to return to my old writing habits here, describing my journey, and finding inspiration in your comments and the articles of my fellow writers.
Fortunately, this contract will allow me to work from home after I get established here, so eating well will doubtless be easier as time passes. And while I have not lost any more weight since my post on momentum, I have not gained much either. I am up a couple of pounds I believe, but nothing that some exercise can’t knock out.
That is a long way of saying “Sorry I’ve been gone; but I’ve had a good reason.”
And I’m getting ready to get back to it shortly, including the follow up post on the benefits of a CSA. I haven’t forgotten; I’ve just been a little preoccupied with figuring out how we’re going to keep our house in unanticipated financial times. And fingers crossed, we’ll be fine.
Thanks for reading.
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We’re all here for you. A lot of people have had to kind of reinvent their lives during these crappy economic times. It sounds like it’s hard, but that it’s working out. I’m proud of you…hang in there…and don’t feel any pressure to blog. We’ll be here when you’re ready and have time.
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I kind of figured that this was what you were up to all things considered with the way the economy is and with that loud shout I heard the other day. Glad to hear that you are enjoying what you are doing. That is so important.
Sad to say many of my American friends are having a tough time….I am rooting for you all.
Our thoughts are with you…glad you landed on your feet
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I hope things work out for you.
My husband was unemployed for a a couple of years and finally found a job a few months ago. What got us through it was that when one of us was feeling down, the other will try to cheer the other person up. But I think all things happen to us for a reason. If he was employed, we might have been caught up in the whole mortgage mess like a lot of our friends.
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Good luck with the new contract. I am glad to hearing how you are enjoying it. Might even be a good opportunity to write on how to keep to good eating habits away from home.
Look forward to reading more on joining CSA’s. I just moved to Washington, DC and am planning on getting on the 2009 list.
Thanks,
Susanna
I’m sorry that you had to look for work again so soon, but very glad to hear that you were able to find it! I hope this one leaves you with more time to live.
It’s good to hear that you were able to find a job. I know it’s not exactly how you planned it, but I think that when you get settled again and the economy rights itself, hopefully, you’ll be better for it. Good luck with your new job, and also with your nutritional plans.
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Congradulations on the job and it’s absolutely awesome you get to work from home! So much time is saved working from home, with all that time saved it’s amazing what else can be accomplished.
Good luck with your new job. Your fast food story reminded me of when I quit smoking - I had been off for about 6 months when I ran into a previous smoking buddy and I smoked one of his cigarettes while we were talking. I got sick afterwards and that was enough to remind me why I quit.
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I wish you the best and am looking forward to more of your posts. Your recent posts have really inspired me to look around for better food choices in my area. Thanks for that. Congratulations on your new opportunity and again, my best wishes for continued success.
Good to see you posting again. I hope things work out.
Congratulations on the job. LIfe is one big learning experience, and it sounds like you’re learning and relearning both old and new habits.
You’re doin’ great………………
Congrats on the new job… and keep the focus! It’s harder in a hotel room, but most hotels do have things like microwaves and refrigerators these days, those can help a lot!
Bear in mind that most fast food restaurants do still offer some healthier choices… it’s all about choice! Maintaining is A-OK… in fact, it’s good! Gives your body a break, and when you can resume better eating, you’ll lose again.
Meanwhile, you need to do what you need to do! Keeping home and hearth is important!
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Good luck with everything and I’m sure it will all go well for you. Glad you are back!
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‘Interesting’ times are really interesting when you’re reading about them in print … in someone else’s memoirs. Not so always so much fun at the time you’re going through them.
Here’s hoping you will soon be able to concentrate more on blogging. And good luck with the healthy on-the-road diet!
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Best of luck with your new job! I’ve been looking for a way to contact you but can’t find it on this site … would you mind emailing me?
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Good to have you back.
Yes, these are challenging times, and it’s even more important that people eat well during stressful times.
Best,
Coop
I am a bit late with this , but only read it now.
It is Cliché - But in the end - all is for the best. I am glad you have landed a job you can live with - so it could have been worse…
From experience working from home can create its own eating problems - but I trust you will get over them
hello out there jeremy and april, hope you are enjoying the wintry wonderland.
what to do when snowed in? read the ingredients on your stuff in cupboards and it will scare the hell out of you. just flour alone, regular unbleached flour for example. do you know that it has a shelf life of over 2 years. i am going to call colleen to see what type of wheat grinder she uses. sharon sells wheat at 12cents pound, she lives by my sis. she is not organic but what could be worse, local, non-organic wheat that is ground by you or flour which has 20 ingredients!!!