Daddy Manatee's Journal, 18 January 2022

It's ok my friend, at least you moved a lot! You can make up for the diet now! 

Thanks Lara It enjoyable and satisfying to work the animals. All the extra steps was an added bonus but I think I’d take a couple more people to help anytime. Doing it solo has its advantages and disadvantages time consuming being the biggest disadvantage. My eating has been poor for some time now, coinciding with the big disruption in my routine. I guess that is the easy excuse. I need to knuckle down and get back to eating better. All this as my daughter brings out a brownie for me. She is getting into Baki g and makes cookies cakes brownies just to spoil my diet. Have to eat then as she made them special for me even if it was an evil motive !! 😁 

Oh those lovely, disastrous cookies! What i do, when I know that I won't resist, is indulging to the temptation 100% and promise myself to restart. I know it's not so smart but on the other hand it can be. I think what is key is not accusing yourself of failing. But you have to consciously live both the cookie and the aftermath! 

I love cows. They're so pretty. I tried going vegan just bc I love them so much. I used to have cow-patterned curtains in my kitchen (black & white) when I lived in Hereford, AZ during -1996-2007. =) 

Lara, Yeah I will eat a cookie or two, I’ll plan them into the next days calorie count so it works out. I take it in stride when she springs them on me. This winter she has tapered off sone on her baking. Over the summer when she was really into it, keeping the count down was a bit more difficult.  

Slow, Yeah they are amazing animals. They have three own personalities. They are fun to watch. I try to walk among them after feeding them so they get use to me. So far, after 4 months, one cow will let me walk up to her.  

Mermee, The scary part of that work out is when I’d walk through the shin deep mud hole located where every animal walks through, and I almost lose my boot as it gets sucked into the mud hole. Other than that it’s great.  

Hey DM, cheering you on🎉. Would it be possible to challenge your daughter to making healthy desserts and finding yummy but low cal recipes, youngsters love a challenge and it can be a boost for your healthy lifestyle journey. Blessings to you and the family🙏🏽💕🙏🏽. 

I commend you for the workout! I would have thought hearding/sorting cattle and driving them to market would have been exercise!  

Daughter of the king My daughter has come out publicly and stated she is trying to purposely throw off my diet. I have steered her indirectly into cooking items other than sweets. But she really enjoys baking and she does make sone of the best chocolate chips cookies I have ever had. Darn 12 year old! 

Lydium It’s definitely a bit of a cardio workout. I know my heart raves when hauling the cattle trailer with the animals down the freeway and they start to move and it shakes my truck. Really gets the heart rate up!! 

Ooo DM, it's like that....😏. Time to strategize, when you have some time alone with her, maybe riding in the truck etc., let her know that you are excited to see her become the beautiful woman God has destined her to be, and it's for that reason you are working on your health, to be a strong healthy dad around to love and support her at every stage of her life. Bet she will start to think about your weight loss differently then and don't be surprised if some healty desserts make an appearance. I am a mom to a beautiful 12 year old too, we are so blessed to parent these girls. Wishing you a blessed day DM🙏🏽 

She may have found a passion for baking and that will be her direction inlife. Try redirect the results of her efforts. many nursing home residents would love to receive goody bags full of treats. Drop them off at fire stations... encourage the baking/cooking you don't have to eat all the goodies. 

Freeze them for school and church bake sales. I think you get the idea... 

Daughter Thanks for the comment. It has never really gotten bad. If it does I’ll do just what you advise though. And as wi to any 12 year old, I’m sure it will taper off. I have seen that happen already, she isn’t baking like she was in the fall, but she keeps at it.  

Crazy That is how this whole thing started!! She wanted to help cheer up some of her friends when one was sick or moving or just had a rough day. At the start of school it was a lot of cookies, and fortunately most went to other people. I am able to manage the cookies, I just plan for them in my next days calories and it’s fine. What is really killing me now is all the junk I am eating and not staying within my calorie limit, which is manageable for me, I’ve been with the same count for nearly a year.