The Weight Control Continues
I’m still deciding when to travel. I found out that July and August are peak tourist seasons, with bright and sunny weather, which is ideal. However, peak season also means crowds and higher travel expenses. June, on the other hand, also has good weather, is close to July and August, but without the crowds, and travel costs such as hotel prices are not outrageously expensive. So, I’ve decided to travel around mid-June. I’ve already started deciding where to go. And since there’s still some time, I can continue losing weight — I should still be able to slim down a bit more, so at least I’ll look a little better in photos.
The weight loss is still ongoing, and the plan remains the same. My diet hasn’t changed, but due to knee pain, I no longer focus on cordless jump rope for cardio.
However, something unexpected happened — a colleague who worked shifts with me suddenly quit due to lower back injury. I don’t know if his situation was really as he said, but the resignation was real. It’s now difficult to immediately hire someone competent, so the burden has fallen on me. Previously, due to staff shortages and the need to train a newcomer who isn’t yet fully capable of working independently, my workload was already heavy. Now, with the sudden resignation, I basically work seven days a week.
Basically, my workdays are about 9 to 10 hours per day, and every other day I might work 12 hours, or even 12 hours for two to three consecutive days. Sometimes after a 12-hour shift, I’d be told I need to work another 2 to 3 hours, so during especially busy times, I might end up working 14 to 15 hours in a day. The only regular time off I have is half a day on Tuesday.
This work schedule has completely disrupted all my plans — including my weight loss plan and travel plan — because I don’t know how long this workload will last, or whether I can still travel during the intended off-peak period. But since I’ve already decided, no matter what, both weight loss and travel must be carried out.
Adapting to the Schedule
My general approach to work is to minimize all unnecessary actions, because they require physical energy. I need to conserve energy in order to be efficient when needed. And if efficiency is the goal, minimizing unnecessary movements is a very effective method. I think of this as “energy-saving mode,” using energy only for necessary tasks.
But with the current workload, I must shift into “survival mode.” Due to the physical demands and long work hours, I have to eat as much as I can and give up everything outside of work that isn’t absolutely necessary. But this goes completely against my weight-loss plan. So, I must find a feasible method.
I think I need to change my goal. The original goal was to lose weight, but now it should be to maintain my current weight. My physique is already much better than before, and I can wear many of my old clothes again. That should be enough for taking photos while travelling. I must first make sure I can “survive” this period. Since my work requires physical effort, in other words, working long hours also burns calories — the calories I burn in a week from working might even be more than from doing cardio. So I’ll reduce cardio to once or twice a week, and do strength training during my half-day off.
As for diet, I can’t eat less like before — I need to make sure I have enough energy to work and survive. Eating a normal amount might be the clearer way to maintain weight. In fact, eating more than normal might be necessary, but to ensure I don’t gain weight, sticking to a normal amount is probably the better choice. So, the new plan is:
1. Cardio once or twice a week, and strength training during my half-day off.
2 .Eat a normal amount. If energy is insufficient, eat more than normal.
3. While staying in “survival mode,” try to maintain current weight and avoid rebound.
It Was a Tough Time
Entering “survival mode” means doing only what’s necessary, both in life and work. After work, I try to focus only on resting and entertainment to recover physically and mentally so I can continue working. I only need to jump rope for half an hour on days when I work 10 hours, and then do strength and cardio training at the gym during my Tuesday half-day off. Actually, going to the gym on Tuesday has become a relaxing activity for me — it puts me in a great mood.
But sometimes after a 12-hour workday, when I think I can finally go home, I’m told I still need to work for another two-plus hours — that’s really discouraging. But I’m not made of paper. I still take responsibility like an adult and get the job done.
There was one Tuesday that stood out, though it wasn’t about work. My car needed an oil change and maintenance check because I’m considering a road trip for my vacation, and the car needs to be in top shape. I booked 1:00 PM at the Murray dealership in Winnipeg. But when I arrived on time, I was told they couldn’t start until 1:45 PM. I asked why, and they said the technicians were on lunch break and wouldn’t start until 45 minutes later. I was really surprised — if 1:00 is still lunch time, why schedule me at 1:00?!
I asked how long the whole process would take. They said about two hours. So I said I’d go out for a walk and come back later. They assured me they would call me once it was done. That was fine — I’d been working nonstop and there was a mall just 20 minutes away on foot, I could hang around for a bit.
I returned two hours later but hadn’t received a call. I waited quietly for another 30 minutes, still nothing. I decided to check, but couldn’t find the person I originally spoke to, so I asked someone else. That person found the staff responsible for my car. Turns out the original person had finished her shift and been replaced. The new person said my car was ready. I asked why I hadn’t received a call and when the car was finished. She hesitated and said, “About 10 minutes ago.” That was obviously a lie. Clearly, the first staff member didn’t tell the next one to call me, and the second one didn’t care about informing customers.
So something that could have been finished by 2:30 PM dragged on until 4:30 PM. That half-day off was my only free time all week, and it was completely wasted by this irresponsible group. I was extremely angry and still remember it clearly. If there was a takeaway from this, I’d say: the first time something like this happens, you don’t know how to deal with it. But now that I’ve experienced it, I know how to handle it assertively next time. ?
The first two weeks were still manageable, but by the third week, I started feeling extremely exhausted. By the fourth week, I finally heard that more staff would be added. But even after the new hire came, I still had to work until they were trained and capable.
Once that happens, I’ll get 10 days off in a row. Perfect — I won’t even need to apply for extra leave, and I can travel during those 10 days.
The most challenging part during this time wasn’t exercising after work — honestly, that was relaxing. The hard part was preparing for the trip: deciding where to go, how to get there, where to stay, what to buy, and what skills I need to learn. When the body is extremely tired, the brain also wants to rest, so making the brain function under that condition is pretty challenging.
Besides exercise and trip planning, I try to avoid all non-essential things, like company gatherings. Right now, I’m the only one working this much — I can’t compare myself to others. I must recover at my own pace. I just don’t go, because I must “survive” first. Anything that consumes time but doesn’t help me recover is best avoided.
Finally, I Got There
And so, after more than a month of working 7 days a week, 10 to 15 hours a day, that lifestyle finally ended. My travel plan is also complete — I planned it in great detail. In terms of weight, I didn’t lose much this month — maybe just one or two pounds (after past beginning of June, I didn’t record my weight, just checked my weight once a few days, I felt too tired to pull out phone application to record it every a couple of days). But that’s already quite good because I didn’t gain weight, and I can fit into a lot of old clothes anyway. I’m fully ready for my first long trip in Canada!
But to be honest, this month was really tough 😭. In the past, when work was busy, I’d come home thinking, “Thank goodness I made it back alive.” But this past month, every moment I was thinking, “I need to stay alive.” It was almost ridiculous. Fortunately, I still managed to catch the tail end of June for travel, and the general plan didn’t change.