Today I ate:

• Berry smoothie for breakfast (1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, dash vanilla essence, 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 Egg cupcakes for lunch (2 eggs per cupcake, grated tasty cheese, salt and pepper)
• 3 prawn skewers for dinner, fresh salsa (1/3 avocado, 1 tomato, 1/4 onion, 1 TSP sweet chilli sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
• 2 squares Lindt 90% chocolate.

A good day, feeling full, and everything was delicious.

I’m happy that I managed to eat today, as the last few days have been a bit dodgy with me unable to eat much at all, due to illness.

I’m really enjoying my food plan now!

I’ve been working on my diet a lot lately. That doesn’t mean I’m not still breaking it or bingeing (because I am) but I’m starting to have a better, more functional plan.

Here’s what I’m eating every day:

Breakfast: Metamucil

Lunch: 2 egg cupcakes, 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

Dinner: Meat or fish, vegetables.

I should explain what an “egg cupcake” is… Mix 10 eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper.

Add grated cheese, sweetcorn, chopped bacon or whatever else you like the sound of.

Pour into a muffin tin. 10 eggs makes about half a dozen “cupcakes”.

Bake in moderate oven for about half an hour or until done.

Egg cupcakes are super high protein, and really filling. I find when I have these for lunch, I’m not hungry afterwards.

So I don’t snack or fixate on foods.

I’m still doing OA. I started last year in July so I’ve been going a while now.

It’s really helping. I’m nowhere near over my food issues, but I’m on my way and that’s saying something. I’ve been trying to work a commonsense food plan and, while it’s a bit hit and miss, I am learning and getting better at avoiding bingeing.

I’ve learned recently that I needed to eat more protein, and that carbs are just bad for me. Eggs are brilliant – they’re cheap, convenient, and they really fill me up. So I’ve started having eggs for lunch at work.

I make mini egg cups as a regular lunch thing. To make them, mix 12 eggs, add salt and pepper, then put into a silicone muffin tin. Add whatever flavourings you want – I had mine with brie cheese today, and the next batch I make will have bacon.

Anyway, cook in a moderate oven for about half an hour until done. 12 eggs makes 6 egg cups in my muffin tin, which is 6 lunches, or 3 if you’re hungry. These are very filling, tasty and cheap. I eat mine cold, but they can be heated if you prefer.

Apart from being filling, I find eggs really stabilize my blood sugar, which is excellent – egg-cellent! 🙂

I’m gradually working through my diet, one meal at a time, replacing everything with keto foods. For me, the difficult thing is breakfast – I never want it or feel like I need it, yet I’m supposed to have it for OA. Maybe I’ll figure out the ideal keto breakfast, but it hasn’t happened yet. I’ll let you know when it does.

It’s 2022, and I think we all want to forget 2020 and 2021! Here’s hoping this year will be better.

I’m still doing OA. On top of that, I just got myself a continuous blood sugar monitor, and the regular feedback is really helping me figure out how different things I eat affect my body.

The difference in how my body responds to carbs and sugar versus protein and fat is striking. It’s a real wake-up call. Fasting makes my blood sugar even better. Sugary treats make it skyrocket. I always thought blood sugar would be marginally affected by food. I was wrong.

So I’m changing my food plan. I’m fasting every second day until dinnertime, and my food plan is keto-based. When I look at how my blood sugar rises eating carbs, I realise that I don’t really want to eat carbs again. I feel better without them.

For my walking plan, I’m covering all the streets in Dunedin over the course of the year. It gives me a goal and a change of scenery every day to do this.

So here’s 2022. May it suck less than the last two years!

It’s 5 am in the morning and I’ve had a rotten night.

I think I’m coming down with something. I’m achy and sore, and my skin is coming up in rashes that are really itchy.

I don’t know what it is, but I’m just feeling crud. I’m pretty sure it’s not covid though!

I’ve been eating a bit better, although I’m still sneaking the odd bit of chocolate, which I need to just quit and never eat again. It’s definitely one of my problem foods – I’m quite sure I could eat a kilogram of the stuff and still be looking for more!

Overall, I’m sticking to plan pretty well. I’m doing readings and listening to podcasts daily now, and most of my eating has settled into a healthy, sustainable routine. Not perfect, but way better than I was before OA.

The biggest area I’m falling down with is exercise. I’m just not there yet with it. I keep thinking I’d like to go back to the gym, but I don’t have the time or energy, plus we unvaccinated people are about to get banned from gyms in New Zealand. Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. But I’m certainly not going to join a gym only to be banned from it in a couple of weeks from now.

So I need to find exercise I can do daily that I can find the time and energy to do. I’m thinking walking to and from work. Walking to work is the easier part – I live at the top of a massive hill. But walking home would be tough, especially carrying my computer bag (which we have to take home every night because covid) plus handbag and other stuff from time to time. Typically I carry 2-3 bags with me thanks to this covid BS, and that’s not fun even walking the half a kilometer or so to the bus.

So I think I may start leaving my computer at work. Realistically, if (when!) we get another snap lockdown, I can always trot into work and get it before the close up. We’re at least usually given an hour or two warning.

The main hurdle I have to doing daily exercise is just time and energy. My work day runs from getting up around 7 to getting home around 5:30, then I cook dinner and I take kids out driving, go to my meeting or to my radio club 3 nights out of every week. I’m just tired all the time. Then on weekends I’m busy doing shopping, housework or garden renovations, and the time just disappears.

You’ve got to love feminism – we women are now equal enough to work 50 – 70 hours a week; before “liberation” it was more like 30 hours a week if that. I’d much rather go back to being an unliberated housewife and not being so exhausted all the time.

Anyway, this is a rambling, chaotic post, as I’m exhausted and the day hasn’t begun yet. Late night again tonight – radio club; I’ll be home around 10:30. I love radio but I need sleep. Trouble is, getting to sleep has been tough lately even if I didn’t go to radio.

Yep, I’m tired and grumpy. Good start to the day!

I’ve decided to start every post from now on with a photo from my walks.

That will give me incentive to get out and do my exercise, which is the area I’m lagging in.

See you soon 🔜

I realised in my last post I didn’t really talk about symptoms. So I’ll do so now.

I feel fat, uncomfortable and unwell. My body isn’t doing what I want it to do. I get puffed by short walks and stairs aren’t good for me right now. I worry about where this will all lead if I don’t solve my problem.

My clothes don’t fit. Nothing fits well. My jeans are so tight that they hurt, but I have nothing bigger. I can’t wear most of my jackets and tops.

My skin and hair are in poor condition. I don’t know if this has anything to do with being overweight, but my skin and hair are dry and flaky. I feel unwell and look it too.

I can’t stop eating. I can’t control myself around food. I’m stuffing myself at work on communal food, and bingeing at home.

I’m eating too fast, and not enjoying my food at all. It’s like I’m trying to fill a hole that won’t fill. Nothing seems to satisfy me.

I can’t do exercise. I used to be fit. At the moment I find two flights of stairs difficult.

I feel stressed. My nail biting is shocking. I don’t know how to stop that either.

That a few of the symptoms I have. It’s not everything, but it’s a start.