Musings & Worries

Today I learned something about myself, about my personality, about my interactions with people, and about my nature.

A friend of mine was not himself today; something was off. He seemed rather tired and upset; he was not his usual cheery, assuring self. I realized this as soon as I saw him.

My first reaction was to worry. My first impulse was to offer him words of comfort. I wanted to give him a hug and wish his troubles away.

But the only thing of those I managed to do was worry. And quite excessively.

This got me thinking.

What caused such a reaction? Was it strange for people to have a bad day? Not really. Was it out of the ordinary for them to be stressed? Not likely. Didn't people get tired? Of course they did. So what induced the panic-stricken response?

A disturbance in my turf.

That's what it boiled down to.

Whenever there is restlessness in a kingdom, the ruler worries. The very same way, I learned how protective my nature was today.

Once I make someone my own, worrying about them or caring about them isn't an obligation any more, it becomes ingrained in my nature.

This change was surprisingly drastic, but entirely understandable, coming from someone with my personality. I always knew I was fiercely loyal to those close to me, but today, I found out just how much, courtesy of aforementioned friend.

Here's sending positive thoughts, warm hugs, and fluffy monkeys his way in hopes that tomorrow is better for him than today was.

Until next time, friends.

Hasta la-buh bye!

Feeling Claustrophobic about Life lately...

If I was to describe Time in 3 words, what would they be?

Relentless.
Determined.

Indifferent.

The coming back to this blog every two years and disappearing for another two has to stop. I miss having a routine. I miss having an agenda. 

However, I must acknowledge the irony. I detest the uncertainty, but I love the spontaneity that life has to offer me.

Let's just say, it's been a confusing time.

However, in the time that I have been away from this safe haven (aka blogaroo) of mine, much has happened.

I've travelled to 8 different countries in the last year.

I graduated from University.

I got slightly closer to my goal of losing weight, and I am still working on that. Apart from a few distractions, its still happening!

I had a fair few heartbreaks, hardships, challenges. There were moments where I thought I might not make it.

But here I am. In one piece. Still holding it together.

So this little post is just putting it out there that I am still alive and kicking.

After a lot of thinking, I've come up with some pretty cool ideas for some posts, and I promise they are coming.

With regards to that Diet, I did follow it through to the end, but it was a pretty inefficient, temporary plan. The results came, but they did not last. I will also touch on that journey soon, but for now, I really want to give my inner writer a chance to shine.

For anyone who may be out there reading this, going through a tough time, thinking you are all alone.. just remember you really are NOT alone.

If you look around hard enough, you will always find someone waiting for you. Someone to catch you before you fall. Someone to pick you up if you do fall. Someone to comfort you in your times of stress.

If you keep your eyes closed, your head down, your hopes buried, these angels that surround you will be hard to find.

This is why they say, keep your chin up!

If no one else, I'm here for you. Write to me, and I will listen.

Always remember your worth, you are priceless.

I have a lot to say, but I also have a lot to do. So until the next time, which will be very soon...

Hasta la-buh bye!

Challenges & Rainy Days

You know, I always say that I'm a winter baby, that I love winter...

But there is definitely a downside.

The day is too short, darkness comes too soon...

Anywho!

I can't believe its already Day 5 of my diet! I'm not saying it in a bad way, I'm surprised at how fast the days went by altogether actually! And guess what? I can proudly say, that today, I had no out-of-place hunger pangs at all! None in the whole day! And let me tell ya, just like yesterday, today's dietary requirements were going to be challenging for me! Let me explain in the usual way...

Day 5 of the diet calls for:
"Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing."

*Note: Now, before I tell you guys what I ate, I have to make a few things known. Being of the religion I am, I do not eat beef. However, the GM diet is flexible in that sense; chicken can be used as a substitute. There are also completely vegetarian options available. Beef has to be eaten as a source of protein, therefore for a vegetarian option, sprouts can be used.

Secondly, I really, really, really dislike tomatoes. But, I still sucked it up, and ate them by turning them into a soup. Let it be known that the tomatoes do not have to be consumed raw and/or uncooked. As long as you do not add lots of extra, unhealthy ingredients, you should be OK.

What I ate:
Food intake: Steamed sprouts with tomatoes, lemon & some garlic, tomato soup & chicken, pepper & onion skewers/kebabs.
Water intake: I'm at about 3.5 litres just now, I plan on consuming about 1-1.5 litres more.
I had no other beverages today.

*Shameful note: So remember how I said I really didn't like tomatoes? Well, the soup my mom made was absolutely delicious, but a bag of garlic & butter croutons caught my attention and I ended up adding a few of those to my soup. I will add an extra 15 minutes to the treadmill tomorrow morning for that, promise!

The Workout:
*Another *hangs head* kind of note: Today ended up being my second day off from the week where I didn't get a chance to hop on the treadmill. I ended up doing some work around the house and had to get done some studying. However, I will make up for it with an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow.

Weight Change from Day 4: no change
Weight Change from Day 1: -6.5 pounds

How I felt:
Because I spent most of the day sitting and relaxing, today was OK. I wasn't tired or anything; maybe it was the extra work I did outside yesterday and the weather today that had me feeling sleepy. Also, there were no cravings for any other food outside the diet. I'm surprised that I am already 5 days into the diet, and that there are only 2 more days left!

Apart from that, my body actually feels a bit lighter today, to be honest. Getting on the scale, I saw that I was a few grams less than yesterday, but it wasn't a huge difference. Now, the diet says, there should be a noticeable difference in the way you look by Day 6, which is tomorrow, so let's see if that really is the case. I wish I'd measured my waist or my thighs to be able to compare, but I'll just try on an old pair of jeans that has been giving me a little trouble lately, they shall speak for me.

I'm almost a 100% sure that I will be doing this diet again, because I've seen it to be highly effective. It seems to work for me, and its not terribly difficult to adapt to. I just have to wait for a few religious days to pass in which we have been invited to people's houses for meals,and I'm not one to turn down that kinda food =P. Even through that though, I will be consistently exercising, and of course, eating in moderation. I do not wish to jump right back in to my old eating habits, otherwise all my efforts now will be wasted. Now, we did eat all new things today, so here are the recipes for y'all.

Recipes:

• For the Tomato Soup: First we boiled 10 large tomatoes, 2 onions, 4 big garlic cloves, about an inch of ginger and 5-6 cloves. Then instead of mashing them, we turned them into a thick paste by putting it all in the blender. Then we drained it all in case of any excess peels & such were left in the thick gravy, added about half a litre of water and brought it to a boil. We were able to consume 4 big bowls between the two of us.
• For the Sprouts: The beans I used were mung (green gram), moth beans and lentil beans. They were wrapped in a cloth over 2 nights so they could grow sprouts. First I steamed them, then added a mixture of green chillies & coriander along with a 2-3 cloves of garlic. A tomato was also diced and added to the salad. You may chop and add a small onion too.
• For the Skewers: I used the same recipe as mentioned before. Only the timer was a few extra minutes so that the chicken would cook and become crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside. Keep in mind, the olive oil used for this "marination" should be used in moderation.

This was it for Day 5! I thought the food was actually slightly heavier than compared to other days, but like I mentioned before, I'll just exercise it off. Also, I know I needn't worry too much because it was all healthy.

I definitely recommend this diet to anyone who is looking to lose weight in a healthy, natural way.

As always, if y'all have any questions, comments, concerns, etc. feel free to leave me a message below, and share this blog with your friends to spread a little health! ;-)

I'll be back tomorrow with more updates.

Stay out of the rain y'all!

Hasta la-buh bye!