Weekly Challenge C01E02
Here’s What’s Happening
Firstly, so far so good.
Initial article on the weekly challenges is here.
Not much of a challenge beyond not eating anything I want to. Which can be hard because there’s lots in the pantry. I can be a “snacker” too, so I need to find other things to do when the urge hits me.
As James Clear writes [paraphrased]:
“We need to make good habits easier to do, and bad habits harder to do!”
Fortunately, our kids are older and left home so there are no kid-size snacks in the house, apart from the muesli bars for my granddaughter. And no-one steals from my granddaughter! 😎
Results so far
Yes, it’s only been a couple of days, so no trends and no sustained progress. BUT, to create a streak of three days you need to do two days.
To create a Version 2.0, you need to create a Version 1.0.
Never dismiss or undervalue the steps you have already taken.
- Sleep has been a lot better without alcohol, sugar or highly processed foods. Scores from Garmin (x/100): 49, 88, 84. Certainly wake up feeling better.
- Blood sugar readings (mmol, target: <5.5): 8.5, 8.6, 7.3
- Weight (kg) has dropped as expected. 86.2, 85.0, 84.8. Mostly water weight I’d guess, but carrying less so that’s a good thing.
- Deficit Push Ups (5 x 10 per day) have been easier than expected so I’ll be completing them in a set from now on. (It also gets them out of the way!)
- Water consumption is … up.
Okay, no real surprises. It’s only the third day. Let’s not go overboard on the celebrations. There’s still another four days to go.
Where to from here?
- Food preparation. If I don’t plan my meals, I fear I’ll grab whatever is available. I have boiled some eggs — method below. And I got a BBQ chicken from the supermarket for lunches. Tomorrow’s lunch will be chicken and eggs. (I’ll solve the age old conundrum by letting you know which I eat first! 🤣)
- Creating meals I look forward to. I have a process for cooking cheap steak so well … I get compliments! (and I wasn’t a fan of cheap steaks!) I’m in the phase of using cooking as a meditative, or mindful, practice. I have a process I follow, take my time, use the tools I have, and enjoy it. I no longer rush to get the food cooked, eaten and done.
- Eating slowly. This came to me at a restaurant in Adelaide, South Australia. We chose the Chef’s Choice — a range of dishes that were quite small and to share. They came out from the kitchen over the course of an hour or so. I really don’t think we ate that much but we were full by the end.
Looking forward to the next few days and hoping the thoughts of snacking begin to subside!
Must. Resist. The snacks!
Bonus: How to Boil the Perfect Egg for a Daily Snack
This works every time. It took a few goes to get it right. But now I trust the process implicitly. Your appliances may cause variations. BTW, we use a gas stove.
- Six eggs in a pot and enough water to cover the eggs.
- Lid on but tilted.
- Full gas, nine (9) minutes. Walk away! (set a timer!)
- Remove from stove, empty water and cover with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Enjoy the soft gooey centres. (Change time to 10 minutes for a firmer yolk.)
Thank you for reading! 😊
My purpose in writing on Medium:
- Personal Development — writing helps me articulate my own thinking. I find trying to create an “argument” for a perspective on paper, quite revealing and at times challenging and I can be more critical of my own thoughts. I frequently find myself thinking: “Why DO I think this?”
- Developing Others — to help people make better choices by helping them think critically and realise their potential. We are often blinded by beliefs and thinking given to us by others.
