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Monthly Status Report
May started out pretty much the way April ended. Still working on covers, still hanging out in my house, that sort of thing.
However, I noticed that my thoughts and actions concerning food and drink were getting a little out of hand, so near the end of May (exactly one week ago as I write this, about a week and a half from when it will be posted), I started doing Bright Line Eating (BLE) again. It’s an eating plan meant to minimize addiction to food; I don’t have a high addiction to food itself (at least according to the little quiz they have), but I struggle a lot with entitlement and rebellion, so am not where I want to be. I’m not a proseltyser and this is a writing post, so I’m only going to share a few more things, and no link. If you are interested, searching on Bright Line Eating should get you there.
The only other thing I will say is that it is NOT keto, though it does map well onto the more generous guidelines Dr. Fung lays out in The Obesity Code, aside from meals: BLE recommends exactly three meals a day and not skipping breakfast, while Dr. Fung recommends skipping breakfast and potentially starting intermittent fasting. Note that I am specifically talking about that one book. When surrounded by other Dr. Fung followers, I was occasionally accused of “cheating” because in other areas, his recommendations are much more specific. In this book, he allows whole grain and fruit, and any number of whole vegetables, which I understand are NOT recommended by him in other places and not part of a keto plan (the book is also NOT a keto book, and he mentions it as one of many plans you can follow). BLE by contrast recommends LOTS of vegetables (so many I can’t usually finish them all), fruit at breakfast and lunch, and whole grains at breakfast. Anyway, it worked for me before, so that is why I am doing it again. If keto or Weight Watchers or whatever else you are doing is working for you, that’s great! And if just living and eating the way you normally do works, that is even better!
On the writing front, not much new in the way of words, but I finished some more covers, and I should be done shortly. After that, I plan to continue preparing my short story for publication and figuring out the spam issue with my website so that I can then offer the story as a free sign-up bonus for my newsletter.
Optional Monthly Question
June 3 question – Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?
Well, at this point, I suppose it is not a surprise that I am going to talk about addiction and habits. I have a very addictive personality and can get caught up in whatever it is that holds my interest at a given point. This is one of the reasons NaNoWriMo is so successful for me. I tend to have one major area of focus, and the rest of my life kind of fades away. I clean irregularly, whenever I happen to notice that it is just way too bad or when I am in the mood. I’ve finally gotten to the point where my dishes get done regularly and the clothes laundry is done every week. Sheets and towels — I try for once a week, but usually don’t manage that.
I have tried countless exercise and yoga plans, but I usually don’t get much longer than a week or two. And sometimes (gasp!) I even forget to brush my teeth. Yeah, not pretty!
But I am making progress on all of this. While I still have near obsessive focus with whatever my main interest is, I’ve started being able to combine things. Last year, I was able to do my writing for the day, and then play some Skyrim — something that would have been impossible two years ago (it would have either been the writing OR Skyrim).
I have found some success in morning, evening, and night routines, though sometimes I only do one of the things that’s listed as part of the routine (for example writing (which for me includes anything that is moving me forward, including these blogs and the covers, etc.) almost always happens in the evening routine, but the dishes are much rarer). But over time, I am getting better, and I know that if I continue to show up, overall, the progress will be good, even if not linear.
So that’s my secret today! Thank you for reading.
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Hi,
Being focus is not a bad thing. Of course, hygiene is important but there are times when I am so caught up in a story that I forget to eat or go to bed. So I like the way you have set up a routine for mornings, evenings, and nights.
Good luck.
All the best and thanks for being a part of IWSG.Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Thank you! Yes, I have done that, too — forgotten to eat or go to bed — and it’s definitely not always a bad thing.