#so i got in a habit of eating dinner at 5pm and eating breakfast at 6am

[hyunrun]

feeling hungry between 5pm and 5am feels so delicious but i feel like I'm dying if I'm hungry between 5am and 5pm T-T

[harryforvogue]

a blurb where harry is a big schedule guy and yasmine is a big "it happens when it happens" girlie. they fight (sorta).

***

Harry and Yasmine have never lived with other people after moving out of their homes, and they alternated whose place they’d be staying at back in graduate school. It was always an unspoken rule that if Harry was at Yasmine’s house, she was the boss. And vice versa. 

But now that they're living together, how are they supposed to adjust and split responsibilities? More importantly, how the hell are they expected to create a rhythm?

Harry is a very structured person. Gets out of bed at a certain time, has lunch at a fixed time. Dinner as well. He considers himself a pretty laid back guy too. He’ll skip cooking some days to order takeout – or swap his laundry days with his bedsheet changing days just to switch things up. Yasmine calls him a relentless Aquarius. He's not supposed to be offended, right?

He’s always known that Yasmine is… less serious about all that. So, really, he always knew what he was getting himself into. Especially when it’s nearly 11 on a Sunday and Yasmine’s still buried in the sheets, gripping him tight to keep him from slipping out of bed despite his groaning about how he just wants to take a shower and eat something. (Probably the worst habit of Yasmine’s is skipping breakfast nearly every morning and that’s just not something he’s going to stand by.)

After graduation, Yasmine and Harry are employed at different universities, and the first few months are filled with settling into their new jobs. Their work hours are very similar, with the exception of Wednesdays where Harry has a later recitation class to teach. Regardless, Harry went into the new job with the mindset that he’d always get all his work done on time so that he and Yasmine could focus on figuring out the layout of their place still. Not to mention, Harry’s dedication to at least 2 dates a week (and going grocery shopping is NOT a date no matter how much Yasmine insists it is). 

He has a calendar in his office above his desk that tells him what days he needs to get his deadlines done so that he and Yasmine can have some time for themselves. He crosses out all the things he gets finished and circles the days he’s free.

Yasmine is the opposite. She always gets everything done, but it’s never as planned as Harry. She has the ability to sit down and bang everything out in one day … and also the ability to procrastinate until the night before.

It’s baffling to Harry. Harry’s routine is annoying to Yasmine. Really – where’s the fun in all that planning? And what if something suddenly comes up and there’s no wiggle room to fit in a doctor’s visit or something just because you’ve meticulously scheduled all your work to be back to back on weekdays.

This comes up one day when she’s working and he’s bringing her dinner to her study.

Harry pulls up a chair on the other side of her desk with his own plate. “Yasmine.”

“Mhmm.”

“If you’d gotten this done yesterday, we could have gone to the shop you wanted to visit.”

“We can go during the weekend. I can’t just align everything with your schedule to free up some time.”

Harry smiles, but it’s clearly tense. “We get home at the same time, Yas. If we can just finish all our stuff for the next day of class before, say, 5pm, we have the rest of the day to be together. Doesn’t that sound great?”

Yasmine glances up at him over her glasses. “I don’t want to do more work as soon as I get home though. I want to relax.”

From Harry’s face, she knows he’s thinking about the hour-long nap she took on their couch as soon as she came home. 

“Right, but. Now it’s almost 8 and we won’t make it to the store on time.”

“We’ve got weekends for that.”

His mouth twists into something that’s very much not a smile. “We’ve got other stuff to do over the weekend, remember? We agreed on two dates a week–”

“No. You decided that.” 

Harry stops. He tilts his head back to look at the ceiling in an attempt to calm himself down. When he looks back at her, he reaches across, shuts her laptop in a not-so-nice way and says, “What?”

Yasmine crosses her arms over her chest and leans back in her chair. “Well, you said the two dates thing. I think going to the shop counts as a date.”

“Going shopping isn’t a date. Having a romantic time out is a date.”

“Any time I get to spend with you is a date, Harry. It's about being with you, not where we go.”

“Have you maybe considered that I want to take you to restaurants and little getaways simply because I enjoy them too? That I like to see you have fun with me?”

Yasmine sighs and takes her glasses off. She rubs her eyes tiredly. “You clearly have a certain work ethic. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I don’t. I get my work done when it gets done and I don’t want this structured, super formal scheduling of our time together. We live together, Harry. I see you all the time. Isn’t that enough?”

He doesn’t say anything for some time, but it’s clear he’s taken aback.

“It’s not enough,” he says, anger in his voice. “It’s not nearly enough. We’re dating, Yasmine. We’re not roommates.”

Yasmine blinks. “We technically are roommates.”

He runs a hand through his hair. Yasmine knows she's pushing him more than necessary. "Don't do that."

“All I’m saying is that I don’t want to schedule times with you. Won’t that be boring? Like, oh! It’s 6pm! Gotta go watch a movie with my boyfriend. It’s 7. Gotta have dinner. It’s 8, we should probably have sex before we get too tired. I’ve never had that type of schedule and I don’t want to.”

“It’s efficient.”

“I’m not having sex with you at 8pm every night just because it’s efficient. What -- are you going to break up that time too? 15 minutes for foreplay, 10 minutes for--"

He looks really mad now, his eyes alight. “That’s not what I mean! I’m saying that if we’re on the same wavelength – if we’re getting all our work done on time, then we can spend time together. That’s all! You're being way too difficult just for the sake of disagreeing with me.”

Yasmine frowns deeply. “Why don’t you adapt to my schedule then? I get all my work done too. I’ve got Saturday and Sunday’s open too – just like you.” From Harry’s expression, she exclaims, “See? It’s not about our time together. It’s about us sticking to your routine.”

Harry pinches the bridge of his nose. “We live together now. Don’t you think we should have some sort of rhythm? Be in sync?”

“That’s boring Harry!”

“It’s–”

“Don’t you dare say efficient!”

“It is!” Harry stands, putting distance between them. “This is ridiculous, Yasmine. And you have no right to say that I’m only making you adapt to my way of living.”

“Why can’t we live my way?”

“Because you don’t have a way! You get up and you just make things up! I can’t do that. I want to have breakfast together, lunch together and dinner together. I don’t want to be eating alone while you’re working just because you didn’t want to finish everything before 6. This past week alone, we’ve yet to do anything but ask about each other’s day because when I’m working, you're not, and when you’re working, I’m done with everything. You see the problem?”

Now, Yasmine can handle Harry when he gets like this. She’s put up with him before – and she’d be lying if she said she doesn’t see his point. He wants to spend time together as a couple. And he’s figured out a great way to clear up time for himself. Now he wants her to follow his regimen.

But the thing that makes Yasmine get angry is his volume. He’s got no right to yell at her.

And, okay. He’s not really yelling. He’s just annoyed and getting his point across loudly. But, it’s too late.

“Clearly we’re not going to do anything together tonight so why don’t you just let me finish my work and then we’ll talk about this later.”

Harry grabs his dinner and starts to leave her office. “No, we won’t be talking about this because by the time you’re done, I’m going to be asleep!”

“Well maybe don’t sleep so early?” she snaps back.

“Why should I change my schedule to match yours?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you!”

“You don’t have a schedule!” Harry says, visibly trying to keep his head from exploding. “You do things whenever you feel like doing them. So whenever you realize you’re more than a roommate to me, find me.”

He shuts the door behind him, leaving Yasmine alone in the room.

***

Harry can hold a grudge.

Yasmine, as fiery as she can get, has harsh anger hangovers. Once her anger at Harry is gone, she goes to find him. Sure enough, it’s late and Harry’s already in bed.

So she gets ready for bed too. And when she slides in, she waits for Harry to say something. He must still be angry because he doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t even turn to give her a kiss.

Yasmine sighs to herself. He’s the one who never likes to go to sleep angry, so she inches closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. “Harry.”

No answer.

“Harry?”

Nothing.

He’s not wrong, but she’s not either. So she sits up and pokes his biceps hard to wake up just in case he’s already out. When he offers her nothing, she huffs and rolls her over him, looking at him sideways with half her body draped over his arm. 

“Hey.” She goes back to poking, this time on his face. “Hellooooooo.”

“What are you doing?” he grumbles, turning his face away. Yasmine finishes rolling over so she’s now on his side, looking up at him. She nearly tumbles off the side of the bed, but Harry’s quick arm on her waist prevents that.

"Yasmine," he hisses.

“Let’s talk about it.”

“I don’t want to. Go back to your side."

“Oh come on. No going to sleep angry, remember?”

“I’m not angry. I’m annoyed. We can definitely go to sleep annoyed. In fact, I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing."

“Hmm, no we can’t.” She tangles her legs with his. “Harry. Look. I understand what you’re saying. But I’m not going to apologize. I don’t think we’re that type of couple that needs to do everything together.”

“Not what I was saying but thanks for showing me you were listening."

She rolls her eyes. “I get that you want to spend time together, but don’t you think blocking out certain hours of the day is kind of ridiculous? It's so military."

"Military?"

"You get what I mean."

“Yasmine, if you had a 9 to 5 job, what time would we have to be together?”

“That’s not fair considering we don’t have 9 to 5s.”

“Say we did.”

“We’d have time after 5 and weekends.”

“Wouldn’t that be a schedule?”

“Well I don’t imagine we’d do something every day. I love you, but I do need to be away from you sometimes.”

Harry’s jaw tenses. He closes his eyes again. “Goodnight.”

“Hey wait, I didn’t mean it like that!” Yasmine laughs, throwing her arms around his neck. “I only mean that we’d get sick of each other.”

“I’d never get sick of you.”

“You’re saying that now but if we’re attached at the hip, then I’m totally sure–”

Harry’s eyes open and he grabs Yasmine’s face, tugging her close. “Never,” he says, voice deathly quiet. “I’d never get sick of you.”

She stops laughing, eyes wide. Something flutters in her chest. And…elsewhere too.

"Fine," she says, all breathily. "It would be a schedule, but only because we'd have no other option. We have flexibility as professors. We have more time, but more work load we bring home. It's not the same thing."

The hand on her waist tightens and suddenly she’s beneath him, his entire body hovering over hers. He lets go of her face, but leans down to kiss her instead. She holds him tight, her fingers tangled in his long curls that keep falling into their faces and tickling them.

“Harry,” she murmurs against his mouth. “Why are you so worried about us spending time together, hm?”

“I haven’t had a single meal with you all week, and I just remembered that you spent Sunday catching up on work, which is unfair because I forced myself to finish all my work so that I could have time for you. I don’t want to be the only one doing that.”

Yasmine sighs. “Harry, I’m not working just to avoid you.”

“I know that. And I know that us living together is enough for you. That sleeping and waking besides me is good, but it's not nearly enough for me.” Then, quietly, “I’m being petty about how you get your work done. But Yasmine, I didn't ask you to move together with me just so I could see you every day. I want a life with you." He traces her cheek gently, kissing the corner of her mouth. “And you’re right – we don’t have a 9 to 5 but is it so wrong for wanting to cut out a part of my day just for us? No talking about work. Just you and me, with a lot of this, preferably.” He kisses her again.

She's getting all mushy inside again. “It’s not wrong,” she whispers. “It’s not.” She wraps her legs around him, making him lean all her wait onto him. He holds his out against the mattress to stop himself.

“Don’t wanna hurt you.”

“No. Lay on me."

Harry does so, just for a total of five seconds until she’s gasping for air. Satisfied, she rolls out from under him and lets him lay comfortably. She straddles him then, bracing her hands on his chest. “Okay, let’s come to an agreement.”

Harry runs his hands up and down her thighs. “Let’s.”

“How about this: no talk of work after 7.”

“6.”

“Done.”

“And I will try my best to finish all my work by then also, but in the event I cannot due to circumstances overlooked in your calendar, you have to leave me to finish up so that I can come back to you as quickly as possible.”

“Done. And on weekends, nobody works. Don't bring any of it home on Friday. Not even a mere word about it.”

“Unless absolutely necessary.”

He pins her with a stern look. “I’ll be the judge of those conditions.”

“Anything else, professor?” Yasmine grins knowingly down at him, drumming her fingers against his chest.

Harry pinches her side. “And I will be a little less annoying about the whole two date thing.”

“And I’m sorry that I’ve kind of neglected you all week.”

“Thank you.”

Yasmine blinks expectantly at him.

He says, “Oh, are you waiting for an apology from me?”

“That would be nice.”

“Is that right?” 

She feels a thrill rush up her spine. “I’d appreciate it.”

“Yeah? Would you, baby? Good to know.”

“Or you can make it up to me in a different way.”

He shrugs. “Sorry. It’s almost 10. I’m strictly a no-love-making-past-eight-pm kinda guy.”

Yasmine sighs. “What a shame. And to think I went through all this effort coming to bed without a bra or underwear on in hopes I’d get to–”

Harry sits up and wraps his arms around her, roughly pulling her down into bed. “C’mere.”

[cloudiness]

Hey! Question about your tags in the post

https://www.tumblr.com/cloudiness/725811743260049408/not-american-and-my-time-is-not-listed-here?source=share

What times do your days start for like work and school? I'm assuming not till mid-morning if they're not done until 5?

Just curious that's all! I think it's interesting!

Hello anon! This is going to be a long answer and I'm sorry in advance.

First of all, I think it's important to let you know that these are the standard meal times here in Italy: breakfast between 7am and 10am, lunch between 12.30pm and 2pm and dinner between 7.30pm and 9.30pm; the exact time depends on your work, your family habits, the region where you live and also the seasons tbh (we tend to eat later in the evening during the summer because the days are longer and way hotter). Many people, especially kids, usually have a light snack mid-morning(10.30/11am) and/or mid-afternoon(4.30/5pm), like fruit or a coffee, a cup of tea, some biscuits, granola bar, stuff like that, not a whole meal.

Anyway, standard work days, generally speaking, in an office for example, can look something like: from 9.30am to 1pm, then lunch break, and then work again from 2pm to 6.30/7pm. (I'm not going to go into details about every different kind of job and shop but for examples Restaurants usually respect our standard meal hours as their working hours while supermarkets/shops/local stores are open from 8/9.30am to 7/8pm and some of them even close during lunch break(1pm/3pm)).

Now, about schools.

A school day starts pretty much for every one at around 8/8.30am; the amount of time that then people spend at school on a school day varies based, when you're a kid, on family necessities, and then it simply depends on the school you choose to attend when you go to high school (don't worry i'm not going to explaining the entire Italian school system here)

These were my own time schedules and are pretty much standard(keeping kindergarten out of this but it's not that different from primary school):

Primary School: Mon to Fri, 8.30am - 4.30pm (Some kids have way shorter school days but it's all based on the parent's choices and working hours.)

Middle School: Mon-Wed-Fri 8am - 1.30pm, Tue-Thu 8am - 5pm (parents could also choose 'Mon to Fri 8am - 1.30pm as an alternative but more than 75% of my school spent one or two days a week at school till 5pm.)

High School: Mon to Fri from 8am - 3pm + Sat 8am - 1pm, these are kinda unusual hours even for Italy but as I said it depends on which high school you attend. A more standard time schedule would be Mon to Fri 8am- 1.30/2pm + Sat 8am - 12.30/1pm.

Uni is too different, it depends on so many things but my morning courses usually started at 9.30am and on some days I'd have been finished by 1pm while on others I'd have had to stay on campus till 6/7pm.

As I said in that post, I think that standard dinner time at 5pm couldn't work in this country for the majority of the population.

Now, I actually think that all these approaches to meal times come directly from the different history of every country and from how every population had to find ways to deal with the weather, the seasons, the climate, etc, etc..This is pretty evident here in Italy when you see the differences between northern regions and southern ones. In the north, where I live, we historically tend to have colder winters and, in particular, less day light during winter and autumn so it's more common to eat earlier in the evening, while in the South the weather is more mild and summer with its longer days comes sooner so it's more common to eat a bit later.

Does this make sense? I hope so, anon....anyway...I think I'm done...? Wow! this is really unnecessary long! I'm so sorry, got carried away as usual, hope this somehow answer your questions and that is not too boring to read. Thank you for your message ❤️

[imaginesupply]

Homecoming - Chapter Six

(I know it's Henry and not Sy in the photo, but it just fit too well with this chapter.)

Summary: The day has arrived, Captain Syverson is going home. For good, this time. He is going home to a civilian life he can hardly remember and a wife he barely knows, with memories of the war still fresh on his mind. Love might not be able to heal everything on its own, but it’s a good start.

Genres: Romance, drama.

Story warnings: Smut (always fully consensual), mentions of PTSD and nightmares and mental health, angst, hurt and comfort, fluff, mentions of war (minor), mentions of cheating (minor), mentions of pregnancy (very minor), police appearance (very minor), violence (very minor).

Notes:

It’s my first time writing for one of Henry’s characters and I’m unsure I did Sy’s character any justice.

This is a Capt. Syverson x OFC (Ada) story, written in 3rd person POV but OFC’s physical description is very limited so it could also be read as Capt. Syverson x Reader, I think.

English is not my first language, so there might be some mistakes. Proofread, but not beta’ed. We die like men and all that.

Timeline is a little wacky: The movie takes place in 2003 and the U.S. forces were withdrawn from Iraq in 2011, but I never set a precise date because I don’t think it’s essential for this story. However, some elements might not be realistic because if we set this story in 2003: Phone cameras quality was not as good as it’s now, but for the purpose of the chapters, I will need you to imagine you could film great videos with your flip phone haha. Plus, it says Sy is coming back after being deployed for more than three years which makes no sense unless we set this in 2006 or later. I am asking you disregard any time inconsistencies.

Also: I am not American. I only lived in the US for six months and it was in the Midwest, not Texas so please bear with me if I write something stupid.

Finally: This will be a Christmas fic and I intend to post the last chapter (there will be seven in total) on or before Christmas. However, religion is never mentioned in this story and the Christmas-sy elements of this story are limited to family gathering, gift giving and tree decorating.

Chapter Six starts after the cut. (Chapter Five can be found here.) Let me know if you wish to be tagged in the last chapter or if you wish to be removed from the tag list.

I will post a master list soon and put the link in the comments to make it easier to navigate.

Chapter 6

Chapter warnings: Smut, Christmas themes, mentions of therapy, embarrassing moments.

Ada didn't mind being woken up with soft fluttering kisses on her neck. She definitely didn't mind starting the day with the tantalizing rub of his beard on her sensitive skin and the hard press of his torso against her back, their legs entwined and his morning erection nuzzled against her butt.

What she did mind, however, was when any of this happened at the butt crack of dawn. Ada opened her eyes just enough to read 6:50am on the alarm clock.

"Sy," she groaned, stopping his wandering hands with hers, trying to trap them beneath her breasts. "Hold that thought for later, okay?"

She heard him chuckle behind her, his chest vibrating against her body as he freed his hands from her weak grip. "Later is for putting up the Christmas tree and the decorations," he teased, his right hand now drawing circles low on her stomach.

Ada groaned again, wanting to fight his tempting touch but unwilling to move away from his body heat. "I'll get up at 7:30." Those were the last words out of her mouth before she had drifted off again.

When she woke up once more, forty minutes later with the blast of her alarm clock, her back was cold and the smell of breakfast wafted through the air, filling her nostrils. Damn Syverson and his military sleep schedule! She had taken all her days off to spend them with him only to wake up even earlier than when she was working.

With barely open eyes, Ada threw on his shirt that hung on the chair and slowly made her way downstairs, following the scent of pancakes. She found Sy in front of the stove, just finishing up the last one before setting it on the huge pile of pancakes that looked fluffier than clouds. Ada had quickly learnt that while Sy was a disaster when it came to the art of cooking, he was the master of pancakes and barbecue.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he greeted her and then smirked when he noticed her attire.

"Morning captain," she mumbled, walking up to him before patiently waiting until he leant down so that they could share a kiss. It always made him laugh when she did that: the adorable pout on her face when he didn't bend down for a kiss fast enough was worth waiting the extra second every time.

They ate in relative silence, mostly because Ada definitely wasn't a morning person, but the fact that Sy had a habit of stuffing his mouth full of food also played a role. When she was done eating, Ada pushed her plate and glass away, and brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs on the chair. She eyed her husband intently, waiting for him to finish eating with a grin on her lips.

"Why are you looking at me like that, darlin'?" Sy asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously before taking the last sip of his morning coffee.

Ada blushed, suddenly looking bashful. "Well… I was hoping we could go back upstairs and continue what you started earlier," she admitted in a tiny voice.

Sy laughed, a booming sound that filled the entire room before a shit-eating grin spread on his lips. "Tough luck, darlin'." He got up from his chair, standing in front of her across the narrow table. "Should have thought about that before falling asleep on me earlier."

Ada's mouth fell open. The cheek on this man! And what made it worse, was his huge smile that made him look like a very amused bear, with his hairy, tempting chest. He was toying with her. "Are you really saying no to sex?" She asked, cocking her brow. Sy wasn't really the type to turn down-

"Yes, no sex." He stated, suddenly looking very serious. "We have to head to the store to buy decorations, then put up the tree and hang the lights outside." Ada tried her best not to laugh. He sounded as if he were explaining a major, life or death, mission to her – not Christmas preparations. "You’re dismissed but I expect you back here in fifteen minutes, dressed and ready to go." With that, he turned around and started gathering the plates and silverware to put them in the dishwasher.

"Yes, sir."

Ada knew better than to talk back. First, when he had something in mind, it was nearly impossible to talk him out of it. Second, she hoped that the sooner they were done with this, the sooner she could get laid. Third, he had used his Captain voice that somehow always managed to make an obedient little soldier out of her.

Though, rationally, she also didn't want to make it any more difficult for him. He had confessed to her a few nights ago why he'd felt so uneasy when they had gone grocery shopping: the gondolas were too tall which led to lots of blind spots and the amount of people meant he couldn't rely on his hearing sense to detect potential danger. 'It just screams ambush,' he told her.

Ada couldn't quite imagine what he must have experienced that a supermarket or a store would translate into danger, but it was not her place to question him. Instead, she had kissed his forehead in bed and offered to start doing their shopping on her own. Sy had promptly refused, suggesting they simply go early in the mornings, when there were less people and less distracting noises.

Now at Target, she was immensely glad she had gotten out of bed, the sight alone was worth it. It wasn't everyday you'd see Sy pick up a bunch of Christmas tree baubles and inspect each one of them carefully before determining which ones were worthy enough to make it to their living room. Ada sneaked a picture for safekeeping and then decided to send it to his mom as well. Family dinner was fast-approaching, and she'd seize all the cookie points she could get.

"Darlin'," Sy called, catching her attention. He was holding up an inflatable Santa who, instead of carrying gifts, dragged a bag full of liquor bottles and sported a drunk grin on his face. It was tacky beyond words. "Do 'you think we should get this, or will it just upset the neighborhood kids?"

Ada grimaced but tried to disguise it with a smile. She’d die before letting that thing on their lawn. “I think a neighborhood dog would tear it to bits within a second," she lied, trying to appear apologetic.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

°°°

The lights were up. It was a much quicker process with Sy's help. It was also the occasion for Ada to just sit back and relax because he was adamant, she shouldn’t step on a ladder to help. Instead, she had a glass of bourbon waiting for him for when he finished. It was 5pm somewhere after all.

"You said we had a tree!" Sy's deep voice reached her from the basement.

Ada threw her head back, sighing, before hurrying downstairs after him. "Yes, it's in that box over there," she pointed at a white cardboard box behind a couple of spare tires.

"Woman, it's tiny!" Sy complained, picking up the box and setting it down between them. It was about as tall as her. It was not that small.

"It's the one I've used every year since I moved in. It's pretty enough and doesn't take up too much space,” she defended.

In front of her, Sy exhaled loudly through his nostrils before rubbing his beard. She knew that move. It's what he did to remind himself she was not a soldier under his command, but his wife, and that he better measure his words unless he wanted to sleep on the sofa.

"Look, darlin'," he said calmly, enclosing her small hands in his much bigger ones. "This is my first Christmas home with my wife. I refuse to put up a minuscule, fake sapling in my home and call it a Christmas tree."

Ada was slightly taken aback. She didn’t know Christmas was this important to him. Though it was true he had been overseas on Christmas the past two years, so she could understand where he was coming from with wanting this Christmas to matter. Besides, it was endearing when he put it like that.

With a nibble on her lip, Ada gave in. "Okay. They're selling trees in that parking lot by the pharmacy."

Sy slowly shook his head, a mischievous look on his face. "No. We're going to get our own pine tree from the woods."

You gotta be kidding me, she groaned internally.  

°°°

Ada had no idea where they were. It hadn’t been that long of a ride, but there were no more houses or streets to be seen around them, just endless fields and a forest. It was only when Sy took a right turn, that she started spotting cars and what looked to be a very colorful barn which had been converted into a cozy boutique.

“Where are we?” She asked, staring out of the window as Sy looked for a place to park his truck.

“The Dallagher’s ranch,” he replied. “They do a corn maze and a pumpkin patch in the Fall, and in the Winter, you can pick up your own Christmas tree. My dad used to take Claire and I here every year.”

Oh… This was a family tradition. No wonder Sy made such a big deal about having a real tree for Christmas.

Once out of the car, they walked hand in hand through the dirt road until they reached the makeshift counter made of hay where you could get a handcart before heading out into the man-made pine forest and select a Christmas tree. Most people she saw, however, were already returning the handcarts and happily carrying their trees to their parked cars.

The old man by the cash register seemed to recognize Sy instantly, smiling warmly as he greeted him with a one-armed hug. Ada realized it was the ranch’s owner. “I haven’t seen you in years, Jack!” The old man exclaimed with a laugh before turning to Ada. “And who’s this pretty lady?”

“This is Ada, my wife,” Sy said, introducing them. He watched with amusement as Ada stumbled as the old man hugged her without a warning, taking her by surprise.

“Well, it’s great to meet you, Ada,” the man nodded once he had retreated, and then turned back to Sy. “Should I be offended I wasn’t invited to the wedding?” He teased.

Sy was already wrapping his arm around her shoulders, chuckling. “To be honest, Dallagher, there were no guests at the wedding,” he replied, amused at the way the old man frowned in a confused manner at that piece of information. “Actually, we came here to get a tree.”

“Of course!” Dallagher immediately turned and ordered the young boy in overalls to fetch them a handcart. “What size did you have in mind?”

“Something around seven feet,” Sy said, looking pensive as Ada looked up at him suspiciously, trying to figure out how much seven feet converted to in the metric system. Once she’d done the math, she pulled at Sy’s flannel sleeve to protest – that was way too big, it’d take up the whole living room – but the Dallagher’s grandson was already handing them the cart and leading them to the entrance.

“Trees that big are at the very back of the forest, you’ll have to walk a little.”

This turned out to be quite an understatement. Ada felt like they had been walking for literal years. While they had still come across other people at the beginning, mostly families, they were on their own now – that is if you didn’t count the many squirrels that kept appearing out of nowhere.

She stopped, grabbing the back of Sy’s red tartan shirt so he would be forced to pause as well. “Can’t we just take one of these?” Ads suggested, gesturing at the countless trees all around them. They were all pretty enough and considerably taller than her.

Sy huffed, biting his lip in amusement as he looked at her dispirited face. He’d told her she should probably get changed and wear more comfortable shoes before they left home, but she had insisted she wasn’t going to change clothes just to get a goddamn tree. “These are only around six feet, darlin’. And,” he paused, eyeing the trees more closely, “they’re not Nordmann firs. I want a Nordmann.”

Ada sighed defeatedly, but nodded all the same, starting to walk again when Sy took pity on her. “Do you want to sit on the handcart?”

The change on his wife’s face was instant, the frown lifting into a smile as she climbed on the cart and sat down in the middle, evening out her weight for him. “Is that better, darlin?” He asked teasingly.

She turned her head back just to make sure he saw her rolling her eyes.

By the time they reached an area with Nordmann trees that Sy considered nice and big enough, her butt was sore from the conjunction of the hard, wooden surface and the uneven ground. She wasn’t even sure she had made the better call or whether it would have been better to suffer in her new ankle boots instead.

“Which one is better?” Sy asked, pointing at two pine trees that looked virtually identical to her.

Ada shrugged, almost saying that he should choose before realizing how much time that would take. The man wasn’t picky about food, bedlinen or even the pillow he slept with, but apparently, he had to make sure he brought home the most perfect tree. She still couldn’t wrap her head around that. “The left one,” she said finally.

“Which one? Your left or my left?”

Breathing in deeply, she decided to just point at the tree she was talking about. Sy nodded thoughtfully and grabbed the saw he had brought with him and started to work on the tree. While she had been most eager to get this whole thing over with, it became an entirely different story now as she dreamily stared at her husband getting to work.

With most of his back facing her and one knee on the forest’s soft ground as he started sawing off the Nordmann fin, Sy looked absolutely delicious. The red flannel shirt unbuttoned over his white t-shirt and the jeans made him perfect sight with anyone with a lumberjack fantasy. Ada had never considered herself as having such a kink. A uniformed soldier, or even better, a captain? Hell yes. A strong, rugged husband capable of her breaking her in half? Also a big yes. A lumberjack? The thought had never crossed her mind in the past but there was no point in denying it now as she sat back on the wooden cart, watching Sy carefully saw down the giant tree.

She was wet. Horny. Aroused. You name it. It also didn’t help that they hadn’t had sex that day. Yet.

"Sy," she whined, just loud enough to get his attention, while swinging her legs in the air like a child.

"I'm almost done, darlin'," Sy responded, not bothering to turn around to look at her. "I want a nice, clean cut."

Yeah, and she want a nice, dirty fuck. Pouting, she watched him for a couple more seconds as he knelt in front of the base of the tree, deciding from which side he should bring the saw to the trunk next in order to make it even.

That was when Ada decided she was tired of waiting. Shuffling quietly, she slipped off her wet panties from under her dress and rolled them into a small ball before throwing it at her husband. It hit his left shoulder and rolled down his chest. Grinning wickedly, she leaned back on her shoulders and enjoyed the view, the muscles on his back shifting as he picked up the garment off the ground. If this didn't get her laid, nothing else would.

"Ada Metz Syverson," Sy groaned out her full name slowly, his voice even deeper than usual. He got back up on his feet and turned to face her, looking stern.

Suddenly she didn't feel so brave anymore, not when he had crossed the distance to her in two determined strides and went to tower over her small, sitting frame. His jaw was set, and his eyes were a darker shade of blue than usual. Ada moved her eyes down his body, her eyes pausing at the defined pectorals on his chest before sliding lower. He was definitely hard, the bulge on his jeans prominent.

"Just remember you asked for this."

She wanted to ask what this was supposed to be, but he didn’t give her the chance. “Legs,” he ordered, patting his shoulder as he came to stand just inches away from her. Almost unconsciously, she obeyed his order, her ankles coming to rest on the front of his shoulders, her feet framing his neck. “That’s a good girl,” he praised her with a quick kiss to her right calf before his large hands moved to the front of his jeans, just over the protruding tent and began undoing the belt and snap.

From this angle, Sy’s cock looked even bigger, the shiny glans flushed a deep pink. Ada swallowed tightly, her legs already shaking with anticipation and he hadn’t even touched her yet. Pumping his shaft with his right hand, Sy brought his left one to her core, rubbing the rough pad of his thumb over clit once or twice before sliding it between her folds. She was a dripping mess. Sy smirked when she keened eagerly at his touch, enjoying his ministrations until he pulled his hand away and brought it to his mouth, licking off her slick. “It’s good you’re so wet already because I just can’t wait to take you, darlin’.”

He wasn’t lying when he said he couldn’t wait. The next thing he did, was grabbing hold of his throbbing, hard cock and guiding himself into her. Ada moaned loudly at the intrusion, drowning out Sy’s own growl as her walls clenched around his cock, trying to get used to the abruptness and depth of the penetration.

“Fuck, Sy!” She cried out, not even sure what it was she wanted. “Don’t stop,” was all she could muster as he ploughed into her like there was no tomorrow, hitting her pleasure all at once.

He knew they were being too loud. They might be alone, but they were still out in the open air, and yet he just couldn’t find it in himself to care – not when she felt this good around his cock and her noises only heightened his fervor. If someone happened to stumble upon them, then they’d simply be in for a premium show,

It wasn’t long until her legs started shaking almost uncontrollably up in the air, prompting him to remove one hand from his steely grip on her hip and wrap his arms around her legs to keep them steady as he continued with jackhammer thrusts. “Are you going to cum for me, darlin’?” Sy panted, groaning out the question between clenched teeth even though he already knew the answer.

Ada didn’t manage to reply, the first waves of her orgasm already coursing through her when she moaned his name. Her hips canted up, her body tensed up like a bolt, and Sy knew he was done for right then. Her warm walls squeezed him impossibly tight inside of her, milking the cum right out of his cock while he fought to keep his balance as pleasure overtook him.

They came down from their heights slowly, chests heaving. Sy lazily removed her legs from his shoulders, massaging the strained muscles on her inner thighs before he set her legs down. This woman would be the end of him. “That was…” he panted, bending forward over her body to kiss her forehead, unable to find a proper adjective to describe what had just happened.

“Yeah,” Ada breathed out, nodding slowly.

Sy ended up having to carry her and the tree on the cart back to his truck because there was no way she was able to walk straight after that.

°°°

They finished decorating the giant tree. Ada had to admit it looked pretty although the red and gold decorations clashed with the color theme of their living room. She handed Sy the newly purchased baubles one by one – he was the only one capable of reaching the top.

On their way back home, she had somehow managed to convince Sy to stop at the therapist’s office – the one she had found had the highest ratings on Google. They had booked the first available appointment, which was just after the New Year and Sy had made it very clear to their secretary it was just a ‘testing appointment’ and that there was no need to set aside time slots for follow-up sessions yet because there was no guarantee he’d be back. His reluctance was palpable, but Ada was glad he was giving it a try at least. And if he didn’t like, then they’d figure out something else.

In the background, their wedding video kept playing and she wondered for how much longer she'd have to hear the sound of camera flashes as the chapel assistant took way too many photos of them in the most cliché poses you could imagine. Sy has insisted they put on their wedding video since they’d never gotten around to watch it and it fit the season, according to him. Slowly, the annoying sounds began fading away and Ada sighed with relief. Watching herself on TV sparked too much embarrassment in her.

"Hand me the big one with Rudolph, will you, darlin'," Sy asked from behind her, still meticulously decorating the tree.

Ada nodded, searching for the bauble he had in mind. It was still in the shopping bag, she remembered, lifting it off the floor to dig inside it.

Ada froze as a female chuckle was heard, unconsciously gripping the glass ornament too tightly in her hand. "Not that fast, Captain."

Behind her, Sy frowned. "What did you say?"

"Tonight, I'm in charge," she heard her own voice say - no, it was more like a purr.

"Shit!" Ada cursed loudly, letting the bauble fall back inside the bag and she hurried to the TV, her worst fear confirmed.

Sy followed her quickly, stopping just behind her, his hands on her shoulders. "Is that from our wedding night?" He asked slowly, his eyes locked on the screen as he watched his younger self being tied up to the bedposts by his wife.

"Yes," Ada cringed, her face a painful grimace. "I didn't even remember the sex tape."

"Me neither," Sy swallowed loudly, admittedly rapidly becoming aroused at the sight of his Ada doing a striptease on camera. She wore that red ensemble with the garter belt.

"I think the assistant never really ended the video after our wedding, only paused it and we later continued filming in the hotel instead of starting a new video," Ada commented, now understanding what had happened. How they’d even came up with the idea of filming a sex tape on their wedding night, she didn't know. Alcohol had probably played a part in it.

Sy was still staring in awe at the TV, enthralled by the sight of his wife deviously edging him, her hips swaying slowly, when her words slowly registered in his head. "Didn't we send copies of the video to our families?" He stammered, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and hesitant.

Silence fell between them as they both realized they had been dumb enough to send copies before watching it themselves. "Fuck!" Ada barked, seizing the remote to pause the video. "We sent that to my parents, your parents, your sister...," she listed, her face losing all color.

Suddenly, the sound of Sy's deep laughter filled her ears. She turned to him, aghast. How could he find this funny? This was peak cringe! She’d be one needing therapy after this!

"You know, darlin', watching this video was the first time my parents ever saw their daughter-in-law, before even meeting you in person." Sy explained, shaking his head with amusement.

Ada was mortified. No wonder Mr. Syverson had seemed on the verge of laughter the first time they'd met and Helen had given her the side eye. The woman had a USB stick in her home with an hour-long video of Ada fucking her son. "You know, Sy, this wedding video is also the first thing my parents saw of you." He stopped laughing abruptly, his face red, all amusement gone.

They both sat down on the couch next to each other, slowly coming to terms with the fact that pretty much their whole families had seen this, and never said anything, probably keeping it as an inside joke.

Sy broke the silence, his large hand reaching to rub her naked thigh. "You know, I don't think we should be embarrassed," he said, prompting her to stare back up at him, eyebrow raised dubiously. "The way you tied up my arms really enhanced my biceps and you looked adorably hot like a vicious kitten from hell."

°°°

@colourmeinblue​ @hail-horror-queen​ @youthought-iwasa-nicegirl​ @kmuir1​ @madbaddic7ed​ @coffeebreathy​ @purplelove75​ @summersong69​ @helenaellie​ @rn7rocks​ 

[ikehorganics]

HOW TO REDUCE BINGE

EATING OVEREATING,

AND BORED EATING:

disclaimer: i am aware that binge eating is an eating disorder, but not a lot of people have access to professionals to help them, and this guide could help a number of people struggling with binge eating, it could be successful to some binge eaters but not all. i hope this assists you, and this all comes from a place of good faith not malicious intent. i am also aware that binge eating does NOT equate to bored eating or overeating.

skip the preface if you want to skip straight to the tips!

PREFACE:

I have been in quarantine for nearly nine months, and I have struggled with multiple aspects of my everyday life that have had to be changed and adapted to the new rules of society. Since the beginning, I have always preached about staying in doors, social distancing, not going out to into open places without a mask etc because this is a direct reflection of the respect you have for yourself and the people around you. In this strong belief, I found myself struggling to juggle being a first year university student, my fitness, mental health, food and constantly being bored within my house.

Food was the hardest aspect, and with being surrounded by food 24/7, weight gain was inevitable. At first, I had not realised how I ate on a regular basis, I woke up at 6am, and would be at uni between 8am and 5pm from monday to thursday, where i would usually only eat one meal and a snack between that, whether it be left overs from dinner for lunch and an apple or piece of fruit for when i feel a bit peckish, and 2litres of water. My day consisted of four lectures ranging from 1 hour to two hours and walking around a lot because I hated sitting for a long time, and occasionally doing summaries or watching netflix between lectures. And when i got home, I had dinner and would go to bed. That was my routine and it was never truly surrounded by food constantly available at my every beck and call.

During quarantine, I was filled with procrastination and demotivation to attend lectures online or read my books. And all that extra time was filled with having an efficient workout routine and eating, but then that eating turned to eating quite frequently whether i was watching television, and mainly eating for the sakes of eating and in gross portion sizes because it was now available. Let's talk about how I broke out of that cycle of over eating and bored eating:

1. PLAN YOUR DAY PRODUCTIVELY.

I needed some direction in my life, I forced myself to plan every hour of my day so I can do something productive for myself. I planned the times from when I would wake up at 8am, to the time it took to fix my bed, brush my teeth, workout, stretch, eat my meals, nap, spend time outside, spend time on social media and more. Not only did my eating habits straighten out, but I got more done with my day.

2. SET EATING TIMES.

Setting eating times was the best thing I had ever done. Breakfast was always at 12 midday, lunch at 2 pm and dinner at 6pm, but these were my eating times, especially since i was intermittent fasting. These times helped me plan my day accordingly, between eating times I would usually fill my day with studying, and doing summaries, catching up with work I had missed. This helps especially if you have a restrictive diet or fast a lot! Restricting calories and fasting for extended periods of time only adds to the urge of falling into a binge cycle because your body feels the needs to refeed!

3. LISTEN TO YOUR CRAVINGS.

Listening to your body is so important. If you want to eat pizza for lunch, don't eat a salad, eat the pizza because it will be mor satiating than that salad or pasta that you might not want as much. Because that pizza might just pop into your mind late at night and you will have a little late night feast, this applies especially if you are counting calories. Having cravings are normal, and unless you are on a no bs diet that is extreme, you shouldn't deny yourself of something that you really want for something that won't leave your soul satiated.

4. DRINK WATER DURING MEALS.

I won't say much on this, but having water before, during and after your meal is so important. It aids in better digestion and adds to the feeling of being satiated when you are done eating, plus it's an easy way to get your water in. Replace that coca cola or soft drink with water, especially if you know you don't get enough glasses of water into your day.

5. LEMON WATER.

A cup of warm water and a wedge of lemon juice squeezed into it is super refreshing, sip on it throughout the morning before breakfast, to aid in digestion. Lemon water is a thing that is constantly brought up, and shut down for being "ineffective" but it works for me, and I believe that it is a phenomena of the mind. If you believe lemon water can help, it will definitely help you because you have manifested its impact on your health. Lemon water and warm water is one of those things that 'curb' hunger, and if you are one of those people who sometime wake up hungry but can't bring yourself to eat so early because it could make you nauseous, then water lemon water in a glass is the drink for you.

6. EAT WHOLESOME AND NOURISHING FOODS.

Calories are a touchy subject, and they add up very quickly very surprisingly. A bowl of oatmeal will have a lot of volume, leave you satiated and keep you full longer than toast and nutella. No one is saying do not eat the nutella, but adapt it into a meal that will leave you full and satisfied for example, if you want something sweet, heave oatmeal with a tablespoon of peanut butter or nutella inside of your oatmeal! Eat foods that will nourish you and give you enough energy to go about your day.

7. PORTION CONTROL AND PHYSICAL FULLNESS.

Portion sizes are all up to you as an individual and how satiated a portion size leaves you. Eat portion sizes that leave you satiated, but remember that being satiated does not equal to being so physically full that you feel uncomfortable as a result of eating too much. Being satiated is very difficult because sometimes you eat food that tastes amazing, and even though you are physically full, you feel like you could eat more and that becomes problematic because you've eaten past your bodies physical limit. Eating what you are craving ( number 3 ) comes into play with this aspect, as you have to be able to know when enough is enough. If you feel as if your portion sizes are huge and want to reduce them, then reduce it gradually whether it means you want to go from eating 4 slices of pizza to 2 slices of pizza, then begin with eating 3 and a half slices or eating one less scoop of pasta than you usually eat. If you have no idea how to stop eating past your physical limit, eat until you feel like you're just about to be physically full, do this for a week, and see how you will become satiated with the portions you are eating, gradually lessen the portion sizes overtime until you are happy with the amounts you are eating! This won't happen immediately, it is a gradual process.

8. DON'T EAT TOO FAST. CHEW YOUR FOOD.

A lot of the time, we do not realise how fast we eat and how we don't thoroughly chew our food. The food isn't running away, take your time to enjoy your meal and chew it instead of swallowing after a few times of grinding your teeth. Take in the flavour of your food and really enjoy it in the moment.

9. IT IS OKAY TO FALL INTO OLD HABITS, BUT BREAK IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

Nothing in life happens in a linear manner, everything is gradual and has its ups, its downs, its regressions and just general moments we are not proud of. If you find yourself in a binge cycle or overeating cycle for a day or a week, it does not meal all progress is lost. It means you are human, you are not engineered to be perfect constantly. Have a mantra for yourself that you repeat to comfort yourself: “it is okay, tomorrow will be better.” or “it was just one day, i can go back to normally eating tomorrow.” or “I shouldn’t be too hard on myself, it happens to everyone.”

10. INCORPORATE HEALTHY FOOD GROUPS INTO YOUR MEALS.

Make your meals satisfying and as colourful as possible! Don’t just eat pasta or pizza, eat it with something healthy like a side salad or a side of fruits or a side of healthy carbs like roasted potatoes! Never just eat one thing especially if it doesn’t have any greens or vegetables!! It doesn’t have to even be a salad or anything fancy! It can be cut up tomatoes, or cucumbers or apples!

11. HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVES MEAN YOU CAN EAT MORE FOR LESS.

Your oven, grill or airfryer is your bestfriend. Fried food is delicious, but you feel insecure at times after eating something that was cooked in heaping amounts of oil. Remember an airfryer is just a small oven, and can do wonders too. If you want a burger and you have time, home made burgers are always amazing and tastier than their fast food counterparts! Make your burger at home so you can control what goes into it, or make your fries in the oven so you can have a much more healthy alternative for less calories, and have more of it! I’m not saying make your burger buns something like lettuce buns, but making your burger at home can significantly reduce the calories in comparison to ONE mcdonalds burger, and you can have two for less calories than once burger if you make it at home.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Hopefully these tips can assist you day to day, and you take them into consideration and even test it out! These tips worked for me, and I know they won’t work for everyone but some of them might be helpful to you!

[copperbadge]

Can I ask…how you started going to sleep earlier? I really struggle with going to sleep at an appropriate time (not even early! like midnight!) ~ from an earlier q/a about waking up early

My initial reaction was “Oh no, I can’t help them, I just sorta did it” but then I realized that I did a couple of things to get in the groove of going to bed earlier. 

I ate dinner earlier. Obviously this is difficult if you’re in a family dining situation, but I would get home at 4:30pm and eat dinner immediately, which moved my biological timetable up. (This gets easier when you’re eating breakfast at 4am.)

I also set two alarms, one for when I should start getting ready for bed, and one for fifteen minutes before that, so that I would have time to wrap up what I was doing and say goodnight to anyone I was talking to. After a while, I would use that first “fifteen minute warning” alarm to get up and get myself a snack. 

You’re really not supposed to eat right before bed, but having a small snack can make you sleepy, and it would also take me away from the computer, which can sometimes be the hardest part of starting the bedtime ritual, abandoning that stimulus. For me it helped that I already understood that it wasn’t pleasurable stimulus; I was just refreshing gmail repeatedly or flipping through tabs without reading them. 

So anyway the snack was the kickoff of “bedtime activities” and it helped to break me out of a screen trance. 

The third thing I did was make a list of all the stuff I should do before bed and tape it to the bathroom mirror. That took the stress out of starting to get ready for bed because I could just blindly follow the steps: wash face, brush teeth, clean biteguard, put on pyjamas, turn out lights, plug in phone. Some people get super stressed by lists so this may not work for them but it helped my brain power down even more. 

If you’re having trouble getting to bed by midnight, starting out with a 7pm bedtime probably won’t lead you to success. I recommend stepping down -- starting your “go to bed” alarm for when you usually go to bed, then moving the alarm an hour earlier after a few days. At the same time, start setting your wake alarm for earlier, even if you’re already not getting enough sleep. If you’re sleeping midnight to 6am, start sleeping 11:30 to 5:30, so that you’re tired by the time the next night rolls around. (You can cut this off once you’re waking up when you want to, and just keep moving bedtime until you’ve got the full eight hours.) 

I also had someone send me an ask about this who said that anxiety was keeping them up late and that they’d stay up for hours in bed reading, and if they tried just lying there without reading they’d be super duper bored. Because you talked about anxiety and used your own username I didn’t want to post the ask publicly, but I figured I’d address it here.

One key is always to start everything earlier -- if you know you’ll need three hours of reading before you can sleep, try going to bed with the book way earlier. It seems silly to go to bed with a book at 5pm, but if it gets you to bed by 8pm, then it worked, and you’ll gain that time back in the morning. 

But more importantly, if anxiety is preventing you from sleeping, that’s a problem that needs to be dealt with first. Much like insomnia (which you may also have), this can’t be fixed by routines or willpower -- it’s physical. Obviously I don’t know your medical history or your insurance status, but if you can’t sleep because of anxiety, you should at the very least be seeing someone about why you’re so anxious, and possibly be taking medication for it. If a mental health condition is impacting your physical health, I strongly urge you to do what you can to address that directly. There’s a difference between “It’s hard to get in the habit of going to bed earlier so I can wake earlier/more refreshed” and “My body physically prevents me from sleep until I only drop off from sheer exhaustion.”

Anyway, that’s how I started going to bed earlier and getting up earlier -- a long process of adjustments and using every crutch I could find until I didn’t need them anymore. I started this process literal years ago -- I think it was probably 2014 when I started to go to bed at 9pm, and 2016 when I moved it even earlier, so don’t be frustrated if there is no immediate result. 3am is not achieved in a day. :D 

[survey--s]

244.

survey by childofglass

How would you describe your mood at the moment?   Tired, but otherwise I feel absolutely fine - pretty relaxed, really.

Is there anything going on around you that is responsible for your mood?   I guess I feel relaxed as I’m in one of my “happy” places - under my blanket with a cat snuggled up to me and one of my favourite wax melts burning.

Have you ever struggled with and Eating Disorder?   No, but you could probably say I have disordered eating habits.

What did you do on your most recent birthday?   I worked, went out for lunch and slept, lol.

What are your plans, if any, for your upcoming birthday?   My birthday isn’t for another seven months - all I know so far is I’m taking the weekend off work.

Create a sentence using the letter TRSAD, in order.   The robot started a demonstration.

Are you multi-lingual?   No. I can speak other languages, but they’re not fluent.

If you could choose any language to learn, which would it be?   Italian.

Have you ever wished on a shooting star, and if so, did the wish come true?   I don’t really believe in wishes.

How many different letters of the alphabet are in your full name?   That is far too much effort, lol.

Have you ever been pregnant/gotten someone pregnant?   I’ve been pregnant before, yeah.

How did you handle that situation/How would you handle that situation?   I had a miscarriage so I never had to think about.

If you could attend any college/university, which would you choose?   If I was re-doing it all, I wouldn’t bother with university.

If you combined your two favorite colors, what color would they make?   A purple-ish grey, lol.

Create an insult using the letters NELAS, in order.   Nasty eejit loser angry shithead.

Have you ever studied a religion that was not your own?   I’m not religious at all, but we studied the basics of all sorts of religions when I was in school.

Name three things that you like about yourself.   My work ethic, my organisation and my love of animals.

Name something that you would like to change about yourself.   Sometimes I wish I had more patience.

What is stopping you from changing?   Well, life gets in the way and none of us are perfect.

If you could go back in time for any reason, knowing that it could alter the future, perhaps for the worst...would you go back anyway? Nope.

Tell me about something that happened in your most recent dream.   I was in the nearest town to me getting the train, but the train was a weird old underground that took me to Manchester. Weird.

Can you sleep with the television or radio on?   I can nap like that, but I always end up waking up feeling like shite.

What would your last meal consist of if you knew you were going to die?   I don’t think I’d be able to eat anything if I knew I was about to die.

Have you ever suffered from an anxiety attack or disorder?   I have diagnosed anxiety and have had numerous panic attacks in the past, though luckily the last one was a good two years ago now.

What are your plans for the day?   My day is over, but it’s been crazy busy. I got up at 7.30, did all the housework, had breakfast, walked dogs from 8.30-2.30, picked Archie up, came home, fed all the animals, made up two treat boxes, did laundry, had a shower, unpacked the food shop, cooked dinner, washed up and then finally sat down around 5pm.

Before you go, name one more thing that you like about yourself. I think I’m genuinely quite a capable person and don’t really ever need to ask for help unless it’s something I’m physically incapable of.

[chan-chanyeol]

aurora

kyungsoo short fic for @hitchhikingbabeh for her birthday!!! i love u dear i hope this day treats you well. <3 1.7k words

Now, you’re quite proud of some of your work. Not all of it, not even the majority of it, but some, and that’s an accomplishment for you. But there are a few habits that you know successful writers don’t harbor and you’re trying to better yourself as you enter the world of writing as a profession.

Keeping care of yourself during deadlines is not one of them.

“Have you eaten today?”

You forcefully pull your gaze from your laptop screen to the doorway of your office (which is really just the guest room in your 2-bedroom apartment) and try to make out the hazy shape. It looks human, sounds human, but what human would have a key to your apartment?

“Well?”

Kyungsoo.

You let your eyes adjust from the brightness of your laptop to the darkness of the room, and he comes into view. Standing there, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed across his chest. He looks disappointed, but can you blame him? You spare a quick glance to the small clock in the corner of your screen and note that it’s past 5pm. You’re not quite sure the last time you fell asleep…

“Um,” you start. “Does water count as a meal?”

You swear he rolls his eyes at you but he’s so backlit at the moment you could only assume he has some sort of annoyed look on his face right now. “No it doesn’t,” he says, pushing off of the doorframe and disappearing into your apartment.

You swivel back in your chair to face your computer. Your deadline is in three days. You’re done with this short story you’re submitting, but you’re not done editing it for the fourth time to make sure it’s really really good. You had your dearest friend Kyungsoo read it two days ago when you finished it, and like the music major, acting minor he is, he said “it’s good” and gave you no feedback. None. Zero. So now you’re forced to pour over the words you’ve written over and over until you completely hate it, and then revise it once more for grammar and send it off.

“Tea doesn’t count as water, either. Especially not caffeinated tea,” Kyungsoo says, flicking on the light in the room you’ve occupied for the last four days. You squint and resort to closing your eyes as you adjust to the stark contrast. He must’ve found your old teabags by your kettle. How does he deduce things so easily?

“Tea is just leaf water,” you defend, watching him place a small plate of crackers and a glass of water on your desk. You can tell he’s squished peanut butter between saltines, an adequate snack. Your gaze shifts between the food and Kyungsoo, who’s hovering over you and staring you down until reach for a cracker. Well, he’s not really staring you down, but his deadpanned resting expression is similar enough.

“I’m not hungry,” you say, taking a small bite. Then shoving the whole thing into your mouth.

“This’ll hold you over until the food is ready,” he informs, exiting the bedroom and not being polite enough to even turn off the light.

You’d get up and flick it off yourself if you weren’t mid-sentence editing commas for clarity. You read the paragraph you’re on at least three times, once more for good measure, and then you grab the glass and take a hefty gulp of water. You’re currently surrounded by three empty tea cups, with their dark brown stains settled at the bottom as memories of decent tea you had hours upon hours ago. You’ve resorted to numerous types of breakfast teas to get you through this editing process. You figure that since it says ‘breakfast’ in the title, there must be some amount of needed nutrients in them.

Once again, you’re lost in the world of your own writing. You’re eager to find any problems. You check for grammar as well as clarity of the sentences, but you never resort to changing an entire sentence or paragraph because it ‘runs on’ or ‘has too many commas’. What’s more important is the feeling of the words, of the sentences, the paragraphs. You check for character continuity, plot points, and if your subtle meanings are coming across (well, of course they are to you, you’re the author. The audience can figure it out on their own.) You check for indentations, spelling, how many times you’ve written the word said—

“Food’s ready!”

And then you’re pulled back.

You stop hunching over your laptop and turn your head to the doorway, wondering if you heard right. Food? Who’s here making you food? How long have they been here? You turn back to your screen to adjust a few things when—

“Did you hear me?”

Kyungsoo’s back in your doorway, looking at you with that scary expression. But the second you look back at him, eyes wide like you’ve forgot he was here (because you did), he lets out a light laugh.

“C’mon,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. You note a few spatters of what you hope to be tomato sauce on his shirt. “I made food. You need to come eat.”

You both have a short staredown, seeing as you’re probably melded to your desk chair at this point, but his eyes flit over to the little plate of crackers he left for you and he notices nothing left. Guilty, you don’t verbally admit you were hungry enough to eat all the crackers, and drink all the water, and still have room for more— so instead you manually save your work a few times before closing your laptop and letting it get some much needed rest. Kyungsoo’s face softens as you rise from your chair with a little more effort than usually needed, and he lets you lead the way out the room and into the kitchen.

How you didn’t notice the smells of his cooking before, you’d never know. But as you walk into the kitchen to grab a new glass of water, you bask in the smell of pasta, bread, and a sauce you know he made from scratch (there’s nothing that smells that good in your pantry).

“That’s a lot of food,” you note, seeing the strainer full of pasta. “It’s not all for me, right?”

Kyungsoo makes two plates of pasta and heaps the sauce on top. “No,” he says. “There’s enough for us tonight and for leftovers later. I figure this is an easy food to reheat.”

You smile over the rim of your glass and watch as he places a few pieces of garlic bread on each plate and goes to set them on your dining room table. You snag a few pieces of silverware and napkins and go and help him set the table. Once you were both situated across from each other, a plate in front of the both of you, you properly thanked him for the meal before taking a bite.

And it was stupendous. You’re far too spoiled by him you think as you dig into the pasta. It’s as good as you remember, with all the spices blended into the sauce that you assumed he made from scratch, and the pasta itself cooked just right, you wonder why he didn’t become a chef.

“Thank you for this,” you mumble between bites. “This is the best meal I’ve eaten in weeks.

“I bet,” he teases. “You never eat well around a deadline.”

You give him a closed-mouth smile since your face is full of food and go right back to eating. Dinner, if you can call it that at around 2am, is enjoyed in comfortable silence.

And once you finished eating, you went right back to work.

Much to Kyungsoo’s dismay, you go and sit back in your desk chair and open up your laptop. With a dramatic crack of your knuckles, you reread what you had just edited with fresh eyes.

“You’re not going to sleep?” He asks, going to sit on the bed in the room.

“No, I’d be too stressed to sleep,” you say, typing away on your laptop.

Kyungsoo sighs and stands up from the bed, exiting the room but returning within a minute. You glance his way and see his schoolbag, but you’re blinded again as he turns on the light. You shake off the stun and look back to your screen, and off the reflection you see Kyungsoo lounging on the bed reading some sort of script. Guess you’re both going to get some work done.

And get work done you did.

After feeling newly refreshed from a decent and hearty meal, you sped through page after page of your story, editing it and simply rereading it. You found any problems and fixed them immediately. It felt like it flowed better, smoother, that the characters felt wholesome and real, and you were immensely satisfied. Well, satisfied enough to send it off to a few of your class friends to give it a final read for notes before you submit it. And it sounds like Kyungsoo got a lot of work done, too, judging by how many pages you heard getting flipped back and forth. He must be learning his lines for an upcoming project.

The sun was peaking through the blinds on the window when you closed your laptop again. You look over your shoulder to see Kyungsoo dead asleep, script abandoned beside him as he huddled up to the wall on the side of the bed. He always stayed in this room when he stayed over.

Seeing him asleep brought the sudden reminder of how exhausted you are. You could barely stand up and flick the light off, not trusting your wobbly legs to bring you all the way to your room, and instead shuffling back towards the twin sized bed where Kyungsoo lay. You nicely put his script on the nightstand before gently crawling on top of the bed, pulling the spare blanket at the bottom up and over both you and Kyungsoo. You make a point to lay on your side, facing away and towards your desk, just in case he wakes up and is weirded out by you joining him.

But when you do wake up, hours upon hours later, you’re tangled in his arms and you can’t seem to find a problem with that.

[passionatepotatoes]

Back in the time : interviewing my parents about their eating habits

Dear passionate potatoes,

In this post I, Rim, will bring you back in the time, to see some old Moroccan eating habits. I interviewed my parents in order to write this article.

My family consists of me,my two little sisters, my mom, and my stepdad. My mom got remarried 3 years ago, with the most amazing father in the world. But also the most greedy one. I can assure you, there is no better one than my stepdad choosing restaurants, from Indian, to Asian, to moroccan type of food. He got the best food taste in the world.

So my both parents are from Morocco, my stepfather lived their until he turned 5. Then he moved on to Eindhoven to live there. While he lived with his parents, they had 3 meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Until he was 18 he moved on to Saudi Arabia, for his studies. He shared a room with two guys. Then his eating habits started to change. He had breakfast at 10pm, lunch at 2pm, a meal at 5pm, dinner at 8am, and an after dinner at 11/12pm. During this period of his life, he gained a lot of weight, and he’s still suffering the same weight problems to this day. But he still has the best taste ever. when we travel i never let anyone else choose my meal except for him.

On the other side you have my mom . Who lived in morocco, until 2018, when we all settled here in Belgium. She lived in Tangier, before that. When she was with her parents they used to eat 4 meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, a meal called “mirinda” which is made of tea, bread, or some moroccan pancakes sometimes. Last but not least dinner, it doesn’t have to be something like Moroccans “tajine’s” it can also be as simple as eggs for example. When my mom was a kid all her family lived together in a big house, with 3 apart small houses. She mostly went to her aunt’s or grandma’s house to give her candies, she was the oldest sister, and also the most loved one by the family.

My mother got married when she was 18 years old. Yes, really young!! But she was in love with a man from Fés, a small city in Morocco, my grandfather didn’t approve their marriage but in the end he accepted the idea.

When my mom moved on to live with her husband, everything was new for her. Not only was the food different, but also the eating habits. They had some kind of royal system in their house. In Fés people bring housekeepers, and the wife should only cook for her husband. They also can’t stay in pyjamas the whole day, or even enter their bedrooms until they want to sleep. Even if someone is sick, she or he should be on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner table. And no one should leave table until everyone is done with eating.

After she got divorced, she kept a little bit of these habits, but not all of them.

Now we normally eat 3 time’s a day, if not two. A breakfast which is a necessity for my family. And lunch/dinner. If it’s not lunch then it’s a dinner.

I must say that these interviews with my parents made me know much more things about them, specially my stepdad. It was interesting! And stay tuned for my next week post: me comparing my parents habits to mine.

See you soon!

Rim

[nicoleswanderings]

ANNAPURNA CIRCUIT- Part 1

The first 11 days of the trek were a rollercoaster. We started the journey in Pokhara, took a 6 hour public bus to Besisahar- the official starting point. We decided to skip the first 5 miles or so on a dirt road so we took one more bus to Nadi Bazaar. My first thoughts as I put on my pack and started hoofing it up the hill were “holy shit. This pack is wayyyyy too heavy. Is it going to be uphill the whole way? Why did I want to do this again?”. And that was the start of working through that voice in my head that continually wanted to be in comfort. That needed to find a way to complain to escape the moment. It became routine for me to have these thoughts the first couple days. We would wake up around 6:30 am, eat our breakfast (which for me was overnight oats soaked in water with dates, walnuts, almonds, peanut butter, and protein powder- no wonder my bag was so heavy 😂), pack up our backpacks, and head out around 7:30. To be fair, the first 3 days we really didn’t reach our destination for the night until around 6pm- so they were freaking long days. But I just couldn’t for the life of me pull myself out of this rut of resisting everything- “ugh I don’t want to wake up”

“Do we really have to climb this hill?”

“Veg curry it is...for the 4th time in a row.”

and I was choosing to be here! I had been dreaming about this place for months!

But by the end I realized truly that this had nothing to do with the trek specifically- that was just a great environment for my mind to showcase its power and for me to recognize a habit I have (not just in the mountains) that needs to be trained.

Physically, it was hard- but not that hard. After the first few days, I got in a groove and my mantra (courtesy of Ruby) became I ACCEPT. I accept this blister on the back of my heel that rubs raw every time I step. I accept that it is freezing cold right now. I accept that I am hungry. I accept that there is no hot water. I accept that there are feelings of sadness inside my body. I accept that I miss home and the people I love. I was accepting the moment, with everything it held, for no other reason than this is all there is. This is life. A string of continual moments that come into fruition as NOW. All I was doing by resisting what already existed was causing suffering to myself with no option to change it. I couldn’t make there be hot water. I couldn’t force myself out of the feelings I was having. I could merely change my attitude toward them from one of disgust to one of accepting it with open arms and shedding love on that negative feeling. Truly love is the only thing that can dissolve reactionary emotions. I let go of the “shoulds”. “I should be feeling happier.” You have 2 options in any given moment. Accept all that is in this moment and feel the gentle ease grow inside you, or resist it and live in your mind out of alignment with the world around you. And soon, I ACCEPT didn’t hold any tinge of resentment or force- I was appreciating all the unfoldings as they came. Most of the time 😉

Okay more about the trek. We met amazing people in the first week. Since there is a pretty standard route to do this circuit, if someone starts the same day as you, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be seeing them until the end. Which is awesome. Trail family saved my sanity many times. We would play cards or tell stories around the fire in the living room of guest houses. Share about our countries, really just talk about life. Ruby and I hiked with a 20 year old couple from Sweden a lot, Josh from San Diego who does sweet seasonal work (and may buy my RV!), Eric, a retired hippy from Rochester NY who now lives in Turkey with his wife, and Babette from Holland.

In terms of housing, we stayed in guest houses for free each night in return for eating dinner from their restaurant. For being out in the middle of nowhere, we actually did have some nice luxuries. Electricity, a fire to dry our clothes, WiFi (sometimes) and hot food. They did have the same government regulated menu at every place though. But no hot water or toilet paper- though I have come to love squat toilets and the Nepali way of wiping ( lol look it up. Actually is more sanitary I think.)

The food was mostly MoMos (dumplings), curry, garlic soup, chapatti or buckwheat bread (like roti or tortillas) and Dal Bhat (lentils and rice). It was all pretty good actually! They also had fresh Seabuckthorn Juice at high altitudes which was amazinggggg!! It’s know to be the highest vitamin C food in the world!

So our first 11 days were spent uphill making our way over Thorong La Pass at 5,400 meters. The last 2 days had heavy snow and we were all layers. The locals told us this year actually has been a lot more unpredictable and snowy than normal. 6 people died about a month before we went up actually. But that was because of avalanches and the pass was closed when they went. The day before the pass, we hiked up to high camp as we left our beloved Josh behind to acclimatize a bit longer because of a headache. We were hiking in a total blizzard and made it to High Camp around 5pm. There is one structure here to house those crazy enough to spend the night. Most people leave around 4 am the next morning to get up there before wind hits, but we waited because we wanted I hike in the daylight- I am glad we did that. Every inhale at that altitude feels like not enough, my body was never satisfied with how much oxygen was in it.

At one point I had a buckle over my chest to keep my backpack secure but I started getting dizzy. I later realized after Unclipping it that it was because my chest couldn’t expand enough with true clip on. It’s really the smallest things. I also took Gingko Biloba and Co-Q10 a week before to help with heart health and oxygenating the blood. And doing day hikes to high altitudes then sleeping at lower ones is very helpful (I.e. Ice Lake).

Anyways we made it over, but culturally, into another world. Stay tuned for part 2!

Here’s our route:

Day 1- Pokhara-Ghermu

8:30-6:30 6 miles

Day 2- Ghermu- Tal

7:30-6:30 11.5 miles

Day 3- Tal-Danaqyu

7:30-1:30 7 miles

Day 4- Danaqyu-Chame

8-1 6.5 miles

Day 5- Chame-Upper Pisang

8-1:30 9 miles *BEAUTIFUL DAY*

Start of the huge Mountain Views!

Day 6- Upper Pisang- Mungii

8-3:45 7.5 miles

Day 7- Mungii-Ice Lake- Manang

8-4:30 9 miles up to 4500 meters!

Day 8- Rest day in Manang ( I got to see the old version of Into Thin Air in a makeshift movie room!)

Day 9- Manang-Letdar

8-1 7 miles

Day 10- Letdar- High Camp

8-5 3.5 miles

Day 11- High Camp- Muktinath

7-4:30 8 miles

[masqueradcr-blog]

Day 4

What is your character’s daily routine? Do they give themselves a lot of time to get ready in the mornings, or do they rush out the door? What time do they wake up? Where do they usually spend their lunchtime? What time do they get home? Do they work, or go to school? Do they do anything extra?

I was originally going to draw a comic for this but I got so lazy, so apologies for the false hopes.

Anyway, on with the meme.

6 A.M.

Akira wakes up, washes his face, brushes his teeth and gets changed for school / everyday casual. He doesn’t bother doing anything with his hair unless it’s really knotty/messy.  Waking up this early is from habit when he went to school in Japan.

6:20 A.M.

Have breakfast and eat with Morgana.  He makes sure his cat has enough food before leaving.

Throughout the day.

If he’s not at school then he’s most likely at home or wandering around Bellevue. He free time is spent at the library, arcade, parks or food places if he’s not at work.

After that, Akira is usually home by 4pm/5pm, maybe later depending on if there’s something on or he’s doing something. His father doesn’t return until 1AM sometimes so he could usually stay out late if he wanted to.

Nighttime.

During this time, Akira cooks dinner for himself, his father and Morgana. He and Morgana eat together again, Akira usually relaxes for a bit before starting on his homework for the night.

Akira is most likely seen playing video games or watching a movie so he can relax before falling asleep and repeating the cycle. Sometimes he’ll just sit on the couch and paly with his cat or do other odd things until tiring himself enough to sleep.

[peachesxhyuney]

yoyo :)

hello issa wild jello ~

today was pretty productive and went by really fast for me.

First, I’m trying to make a habit to journal in the morning, the hour I woke up which I successfully did. I immediately went to eat breakfast so I don’t get distracted on my phone or my computer. I watched short videos so I could get to studying for the ACT! I study using the EdReady website, I don’t know whether it’s reliable or completely smart to study online but at least I’m making an effort, I did that for an hour.

Then, I practiced my instrument, the Baritone for about an hour. After, I practiced a new choir piece my chorus teacher emailed us during the break for about 20 minutes. It’s hard to sing high notes ;-; I gotta widen my range. After, I went and practiced my Kanji for my Japanese 3 for about an hour, pushing through even though I got tired of it quickly. I ate lunch for about an hour then went through a rabbit hole of videos kinda, while also doing my daily Nitro Type race to get my typing speed up to par heh. (90wpm bois) 

Around 5pm I was notified by my mom that it was my landlord’s birthday today and that we’d be having a smol party at the front, so I showered and ate dinner there. But I grabbed food then went back to my room and went to watch a new bl drama I found. It’s called “Theory of Love” I discovered it through one of the comments from 2moons2 cause they were airing around the same time so people were excited to wait and watch for both series. I’m loving the drama so far, I’m finished with ep 3, I’ll be saving the rest for tmrw cause it’s already late Dx 

I got church tmrw so I gotta sleep naw :) 

Thanks if you read this, I hope you’re having a great week so far. 

~ jello <3

[lovelylittlewaist]

my story

i’ve been needing to get this out for a long time, and i guess it’s fitting that i make it one of my first posts on here. please don’t read if you’re triggered by eating disorder behaviors or negative talk about food!! i’m posting this in case someone is going through something similar and needs someone to talk to. i know i could’ve used someone like that, so if you need to/want to, please message me!! i’ll post my story under the cut : )

it all basically started towards the end of my senior year. well, issues with my body had started long before that (probably 5th or 6th grade when i was in gymnastics, i would notice how my stomach bulged out when i was in my leo. that’s what started my sucking in habit). for some reason, i never felt hungry, ever. i would eat because i knew i had to, but i really was never hungry. so one day, when i was driving home from school, i told myself that i wouldn’t eat until i was actually hungry. 

and i did it. the next day, i woke up late so i wouldn’t have to eat breakfast, didn’t pack a lunch, and didn’t have a snack before practice. after all that, i finally felt a little hungry, so i ate the smallest portion of dinner i could get away with. it felt like a victory. i felt like i’d won something. so i did it again. 

the next day, i told myself i was only allowed to eat five pretzel sticks before practice and a small portion of dinner. i did that, too. i kept those habits up until the end of the school year. 

during that time, i kept convincing myself that nothing i was doing was wrong, that i didn’t have any disordered eating. i was just trying to stay healthy for track and keep my stomach small. i told myself i didn’t care about calories...until one day i was “curious.” i looked at the calories from my cereal and milk and from then until about a month later, i was obsessively counting calories. it got to a point where if i ate more than 200, that was a bad day. it got to a point where i wouldn’t eat a breath mint because that would be too many extra calories. i only drank water, ever, and i was terrified of eating dinners with my family (because i didn’t know the calorie count of everything). 

thank god for my school trip to france and italy. i made a promise with myself that i wouldn’t care about eating while on the trip (8 days) because i didn’t want to come home and regret missing out on real french crepes or italian pasta. i stopped worrying about calories during that trip and i ate anything i wanted (including three to four cups of gelato a day).

when i came home, i was still in the habit of eating everything i wanted. i hated myself for it, i hated the way my stomach looked because of it, but i was eating normally. (or what i would call overeating.) so the rest of the summer was spent trying different “diet plans.” i tried only eating lunch and a snack later at night, i tried no eating after 6pm (which turned into 5pm, 4pm, 3pm), i tried intermittent fasting (where you stop eating for 16 hours a day and eat normally the other 8), but that turned into me eating barely a snack at around 12pm then barely eating anything else for the rest of the day. i did that for the rest of the summer. the problem was, i never got any skinnier. i never lost any weight. 

now i’m in college. i regret everything i eat--i have for months now. i usually skip breakfast and lunch, then only eat dinner and maybe a snack later on, but i can’t do that anymore with track. i have to eat lunch so i don’t pass out during the workout, and i have to eat dinner so i can recover for the next one. to me, my stomach looks disgusting and no matter what i do, i’m never happy with it.

so yeah, that’s where i am now. again, if you’re reading this and you need support, please reach out to me!! message me or ask something anonymously, whatever!! i’ll do my best to help <3

[jeremystrele]

A Day In The Life Of Benjamin Law, Writer

A Day In The Life Of Benjamin Law, Writer

A Day In The Life

by Sally Tabart

One of the first thing’s Benjamin Law does every day is clear out his inbox before 9am. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Bits and bobs from Ben’s house. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

‘You’re allowed to say “no” and you don’t have to give a reason. Simply say you’re unavailable and unable. This is a much better alternative to saying “yes” just to get someone off your back, and making your future self furious at you,’ says Ben. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Spending a lot of writing time alone, Ben tries to leave the house at lunchtime. Here he is at Boon Cafe in Haymarket. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Usually Ben eats his breakfast with green tea, or sometimes a Virgin Mary – hot and spicy V8 juice with squeezed lemon. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Ben exercises after 5pm most days, either swimming or yoga. He loves swimming at The Prince Alfred Pool in Surry Hills. Ben at Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

The first person in Speedos on TDF! Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Writing about a writer is one of the most daunting tasks for… a writer. I’m always worried about doing something sloppy, like repeating the same word three times in one sentence (see: previous sentence). It’s especially nerve-wracking when the subject is as prolific as Benjamin Law, one of the defining voices in Australian culture over the past 10 years.

Ben grew up on the Sunshine Coast, to Cantonese parents who migrated to Australia via Southern China (Ben’s Dad) and Malaysia (Ben’s Mum), via Hong Kong. Based in Sydney, Ben describes himself now as pretty much the same as when he was a kid: ‘obsessed with sex, annoyingly attention-hogging, insatiably curious but could be immediately reduced to silence if you put a good book, movie, TV show or magazine in front of me.’ Only these days, he’s the one writing the material.

In 2010 Ben published the hilarious, poignant memoir, The Family Law, and then in 2012 a travel book exploring the queer experience in Asia, Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East. Both were nominated for Australian Book Industry Awards, and the former was later adapted into a groundbreaking TV series on SBS. He’s written more books, countless features and worked on film and television projects. He’s also working on a play – because clearly, he doesn’t have enough going on right now!

Next week, Ben’s latest endeavor – a documentary called Waltzing the Dragon – will premiere on ABC, where Ben travels with his parents from remote Northern Australia to Chinese megacities to explore the overlap in cultures. ‘On one level, it’s a history of the Chinese in Australia – a history that pre-dates the First Fleet and white arrival on this continent by centuries – but it’s also a massive road-trip with my um and Dad to find our own roots,’ Ben explains. ‘Some of the stuff we unearth will completely up-end your understanding not just of Chinese-Australian history, but Australian history in general.’

No two days are ever the same for Ben. ‘I don’t really have anything resembling structure nowadays’, he admits. In lieu of regular programming, he has a ‘some habits and ground rules’ to keep it all together – showering first thing, clearing out his inbox before 9am (‘it’s like a healthy little mind audit before the workday starts’), exercising and at the end of the day, truly switching off and decompressing with his boyfriend.

Ben is a wealth of wisdom when it comes to carving out space for himself in the midst of a sometimes chaotic, always random routine. From scheduling his iCal ‘down to the minute’ to stopping all things digital by 10pm, Ben shares how he gets it all done.

FIRST THING

I like the idea of getting up by 6.30am because I enjoy the feeling of having a headstart on everyone else, but it’s usually 7.30am. I like reading before bed and I usually do that until midnight, and I need exactly 7.5 hours sleep. It’s like my body’s finally said, ‘It’s non-negotiable.’ I’m also a super-deep sleeper. Waking up is like trying to exhume something dead from an oceanic trench. But for the last few years, I’ve used an amazing app called Sleep Cycle, which both monitors your sleep and ensures you wake up at a point in your sleep where it’s not jarring and horrible. I love it so much.

My boyfriend is usually up before me and he’s usually watching ABC News Breakfast while reading the news; I tend to prefer having ABC RN Breakfast on the radio with Fran Kelly or Hamish MacDonald.

I do a poo, have a shower then clear my inbox. Sorry: is that too graphic? Basically, it’s a lot of purging and cleansing from when I wake up until 9am.

MORNING

Breakfast often makes me gag, so it’s usually something light, like miso soup and fruit, or toast with butter and vegemite, and crunchy peanut butter with honey. And it’s usually with green tea, or sometimes a Virgin Mary – hot and spicy V8 juice with squeezed lemon.

Then I work: whether that’s doing interviews for Good Weekend, prepping Stop Everything – the ABC RN pop culture show I co-host with Beverley Wang– or just writing for a deadline or project.

If I’m about to launch into writing that requires proper focus, I forcibly disable the internet by activating Freedom on my laptop and Forest on my phone.

LUNCHTIME

On writing days, it’s common that I won’t even leave the house or have any human contact until 5pm – and perhaps a bit disgustingly, I don’t actually mind that at all. But sometimes I’ll pop down to Spice Alley – which is super close to where we live – for a cheap and cheery lunch.

AFTERNOON

It’s usually just writing, meetings and admin all arvo – a big happy horrible mess. My iCal is colour-coded within an inch of its life for this reason. Basically, my work is kind of like triage all day, and then I try to ensure the bleeding stops by 5pm.

EVENING

I try to finish by 5pm. It’s tempting for freelancers to keep working, but unless I’ve got a deadline in the next hour, I tell myself to stop. Because there’s always more work that could be done. It’s really important to me to sound boundaries nowadays.

After 5pm, I try to take a break – check the mail, do some housework, laundry, clean the kitchen, meal prep for dinner – then either swim laps, go to the gym or do some yoga with this great app called Pocket Yoga, which I prefer to classes.

I then make dinner, catch up with my boyfriend Scott, decompress, watch the news and Leigh Sales on 7.30, then it’s whatever we’re watching. Some of the stuff we’ve loved this year have included Pose, Stranger Things, Fleabag, Catastrophe and Game of Thrones. And RuPaul’s Drag Race, obviously.

LAST THING

Work-wise, I always give my inbox a little late-night purge again, if possible. Then I go into iCal and I plan the next day right down to the last minute, including breaks, exercise and social stuff with mates. If I have to be my own boss, I figure I can ride my own arse. And there’s no white space in the iCal, because if there is, I know my instinct is to fill it with work. So I trick myself by scheduling my breaks.

Over the last year or so, I’ve kept to a new habit: around 10pm, I set my phone’s alarm clock (via Sleep Cycle), switch on the Do Not Disturb mode and have it lying face down. Then I have a shower – as if to wash off the day and my digital reliance – and come into bed to read a book. Sometimes it’ll be The New Yorker, but it has to be on paper. I’ve gotten my boyfriend into the habit too, and I think it’s actually my favourite part of the day: feet tangled under the doona, each of us immersed in something.

Ben working from his standup desk at home. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files.

Right now I’m listening to/watching/reading…

Music: Mark Ronson’s Late Night Feelings; Gabriel Kahane’s Book of Travelers; and new tracks Washington (Megan Washinton, who’s a mate of mine) has been working on.

Podcasts: Internationally: Fresh Air, Still Processing, Nancy, Touré Show, New Yorker Radio Hour. Australian: The Signal, Background Briefing, Conversations, Ladies, We Need to Talk.

Reading: A combo of Vicki Laveau-Harvie’s The Erratics, Deray McKesson’s On the Other Side of Freedom and Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. The last few books I’ve really devoured have been Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers and Max Porter’s Lanny.

One important thing I do every day is… Move my body.  And decompress with my boyfriend.

I get my best work done when… I’m able to give it the time it warrants. It’s better to allocate the right amount of time something needs – and breathing room in case it goes wrong – rather than constantly being a deluded time-optimist.

A philosophy I live and work by is… When deciding on projects, Laurie Anderson says it needs to fulfill two of the following three criteria: it has to be fun, it has to be interesting and it has to make money. It can’t just tick one box: only two or more. Similarly, I need projects to be fun, challenging, make money and I need to have the time.

My productivity tip/tool is…

If you need time away from the internet, install Freedom onto your computer and Forest on your phone. Forest is an app that’s like a Tamagotchi: you plant a virtual cartoon seed for a set time. If you check another app in that time, your plant dies and you have a dead forest. It’s a surprisingly emotional experience!

Another big breakthrough I had is with transcribing interviews. Traditionally it took me about 120 minutes to transcribe a 30-minute conversation. It’s so painful. And all the voice transcription software I’d ever tried over the past decade has been shit. But my boyfriend and some mates put me onto Otter recently and it’s been life-changing. I almost get emotional about it.

Finally: all huge tasks are like bricklaying. You’ve got to break down big goals. Don’t just have ‘write book’ or ‘write play’ as your daily task, otherwise, you’ll intimidate and scare the shit out of yourself. Break it into monthly goals (eg. finish chapter), and break those into weekly goals (eg. complete key interviews) and break those into daily (eg. 750-1000 words) then hourly goals (125 words per hour doesn’t seem that intimidating, suddenly). It also means you have closure on the day and feel like you can reward yourself.

Something I learned the hard way is… You’re allowed to say ‘no’ and you don’t have to give a reason. Simply say you’re unavailable and unable. This is a much better alternative to saying ‘yes’ just to get someone off your back, and making your future self furious at you.

Tune into the first episode of  Waltzing The Dragon With Benjamin Law this Tuesday, July 30th at 8.30pm on ABC, or catch it later on ABC iView!

[lindafrancois]

How Mark Adjusted His Mindset, Learned to Meal Prep, and Lost 65 Pounds.

“Here’s another example of the power of meal preparation.”

Meet Mark: a busy father who does construction planning in England. He’s also a nerd who fancied himself a drink or two over a warm meal from the pub.

All well and good, until Mark went to his doctor for a check-up.

The report back? Not great.

Mark’s blood pressure was too high, his cholesterol numbers weren’t good, and he needed to lose weight.

This is bad news indeed.

The thing is though, Mark didn’t need a note from his doctor to know his habits were becoming destructive – he experienced lots of pain daily and overall felt miserable.

Clearly things couldn’t continue as they were, so Mark decided he needed help.

I’m proud to say that Mark reached out to us for guidance and through our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program adjusted his nutrition and adopted a consistent workout practice.

Today, Mark has lost 65 pounds and is no longer in pain. The work paid off.

How did Mark change his nutrition?

He learned to meal prep, a key characteristic in pretty much every single success story Nerd Fitness has ever run.

But you don’t need to hear it from me! Let’s bring in Mark and learn about it from him!

HOW MARK LEARNED TO MEAL PREP, LOST 65 POUNDS, AND LEVELED UP HIS LIFE

Steve: Hi Mark! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

I’d love to hear from you about your past – Can you take us through a typical day before you started your journey with Nerd Fitness?

Mark: I’d be up at 5am for work, then nip into Starbucks to grab two sausage cobs (sandwiches). I’d finish work at 5pm, then visit the local shop on my way home for more junk food and probably beer.

Once back at my place, I’d sit and watch films, play games, or read till late.

Then the next day: wash, rinse, repeat.

Steve: That’s an easy pattern to find yourself in: fast food before work, work itself, and more fast food and beer for dinner. I’m sure many Rebels can relate to leaning on junk food for meals.

Was this your first time trying to get in shape?

Mark: Not at all. I have tried so many different times over the years. At some point or another, I tried just about every “diet.”

I would find a program, commit 100%, and stick to it for a few weeks. But inevitably I would fall back into bad habits and abandon the effort. Until a new program would catch my fancy. The pattern would then repeat again.

Until recently, working out was something that I could never keep consistent. For example, I’d try to go to the gym in the evenings. All would be going okay, then a long day would inevitably come about and I’d skip the gym.

One of the many benefits of my Coach, Jim, is he lets me know it’s okay when bad habits emerge. We are all human. A slip up here and there is okay, but with consistency comes results.

Steve: That’s great to hear you say that, and Jim is 100% right! It’s what you do “most of the time” that matters.

It’s one of the reasons we have our motto “Never Two in a Row.” Missing a workout is okay. But if you miss two workouts in a row, it becomes very easy for it to become three. And once it’s three, it becomes very easy for it to be “never.” Then you’re plain just not exercising.

Was there a specific moment you decided to ask for help?

Mark: There was. I went to the doctor, and my numbers weren’t good. Blood pressure, cholesterol, weight…everything was bad.

The signs were there before my report though.

I was also miserable and in pain. The food I was eating was causing severe indigestion. I was also suffering from gout, which made simple things painful. You wouldn’t believe how painful a duvet resting on a foot with gout can be.

At the weight I was, everything was difficult.

Even sleep was a chore, as I’d wake myself up snoring.

There was also the realization that I looked bad. I was dressing in clothes that were comfortable and I’d given up on my appearance.

Steve: Yikes. I’m sorry to hear about the pain you had to endure. Plus, no one likes to receive bad news from the doctor! I’m just glad you used the incident as a jumpstart to try something different.

Can you talk to me a little bit more about “consistency?” It’s something you mentioned before.

Mark: Yeah, one of the most important things I’ve learned is that I’m a morning person.

So, Coach Jim advised me to go workout before heading into the office.

As soon as I switched my workouts to the morning, everything clicked in place. I’m in and out of the gym before 6am, ready for the day. That has been consistent for the last year.

I don’t fight the fact that I’ll be tired after a long day of work. When I’m off work, I’m ready to unwind for the day.

Steve: That’s great to hear Mark! Sometimes all it takes is finding your ideal rhythm for everything to sync up. I too would rather workout in the morning, so I know no matter what else happens, at least I got my training in for the day.

What are you doing at the gym? What is Coach Jim having you work on?

Mark: At the moment I am doing kettlebell workouts, mixed with deadlifts and barbell squats.  Since joining, whenever I see something in the gym I want to have a go at, Jim works it into the routine for me.

For example, I am working on pull-ups right now. We cracked push-ups a while back so this is the next big one for me.  

I’m also training for a 27-mile hike in the summer, which means on the weekends and in the week I am getting plenty of walking sessions in.

The hike is in the Peak District to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Jim is all about it and has prepared a training regimen to get me ready, which is currently ramping up.

Steve: That’s so cool man! I’m glad you’re training for a hike and a charitable one at that. We often tell people to find their “Big Why,” like an event in the near future you have to prepare for. This can be a great motivator to get those extra walks in. Smart move.

Can you talk to me a little bit about your nutrition? You’ve lost a lot of weight. What have you been doing differently?

Mark: I changed my nutrition massively.

I was eating junk food every day. And lots of it. Waking up to it. Eating it right before bed. Constant.

Today, I’ve added more vegetables into my diet. A lot more fish too. By focusing on vegetables and good quality meat, I’ve been able to reduce my overall calorie intake. All the fiber and protein helps me feel full, so I’m not constantly hungry. Which makes avoiding junk food easier.

I work away from home during the week, so I only have a microwave for “cooking”. Obviously, a limitation.

But then I discovered meal prep. Breakfast, dinner, and lunches are now prepared on my weekend. Which makes life easier and removes the temptation of impulse food buying.

There was a time during the workweek that I didn’t set foot in a food shop for nearly 6 months. I saved a fortune financially too by doing this.

By taking some time on the weekend to cook some vegetables and grill some meat, I’m all set for the work week. It’s amazing how important this has been to my success.

Steve: That’s amazing. As you’ve been sharing, I started reflecting that this is a common trait amongst all Nerd Fitness success stories.

Every Rebel who has successfully transformed themselves, including me, has done it by preparing their next meal in advance. Welcome to the meal prep club!

What’s a typical day for you like now? Workouts, diet strategy, and so on. Give us the details!

Mark: I wake at 4:20am, then go to the gym before work. I do this Monday through Friday.

At 5pm, I’m off work. I go back to the digs, but now I am usually doing something productive or reading something factual that will improve me in some way.

At 8pm, I turn all electronics off, then read for 30-60 minutes (sometimes less if I fall asleep). I’ll then meditate myself to sleep if I’m still awake.

And like I said, I’ve been consistently working out in some fashion, whether in the gym or on walks 6 days a week.

Food wise: I have overnight oats for breakfast, a pre-prepped meal for lunch (chili or curry in winter) and a pre-prepped meal for dinner.

I’m more on “auto-pilot” these days, which is great.

Steve: Creating a solid and healthy routine, then sticking to it. I love it.

As I stated earlier, you’ve obviously lost a decent amount of weight. What else has changed about you?

Mark: Yeah, 65 pounds down at this point.

I’ve gone from a 54-inch to a 38-inch waist.

There is a big hill near my home, I can now walk all the way up it and not be winded.

Just the other week, I was able to run a 5K – something I haven’t done in over two years and I didn’t even intend to do it.  

Even more importantly, I am no longer in pain.

I’ve gone from being in pain when I walk to being able to walk 10 miles without much effort and running for 45 minutes (Jim will tell you I have often said I will never run, I lied – I wanted to prove to myself I could do it, lol).

Mentally I am now sharper and in a place where I am taking care of my appearance.

Steve: I’m proud of the work you’ve done Mark, and I’m so happy to hear you’re no longer in pain.

Okay, real talk: NF Coaching isn’t cheap. You’ve been a client for over a year and a half. What makes you stick with it and keep investing in yourself?

Mark: I’d done the NF Academy previously, to great success. But I needed more accountability to keep things going, which is what Coaching offers.

Plus, in my busy life, I wanted to simplify my health.

Jim sets the workouts so I don’t have to worry about that. At the beginning he also gave me a lot of tips on nutrition – which saved me a lot of time and spurred my weight loss.

Outside of the gym, Coach Jim is helping me with my mental wellbeing. I’m currently going through a blip and we’re working on that and ways to get me back on track mentally. That is a side of Coaching not often talked about, I think.

Even in dark times, I can come back to what is consistent in my life: my training. Jim encourages me to keep going and to understand there will be good weeks and bad weeks.

Steve: I’m so happy to hear Jim is helping you with the mental side of things. I know many Rebels find exercise to be beneficial in dealing with depression and anxiety, so I agree with Jim’s recommendation that through good or bad weeks, attempt to make exercise constant.

It feels like you’re on a solid path to a leveled up life and I’m really proud of you.

Alright, I ask everyone and you’re not getting out of it: Mark, what makes you a nerd?

Mark: I was a gamer until my children started to beat me.

I stick to Football Manager now.

My favorite outdoor activity is geocaching. To make that even nerdier I podcast and vlog about it:

I love reading – sci-fi is my favorite genre. I fancy myself a good Star Wars novel.

When my kids were younger I would take them to see films like Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, rather than Finding Nemo.

They asked me recently why I took them to see such nerdy films, lol. What can I say, I’m just trying to raise the next generation of geeks.

Steve: Perfect! Kudos on being an awesome dad!

Also, I love that you do geocaching. I always encourage people to exercise in a way that doesn’t feel like exercise, and using GPS to hunt for lost treasures fits that bill perfectly! Good work on finding a fun and healthy hobby!

Do you have any words of advice for somebody who is just starting out on their weight loss journey? What if they’re considering a change, but not sure where to start?

Mark: Keep it simple.

I truly believe that walking is the best way to start – once I got moving I wanted to stop feeling pain so I could move even more.  

Find workouts and nutritious meals you enjoy – experimenting with that stuff has been part of the fun for me and Coach Jim indulges that.

And no matter what: keep going.

You will get discouraged, have “fat days” and slip up… just forgive yourself and get back up and carry on.

Steve: Great advice. We are all human and we are all works in progress. Mistakes will happen. The most important point is to not lose momentum when inevitable slip-ups occur. The successful are those who don’t quit.

Mark, I’m honored you’re a member of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion. Thanks again for taking the time to share with all of us.

Best of luck and have fun on your upcoming charity hike!

THE 5 KEYS TO MARK’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESS

Mark’s story has many aspects that you might be able to relate to:

Depending on quick and easy junk food for meals.

Not being able to consistently maintain an exercise practice.

A bad report card from his doctor.

We all have personal hardships in life: injuries, job responsibilities, dysfunctional families, etc.

What sets Mark apart is not the obstacles he had to face. We all have them.

What sets Mark apart is how he sought to overcome those barriers.

Here are 5 traits Mark displayed that set him apart. 5 traits that allowed Mark to level up his life, despite the hardships in his way.

#1) MARK DIDN’T GIVE UP

Had Mark attempted to get in shape prior to becoming a NF Coaching client?

In his own words, he had tried “many times over the years.” He even went through the NF Academy, which helped…for a while.

But Mark just couldn’t keep up the pace. He would try and work out after a long day in the office.

Sometimes it would go well.

More often than not, it wouldn’t.

Then it would be stopping by the pub on the way back home instead of stopping by the gym.

The important thing throughout it all: Mark kept trying until finally something “clicked.”

Mark now trains right after breakfast, early in the morning.

Before the day and job responsibilities take over, Mark swings some kettlebells or picks up a barbell.

By training first thing in the morning, Mark can take comfort knowing that no matter what else happens, he prioritized getting stronger for the day.

This mindset can help you get through a day of back to back meetings and phone calls. When they’re finally done at 5pm, so are you. Time to relax back home and recharge for the next morning’s workout.

The important thing is Mark kept trying until he got it right. Mark kept going until he found healthy habits that would work for him.

Speaking of…

#2) MARK LEARNED TO MEAL PREP

Mark discovered a super, incredible, awesome, powerful new habit (is that enough adjectives? Maybe). That new technique?

Meal prepping.

I started this post by explaining that every single success story on the site contains a person who learned to meal prep. Here’s why:

Mark has a tough job. He travels for the position and is in charge of planning complex and expensive construction projects.

When he’s done for the day, he’s tired! The last thing he wants to do is grill up some fish or fry up some asparagus after a tough day in the office. It’s easy to see why some food from the pub and a couple of beers sounds more appealing than rolling up your sleeves in the kitchen.

That’s why it’s critical to do yourself a favor on the weekend: cook food for the entire week.

By taking some time on a Sunday afternoon you can cook meals for the workweek. It’s not much harder to cook 12 chicken breasts than it is 1.

Then when you come home after a long day, you really can just relax. All you have to do is “cook” your food in a microwave. This is what Mark and many other Rebels do.

Do future you a favor and prepare future food ahead of time! You’ll make your week, and life, easier by adopting this habit.

#3) MARK INVESTED IN HIMSELF AND ASKED FOR HELP

Mark hit a path in life many Rebels find themselves in: his doctor told him his health was on the wrong path.

“Everything was bad” using Mark’s words, and he knew that if he didn’t want a shorter lifespan, things needed to change.

Plus, even normal activities like short walks and sleep were becoming difficult.

Mark had hit his rock bottom.

For many folks, things continue more or less the same from there. They know they need to change but then resort back to previous habits or earlier attempts at getting healthy. The boom and bust cycle continues.

Not Mark. Mark decided he would try something different. Mark decided he would ask for help.

I’m proud Mark reached out to us and joined our Coaching Program. With Coach Jim’s guidance, Mark then created some key habits that helped him stay on target.

Mark established systems in his life, instead of relying on the temporary motivation a doctor’s report can provide.

Mark’s systems include:

Prepared meals for the week. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are already decided ahead of time.

Gym time first thing in the morning. No chance to second guess whether he’ll train in the evening. This also means that evening time becomes earned relaxation.

At 8pm all electronics are off. This helps Mark transition into relaxation and then sleep, which he��ll need for his training and work the next day.

Could Mark have established these systems on his own? Sure.

Was it easier to implement with an expert who tailored and adapted these habits into Mark’s life? 100% yes.

Many of us will reach a point where all signs point to needing outside help. When this time comes, remember, it’s okay to ask for it.

#4) MARK KEPT FINDING NEW DRAGONS TO SLAY

Mark lost weight and is no longer in pain. That’s awesome!

Is Mark done? No way!

He’s gearing up for a 27-mile charity hike! He slew one dragon and moved onto a bigger one!

This is critical.

After Mark started crushing push-ups, he put his sights on doing pull-ups! Coach Jim has created a plan so Mark can do just that.

Knowing Mark’s history, I have no doubt he’ll be pulling himself up in no time.

To keep up hard-fought momentum, you need to aim for bigger targets:

Once you can do a 5-mile hike, it’s time to start thinking about 10 miles.

Once you start doing one full pull-up, start thinking about doing 5.

Once you slay one dragon, look for a bigger foe to vanquish.

This is how you constantly level up in the game of life.

#5) MARK IS HAVING FUN ALONG THE WAY

When it comes to getting in shape, I always advise people to do three things:

Eat real food: 80-90% of weight loss rests on this. Mark preps his meals for the week to reach this goal.

Strength train: a strong nerd is a healthy nerd. Mark lifts heavy first thing in the morning for this one.

Find an exercise you love and do that often: all movement is beneficial, so move in a way you enjoy. Mark does this by walking, hiking, and geocaching.

For those not in the know, geocaching is a modern day treasure hunt where participants use GPS to hide and find containers called “geocaches” or “caches.”

Go out, hide something in a cool spot, then go online and then others where to find it!

Geocachers get to explore the world in a fun and unique way by hiding and finding secret containers.

Getting in an extra mile during a hike is easy if you know there’s treasure around the next bend!

Plus, if you recruit a friend as Mark does, you have a treasure hunting buddy to share in the spoils.

Find movement you enjoy and do that as much as possible:

Like ballroom dancing? Perfect! Sign up for a class.

Like LARPing? Great! Polish up your armor.

Like treasure hunting? Sweet! Download an app and get started geocaching!

I know it’s cliché, but getting in shape really is a lifestyle adjustment. Meaning this isn’t something you do for a week, a month, or even one year.

It’s something you will do for the rest of your life.

For this to work, you need to enjoy the journey ahead.

If you hate jumping on a treadmill today, you won’t be doing it a month from now. So do something else instead that makes you excited to move your body.

It’s a message I really strike home in the video “Want to get in shape? Think in days and years, not weeks and months”

We are not making temporary changes, because they will only create temporary results. We are making permanent changes, so our transformations will be permanent.

For that to work, you need to enjoy the journey. If that means hunting for buried treasure, go grab a compass and a shovel!

HOW TO GET RESULTS LIKE MARK

I’m super proud of what Mark and Coach Jim have accomplished.

And if you’re still reading this, I want you to know I’m proud of you too.

You’re still reading, which means you’re still trying (see #1). You found your way to our strange corner of the internet and you’re part of the Rebellion.

I’m so happy you’re here today.

We’ll continue to be here for you tomorrow, next month, and years from now.

No matter where you are on your journey, I would encourage you to think about what made Mark successful:

Don’t give up. Keep trying, keep reading. But try something different! If you can’t seem to get to the gym in the evenings, try going before work. Maybe you’re more of a morning person like Mark.

Learn to meal prep. Weight loss is dependent on what you eat, so learn a few moves in the kitchen (here’s an article on batch cooking chicken). Start with planning your dinners for the week, then scale it up from there.

Ask for help. Some people can completely change their lives on their own. Most can’t. If you have access to someone who knows exactly what to do to help, reach out. Most of us need a Yoda to become a Jedi.

Slay new dragons. As you progress in your fitness journey, pick new challenges and opportunities. This will help you keep up your momentum so you don’t slip into bad habits.

Have fun. Embarking on a change that makes you miserable is a sure fire way for future abandonment. This is a lifelong journey, so discovering things you enjoy is critical.

If you related to Mark’s story, perhaps with doctors advising lifestyle changes, maybe it’s time to ask for help.

Depending on your situation, I’d love for you to check out our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program and decide if it’s something you’d like to learn more about.

Whether or not you’re interested in coaching, you can still get started right now:

You can start bodyweight training TODAY.

You can adjust your nutrition TODAY.

You can start to build your guild TODAY.

Here’s what I’d want you to take away from Mark’s story:

Successful weight loss can be made easier with meal prep: Seriously. Every person highlighted in a success story plans their food. It’s how I lost 20 pounds. If you get nothing else out of today’s story, remember this point: know what your next meal is, and then only eat that thing. If you can plan multiple meals ahead through batch cooking, even better! Here’s an article to get you started on meal prep.

It’s okay to ask for help. The other thing every success story has in common? They all knew when to seek assistance. Even me. I reached my goals thanks to the guidance of an online coach.

I hope to hear from you six months from now with a great success story that we can add to the hall of heroes that have inspired millions around the globe!

If you have any questions for Mark, please share them in the comments!

Lastly, if you have any meal prep tips or suggestions, leave them in the comments too!

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: Special shoutout to Coach Jim, who helped Mark level up his life. Jim is our head male trainer, master of Beast Skills, and all around awesome dude. We are lucky to have him on Team Nerd Fitness.

If you want to see if we can help you too, check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what you end up deciding.

How Mark Adjusted His Mindset, Learned to Meal Prep, and Lost 65 Pounds. published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

[mybravesong]

Week 7

DAY 45 Monday (20 August) I feel like majority of this week was about finances! Also didn’t really have photos from this week! Hahaha! Our finances were due on the Wednesday and we still have a lot of money left to go! During Quiet Time, I prayed and am trusting God for finances. For some reason during the night felt like I had mosquito bites but actually don't have any when I woke up. Also reading Psalm 23 .... What does rod and staff mean? Rod - discipline to be within the safe boundaries Staff - shepherding/chosen - Aaron's staff This week’s lecture was led by Q. He’s run 11 young people 1 medical DTSs’, can you believe it? Today I also got to have a chat with Jamie who was flying over to America! God also reminded me to follow up with people!

DAY 46 Tuesday (21 August) We had an interceding time with my manila team.. we were all gonna fast.. I was gonna fast my chickpeas cause I've been eating them  everyday..then.. we had quiet time and breakfast. During Quiet time, I got this verses. 

Hebrews 10:19‭-‬25 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.”  And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”  But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. The Key words were , “don't throw your confidence away. “ -- God was telling me.. you're either in it totally or not at all.. so our whole team decided to fast lunch and dinner. God has been coming through we had 3441.. and I had a donation of 900ish but it was directed to me personally which ohmygosh so blessed!! We were also learning about the submission Jesus had towards the father then I also prayed about it and I wanted to be in line with the character of God.. he doesn't withhold.. so I decided to put the extra money I had left over to the team... Here’s the timeline of money reduction!

Friday:    5139 Monday: 5pm       4721 8pm       3971 Tuesday: 6am       3441 1:30pm  2776 2:45pm  1674 7pm       1624 9pm       1574

DAY 47 Wednesday (22 August) Outreach Meeting - By the time morning hit, we had enough pledges to take the whole team to the nations! Now we just had to wait for the money to hit the system. PRAISE GOD!!! The school got our team to share this huge testimony. During Quiet Time, I was thanking God for His goodness and He said thank you for trusting me. The verse I had was:

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” After chores, we had worship together as a school but I felt worship didn't land. There was a lack of joyful singing instead, it felt like the atmosphere was gloomy. I had a One on one with Abigail and talked about it! Other than that, the rest of the day was pwetty chills!

DAY 48 Thursday (23 August) During the morning, the word was Unbelief is a big part of unsubmission to God. Accusation. Mistrust. Comparison. Passivity. We enforce the word of God and we empower His hand. I'm not responsible for saved souls but I am responsible for scattering seed.

For Intercession, we asked God.. How do you want us to fight to see the release for the rest of the team? 

- as a team, go down the list of everyone in school and ask if you could pray for them.. - take up the sword (word of God - when pray verse for everyone)Strategies of the enemies - dullness - indifference I was a little snappy today. My attitude wasn’t super good during lunch duties and I had to ask forgiveness from Sarah and Emily. I also got the chance to pray for Jacob against his tiredness. I got to ask Sammy about her story! It was her birthday! :)

Later in the day, I met Joycelyn who took my pulse! 

DAY 49 Friday (24 August) Quiet time - I realised, God doesn’t hold back. 

Isaiah 55:11‭-‬13 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.  Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord ’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.” Also prayed for the teams!

For application, we washed each other’s feet as a sign of submission to one another! I washed david’s feet then I washed abigail’s and we cried together. I also got to wash karmen’s feet and leonie’s. It was super good!!

Also got the chance to go have dinner with Iel! We went to Hifumiya, then we went to the twilight markets which was pretty cool for her cause she’s not been to a market in Perth yet. We got to catch up with how each other was doing in DTS. We also went for ice cream right after! It was great!!!

DAY 50-51 Saturday-Sunday (25-26 August) Basically spent the weekend with my family! It’s been 7 weeks since I’ve seen my parents so it was a good reunion! :) 

I did however feel like I hadn’t grown much after 7 weeks and I saw the vast difference between the spiritual atmosphere in ywam and out of ywam! It sadden me greatly. I thought I wouldn’t get so affected by words that people said but it did and it felt like my security in God wasn’t as solid as I thought it’d be. God is still working through me!