shazzat

I think you should take a hint though Coz. You may come to regret revealing so much on here... What if a work colleague read all this stuff? Plus it's starting to feel like your personal blog or something. Sorry.

I despise this sanctimonious freak show, but caught a few mins of it the other night when they confirmed that guy weighed 241kg... how heartbreaking, that's like 3-4 times the weight of some men his age. His trainer looked ready to shit his pants.

guaranteed health and svelte.

I have to be honest, I became this way in high school when they suspected I was suffering 'dizzy spells' due to low iron/ blood sugar etc (turns out I was epileptic and having partial seizures, but this wasn't confirmed until my 20's). I'm also prone to bad IBS when stressed or when I travel, but eating this way reduces the chance of any problems (I rarely have any problems now except when I'm in a foreign country eating strange food).

Consequently, I've stayed the same weight throughout my late teens and twenties and I can go years without ever catching a cold... and considering I enjoy a drink, I attribute that to good eating.

I think if you're prone to physical symptoms when stressed (as I am - hair falls out, stomach problems, the whole bit), eating as fresh as possible and ensuring you get as many good foods in your diet as you can is the obvious way to go. It won't eliminate the stress (you'll still have to do that), but it will improve your energy reserves, attention span, emotional health and sleep patterns - which will help you cope better.

I live by the 80/20 rule, I think aiming for 100% becomes too taxing/takes too much mental effort. Even aiming for a legitimate 80% requires a bit of organising - but once it becomes routine and normal you stop thinking about it.

So for me that means 1 restaurant meal or take away a week only... I find by limiting myself like this I tend to go for better options (as I see it as a treat), i.e. a Japanese restaurant as opposed to Maccas (I never eat Maccas, KFC, Hungry Jacks anyway, ever). I used to be a cafe slut but living overseas weened me off that habit, as I had far too many greasy, shithouse breakfasts. I find some of Melbourne's cafe prices ludicrous anyway! Buy the bloody eggs, avocado, salmon etc and make it yourself...

And if I want to eat socially I still opt for healthier/fresher alternatives, i.e. a BBQ or picnic (of which it's easier to have healthy options - it doesn't have to all be cheese and dips). Especially in the summer time!

The rest of the week I throw myself into cooking and try to always keep things original/interesting so I'm not tempted to be lazy and eat shit. I'm not vegetarian, but eat vego 1-2 nights a week. The other nights I rotate a core ingredient - i.e. fish, chicken, beef - and simply cook it in various ways with a variety of different veggies. That way you never have the same thing twice in one week. Sundays I tend to spend the afternoon/evening cooking up something big and freeze it... or use it as a night to try new recipes out. Sunday also signals the start of no alcohol... at least until Thursday (generally) and often not until the weekend.

Fortunately my boy likes to cook too, so we take it in turns. He also doesn't mind going to the shops/markets at least twice a week... eating 'non processed' requires it, as we eat a LOT (especially fruit and veg - we do manage '5 a day' easily) and prefer it fresh as possible. But it's not really so hard to grab a few things after work on your way home...

The rest is pretty obvious. We don't ever have chips, biscuits, chocolate (except 80% dark chocolate - I love that shit), softdrink, ice cream, muesli/breakfast/snack bars, frozen meals, cereal, 2 minute noodles, or any disgusting pre-packaged pastas/rice dishes etc in the house. Ever. We simply don't walk down those aisles at the supermarket at all. Pasta sauces are made from scratch, from our stockpile of onions/garlic/tomatoes/herbs/spices etc. I only eat natural yoghurt that I mix with seeds/nuts and chopped fruit myself (the pre-packaged ones are full of sugar, all of them). No flavoured milk, no butter or margarine, no juice that isn't 100% or freshly squeezed. I drink water and green tea only. We snack on fruit and nuts only, occasionally cheese (I love halmoumi, fetta and parmesan - we always have cheese in our house!) I eat very little bread, when we do we read the label (you'd be amazed how much sugar/salt is in it). Every day my breakfast is natural muesli or oats with chopped fruit and nuts (I don't believe it isn't good for you - I think that's taking it too far!) and lunch is a salad I bulk up with cous cous, beens, lentils, felafel etc. Get a few good salad recipes and just rotate them. I've been taking salads to work for lunch for 10 years and I'm still not bored :)

We still eat our biggest meal at dinner time (which is meant to be a no no), I still have my morning coffee every single day, I still enjoy alcohol in moderation and go crazy with food on Christmas Day and birthdays and eat whatever I want... but if the rest of your week/year is good, I think the occasional treat won't kill you!

And I don't believe it has to be more expensive... we waste nothing in our house (you just have to be creative - I often Google a random ingredient and then find recipes), packing lunch is still cheaper than buying, buy in bulk whenever you can and re-package into smaller portions, buy in bulk at markets and haggle over prices... And buy what's in season - it will ensure you don't get stuck in a rut and eat the same things all the time. A little planning will mean you don't waste money buying shit on impulse too... at least until your diet becomes routine and normal. Write down 6 meals for the week and shop with a list. When you're done, get the hell outta there!

And get rid of your microwave, learn to use a saucepan etc. Most people eat processed food out of laziness - if it's not an option, you won't do it. 10-30 mins making a meal really isn't that much of a stretch... do it while the news/radio is on. 1-2 mins might be easier, but it's not worth it - health wise or quality wise.

Has anyone ever called one of those helplines? Was it helpful? I've been having a tough time kicking the black mongrel of late and am just asking for future reference; have family and friends to talk to, but I don't want them to worry about me.

I did, he helped a lot. But I'm not clinically depressed or anything... Was just having a really, really horrible year. I dont remember what I said, just that it helped to talk to someone.

NMIT in Melbs are looking for a part time admin person in performing arts dept (but it will actually be in Faculty of Music at Greensborough campus... Even though job ad doesn't say that). They're a nice group of guys, it's a cruisey place to work... Shit location though if you don't drive. Very much an admin role, so music lovers need not be the only ones to apply. In fact no knowledge of music or performing arts really required. Check out the NMIT website if interested (note you will be working in a school environment, which is not your traditional corporate office type of scene... Tea bags and coffee and fresh milk are heavily guarded, being govt. funded and all).

Any ideas how to incorporate travel into a resume? Want to fill the five month hole in my employment history

Five months is nothing! I've taken longer than that last year for traveling. They won't give a shit - just put in there that you went traveling if you're worried about it, but it really doesn't reflect badly that you went traveling!

And I second the point about tailoring the CV. I always do, plus write a new cover letter each time... Painstaking, but necessary.

I'm trying to change industries completely but it's not easy... My CV practically screams one industry only, even though many of those skills are transferable.

I had another lovely encounter with this place yesterday - a discount after we were kept waiting a few mins while the staff changed the keg. It was only a few dollars, but still... everyone is always so friendly! Outside area is nice on a summers day too :)

Get a life

Hungry