All that 'giving up' and doing things differently

Back in 2007 when I was diagnosed, I ended up on the PACE Trial, randomised onto the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course of treatment. The therapist was a nice enough chap, except for his habit of asking me a question, me answering and then him keeping asking what was behind my answer.  He kept doing it despite us both being flummoxed, as, seriously, I'm just NOT that deep a thinker! There's nothing deeper in my emotions than my first response, I'm really very shallow!

Anyway, one rather more useful repetition of his was - How can you do things differently?

To continue having interests in life, but that don't eat so much energy (mental and physical).

It's a small question. But a very useful one, whether you're mild, moderate or severely affected - because everyone who has this illness, they have to 'give things up'. It can be a 'little' thing like walking instead of taking the bus, going out and socialising less often, or a 'big' thing like being able to wash themselves or go to the loo, have a shower or even eat & drink.

Often it's a relentless succession of giving up. Within a matter of days, weeks, months or years, one ends up having 'given up' so many things that it feels like there's nothing left.

Belleville Rendezvous animation - can't cycle? watch cycling instead...

More breathing - abdominally

I have to say that it's come as something as a surprise to me that there's a wrong way and a right way to breathe.  It's not like it's something one was taught in school, it's something you pick up on pretty quickly at birth and, well, just keep doing if you want to not have death looming at you like an oncoming steam train!

I blogged a while ago (years?) about Fiona Agombar's relaxing before getting onto breathing exercises. Then never actually got any further.

Taken from the web cos it was pretty. I know nothing about the site it came from - but they do talk about breathing

 Recently I went a bit wonky spinewise (I may have mentioned this several times already) and inveigeled a very nice man called Paul who is an osteopath to come and see me in my house. He's also a naturopath. I'm not sure which bit of his practice the breathing comes from, but as he's somewhat holistic in approach, his practice probably doesn't have bits.

Anyway. It turns out that if you spent most of your time not moving, like me, your body doesn't work very well. Because the human body was designed to have things like gravity and movement help it to do the things it needs to do to function properly.

Creamy Cauliflower Kashmir Curry - time (30mins) eating (easy) skill (easy)

They're like buses these posts, none for ages then 3 come along at the same time. Ish.

Anyway Wednesday is cooking day. This recipe is from an old Weightwatchers book called Spice Up Your Life. I do like their recipes, they work and they taste lovely, even with their low fat and sugar substitutes, though I generally  ignore the those and use normal ingredients, like fat and sugar.

Talking of sugar, the osteopath/ naturopath has been encouraging me to stop eating sugar, and get calories from actual fats (like butter, lard, coconut oil etc) and to only use liquid oils as dressings or at the end of the cooking process so that the fat doesn't go solid when it takes me hours to eat my food - because globs of cold fat aren't too great! Anyway, I staggered onto the scales the other day and appear to have lost 6lbs. Just through not eating sugar. And also not snacking so much, cos let's face it, sugar = moreish snacks.  I'm a bit stunned because I've barely been moving inside the house and haven't been a metre beyond the front & back door more than twice since Christmas Day jaunts to the parentals for lunch and then the vet, and I've not changed anything else, though I'm probably eating more fruit and honey than usual.

So if anyone is in doubt - yes you can lose weight without moving much at all! (unless having 'restless legs' counts. I do wriggle a lot!)

In the pan, at night, in poor light. It's actually quite yellow and looks nicer in real life!