Thought Salad

Uni rants, discussions on different topics, and random comments I might feel inclined to make. All this sprinkled with terrible jokes and some adult content. I am a first-year Biology undergraduate, you can call me Meeplu for anonymity's sake.

[meeplu-blog]

10/07/2019... long time no see

It is now Summer and I’ve finished my second year of University.

Sean is coming to visit me in Portugal in two weeks after not seeing him since September, I miss him a lot. Can’t wait to hold my love in my arms. Trying to think of something sweet to give him at the airport, but I think he’d enjoy it more if I was wearing a cute skirt without any underwear :)

Other than that, so much happened, got my arm hair removed, lost some weight, got my hair done and went to the dentist and gynecologist, everything is in check! Now need to get to my goal weight in 2 weeks, and get my nails done the day before I pick up Sean.

Height: 167 cm Starting weight: 60.0 kg Goal weight: 54.0 kg Current weight: 57.7 kg

Pictures of weight loss progress to come soon!

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Important advice to myself

Just wanted to note down some important things for future reference, so I don’t forget them:

- Have a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed early so I can wake up early and do more when everyone else is asleep so they can’t bother me.

- Workout for 4 days a week consistently. This will make me healthier, sleep better, improve my mood a lot, and improve the way I look.

- Eat healthily, but allow myself a treat here and there to keep my sanity and avoid binge eating episodes.

- Do daily meditation, even if just for 5 minutes. It will help me clear my mind from distracting thoughts so I can be more productive and achieve my goals.

- Set up my goals for the following day before I go to bed. Write them down in my calendar, and make sure they are concise and relevant.

- Treat mistakes as an opportunity to learn something. Whereas these should be avoided, mistakes will be made very occasionally, and that does not erase all progress I made till that point. If I learn how and why I failed, I will do better next time.

- Invest in myself. I need to treat myself as an important person so I can be treated like so by others. Whether this means buying that really nice, flashy dress and wearing it, or getting a nice haircut, or working out, or studying. This will also do wonders for my confidence, which will make me more productive and attractive.

- Networking is important. Make friends and useful contacts that can accelerate my growth.

- Negotiate. The other party will not start it for me, so I need to bring up my conditions in order to do what people want me to do.

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What have I been up to since I left Portugal in the Summer?

Something great happened. My boyfriend came over for a month from Canada and he proposed! I am now engaged and I couldn’t be happier with our relationship. Well, I’d be happier if we could get together in person quicker, but unfortunately we’ll have to survive only on 1 or 2 visits until I am done with uni :( Speaking of uni, it has been unforgiving this semester. Grades have been good (all first class so far), but we’re not done yet until I take 2 exams and get the results back. I’ve had some time to rest as soon as lectures finished and immediate deadlines for coursework were met. Watched a bit of Game of Thrones and enjoyed my friends’ company. Yesterday I got back to working out, and now I’m really focused on getting in shape for this upcoming year. Other than that, I have been playing D&D weekly since the start of the semester. I was lucky to have found such a fun group of people, it’s been an amazing experience so far, tons of fun. I’ve been working on getting better at cooking and learned some amazing recipes from Chef John’s YouTube channel, including pastéis de nata, for as funny as it seems. Guess I just miss them that much haha. My housemate Julien taught me how to make delicious soft caramel, takes only about 10-15 minutes so I’ve been eating a bunch of that (way more than I should :/). Ya, I feel some progress has been made this semester in many aspects of my life (relationships, education, cooking, hobbies, time management), but at the same point I am still not where I want to be in some other aspects. I need to work on my fitness so I get into shape and stop being self-conscious of my butt and legs when I am wearing jeans. I also need to try and dress better (less lazily), and put some effort into my hair because it looks like a mess most of the time :/ Something else that I feel would be great for both my fitness and self-confidence, and just a hobby I personally love, is dancing. Want to learn some fun kpop choreos and post a video or two on YouTube for fun. So I really need to start practicing! Here’s for keeping the good habits and changing the bad ones to become the person I want to be!

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My new stomach :3

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Height: 167 cm Starting weight: 60.0 kg Goal weight: 54.0 kg Current weight: 58.6 kg So, last week and a half I messed around with my diet and adjusted some things in order to shed weight a bit faster because of how I had gained it back while I was frustrated due to some family issues + pressure to get my driver’s license this summer. But now that’s all behind my back I could focus again on my diet and workout and I must say, I am really enjoying the results it’s bringing. I have to be really patient though, it took me about two weeks to get from 60.0 kg to 58.6 kg, so yeah… I think it’s also because I have been working out and my muscles are growing slightly and getting more toned, and muscle does weigh more than fat.

Later on tomorrow or the day after I’ll leave an update of my diet for these last few weeks in case you find it helpful. Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the meantime! Have a great day :)

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07/08/2018: I got my driver’s license

Hello everyone, I’ve been gone trying to accomplish things rather than just reporting what I’ve been up to. I will try to be a bit more consistent in how frequently I post. Anyways, ya I finally am able to drive. After having to repeat the theoretical test due to it expiring while I was in Wales for the year (I had no idea it was only valid for a year without taking the physical driving exam), I passed with 0 wrong answers. I worked my ass off and studied hard to make sure I didn’t waste more time, as I had to pay 110 euros to repeat that bullshit. I had to make sure I took the driving exam AND PASSED before I had to head to Wales on August 31st, so was a tight deadline and I really couldn’t afford to fail. The driving school instructor and secretary tried to pressure me into buying 10 extra classes for FUCKING 200 EUROS because they thought I was “too nervous” to take the test. I honestly thought I could drive fairly well and this sounded like a poor excuse to rip me off... You guys might not know, but me and my mom are extremely tight on our budget due to both me and my brother being in Uni. That being said, and already having the extra 110 euro expense in order to repeat the theoretical test, I mentally flipped them my middle finger and did my best to use those 6 last driving lessons wisely and learn from my mistakes. I passed the damn exam. I am so glad I trusted my guts on this one. Guys, don’t be afraid to trust your guts when you really really feel you’re on the right after careful evaluation, even if people doubt you sometimes. Even if it’s an authority, they might have a reason to make you doubt yourself (in this case, I’m afraid it was money). Even if it’s your own family, like my grandma did. She told me in person that I would fail because she just assumed I was a bad driver… Awe well, it’s over now, and I’m glad that I was strong enough to go through with this and do my absolute best, kinda was nice to rub it on their faces afterwards. The things one can accomplish out of spite haha.

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Operation bring back the abs: up and running!

I am back!

Hello everyone, sorry for the longer wait than predicted. I am back with daily posts on my diet and workout progress and other random content or useful info (in my opinion). I will be seeing my boyfriend in 1 month and 2 weeks, so I am super pumped and wanting to look as best as I can to thank him for visiting me (and obviously because I want to look good for myself as well). We haven’t seen each other in a year because he’s from Canada and I am Portuguese, though he was living in Portugal for 3 years. These pictures are from 2 months ago, I am not as toned as I was then, but I am planning on getting there and even go a bit beyond! Lady abs are great and I felt really sexy while I had them. Wish me luck, see you later today with an update on my current weight and both my diet and workout for the day.

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I fucked up...

Hey everyone, I have been gone because I'm going through a rough patch and I have an important deadline for July 12th that has been stressing me these last three to four days. I absolutely screwed up my diet because of my stress-induced eating habits, and will have to start over on the 12th. I am extremely annoyed and hate for you guys to think it is just another excuse... But I am mostly annoyed for letting myself down when my first week of dieting went so well. Anyways, I will be back on the 12th to explain what happened and to start over with the diet and daily posts. Not letting any more unexpected bullshit ruin my progress again. Hope to see you then.

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Starting weight: 60.0 kg Current weight: 58.8 kg

It’s been a week!

What can I say? Comparing these to the pictures taken on day 1, I kinda see some difference but mostly I think its due to bad lighting in my first pictures at night time. I think my body in general is veeeery slightly more toned (especially my stomach) and slightly less fatty too. I still am very skeptical about any changes right now, because it’s only been a week and weight does fluctuate sometimes. I think I’ll only start really being like “oh shit this is REALLY working” when I see new numbers on the scale, ones that I haven’t seen since I was a teen. I think only when I hit the 57.5 kg mark will I be able to fully trust my progress. So I have to keep pushing, keep to my diet and workout routine and see where they take me next week.

That is all for today, have a nice day and see you tomorrow!

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This is what my daily meal plan looks like (used MyFitnessPal.com to create the chart). I rarely change my breakfast, but when I do I only add some seeds to my yogurt, such as sunflower seeds and linseed. I like my breakfast to be protein and fat-rich, so I have lots of energy during the day. Oatmeal is also great to satiate hunger for a long time (and it also helps with my toilet business haha). I can easily wait 5 hours until my next meal, lunch.   My lunch can vary depending on which carbs and protein source are available, I can replace rice with pasta or other grains, preferably whole wheat, but I always try to keep the portions similar. Beans are also great to go with rice when possible, but if I do add beans I remove a bit of rice so the carbs intake remains the same. With protein, I like to switch up between different types of meat (I tend to avoid pork because I already have bacon for breakfast, and it’s generally fattier). I also love fish and try to have at least 2-3 fish meals per week.

Between lunch and dinner I have a snack, an apple or another piece of fruit and some peanut butter on toast, which could be replaced by a handful of almonds, or some other nuts you may enjoy.

Finally, dinner is the smallest meal I have, and it’s usually vegetables only. I love soup so that’s what I go for, but when unavailable I really like broccoli and whatever green vegetables are laying about, really. I will admit, I do go to bed a little bit hungrier than normal because of how light this meal is, but it’s been helping lose weight and you do need a caloric deficit in order to achieve weight loss.

As a reminder, I am 1.67 m in height and my goal weight is 53-54 kg. These meals may not be adequate to your nutritional needs so I recommend adjusting amounts to your body type and your ideal weight, taking into account how often you workout. If you need any help feel free to contact me, I am by no means a pro but I think I have a good notion of what is healthy, at least for me.

Hopefully this helps some of you with achieving your goals. Tomorrow I will post more pictures, today I think I did notice some differences in the shape of my legs so I am kind of excited about my progress. Have a nice day! Note: I do add salt to my eggs and some other food, so don’t mind the deficit in sodium.

[meeplu-blog]

So, day 5! My weight has barely changed, I am at 69.5 kg more or less (I am 1.67 m in height), depending on whether I just ate or just took a dump haha. I think in terms of my figure things are pretty much the same, except my stomach seems to have gone back to its normal non-bloated form, which is nice. My thighs are still thicker than I’d prefer, as well as my ass. But we’re working on it, I can’t expect to just lose years of accumulated fat in 5 days. I have to be patient, it’s hard but I think it will bring me some nice results.

I decided to workout 5 times a week, having a one-day break after each two days of exercising. I have been sticking to my planned diet as much as possible, I don’t think I’ve had any major slips yet, I’ll let you know if that does happen. Yesterday I did replace oats with a slice of low-sugar apple pie because I was too hungry to wait for the oats to cook, naughty me, but it was just that one thing and I think I can look past that, as long as it doesn’t happen again any time soon.

Anyways, tomorrow or later today I’ll post my diet here so you know what types of meals I have. With how often I have been working out, I do not starve myself. I want to make sure I get all the nutrients I need and I am not exhausted all the time, but I do go to bed a bit hungrier than normal because I don’t eat as much before bed now. But that’s good, means there’s a caloric deficit and I should be able to lose weight.

Well, that is all for now! Have a nice day :)

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When everyone around me seems to be doing better than me

Yep, having one of these days. Writing helps me vent, I guess. I cried in my bedroom for a while today, just feeling like I’m being left behind by everyone. It’s a scary feeling, when you think you did your best but it wasn’t enough.

One of my friends got his masters thesis today, another friend got accepted to go on an important field trip to Hawaii, two of my colleagues had better grades than me today. Then yesterday I got (unfairly, in my opinion) accused of not helping around the house when I tried to keep things in order and people kept making a mess and not cleaning, so I just started taking care of my stuff and not dealing with other people’s. Especially when I have suggested 4-5 times to make a cleaning schedule so everyone participates, but they keep refusing. Sigh... hate living with children.

In days like this I think I have to remember to stop comparing myself to other people, and instead compare myself to who I was yesterday, as Jordan Peterson wisely recommends. I need to reset, go to bed, wake up fresh tomorrow morning and keep working. Can’t stop working.

I will give you guys feedback soon. Keep going.

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Welp, my cell biology prof accidentally named his powerpoint with what could be the most metal band name ever.

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A little corner with some internetties is all I need. Well, not exactly all I need, but excluding basic human needs... pretty much what makes me happy.

Also yes, that’s actually a can of beans serving as a pencil/pen holder. I thought it was smart.

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First of Many Rants

Starting this blog the best way possible - complaining haha

So my friend K got an e-mail from the first year Biosciences coordinator congratulating her on getting marks above 80% for all three 1st semester modules. Meanwhile, I had the same grades (according to K even better ones) and got no e-mail... sad potato. I wonder if the professor didn’t notice or if there was any other reason behind it.

Worst part is, I am so petty that I’ve actually been bothered by this for two days now haha. I am lowkey very competitive when it comes to my grades. Guess it’s annoying to work really hard, do your best, and still get no recognition when others do for the exact same thing you did.

Well, that’s life. I am going to keep working hard, unnoticed or not. I was never looking for appraisal, but seeing that friend get a personal message rewarding her accomplishments while I got none... kind of annoyed me.

Hopefully I do well this semester and we see no more congratulatory discrimination rofl.