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thehungrykat1 · 8 months ago

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Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant Offers Delightful Contemporary Chinese Cuisine

There's one restaurant in Quezon City that continues to serve its delightful contemporary Chinese cuisine to its loyal clientele throughout the years. Oriental Palace traces its roots all the way back to 1978 when a young cook from Hong Kong named Henry Chua started a small noodle and dimsum shop in Escolta. The legacy continues with his son Chris as Oriental Palace remains one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in the city.

Oriental Palace is located at 148 Tomas Morato at the corner of Scout de Guia Street. It is one of the biggest Chinese restaurants in Quezon City and is a popular venue for birthday celebrations and special occasions among the Filipino-Chinese community. The Hungry Kat was invited back to Oriental Palace a few weeks ago to try some of their newer dishes and to revisit this well-loved dining spot.

The huge restaurant can accommodate big events and is always busy any day of the week. It is divided into several areas which includes the main dining hall and private function rooms that can hold up to 100 guests.

I went here with a couple of my friends including Bettina Chung and my lovely goddaughter Hope. Oriental Palace is a place where families and friends get together to enjoy exquisite Chinese dishes with a friendly and casual dining ambiance.

We started by ordering some items from their dimsum menu including the Beancurd Roll, Pork and Shrimp Wonton, Hakaw, Pan Fried Radish Cake, and more. They also offer Frozen Dimsum items which you can bring home and easily reheat.

The main highlight of our lauriat set was presented to us still alive and kicking. This gorgeous Tiger Lobster was served two ways.

The first was a Lobster Sashimi served on a bed of ice. I was surprised that Oriental Palace actually offers this Japanese fusion dish on its menu, but I was not complaining. The delicate lobster meat was served with wasabi and soy sauce to complete the experience.

Next we had the Double Boiled Fish Maw Soup served very hot. My seat mate, Pepper Teehankee, gave us a little trivia and mentioned that fish maw isn't made of fish lips which is what most people think. It is actually made from fish intestines?? Regardless, I still enjoyed my hearty bowl of fish maw soup.

The Steamed Suahe is always a favorite dish during parties and gatherings. These plump and juicy shrimp were so easy to peel and so delicious because they were really fresh.

The Roast Duck and Cold Cuts Platter offers a great combination of succulent roast duck, soy chicken, pork asado, crispy roast pork, century egg, and jelly fish. These Chinese appetizers are always a good way to start any celebration.

Now this was one of the most surprising dishes that was served that night. The Lychee-Style Handmade Fried Prawn Balls did not even look like food but more like a work of art. It was presented as a tree sculpture with the prawn balls hanging on the branches like fruits.

We eached "picked" our prawn balls off the tree and it really looked more like lychees instead of prawn balls. It was only when I took a bite that I could really see the effort they made into making these balls very presentable and Instagrammable. That's why this is their most popular dish and highly recommended.

Another dish that I liked was the Hong Kong-Style Lap Mie Claypot Rice with preserved meat. My husband loves eating claypot rice in Hong Kong so he also enjoyed scraping off the burnt rice at the bottom of the huge bowl.

This beautifully plated dish is called the CNY Red Lantern. It is actually made with eggplant but presented as this decorative dish that is a must-order during the Chinese new year.

The Fried Oyster in XO Sauce is a crunchier way to cook and prepare oysters. The XO sauce goes well with giving the oysters their rich flavors.

One classic dish at Oriental Palace is the Oriental Signature Tofu. This healthy alternative can always be enjoyed by the entire table.

A Chinese lauriat won't be complete with the Steamed Live Lapu-Lapu with spring onions and French beans. The fresh lapu lapu is cooked in a light soy sauce and is always a popular dish at family gatherings.

The Beef Tenderloin in Oriental Sesame Dressing with Udon Noodles in an Asian fusion of flavors and ingredients. I was quite surprised that Oriental Palace uses Japanese ingredients and cooking techniques in the menu, so expect to see a lot of modern presentations on the table.

Here comes the second way for the tiger lobster, the Lobster Congee. This very flavorful bowl comes with all the other meaty parts of the lobster from the legs to the head. I really loved this exquisite congee because you really can't go wrong with lobster.

We requested for another popular dish at Chinese restaurants, the Sweet and Sour Pork. You can judge how good a Chinese restaurant is by the quality of their sweet and sour pork, and this one passes all the tests with flying colors.

For dessert, we had the Buchi and the Hot Almond Dumpling to end our very colorful and satisfying dinner. We were all so full from the over 15 main courses and the selection of dim sum favorites presented.

We would like to thank our dear friend Spanky Enriquez for inviting us and hosting this grand dinner lauriat for Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant. Spanky is currently having some health problems and we are all praying for his full and speedy recovery. We are all waiting to dine with you again soon.

Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant

148 Tomas Morato cor Sct. de Guia, Laging Handa, Quezon City

8374-0693 / (0917) 879-0832

www.facebook.com/OrientalPalace.ph

#OrientalPalaceph #OrientalPalace #Chinese #Lauriat #Lobster

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y0ud0ntkn0wwh0 · 1 month ago

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First, for some reason, it seems like a lot of people who conceptualize “vegetarian food” often actually conceptualize “vegan food”. Like, there’s a pretty big difference between a vegan’s simple salad consisting of purely fruits, vegetables, and maybe some walnuts, (which is still a solid meal) and the same salad with shredded Parmesan, a boiled egg, and a nice dressing.

Second, a lot of people either overlook or didn’t know about meat substitutes. Stuff like meatless burgers and meatless bacon. And while, yes, some of it is very inauthentic, there’s some pretty good stuff. And it’s not just “tofu mushed into a chicken leg”. It’s got black beans, soybeans, healthy molds (think blue cheese). I’ve been a vegetarian going on 8 years now, and I’ve almost converted my sister because meat alternatives are that good.

Lastly, for the last couple weeks, I’ve been planning meals up to a week in advance using an impromptu weekly calendar, and I these are the things on there right now:

Soufflé

Pasta in a cheese sauce, w/ a side salad

Homemade Bean Burgers

Corn Chowder

Margherita Pizza

Sweet potato Gnocchi/Lasagna (haven’t decided)

And even you aren’t great at cooking, my rule of thumb is “you can just ask for no meat”. Think about your favorite dish. Is it mostly meat? If no, just get the meat on the side. If yes, it might be really easy to replace it. (Essentially, the only stuff you genuinely lose by not eating meat is Bacon, roast beef, and high quality flanks.)

I’m rambling, so I’ll rap it up: If your diet consists of mostly meat, then understandable have a nice day. But otherwise, it’s really easy to eat a vegetarian diet and still enjoy it.

Part of the reason I try to make good vegetarian food even though I’m not vegetarian is because of the one week my dad was convinced he was gonna go vegan.

You know what he made for dinner that whole week? Steamed vegetables, rice, and canned beans. All unseasoned. Technically a nutritionally complete meal. It tasted awful.

How could a man usually so good at cooking forget literally all of that when faced with the possibility of making vegan food?

I thought there had to be a better way. And it turns out there is. Vegetarian food doesn’t taste bad. Cartoons that depict vegetarians eating a singular leaf for a meal have ruined us. A lot of stuff that meat eaters eat in everyday life is technically vegetarian or easily made vegetarian. Why when faced with one restriction do so many people forget every single egg sandwich or apple pie they’ve ever eaten?

#As for OP #If your father wants to eat vegan foods #It’s really easy to make an amazing salad #But if he wants to eat vegetarian #Remind him that things like cheese eggs beans oils garlic onions cayenne #those are all vegetarian.

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nat-20s · 3 years ago

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Wonderful! Au Part 7! (also on ao3 here) another episode only installment, and obnoxiously fluffy! Have fun!

~*~

Martin, tired: Hello everybody! Welcome, or welcome back, to a very low energy episode. We have had, as the kids say, A Week Tm.

Jon, equally tired, but fond: Is that as the kids say?

Martin: I don't know, and perhaps worse, I don't really care. I guess I could ask Jeremiah next time he's over, but I'm not sure if that would actually help.

Jon: Shockingly, I don't think two year olds have their finger on the beating pulse of youth culture.

Martin: Hmm, maybe not. Speaking of Jeremiah, he's part of why the format of this episode is gonna be a bit different than our regular. On top of me dealing with a frankly obscene amount of inventory management, and Jon being swamped with grant writing-

Jon: I never want to look at proposal guidelines again-

Martin: we were on babysitting duty for our favourite neighborhood hellion-

Jon: Hey, Jeremiah is a very sweet kid! I know he's a toddler, but we shouldn't be slandering him anyway.

Martin: One, we're not even using his real name, I don't think that counts as slander, and two, exactly, he's a toddler, he's by default a hellion.

Jon, teasing: This coming from the person that actually wants one?

Martin: I..look, if anything, the last few days have shown we should not be permanent parents.

Jon: But?

Martin:...There's no but.

Jon: I don't believe you! Are you lying for my benefit or the audience's? Because someone spent the last five days wearing one of the largest grins I've ever seen, exhausted as it may have been.

Martin: Okay! Fine, I admit, I liked having a kid around. I still think it would be a bad idea to do it full time, but I dunno. I wish we weren't both only children or something. We would make such good uncles.

Jon: Should I should have taken that teaching job after all?

Martin: Perhaps. After all,

Martin, singsong: An English teacher, is really someone!

Jon and Martin, singing together: If only you, had be-come one!

Jon: Honestly, though, I was considerably underqualified. I'm much more suited to my current job, even if it doesn't have quite the same impact on the "shaping of the next generation" or whatnot.

Martin: Wait, you actually care about qualifications now? When did that change?

Jon: This coming from Mister "master's degree in parapsychology"? And it was probably around the time that the world ended from taking on a workload I was ill-suited for.

Jon:...

Jon: Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Martin: Oh, of course. Definitely nothing literally apocalyptic in our pasts, no siree, nothing to see or speculate about or make weirdly involved forums for here. Uh, anyway, long introduction not so short: Both of us have been averaging about 4 hours of sleep, so any sort of actual research was not on the table.

Jon: If any of you are wondering why we didn't just say that we're both very much worn out and thus we'll be taking a week off, it's because we're both deeply, deeply stubborn.

Martin: It's one of our best shared qualities that has never caused any conflict between us, ever.

Jon: In fairness, sheer stubbornness does account for, what, 75% of the reason that either of us are still alive? And it hasn't caused a major conflict between us in a good three years.

Martin: That's true. We've become a deeply boring, relatively conflict free couple. Which fucking rules, by the way. To all the couples out there: I highly recommend being boring. It is so nice. We've gotten to go to the farmer's market so many times.

Jon: You do love the farmer's market. I would say that it's the access to fresh produce, but I think you just like the attention that one yarn seller gives you. Can't believe you would take advantage of a crush to get discounts on wool. How did I marry such an opportunist?

Martin: Ollie does not have a crush on me. They're just friendly to everyone.

Jon: Bullshit. I certainly never get an extra skein or stitch markers or delicate fabric cleaner tossed in my bag. Actually, I think I've been charged more for committing the crime of having married you before they could.

Martin: I'm..70% sure that's not true, but every sentence we speak, we stray further from even pretending to be on topic. So, to everybody listening, this is the itty bitty episode! Basically, we're only doing small wonders and user submissions. If you want details or backstory for things we like, too bad, come back next week. Jon, I believe you're first this week?

Jon: Oh, right. My first small wonder is cat names.

Martin: Delightful, but unsurprising. Though, I would've expected either more or less specificity. Why cat names as opposed to pet's names in general, or, like, military title names?

Jon: Well that's simple enough. I've simply never met a misnamed cat, even if the name itself wasn't to my personal tastes, and I think that speaks to the wonderful universality of cats.

Martin: This, of course, implies that you have met animals that were misnamed.

Jon: Oh, I have. I once met a papillion dog named Meatball.

Martin: Now I know you don't like food names in general for pets, but are you sure that Meatball didn't suit the dogs personality? I've known some "Meatballs" in my lifetime.

Jon, only half-mock offended: Of course it didn't fit, Martin. She was a lady. A nervous, jittery lady, but a lady nonetheless.

Martin, laughing: And what, you've never met a dignified cat with an undignified name, or vice versa? Would you be okay with our cat being named Meatball?

Jon: I would be upset if our cat was named Meatball, because we named her and we're above that sort of thing, but, technically speaking, she could have been Meatball in another lifetime and it wouldn't have been wrong. You see, all cats are a mix of both extremely austere and little baby idiot.

Martin: Oh, is that the scientific terminology?

Jon: It is. Now, while there's probably some amount of, er, normative determinism or confirmation bias or something that results in a cat with a more dignified name seeming to possess more of that austerity, as all cats have both, any name can, potentially, fit. Hence why it's wonderful.

Martin: I..accept your proposal for now, but I think more research needs to be done. Maybe we should visit the shelter this weekend and test your hypothesis.

Jon: Hmm. I think we may need to visit multiple shelters, actually. A large sample size is necessary for any sort of veracity, obviously.

Martin, imitating Jon tone: Obviously.

Jon: Glad you agree. What's your first small wonder?

Martin: Tofu!

Jon: I..didn't realize you liked that much?

Martin: Well, I don't get it very often since I know you can't stand the texture, even though it is not like 'worse scrambled eggs', and you're a horrible food thief-

Jon: Lies and slander. We readily share. If I'm a horrible food thief, you have committed the exact same, if not worse, crime as myself.

Martin: Well, we are thick as thieves.

Jon, groaning: You're thick as something alright

Martin: Rude! My beloved husband-

Jon: -uh huh-

Martin: whom I love and trust with my most tender of hearts-

Jon: -an oddly cannibalistic turn of phrase-

Martin, badly suppressing laughter: Oh, my god. I want a divorce, then I can put tofu in as many dishes as I like. I'll triple my protein intake.

Jon: It'd never go through. I'll burn the papers. No, wait, I'll burn down the legal offices where the papers are kept.

Martin: Hmm. While my experiences with it have been, uh, varied to say the least, I do have to admit that arson is one of the more attractive crimes of passion. I suppose I'll take you back.

Jon, flat: I'm so very grateful.

Jon, genuine: You do have yet to actually tell me why you think tofu is wonderful, love.

Martin: It's just a good food! It's neutral enough that you can toss it in pretty much anything with a sauce, you can bake it, you can fry it, whatever. Plus it's what? two? Three quid? I spent many years of my life living off the cheapest, saltiest approximation of noodles you could imagine, and half a pack of tofu, a little bit of sesame oil, and some green onions went a long way to both making it more filling and less sad.

Martin: Plus, I feel like it often gets decried for being something it's not? It's so often viewed as a meat substitute or the vegan alternative option, and so when people try it, they often go in with a false preconceived notion of what it's going to be like, and then end up disappointed. They're all like, 'ugh, this doesn't taste like turkey!' and yeah, of course it doesn't. It's the oatmeal raisin cookie of the protein world, a perfectly good and tasty treat on its own, but if you want chocolate chip, it's not gonna work.

Jon: Martin you don't even like oatmeal raisin. I'm the only one that ever eats them out of the multipacks.

Martin: Well, yeah, but I don't like oatmeal raisin because of its flavor, not because I think it should be chocolate chip and fails. It illustrates my point. Also, just for balance, is your next small wonder oatmeal raisin cookies?

Jon: No, though, maybe one of these weeks. They are good. But no, um, my next small wonder is being married.

Martin, let out a high bark of a laugh: Being married is a small wonder?!

Jon: Small wonders doesn't mean a lack of importance! Or even significance in our lives. Half the time we even end up spending just as much time chattering on about them as the things we actually research. But, yes, I didn't feel like researching the concept of being married. For one, a lot of the history of it is depressing and patriarchal, and for two, it's not something I really feel any need to elaborate on. Being married. I very much enjoy it. I recommend it for anybody that's found someone that they want to marry, and who wants to marry them. I really recommend being married to Martin Blackwood, I think I would enjoy it significantly less if it was to anybody else, but one: we typically try to make the wonderful things in this show applicable to more than just ourselves, and two: I got there first, so I believe the appropriate thing to say here would be; neener neener and/or everyone else can go suck it, Ollie.

Martin: Well...

Jon: Well, what?

Martin: Saying you got there first is technically not true-

Jon: What?!

Martin, laughing like a bastard: Sorry, sorry! Couldn't resist! Jon, you already know that you're my first real realationship, how would be married before fit that?

Jon: Hence my surprise at the notion! I cannot believe you! I give you my trust, my earnestness, and belief-

Martin [only laughs harder]

Jon: and you throw it in my face for a bit. I take back everything, being married is a nightmare, because sometimes your partner thinks he a fucking comedian and you just have to put up with him because you love him and want to live the rest of your life with him or some such nonsense. Not worth it, if you ask me. My turn to ask for the divorce.

Martin: Babe, hate to break it to you, but both of us are guilty of doing bits that the other doesn't like, it's an integral part of a healthy marriage, and secondly, you knew who I was long before I proposed. You should've said no when you had the chance.

Jon: Hang on, you proposed?

Martin: Yeah? This isn't part of a bit, of course I proposed. I'm even pretty sure you were there. The whole visit back to Scotland trip? I finally made you a sweater and said it was because we would now be immune to the boyfriend curse?

Jon: No, no, I remember all that, but it wasn't the proposal. It was a reaffirmation of the proposal. We had already decided to get married.

Martin: Well, yeah,, I wasn't just gonna spring that on you, we had had conversations beforehand-

Jon: No, I mean, I had already proposed. I asked you to marry me a good three years earlier, and you said yes, which is a proposal by any definition that I know.

Martin: Jon, love, darling, apple of my eye, fire of my soul, I mean this in the nicest way possible, what the everloving fuck are you talking about?

Jon: In the ambulance ride when we, uh, moved here. It was the thing I said to you the second I saw your eyes were open.

[An audible pause is left in the recording.]

Martin: That does not count.

Jon: How does it not count?! I asked you to marry me, you very emphatically said yes, that's the de facto definition of an accepted marriage proposal!

Martin: It doesn't count because you were half-delirious with blood-loss, and I had a traumatic brain injury that the hospital was very surprised I made a full recovery from. No court in the world would consider anything we said then more than pain driven ramblings, let alone, I dunno, contractually binding.

Jon: Well, I knew what I was saying well and clear. Just because it was desperate doesn't mean it wasn't sincere. I didn't realize that you weren't as cognizant when you accepted.

Martin, snorting: Yeah, didn't really need to be cognizant to say yes. I've wanted to marry you since the train ride to Scotland.

Jon: Wait, really? Martin, we hadn't even been on a date.

Martin: And yet we were on the lamb together, which I honestly think is more romantic than sitting in some restaurant somewhere trying to get through icebreakers. Also, back up, from your perspective we've been engaged since 2019? What did you think we were doing in the interim?

Jon: Uhh..

Martin: Yes?

Jon: There are people that have long engagement periods, and it's not exactly like we were in any sort of position to get married for awhile. Especially not that first year.

Martin: Okay? And?

Jon: And..I sort of thought you had changed your mind. For awhile. Was rather surprised that you kept living with me, considering that, on the worst nights, I was convinced you were going to storm off and leave me forever any minute now. Hence why your proposal was rather relieving.

Martin: Oh, Jon, love. That is so very ridiculous, and so very you, and so very close to many of my own fears and doubts. Do you have any idea how terrified I was to float the idea of marriage to you? Half the time I was convinced I was just meant to keep you company until you found someone better. And, Christ, we'd, from your perspective, been engaged the whole damn time. Fuck.

[Jon, after a beat, starts laughing. It has a slightly hysterical edge to it. Martin joins in. It takes a minute for the laughter to subside enough for them to speak again.]

Jon: I'm rapidly realizing that our entire romantic relationship would've been, if not more successful, a hell of a lot faster if we weren't both complete fools.

Martin: You're realizing that now? I think I've known that since the CV incident. I've definitely known it since the Lonely.

Jon, with a slightly tired chuckle:Yes, yes, something probably should've tipped me off earlier. Shockingly, observation of our own personal romantic trends is not always a strong suit of mine.

Jon: Anyway, please tell me you have another small wonder, this has gotten wildly of track.

Martin: Since we're talking about marriage anyway, I think my next small wonder is having a shared reference in your wedding vows. Our friends had "I have been, and always shall be, your friend" in theirs, and I made Jon cry with a slightly altered Lord of the Rings quote in ours.

Jon: First off, we were both openly weeping long before that point, secondly, I defy anybody to have been through half of what we have and then have the love of their life look them in the eyes and tell them "Leave you? I never intend to. I am going with you, if you climb to the moon" without at least tearing up.

Martin: There wasn't a dry eye in the audience, either. Granted, the audience was only 20 people, but that was also literally the only time I've seen Eloise show a strong emotion, so I'm pretty smug about it.

Martin, soft: I still feel exactly the same, you know. If you're climbing to the moon, I'll make sure the rope is strong enough for two.

Jon, soft: I know, love.

Jon: Though, to be fair, the moon is also significantly more pleasant than many places we've been.

Martin: God, I hate how much that's true. Look at this barren, oxygenless rock, at least it's not actively trying to kill us. Practically a honeymoon location.

[Martin sighs]

Martin: I am so tired. Let's do the user submissions then take a very long nap.

Jon: Please.

Martin: So, first submission is from Josie; They find it wonderful getting cards from their friends. They say they're lucky to have so much love in their life and have friends that care enough to send them things. That is wonderful Josie! We have a drawer in our house dedicated to every loving card we've ever received since the move, and they're always such a nice reminder of the people in our lives.

Jon: We should really organize that drawer, but, yes, agree with the sentiment. Even the cards from people that are no longer in our lives are lovely, I think. Those connections are very much meaningful for both of us, whether they're active or not.

Martin: That's very true. Next submission is from Lys, who submits the sound of leaves crunching under your feet in the fall. Ah, that's a classic.

Jon: I just felt myself relax imagining it. I wish it was autumn.

Martin: Don't we all? Alright, for the last submissions, I'm grouping them together as they follow a similar theme. Jadwiga submits the feeling of waking up well into the morning with the sun shining through the window and your cat laying next to you, and Oran submits when a dog falls asleep with its head in your lap.

Jon: I can heartily recommend at least one of those, considering that's how we try to wake up most mornings. The Duchess is a dutiful darling girl who spends every night with us, and she's usually still there when us humans rise.

Martin: I bet you'll agree with the other when I finally convince you to get me a dog for my birthday.

Jon: It hasn't happened yet, so I wouldn't hold your breath.

Martin: But you don't even dislike dogs! You're just as happy to pet them when they pass by as I am.

Jon: Being fine with an animal isn't the same thing as wanting to adopt one for yourself! We don't even know if The Duchess would put up with a dog.

Martin: I bet she would. I bet we could get a big senior dog who's the calmest animal you've ever met with those soft eyes and a little grey on the muzzle and she would cuddle up in an instant. And we did say we should visit a shelter or three this weekend..

Jon: I think you're rather callously taking advantage of my exhausted state, but I suppose we can look.

Martin: Hell fuckin yeah. So, I think that'll close out the episode, and as we always say at the end, uh, go take a nap and get a dog. Not necessarily in that order.

#wonderful! au #jonmartin #tma #jon sims #martin blackwood #my fic #thank you to everyone that submitted!!!#also; i am offically out of ideas for installments #more may come later but i make no promises!

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darkwood-sleddog · 4 years ago

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I'm vegetarian (not for ""ethical"" reasons) and I don't like quinoa. I also grew up with a hunter for a grandfather. I grew up with deer heads on the walls and bear skins in the basement at my grandparents house. I don't eat a typical vegan/vegetarian diet, tho I do eat vegan alternatives. I just, don't eat meat or gelatin or anything of that sort because I don't want to and never will. The argument against working dogs Is phenomenally stupid, tone deaf and devoid of any actual science or logic

Yup, that’s called a diet that works well for you.

I myself really enjoy a lot of meat alternatives, tofu etc. It’s just food.

One could argue that hunting is perhaps one of the most sustainable ways you can eat meat, I have 100% support for that.

#faq #diet does not and should not be equal to your morality #many people eat different diets for different reasons #and it has zero relection on your worth as a person #to me a lot of ethical vegans i know use veganism to support disordered eating #so to which i say: however you choose to gove your body nutriets is your choice #and does not make you a good or bad person

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rosethornewrites · 4 years ago

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Fic: the thing with feathers, ch. 10

Additional Tags: Transmigration, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Illnesses, Family, Scars, Memory Loss, Angst, Crying, Music, Nosebleed, Fear, Recovery, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Flirting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Summary: A day in the market turns into a philosophical challenge for Lan XiChen.

Notes: Ren is a Confucian concept involving the virtue of altruism and humanity/humaneness. XiChen is lost in his teachings and how what he’s learning at Lotus Pier connect to those teachings at the end here, so we have reference to many ancient Chinese philosophers. I almost had this chapter in Madam Yu’s perspective, but I realized XiChen’s would be better. He’s changing too—particularly important because (at least imo) canon XiChen was very passive because of the rules he felt he needed to abide by. He’s being challenged by this experience. So are all the other characters, as we can see with Madam Yu in this chapter. The Chinese suffix -men is a way to turn certain words plural, often general words rather than specific. Thus, referring to the fact that they will have many martial brothers and sisters (younger and older) would justify the use. I know this only because of the wonderful @merakilyy, who has on multiple occasions been kind enough to answer my questions about Chinese language usage. Also, xingan literally means heart and liver and is kind of the equivalent of “my heart and soul.”

AO3 link

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

---------------

Living at Lotus Pier had been strange for XiChen for many reasons, not the least of which was spending so much less time with WangJi. He knew he wasn’t unwelcome by any means—Wei WuXian always greeted him with a smile and was happy to include him in lunch and their afternoon music sessions when he stopped by. But XiChen had always been friendly with his fellow disciples and had his friendship with Nie MingJue; Wei WuXian was WangJi’s first friend, the first person he’d allowed close enough, the first person who didn’t seem intimidated by what had often been interpreted as coldness.

He was afraid, during the weeks Wei WuXian was unconscious, that whatever WangJi had seen in the boy that had led him to give him their mother’s rattle drum all those years ago would lead him to grieve just as hard for this boy as he had their mother if he died. But he had woken, and despite the amnesia had glommed onto WangJi, as though by virtue of being the first person he remembered, he had imprinted, for lack of a better word. And WangJi seemed happy with their friendship.

So XiChen joined them for lessons each morning with shufu, often finding himself fascinated by the questions Wei WuXian asked, questions no Lan would think of. Though it isn’t clear how much was memory loss and how much was a freer upbringing, he could tell those questions sometimes challenged shufu, though he never lost his temper.

The most fascinating one so far was “Who decided what’s right and what’s wrong? What if they’re wrong?”

Shufu had asked for an example, and clearly hadn’t expected the boy to come up with one, but he had, a far-away look in his eyes.

“Like one part of a clan does something really evil, and people decide to wipe out the whole clan so it can never happen again. And everyone says it’s justified, but they let kids and civilians get killed. But if anyone tries to stop it people say they’re bad.”

XiChen had just stared, glancing finally at his uncle, who looked nonplussed. Shufu even asked if Wei WuXian heard of this occurring, and the boy just shrugged.

“The cultivation world can be wrong,” shufu finally answered, “and can fail in our obligations to the people. No human is infallible.”

Wei WuXian sometimes seemed to be far away during lessons, head tilted as though deep in thought, but shufu was quite tolerant of this given that he was still recovering, and given that he still seemed to take in what they were learning.

Overall, XiChen found Wei WuXian fascinating, and thought he was the right person to bring WangJi out of his shell. Already his brother was trying new things: foods, music, swimming lessons. Sect Leader Jiang had asked if both of them would like training in the Jiang style sword forms, even, and WangJi had nodded. WangJi smiled, even tiny ones most people didn’t notice, more in the last few weeks since Wei WuXian woke than he had since their mother died.

Even shufu seemed impacted by Lotus Pier. XiChen was able to help teach Jiang YanLi to read music and adjust to playing the konghou, the first time he was allowed to teach. He had never played one himself, but teaching her to read music had been fun, and he found her company pleasing—they were never unaccompanied as it would be inappropriate, generally with shufu overseeing or one of Madam Yu’s maids in the room. She had already gotten blisters from playing her beginner konghou but seemed unbothered by them.

“I had to get used to developing callouses from chopping vegetables,” she confessed to him. “I know this is part of the process.

He had the opportunity during lunches with her, WangJi, and Wei WuXian in the infirmary to enjoy her cooking—her talent in that regard was unmistakable. She was also a quick learner, and he admired her commitment to becoming a healer, particularly after learning she had to commit to improving her weak cultivation to do so. XiChen had actually learned several techniques from listening to shufu advise her.

He found her quite admirable.

But more, shufu just today invited XiChen and WangJi to be open with their emotions with him, where he’d previously lectured them on excessive emotion. And he had cancelled lessons for the first time since XiChen could remember!

They were sent off with the Jiangs and Wei WuXian to enjoy the town, the first time circumstances had allowed it. Madam Yu’s somewhat scary personal maids and a couple disciples accompanied them, all carrying baskets for purchases.

This excursion was significantly different from the one he and WangJi had undertaken shortly after Wei WuXian woke. For one, they had no clear goal, the pace leisurely. For another, it was the first time Wei WuXian had left Lotus Cove since the attack and his illness. He carried his sword as he had not in Lotus Cove, his recovery having exempted him from the custom. In many ways, this was him rejoining the world as a cultivator.

Immediately, townspeople reacted to seeing him, and the younger boy was clearly a little overwhelmed, clinging to WangJi’s arm and attempting polite smiles. WangJi, for his part, frowned at people who got too close. Jiang WanYin flanked Wei WuXian’s other side, a bit like a bodyguard. Jiang YanLi walked in front of him, greeting the people kindly and letting them know her brother was still recovering. When gifts were given, she placed the parcel in one of the baskets carried by a disciple or maid.

Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu were at Jiang WanYin’s side, arm in arm, politely greeting the people as well.

XiChen walked beside WangJi, watching the proceedings with interest; the people of Lotus Pier clearly had great affection for the Jiangs. It was a relationship that differed greatly from that of Cloud Recesses and Caiyi, the nearest town. But Lotus Cove was nestled aside the city and aided most of the commerce in town. It was a symbiotic relationship, and the gifts represented the esteem the town held for their role in its success.

“Yingying!” rang out across the market, coming from an elderly woman manning a baozi stall. “Come give popo a hug.”

To XiChen’s surprise, the boy brightened and broke away from WangJi’s side to approach the woman, who pulled him into her arms in a gentle but firm embrace.

“Popo was so worried. I heard you were sick.”

Wei WuXian nodded, looking up at her.

“I… Popo, I lost all my memories,” he admitted. “But you sent the baozi and I remembered you.”

The woman looked up at Sect Leader Jiang, who nodded grimly. Tears filled her eyes.

“Oh, you poor child. That must be frightening. Let me wrap up some baozi, extra spicy for you and some mild for your siblings and friends. You can come to popo anytime.”

She released him from her embrace and then handed Wei WuXian a fresh bun. Watching him eat reminded XiChen none of them had breakfast, but the woman handed out buns to each of them.

“You Lan don’t like meat, as I recall, so here are some stuffed with bok choy, mushrooms, and tofu.”

The woman wrapped up more, ignoring her customers, who didn't seem upset, instead chatting with the Jiangs animatedly.

The baozi was delicious, though spicier than XiChen was used to. WangJi and the Jiang children seemed to similarly enjoy theirs. Popo gave Wei WuXian one last hug and then waved them off with an order to come visit more.

Madam Yu and Sect Leader Jiang alternated between talking to townspeople and looking at each other in a way XiChen sometimes saw between courting couples. He tried not to watch, instead paying attention to the people who approached and the wares in the stalls they passed.

Wei WuXian’s admission to popo was spread as quickly as word had spread of WangJi and XiChen’s connection to Wei WuXian the day they bought the rattle drum, and people were gentler in their approach to the boy, offering their names and details to help him.

Largely they were met with blank looks and apologies, which they waved off amiably. But occasionally Wei WuXian smiled widely as a shred of memory returned, and he greeted them as well as he could. These moments were precious, he came to see, both to the townspeople and the Jiangs.

The toy maker they visited greeted him enthusiastically and after a whisper from WangJi, Wei WuXian thanked him for the dizi, bowing properly with his sword.

“I play it every day,” he told the man, who beamed proudly. “Lan Zhan plays the guqin with me.”

“When we heard you were ill, the wife and I made it with you in mind. You’ll want a proper dizi eventually, but we hoped it’d cheer you up.”

Sect Leader Jiang paused at that.

“A proper dizi?” he asked.

The toy maker bowed to the sect leader.

“For musical cultivation, if young master Wei decides to do that,” he clarified. “I’m afraid I don’t have the skill to craft spiritual tools, only toys.”

Jiang FengMian looked thoughtful, and Jiang YanLi spoke up.

“It would be lovely to learn musical cultivation together with a-Xian, a-die.”

She shared a glance with WangJi, and XiChen realized they had been discussing this matter.

“I’m learning to wield a whip, too, so it makes sense for him to learn that,” Jiang WanYin added.

XiChen realized they were glancing at Madam Yu surreptitiously, and he could guess this was a sore spot.

WangJi once, in a rare moment when Wei WuXian was otherwise occupied, had expressed concern over Madam Yu’s occasional hostility, and XiChen had noticed the same. She seemed to be trying to do better, but from what he had heard from disciples while training on the field, she held resentment for Wei WuXian. She had changed since the attack, but old habits were hard to break.

Madam Yu, though, made a thoughtful noise.

“He could potentially learn the songs that have helped with the resentful energy. Could that aid in his further recovery?”

XiChen realized the question was directed at him and scrambled to answer.

“I don’t know, but it would give the Jiang sect a second musical cultivator who could help with such matters,” he said, striving both for diplomacy and to help the Jiang siblings and WangJi with their quest.

“Xingan, what do you think?” Sect Leader Jiang asked, looking at Madam Yu.

She blushed when she realized he was speaking to her. The term of endearment seemed to take her by surprise, and she smiled in a way XiChen hadn’t seen before.

“A spiritual instrument is a good investment in his future cultivation,” she finally said. “I hope to have a-Cheng training with zidian in the next year as well.”

“We’re raising fine children, my lady,” the sect leader said.

Her smile grew, the flush spreading across her face, but she turned to Wei WuXian.

“A-Ying, we’ll find someone to make you a dizi that will serve as a fine spiritual tool.”

The boy smiled up at her, clearly happy with the idea.

“Thank you, shenshen. I’ll work hard.”

“Not too hard until you’re better,” Madam Yu said, patting his head affectionately.

The Jiang siblings shared a triumphant look with WangJi and XiChen caught Jiang FengMian looking at them indulgently—he clearly recognized their plot and had played into it while allowing them to believe they were being sneaky.

XiChen had never seen adults act like that before, but he was certain it instilled confidence in the Jiang siblings and perhaps even WangJi, which wasn’t a bad thing. It was a bit dishonest but with good intentions, an odd grey area.

The adults approached several stalls and purchased gifts for the children—even WangJi and XiChen, to his surprise. Wei WuXian was given a new guan for his crown, an elegant lotus carved of deep purple lavender jade, something that seemed almost a message, Madam Yu picking it out personally.

Jiang WanYin received huwan to protect his wrists during whip training, elegant with purple lacing and metal inlaid for extra protection. Maiden Jiang received mortar and pestle for learning to make medicines, crafted of a light lavender jade that had variation in color ranging from white to deep purple. The gifts were clearly meant to show support for their recent cultivation decisions.

WangJi and XiChen were gifted matching purple and blue tassels with a lovey carved medium-hued lavender jade lotus attached to hang from their belts beside the charms that allowed them in and out Cloud Recesses.

“To remind you of your stay,” Sect Leader Jiang told them.

It seemed he was unaware of the significance of the jade tokens they wore, and of the rule against unnecessary adornments, but XiChen was certain shufu would be fine with them. After all, they were a representation of the connection they had forged to the Jiang sect.

“And to serve as an entry token if you need to revisit Lotus Cove,” Madam Yu added. “Our disciples will recognize the gift.”

He noticed they had purchased more, and that the seller didn’t have them available publicly, and realized perhaps they did know, even if their tokens didn’t have the same properties as the Lan ones. Likely the extra tokens were for shufu and the healers.

XiChen examined his, noting the craftsmanship of the lotus, how real, if miniature, each petal seemed. It was set into a silver disc through which the tassel’s cord threaded, held in place with knots and flat paler purple jade beads carved to resemble the Jiang sect flag’s lotus symbol.

WangJi, he saw, was already affixing the token to his belt to hang beside and behind his Lan token. XiChen did the same, then he and WangJi bowed to Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu in thanks for the gifts.

The tokens didn’t have the Jiang clarity bell the sect wore, but that was unsurprising; unless he or WangJi joined the sect, they would not receive one. Yu ZiYuan had reminded Wei WuXian to don his today, on his first trip out of Lotus Cove, and it hung from his belt.

“I won’t lose it,” he had promised, three fingers raised to make it a vow, that odd far-away quality to his voice.

Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu had exchanged concerned looks.

“See to it you don’t,” Madam Yu had finally replied, then stepped forward to fuss over the way his robes hung.

As he had lost weight from his ordeal, they no longer fit properly. Little could be done about that; as the boy recovered, the robes would fit him again, barring a growth spurt.

The sound of barking jolted XiChen back to the present. Wei WuXian went pale, moving closer to WangJi, hiding his face against his back as though it might hide him from the dog. The Jiang children took positions around him, ensuring he was surrounded and protected.

“It’s okay, didi,” Jiang WanYin murmured. “You’re safe. We’ll keep you safe.”

XiChen abruptly remembered that Wei WuXian had been attacked by dogs and had scars. The fear was clearly so deep-seated that his amnesia hadn’t removed it.

The dog came into view, a scraggly cur, and a child dashed out from behind a stall to chase it off with a stick, others similarly armed joining from nearby.

When the dog was gone, the children returned, and XiChen could tell from their appearance they were street kids.

“Wei-xiong, we chased it away,” the oldest-looking boy called softly. “Sorry we let it get so close.”

When they didn’t get an immediate reply from Wei WuXian, the child looked at the others, six of them who could have ranged between four and eight. The youngest was a little girl, and the rest were boys.

“Like Wei-xiong taught us,” he said, his voice authoritative.

The children broke into an approximation of a proper bow.

“Greetings, Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen,” the children chanted.

The adults exchanged a look.

“Greetings,” Jiang FengMian returned after what seemed to be a silent conversation between himself and Madam Yu. “You know a-Ying?”

The eldest-looking nodded, clearly having elected to speak for the group.

“Wei-xiong buys us food and taught us to stick together so the dogs and bad people won’t get us and is teaching us to read and other stuff,” the boy explained.

From the way the children were peering at Wei WuXian, still hiding behind WangJi, they were terribly worried about their young friend.

“You’re the ones he plays the dizi to?” XiChen asked gently.

The children nodded.

“What other things was a-Xian teaching you?” Jiang YanLi asked softly.

“Like how to feel qi so we can use it to stay warm in the winter,” the eldest boy replied, then bows quickly and politely. “Jiang-guniang.”

“I miss Wei-xiong,” the little girl said, her voice tremulous. “Is Wei-xiong better now?”

“He might not remember us, a-Lian,” another boy said softly.

The children had clearly heard the news spreading through Lotus Pier of Wei WuXian’s amnesia.

Wei WuXian peered out from where he had hidden his face against WangJi, cautious despite the dog having been driven away.

“A-Lian,” he murmured, pronouncing the name slowly. “I… I found you. By a lotus pond. You were all wet and crying.”

He stepped out from behind WangJi, moving as though in a trance, lost in a newly returned memory.

“You said your name was a-Jī (圾, trash),” and XiChen couldn’t quite hold in a gasp at a child believing such to be their name. “And so, I said you were a gift from the lotuses and should be named a-Lian.”

The little girl rushed forward, crashing into him.

“Wei-xiong,” she sobbed, her little arms around his waist. “You were gone for so long and they said you were sick, and I was scared.”

Wei WuXian looked dazed and overwhelmed, and XiChen realized that a trickle of blood was oozing from his nose—it hadn’t happened in a few days, but he had been overstimulated today with this outing…

WangJi also noticed and put an arm around him as he swayed dangerously, keeping him upright. Wei WuXian’s grip loosened on his sword, and Jiang WanYin took it before he could drop it, murmuring that he’d carry it for him.

To XiChen’s surprise, Madam Yu lifted both Wei WuXian and the urchin girl into her arms. Neither resisted, the boy’s head lolling against her shoulder. She didn’t even bother looking at FengMian.

“It seems we’ll have a few new disciples, then,” she said, huffing as though irritated, but it had less impact with two children in her arms. “We’ll see whether a-Ying has good instincts, but we certainly can’t have homeless children in Lotus Pier.”

XiChen had to avert his eyes at the intensity of Sect Leader Jiang’s adoring look toward Madam Yu. He clearly approved of her decision, but the level of ardor in the way he looked at her was too much.

The locals who had gathered murmured amongst themselves, the words of surprise and admiration carrying. That the Jiangs would see fit to solve the problem of street urchins by adopting them into the sect was almost unheard of—but they had done so with Wei WuXian. Why not the urchins of Lotus Pier?

From what XiChen could hear, it raised the admiration of the people toward Jiang FengMian, and their opinion of Madam Yu, who apparently had up to now had a reputation for being cold. But here she was in the marketplace holding Wei WuXian on one hip and a little girl in tattered clothing on the other. It was softening her image to the people and making them doubt the rumors of an unhappy marriage.

The street children looked confused, uncertain, and Jiang FengMian addressed them more gently.

“Would you become disciples of the YunMengJiang sect? You would live at Lotus Cove, receive an education, and fed and housed and clothed. Even if you do not have the talent to become cultivators, you would not be homeless,” he told them. “A-Ying and a-Cheng and other older male disciples would be your shixiongmen, and a-Li and other older female disciples would be your shijiemen. You’d also have shidimen and a-Lian would be your shimei.”

The children seemed to realize they were being offered adoption, of a sort, into a martial family. Into the Jiang clan. There was a cautious sort of hope spreading among them.

“Really?” the oldest boy asked, his voice almost hollow with awe. “You really want us?”

“Young man, we would not offer if we didn’t,” Madam Yj snorted. “If a-Ying is already teaching you to read and how to circulate your qi, we would be remiss if we didn’t continue your education.”

The children looked at each other, their growing excitement obvious. After a moment the eldest boy bowed deeply, almost a kowtow, and the other children rushed to copy him.

“This one thanks Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen for your kindness. We unworthy ones are happy to accept your generous offer.”

“Whether you’re unworthy has yet to be determined,” Madam Yu responded sharply, almost a scold at the boy’s self-effacement. “I expect you’ll prove worthy.”

She handed the little girl to Jiang FengMian, who settled her on his hip, so she could get a better grip on Wei WuXian, who seemed barely awake and unable to hold onto her well. One of her maids stepped forward and gently dabbed at his nosebleed with a cloth.

“I think a-Ying has had quite enough excitement for today,” Madam Yu announced, patting his back gently.

“And we have some new disciples to settle in at Lotus Cove,” Jiang FengMian added with a smile. “Time to go home.”

The sect leader offered his free hand to Jiang WanYin, who tried and failed not to look thrilled at his father’s attention as he took it.

Madam Yu’s maids led the way, the children between them, Madam Yu and Jiang FengMian following with the Jiang children in tow. WangJi stayed close to Madam Yu and Wei WuXian, who seemed to have fallen fully asleep, and XiChen focused on following him. The accompanying disciples followed behind him.

XiChen barely noticed the way more people in the market approached to place items in the baskets the disciples carried as they walked back to Lotus Cove, or the way Maiden Jiang thanked each person by name. He was too busy considering what he had witnessed.

He was aware that many in the cultivation world doubted that commoners could be taught to cultivate, but the very fact that Wei WuXian, a mere ten-year-old, had taught them the basics enough to ensure they could circulate their qi to keep warm… He wondered if perhaps that was just an attempt to keep a sort of class or caste system. There was no benefit to society to have children starve in the streets, as Wei WuXian had, without hope.

Ren would seem to dictate the need to better the world through acts of altruism like Wei WuXian had been practicing and which had been demonstrated by Madam Yu and Sect Leader Jiang today. XiChen‘s studies had covered multiple philosophers. Mengzi dictated the need to show compassion to orphans. Mozi, though controversial to the Lan for his rejection of music as frivolous, called for inclusive and universal caring, doing so beyond family boundaries. Laozi saw loving through giving as a necessary virtue.

XiChen was constantly aware of the duties he would eventually take on as clan leader and the rules within the clan he was expected to uphold, but the events of today had him wondering if perhaps he should start thinking about the role of GusuLan in the larger world. Acts of charity, taking in orphans, working to better the world at large.

These thoughts kept him occupied on the walk back, and he was only broken from them by the look on shufu’s face at the unexpected addition to their party—confusion, but also a sort of thoughtfulness as Sect Leader Jiang briefly explained.

Perhaps shufu was also having similar thoughts. Maybe XiChen could speak with him about them at some point.

For now, he followed WangJi as he trailed after Madam Yu toward the infirmary. The voice of Jiang FengMian ordering disciples to help settle in their new peers with baths and clothing and a good meal, organizing the new additions to YunMengJiang, faded behind them.

When Madam Yu left them in the infirmary, Wei WuXian in the care of Healer Kang, the quiet was welcome. The healer settled the boy in his bed after a brief examination.

Eventually, XiChen realized WangJi was watching him in concern and offered a smile he knew was weak.

“A little overwhelmed,” he said, and knew WangJi, who so often was overwhelmed by the noise and furor of the world, understood.

WangJi gestured, settling on a cushion near the table in a meditation pose, and XiChen smiled, mirroring him.

He had time to ruminate on the events of the day and how they might inform his future actions. The best course for the moment was to find grounding and calm while they waited for the chaos that had overtaken Lotus Cove to settle.

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noxshade · 5 years ago

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Day 11: Future

“What do you think life was like for people in the past?” Maribel asked.

Renko Usami paused, and put her fork down, as she finished chewing her bite of the meal. A few years ago, before she had met Maribel Hearn, this question would have left her grasping at straws, struggling with how vague it was. But she had grown used to Maribel’s thought process, so she thought for a moment, before swallowing.

“How do you mean?” Renko asked in reply. “How long ago? Like the Meiji era, or like the Heisei era? And what do you mean by ‘How they lived?’”

“I was thinking around the Reiwa era, but sure, let's go with the end of the Heisei era, around 2018 CE,” Maribel said, taking a sip of her drink. The two were at an outdoor restaurant, one that advertised itself with powerful ion-filters, so you could actually enjoy the outdoors, without masks. “As to the ‘how’...I mean what they ate regularly, how they communicated, what they did everyday.”

“Well, we still have all the archived social media from back then, so we know how they talked on the web, and what their daily concerns were.” Renko paused, looking out over the town. Kyoto still retained it’s ‘older’ character against the other flooding megatropolises in Japan, it being the only non-coastal major city. “They were worried about all the same things we do; money, family, the state of the environment, what to do for leisure. Apparently discussions of the state of their entertainment was one of the bigger topics, alongside occasional end-of-the-world hysteria.”

“And what do you think they ate?”

“Oh no, Mary, I got that last one, you go this time.” Renko countered. Maribel stared down at her meal; a fried cutlet of tofu and mushrooms, once made as an alternative to pork, now almost the only option, with a side salad of mostly synthetic lettuce, and American-style iced tea.

“Well, I know way fewer plants and animals were extinct back then, so they probably had more real meats and vegetables,” she said, after a minute of chewing.

“You’re right on that one,” Renko said, finishing the last bite of her teriyaki veggie roll. “Although, the end of the Heisei era and into the Reiwa era is when meat replacements really started to take off, in popularity, so it wasn’t all real animal bits.”

“But it wasn't a matter of availability, like now,” Maribel countered “They were both equally easy to get, and they cost the same.”

“Yes and no. Some couldn’t eat animal meat for health reasons, some didn’t for religious or moral reasons,” Renko offered. “It’s never quite as simple as ‘they could have it, so they did’.” There was a long pause, as Maribel chewed.

“What do you think they dreamed about?” she asked as she finished her meal. Renko thought about that for quite a while.

“I once read my grandmother’s journal,” she said, slowly. “Beyond all the worrying about popularity and her schooling and whatnot, she wrote about seeing a land full of strange beasts and heroic warriors in her dreams. I don’t really know what to make of it.” Renko looked up to see Maribel staring off into the distance, looking at something only she could see. Renko recognized “Mary’s Boundary Stare” and tapped the payment ring with her phone, settling both their checks. She stood up, putting her jacket back on. “Well, should we get going? I feel like Dr. Latency has a new tale to write.”

“Yes, I do believe you are right,” Maribel smiled. “Time to see the unseen.”

#gensokyofestival #touhou #noxcontent #fanfic #maribel hearn #renko usami

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pronoova · 5 years ago

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15 Healthy Habits to Get Skinny Fast

Ever wondered what the nutrition secrets of athletes or celebrities are? Well now you don’t need to because below are 15 healthy habits to include into your get-in-shape regimen which will not only assist you to get skinny fast, but within the most healthiest way possible. For starters, change your attitude about food. Lastly, your goal to urge skinny should come second because it’s more important to enhance and maintain your overall health. confine mind the subsequent habits that have helped me stay track of my very own weight loss goals.

1. SAY “NO” TO A RIGID DIET

When most of the people start a diet, they typically eliminate foods or place certain foods as off-limits. you would like not to start a rigid diet for the purpose of depriving yourself of foods you're keen on. specialize in what you'll eat. I always say the key to the way to get skinny fast is accepting diets don’t work. you'll want to consult a nutrition expert and update your knowledge on foods laden with essential nutrients to assist correct years of poor diet.

If you retain labeling certain foods as off-limits, you finish up looking for them even more. ‘Not eliminating certain foods’ doesn't mean continuing to gorge on bad stuff, though. Regular consumption of meat-containing nutriment, as an example, can cause accumulation of LDL or bad cholesterol within the body. If you’re a coffee drinker or have an appetite, you would like not abruptly stop the caffeine or sugar intake. you'll make sugar an occasional treat, but not a diet staple. Eat (or drink) carefully, and confine mind other health tips, so read on.

2. FIND HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES FOR FAVORITE FOODS

Healthy food substitutes are often easily obtained. All-natural food stores in your neighborhood may offer a good assortment of healthy options which will replace old favorites and inflammation-causing and cholesterol-laden ingredients in your meals.

If you can't resist eating a slice of cake every day, choose a light-weight, flavorful, or maybe a sugar-free option. Just a couple of cautions, though. you'll be ditching high-fat foods and choosing low-fat products, but some food manufacturers have added sugar to form their offerings more palatable, causing some effects when consumed an excessive amount of, like making the body go haywire.

Avoid the pesky insulin spike which will be triggered by the consumption of straightforward carbohydrates. rather than eating polished rice every day, choose rice, a posh carbohydrate that has more nutrients, and can keep you fuller longer. Healthy fats also are important. rather than regular mayonnaise, choose a healthier condiment like mustard. to assist control blood glucose and support your weight loss plan, switch to safflower oil or other healthy cooking oils.

Instead of regular hamburger, you'll choose extra lean. Choose natural spread over reduced-fat spread which will contain more sugar and additives. If you always buy milk, switch to part-skim milk. rather than buying instant oatmeal, get the steel-cut type. rather than flavored yogurt, choose plain yogurt and add fresh fruit or two with a touch honey. Your body will enjoy the friendly bacteria.

The list goes on, when considering food substitutions. address authoritative health sites for a comprehensive guide to healthy substitution. albeit you’re eating out, you'll find healthier versions of your favorite foods.

3. DEVELOP A ROUTINE AND persist with IT

It is easy for many people to start a healthy eating plan, but follow-through is vital. you would like to convince yourself that you simply can lead an authentically healthy life, and it starts with a firm resolve to urge healthy & stay healthy. If you only tell yourself that you simply actually need to reduce and start eating carrots, greens, tofu, and rice, you would like to stay thereto a healthy eating plan. Online articles and videos may offer motivation and inspiration, but taking note of your body signals, realizing the advantages of healthy eating and feeling an entire lot better, depend upon you.

You can start developing an influence eating plan by knowing which foods offer you antioxidant protection, which of them can give brainpower boost, and which of them can energize. A high-performance nutrition plan may incorporate your old favorites, like mixing ice-cream as an example with a top-quality protein shake. the quantity of not-so-healthy stuff can gradually be reduced. Once your body gets familiar with healthier foods, you develop a taste for them and the likelihood is that, you'll not yearn for the unhealthy stuff.

Another routine you'll want to start out, after consulting together with your doctor, maybe a weight loss management program that’ll assist you attain a trimmer, healthier physique.

4. REDUCE STRESS

Keeping stress at a minimum can benefit your body in some ways. Stress, doctors say, inhibits the system. By beating stress, you retain illnesses corner. There are countless ways to scale back stress, like taking note of soothing music, yoga/meditation, getting a massage, or getting to the beach or another tranquil place. most of the people melt away stress by sleeping or hanging out with friends. Avoiding people that tend to empty your energy with their complaints and problems can also be an efficient thanks to reduce stress.

There are other natural ways to market relaxation, like twiddling with your pet, doing simple stretches, taking a stroll, and taking an opportunity from email, TV, cellphones, and other things that cause information overload.

When overwhelmed by numerous things to try to, hit the pause button. you'll break down an enormous task into small, manageable chunks, Being more conscious of stress triggers — be it money, co-workers or bosses, health issues, `toxic’ friends, and other factors — will assist you to manage them and reduce stress.

5. run through EMOTIONAL ISSUES CAUSED BY EMOTIONAL OBESITY

You may project a robust persona, but there could also be times once you don’t feel fine, otherwise you cannot seem to purge it all at once. you'll head home with feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, resentment, anger, or with feedback loops. rather than expending time on illusion or other non-productive stuff, you'll check out your own emotions and find how to repair what’s bothering you.

Problems linked to your interpersonal relationships that contribute to worry may prompt you to succeed in for comfort foods or overeat. this will cause weight gain. By learning the way to manage your emotional problems, you're in effect taking food issues and unhealthy weight gain out of the equation.

6. EAT CLEAN FOODS

Clean eating has far-reaching benefits. If you’ve long been eating convenience foods or foodstuff like burgers, all that food can end up to be your enemy. you'll begin to feel sick. Power eating is all about putting good food into our bodies. Think organic produce. Think pork from real pastured pigs with more omega-3s, and beef from grass-fed cows.

You can celebrate albeit you decide for all-natural or organic eats. Just mix them up a touch. rather than regular eggs, try free-range eggs with more micronutrients, cooked & serve with other healthy eats. Purchasing clean/wholesome foods could also be costly, but they really offer more bang for the buck.

7. HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM

When you’ve begun a weight loss regimen, remember that you simply are in charge of your own actions. A fitness trainer, a nutritionist, or a naturopathic doctor may assist you. you'll prefer to be a fit & trim product of your healthy decisions, instead of thinking that you simply are destined to be fat.

Once you determine an orderly and healthy eating plan, you'll devise other ways to achieve it. you'll use a pairing when understanding, to assist you not only to lose the surplus pounds but keep them off.

Once during a while, you'll get lax and desire to indulge a touch. A weight-loss partner may remind you of your goals, but the choice to succeed in a healthy weight ultimately depends on you.

8. CONTROL YOUR PORTIONS

For most people, portion control could seem easier said than done. Veer faraway from super-sized meals and upsize offers. At buffets, it is often pretty challenging to resist filling your plate with different sorts of food, but believe how sick you’ll feel if you gorge. Let several minutes pass after eating, before going back (if ever). When buying food at the grocery, read labels.

Remember that portion control is one effective thanks to blast fat, so try to not ignore this tactic which will cause a trimmer figure.

9. TRACKING FOOD

You can track your nutritional intake, which isn't just a matter of counting calories, using several ways. you'll jot what you often ingest during a food diary. you'll also use online tools to log and track your food consumption. By tracking what you eat, you'll more easily get the proper balance of nutrients

10. EXERCISE!

Much has been said about the myriad health benefits of exercising. Yet many of us, including those that want to urge skinny fast, need constant reminders about how incorporating regular exercise in their schedules won't only raise their metabolism and burn calories fast, but also improve their overall wellness. once you attain a particular level of fitness thanks to regular, vigorous activity, your mind also improves, and you are feeling more responsive & hooked into life. My favorite gadget to possess available is that the Fit bit (great gift idea!) because it can tell me how active I’ve been throughout the day. It tracks your steps, distance, and calories burned.

11. EAT EVERY FEW HOURS

Eating small meals frequently, which can be around five to 6 meals every day, can assist you control food cravings. It’s a time-tested technique employed by individuals concerned about their expanding waistlines. you'll make sure that each small meal you're taking has quality protein sort of a boiled egg. Complex carbohydrates like rice, a bit of fresh fruit or vegetable, also as nuts, are nutritious and filling options. eating small meals several times each day will help keep your blood glucose in check.

12. DETOXIFY YOUR BODY

Your body can better absorb the nutrients it needs if you’ve lightened up the toxic load. Expelling toxins from the body is often done by drinking many purified water and loading abreast of superfoods. Veggies like artichoke, cabbage, kale, carrots, and garlic help purge the liver of poisons.

Blueberries, beets, avocados, beans, seeds (like chia seeds), and nuts that contain important nutrients also help eliminate toxins from the body here also are detoxifying beverages, like tea, that aid in weight loss. crop on refined sugars, saturated fats, alcohol, and caffeine.

13. HYDRATE YOUR BODY

Staying hydrated keeps the body in good working condition. Drinking enough fluids, including purified water, protein shakes, tea, and freshly squeezed juices also help cleanse the body of poisons. Drinking many water also can suppress appetite and aid in weight management.

14. COOK reception

If you cook reception, you've got the whip hand in ensuring that you simply and your relations will get sufficient nutrients. Cooking reception also removes the worry about hidden ingredients like gluten, which can trigger an immune reaction.

15. NEVER STOP TRYING

If you’ve tried everything and zip seems to be working to blast fat, seek professional help. albeit you’ve ruled out health issues, don’t stop trying to succeed in a healthy weight.

There are products, foods, techniques, and experts who can guide you towards getting a trimmer, healthier body. Seek help or devise an all-natural plan tailor-fitted for you, but don’t throw discipline & determination out the door

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riceicecream · 5 years ago

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I'm considering going vegan but I feel like I wouldn't be able to do it for long. I tried eating vegetarian for a week once and I already missed meat dearly. And even if I manage that, I don't know how I'll be able to live without cheese, yoghurt and omelettes. Especially cheese. Is there any vegan substitute for that? Something to put on pizza at least? What do you do when you crave animal products? Do you have advice on where to get that strength of will & character that you make look so easy?

It’s definitely not going to be easy, but as long as you take it slow and don’t throw yourself in the deep end you can make it doable. I took about 3 months to ho fully vegan, whereas I have a friend that did it cold turkey, and some people may take over a year. I’m going to address cutting out each product separately because they’re all very different.

For meat, there’s really nothing on the market currently that perfectly mimics unprocessed meat, although there are things like plant based nuggets, sausages and burgers that you may not be able to tell apart from meat as they are more processed. Although, I don’t think the focus should be on replacing all the meat in your diet with mock meats, that may only make you miss real meat more. As you slowly reduce your meat consumption and eat other foods, your tastes will change. I was a massive sweet tooth and used to eat cakes/cookies/pastries on the daily, and at the time vegan versions of those things were barely available and not being to have them was really tough, but after a month even, I wasn’t craving them as much. Put your focus on finding new foods that you like, and making sure you’re actually eating good food that you are enjoying, and eventually cravings for meat will lessen.

With eggs it’s really the same, you can try and find online recipes to mimic eggs (I love tofu scramble and apparently using black salt makes it taste very eggy), but you should focus on shifting from the things you regularly eat and you’ll find you miss them less and less.

Dairy however, can be (not always) very easily replaceable. There are a lot of plant based yoghurts available these days like soy based and I’ve even seen oat based ones. Same goes for plant based milks. I was definitely a cheese lover and when I first went vegan, vegan cheeses were fucking awful, but the improvement in just a few years has been huge. Even if they’re not on par with dairy cheese yet, some are great on a pizza and can easily fill the void in places where dairy cheese would be. I hope you can find one you like.

Overall, reminding yourself constantly of the reasons you want to go vegan, while also not being too hard on yourself is going to help you through the transition. My willpower just came from knowing how much I was positively affecting animals and the environment by doing it, and each time I had a craving for animal products I became more and more offput by the moral implications of eating them. And finding foods that satisfy those cravings. Maybe do alternating vegetarian weeks throughout the month, and maybe a few vegan days within that? It’s basically a whole new lifestyle so training yourself to adapt to that is going to be valuable. @acti-veg has a ton of resources on going vegan, so definitely would recommend checking their tags and website.

#anon #vegan #long post #ask

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sitinthelight · 5 years ago

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Zach’s gone for a few days!

I have the day off today :D I’m in a cheerful let’s get shit done mood!

The reason Zach is gone is pretty sad. He left to see his grandmother who is really sick as her stage 4 cancer is progressing and they don’t know how much time she has left.

Even with everything going on between us, I kind of wish I could have gone with him to see his family and give them my best wishes. I love his family. I will miss them, even if they hate me. They’ve been the closest thing I’ve ever had to a big family and they’ve shown me so much love and adoration. His grandmother who is sick gave me a sewing machine that I finally just learned how to use and it’s a really nice one. She was going to teach me quilting but I’ll probably have to take classes at a hobby shop for that eventually.

So that’s pretty sad but honestly, with him out of the apartment, the sad and negative atmosphere has lifted. It’s just me and the pets (: I’ve already worked on cleaning the kitchen and while realistically, I know I can’t get the whole apartment cleaned in one day, I can fucking try. I’ve been listening to a ton of Kevin Abstract. Like, Brockhampton is really great and I love listening to them but sometimes they can be either tooooo slow (with the newest album) or too heavy. Kevin Abstract is just perfect for what I’m feeling right now and I’m really enjoying it. I don’t know how I got into rap and hip hop and some r&b but like, when I’m in the mood, it’s great. Lizzo has also been my favorite artist to do my morning workouts to.

I do want to make this day off count. Because my next day off is literally next Wednesday. My shifts are mostly 6 hour shifts so they don’t take up so much of my day but like, I never want to do much except relax after work. Zach left his PS4 so I can play Persona 5 (:

Scott got me into it and I’ve been slacking at playing (along with let’s go Eevee) so I may play a bit after I get off work tomorrow.

Zach has been reassuring me that he’ll be fine if I break up with him and it’s been, comforting. Really weird. But comforting. I know most break ups are premeditated to a degree, but this is a little weird to go through. I don’t think he will be fine, but him saying that does make me feel a little better and does show he is being more mature than I thought he would be about the situation. He doesn’t know for sure that I’m breaking up. Honestly, I am having doubts about it myself but like, I need the space to grow. I want to focus on myself and what it takes to make me a better person mentally and physically.

Physically, I’m doing pretty well. I’m having a lot of fun switching up my diet. I slipped up and ate like 3 donuts yesterday because Zach bought a dozen from Krispy Kreme. Like, we have the Original Krispy Kreme location in this city! A lot of things originated from here! Krispy Kreme is one of them.

I should have stuck to just one. I woke up feeling kind of sick and like a sugary bile wanted to escape by going up my throat. I feel better now but I did skip breakfast because of it and just have been drinking a lot of water and a cold brew.

I’ve been experimenting with meat alternatives. Meatless meats and tofu. It’s been an interesting journey and honestly, I feel like I could go vegetarian or even vegan one day. Maybe not full fledged vegetarian. I think I’d still want meat like once or twice a month but I’ve never been that big of a meat eater so I think I could manage. But I found a brand that makes meatless meatballs and ground beef and I’m blown away by how good it is. I also found a way to prepare tofu so that I actually enjoy it rather than forcing myself to eat it so that’s been pretty cool too.

Part of me is pretty excited to share these things with my mom and sister. My sister is doing better with healthy eating. My mom slips constantly. I get my lack of self control from her. She’s diabetic so it’s problematic so hopefully living with me for a little while can help them get into better eating habits.

I’m honestly already looking forward to this period of just going to work and taking classes. I’ll still feel stressed on multiple levels but I won’t have to deal with the negativity that Zach creates and it’ll take a load off of me. I also am already looking forward to moving to Charlotte. I don’t know what kind of job I’ll be able to land over there so I know I won’t be able to immediately get an apartment for a good price in the perfect location or anything. But all I need is a generally safe place to live (being a young female with only mace to protect myself with). I’m already planning on redoing my room design. I have a color scheme in mind. There is a chance that I might already have a roommate but it’s way too soon to know because both of our lives are constantly changing and that’s a-okay.

Charlotte is a cool place. Always things to do. Interesting bars to go to (God, I miss bar hopping and dancing). Temples to visit because I want to learn Vietnamese and more about the culture in general. They have an airport because I do want to travel more. Tons of community groups and clubs and chances to volunteer for things I believe in and want to support. So many opportunities to see my favorite bands and musicals. Lots of places to go shopping. It’s not too far from a lot of cities in NC where I want to go gem mining (I want to join a rockhounding group). I also want to take dance classes or martial arts once I’ve established a stable career and have finished school. Charlotte is hella expensive but I totally see why a ton of people are still moving there.

That’s my current longish term goal. Short term goal right now is to make the transition to moving to Wilson and saving money for Charlotte.

I’m almost done paying off one of my medical bills! That means I’ll have finished paying off two :D and that’s so exciting because then I’ll just have to focus on the credit card debt (most of it is medical too, the irony). All to prepare for student loan debt which intimidates me but I’ll survive. So many people have it worse. I know someone who owes like $70,000 and omg will we please elect an presidential candidate who wants to help eliminate or soften the blow of student loans and just high tuition prices in general.

Like, Biden right now is ranking highest on the list of favorable Democrats who are officially in the running. But I’m just not feeling him. He hasn’t come out with a lot of specific stances yet and is just kind of coasting off his general likability and popularity. I’m kind of disappointed to see him topping the list when there are so many good candidates out there right now! All have their flaws but I’m more focused on how they can change the overall election climate and how this country functions. Because this current president sucks. I’ve given up keeping up with news stories. So maybe I’m a few days late on learning about the newest school shooting or revolutions and riots happening in other countries. Not seeing all of that at once on my newsfeed keeps me from feeling hopeless and overwhelmed and honestly has really helped me mentally. I deleted facebook for like a month and now that I have it back, I honestly have barely opened it.I didn't miss it.

Also, in regards to my last post, I don’t think I’m a bad person. I make unwise decisions but I’m human. I can’t help the emotions I feel, just how I react to them so I’m just going to try being better. My head feels clearer now and like there are still concerns that I have and a lot of hard things to get through, but I’ll get through them! I’ll be fine no matter what direction I end up in or what happens! If the thing with my ex doesn’t work out for whatever reason then so be it! I’ll get over it! I’m pretty, I’m smart, someone out there will find me super interesting and once I start going to therapy, I can learn how to talk to people and make more friends and I’ll be fine in the long run. I just want to focus more on what I want and be selfish for a little bit. I think that’s okay. I think I deserve that.

Cordelia is napping next to me and she’s laying on her back and making funny little snoring noises. Her foot is twitching. Omg, she’s so cute. I’m kind of excited that I probably get to keep her even though she is a little menace. I’m hoping that she’ll grow out of it once she’s past her kitten/young cat stage. So it may be a few years but heres to hoping she’ll become a chill cat.

#personal

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ccorinnef · 6 years ago

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The Art of Living Plant-based

Something you may not know about me, most likely because I don't tend to talk about it unless necessary, is that I eat a plant based diet and try to live as vegan as possible. When I was in university, I made the choice to start eating a vegetarian diet. I think at the time it was mostly for financial reasons (still living that poor student life, ayyy) although I was also learning more about animal rights. I realised that the most powerful thing I, as a nondescript and (mostly) insignificant human, could do was to choose what I spend my money on and 'vote with my money' as it were. I've never been naive of the connection between what was on my plate and the animals I saw everyday in the countryside, however, I no longer wanted to support those industries that exploit and make commodities of animals for financial profit. Animals are living, breathing, conscious beings and they should in no way be thought of as a commodity to have ownership of, so I stopped eating meat.

And then, exactly one year ago, I stopped eating dairy and eggs. Cheese and eggs were the hardest things to stop eating but I am an all or nothing kind of person and once I had made the emotional connection between the food and the animals suffering they never tasted that good any more. I also really enjoy feeling like a rebel, in the most ridiculous and tiny ways possible so if I think of my purchase as supporting arrogant, rich arseholes to continue being dickheads then I immediately change my purchasing practice. As a whole, I didn't find dairy difficult to stop eating, my sister has been allergic to dairy since she was a baby so I grew up on dairy alternatives and label checking. After I had stopped eating dairy, I did continue to eat eggs for a few weeks but we just stopped buying them so I stopped eating them. One of the best things that I've experienced since I've been vegan is that my eczema is so much better, I no longer get massive flare ups, sore red patches or extensive dry skin! I don't have to put eczema creams on everyday anymore, and mostly just use a moisturiser. Its actually a massive relief to no longer constantly think about my skin.

It's kind of strange to think that I've been vegan for a year now. I definitely never thought that I would ever go plant-based, but I love it and wouldn't live any other way now. I completely avoid anything with animal products in and I try to avoid products and brands that are tested on animals as much as possible, however, our budget does sometimes restrict our choices. I think what a lot of people say is true: once you align your lifestyle with your morals you live far more mindfully and often can't help but avoid products that cause suffering. Veganism is so important for any chance of saving the planet; the leading cause of deforestation, resource use and harmful gas production is animal agriculture.

Here's some tips I have learnt over the past year:

eat the same food and meals you have always loved to eat - just find a vegan alternative or a plant based way of making your favourite food

learn how to skim-read labels - most allergens are in bold such as MILK, EGGS, BUTTER, ETC, but remember to check for other animal based ingredients such as gelatin, whey and stock, etc

teach yourself some core recipes that you love to eat, off by heart, so you don't need to constantly check recipes every time you cook

some meals can have the exact same ingredients but if you change the herbs and spices its a totally different meal - i.e. bolognese and chilli

mushrooms

grate courgette and/or carrots to bulk up your (previously) mince based recipes

nutritional yeast and liquid smoke are literal game changers

people aren't as negative and judge-mental as you think - especially in restaurants and cafes, veganism is more widely known as a dietary option now and it is okay to ask to make sure your meal is vegan. I've been in cafes were the menu items were only vegetarian at best but on asking the waiting staff if the cook would be able to not include the cheese I've been told "Of course! The cook is vegan too, let me go check with them, they might have something they could substitute in the back!"

veggie haggis is delicious

Here are some of my favourite recipes:

Rosemary Focaccia

Mushroom Rolls

Lentil Ragu

Mushroom & Walnut Bolognese

Tex Mex Sweet Potato Skillet

Spanish Chickpea & Spinach Stew

Bourguignon

Maple Parsnip & Chestnut Wellington

Tenderstem & Peanut Noodles

Roast Butternut Squash & Sprout Salad

Chocolate Pie

Asparagus & Mushroom Risotto

Smoky Aubergine Tagine

Jollof Rice

Sesame Crusted Hoisin Tofu

Apple Bundt Cake

Butternut Squash Soup

#vegan #plantbased #plant #plants #recipe #favourite #plant based #art of #lifestyle #food

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elescritora · 6 years ago

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Hello my dear! I’ve been thinking lately of trying to go vegan. I don’t know if I could hack it, I use dairy a lot and I weight train so I’m worried about protein. You have been infusing my dash with some serious vegan food porn so I thought I’d ask if you had any tips or advice?

Hello lovely, apologies for the delayed reply - babies and back to work now and all that. Also, I apparently have a lot to say...Going vegan! It's a big step. The way you approach it will depend on your reasons for making the change. For health? For animal rights reasons? For the environment? If you're suddenly ethically opposed to consuming animal products, you might decide to go cold turkey. If you’re worried about the environment, you might go slower, giving up the things that you feel are most detrimental first, and slowly reducing your consumption of the rest. If for health, you might take a similar slow approach, but choose different foods to reduce first.Below, TL;DR: go slow, you don’t have to do it all at once, every little bit is a step along the path. It might take several years or you might do it all at once.Personally, I first went *vegetarian* 14 years ago for all three reasons, but primarily animal rights and environmental sustainability. I never ate much meat or seafood anyhow, so giving that up cold turkey wasn’t a big step for me. I was at a place in my life when I had lots of time and energy to invest in trying heaps of new and exciting vego recipes, so being in that mindset of it being a new culinary adventure was a great way to approach it. I had a couple of friends go vego at the same time so we experimented together. Also I enjoy mock meats to add some variety to my diet, so that helped when I was learning how to cook new things and when eating out. Note there are some good mock meats and some bad ones! Australia has a reasonable sized Asian Buddhist population so it‘s not hard to find some really yummy ones, and these days the western types you find in the grocery store aren’t too bad either. I normally have a few things from each brand I like. We also have lots of Asian vego and Indian restaurants so I ate out a lot. Yum. The hardest thing when going vegetarian was giving up hidden animal products, like yoghurt with gelatine in it, or cheese with rennet. However, these days you can easily find cow's milk alternatives. It was a different scene 14 years ago, everything was hard to come by. Now it’s practically mainstream. Every restaurant you go to has vego options, every supermarket has a variety of different products (before it was like one type of tofu in a tetra pack on the shelf 😖).Over several years I slowly became convinced that eggs and dairy were not great either. I gave up eggs first; not so hard. I didn’t miss eating eggs, and it’s actually quite easy to substitute when baking. You can even make merengue (like for macarons or pavlova) - look up aquafaba! I researched honey and decided I was not ethically opposed to it as it's produced in Australia (that's another thing - do local research as animal production standards vary globally). So I still eat honey. Dairy was the last thing to go. I'd been reducing it very slowly as it took my body a while to adjust (if I drank a glass of milk I started out with 0.25 cup non-dairy milk and 0.75 cup cow's milk, and over months I changed the ratio til I was drinking totally plant-based milk). I finally read a sad story about a bobby calf and that pushed me to give up the last of it. That was 2009.Dairy was the hardest to give up by far. The cheese alternatives then were all soy-based and disgusting, so I went for about 5 or 6 years without eating anything cheese-like. Same with yoghurt and icecream, although I did eat sorbet. But then over the last few years there has been an explosion of coconut milk-based cheeses, yoghurts, and icecreams (cashew milk-based is good too, nice and creamy without a strong flavour). These are a huge improvement and I eat them quite a bit now. I would suggest trying these dairy alternatives as if they are entirely new foods, not replacements for old favourites. They might fill a gap in your diet where you used to eat dairy, but they won’t be exactly the same. The trick is appreciating them for themselves, not hoping they'll taste just like you're used to. They won’t be the same - but they will still be GOOD. Remember that while soy-based products provide protein, coconut-milk ones don't, but they do provide fat. You do need fat in your diet so this isn’t all bad!To my surprise, as a total choc-a-holic, I was sure chocolate was going to be the hardest to give up, but it was really easy! Lots of dark chocolate is vegan, there's hot chocolate, chocolate baked goods, chocolate coconut icecream, specially made vegan chocolates... I still eat chocolate everyday! 😂😘To allay your concerns about protein and weight training and all that - I've heard of plenty of successful athletes, bodybuilders, weightlifters etc who are vegan. I'm soooo not one of them! 😂 But a quick google of ‘vegan weight training' brings up lots of results. The old 'vegans don’t get enough protein' myth is well and truly busted. Aside from the traditional beans, lentils, nuts, and soy products (including milk, if you’re not into tofu or tempeh), there are things like quinoa and wheat gluten (which is used in a lot of mock meats - has a chewy texture). I’ve gone through pregnancy as a vegan, and had no issues with protein.So that's my long-winded reply about going vegan... hopefully you'll be able to glean something helpful from it! It's all stream of consciousness because the children are harassing me to play with them so I have no time to refine... 😳

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chibinekochan · 7 years ago

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HEY it’s me soccer girl again and IM OUT And healthy and I was wondering if you could do Saeran,Yoosung, and zen react to mc becoming vegan if you can thxs ps I just became vegan because it’s healthy and I love animals I don’t like them getting hurt.

I’m so glad that you are better. Welcome back! Lucky I know a lot about Vegans. Make sure you eat proteins, tofu and nuts are good for Vegans.

Zen

You are at his place and he wants to cook for you.

You ask him if it’s okay if he makes something vegan instead.

Zen doesn’t mind at all, he has several co-workers who are vegans.

If it’s what you are into then it’s fully fine for him.

Zen never cooked vegan, so he has several questions.

You explain him everything and check the ingredients.

Zen is pretty okay with you being a vegan as long you let him have his meat, he needs it for his work.

Zen even gets animal-free beauty products, at the very least he supports your life choice where he can.

Yoosung

You tell him that you are vegan while chatting about your favourite foods.

He spends some time asking you a few things because he kinda thought about becoming a vegan before but it really sounded like a lot of work.

You gladly answer whatever you can.

You don’t even mind to cook vegan for Yoosung so he can try it.

Yoosung loves the idea of you cooking for him, it’s one of his dreams.

He really enjoys your cooking and you spend more time talking about your vegan lifestyle and Yoosung finds it really interesting.

He wants to try it out at least, he isn’t really sure if he can last without meat and animal products but he also really loves animals.

Actually, it’s less an issue than he thought, even if he craves the taste of meat the market has a lot of vegan alternatives.

Yoosung really starts to like being a vegan with you and it’s not like he feels like he is missing something and he doesn’t have to feel guilty about eating animals anymore.

Saeran

You tell him this right after meeting him.

He has no idea what that even means but you don’t mind explaining it to him.

He accepts your life choice, you are free to do what you want after all.

Saeran later would try it for a while but he just doesn’t feel right with it.

He understands your motivations but he also really loves sweets and Ice Cream.

Saeran also really wants to try a lot of different things now where he can.

You don’t want to take his freedom away from him and he always makes sure that you only eat vegan food, especially when he cooks for you.

He supports animal-free beauty products though.

Take a look at my Masterlist my requests are open so drop by!

#mysme #mystic messenger #mm headcanons #zen #yoosung #saeran #soccergirl #vegan #mm #headcanon

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lindafrancois · 4 years ago

Text

Does the Military Diet Actually Work? Yes, but don’t do it.

So you’re interested in enlisting in the Military Diet, eh cadet?

Not so fast there.

This is a seriously controversial diet – and that’s not including the fact it has NOTHING to do with the military.

What’s even worse? It works (temporarily).

Though you’ll hate yourself, I promise.

We advise all our Online Coaching Clients to avoid this like the plague.

We also advise them to avoid the plague, but that’s less relevant here.

What diet should you try to lose weight quickly? Let our coaches help you decide!

So let’s discuss the Military Diet (click to go to that answer):

What is the Military Diet?

What does the Military Diet plan look like?

Will the three-day Military Diet help you lose weight?

Are there any benefits to the Military Diet?

Are there any drawbacks to the Military Diet?

Where did the Military Diet come from?

Is the Military Diet safe?

FAQ on the Military Diet.

Alternatives to the Military Diet.

Before I make you fall in line, if you’re interested in changing the way you eat to get in shape, you may like our fun new habit-building app!

NF Journey helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

Try your free trial right here:

What is the Military Diet? How does the Military Diet work?

If the Military Diet could be described in two quick words, those words would be “short term calorie restriction.”

Crap, that’s four words.

Ahem.

The diet focuses on ruthlessly cutting out calories in order to spur weight loss.

There are some claims out there that you can lose up to ten pound in one week on the Military Diet. Which would be impressive – and should also be setting off your skeptical spidey-senses.

So I can understand your curiosity, recruit.

Now you’re thinking: “What exactly does ‘extreme calorie restriction’ look like Steve?”

How about one meal consisting of just a single piece of bread, a half cup of tuna, and some black coffee?

That’s it.

If you ask for more food you’ll be forced to climb a rope.

The Military Diet is broken into two stages, one for three days and the other for four.

3-day plan on the Military Diet. For three days, breakfast, lunch, and dinner is picked out for you. You get this meal only soldier, nothing more! Forget about snacking. For three days, every single crumb is accounted for. I’m only slightly exaggerating. And these three meals only add up to 1,000 calories per day. Ouch. That’s not much chow.

Four days of leave. The Military Diet does go easy on you after the three days, with four days of slightly more food. And by that I mean 1,500 daily calories. How generous. You’re on your own on what to eat for these four days, with the only guidance being to “eat healthy” and keep it at “1,500 calories.”

Three days on, four days off. You repeat this three day and four day rotation until you reach your ideal weight.

That’s the Military Diet in a nutshell.

Okay, you probably want to know, to the crumb, what you get to eat on the Military Diet? Sure.

But it ain’t pretty.

What does the Military Diet plan look like?

As I mentioned, the Military Diet provides strict orders on what to eat for three days. Your mission looks like this:

DAY 1

Breakfast:

Half a grapefruit

One slice of toast

Two tablespoons of peanut butter

One cup of coffee or tea

Lunch:

Half a cup of tuna

One slice of toast

One cup of coffee or tea

Dinner

3 ounces of any type of meat

1 cup of green beans

Half a banana

One small apple

One cup of vanilla ice cream

DAY 2

Breakfast

One egg

One slice of toast

Half a banana

Lunch

One cup of cottage cheese

One hard boiled egg

Five saltine crackers

Dinner

Two hot dogs (no bun)

One cup of broccoli

Half a cup of carrots

One banana

Half a cup of vanilla ice cream

DAY 3

Breakfast

Five saltine crackers

One slice of cheddar cheese

One small apple

Lunch

One egg (cooked however)

One slice of toast

Dinner

One cup of tuna

Hald a banana

One cup of vanilla ice cream

If you find yourself thinking, “That’s not much for rations, Steve.” You’d be right.

Not only that, but I bet your normal serving of peanut butter is significantly larger than 2 tablespoons. Yikes.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

I’ll keep filling you on the details and then share my real opinion at the end here.

Substitutions?

Some websites will guide you through substitutions to stick with in case you’re vegetarian or lactose intolerant, etc.

Think tofu dogs for hot dogs.

But you are told to match calories exactly for replacement, since the name of the game here is restriction.

For the most part however, substitutions are discouraged on the Military Diet.

What about after these three days?

If you haven’t gone AWOL, you get a pass for four days. Some websites suggest you can enjoy a meal of shrimp fried rice or a black bean burger on your leave.

To stick with the strict Military Diet strategy, you would keep it to 1,500 calories for each 24 hour period.

Eating only 1,000 calories a day is really difficult.

1,500 isn’t exactly easy peezy either.

Is this actually worth it?

Will the three day Military Diet help me lose weight?

In the short term, the Military Diet will most likely cause you to lose weight.

Why, you ask?

Because science.

It’s the reason “all diets work in the short term.”

If you eat more calories than you burn in a day, you will gain weight over time. If you do the reverse, and burn more than you consume, you will lose weight[1].

Granted, there’s some finer details in that equation. Muscle, fat, body fat, etc.

But for simplicity sake, it works.

The Military Diet works by practically guaranteeing you will burn more calories than you consume.

If an overweight person who usually eats 2,500-3,000+ calories in a day, suddenly switches to ONLY eat 1,000 calories for multiple days in a row, their body will operate at a caloric deficit while it seeks the energy required for drills, push-ups, and cleaning the mess hall.

When this is repeated for a few days, the number on the scale will get smaller!

So will YOU (specifically you, in the green hat) lose weight?

Depending on where you are now and your current intake, that deficit (and thus the accompanying weight loss) could be DRAMATIC.

But will you lose 10 pounds in one week like some sites claim? I highly doubt it. Unless you have 100+ pounds to lose and usually eat 5,000+ calories per day, you can only lose so much water weight in a short time period.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. People don’t get overweight in a day. And people won’t lose all the fat they want to lose in a day either.

Here’s another truth bomb that needs to be said: Even if the number on the scale drops significantly in a week, most of it is water weight.

Your body contains a lot of water, especially if you normally eat very salty, carby foods. So when you remove those foods from your system, the amount of water your body holds can decrease significantly too.

So if somebody strictly followed the Military Diet down to the calorie for a week they could lose maybe one to two pounds of actual fat.

They could lose multiple pounds of water weight too, but that won’t continue from week to week.

ATTENTION!

It’s time to hit you with more knowledge: Any weight you lose while on the Military Diet will only remain lost if you stay on the Military Diet.

Temporary changes create temporary results.

This is super important and will be stressed again later.

Are there any benefits to the Military Diet?

Any kind of calorie restricted eating program, if adhered to consistently, will likely result in weight loss.

Remember that guy who lost weight eating Twinkies[2]?

It worked because he made a strict protocol of his calorie requirements. Then, he followed it.

Yeah, he filled a lot of his diet with junk food.

But the point is he managed his food intake according to a plan to lose weight, and then stuck to it.

And it worked!

Before you get all mad at me, I too believe that the quality of calories is as important as the quantity.

One of the FEW things I like about the Military Diet is that it provides a strict protocol to follow. You don’t have to worry about what to eat. It’s breakfast time on Day 2.

That means you eat one egg, one slice of toast, and half a banana.

It’s the same reason why many people love the Paleo Diet or Intermittent Fasting or Keto Diet or the Mediterranean Diet: there are specific rules to follow that removes all guesswork from “what should I eat, and how much?”

I won’t lie to you and claim that a guide on what to eat has no benefits. Lying will get you court-martialed.

Hell, we even have our own free 10-level diet blueprint that tells you exactly what to eat to help cut out the guesswork (you can get yours when you sign up in the box below):

Download our free weight loss guide

THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life

Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace

What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating

3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target

But as your friend, I can’t give you only one side of the story.

Are There Any Drawbacks to the Military Diet?

DON’T DO THE MILITARY DIET!

Sorry, I’ve been holding that in this whole post. Literally. I typed this whole post up to this point while holding my breath so that I could then blurt this out.

I won’t deny that you could lose weight following the Military Diet. But can any diet telling you to eat bread, crackers, and ice cream actually be good for you?

I know you know better.

You’re an adult with a good head on your shoulders, and you’re probably considering the Military Diet because you want a quick weight loss win without having to make any permanent changes.

Unfortunately, things like “science,” “thermodynamics,” and “reality” will keep getting in the way.

The Military Diet is what we in the fitness world call a “crash diet.” Crash diets are designed for quick weight loss in a short amount of time.

These diets – and I can included “cleanses” here – prey on people’s desperation to “get fit quick.”

They know that if you follow a short term diet, lose a bunch of water weight, and see a lower number on the scale – you’re convinced it worked and then you can go back to how you were eating before.

Then when you quickly put all of that weight back on…you’ll come running back to the diet that got you short term results.

This is how they make their money, get your attention, and ultimately leave you sad and right back where you started.

Other examples of terrible crash diets include the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Baby Food Diet and just about any juice cleanse on the market.

I won’t even link to them, that’s how annoyed I am about their existence.

The reason these diets are short term is because they are not sustainable. Can you eat nothing but cabbage soup for a week? Sure. For an entire year? No way.

Crash diets are temporary diets. Which means their results will be just that, temporary.

The Military Diet is extreme and short term. Why do people in the military do this to themselves?

Spoiler alert: they don’t.

Where did the Military Diet come from?

Here’s another crappy bit of info: The Military Diet has absolutely nothing to do with any branch of the Armed Forces.

As quoted in CNN, Patricia Deuster explained, “In my 30 years working with the military, I’ve never heard of it.”

And she would know, because Deuster helped write the nutritional guide for the U.S. Special Operations Forces[3].

So if it doesn’t come from the actual military, where does the Military Diet come from?

This three days crash diet has gone by different names before, the Cleveland Clinic Diet 3-Day Diet, the Kaiser Diet, the American Heart Association Diet, and the Birmingham Hospital Diet[4].

Despite the different names, the three day meal plan is exactly the same.

And guess what?

None of the organizations claim to have created or support their namesake diet.

So where did it come from? Honestly, I don’t care.

It’s silly and I don’t need to meet the person who created a three day crash diet, that co-opts the military name to make itself sound reputable and legitimate.

Is the Military Diet safe?

There’s nothing inherently dangerous about the Military Diet. It’s just eating moderately healthy/unhealthy food in small quantities.

Which, depending on your current diet – could be a big improvement from eating unhealthy food in large quantities.

I don’t know you or your situation, but if you want to practice Karate kicks in the garage and become best friends, I’m down to clown.

Now, based on my 10 years of running Nerd Fitness, helping hundreds of thousands of people lose weight safely and in a sustainable way, I’m gonna tell you that this is probably not the diet you’re looking for.

Why?

Because this diet will make you miserable, and sticking to the portion sizes will make you unhappy and hangry.

As soon as your 7 days are up, you’re gonna gorge yourself and probably end up even worse off than where you started!

This probably isn’t your first rodeo, nor is it the first quick fix you’ve sought out for weight loss. How have the previous attempts worked out for you in the long run?

I’m not saying this to be a jerk, but rather to make a point:

I like you, your friends like you, and the world needs you to be the healthiest superhero version of yourself you can be.

And that will never happen if you keep chasing extreme short term diets.

I’d rather see you make changes you can stick with. Even if it’s one small change. Gradually reduce the calories you eat, by switching to REAL food.

Things like veggies, fruits, and good quality meat. Build a plate that looks like this:

If you make one change, like eggs and avocados for breakfast, you’ll be making a great step in the right direction.

Small changes are something you can live with.

Studies have shown that decreasing your caloric consumption by 25% can be fine for your mood[5]. Perhaps even beneficial. But dropping down to 1,000 calories? There’s no way that can, or should, be maintained.

I wouldn’t recommend you reduce calories by reducing the quantity of food, like ordering you to eat a meal of five saltine crackers, a slice of cheddar cheese, and one tiny apple.

Instead, I want you to make small changes to REAL food. That’s the ticket to long term weight loss. We’ve seen it over and over again here at Nerd Fitness.

Want help making the switch to REAL food?

Not sure how to make all of that work in your busy lifestyle?

I hear ya. It’s brutally difficult to stick with any diet, and that doesn’t even factor in when your kids get sick or work sucks or there’s two feet of snow on the ground.

It’s why we launched our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: to help create specific solutions and accountability for people that want guidance on how to eat, how to train, and the confidence to know they’re doing it correctly!

Learn more how our coaching program can help you fix your nutrition:

Frequently asked questionS on the Military Diet

1) Do foods in the Military Diet help boost your metabolism?

There’s some debate on this. For example, can coffee help you lose weight by raising your metabolism?

I’ll go with: HIGHLY unlikely.

Any effect of caffeine to your metabolic rate isn’t enough to make a substantial impact[6]. If anything, it might act as an appetite suppressor[7].

Which isn’t nothing. But don’t count on it to raise your resting caloric expenditure like magic.

However, here are two things outside of diet that will help keep your metabolism high:

Strength training. The more muscle you have on your frame, the more energy you will use at rest[8]. It’s one of the reasons we recommend it so much. I have no problem playing drill instructor and demanding push-ups.

Stand up and move more. Any movement helps and even just standing up, outside of any walking, can help raise your metabolism[9]. A standing desk, for those long hours in the office, might be a good move.

Do either of these strategies, or better yet both. It’s better than relying on grapefruit powers to burn calories.

2) Will I enter starvation mode on the Military Diet?

Most likely not.

Sure, if you go without food for a lonnnng period of time, your metabolism might slow down slightly, though this requires EXTREME nutritional restriction over a long period of time[10].

This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. If there’s nothing to eat in sight, it might be that way for a while.

Depending on how often you repeat it, the Military Diet might reduce calories to a point where this slow down of metabolism kicks in.

However, it’s more likely that as you lose weight, your body doesn’t need to burn as many calories because there’s less of you to manage every day!

So your metabolism WILL slow down as you lose weight, but it’s not due to you eating fewer calories in a day.

Now, some would say the climb up to 1,500 calories might help prevent this, but each person is different.

My take: The fear of “starvation mode” is overblown, and it should be the least of your concerns while eating bread and ice cream and calling it a “diet”

3) Is the Military Diet a form of intermittent fasting?

Not really:

The MIlitary Diet focuses on restricting calories at a specific meal, by counting the amount of hotdogs you can have, for example.

Intermittent fasting centers on making a strategic decision to skip certain meals on purpose.

With intermittent fasting, you narrow the size of your eating window, or you occasionally do fasts of 24 hours.

For instance, you can start eating at noon and finish up by 8pm, essentially skipping breakfast.

I wrote all about it in our “Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting,” where I outlined the benefits of teaching your body to consume food more efficiently, and also reduces the total number of calories you are probably eating.

Conversely, the Military Diet teaches your body to run on hot dogs.

I’ve personally been utilizing intermittent fasting for three years. But I have never, nor will I ever, follow the Military Diet.

Shots fired.

If you’re interested, Nerd Fitness Journey has an intermittent fasting adventure that you can start today!

You can give it a whirl for free right here:

Why you should not do the Military Diet, and What to do Instead.

We all want instant gratification. Unfortunately when it comes to fitness and diet, instant gratification will always fail you.

Short term changes only lead to short term results and heartbreak.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO THE MILITARY DIET: Godspeed, soldier.

Good luck with your 7 days, and let me know how it goes in the comments below.

My only request: use those 7 days to learn about yourself and nutrition (maybe by reading this post?), and do what you can implement permanent adjustments to how you choose to eat after.

I’d imagine most people who do this diet are hoping for a permanent fix with minimal work in just a few days time, and I’m here to caution you against that line of thinking.

LIFE DON’T WORK THAT WAY.

DON’T DO THE MILITARY DIET. DO THIS INSTEAD:

Eat real food when possible.

Eat a damn vegetable every once and awhile. Yes, even if you hate them.

Cut out liquid calories like soda and juice (essentially sugar water). Drink water, black coffee, tea, or diet soda.

If you can eat real food, minimize liquid calories, and eat veggies, and do so consistently for months and months – you’re going to have permanent success.

Making these changes too tough to do permanently? Change fewer things!

Start thinking in terms of “days and years,” not “weeks and months:”

youtube

Try one meal, based on REAL food. Forget the crackers and ice cream.

If you want a strict diet to follow with rules, create your own.

Or find one that already exists.

Try Keto. Or intermittent fasting.

Maybe Paleo. Or Mediterranean.

But don’t waste your time with the Military Diet or any other crash diet. Instead make lasting changes like I lay out in that video above.

If you read all of this and you’re overwhelmed, and you’re just looking for guidance on how to eat for your situation, you’re not alone!

We had so many people ask us for specific advice that we built an Online Coaching Program to help them get results.

Our professional coaches are regular people like you, with families, hobbies, and struggles – but they spend all day helping busy people like you live better, lose weight, and feel better about themselves.

If you’re like “hey I want somebody to tell me what to do,” schedule a free call with our team to learn more by clicking in the big box below:

Back to the post: You don’t need to do the Military Diet.

The people in the military certainly don’t.

INSTEAD, YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT:

Cut back on your liquid calories. If it’s not water, tea, or coffee (black), try cutting back in a deliberate fashion. Switch to diet sodas. Switch to coffee instead of lattes. Realize that juice is just sugar water.

Prepare one healthy meal. Consider my healthy go-to option. Just make sure it has a vegetable, okay? Don’t overthink this.

If you can do those two things this week, and then repeat that week after week, you’ll be 10X better off a year from now than if you had followed the Military Diet for 7 days.

And lastly, remember, THE MILITARY DIET HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MILITARY!!!

Ahem.

Any questions?

-Steve

PS: Check out the actual guide for Special Operations Forces – Special Ops Forces Nutrition Guide. But those folks work out A LOT. Adjust your caloric intake accordingly.

PPS: And if you already did the Military Diet, please drop and give me 20 push-ups 🙂

Not sure how to do them correctly?

Our new app will teach them to you!

ALL Photos Sources can be found in this footnote here[11].

Footnotes ( returns to text)

Check out the study on a caloric deficit leading to body fat loss here

Read the article on CNN here

Check out the CNN article here and the nutritional guide here

Links to these crash diets can be found here, here, and here

Check out that study here

Check out that study on coffee here

Study on coffee and appetite found here

Study on muscle and metabolic rate found here

Study on standing up and metabolism here

Study on starvation and metabolic rate found here

patrolling, pushups, grapefruit, tape measure, sniper, caution, soldier, quick draw, cameraman, beach

Does the Military Diet Actually Work? Yes, but don’t do it. published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

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