The link between cooking and vanity shopping

Following up on my last post, I am happy to say that my sugar level is under control and I am taking fewer insulin shots compared to the very beginning. 

Yes, my diet has changed 360 degree...which means multiple meals with small portions, no dessert of any kind, everything I put into my mouth is either whole wheat or multigrain, checking the food labels before chucking them into my trolley, no dining out which means cooking for myself, which is probably the toughest part as I hardly spend longer than 10 minutes in the kitchen before only 6 weeks ago.

So food, meal planning and eating at regular hours, not to mention the cooking part take up most of my time and energy. I can spend hours reading up on diabetes, checking out quick and easy recipes which don't require too much preparation or ingredients, and frequenting the supermarket multiple times a week as the kind of food that I am now buying have a short period of shelf / fridge life (no more processed / ready cooked meals on the go). On top of that, there is only me and cooking for one person isn't the easiest thing to master! 

Cooking isn't at all fun for the undomesticated but it has gotten me to think differently about food and its impact on myself and the world at large. I am more intentional about where the food comes from, the process involved in cooking and the mileage it takes to ship them. I eat what I cook and considering what effort I am putting into the preparation and the actual cooking, without the salt and sugar and fat, I am eating a much healthier diet which cannot be bought at fast food corporations. 

Meanwhile, I am eating less (per meal) as a portion control and for the fact that the dishes I come up with taste a bit bland and lack of variety. What do I expect from following the recipe to the T when I have problem figuring out the different buttons on the stove! It is going to take a while before my taste buds acclimatize to food 'sans' condiment. I am sure I will get better at it with practice. I might have to take some cooking lessons before I am confident enough to invite my friends over. It is a lot of work to be honest but having more control over what I am eating is worthy of it. 

And if you have read this far, thank you for being so patient with me as I am about to explain how this is related to fashion. 

There is always some kind o sales going on at different outlets throughout the year and to me, should you allow excessive consumerism to take the lead, you would be dished out garments with a reduction price tag which you believe to be a bargain not to be missed. Similar to living on processed food, you are stuffing up yourself with 'unwanted' items to fill the little gap there is in your cluttered wardrobe. 
By knowing your best colours and style, together with your personality and preference, you get to decide what to buy and what not; which is not so different from cooking at home using only the fresh ingredients and controlling the flavour to match your needs. With a shopping plan at hand, you are in charge of the game and saying no to what you don't need is indeed empowering. Why would you succumb to restaurant food with loads of MSGs when you can make something wholesome and tailored to your senses?

I didn't know any better before my diagnosis and it's just too late to reverse the ailment. Knowing about yourself in terms of colour, style, body shape, the status of your wardrobe and the triggers to your impulsive shopping trips guarantee a large amount of savings, a more workable closet, and more time spending on doing what you really love to be doing. Sounds good doesn't it?

Diabetes has turned my life upside-down...

To be honest, I would never admit being a 'superwoman' even though there seem to be a lot which I have accomplished so far up to this point of my life. Take a quick scan of my CV and you know what I mean. It is just my personality doing the magic; the fact that I am extremely result-oriented, a go-getter, and the fact that my interests have gone amok over the span of the last 20 odd years and creating / producing something is necessary to justify my diversity of interests and hobbies.

Turning 46 wasn't the end of the world until I got diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes last week. The symptoms which I have been experiencing associated with the ailment, not to mention the costs to see an endocrinologist and a dietitian, as well as the insulin shots and oral med, have all turned my otherwise productive days into an absolute nightmare. For someone who doesn't enjoy spending time in the kitchen, I am now racking my brain to come up with a weekly menu to control the glucose and blood pressure. And I am only 46.

Well, I just have to accept that my body is letting me down. I have to accept that I have aged; and along with it there are unprecedented problems and concerns only associated to geriatrics in the past. My cousin died of cancer a few years back and she was my age. Life can be snuffed into non-existence without reasons. The machine is rusting and it is just a matter of time when it stops functioning altogether.I will survive unless I don't. I like to think of my body, the flesh, a vessel through which to move through this so called life. It is a tool not dissimilar to a saw and screwdrivers, a hammer and nuts and bolts, and therefore I don't spend too much time worrying about it. I am not my body!

The diagnosis is hard to swallow and the severe headache from a sudden change of body chemistry is not helping either. Going on a new diet and therefore a new lifestyle isn't easy and so too, is being an individual of fashion. If you get stressed out to have a sense of style, don't do it. Being diabetic has made me stop and realise that I have my limits. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and carry on 'living'; whichever the word means.