Matisyahu's Blog

Went for a walk tonight down to the local Pak ‘n Save – I think I’ll turn it into a regular thing rather than taking the bus so then I can squeeze into the day some exercise while also doing something. I picked up some fresh blueberries as well as some frozen berries to go with the unsweetened De Winkel Yoghurt – I sprinkle some monk fruit sugar substitute to add some sweetness but the combination of the sweet berries with the tartness of the yogurt really go well together. The lifestyle change has been tough at times but it’s the old story of ‘keep your eye on the prize’ and pushing through knowing that long term there are big benefits that come from these tough moments where it is tempting to fall back into old habits but you resist the urge and feel all the better for it.

I think the biggest insight has been look at food labels and seeing what I put into my body – not just counting calories but also seeing how much fibre, sugar (and where the sugar comes from) etc. The days of “eat first, ask questions later” are gone and these days I’m focusing on making sure that when I do eat that the food is actually filling and satisfying for the amount of calories I allow for myself each day. Part of that has been getting rid of refined carbs such as pasta and traditional bread as well as giving up starchy vegetables such as potatoes along with rice. For me it isn’t about conforming to some sort of new trendy eating lifestyle but more the fact that the calories are high, the carbs are high and afterwards I still felt hungry which begs the question “why eat something that only results in me feeling hungry after”. The weight is coming off gradually – I’ve had to add new notched on my belt so I can tighten it, a jumper that didn’t fit me that I bought back from my Europe trip actually fits.

How are things going with my move to Google? I’m very happy so far. I’ve moved back to using Skinny for my mobile phone provider on the $40 per month plan and the experience is really good with the Pixel 9 XL. Many people have asked me whether the Pixel 9 XL is supported in NZ – yes, on all the main carriers including VoLTE, VoWIFI and other features not to mention 5G is perfect, right up there in terms of the quality one gets with an iPhone running on Skinny. As for Google Workspace, I’m a very happy lad and along with the improvements being made to Chrome and MV3 gradually (I use AdGuard browser extension) has made it a better experience than using Safari.