The first thing I was inspired by was a tip by Alex Hormozi for people who need good low calorie natural protein on a budget. His original tip was to take a carton of egg whites- equaling a total of 30 eggs worth of egg whites or basically 1kg- and drink it mixed with low calorie chocolate syrup for a chocolate shake type of thing that delivers on low calories and high protein. Ok, not doing that haha! But, I looked at the price of one such carton versus 30 eggs, I looked at all nutrition details and yes it is worth it in every way. The egg whites are pasteurized as well, so you can have them raw or lightly cooked if you wish. So, what have I done with them? Egg sunny side up with one whole egg and a bunch of egg white added to it to make a gigantic lower calorie high protein egg sunny side up. Then, a small amount of rice with spices and egg whites to make a healthier egg fried rice type of thing. Finally, Greek yogurt mixed with one egg and lots of egg white, salt and a bit of gluten free flour, baked in oven to get excellent meal prep freezer friendly breakfast squares (look up base recipe for this culinary contraption, easy to make, difficult to make a mistake with it). The only secret for the last one is to use parchment paper with a bit of oil on it for easier removal after it is baked, and you have to let it chill on the counter for a bit before you fridge or freeze it. Finally, if you freeze and reheat it needs to be reheated all the way through. ;) Finally, egg white egg bites made in silicone muffin pans- yum!
The second thing that has helped me a lot, and may or may not work for you but it is worth knowing in case it works, is that I have started adding trace amounts of salt, or half half salt (half sodium, half potassium) to my water in between meals whenever I do calorie restriction or eat less salt with my meals. Drinking lots of water can in some cases flush out my electrolytes, making me weaker and more hungry; putting a bit of sodium and potassium in my system with that water helps prevent that or at least mitigate it enough.
Thing number three that I have done is I did a test to check my vitamin D levels. Once I did that and saw I was way too low, I carefully brought it up to upper normal range (it takes a little while) and this has helped my health immensely. In Ontario where I am, the test costs $25 but honestly it is worth way more than that. Some symptoms of low vitamin D include muscle and bone pain, increased pain sensitivity, pins and needles, muscle weakness especially in upper arms and thighs, waddling while walking, mood changes, fatigue... One thing that worked for me is to pay attention to my calcium and K2 levels as well while increasing my vitamin D.
There you have it, dearest readers- a little something that might help you go into spring and summer better, healthier, happier and more energized. Feel free to say hi and share other things that have personally worked for you. :)
Mwah!