So the Ration Challenge is over for another year and I have decided that this year is the final year that I will take part in it. I will hand my baton over to another blogger to run with and raise money for this amazing cause. If you decided to do it next year, please let me know and in lieu of taking part I will instead make you a donation.
This week my little home is getting back to normal, the tiny 'coffee jar' is back on the shelf.
The worktop is back to it's usual 'ready for anything' self and since this photo was taken the cardboard ration box has been flattened and is in the recycling bin ready for pick up tomorrow.
My food cupboards are ridiculously full ...
... at least these photos were taken after I had come back from shopping.
Yes, I now have 4.5 bottles of olive oil!! I have not seen vegetable oils in our Aldi for weeks now, so each time I went I was buying one bottle of olive oil. This week there were no more olive oils one the shelf either. The gaps on the shelves would be worrying if I didn't have all this food ... there's something to be said for a well stocked larder.
As I mentioned on my last post I had gone shopping on the last day of the Ration Challenge, and I went after walking the dogs and before I had had anything to eat. And I didn't take a list. Breaking all my own rules and ignoring two of my favourite tips ...
1. Make a shopping list
2. Never shop on an empty stomach.
So I obviously wandered around willy-nilly chunking into my trolley everything that my hungry little treat deprived tummy told me that I needed!!
Oh well, the cupboard is full and the freezer is full and there are a few bits in the fridge too, along with the fresh fruit and veg that you could spy in there yesterday.
My first 'meal' when I woke up on Sunday morning with the Challenge behind me, was a small smoothie made with two thirds of a frozen banana, a small apple and two pellets of frozen spinach. It hit the spot as much as a glass of ice cold water after a two hour hike through the Sahara desert would.
A quick summary of the Ration Challenge this year would be, that it was hard, but invigorating in some ways. I was amazed at everyone's generosity in these hard times that are starting to affect most of us. I was blown away by the support I received, especially from all you lovely blogging buddies and blog readers, it really helped.
I found it hardest health-wise, my body is used to good nutrition and it's important that I keep those levels up. Even though I took all my usual supplements by the end of the seven days I could feel myself going downhill. This week I am in more pain that I have been for a while, I think that this is partly due to the diet but also due to the fact that being on my own all last week and weekend I had to walk the dogs and do all the usual doggy chores that Alan usually does. So it was a question of less and poorer food and more to do ... not a good prescription for anyone.
The absolute best news of course is the total of money raised ... which I thought I had completed yesterday, but thanks to two more donations it has gone up yet again. Thank you so much.
.
A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated any amount to the ever rising total.
The final amount now stands at £2,187. My highest ever figure and one that I am so proud to have raised. Together we have raised enough funds to feed 13 refugees for over a year.
An amazing achievement. 💝
I am now easing myself slowly into eating normally again, and I am also having a slow but steady decluttering session all around my tiny home. I just had to sink my teeth into something that was not in anyway food related for a while.
Thank you once again. 💖
Sue xx
It just shows how necessary a good, nutritionally balanced, healthy and varied diet is, for our mental as well as physical wellbeing, doesn't it? You did incredibly well, Sue, thank you for what you did. I hope your body recovers this week. xx
ReplyDeleteIt really does. I am already starting to feel better just by making sure I am having at least five portions of fruit and veg a day, but gradually easing back in to normal eating.
DeleteI think it amazing that people do this. My system would be shot!
ReplyDeleteBy the end of the week mine felt that way for sure.
DeleteWell done. Sorry it had an effect on your health, but well done for persevering. Glad you raised such an incredible amount to help feed refugees. Enjoy some of your store-cupboard in the weeks to come. I always keep a very well stocked one as living out in the sticks, you never know when you might need it.
ReplyDeleteI was determined to see it out, what's one week in the grand scheme of things!
DeleteI'm sure it will take a while to get your digestive system back to normal. So sorry you are in pain, Sue, you probably have done a little too much without Alan to help but you can relax now knowing that you have done your utmost in raising a fantastic amount of money. Enjoy your rest week. You have certainly earned it x
ReplyDeleteI've just had to learn to live with pain over the last year, and make sure I am always well stocked with paracetamol.
DeleteTo be as dedicated as you were during that week is truly amazing, my willpower would have buckled. There is something very comforting about a well stocked larder and fridge freezer, also a well stocked tummy, our bodies do respond to what we put in them don't they. Your final amount is a wonderful achievement, well done ,x
ReplyDeleteI can be pretty focussed ... when I want to be.
DeleteI can imagine that you would have to ease into eating normally. After a week of eating what you did, your stomach would have shrunk.
ReplyDeleteWay to go on the amount of money you raised.
God bless.
Oh gosh yes, I might have bought all the food, but I sure can't eat much of it in one go. :-)
DeleteDoing something like this not only raises awareness of how awful it is for many people who are already is a dreadful situation, it also, as you say, makes you aware of how crucial good nutrition is for ones own mental and physical health.
ReplyDeleteI chuckled at the oil - I hardly use any yet have two full bottles - 'just in case'. Shortages makes hoarders of us all! I do love my well stocked cupboards though.
xx
Once I can get them sorted out and looking a bit less 'chuck it in and hope for the best' I will be happier.
DeleteI hope you feel back to 100% very soon. Your body's response to the challenge is a good reminder of how quickly we lose strength without proper nourishment. Thank you for doing the challenge - I hope someone else will take it on next year, and our 'blog-circle' will be just as supportive
ReplyDeleteI hope someone will decide to do it next year, I would love to be able to offer the support in blogland that I have received.
DeleteTake it easy this week as much as you can and savour all the healthy food that is good for your body. An excellent total but definitely time to hand on the baton.💕 Catriona
ReplyDeleteI'm definintely having a slower week this week, and a lot less food orientated. It's nice not to have to think about what to make for a change.
DeleteCongratulations on such a herculean effort - truly awe-inspiring. I know my willpower would have deserted me early on - and now I would be drooling at all those lovely foods and drinks in your pantry. Very hard to resist opening them 'just for a little bit'!
ReplyDeleteDid you weigh yourself before and after? Not that I'd recommend that diet as a method for losing weight, but I'm wondering how it might have affected you.
I hope your body soon recovers and you feel fit and healthy once more.
Thank you. xx
DeleteI lost the grand total of ONE POUND!! As I mentioned in a reply to a comment yesterday one of the highest weight losses was a guy that lost over a stone and a half, but he did admit this was a total change of diet for him and he was overweight to start with so he was very happy with the result. Of course as I eat this type of food ... although not so much rice ... it wasn't the huge shock to my system that many encountered.
Treat yourself with love and care this week, you will have lost a fair amount of strength. Well done for seeing it through.
ReplyDeleteI am doing, although now the rations are over I am trying to build a bit of leg muscle ready for hopping on and off the boat during our holiday in a couple of weeks.
DeleteYou've achieved so much with this challenge Sue, as well as the large sum of of money raised you have helped us blog devotees think about others far less fortunate than ourselves, always good.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rules when shopping, well, rules are made to be broken occasionally aren't they?
Alison in Wales
Yes totally ... if you can't break your own rules whose can you break ;-)
DeleteWith all the health issues you have dealt with this past year, it is not surprising to hear of the impact on you after just one week of poor nutrition. A stark reminder of one of the many hardships faced by refugees. However, your challenge raised awareness and you are to be congratulated for doing so. Hope that over the next few weeks you are able to get your body into better alignment--especially with regard to pain levels. The toll is not only physical, but mental, too. V. hard to think straight when in pain. Enjoy your coffee and pull out some chocolate for a job well done.
ReplyDeleteMary x
The awareness raised by everyone taking part in the Ration Challenge has been brilliant, but there are so many with closed minds, we live in a strange world.
DeleteFunnily enough I am not fancying chocolate at all ... weird!
the shopping did produce a lot of packaging....how do you handle all the plastic?
ReplyDeleteHave a closer look at the photo of the shopping and perhaps you will notice that although there IS a lot of packaging most of it is recyclable or reusable. The hard plastics, glass, foil and cardboards all in our home recycling bins if they are not reused first, and the soft plastics (bread wrappers etc) can go in the supermarket collection bin, although I do tend to reuse them first. The only thing totally not recyclable or reusable in any way is the pack that the bake-at-home bread rolls at the back of the photo came in. Although the bags containing nuts are of a type of plastic the cannot be recycled at present, I do reuse them for storage with a peg to hold them closed, so they at least are not 'single use plastic'.
DeleteI hope this helps to put your mind at ease Dorothy.