The Economics.

This year has been a difficult, though a very important one as I slowly reclaim my finances. Indeed a blessing, yet also paints for what appears to be the next challenging year ahead.

Meanwhile here in Australia ¬ my weekly budgets expenditures hovers anywhere between $45 AUD to at times unavoidable $50. The lowest being $40, but even this still warrants judicious rationing week to week.

Everything, including what I consider non-negotiables skyrocketed in prices everywhere. I have been reintroducing various higher protein legumes, particularly chick peas (yellow splits, and tyson) that may be used in lieu of the meat proteins.  Another reason (as long overdue N=1 experimentation) was to assess my tolerances on various legumes and how it fares over time. So far, whilst minor discomforts linger, they weren't all that bad.

Suffice to say, my weekly grocery shopping would look something like these (which of course grossly vary week to week). Note that the feasibility of this is consistent is hard to to say as I must exhaust all resource consumption from the prior week's grocers.

• A short-dated roast - be it beef, lamb or pork. These can either be a hock, shoulder, a leg, or my newest guilty pleasure (should money is no object) - ox cheeks. $10 for 1.5kg (if I'm lucky) all the way to $17 (for 2kg again, if I'm lucky).
• Livers as organ meat every fortnight. Beef, sheep or chicken. Unfortunately here on Australia I am witnessing a decreasing amount of beef livers on sale anywhere, up to a consistent absolute none - irrespective from known or less known grocers. $3,5 to $4.0
• Eggs (non negotiable). $4.20 to unbelievable $5.50. just a single carton.
• Dessicated coconut, creams or saturated fat source (non-negotiable). ~ $3.00 give or take.
• Source of bioavailable calcium - be it yoghurt or short-dated sour cream as starters for DIY yoghurts. $3 for short-dated 1kg if I'm lucky.
• Gelatin powder (non-negotiable). $4.20 to at times $4.50. almost 25% increase in just a year.
• A carbohydrate source (starch) ~ either plain flour or rice for refeed days.
• A carbohydrate source (milk) ~ for refeed days as inbetween novelty cottage milk these are also mandatory for my DIY yoghurt rituals. 
• Short-dated vegetables, so long as they are oxalate safe. $2-$3.
• A carbohydrate source (novelty / disretion novelty). $1 - $2.

For additional $2 or $3 "spare" this is where I'd set aside discretionary N=1 experiments and reinclusions. Be it inclusion / reinclusion of fibre, extra fruit/fructose discretionary carbohydrate intake during refeed days ~ or whatever other foods ~ I subject for my own tinkering in the life of Cyclical Keto + Intermittent Fasting.

All of the above affords me somewhere between 1900 to 2400 kcals per day. How I calculate this intuitively is simply prior years, upon years - of nutritional journalling, budgetting. and self-metrics on BMR / TDEE etc.  Macros calculations are entirely explained in the manuscript.

For those who are interested at a deep dive down on the science as well as my own subjective, yet never prescriptive dogma of a "template" N=1 experience for all ~ I welcome you to view Expired Foods handling & Experience guide series.  Note: these are not for Youtube-shorts attention-span viewership.

My stance to plant based diets remain unchanged to that as neutral. I continue however, as with my intermittent fasting regiments to exclude and reinclude anything I deem suspect. indeed,  slowly but surely all my tinkering and years of this award me at revealing food sensitivities. Namely, Oxalates, is one of many candidates prediposing me to general malaise, to the point of lower back and joints mobility compromises.

The "non-negotiables".

For many years now in retrospect from having lived years under themes of inaccessibility and in context CKD+IF - I am confident to share a pattern of food items I consider (for myself that is) - as vital and non-negotiable.

Eggs, gelatin powder, a source of saturated fat, and fortnightly - nutrient-dense organ meats - particularly livers. Of course elaborating my reasons for each of them likely necessitates yet another part for Annual Food for Thoughts. Suffice to say from my own metabolic needs stand point - plus years of disciplined experiments that intermittent fasting taught me ~ withdrawing any of these non-negotiables more than likely impairs my overall well being. Be it physiological, fitness training and numerous surrogate QOL's / quality of life.

To illustrate how and why - well, that is yet another FCPX project is still in the making, amidst not one , two but fifty+ other overall Final Cut Pro X overall video retakes, remakes and presentations since 2020's early rebranding pledges.

Viewers, I hope - may correctly guess at this point as to the reason why. I can only do so much besides my bread+butter to protect ~ with so much few hours left before I have a chance to recuperate for the next day.

Screens From 2020-2021 (2 years so far) progress on the rebranding + FCPX Screenshot

Conclusion.

Let me recite once again, for third-parties-and-powers whom I interact on daily basis my statement of comfort and assurance = I have never, ever been so grateful and thankful of this year. 

I am glad that most though not all the general populace deserves the awakening they need to take ownership, and to exercise scrutiny amongst governances, mandates and/or paternalisms everywhere. For those unaware, I uphold no beliefs or faith whatsoever in authoritarianism, or of religion.

As for this concept initiative's rebrand progress I am at least, close to completing the phase of the branding itself, alongside its 75GB+ worth of collateral projects, motion graphics and video presentation recordings spread across 50+ FCPX editing timelines.  Being a creative designer, entirely-self-taught UX & UI, and am aspiring author to this day  seem insignificant and/or even "easy" amidst today's short attention spans. For a bit of context and reminder it is easy to assume content creators or aspiring author (me included) these days have all the time in the world to express everything from their heads unto the screens, in an instant. Reality however, is far from this.

Should anyone read this far and actually learn something from it, then colour me impressed.

"Impressed" that is ~ not that I feel arithmetically validated, but acknowledged. Though I caution for all that my channel is not about perpetuating followship nor platforming myself as a "template", if anything akin as that of Survivorship Bias.

Overall, 2022 has been a welcoming change and I am blessed. Exhaustive for sure, with many ends and new beginnings. But that, shall be as I or we anticipate - be reserved for the next year.

Live-It-Forward,

AW.
Andrewwiguna.com
nutritional-humility.me