Achievements, Musings

The Thoughts of A Breadaholic Who Didn’t Realise She Was

Gemma - Wheelescapades

Hello my name is Gemma and I’ve recently realised I’m a breadaholic.

If you read my first post of 2018 you’ll know that I set myself a few aims for the year ahead and one of them was start taking part in Lent again. If you haven’t yet read this post then I suggest you do to find out my reasoning behind this.

This year I shall give up bread. That’s bread in all its forms, including donuts. I don’t eat bread daily, but I do enjoy a poached egg sandwich now and again. Bread will be a challenge but not torture.

I know traditionally lent is 40 days. Well I think it is, I’m not the religious kind. Sunday’s are excluded and meant to be a day off. The day of rest maybe? But I can’t just eat bread on a Sunday. I don’t really see the point of that. If I’m going to do something I need to do it.

There’s debate as to when lent ends, I don’t know why because when following a religion these things must be set on something.

But then I’ve never got how the dates of Easter change… so if anyone can enlighten me please do. Anyway Christianity isn’t for me and that’s a totally other conversation! But I like to take part in Lent for my own personal reasons, and because I just like to challenge myself. There’s not much I can control in this life, or any of us can, so why not deprive yourself of something you like, just because? That’s my reasoning anyway.

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday (which happens to be Valentines Day this year, how romantic), the day after pancake day/Shrove Tuesday.

Google tells me I can start eating bread again on Good Friday. Google is generally in the know. So that’s what I’ll do.

I’ve kept a little thought diary for you of my ‘Breadventures’. Do you like what I did there?!

Shrove Tuesday.

So the pancakes have been eaten, melted cheese and pesto, then lemon and syrup. It’s an odd one is pancake day, the day where it’s acceptable for me to just eat pancakes. A bit like the day after Boxing Day when I’ll happily just eat cheese. The balanced plate thingy goes out the window!

Day -1 Its ok I had bread for lunch, that will keep me going. A bit like your last supper on death row. Already craving garlic bread.

Day 1 Oh my god it’s Easter and hot cross buns are bread. And I love them. How did this only just cross my mind…

Day 2 Does eating no bread mean I can eat more biscuits?

Day 3 Oh I do love a cheese and pickle sandwich…

Day 4 Boots have some tasty looking sandwiches in the meal deal… Look away now and choose a pasta!

Day 5 How do Pizza Hut even have my number? Three texts in under a week! They know. I swear they know.

Day 6 Mum is eating fresh white rolls.

Day 7 Mr Potato Head turns Mr Tortilla Wrap Head in Toy Story 3. Wraps, fajitas, enchiladas…

Day 8 I swear I can smell toast.

Day 10 She bought a French stick. How could she?!

Day 12 Even the book I’m reading has hot cross buns in!

Day 16 Who’s eating toast? Who is it?

Day 17 They’re all eating pizza. All of them.

Day 18 Is there a best thing since sliced bread?!

Day 21 Why do M&S have to have their pizza meal deal on now?! Why? It ends tomorrow. It’s ok I’ll freeze it.

Day 23 Sausage roll for lunch.

Day 24 Cinnamon swirl for lunch today, sausage roll yesterday… replacing bread with pastry?!

Day 26 I really fancy a McDonalds cheese burger. I never want McDonalds.

Day 27 Marmite on toast…

Day 30 McDonalds are doing a big Big Mac. I need one. I can’t even eat a whole normal Big Mac, why would I want a big Big Mac?!

Day 31 It’s Friday and the weekly Pizza Express email arrives. No I don’t want two courses for £10.95.

Day 33 Mum literally has half a loaf of bread for lunch!

Day 35 I can have bread next Friday. All the bread I want! But what will I choose…

Day 42 Why do supermarkets all now have a bakery? It smells so good.

Day 44 Spaghetti bolognese without garlic bread is just not spaghetti bolognese.

Day 45 I bought bread and hot cross buns today. I can eat bread tomorrow and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

I found giving up bread even harder than cheese. I stuck to it because that’s the type of person I am. Bloomin stubborn about stupid things! Because I decided to do it and I had an end date in sight there was no way I would give in. However had I been diagnosed with a minor allergy or intolerance to bread I’m almost certain I would still eat it at times. Because that’s also the type of person I am. I’ll do it if I say so, but I won’t be doing it if life or someone else says so. A bit like a child I guess!

I think it’s proper bread I’ve missed most. And garlic bread. And hot cross buns just because they are everywhere right now.

It’s come around so quickly. Lent is over and I can eat all the bread I like. But I’m not sure I want to. It’s like an anti-addiction. An addiction to not doing something. Is that a thing?

Like when I gave up sugar in my tea a few years back. It was like changing my way of life. Anything sounds scary at first. Daunting. Like life will never be the same without a certain thing or food. That’s what addiction is after all. Not that I’m suggesting in any way I know what actual addiction is like. But now life without sugar in tea is my normal. We change, we adjust, we adapt to work with what we have. Could life without bread ever be my normal?

The day of the bread

So I ate bread. There was a little guilt after. Like I was doing something I shouldn’t, even though there was no reason why I shouldn’t.

I chose to break my bread fast with a hot cross bun for lunch. It is the day of the hot cross bun after all. Easter. It was nice, tasty even, but it wasn’t as exciting as I had expected it to be. I could probably have lived without it.

But I won’t. Tomorrow I’m having pizza. Those M&S ones I froze!

What can I deprive myself of next year….?

Published by Gemma - Wheelescapades

Whenever friends and I are out we always end up discussing, critiquing, analysing where we are and what we are doing. From talking about the food we are eating, the soap in the toilets, the awful bus journey to our destination, anything and everything we encounter. Because of my disability (SMA type2) many of the situations we get into, issues we discuss and laughs we have can be due to wheelchair access. Often me getting stuck in mud or shingle, or me making my way through the most cram packed shop you can imagine, wondering how I am ever going to find the way out again! I aim to write a blog that describes these dramas, tells stories of our laughs, adventures and frustrations, while giving detailed information on accessibility and wheelchair access. Also I like tea. ALOT. The quality of the tea often determines my return just as much as the accessibility.

51 thoughts on “The Thoughts of A Breadaholic Who Didn’t Realise She Was”

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  11. I loved the comment about whether biscuits were still OK…giving up something for lent is admirable, but as you mention, there are so many incredible ways to enjoy bread, perhaps next year you can be more specific so those biscuits still make the cut…

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  12. Hahaha! This really made me chuckle. I have so much admiration for you sticking with it, Im o with missing out on bread, but dont even think about taking cake away from me…. I may well do it, just to see if I can. Great read Gemma xx

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  16. You made me smile Gemma….and also sigh!! I stopped eating gluten last year for my health issues, and the bread has been tough!! Then….we went to Sainsburys yesterday and I realised I can’t have Hot Cross Buns….nooooooo!!!!! Not a GF HTB to be seen in the free from aisle – I salivated as son 2 and hubby tucked into them. It wouldn’t be so bad if I weren’t going for 3rd colonoscopy in as many weeks next Fri…so instead of eggs or hot cross buns arriving for me, I got a huge pack of bowel prep. Not sure this GF is really helping! Have a fab Easter weekend xxx

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      1. I usually gave up sweets of all kinds and then pigged out on St Patrick’s day in advance of Easter. It was that one year I have up bread sticks out. No one thought it was real Lent for me but it truly was!!

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  18. My screenreader mispronounced the title as breedaholic and I thought what on earth is a breedaholic?! Anyway once I realised it was about bread I started thinking about bread in all its forms – I think pizza would be the hardest, or rolls for lunch! Good on you for sticking to it!

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  19. That was funny! Totally with you, I love my bread, taking a break from it is a hardship!

    As for the date of Easter, it moves because it is linked to the Jewish Passover which goes by the lunar calendar rather than the date of the month, if that makes sense

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    1. Ah thanks, you learn something everyday! I just know about the resurrection of Christ as the reason Easter is celebrated, so assumed a date should be chosen as with Christmas. But then I truly know easter as chocolate weekend.

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      1. Well ‘Easter’ I reckon is a corruption of Eostre, a Nordic pagan goddess of spring, whose emblems include rabbits and eggs. Seems a bit of. Coincidence no?

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  21. I about had a full fit this morning when I realized that I forgot to bake a loaf of bread yesterday.(I wasn’t feeling well). What would we have for breakfast?? My husband saved the day by walking to the bakery for some fresh brotchen. Crisis averted. I am certain I could not go without bread willingly.

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  23. You made me smile all through your post…I will just say though if you lived here you would never eat bread again they put sugar in it and it is as sweet as sweet can be..horrible and hot cross buns unles I make them..Not one in sght anywhere…Happy Easter 🙂 x

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    1. It’s a good job you can make hot cross buns! I haven’t tried to before but I should. Love them! Wha do you think of all this messing about with flavours that’s happening lately with the hot cross bun? I had chocolate and caramel ones at the weekend, I’ve also got orange and marmalade flavour to try. All from M&S.

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      1. As I cannot get them here Gemma ..I have to make them but my question is why??? Orange I can understand but Caramel and Chocolate…NO! ….Not for me… I don’t get all this fascination with adding chocolate and caramel to everything..I like a piece of chocolate but in all my food..No!

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  24. Go you for sticking to it even though you were tempted! This was such a fab post, giggled to myself for some of your days! I’d be the exact same, i wanted to give up something for lent this year but I completely missed the start 😂😂 x

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