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Brat Diary: March 6, 2025
5 Plays4 months ago
Salman soliloquizes on family genes, reevaluating stuff, and other nonsense.
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Transcript
Cultural Identity and Comedy
00:00:00
Speaker
I grew up confused about my culture and identity and felt out of place most of the time until I found comedy, which forced me to be honest with myself and I realized mostly I'm just an expat brat.
Expat Brad Podcast Introduction
00:00:13
Speaker
Welcome to my show.
00:00:14
Speaker
I'm Salman Qureshi.
00:00:16
Speaker
All right, we back, baby.
00:00:18
Speaker
We back like anybody cares, but we're back.
00:00:21
Speaker
This is...
00:00:23
Speaker
This is the expat Brad podcast.
00:00:25
Speaker
We're prepping up for the year 2025, although it's March, so it's a little late.
00:00:31
Speaker
Hey, how have you been doing
Life Planning and Turning 40
00:00:34
Speaker
everybody?
00:00:34
Speaker
This is going to be just a kicker off kind of episode.
00:00:38
Speaker
I've been busy the first couple of months planning other things and reworking some shit and deciding what I want to do with the rest of the year and how.
Weight Gain and Grief Eating
00:00:48
Speaker
the rest of the decade.
00:00:49
Speaker
I'm halfway almost into my 40s this year.
00:00:53
Speaker
And so it's kind of like things are getting serious now.
00:00:57
Speaker
You know, I'm racing towards my 50s very, very fast.
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Speaker
And it's kind of unsettling a little bit.
00:01:05
Speaker
I didn't feel this bad.
00:01:07
Speaker
The last time I felt weird about this age thing was around 30.
00:01:11
Speaker
No, I did at 40 as well.
00:01:12
Speaker
What am I kidding?
00:01:13
Speaker
Every decade I go, oh, my God, another decade is gone.
00:01:16
Speaker
And this one feels like this is when I get old.
00:01:21
Speaker
But then a couple of years into it, I'm like, you know, I feel pretty much the same, except for parts of my body decaying and finding it hard to lose weight and stuff.
00:01:31
Speaker
But other than that, it's been great.
00:01:33
Speaker
I put on a lot of weight last year after my father's death.
00:01:37
Speaker
I think I just grief ate my way through a lot of it and stopped caring.
00:01:43
Speaker
And I think I picked up like five, six kilos.
00:01:46
Speaker
So I'm trying to...
00:01:47
Speaker
Yeah, it sounds horrible.
00:01:48
Speaker
Like I've been doing well until, you know, it all happened.
00:01:52
Speaker
And this time it's been harder to get going to try putting that weight behind, you know, because it's everywhere right now.
Fitness Journey and Health Concerns
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Speaker
And my tummy, you know, I just I feel bad now.
00:02:07
Speaker
I used to always feel bad about putting weight around my tummy.
00:02:10
Speaker
It's not like I'm obsessed with a look.
00:02:15
Speaker
It's just how it makes me feel.
00:02:17
Speaker
When I've got that around me, I know I'm probably killing myself, you know, unhealthy stuff.
00:02:24
Speaker
There was also the problem of Cold Stone was on discount on a lot of the apps.
00:02:29
Speaker
So if you order it online, my favorite thing from it was
00:02:34
Speaker
I blame slightly my wife for introducing me to it, this cake batter, the cookie.
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Speaker
So do this if you're keen to put on weight for some reason or stop caring or just going through a rough time.
00:02:46
Speaker
Order their cookie, what's it called?
00:02:49
Speaker
Cookie dough ice cream, whatever it's called.
00:02:52
Speaker
Yeah, they all just have these fancy names.
00:02:53
Speaker
I don't even look at it now.
00:02:55
Speaker
But they do it with vanilla.
00:02:56
Speaker
And what we do is we request them to change the vanilla flavor to cake batter.
00:03:02
Speaker
And it ups the game, my friends.
00:03:04
Speaker
It ups the game.
00:03:05
Speaker
The problem is, after that, I'm spoiled.
00:03:08
Speaker
I can't even enjoy Cornetto's or Ben and Jerry anymore.
00:03:14
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I said it out loud.
00:03:16
Speaker
I never thought I'd be team Cold Stone.
00:03:19
Speaker
But that particular flavor has got me hooked.
00:03:21
Speaker
And
Healthy Eating Habits
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Speaker
weaning off it has been one of the hardest things.
00:03:25
Speaker
I went back to these stupid apps like my fitness pal, you know, recording my workouts on Apple Health.
00:03:31
Speaker
And all that kind of shit you do.
00:03:35
Speaker
And the problem is it works.
00:03:37
Speaker
So just going back to it.
00:03:39
Speaker
I looked at my previous data, which was still recording MyFitnessPal, which says something about privacy and whatever.
00:03:47
Speaker
It's always there now.
00:03:48
Speaker
But I was looking through it, and my weight chart, every time I record it, it goes off for like a few months, a year sometimes, because I delete, I bring it back on.
00:03:58
Speaker
And it's bizarre because it's like this roller coaster just going up and down.
00:04:02
Speaker
That's what I've gone through over the last maybe 7, 8, 10 years.
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Speaker
But it's...
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Speaker
It's hard.
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Speaker
And I keep fluctuating between a huge range between like my peak was 85 kgs, 85, 86.
00:04:17
Speaker
That's when I was the worst.
00:04:21
Speaker
I didn't hit that this time.
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Speaker
I was very close to it.
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Speaker
I think I went up to 82, almost 82 and a half.
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Speaker
And that's when I really start feeling it.
00:04:31
Speaker
82 plus, I start feeling it, man.
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Speaker
But my waistline has never been this bad.
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Speaker
I'm not going to record that because it's going to be part of history then.
00:04:39
Speaker
And I just look at it and go, God.
00:04:43
Speaker
At one point, I had also hit 78.
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Speaker
So my goal...
ADHD Medication Advocacy
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Speaker
It's 75.
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Speaker
In an ideal world, I'll bring it down to 72.
00:04:54
Speaker
That's when I'm really fit.
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Speaker
But 75 is sort of like my, all right, I'm back in the healthy zone.
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Speaker
And I got till 77 point something.
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Speaker
And then it blows up again.
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Speaker
It's like, goddamn, my weight's like a yo-yo, you know?
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Speaker
It's just...
00:05:11
Speaker
It was an interesting graph.
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Speaker
That's all I'm saying.
00:05:13
Speaker
Maybe I should share it at some point online, get a few laughs from people.
00:05:18
Speaker
But yeah, it's working.
00:05:19
Speaker
I've also, what I have liked about it is my little concoction, concoction, concoction.
00:05:27
Speaker
That's how you say it, right?
00:05:28
Speaker
So my breakfast, I probably stole it from some blog, you know.
00:05:33
Speaker
You guys know that, I know that, but we're going to claim like I did this myself.
00:05:38
Speaker
I take some Greek yogurt because it's supposed to be healthy and I throw in some blueberries, sometimes strawberries, sometimes mango chunk, but that's probably the unhealthy version of it.
00:05:48
Speaker
But I get them all frozen.
00:05:49
Speaker
Now, I don't know if you know this.
00:05:51
Speaker
I read this somewhere and it's ingrained in my head.
00:05:53
Speaker
I think it's still true.
00:05:55
Speaker
I probably should do research to reconfirm it.
00:05:57
Speaker
But at that time when I read it, it was from a good source and it stuck in my head.
00:06:01
Speaker
They say vegetables and fruits, frozen ones are actually healthier.
00:06:04
Speaker
And yeah, you know, you might think, how does that make sense?
00:06:09
Speaker
We've been told fresh, fresh, fresh.
00:06:11
Speaker
But the thing is, they freeze it at the earlier stage.
00:06:16
Speaker
And the fresh produce that you get has traveled.
00:06:20
Speaker
I think it is kind of kept in a chiller, obviously, and stuff as well, but it's not frozen.
00:06:24
Speaker
So the frozen one keeps the good stuff intact.
00:06:29
Speaker
It's spoken like a true scientist.
00:06:33
Speaker
You probably should go to an expert, not listen to me.
00:06:35
Speaker
But I think what they mean is the minerals or the healthiness, whatever the nutrition value of it is frozen in at the earlier stage.
00:06:43
Speaker
So I buy frozen.
Podcasting Break and Future Plans
00:06:45
Speaker
It's easier.
00:06:46
Speaker
I throw some of the mostly blueberries usually.
00:06:49
Speaker
And then I sprinkle some shredded pistachio, a couple of pecan nuts and a drizzle of honey.
00:06:59
Speaker
And that's probably the most unhealthy part.
00:07:01
Speaker
But I need to sweeten up.
00:07:02
Speaker
Fruits suck here, man.
00:07:04
Speaker
Fruits just suck out here.
00:07:05
Speaker
I don't know why.
00:07:07
Speaker
I just never have had a sweet strawberry out here.
00:07:11
Speaker
Never.
00:07:12
Speaker
You know, I don't know why.
00:07:13
Speaker
I bought expensive ones that have been flown in from where I would think would be good.
00:07:18
Speaker
You know, even if it's European or American or whatever, Egyptian, you get strawberries from all over the world here.
00:07:23
Speaker
None of them sweet.
00:07:25
Speaker
Never.
00:07:25
Speaker
If you know any better brand, please tell me.
00:07:27
Speaker
I would love to.
00:07:28
Speaker
But this, you know, I've had it in other countries and I love it.
00:07:32
Speaker
Anyway, because these fruits suck here mostly.
00:07:36
Speaker
Even with frozen ones, I just add a drizzle of honey and then chia seeds on top.
00:07:41
Speaker
I never thought, let's just be honest, you know, just something, let's just be clear.
00:07:45
Speaker
I never thought I would recommend this kind of stuff or go into it.
00:07:49
Speaker
The minute I hear things like chia seeds and chia seeds,
00:07:52
Speaker
shit like that.
00:07:52
Speaker
I'm just like, kill the person who said it.
00:07:55
Speaker
It sounds like one of those gym bros or new age health nuts and stuff.
00:08:02
Speaker
But here I am.
00:08:03
Speaker
I mix that shit up.
00:08:05
Speaker
It's low on calories.
00:08:07
Speaker
It's supposed to be healthy.
00:08:10
Speaker
For me, I feel better.
00:08:11
Speaker
I'm not going to lie.
00:08:12
Speaker
Every time I have it, I feel better.
00:08:13
Speaker
It's almost like a
00:08:15
Speaker
deserty kind of thing anyway because it's it's cold the yogurt's cold the blueberries are freshly unfrozen so they're kind of cold i eat them when they're still kind of on the cold side and just little things like that i noticed has made a big difference already for me but it's a long journey ahead my friends it's gonna be it's like the road construction work never ending you know in dubai like the traffic
00:08:40
Speaker
Every time they construct roads, more people come, more traffic jams happen, and then they build the roads again.
00:08:47
Speaker
It's a never-ending cycle I've come to peace with in terms of this is always going to be there.
00:08:52
Speaker
And my weight, I think on my mom's side, we tend to put on weight easily.
00:08:57
Speaker
I don't know if that's a real thing.
00:08:58
Speaker
Is it genetic?
00:09:01
Speaker
some kind of genetics that you actually put on weight, or is that just excuses we use ourselves?
00:09:06
Speaker
Is there any scientific basis to it?
00:09:08
Speaker
I don't know.
00:09:08
Speaker
I should probably research it instead of just asking that question.
00:09:12
Speaker
But I just think maybe it is an excuse, right?
00:09:16
Speaker
Maybe we're just making that shit up just to make it sound like that's the reason.
00:09:21
Speaker
But having said that, my mom's side does tend to put on, some of the family does tend to put on weight more easily.
00:09:27
Speaker
Not so much on my dad's side, no.
00:09:30
Speaker
And I don't know.
00:09:31
Speaker
I don't think it's the kind of food.
00:09:33
Speaker
I don't know what it is.
00:09:35
Speaker
But I'd like to blame that side of the family for my constant struggle.
00:09:43
Speaker
You got to blame somebody.
00:09:45
Speaker
And that's the year, man.
00:09:47
Speaker
But overall, I'm kind of feeling better about a lot of things.
00:09:52
Speaker
And you know, you kind of like at some stages in my life, I kind of felt, is this is this going to get am I going to get out of this issue?
00:10:01
Speaker
And and lately, I've been feeling more optimistic overall, which is a good feeling, you know.
00:10:08
Speaker
And I got to say, I've been having a lot of chats with people learning about their own ADHD and stuff, and I'm such a strong proponent of just get on the meds.
00:10:17
Speaker
You know, if you don't have ADHD, then shut up and sit in your corner.
00:10:21
Speaker
You don't realize what's happening.
00:10:23
Speaker
I've been taking my pills and you got to find the right amount and not, you know, there's no danger.
00:10:29
Speaker
There's no danger.
00:10:29
Speaker
If you are, go to a good doctor.
00:10:31
Speaker
You'll know a good doctor at our age as adults.
00:10:34
Speaker
You know, we kind of can tell a decent doctor who's not just shelling these meds out to us for to make a quick buck.
00:10:42
Speaker
done right, it adds so much value.
00:10:45
Speaker
And I, over the last year and a half or so that I've been taking it, I've seen big changes in my life in spite of some of the shit that's gone down.
00:10:55
Speaker
Overall, I just feel I've made great strides.
00:10:57
Speaker
It might just be luck that my life has had some things happen, some things got better job-wise, career-wise, financially, overall with certain things, with my kiddo,
00:11:09
Speaker
Zan speaking now, by the way, he's saying a lot of words and stuff.
00:11:12
Speaker
And, and that's very heartening.
00:11:14
Speaker
He's, he's a real he's turning into a real cool, cool buddy, cool kid really jumping around playing stuff and everything.
00:11:21
Speaker
So touch wood, you know, his progress keeps on that road.
00:11:25
Speaker
Having said that, when I look back at it, you know what I've done?
00:11:28
Speaker
I've saved all my Concerta.
00:11:30
Speaker
That's one of the meds I take.
00:11:32
Speaker
Concerta boxes that I've had from day one.
00:11:37
Speaker
And I've just seen the changes in my life happen.
00:11:40
Speaker
And I'm telling you, I can say for sure that is a big part of the change in me.
00:11:49
Speaker
It's not a fluke.
00:11:50
Speaker
It's not a coincidence.
00:11:51
Speaker
It's not a coincidence.
00:11:52
Speaker
I probably have been able to make better, less impulsive decisions and just being a bit more relaxed overall, being able to handle some things better that without the meds would have been much harder.
00:12:06
Speaker
And I'll look at those things.
00:12:07
Speaker
Maybe it's just growing up and stuff as well.
00:12:09
Speaker
But regardless, the reason I brought that up is because I also recently had a conversation with other friends and
00:12:19
Speaker
And they all kind of, some of them worry about the meds and stuff.
00:12:22
Speaker
And I just go, listen, if you had a cough or a cold, you wouldn't think twice about taking something for it.
00:12:29
Speaker
But just because it's, you know, the brain or the mental health thing, I guess it's years of like just being told that it's it might be bad and the stigma around it and culturally and blah, blah, blah.
00:12:43
Speaker
I'm just here to tell you, take it.
00:12:44
Speaker
Okay?
00:12:45
Speaker
Don't think twice.
00:12:47
Speaker
Take the med.
00:12:48
Speaker
Keep an eye on yourself.
00:12:51
Speaker
See how you're reacting to it.
00:12:53
Speaker
Be honest.
00:12:53
Speaker
Talk to your doctor.
00:12:54
Speaker
Be honest with the doctor as well.
00:12:56
Speaker
Tell them what you're struggling with and they'll guide you through it.
00:12:59
Speaker
A good doctor will guide you through it too, but also know yourself.
00:13:02
Speaker
And I'm telling you, you'll be able to tell the meds are making a big difference in your life if you
00:13:08
Speaker
You are ADHD, obviously.
00:13:10
Speaker
Get yourself diagnosed properly.
00:13:12
Speaker
And that, I think, goes for any other mental health.
00:13:15
Speaker
But again, the reason I'm not bringing that up is because that's not my forte.
00:13:19
Speaker
Also, I'm not a doctor.
00:13:21
Speaker
So this is from a personal experience.
00:13:25
Speaker
It's from a place of...
00:13:29
Speaker
having gone through a lot and just trying to tell people that, listen, you got to you got to take that step and it's OK and and it works.
00:13:40
Speaker
You know, just want to give you an example of someone for whom this has been great.
00:13:45
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know.
00:13:47
Speaker
I just started this episode off without much thought.
00:13:50
Speaker
I kind of just want to get back in.
00:13:52
Speaker
I've taken a very long break.
00:13:53
Speaker
I don't think I've taken a break like this in ever since I've been podcasting.
00:13:56
Speaker
But I really wanted to reevaluate why I do this.
00:14:00
Speaker
What am I doing?
00:14:01
Speaker
And overall, with everything I do,
00:14:03
Speaker
So I will start going into some video work and podcasting harder.
00:14:10
Speaker
I want to bring guests on, but I just wanted to say hi in this episode.
00:14:15
Speaker
I was going to keep it short just to say hi.
00:14:17
Speaker
I hope your year is going well.
00:14:19
Speaker
And I'm looking forward to releasing more episodes and connecting with you guys through this episode.
00:14:24
Speaker
As always, send me your questions.
00:14:29
Speaker
Reach out to me with your thoughts.
00:14:31
Speaker
It means a lot to me.
00:14:32
Speaker
I do read them, and I always appreciate them.
00:14:34
Speaker
So take care of yourself.
00:14:36
Speaker
I'm going to close off this episode.
00:14:38
Speaker
I just went off on things that are going on in my head right now, but we'll be releasing some fun episodes in the coming months.
00:14:46
Speaker
When I say we, I mean me, I don't know why I said we.
00:14:49
Speaker
You have a great week ahead and keep a lookout for the episodes.
00:14:52
Speaker
Thank you.
00:14:53
Speaker
Take care, people.
00:14:55
Speaker
Thanks for joining us on another adventure with the expat breath proudly brought to you by Capper Productions.
00:15:01
Speaker
If you enjoyed the show, please help us keep the mic running by clicking the link in the description and dropping as little as $3 to support us.
00:15:08
Speaker
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