The Power of the Egg

How three hard-boiled eggs became my unlikely life coaches.

I woke up earlier than usual. No snooze button, no excuses. It was weigh-in day, and nothing gets you moving like the thought of sending your weight to a group chat before coffee.

The morning air was crisp, and I opened every window like I was starting a new chapter. Birds chirped, a breeze rolled in, and I thought, This might actually be a good day.

Opening the group chat, I saw the others had already uploaded their photos. No turning back now. I took a breath, stepped on the scale, and waited for the numbers to stop hopping. Snap. Photo taken. Done. Victory. My injured toe, however, hadn’t gotten the memo. It looked like it had eaten a smaller toe. As I hobbled toward the kitchen, I gave it a pep talk. “Come on, buddy. If the rest of us are on this journey, you are too. Time to shrink.”

Breakfast was three hard-boiled tea eggs I’d soaked overnight in a sealed container like tiny spa-goers marinating in dark, aromatic luxury. I warmed them by placing the sealed bag in a bowl of boiling water while my electric kettle hissed behind me like it had an attitude. As the eggs gradually returned to life, I began eating slowly, reading work emails and savoring the smoky, soy-spiced flavor.

Meanwhile, in our group chat, my weight-loss companions, Mr. Meat Sandwich and Labubu, were checking in. We compared notes: “Not that hungry,” “Surprisingly full,” “Don’t forget to hydrate.” Labubu reminded us to keep drinking water, and just like that, my kettle was drafted into active duty. For the next few hours, I floated through work, body hydrated and spirit oddly... peppy. Nothing dramatic happened until Labubu texted that her stomach had started growling. I paused. Mine was fine, until I stood up. Then suddenly, the inner gremlin roared to life. Was this hunger or fat crying? Hard to say. But one thing was certain: it was lunchtime, and the eggs were waiting.

Lunch was egg-round-two, and honestly, I’d earned it. Tea eggs might be simple, but when you’re hungry, they taste like Michelin stars. The yolk, the bounce of the white, the echo of cinnamon and star anise—it was comfort food that whispered, “You’ve got this.”

But I had a bigger challenge looming that my parents were arriving later this week. And let me be clear: my parents are not the “let’s support your cleanse” type. They are the “pass the rabbit dish and extra chili oil” type. If I didn’t bring them on board, my diet didn’t stand a chance. Especially with my dad, the king of snack sabotage. But the secret to him is my mom. Win over the queen, and the kingdom falls in line.

So I did what any desperate adult would do: I messaged her with full vulnerability, sharing my food diary and admitting that, yes, I’ve been known to quit diets faster than a cat changes moods—but this time, I had witnesses. Real people. Accountability. I had to follow through.

To my surprise, she didn’t scold or roll her eyes. Instead, she sent me the kind of motivational message that belongs on a poster in a high school gym.

“Let’s see who loses weight first,” she said. “I think Labubu might win—she’s already light. But all of you are hilarious and determined. If you stick with it, you’ll win.”
“Back in my day, your mom and her teacher friends would walk seven laps around the school track, four kilometers a pop. Every day. Then we’d swim for thirty minutes. The ones who couldn’t swim walked in the water—resistance, baby! We never ate until we were full. Not even with our amazing cafeteria food. We’d stop at 70-80% full and just... walk away. We stuck to that for years. Even with work and life. That’s what matters, persistence. Keep your mouths light and your legs moving. You can do this. You’ll find your strong, glowing selves again.”

The group chat lit up like we’d just heard a graduation speech. Honestly, it felt like I was back in high school, about to take the SAT, and Principal Zhang (aka Mom) had just told us we could all be stars. Suddenly it made sense why my life often felt so charged and intense—because every few days, I was basically receiving a high-stakes pep talk from my very own Queen Mom.

Dinner was simple: one more tea egg. I finished eating before 6 p.m., reheating it like it was sacred. I pulled out the spice bag from the tea marinade and studied it like an ancient scroll—bay leaf, cinnamon stick, Sichuan peppercorn, clove, chili, star anise. These humble ingredients had carried me through the day. Honestly, food this flavorful made the restriction feel less like deprivation and more like devotion. It reminded me that even writing a research paper can be painless if you’re listening to stand-up comedy in the background. It’s not about the task, it’s about how you dress it up.

That night, our team’s fates diverged. Mr. Meat Sandwich had to work late but proudly reported he was down a kilo. Labubu went swimming either because she’s dedicated or because she accidentally drank pool water. I watched a film, took notes on the script structure, and then immediately got hungry. But this time, I didn’t eat. I lay there, stomach grumbling, calmly reminding myself that morning would come, and with it, another scale photo, another egg, and another chance.

Lying in bed, eyes wide open, I suddenly thought: why are eggs so powerful anyway?

Midnight followed. Apparently, a hard-boiled egg takes about two hours to digest. Fried eggs? Three. Raw ones? Even longer. First, stomach acid breaks down the protein. Bile melts the yolk’s fat. Then the whole thing takes a road trip to the intestines, where enzymes chop protein into amino acids and fat into fatty acids. These get absorbed into the bloodstream like a backstage pass to your body’s concert.

I patted my belly, imagining the seven tea eggs from the past two days holding a team meeting somewhere in my gut. “Alright troops,” I whispered. “Break it down.” My stomach gurgled in reply. I took that as a yes.

Inside every egg is a little nutritional bomb with protein, cholesterol, iron, vitamins A and B, and energy galore. It’s doing its quiet work while I sleep, like a silent partner in a wellness startup.

Knowing all that, I felt weirdly happy. Like, genuinely grateful. Not just for the nutrients or the discipline, but for the whole thing; the routine, the messages, the comedy, the Queen Mom, the chatty group, even the rebellious toe. Life felt alive again, like something I was actively making, not just surviving.

So I gave my belly a final pat.

“Keep going, team,” I said. “Let’s show that scale who’s boss.”

鸡蛋的力量

早晨我醒来的比平时早，因为约定了要上传体重秤的照片。新一天就要有新气象嘛，打开所有的窗子，微微凉的晨风伴着喜鹊的啾啾声掠过耳边。我有预感，今天一定是个好日子。

打开微信时，“两天晒网”计划的小伙伴们，已经如约上传了照片。我深吸一口气，站上体重秤，等着数字稳定下来，趁着秤不注意，啪，拍了一张。然后看着受伤的脚指头，很显然，我醒了，它还没醒，看着比别的脚指头胖了一圈。我一边走去厨房，一边跟它说话。醒醒吧，减肥的一天开始啦，你要快点瘦下来哦，要像其他脚趾头一样呀。一蹦一跳到了厨房，加热我的早餐份茶叶蛋。电热水壶咕嘟嘟烧着热水。离开冰厨的茶叶蛋，已经在密封盒里浸泡了一整晚。搬出来三个，把它们放进食品袋里，再把食品袋放在小碗中，滚烫的热水倒进去，三个茶叶蛋慢慢有了温度。

我一边看公司邮件，一边慢悠悠吃着早餐。我的减肥搭子，肉夹馍和Labubu此时也都到了各自的工作岗位。我们开始在群里交换着第一天“蛋断”的感受。怎么说呢，早餐时，并没什么感受。 Labubu提醒我们喝水，于是我的热水壶就开始了一上午的忙碌。四个小时的时间里，除了精神特别饱满，斗志极其昂扬，并没有发生其它的，直到Labubu在群里说，她感觉喝完一上午的水，肚子开始咕咕叫。我开始体会了一下，嗯，没叫呀。但很快，我站起来接了个电话，之后肚子也不争气的叫了起来。

这是瘦了？还是饿了呢？很神奇。然后我们相约着开始服用午饭的三个鸡蛋。吃东西当然是愉快的过程，蛋黄的香味，蛋清的口感，淡淡的茶香，都让人感觉十分满足。因为爸妈要在本周到达北京，但我的减肥大计也在本周进行，争取爸妈的支持就变的至关重要。试想一下，正在坚定断食的我，旁边坐着举着兔头，鸡腿的爸妈，这肥我可能只能减一半了。搞定我爸很简单，只需要先搞定我妈。于是我主打一个真诚，把我的日记跟妈妈分享了一下，挟天子以令诸侯，大概意思就是，虽然是著名的退堂鼓表演艺术家，但是小伙伴都被我拉下水了，这次高低我不能怂。

出乎我的意料，太后竟然给我发了一段鼓励的话，还让我转进群里去。太后说：看看你们谁先瘦下来，感觉Labubu能第一，因为她本身就不重。你们仨太有趣了，坚持到底就能胜利。妈妈以前，在你这个年龄也和同事一起减肥，我们一群老师在空闲时间一起绕着学校操场快步走圈，一圈是四千米，每天保证走七圈。然后去游泳半小时，不会游的就在水中走（水里走路有阻力也消耗能量）。每顿饭都不吃饱，虽然学校伙食特别好，但我们一群人都吃差到七八分饱就走出餐厅，就这样坚持了一个月，最后大家都有收获，减肥都成功。当然，妈妈减的最成功，因为我当时就不胖，我自己怕伙食太好，人到更年期发福。就这样我们这些人一直坚持了好多年，不管多忙也要走步。所以，减肥小组的成员们，成功与否，赌的是坚持。坚持的越久就越成功。希望你们管住嘴，迈开腿，祝你们减肥成功，重新找回阳光靓丽的自己！

全体备受鼓舞，读张校长留言，跟听高考前致辞的感觉是一样一样的。我忽然明白为什么我的生活里总是生机勃勃，打了鸡血。因为我时不时就有机会听高考致辞啊。

晚餐我选择六点前吃完。最后一个茶叶蛋在加热中，我把茶汤里的调料一一摆出来辨认。茶香醇厚的大红袍茶叶，增香用的八角，桂皮，香叶。加麻加辣的花椒和干辣椒，提香用的丁香。难怪这么好吃，承包了我一天的快乐，大厨就是大厨。可见，即便单调的“蛋断”日，因为食材本身的醇厚和调味料的可口，一切也变的so easy。那写论文是不是一个道理，听着郭德纲相声写出来的论文，都是无痛论文呀。

“两天晒网”小组的夜晚各有千秋，肉夹馍加班，但据说已经瘦了一公斤了。Labubu跑去游泳了，因为基数小，要不就是喝了泳池里的水，变化有，但是不大。我看了一个电影，总结了剧本的写作手法，然后可能消耗了点脑力，就饿了。退堂鼓表演艺术家，此时此刻内心很平静。我不吃，我要睡觉，醒来就是新的一天，就可以量体重，拍照，上传，和我的小伙伴们一起加油。

在床上烙饼，翻来覆去睡不着。然后我想到一个很好玩的问题。蛋断，那鸡蛋为什么这么有力量呢？我吃进去的鸡蛋，会在身体里发生什么呢。快速学习了一下，原来我们吃进去的水煮蛋会在2个小时左右完成胃内消化，煎炒的鸡蛋因为油脂含量的增加，需要3小时从胃里排空。而不经过加工的生鸡蛋，需要更长的消化时间。鸡蛋完成了在胃里的消化，胃蛋白酶分解蛋白质为多肽，胆汁进一步乳化蛋黄中的脂肪，到这里，鸡蛋就和我们的胃说拜拜啦。

然后鸡蛋一行旅客来到了肠道，在这里要完成长达12-24小时的分解工作，胰酶将蛋白质分解为氨基酸，脂肪分解为脂肪酸，通过小肠吸收进入血液。我摸了摸小肚子，幻象着七个茶叶蛋此刻都在这集合了吧，是一起分解中吗？肚子咕咕叫，应该是回答了吧。

而那些暗藏在鸡蛋里的力量，就是被分解成氨基酸的蛋白质，需要乳化和吸收的脂肪与胆固醇，还有充满能量的维生素A，B家族，还有我最缺少的铁。

想着肚子里有这么多营养在卖力工作，就很幸福。拍拍肚子，给它们加油喽。