Being healthier

A place to discuss health and fitness, including healthy diets, etc.
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avatamsaka3
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Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

Now that I've established the goal of losing weight and getting healthier as I move into my next decade of life, I am finding it hard to stick with it. I struggle with eating too much sugar on certain days. My motivation is to enable me to live my best life so that I can serve others and not be a burden down the road.
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Sādhaka
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Re: Being healthier

Post by Sādhaka »

Try a keto or zero-carb/zero-sugar diet temporarily.

It’s not a good long term diet at all; but doing keto or zero-carb temporarily, even if you eat a lot on it for the first week or so, will help you to become fat-adapted; and once you’re fat-adapted, it’s very easy to not eat, or put another way longer-term-fast and/or intermittent-fast.

Now even though it’s easy to not eat once you become fat-adapted, you‘ll find that your serotonin levels suffer. It won’t affect your dopamine levels, and you don’t need much serotonin as long as your dopamine levels are good; but it’s nice to have some serotonin sometimes, and therefore once you’re satisfied with your weight loss results, you might want to slowly reincorporate carbs and even a little sugar.

And above all, do research on these things; yet at the same time try not to become obsessed with diet.
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Könchok Thrinley
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Re: Being healthier

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Ah yes, I know your struggle. Here are the few things I have learned that work for me.

1st Dont underestimate breakfast and actually have a pretty decent one. Have a cake for breakfast, satisfy your urge for sweets at breakfast with some healthy porridge and maybe some cake. The research shows that body is way better at handling calories in the morning than later in the day. So this way you can enjoy your daily cake and maybe lose some weight too.

2nd Eat soups or salads with your lunch and big meals. Salads and soups can actually be "calorie negative" that is when you compare people with and without salad/soup as a first course. How? Easy, it will fill you up a bit, does not have as many calories and therefore you won't eat as much of the main course. You can also just drink two glasses of water.

3rd Check out if you sleep enough and are regular. Sleep can be an important thing when you want to lose weight. Some research shows that having enough sleep and falling asleep earlier (around 10-11pm) can actually help as the body is not under as much pressure and is in sync with the light cycle and cycardian rythm, etc. Regularity in life in general is great for our bodies and mind.

4th Go for a weekend retreat. I am not kidding going for retreat helps me lose weight. Because I am usually alone or in a small group in a different enviroment so it is very easy to try new things. When the usual triggers are away I actually manage to eat less since my main problem is overeating. I lost 2 kilos this month just doing that and then doing my best to stick to it when at home.

5th Get a nice case of stomach flu. This is a joke, but I have lost two more kilos like that so... excuse me :toilet:
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

It’s not a good long term diet at all; but doing keto or zero-carb temporarily, even if you eat a lot on it for the first week or so, will help you to become fat-adapted; and once you’re fat-adapted, it’s very easy to not eat, or put another way longer-term-fast and/or intermittent-fast.
Thanks.
Ah yes, I know your struggle. Here are the few things I have learned that work for me.
OK, thanks.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

Go for a weekend retreat. I am not kidding going for retreat helps me lose weight. Because I am usually alone or in a small group in a different enviroment so it is very easy to try new things. When the usual triggers are away I actually manage to eat less since my main problem is overeating. I lost 2 kilos this month just doing that and then doing my best to stick to it when at home.
I've really been thinking about doing this. It would be very helpful. But it would have to be solitary for now. Don't have the right context for it in my area.
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Being healthier

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

There's no secret or special diet. You're better off sticking to cognitive - behavioral type approaches to your habits. Look at things like what compels you to over eat, eat sugar etc. You can even keep a log of what your mood is like. try to figure out what's triggering you (I know it's an overused word but it fits here) to overeat or eat badly.

For instance, the combination of night time and stress makes me want to overeat, and taking sugar in my coffee or tea is an issue, because I drink a lot of both. So stevia instead of sugar, plus something else to do at night other than eat is helpful - a replacement behavior, often something I do with my hands, a prayer wheel or something similar helps sometimes. Not only is is a meritorious thing to do, but it fulfills that need to be doing something.

Thinking about long term motivation can help at these times too.

If you are over eating and eating the wrong stuff, you already know the problem. There's no quick fix, just modifying behaviors over time. I'd start with a modest goal such as halving sugar consumption, and continue to add in new good habits over time.

Statistically the success rate of special diets and fads, or crazy extreme exercise programs (GET RIPPED IN 60 DAYS BRUH) is almost nil, whereas all the success stories involve people patiently working on developing better habits over time, so there is no secret, just work.

As far as exercise, find something you like. People tend to flame out on exercise once it gets boring, so biking or running somewhere you like, learning a new physical activity or technical skill can provide the motivation for exercise where it might not exist otherwise.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

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PeterC
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Re: Being healthier

Post by PeterC »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 6:58 am Now that I've established the goal of losing weight and getting healthier as I move into my next decade of life, I am finding it hard to stick with it. I struggle with eating too much sugar on certain days. My motivation is to enable me to live my best life so that I can serve others and not be a burden down the road.
This is a struggle for many people, myself included. The key is to do this incrementally - not to implement some radical change of diet suddenly and hope that it sticks, that is more likely to make you sick and discourage you. Cut out things progressively. Sugar, cookies, cakes, desserts, drinks etc. is the best place to start - again not all at once but category by category. Don't do more than you can keep up.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

There's no secret or special diet. You're better off sticking to cognitive - behavioral type approaches to your habits. Look at things like what compels you to over eat, eat sugar etc. You can even keep a log of what your mood is like. try to figure out what's triggering you (I know it's an overused word but it fits here) to overeat or eat badly.
Thanks. Sounds right.
The key is to do this incrementally - not to implement some radical change of diet suddenly and hope that it sticks, that is more likely to make you sick and discourage you.
Yup, thanks.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

I'd start with a modest goal such as halving sugar consumption, and continue to add in new good habits over time.
I will consider this.
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Sunrise
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Re: Being healthier

Post by Sunrise »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 6:58 am Now that I've established the goal of losing weight and getting healthier as I move into my next decade of life, I am finding it hard to stick with it. I struggle with eating too much sugar on certain days.
Have you tried replacing the sweets with fresh fruit? Helps me a lot. I like plain yogurt with fresh strawberries. Or dark sweets cherries. Yum.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

Have you tried replacing the sweets with fresh fruit? Helps me a lot. I like plain yogurt with fresh strawberries. Or dark sweets cherries. Yum.
It's a good idea.
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ewomack
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Re: Being healthier

Post by ewomack »

I find that I eat healthier and eat less when I track what I eat. I eat something, then write it down. As the day goes on, I look at what I've eaten and it's pretty clear whether I've eaten too much or not. Then I ask why I ate too much, or what happened when I ate the chocolate bar earlier in the day? Sometimes awareness helps, but one should only do this for a short period of time because it can become an impediment to write down everything one eats all of the time. But it was very enlightening for me.

Also, if you crave sugar, consider getting sugar "buzzes" from fruit only. Unlike a lot of processed or refined sugars, fruit actually has nutritional value despite its sugar content. This also helped me cut down on more "processed" sugary foods.

Given sugar's addictive nature, It can be quite a struggle, but it can be overcome.

Good luck!
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

Thanks.
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tobes
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Re: Being healthier

Post by tobes »

I'm pretty skinny, but I love cheese, butter, chocolate etc....and two years ago I tested for high'ish cholesterol.

My doc said: don't give anything up, just halve the amounts you consume.

I followed this, without much difficulty, and the next year the numbers had come right down.

I think this method would work just as well for weight loss: eat all those things you really love, but just reduce the serving size. That way you don't have to wage war on yourself/desires/attachments, you still get to enjoy everything, palate is happy and tummy is happy.
avatamsaka3
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Re: Being healthier

Post by avatamsaka3 »

It's almost 2022... well, for most of 2021 I did great. I lost about 70 pounds from a starting point in later 2020. I kept the added sugar cravings under control for most of 2021. Then, towards the end of the year, pressures and stresses and uncertainties got to me. I started eating way too much sugar again, and found baked goods and chocolate to be really satisfying. The good thing is I regularly track my weight now, so I could see the effects of this change and tried to reduce them. Now, I need to make a plan to continue being healthy in 2022. So far, I plan on tracking my sugar, salt, and fat intake daily, and limiting intake of these using benchmarks that step down from 100% to 80%, 60%, etc. of suggested totals. I also plan on compiling information on the downsides of sugar intake, for reflection.
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: Being healthier

Post by Kim O'Hara »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Fri Dec 31, 2021 7:24 am It's almost 2022... well, for most of 2021 I did great. ...
:twothumbsup:
I also plan on compiling information on the downsides of sugar intake, for reflection.
Look up diabetes and its consequences - that should give you something to think about.

And look at diabetic diets and cook-books. They should give you a good selection of alternative foods.

:namaste:
Kim
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mechashivaz
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Re: Being healthier

Post by mechashivaz »

avatamsaka3 wrote: Sun Aug 30, 2020 6:58 am Now that I've established the goal of losing weight and getting healthier as I move into my next decade of life, I am finding it hard to stick with it. I struggle with eating too much sugar on certain days. My motivation is to enable me to live my best life so that I can serve others and not be a burden down the road.
There are no macros, carbs (sugar), fats, or proteins, that are bad for you when calories are controlled for, meaning if you're at a biologically ideal weight, as long as calories are at maintenance or below, it doesn't matter what macros you eat as long as you're getting the right amount of essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Problems only arise from excess calories consumption. Which is why cardio and resistance training are incredibly important; not only does it help offset calorie consumption, but adding muscle mass actually makes one burn more calories in a resting state, as well as a whole host of other beneficial side effects. What I do is track calories, this can be incredibly eye opening. People blame sugar for weight gain, then count calories only to find sugar isn't the issue, that handful of "healthy" nuts is close to 500 calories! So the real problem is most people have no idea about nutrition and the nutritional value of what they put in their body. A little research into macro and micro nutrients can save you a lot of time and money not falling for fad diets, etc. You'll find you can eat whatever you want if you make yourself accountable for your daily calorie threshold, you just have to map out how you can make that piece of cake fit the calorie window, and maybe it's by just having a single slice, or if you're a runner who just ran 10 miles you may eat the whole cake and still need more food! Cronometer.com is by far the best micro/macro tracker I've found. Cheers! :cheers:
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