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Healthy body, through a healthy mind.

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  • May 8, 2014 at 9:25 pm #56035
    BuddhistBassist
    Participant

    Hello all,
    I’m after some suggestions/ideas here.
    I’ve got this great weight loss idea; I will attain a healthy body by treating my mind. I’ve examined why I eat to cope, why stress may induce a need to turn to comfort food, and how depression and boredom could lead to weight gain in general. So the premise is that we meditate a little more, veg out a little less, take the little pleasures in life and do some mental noting. It all boils down to this, I eat cause it makes me happy. Or in some cases to NOT feel bad.

    So the question is this; what do you do when you feel sad/angry/depressed/negative to counter those things in a non-food related way? It can be anything from taking a nice walk (one of my favs) to playing some music, as long as it isn’t food related it counts.

    Thanks for all your help every one.

    ~BB

    May 9, 2014 at 1:17 am #56041
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    happy music, write in my diary about the feelings, get some black tea, smell some coffee and as for foods – watermelon, cucumber, grapes – ideally water based fruits. I think eggs in the morning and a banana help a lot. i am sure the others will give you more non-food related ideas but here’s i try to handle my “tendencies”:-

    I am a bit of sweet-food junkie and so i dont keep chocolates, chips or cold drink in the house, unless i need to. when i do buy that occasional chocolate or ice-cream, i make it a point to only buy one. If i get this craving for a cold drink, i make really really cold, slightly salty lemonade instead. I prefer to cook my meals instead of eating out and avoid eating while watching tv. a lot of over-eating happens because we dont pay attention while we are eating. its like filling up our mouths with something cuz those feelings wont go away. Its also a sort of escape from the present situation.

    Mindfulness while eating makes a huge difference too.

    May 9, 2014 at 7:22 am #56052
    Matt
    Participant

    Tro,

    Consider that food and vegging aren’t really an issue, the issue is unskillful eating and unskillful vegging. For instance, vegging while watching TV often produces more suffering in the mind. So, while it may be nice to escape our issues for a few hours watching some CSI, at the end its a net gain of mental spinning.

    For skillful vegging, consider metta meditation. Metta is the feeling of warmth we have in our chest, meaning “friendship”/”loving kindness”. When we veg while growing metta, it produces a peaceful mind, so as we walk, eat, or whatever, we do so from a place of buoyancy and peace. Then, there’s no push for indulgent behavior. When we’re tired, we rest. Hungry, we eat. Balanced, simple.

    Consider “Sharon Salzburg guided metta meditation” on YouTube if interested. One nice side effect of metta is that it produces concentration quickly, so when we act, we can see how it really feels. With indulgent eating, for instnce, our mind and body becomes quickly unhappy as we eat. Mouth says yum, body says ick. When we eat healthy, our mouth says “awww, really?”, but our body says “thankyouthankyouthankyou”. Watch, listen, let your body win, and you’ll be fine. The mouth adjusts over time. 🙂 Namaste.

    With warmth,
    Matt

    May 9, 2014 at 4:21 pm #56069
    Big blue
    Participant

    Hi Tro,

    It is good that you have the goal of continuing to improve yourself.

    I have found success in getting and sticking to a nutritional plan, plus being in the gym almost daily:

    – You can eat regular food 7-8 times a day to keep yourself fueled.

    – By exercising including strength training, your body is using the nutrition well while transforming itself. Mix it up with cardio, classes, yoga, whatever you like.

    Stick with this for a couple months and you will feel better at all times, so you won’t get the blues. You will handle stress better. You will have new, healthier habits that will help you in everything you do.

    Big blue

    • This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Big blue.
    • This reply was modified 10 years, 6 months ago by Big blue.
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