BeHereNow
September 25th 2003, 04:27 AM
I'm learning to control my stomach rather than allowing it to control me. Here's what I've done and what I've learned.
First, one must understand that you are what you eat. This is a colloquialism but very true. Your diet has serious effects on your mood and your spirit. Saturated fat has even been shown to contribute to depression by accelerating seretonin reuptake. So, before you make the decision to change your diet, you must make sure that you fully understand the importance of food. This will come in handy when you're hungry.
Next, cut out all junk food. Fast food is now your Satan. Little Debby snack cakes are spawns of Satan. There can be no more.
Make a list of healthy foods you enjoy. It will be best compose your list of mostly easily digestable food, such as rice, soup and nuts, and include a few solids such as chicken, vegetables and pasta.
Don't set a date to start. Do it when it feels right. On that day, do not eat right away. Go as long as you can without eating anything. Your stomach will surely grumble and moan, but resist until you feel nauseous or weak. At that time, eat a small portion of the light food. Don't eat until you are full, but just enough to satisfy the hunger pains. Then go at least four hours without eating, and have a meal with solids. Eat as little as possible, but enough to satisfy hunger. Make this your last meal for the day.
On the second day, start with something very light such as a banana or some strawberries. Then go all day without eating until dinner time. As with day one, eat a very small meal. (The first two days are going to be very difficult. You'll need discipline, but hang in there, it gets so much better.)
Third and fourth days should be like day 2. It is possible to mix in some snacks throughout the day, but the key is sparsity. Don't engorge on that trail mix, but just eat a few handfulls. You will still be hungry, but your stomach will have something to work with.
For the next week, go as long as possible each day without eating. If you can go all day, do it. But by no means should you eat an entire meal after the 3rd or 4th days. By now you should be used to the hunger feeling so that it's no longer pain, but just a sensation. If you are going to eat, keep it light - a bowl of plain rice, an apple, a dinner roll. The key is to reduce your stomach's appetite.
By about the 8th day you will be able to go almost all day without food. I am now on my 10th day and hunger is almost a non-issue. I'll wake up and have a tasteful drink such as grape juice, and begin my day. Midway through I eat a small meal, and that's it. Occasionaly I'll have a few banana chips or a stout beer, but nothing excessive.
I'm surprised at how drastically this has affected my mood. I spend almost no money on food, and when I do eat it is immensely enjoyable. Today I ate a piece of lasagna as kind of a pig-out fest, and that was 14 hours ago. Still not even hungry. The one time on my diet that I cheated and ate a steak & cheese sub, I felt as though I'd committed the worst of sins and my entire day was off-kilter.
Remember, it is very important to negatively associate unhealthy food. Pastries, donuts, hamburgers, all fast food, candy, fortified "health" bars, sodas, etc. must be recognized as the carcinogens they are, for they truly pollute your mind and body.
Also remember that when you eat, you should be thankful for your food, and eat it in silence (not in front of the TV or a book), and concentrate on every bite. The silence will help you focus on digestion, and your food will have a more lasting effect. If you get too hungry toward the end of the day, drink a cup of hot tea in silence, and reflect on your day.
I hope some of you decide to take that important step and consolidate your diet to the way it should be. Let me know how you fare.
:bunny:
He may eventually find, if he is leading a contemplative life, that fruits and nuts are enough. - Ram Dass
First, one must understand that you are what you eat. This is a colloquialism but very true. Your diet has serious effects on your mood and your spirit. Saturated fat has even been shown to contribute to depression by accelerating seretonin reuptake. So, before you make the decision to change your diet, you must make sure that you fully understand the importance of food. This will come in handy when you're hungry.
Next, cut out all junk food. Fast food is now your Satan. Little Debby snack cakes are spawns of Satan. There can be no more.
Make a list of healthy foods you enjoy. It will be best compose your list of mostly easily digestable food, such as rice, soup and nuts, and include a few solids such as chicken, vegetables and pasta.
Don't set a date to start. Do it when it feels right. On that day, do not eat right away. Go as long as you can without eating anything. Your stomach will surely grumble and moan, but resist until you feel nauseous or weak. At that time, eat a small portion of the light food. Don't eat until you are full, but just enough to satisfy the hunger pains. Then go at least four hours without eating, and have a meal with solids. Eat as little as possible, but enough to satisfy hunger. Make this your last meal for the day.
On the second day, start with something very light such as a banana or some strawberries. Then go all day without eating until dinner time. As with day one, eat a very small meal. (The first two days are going to be very difficult. You'll need discipline, but hang in there, it gets so much better.)
Third and fourth days should be like day 2. It is possible to mix in some snacks throughout the day, but the key is sparsity. Don't engorge on that trail mix, but just eat a few handfulls. You will still be hungry, but your stomach will have something to work with.
For the next week, go as long as possible each day without eating. If you can go all day, do it. But by no means should you eat an entire meal after the 3rd or 4th days. By now you should be used to the hunger feeling so that it's no longer pain, but just a sensation. If you are going to eat, keep it light - a bowl of plain rice, an apple, a dinner roll. The key is to reduce your stomach's appetite.
By about the 8th day you will be able to go almost all day without food. I am now on my 10th day and hunger is almost a non-issue. I'll wake up and have a tasteful drink such as grape juice, and begin my day. Midway through I eat a small meal, and that's it. Occasionaly I'll have a few banana chips or a stout beer, but nothing excessive.
I'm surprised at how drastically this has affected my mood. I spend almost no money on food, and when I do eat it is immensely enjoyable. Today I ate a piece of lasagna as kind of a pig-out fest, and that was 14 hours ago. Still not even hungry. The one time on my diet that I cheated and ate a steak & cheese sub, I felt as though I'd committed the worst of sins and my entire day was off-kilter.
Remember, it is very important to negatively associate unhealthy food. Pastries, donuts, hamburgers, all fast food, candy, fortified "health" bars, sodas, etc. must be recognized as the carcinogens they are, for they truly pollute your mind and body.
Also remember that when you eat, you should be thankful for your food, and eat it in silence (not in front of the TV or a book), and concentrate on every bite. The silence will help you focus on digestion, and your food will have a more lasting effect. If you get too hungry toward the end of the day, drink a cup of hot tea in silence, and reflect on your day.
I hope some of you decide to take that important step and consolidate your diet to the way it should be. Let me know how you fare.
:bunny:
He may eventually find, if he is leading a contemplative life, that fruits and nuts are enough. - Ram Dass