Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#61

Post by sharmi » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 4:43 PM UTC

epalmer wrote: post #44

Been LCHF Diet for 18 months. Last 2 to 3 months used guided meditation/self hypnosis to control hunger and eating. Lost about 47 lbs in those 18 months. Last 3 lost 15. Exercise some and that makes me feel better as well. This past year I have taken to napping 3 of 5 days at work 5 to 20 minutes. I have my own office and I nap during lunch break. Most naps are about 11 minutes long. I always time them. Napping helps…

Is it possible to provide the link to the guided meditation? It sounds intriguing

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#62

Post by drakonka » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 5:08 PM UTC

I got one of those kneeling chairs (technically borrowed from a coworker who wasn't using it) and it has been excellent. We got these new fancy chairs in our new office and mine was hurting my back even more than our old fancy chairs. Switching to this kneeling chair helped so much - no more back pain. It also has quite a few different seating positions you can adopt if you adjust frequently or are a "seat fidgeter".

Upon writing this up I realize this is not actually a habit but a different piece of equipment, it just came to mind in relation to the standing desk mentions.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#63

Post by smashd » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 6:52 PM UTC

Potato hacking. I normally follow the "potatoes by day" variant. The process is simple: steam/boil at least a couple pounds of potatoes, then let them cool in the fridge overnight. The next day, you can only eat potatoes (no condiments whatsoever!) until dinnertime, at which point you can eat a normal dinner. Coffee, tea and water are fine during the day as long as they don't have added sugar/cream/etc. Don't forget to cook more potatoes if you're running low! They keep for at least a few days in the fridge.

In my experience the hack is a great way to liberate yourself from false hunger signals and feeling like you "must" eat certain foods. If you're hungry, the potatoes taste good. If you're not, they don't. Resetting all these habits helped me shift the remainder of my diet towards better food choices, to the point where I actively seek out fresh veggies & fruit and dislike packaged or meat-heavy meals.

The hack is not for people that have issues with nightshades or starches of course. potatohack.com has the most comprehensive info on the subject, but it is discussed on other blogs as well.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#64

Post by drewmol » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 7:07 PM UTC

Lordcosmo wrote: post #49

drewmol wrote: post #17

I have made a consistent effort to be honest. Being honest about my feelings, thoughts and situations to everyone in my life; friends, family, and complete strangers. It's been incredibly benificial to my relationships and emotional well being, and I've been shocked at the level of compassion, motivation and honesty I've recieved in return, including deepening of relationships and emotional connection with friends/fa…

Have you had bad experiences and if so, how did you cope with them? This is something people nowadays should do more, including me. I am going to make this my goal for the new year. I always fear how people will react/think about me when I tell them my feelings/thoughts. This has caused my to lie about a lot of things(mostly small ones), which becomes a habit in time. It mostly comes from insecurity about yourself an…

Yes, certainly, but the bad ones are few and far between. Also honesty makes it easier to identify and limit the emotionally toxic relationships. Coping becomes much easier with the increased network of people to share with.

"As such, I think these traits will greatly improve if you are honest." - This has been my experience!

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#65

Post by jefozabuss » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 7:20 PM UTC

I stopped drinking sugary drinks (mostly coca cola) everyday and lately I just reward myself with a small can on special occasions/hitting milestones, etc.

I had huge cravings on the first 1-2 weeks but nowadays I don't feel the need to drink them at all.

Since then I lost quite some weight and my blood pressure got a lot better as well.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#66

Post by dingaling » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 7:46 PM UTC

smnplk wrote: post #59

snovv_crash wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was in the same boat. I cut out sugar (except for a banana in a protein shake each day) and made sure that I get enough protein. After a few weeks the sugar cravings stopped and I also lost a bunch of water weight. I also seem to have a smaller appetite, and when I eat I stop when I feel satisfied, which never seemed to happen before, instead I would stop when my stomach felt uncomfortably full because I never felt s…

Well done. I hope I can do the same. Do you think I can ease off sugar in small steps, like substituting candy with sweetened tea (agave syrup) ? I also heard that lemon juice helps when you get a sugar craving.

The sugar-reduction approach that I found manageable was to consume added-sugar only in cakes and biscuits that we make at home from raw ingredients.

We still enjoy sweet-ish foods but have hugely reduced our sugar intake.

An additional advantage is that as a result our toddler finds most commercial confectionaries which he encounters to be unpaltably sweet, and throws them in the bin after trying them for a few seconds.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#67

Post by tracker1 » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 7:51 PM UTC

smashd wrote: post #63

Potato hacking. I normally follow the "potatoes by day" variant. The process is simple: steam/boil at least a couple pounds of potatoes, then let them cool in the fridge overnight. The next day, you can only eat potatoes (no condiments whatsoever!) until dinnertime, at which point you can eat a normal dinner. Coffee, tea and water are fine during the day as long as they don't have added sugar/cream/etc. Don't forget…

Interesting... I tend not to eat just potatoes (I'm diabetic), but wonder if it would work with my typical "mash" (cauliflower, celeriac, parsnip, potato, butter, cream, salt, pepper) it isn't just potato, but may be able to get a similar effect if I cut the butter, cream, salt and pepper down.

Will definitely look into it.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#68

Post by tracker1 » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 8:00 PM UTC

Not for me, but for a lot of friends, Pokemon Go made a huge health impact, just from the increased walking around... One friend in particular started going to more parks, etc just to walk their trails and get more game play. Kind of wild.

For me, It wasn't really a year I pushed myself as much as I could/should. This coming year, planning on going lower carbs again, but also limiting my calories a bit more than the last time. A few years ago, I lost 80# by going low carb, but wound up in the hospital for ketoacidosis. Will have to keep a closer watch on my blood sugar and insulin levels. I've been within 15# of that weight since, but it's been hard.

One funny thing (kind of in response to the potato hack post), is that since that year, I really don't care for potatoes by themselves as much (straight mash, or fries), I'll have a little, but a year without added starchy foods of any kind (bread, rice, potato, corn) really changes what you like. I do seem to do better on red meat (even leaner varieties like bison) than I do with poultry.

So, ready for round 2.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#69

Post by smashd » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 8:01 PM UTC

smnplk wrote: post #59

snovv_crash wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was in the same boat. I cut out sugar (except for a banana in a protein shake each day) and made sure that I get enough protein. After a few weeks the sugar cravings stopped and I also lost a bunch of water weight. I also seem to have a smaller appetite, and when I eat I stop when I feel satisfied, which never seemed to happen before, instead I would stop when my stomach felt uncomfortably full because I never felt s…

Well done. I hope I can do the same. Do you think I can ease off sugar in small steps, like substituting candy with sweetened tea (agave syrup) ? I also heard that lemon juice helps when you get a sugar craving.

I personally eased off sugar in iterations, by making short "pushes" where I cut out ALL added sugars and answered any cravings with fruit like bananas, apples or grapes. Each iteration wouldn't last forever, but every time I "cheated" it was with a little less sugar than before. And every time I tried again I lasted a little longer before cheating.

Something that really helped me was getting angry at the companies producing all these foods with added sugar. Seriously, look at the labels, it is EVERYWHERE (at least in the USA). I resolved to not buy these products--why give your money to these companies that can't make a product taste good without resorting to cheap tricks? Why am I paying them to hurt me? I do still buy dark chocolate for dessert a few times a week--I am not opposed to dessert, but that's the only place I think sugar should be.

Ultimately I think everyone has a unique approach (mentally and physically) that works for them, and it's probably an ensemble of smaller strategies accumulated over time that create success in the end. Be willing to experiment (safely), accept temporary failures, learn what works and then repeat all over again.

Re: Ask HN: The habit adopted in 2016 that had the greatest impact on your health?

#70

Post by tracker1 » Sat, Dec 31, 2016, 8:05 PM UTC

drewmol wrote: post #17

I have made a consistent effort to be honest. Being honest about my feelings, thoughts and situations to everyone in my life; friends, family, and complete strangers. It's been incredibly benificial to my relationships and emotional well being, and I've been shocked at the level of compassion, motivation and honesty I've recieved in return, including deepening of relationships and emotional connection with friends/fa…

Very cool, I strive for that always, which makes some situations far easier to cope with, others harder. Also, key is to be honest without being cruel or mean, wording can make some huge differences, but that takes practice. I've made honesty a point of my life for a very long time.

Funny story, as I really don't drink very often. It's the only time I've ever done so, but about 13 years ago, met up with friends after work for a few drinks, and kind of turned into a party. My boss was a bit lost for words when I called in because I was hung over. I just don't lie. (I frankly suck at it).