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Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

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Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#81

Post by acid_bath »

nostrademons wrote: post #78
acid_bath wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm going to offer a counter-point to your suggestion: I don't believe changing the external environment, or income, or people who you are near, is going to do jack shit. Here's why: I feel exactly like the OP. Failed weight loss. Failed relationships (in my case it's making good friends / co-worker relationships). A giant list of failed or incomplete side projects. Still can't pay off my loans. The difference: I mak…

It's not the environment that matters, it's the change of environment. Switching things around gives you a reset button. Over a few years in a particular life circumstance, you usually learn a lot about what you want in life. But you also acquire a lot of inertia and old habits. A move, new job, and new social circle gives you a reset button that you can use to pick up a new set of habits. Of course, it's up to you t…

> It's not the environment that matters, it's the change of environment.

That's a good point. I think as long as a person doesn't put too much hope into the idea that the environment itself is going to force changes upon oneself, it's a good idea.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#82

Post by vineet7kumar »

nudge wrote: post #6

Something I find helpful is abandoning the idea of goals (at least for a while), and instead simply focusing on habits. What do you want to be like? What kind of day would you think was a good one? (here you can include things like "think silently, with no distractions, for 30 minutes" - NOT things like "have 3 good ideas"; also things like "End each day by listing 3 things I want to do the next day, and make sure th…

...It's not perfect, but it's good enough, and doing the good enough beats reading about the perfect. ..

Cannot agree more ...

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#83

Post by zackattack »

starkfist wrote: post #80
zackattack wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a lot of evidence that sugar is bad for you. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM Nassim Taleb says carbs are one of the 3 most dangerous addictions, besides a paycheck and heroin. Obviously some carbohydrate is necessary and good for you but the less the better. Trader Joe's has these kickass "a complete salad" kits in their refrigerated produce section that I highly recommend. They have great nut…

Nassim Taleb had one obvious idea that he milked for two books. I'm not sure why he's qualified to comment about anything outside of derivatives trading. (or derivatives trading, either, since his funds melted down when he was actively involved with them)

Um, I think Taleb made a fortune in the stock market meltdown, and he's also incredibly well read and intelligent, so I think you don't really know what you're talking about. My guess is that you're reacting based on my comment about sugar and carbs. I am sorry that it is challenging some of your closely held beliefs and sense of reality. To discuss food is a taboo and if this were in person I would have just changed the subject, but you asked for the truth. Watch the UCSF doctor's lecture.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#84

Post by tweiler »

Your Vitamin D deficiency and lack of exercise is probably causing part of your depression.

Try to get one hour of sunlight per day and one hour of exercise per day. Two birds with one stone: go jogging for one hour per day, every day, no matter what.

For me, I couldn't wait to finish my hour of exercise so I could go do something challenging and important, like work on your big idea.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#85

Post by anamax »

> I do my best to eat better, but it's as easy to lose focus on planning my meals and learning to cook as it is to lose focus on coding my latest idea.

You don't have to learn how to cook to eat better. You simply have to stock your kitchen with better food.

It's easy to make simple nutritous meals. Cooking skill merely makes them taste better.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#86

Post by carterschonwald »

have you explored alternative prescriptions? I've heard that some doctors insist on starting with non stimulant medications, even though for most people they are ineffective, and even that aside among the stimulant prescriptions, some people only respond to some of them. Also, at least with the stimulant ones, if they're effective, it should be obvious from day 1.

That aside, getting regular sleep where 8+ hrs is an option is important, as is being able to recognize when you're not going to get any work done during a day, and readjust your day plans to accomodate that fact.

also, if you've been diagnosed with the inattentive rather than either the joint or just hyperactive subtype, i've heard that most effective treatment options are different.

But first, if you doctor hasn't prescribed any of the normal stimulant treatments, go yell at him, please. Irrespective of cultural stereotypes regarding stimulants, for those who have adhd and don't have a history of being inclined towards substance abuse, stimulants in the immediately soluble and/or dissolved during digestion over time formulations are by and large the most effective and safest treatment option. Also, even if your activity level and food intake remains the same, you'll probably lose some excess body fat, though presumably you should then adjust your diet and activity level to be more active and to stabilize your weight (as in exercise more, and eating a healthy active person diet).

And to repeat whats definitely been said elsewhere is also important, its all about changing your habits gradually towards what you'd like them to be

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#87

Post by lemming »

zackattack wrote: post #77
starkfist wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you quit eating fruit, or "carbs?"

There is a lot of evidence that sugar is bad for you. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM Nassim Taleb says carbs are one of the 3 most dangerous addictions, besides a paycheck and heroin. Obviously some carbohydrate is necessary and good for you but the less the better. Trader Joe's has these kickass "a complete salad" kits in their refrigerated produce section that I highly recommend. They have great nut…

As for carbs, basically they are just complex sugar and don't add a lot nutrition value. Once they break down they will cause insulin spikes... Obviously some carbohydrate is necessary and good for you but the less the better.

Any reference for this? Pretty much everything I read about nutrition says this is total bull.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#88

Post by utefan001 »

My advice -get a different job. My salary goals have rarely been met by staying at the same employer. -Find your sport. I am biased, but I highly recommend cycling. Join a bike club, find people to ride with on meetup or OKC. You will be amazed how fast you will get in just 2 months of riding consistently.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#89

Post by lemming »

jnorion wrote: post #67
throwaway72010 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks; I think this is a similar point to someone who was saying "Maybe you've had it too easy." I swear that I get exercise... ;-) The short walk down a plain street is more difficult for me to understand... what does it really change?

I took my 7-year-old son hiking a couple of weeks ago. He's very much a city kid, and has gotten far too used to constant technology and stimulation. I wanted to get him out in nature. When we first started walking, he was annoyed and didn't want to be there. He shuffled along, staring at his feet, and kept whining "Can we go back yet?" (we'd gone maybe a quarter mile on flat grass when this started). I suggested he…

+1 to paying attention to your surroundings, and making sure you maintain joy and fascination in the small things. I think it's something that many if not all adults could learn from, and it's something that kids are great at teaching us.

Re: Ask HN: Please, help me understand what I am doing wrong.

#90

Post by zackattack »

lemming wrote: post #87
zackattack wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a lot of evidence that sugar is bad for you. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM Nassim Taleb says carbs are one of the 3 most dangerous addictions, besides a paycheck and heroin. Obviously some carbohydrate is necessary and good for you but the less the better. Trader Joe's has these kickass "a complete salad" kits in their refrigerated produce section that I highly recommend. They have great nut…

As for carbs, basically they are just complex sugar and don't add a lot nutrition value. Once they break down they will cause insulin spikes... Obviously some carbohydrate is necessary and good for you but the less the better. Any reference for this? Pretty much everything I read about nutrition says this is total bull.

Before I edited, I originally wrote that my understanding about carbs is a vague intuition developed from listening to body building friends, etc. However, I realize that's not a good source so I deleted that paragraph. My apologies for the confusion.
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