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The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

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Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#3
Fad diets here, fad diets there, fad diets everywhere.

Don't eat this, only eat that, don't eat at these times, only eat at these times, fast, don't fast.

It's been going on for decades, and it's both silly and counterproductive.

There is no easy shortcut to losing weight and being in good health. It takes discipline and dedication, and a complete lifestyle change. Yes, it's hard, but we just have to deal with that, instead of thinking we can somehow cheat our way to it.

Eat less, move more. I'm not going to try to get more detailed than that, because then everyone will just start nitpicking, based on their own pet theories.

"Move more" is the most important part. Almost everyone in western society is moving way too little. Our sedentary lifestyles are killing us. Stand up at your desk. Go for a walk instead of watching a movie. Start riding a bike. Take the stairs. Doesn't matter, just move.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#4

Fad diets here, fad diets there, fad diets everywhere. Don't eat this, only eat that, don't eat at these times, only eat at these times, fast, don't fast. It's been going on for decades, and it's both silly and counterproductive. There is no easy shortcut to losing weight and being in good health. It takes discipline and dedication, and a complete lifestyle change. Yes, it's hard, but we just have to deal with that,…

You say to eat less, but the question is, what do you eat less of? You still need calories. Let's say you cut back your diet so you only eat 1000 calories of doughnuts. That's eating less, yet I guarantee you will still be sick.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#6

Fad diets here, fad diets there, fad diets everywhere. Don't eat this, only eat that, don't eat at these times, only eat at these times, fast, don't fast. It's been going on for decades, and it's both silly and counterproductive. There is no easy shortcut to losing weight and being in good health. It takes discipline and dedication, and a complete lifestyle change. Yes, it's hard, but we just have to deal with that,…

I feel like "eat less" is the most important part. I have no evidence to back this up but I doubt you'll ever outrun the surplus calories you eat. It's much easier to just not eat that muffin.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#7

Fad diets here, fad diets there, fad diets everywhere. Don't eat this, only eat that, don't eat at these times, only eat at these times, fast, don't fast. It's been going on for decades, and it's both silly and counterproductive. There is no easy shortcut to losing weight and being in good health. It takes discipline and dedication, and a complete lifestyle change. Yes, it's hard, but we just have to deal with that,…

In the end it has to do with calories in and calories out. That is why a wholesome plate full of vegetables is great for feeling full whilst keeping calorie intake low.

Also adding seeds to everything means better gut bacteria and adds fiber to a meal. I use a mix of pumpkin seeds, flax, sesame, and sunflower seeds and add it to as many meals as I can.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#9
For a while at university I was eating one meal a day. I half did it to lose weight, and half because I was lazy and was poor.

I found it surprisingly easy. I didn't really have any problem with cravings or hunger pangs.

These days, I eat 2 meals a day, one at 1 PM and one at 7 PM, I generally don't snack between meals. I guess it's technically intermittent fasting? I also often forgo eating on Sundays, I just can't be bothered. Recently, I've also been eating less meat, just once or twice a week, also not on purpose, but I just stopped wanting to eat meat.

Between all these changes in my diet, I've managed to lose about 10 kg in 2 months and I'm still steadily losing weight.

In the end, I'm convinced that it's all in your head. Some people psychologically want to eat more than others, and that's why they're fat. It's not your metabolism, or because you eat too many carbs, or because you're not practicing intermittent fasting. Fat people are literally addicted to food.

If only there was a way to rewire your brain to eat less. There have been studies that show that ketamine used in a therapeutic setting can help with overcoming alcohol addiction [1]. I wonder if it could also be used to tackle obesity?

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/24/radical-keta...

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#10

Fad diets here, fad diets there, fad diets everywhere. Don't eat this, only eat that, don't eat at these times, only eat at these times, fast, don't fast. It's been going on for decades, and it's both silly and counterproductive. There is no easy shortcut to losing weight and being in good health. It takes discipline and dedication, and a complete lifestyle change. Yes, it's hard, but we just have to deal with that,…

In my experience of having lost fifty pounds and having kept most of it off for a year or two now, "move more" is significantly less important than "eat less". (For overall health I'm sure it's very important, here I'm specifically talking about losing weight.) I increased my activity only a little bit, by adding a 10-30 minute walk.

And while "eat less" is important, it's secondary to "eat what". My rule of thumb was (and is) "It's almost impossible to control how much you eat. Controlling what you eat is merely very difficult." In other words, your primary target is changing your diet from unhealthy foods to healthy foods, and you will "eat less" in calories as a result. If you keep eating junk food and try to control exactly how much junk food you eat you will have a much harder time.

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