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The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

tricycle.org

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Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#11

Post by KozmoNau7 »

ta76567656 wrote: post #10
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #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,…

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 wa…

To elaborate a bit more, I try to stick with the No S Diet (http://nosdiet.com/), especially the part about "no snacks". I used to be extremely prone to snacking, and it would almost always be snacks of a very unhealthy variety.

So I cut out snacks almost completely, but I still let myself eat a burger+fries or a pizza once in a while. But they count as a full meal plus a bit ekstra, so my next meal will have to be smaller to compensate. Seems to be working out.

But the biggest difference for me was changing my sedentary lifestyle. Standing as my desk, always taking the stairs, riding a bike everyday. It adds up.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#12

Post by trukterious »

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #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,…

Yes, discipline is needed, but knowledge helps too, because it shows some of the directions in which discipline may be applied, for example:

One can learn that carb and fructose-rich foods are addictive and cause diabetes when consumed in excess.

One can learn that drinking alcohol just before eating causes the liver to prioritise metabolising alcohol and the other calories go into visceral fat (the so-called 'beer belly').

One can learn that eating just before bed or when one is normally asleep puts strain on the heart and causes fat to be laid down (importance of circadian rhythms).

One can learn that people who aren't even slightly fat are killing themselves from drug overdose, which may seem irrelevant until one recalls that many people eat for comfort. (So this is a personal/mental problem as well as a physiological one.)

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#13

Post by LocalPCGuy »

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #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,…

While moving more is important for overall health, specifically to weight loss it isn't the answer. What and how much a person eats is going to affect their weight much more that how much they move, barring someone running marathons or similar extra ordinary exercise routines.

This is pretty well established science at this point. Again, like you said, I'm not going to go into details on the things people should eat. I think different people need to find what works for them, their body, palette and schedule.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#14

Post by KozmoNau7 »

smbullet wrote: post #6
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #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,…

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.

I wasn't trying to downplay the importance of eating less. But by changing to a more active lifestyle, you pull your body out of the sedentary energy conserving mode, which in my completely unscientific anecdata seems to improve how your body uses the energy you take in.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#15

Post by Kyrztyn »

Tricycle is not a place where you should get advice on either diet or Buddhism.

From the Saiputto Sutta; you see that? Not for beautification.

"And how, friend, is one moderate in eating? In this a monk takes his food properly considering,[2] not for sport, for intoxication, for adornment or beautification, but purely for the maintenance and nourishment of this body, for keeping it unharmed, as an aid to the practice of the holy life, thinking: 'I shall put an end to the old feeling,[3] and not produce any new feeling.[4] Thus I shall keep going, incur no fault, and live at ease.' That, friend, is how one is moderate in eating.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#16

Post by LocalPCGuy »

octosphere wrote: post #7
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #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,…

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.

Calories in calories out over simplifies what is a complex issue. It is not "just" that. You even kind of contradict that statement yourself by your later paragraph.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#17

Post by octosphere »

LocalPCGuy wrote: post #16
octosphere wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Calories in calories out over simplifies what is a complex issue. It is not "just" that. You even kind of contradict that statement yourself by your later paragraph.

Edited that. I add seeds to as many meals and snacks as I can (both healthy and unhealthy) to add fiber and use the seeds as a sort of prebiotic.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#18

Post by JoshMnem »

I've been experimenting with calorie restriction, water fasting, and intermittent fasting for 2 1/2 years and you don't need to go as extreme as one meal per day to see results. The hunger gets much easier to manage. I don't think that people should do it without also adopting a high-nutrient diet (vegetables, legumes, whole foods, nuts, seeds, fruits, etc.), because there isn't much room for empty calories.

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#19

Post by slm_HN »

KozmoNau7 wrote: post #11
ta76567656 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 wa…

To elaborate a bit more, I try to stick with the No S Diet ( http://nosdiet.com/ ), especially the part about "no snacks". I used to be extremely prone to snacking, and it would almost always be snacks of a very unhealthy variety. So I cut out snacks almost completely, but I still let myself eat a burger+fries or a pizza once in a while. But they count as a full meal plus a bit ekstra, so my next meal will have to be…

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.

You start off complaining about fad diets and now you link to your diet which is the very epitome of a fad diet. Is there any medical research behind this diet?

Re: The Bhikkhu Diet (2003)

#20

Post by 0xcde4c3db »

tsomctl wrote: post #4
KozmoNau7 wrote: post #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,…

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.

This is a huge problem. Way too much diet advice takes the concept of a "balanced" diet for granted, while descriptions of what that means tend to be at least one of:

1) uselessly vague (eat "a variety" of foods, eat sugar "sparingly", get "enough" fiber, and so on; "eat lots of colors" is actual dietary advice that has been given by credentialed dietitians),

2) driven by some fringe/fad theory of nutrition, or

3) based on unrealistic or parochial assumptions of which foods are readily available/affordable.

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