Why one meal a day?

A place to discuss health and fitness, healthy diets. A fit body makes for a fit mind.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Chi,

The following discussion may be of interest to you...

Why one meal a day?
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3045" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Most days I have one meal a day (dinner), though of late I do have something tiny at lunch-time for energy... a few jellybeans or a piece of chocolate perhaps. I also drink coffee.

The Buddha promotes moderation in eating - it is a worthwhile endeavour.

Metta,
Retro. :)
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by Chi »

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Chi,

The following discussion may be of interest to you...

Why one meal a day?
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3045" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Most days I have one meal a day (dinner), though of late I do have something tiny at lunch-time for energy... a few jellybeans or a piece of chocolate perhaps. I also drink coffee.

The Buddha promotes moderation in eating - it is a worthwhile endeavour.

Metta,
Retro. :)
Thanks Retro. I did reread through the thread yesterday (the first time I skimmed it was maybe 3-4 months ago), and it was actually the inspiration for the experiment.

Yesterday, I could tell an immediate difference. The mind was sharper (although the body needed more rest [maybe it's also the cleanse]), the sensations were subtler, the body was moving more briskly.

I went to bed early, and the dreams were pretty darn vivid (deep into the subconscious or unconscious [whatever]), something that I haven't experienced since the retreat.

Definitely will continue this for the next 45 days or so and report my findings.

with metta,
Chi
Do Good, Avoid Evil, Purify the Mind.
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by Chi »

Right now: unbelievable restlessness and cravings for sensual things.

It's all the suppressed stuff coming to the surface after eating almost non-stop for 2 weeks.

It's good for the mind :meditate:
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by cooran »

Hello Chi,

I'll be interested in reading your experiences with this (- though I'll be out of contact with DhammaWheel much of the time over the next three or four weeks).

with metta
Chris
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by Chi »

OK, I have a headache now. Maybe it's cause I have been in front of a computer for a while. Maybe I didn't eat enough this morning.

I am having a big spoonful of honey now.

Be Happy!
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by DNS »

Chi wrote:OK, I have a headache now. Maybe it's cause I have been in front of a computer for a while. Maybe I didn't eat enough this morning.

I am having a big spoonful of honey now.

Be Happy!
Hi Chi,

The headache is most likely due to the change in your diet. Your body will adapt and the headaches will go away, as long as you get enough to eat for the one meal.
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by Chi »

David N. Snyder wrote:
Chi wrote:OK, I have a headache now. Maybe it's cause I have been in front of a computer for a while. Maybe I didn't eat enough this morning.

I am having a big spoonful of honey now.

Be Happy!
Hi Chi,

The headache is most likely due to the change in your diet. Your body will adapt and the headaches will go away, as long as you get enough to eat for the one meal.
OK, I am keeping this in mind and being as equanimous as possible with whatever arises.

Yes, going from eating everything in sight to not eating anything in sight. It's a big change for the body and mind, lol.
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by Reductor »

Don't forget to drink plenty of water. If you're eating less you may also be consuming less water, lack of which can produce headaches. I know all to well.
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Re: Addithana: One Meal Per Day

Post by Goofaholix »

Chi wrote:OK, I have a headache now. Maybe it's cause I have been in front of a computer for a while. Maybe I didn't eat enough this morning.

I am having a big spoonful of honey now.
It's normal to get headaches for a day or two if you fast or change to a toxin free diet, particulary if you are giving up caffiene.

Taking enemas (aka douche bag in americanese) is a good way to reduce the impact of this as it helps flush out the toxins more quickly.
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― Ajahn Chah
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by Chi »

Energy is way up today.

Went to a 3-hour group sitting last night. Lots of stuff that has been repressed since coming back from the retreat was let go.

Woke up this morning, with less sleep than I have been averaging since beginning of February. Lots more energy. Went to a light stretching yoga class, ate a pretty darn big meal, passed out some business cards for the tutoring/mentoring/coaching business, and now I'm at home with high but a calm-ish energy.

Tomorrow I am going to a 5 AM - 5 PM Zen sesshin (I know, I know, but any meditation is better than no meditation). I might end up eating the two meals offered. I'll report.

So far, so awesome.

with metta,
Chi
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by Cittasanto »

Chi wrote:Energy is way up today.

Went to a 3-hour group sitting last night. Lots of stuff that has been repressed since coming back from the retreat was let go.

Woke up this morning, with less sleep than I have been averaging since beginning of February. Lots more energy. Went to a light stretching yoga class, ate a pretty darn big meal, passed out some business cards for the tutoring/mentoring/coaching business, and now I'm at home with high but a calm-ish energy.

Tomorrow I am going to a 5 AM - 5 PM Zen sesshin (I know, I know, but any meditation is better than no meditation). I might end up eating the two meals offered. I'll report.

So far, so awesome.

with metta,
Chi
if they are before 12 noon you are ok!

I have found the more I meditate the more energy I have so don't mistake meditative energy rises for rises due to food intake!
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by Ben »

Cittasanto wrote:I have found the more I meditate the more energy I have so don't mistake meditative energy rises for rises due to food intake!
Indeed! The more I meditate the less food I need.
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by Chi »

Confession time:

Today, I took a meal in the evening when my mom's friend who is moving back to Japan whose things I am selling on craigslist was having dinner with the family and insisted that we take some food when we stopped by.

At first I resisted. I noticed resistance and realized that the circumstances called for a shift in perspective. Sometimes, social circumstances in lay life call for changing behavior? Anyone have experience with this in their lives, especially when dealing with food?

Then, we talked about Dhamma the whole meal for like an hour and a half, so it ended with people getting closer to the Dhamma.

Additana is still in effect.

OK, thanks for listening.

with metta,
Chi
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by DNS »

Chi wrote: Today, I took a meal in the evening when my mom's friend who is moving back to Japan whose things I am selling on craigslist was having dinner with the family and insisted that we take some food when we stopped by.

Then, we talked about Dhamma the whole meal for like an hour and a half, so it ended with people getting closer to the Dhamma.
:thumbsup:

Good move. You don't want to give the appearance of being dogmatic-fundamentalist about it, which would give a bad image for Theravada Buddhists. There is no need to be completely inflexible on the meal time, unless you are a monk or nun.
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by ground »

Chi wrote:At first I resisted. I noticed resistance and realized that the circumstances called for a shift in perspective. Sometimes, social circumstances in lay life call for changing behavior? Anyone have experience with this in their lives, especially when dealing with food?
Resistance is a good appearance to work with and to dissolve it in appropriate contexts.
One should abandon ritualistic attitudes whereever they make themselves felt.
However at the same time one should not overestimate "social circumstances" since these are most often just another sort of "trap".

Kind regards
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