Consuming Less Is A Real Possibility

[danieLion]

As we face the spectre of dwindling natural resources, how do we consume less?

Here's one take.
Best,
Daniel

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

According to a recent Horizon Documentary, Fasting and Feasting on alternate days is the most effective way to lose weight. Take only 500 calories on the fast day, and eat whatever you want on the feasting day.

If you average 2000 calories a day, you won't eat 3,500 on the feast day — maybe 2,200 or 2,500 at the most.

The Buddha recommended eating only once a day. Even if we eat two meals a day, we monks still have about 18 hours fasting every day. That doesn't seem to be working for me though — I don't eat much, but I am not getting enough exercise.

[corrine]

I think that fasting and feasting on alternate days would be very hard on one's digestive system. And I think that it would make food the constant goal, with one always waiting for the feast day to arrive, literally wishing away the fast days.

As I have aged, I have learned sadly that I must cut my calories in order to prevent weight gain. I can now eat no more than 1,400 calories per day and maintain my weight. I do not want to gain weight because when I do, my knees hurt and that impairs my ability to live my life as I choose. Old age teaches a lot of lessons, some of them unpleasant, and one of those unpleasant ones is that moderation is absolutely necessary as one ages, in order to maintain quality of life.

I have found that simply consuming less is the way to go. One can occasionally indulge, emphasis on 'occasionally'. This approach works in other areas of life too. My financial situation is not what it once was, so I must also consume less of material goods and resources such as electricity and gasoline, in order to stay within my now limited budget. Living in the United States of America, consumption and not moderation is the ideal, but that approach has not worked for individuals nor has it worked for us as a nation. We have become physically unhealthy as we also became financially unhealthy. So perhaps consuming less is simply a wise choice in all areas of life. Moderation is not a bad word. It is simply a rational choice.

corrine

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The Documentary is now available on YouTube.

Eat, Fast and Live Longer

[Cittasanto]

The Documentary is now available on YouTube.

Eat, Fast and Live Longer

I enjoyed this program!

[Kim O'Hara]

Living in the United States of America, consumption and not moderation is the ideal, but that approach has not worked for individuals nor has it worked for us as a nation. We have become physically unhealthy as we also became financially unhealthy. So perhaps consuming less is simply a wise choice in all areas of life. Moderation is not a bad word. It is simply a rational choice.

corrine

Well said!


Kim

[Kim O'Hara]

P.S.
See also Footprint Calculator http://www.earthday.org/footprint-calculator

- Kim

[Alobha]

The Documentary is now available on YouTube.

Eat, Fast and Live Longer

Great documentary, I will try that 5-2 fasting, too. At least meditating with an empty stomach usually works better for me compared to when i'm totally stuffed.

[danieLion]

Elaborations:
Starving to Live from our local Willamette Weekly
and
Starving your way to vigor: The benefits of an empty stomach from Harper's magazine (just a link; I read it in hard copy and can't find it online, but recall it's pretty good).

[danieLion]

The Atlantic Monthly article I cited in my OP about B.F. Skinner didn't point this out, but Skinner discovered that his animal subjects performed optimally when he reduced their body weight by 20% the standard. Different types of fasts are different reinforcement schedules.

[David N. Snyder]

The Documentary is now available on YouTube.

Eat, Fast and Live Longer

Good program! I recommend this video too for everyone; it gives motivation to consume less and be healthy too. And it provides a more realistic way for doing so as long fasts or CR on a daily basis are not realistically possible for most people.

[Kim O'Hara]

If this thread is really all about food, perhaps it should be in the Wellness and Diet forum?


Kim

[danieLion]

If this thread is really all about food, perhaps it should be in the Wellness and Diet forum?


Kim

I thought it was about consuming, but since most human consumption directly involves or is otherwise related to food, this forum's fine with me.

Where did I OP? I don't recall.

Edit: I want it to be about how to consume less, not why we "should" consume less. But I'm not the only poster in this topic.

[danieLion]

THE PETROL WE EAT

I haven't read this since it came out in hard copy, but it's a well written and informative article from Harper's called The oil we eat: following the food chain back to Iraq

[marc108]

That doesn't seem to be working for me though — I don't eat much, but I am not getting enough exercise.

I would imagine with extended meditation and inactivity the basal metabolic rate would go wayyyyy down.

[Kim O'Hara]

I would imagine with extended meditation and inactivity the basal metabolic rate would go wayyyyy down.

Yeah ... someone pretty famous was living on one grain of rice per day while meditating almost continuously, wasn't he?


Kim

[danieLion]

That doesn't seem to be working for me though — I don't eat much, but I am not getting enough exercise.

I would imagine with extended meditation and inactivity the basal metabolic rate would go wayyyyy down.

Partially depends on how much you trust the BMR metrics.

[manas]

I'm very thin no matter what or how much I eat, so the whole weight issue is irrelevant to me. But I have tried many special 'health diets' such as vegan, raw vegan, etc, and observed positive effects on physical and mental health. But -if one swings from one extreme diet, to normality again (or worse still, from 'purge' to 'binge') - that is not healthy for the body. And I tended to oscillate like that, so now I just try to be moderate, neither eating too much, nor too little. The body likes regularity, and doesn't like extremes.

If we need to fast sometimes, our body tells us, when we are sick for example we can naturally lose interest in eating. It's good to go with that, drinking water etc and letting the body do it's detox. If we stay away from pharmaceutical drugs, our body usually knows what is best for it, and we can develop a sensitivity to it's needs, ime.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Edit: I want it to be about how to consume less, not why we "should" consume less. But I'm not the only poster in this topic.

Reducing craving via the N8P, and specifically, regarding food and other requisites in the manner advised by the Buddha.

Metta,
Retro.

[danieLion]

Greetings,

Edit: I want it to be about how to consume less, not why we "should" consume less. But I'm not the only poster in this topic.

Reducing craving via the N8P, and specifically, regarding food and other requisites in the manner advised by the Buddha.

Metta,
Retro.

I agree!
I've learned a lot about tanhā from watching my food cravings, especially the ones for monosaccharides.