Spiritual development and body weight

[Kiran]

Hello all!


Now that I feel that I have concentrated on healing my mind and my heart long enough and that it's time to work on my body, I feel that my spiritual development has a lot to do with regulating my calorie intake and my body weight.

As a child, I never had weight issues. I grew up on a cattle and dairy farm in a tiny, idyllic village. There were a lot of fruits and vegetables (some of them self-grown), our own meat and meat products, and of course milk, milk, milk. Even today, drinking milk or eating a yoghurt comforts me. In the time I tried to live vegan, not taking meat or eggs didn't bother me at all, but the "no milk" rule was a torture. I used to make myself semolina pudding for breakfast with soya "milk" to have something creamy in the morning!

Then during my early teenhood I started eating more than a normal teen. It was in the time I was being abused by a 65-year-old man. I stayed at his house during the weekends (my parents trusted him) and I remember that there was always chocolate and vanilla pudding in the fridge. I started to overeat with those. Sometimes I ate three or four portions in 15 minutes. It was my way of coping with the pressure.

Then with 16 I met my first boyfriend, I ran away from home and freed myself from the visits to the old man. Life began to get better. In the end I moved back home, where I got my own room and more respect from my parents. Today we have almost a normal relationship.

I had a normal body weight, maybe inclining a little to overweight, but I wasn't "fat"... not yet. I wore size 38.

In summer 2003, the summer I got 18, I went to London. There I worked at McDonald's and, never been a great cook, I used to eat there, too, or order pizza for the night. I returned from London being overweight (I used size 40-42).

At leaving our equivalent to high school, I already used a 44,but I didn't feel bad. I enjoyed eating sweet treats whenever I could, and I filled up with chocolate and sweets. Maybe it was my way to cope with stress and loneliness. I was an outsider, the typical introverted poetrist who stays to herself.

At university, things got worse... I started using a 46 when I told myself: It can't go on like this. But it wasn't until I went to a lecture about "Theory of Yoga by Patanjali" that I changed my lifestyle. Completely, from one day to the other.

I was getting convinced that the vegan lifestyle (no animal products at all - no meat, no eggs, no milk, not even honey) was just what I needed to live well. Without any vitamin supplements or anything, I started living solely on fruits and vegetables, and a bit of wholegrain products. I lost weight very fast, soon I was down to 77kg or size 42 again. I felt wonderful. Life was great.

But then one day, I almost collapsed unconscious in my bathroom, and had a nervous attack after that. I had had lack of vital vitamins (B12, mostly) and proteins. I went back to eating first vegetarian, then normal, until eating junk food again.


AND HERE I AM NOW, WITH MY 106kg OR SIZE 48...


A month ago I tried a diet of protein shakes, but I left it because they gave me a feeling of drinking vomit, they taste horribly and even if I hate my weight, I don't feel like punishing myself with these shakes.

I decided to simply try to eat "NORMAL" without overeating and without being overly preoccupied over my body weight. After all, the girls who have always been slim never gave much thought to it either, right?

IT'S AN ISSUE OF CHANGING MY MIND, BECOMING MORE SERENE INSIDE SO TO NOT NEED SO MUCH FOOD ANYMORE. AND CHANGE MY HABITS TO THE ONES OF A PERSON WITH LOVE FOR HERSELF. SO LITTLE BY LITTLE MY BODY WILL ALSO FREE ITSELF FROM ACCUMULATED BAD THOUGHTS AND FAT.

It's hard to let go of my addiction to sweets and chocolate, but I know I have to overcome this addiction. I am meant to be a free spirit in a light body.

IT IS NOT A DIET, BUT A PROCESS OF LEARNING HOW TO LOVE MYSELF. FOOD AND LOSING WEIGHT IS JUST A MINUSCULE ASPECT OF MY SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION.

I know this sounds crazy but that's how I think. I know that when I'm in a state of peace of mind, I need less food.


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THIS WILL BE MY FOOD DIARY, WHERE I WILL POST MY PROGRESS.
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Love & Light,
Kiran

I wish you the very best of luck. I also struggle with my weight. I am an emotional eater and use food as a comfort.... this i know. I am also hoping that as I continue my Spiritual path and become happier with that side of my life... it will help me gain control over my weight issues.

Feel free to message me if you fancy you a chat. x

[Kiran]

Today and yesterday went very well.


Yesterday, festive of Virgin Mary in my country, around midday I went for a walk (about an hour) with my best friend and it felt so good... moving my body, speaking to my friend, feeling close to mother nature, the cool wind in my hair...

It was so good that at six o'clock evening I went for a "50 minutes" walk, this time alone and on the street illuminated with lamp posts.

And I ate rather well for my terms. Now okay, I had a small piece of cake in the afternoon but the rest was fine. I stayed a little under 2000 calories.

Also, I had two cups of Kapha-Tea. Kapha, together with Pitta and Vata, is one of the qualities in Ayurveda teachings. Pitta is fire, Vata is air and Kapha is earth. In Ayurveda, I am a Kapha type, so I drink Kapha-Tea to balance myself. Overmore, it tastes just great!


Today, I also ate quite well, and I went for another 50 minutes walk this evening (it's now 21:00 austrian time).


My menu of the day:

Breakfast: cornflakes with milk
Morning snack: none
Lunch: coalfish filet, gratinated with vegetables and potatoes
Afternoon snack: a cacao made with water (from the automat at work), and two small apples
Supper: cornflakes with milk again, and a cup of Kapha-Tea

Water: enough
Exercise: six hours standing at work, and walking 50 minutes


FEELING HAPPY

Kiran, hello to you. I wish you well, and I am so pleased to hear that you had a good day.

Walking out in nature is excellent, it is the same for people who do not eat too, it focusses the mind on to something different, and that relaxes you, and takes the pressure off.

You don't focus so much on what you don't like about your self, and start enjoying and focusing on life its self.

It is great exercise, and you come back relaxed and refreshed. So big hugs for that one, well done!



Sweetie it isn't so also about size, it is about you, and who you are, and how you feel about you too. You are taking steps and that is good.

As a vege, you do need to have a good plan, for essential vits, and health too, many books are helpful too.

Smalls steps get us there quicker than running fast in one direction.

All the best

elaine.

[Spiritlite]

I think you're doing awesome. I swim and walk and do yoga about 3-4 times a week, about a 5 hour workout total a week.
Also I don't eat ANYTHING that will bring my blood sugars up. I do eat rice and vegies about 4 times a week, once a week we treat ourselves to a burger, and one other time a week we eat chicken and rice.
We have no treats, sweets, or anything in our house that will raise our blood sugars quickly. Firstly, becaues both Dan and I have diabetes in our family. Dan has dropped 2 pant sizes in 5 weeks, I've lost about 10 pounds in those same weeks.
Yes it is also a matter of loving your body, since I've started eating well again and excercising I feel strong inside again I feel younger, have more energy and have more relaxation as I have bouts of a anxiety.
I also take a Vit. D supplement, Ca-mag supplment, and Ashwagahnda. I also drink about 4 oz of wheatgrass a week. However your post reminds me I should invest in some good multivitamins and I will do so.
Take care
Spiritlite.

[Zero]

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/

I have a sugar problem, consuming it sends me loopy, and I become obsessed with food. When you are thinking about food most of your waking hours it doesn't leave much time for other things. :(

[Kiran]

Thank you all for your replies.

elaine, you are absolutely right, being out in the nature sets my focus on other things, I stop worrying and come back feeling relaxed. Today I can't go (it's snowing heavily and the street is icy), but I will do a little dancing in my room :) I don't think I will go back to eating vegan. Todays, I eat very little meat and only sometimes a fried egg or so. And I don't have any lack of vitamins anymore. I'm also taking ELEVIT (sounds like a kind of Viagra, but is a vitamin supplement) for getting enough iron and magnesium - I used to get cramps in my leg because of magnesium lack.

Spiritlite, you are doing great with the exercise. I also want to start yoga, I want to join a new course beginning in february next year. The wheatgrass drink I know. At the time I was living vegan, there was a juice bar near to my house and I used to go there to have strawberry orange shakes and sometimes wheatgrass. It tastes like licking the lawn, but it is very healthy.

Zero, I understand your problem. Maybe some people here on the forum can give you advice.


Love & Light to you all, I will connect myself later and report my day.

[Spiritlite]

Zero it could be because you're full of yeast and hence craving sugar. I had the problem too I really did I would eat sweets all the time up until about 6 months ago when I said enough is enough, and although I did go through withdrawels I have given them up completely. But maybe someone else can help you.
Kiran--have you thought about yoga DVD's they are much cheaper than a course, have you practiced yoga before? If so I think dvd's are great, if you've never practised then yeah you'll have to go to a class. One ladies DVD's that I love and I think are the best out there are Wai Lana's do a google search on her and find her website and you'll see what she's like.
Spiritlite.

[Chrysaetos]

It doesn't sound like the right thing to go from a diet with junkfood, to a vegan diet.
I've never been a vegan, because lacto-vegetarianism was already a step too far for me. I do think we need animal protein one way or the other.

Maybe experiment with vegetarianism (incl. eggs and yoghurt) and pescetarianism (vegetarian+fish).

[Kiran]

Hey all,

yesterday night I was too tired to post anything, but the day went very well. I didn't do my 50 minutes walk because of the lots of snow on the streets, but I danced around in my room :)

This morning the scale showed me 104,7 kg... I've lost a few pounds, yippie! Let's see if we can go on like this.

See you later, or tomorrow.

Love, Kiran