New start with questions

[hans89]

Hello everybody!

After over a year I'm trying to get into macrobiotics again, after failing many times before. Since I have huge problems with overeating, eating sweets etc., I think that the radical approach is best for me (gradual approaches have failed me many many times.)

Today it's day 8 of regimen #7 for me, and so far I haven't strayed from it at all, which I'm really really, really happy about. Currently I'm eating about a cup of brown rice a day (pressure cooked with about 1/6th of a teaspoon of salt) and drinking between a cup to two of bancha. I also do breathing exercises a lot, which helps me when I start feeling bad or tired.

Even though I'm feeling more yang now, I still have one problem: I spend way too much time online, not moving at all, which makes me very cold, and thereafter I take a hot shower to get warm again, which I think is very bad and counterproductive...
Can anybody offer help to get over this problem? "Get off the PC" won't help cause it's like an addiction really...

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Take care

-Hans

[Klara]

Oh boy, don't I know about the computer addiction!!!!!!!

Ginger is supposed to be warming (I'm not a counselor and hope your condition allows ginger) either in a tea, perhaps juiced into the rice, or when you start having miso soups.

Also ginger can be put into hot water and you can either do a body rub with it, or soak in it (tho that might be iffy, as much too much water, so perhaps just soaking the feet) or do a ginger compress, but that usually needs a second person doing it for you and not sure if you have someone who can help you there.

Now if anyone out there has advice for computer addiction, I too would be open to hearing

Just wondering if there might not be a connection between this post and your other one about the #7 diet and including vegetables, and perhaps if you are ready to include a more balanced diet, your coldness might not continue to be an issue - that's just guessing -

also you might already know, but doesn't hurt to say it again, the #7 diet is just for a short while - you see already how easy it is to also become unbalanced with it.

As far as exercise, what is it you have tried? or have you? There is a macro practice called Do-In - it's a kind of self-shiatsu - I wanted to give a simple explanation but just looked into my Do-In book and realized how complicated it can get - still I feel something is better than nothing, so with a little fear of misleading anyone, giving yourself some pats anywhere and everywhere, may get the circulation moving (or with open hand, or with fingertips or with knuckles - doesn't have to be hard, gentle also works) - it's only one part of the Do-In but you can do it anytime, almost anywhere, and maybe it would help.

But cold can indicate something serious in your condition - is there anyone you can see, either medical doctor or a mb counselor, where you are??

Klara

[hans89]

Dear Klara,

thank you for your fast reply. I'm just going to continue the #7 regimen for today and tomorrow, to complete the ten days... It's something I feel I need to do. I don't see any other way to break away from my horrible eating habits... I want to make a physical and also psychological statement for my own body that things are going to change. And it's not like I have serious trouble that would justify stopping right now.

Cause basically I'm feeling good, sometimes great, sometimes not so good when I drink too little... it's not easy to keep the balance with the liquid intake it seems, I just don't want to drink too much cause I know that'll make me want to eat more.

My problem is just my passivity when I'm at home. I expect feeling a bit cold, because after all I'm eating about 700kcal per day. But I think the computer habit makes it a lot worse. Ohsawa writes in the sanpaku book that during the #7 rice fast one should be active, because otherwise the new yang energies will work against one self. I think that's what I'm experiencing right now...
I thought it would be easier to break the habit during the fast, but it doesn't seem like it right now

So I'm wondering if there are people on here who have successfully tackled this problem, after all wasting your day in front of the PC isn't all that macrobiotic......

All the best

-Hans


P.S.: The breathing exercises I do are Pranayama and some from a system called Mazdaznan. I read about them and just tried them, and they seem to work really well in giving you energy and waking you up when you feel sleepy, relieve headache etc.

They are really easy, in case you'd like to try:
1. Say the Lord's Prayer (or something of similar length) in one breath, so you're breathing out and saying it without stopping all the way through. Then breathe in and on the next exhale say it again. Repeat at least three times altogether.
2. Exhale fully, pull stomach in and up (so you can touch under your ribcage), hold breath for 15sec. or longer if you can, inhale, the same again on the next exhalation, repeat at least three times trying to hold breath longer. Increase over time.
3. Inhale deeply, hold your breath for at least 20sec., exhale, inhale, hold breath again for a little longer. At least 3 reps, increase time of holding breath.


P. S.: I'm not feeling cold all the time, just after sitting in front of the computer for a long time, that's why think the cold isn't a general problem, but the habit is.

[Dottie Roseboom]

Hi Hans,

Hmmm, I hate to kinda jump into the middle of your conversation with Klara, but I will anyway :-)

Let me introduce myself a bit. I'm 55, female, and live in Illinois, USA. Like you, I've started several healthy diets, to only go back to my beautiful sugars! However, since March 2005, I've been 99% macrobiotic, the only times that I haven't been, were when we were traveling & ate restaurant meals with hidden sugar or chicken stock. Believe me, I can hardly believe that myself!!!

So, if I could do it, you can too! One of the best things that I did was to find a top-notch counselor who sensed what I needed. And he also taught me LOTS about cooking. In the beginning, it was extremely hard work, sometimes, I didn't know if I'd make it to the next day. But I did! Now, the cooking is almost second nature.

The second time that I attempted macro, (1996) I, too became extremely cold! IF you want, we can talk about some things to help with the coldness.

Wishing you the best!

Dottie Roseboom

[hans89]

Hello again, Dottie,

yes, I would be very interested in your advice about tackling the cold feeling. If you had advice for the 'other' problem, I'd also be very interested... could it be food related, or is it just psychological? Thanks a lot...

My best regards

-Hans

[Dottie Roseboom]

Hi Hans,

BTW, I am not a macro counselor and am still learning too.

Coldness can be created by several different conditions. I'm wondering if the rice fast this late in the fall may be contributing to it. To ease the condition, it's usually recommended to only partake of liquids & foods that are at least room temperature, if not warmer. However extremely hot foods are also counter-productive.

Of course, cooked foods are more warming than raw foods. In 1996, when I felt extremely cold, my intuition warned me away from raw salads & tofu. If you need tofu for protein, deep-frying helps to neutralize the coldness. To impart more warmth into foods, cook them longer, but on a lower flame. Usually, the order of more warming to less warming cooking methods are: deep-frying, baking, stir-frying, pressure-cooking, simmering, steaming, fermenting, marinating, and sprouting. Microwave cooking is extremely cooling.

I also found out that sautéing veggies in oil, and then adding them to grains, soups, or beans, created a warmer dish, than just adding the cut veggies to the soups.

Some people say that food manipulation, such as finer cutting, grinding, pressing (as in pressed salads), & stirring releases heat & energy into the body. However, I feel that if food is cut too small, it can not cook quite as long as larger pieces.

If your condition permits, whole oats cooked overnight are very warming & tasty. Sweet brown rice, mochi, spelt, sunflower & sesame seeds, walnuts, & chestnuts are warming. Rice, corn, buckwheat & rye are more neutral, while many of the other grains are more cooling.

Parsnips, parsley, mustard greens, winter squash, cabbage, kale, onion, leek, & scallions are the warming veggies. Of course, hot peppers are initially warming :-), but if used very often or in large quantities, they actually cool the body. Likewise, a teaspoon of rice syrup is warming, while more will tend to cool the body.

As Klara mentioned, ginger can be warming, especially dried ginger. Fruits tend to be cooling. Baking or poaching helps. Soy milk is cooling.

Once the food is prepared, chewing well releases its heat. Avoid consuming too many liquids.

Besides the food aspect, I found that keeping the kidneys & hara warm really helped. As soon as the weather cooled, I started wearing boots, gloves & a hat.

And of course, you already mentioned about moving around to keep warm. Washing dishes works well too :-)

Wishing you warmth & happiness.
Dottie Roseboom

[hans89]

Hi Dottie,

thanks for your extensive advice! I'll read it again carefully later and definitely put it to practice

What I did in the past to adapt to the cold weather was taking cold showers, it helps, but sitting for a long time still makes me cold. Anyhow I feel that I shouldn't take cold showers right now as I just recovered from a rather serious cold, which was one of the reasons why I thought it was time to change something and go on to the rice fast.

Kind regards

-Hans