Bill Z intro

[billzant]

This has been written in my blog:-

Why I joined the forum

I have always taken some concern over my diet - for many years being vegetarian. Where I live it is not easy to be vegetarian so I gave that up. At the same time before I retired (18months ago) I was an international schoolteacher, and it was not so easy establsihing healthy shopping patterns. So my diet slipped a bit; my major culprits were coffee and sugar, and cheese.

In my job I was very strressed inwardly, often sending bullets down to my digestive system. Although this never led to serious illness, I recognised weariness in my digestion and pressure in that region that led to stress days off. But now I am retired stress is a memory.

I have lost weight but reached a stage where I was still overweight yet eating less and less.

Just before I visited Bangkok I woke up with an appalling taste of bile in my mouth, and whilst travelling developed a migraine. These prompted me to go to a Natural Medicine Centre where the doctor declared GERD, and went through a diet that I later discovered was more or less macrobiotic - meat or fish once a day. i did a 10-day fast and have now been doing the diet for just over a week.

I have no local source of advice although I do have a local organic food shop

[Klara]

Hi Bill,

I have no idea how I missed this post. Gary, I look forward to the day when a whole week's worth of new posts can show up, maybe making it easier.

I've written this many times - as it seems many people are isolated - but the fact that you have a health food store is a good start - the advice would be to put up a notice in the health food store, asking if there is anyone else macro, or interested in practicing mb.

We live in great times as far as getting info from the computer and from books - there's an amazing amount out there - but nothing beats having a live teacher nearby, and if not that, at least others eating this way.

So for those who don't, I also advise try to be the initiator. See if you can find people interested, if you can find a mb video, show it to everyone and discuss it afterwards.

For learning with mb teachers, you can do one of two things - go where they are and learn with them, or organize enough people to pay for someone to come to you. And of course, a third option, you can move to where there is an active mb community!!!!

So Bill, where are you at right now?? Are you cooking for yourself? Do you have any mb books, or have you read alot on the net? do you have specific questions? What kind of a fast did you do? under supervision?

Glad to hear stress is out of your life - now you have the rest of your life to enjoy yourself!!!!

Klara

[Klara]

Also forgot to thank you Bill for mentioning the blog area - we are such funny creatures of habit - for so long no one was blogging, that I forget to go there - so thanks for reviving it.

Klara

[billzant]

Dear Klara,

How are you?

Thanks very much for replying to my intro, are you a moderator or just interested? Not that it really matters which one.

I mentioned going to Bangkok so the obvious assumption is that I was on holiday, in fact I have retired to Trat - a small town in Eastern Thailand down near the Cambodian border (if you have been to Thailand near Koh Chang).

My retirement is chosen isolation, I live alone and the nearest westerner is 2km away. There are few westerners, and most of these are French or German - I am originally from the UK.

There is no doubt much concern amongst Thai people about their health and diet - those that can afford such concern. There are many health-type spas around, as well as the ubiquitous Thai massage which has been a great help to me in dealing with the stress. Trat’s supermarkets are small yet they contain fruit and vegetable drinks without preservatives. Brown rice is available in the supermarkets but sadly not in the restaurants. The wholemeal bread appears to be white bread with brown dye although the health shop is now bringing in more brown bread – when I first came here she only offered me wholewheat flour.

The doctor who I saw was pleased that I associated his recommendations with macrobiotic and was pleased that I had bought a book, but a senior doctor was abrupt in saying it was not necessary to do all the yin-yang balancing - he took offence but I think it was a language issue. I needed the book because he did not give me enough information - again language, and if they had a diet sheet it would have been in Thai. The book was "The Macrobiotic Way" by Michio Kushi with Stephen Bauer.

However in many ways the details didn't matter as I knew I would have to be self-directing and at the same time I have done diets before and I know a bit about how I respond to them. For me I have to look at availability of food and ease of preparation because I already know the most important thing - the diet is helping. Now I am retired ease of preparation is less of a problem but I didn’t retire to cook!

The greatest sadness is that I (debatably) live in the country with the best food in the world, and I cannot eat it. Prepared dishes I would pay £4-5 for in the UK ($8-10) and more, I could buy for 30-40 cents in the market. In the local cafes the dishes are the same price, and if I wanted good food I could pay £3-4 for a full meal. I am working on that one as I know the cook at my restaurant and she might be able to prepare things that are good and healthy. MSG is a big problem here.
Being in Trat (among Thai speakers and writers) I think an ad in the window does not promise great things, maybe I will try. It would be interesting to find out whether this health centre diet is a standard Thai diet, in which case there might be recipes. Thailand has much local produce, all kinds of weird-looking green things, and of course all of Thailand’s wonderful fruit.

As I said I already feel better. After retiring I was losing weight and getting healthier and then it came to a stop. I didn’t know why. I have to pay a health price for 30 years of teaching stress, and if this is it then I am fortunate it is so little. I have retired early but am conscious of the actuarial statistics for teachers, many of whom give out soon after retiring. I have no doubts the diet has helped so now I need to find ways I like to eat that will keep me on the diet. The diet is not completely macrobiotic according to the doctor, meat or fish once a day. Trat is a centre for fish sales so maybe I should try more just to eat fish.
I used to drink coffee with sweet milk (a Thai variety of Carnation milk), not too much sugar otherwise, and oodles of cheese and butter when I could get it – can’t buy it in Trat. I was still in Bangkok a few days so didn’t start the diet straight away but cutting out the coffee made me feel a bit ill. The fasting lasted 10 days on my return home:-
Day one Normal new diet
Day two Apples, Apple juice and water
Day Three Orange, Orange Juice and water
Day Four to Nine Vegetables Fruit and vegetable or fruit juice
Day Ten Brown Rice one meal
After that normal new diet. I was weak a short while but overall not too ill.

When I was in Bangkok I read the food part of the macrobiotic book, and bought some stuff from a Japanese supermarket there. I especially like sauces and dressings so that is a problem as I now have to make them. Much of my previous dietary cooking was vegetarian and far too much cheese so I am having to learn how to cook again. Apart from restaurants I never ate rice but now I have a cooker to cook brown rice! People don’t use ovens (except microwaves) here (I know this because I cannot find pyrex dishes – glass ovenware for my baby oven), so many western recipes have to be amended ie look at the ingredients and combine them in a way I would like. It’s all fun eh?
I tend to join forums of interest just to see what comes out of it – same with mailing lists. Your reply was a good start so thanks again for your reply, I hope I haven’t gone on too much.

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best

Bill Z
PS If you don’t object I will add your reply and this to my blog as it helps explain the situation more.

[Klara]

Hi again Bill,

I'm just someone who loves to write - and I thank you for the compliment of thinking me the moderator - to me the memory of the first days I discovered the magic of computers and discussion groups is still so clear, and how very very intimidated I was of posting. It took me a while to get comfortable - and the encouragement of Bruce to start my own group - so yes, I do moderate, but not here.

Nothing is an obvious assumption - but always best to spell out details. Again, Gary, help (he is the owner and moderator!!) - I know we had someone on the forum here from Thailand because I answered them as I have a very knowledgeable mb friend also living in Thailand. - but he, my friend, wrote they didn't get together as they are 8 hours away from each other. Guess Thailand is quite big!!!! My friend is David Nissim, at d_cameleon@hotmail.com I apologize, I keep forgetting what the area he lives in is called.

He has dreams to one day create mb conventions in the beautiful area that exists there. So maybe dreams will come true.

He also shared with us how there's so so much greens there. And in the village where he lives, everything is always cooked fresh daily - they don't eat food from the day before!!! And the amazing strength of the people, even the old people. It was very impressive.

I have that book that you mentioned for years and never noticed it was written with someone else - see how we always learn things - it's a good book exactly for the reason I didn't like it at the beginning - I only wanted a cookbook and wasn't interested in all the "way of life" recommendations - now I'm "eating up" all the mb way of life thoughts - and with the help of mb friends on the computer am encouraged to do even more - slowly, slowly, the body rub, chewing, exercising - even now and then singing (I'm tone deaf :>) )

Alot of new people to mb complain that it takes much too much time for the cooking - but I believe it's all what you are used to - of course it's much easier to eat out or to just "throw" something together. I love mb because it demands more thought - well, not demands, it is possible I guess to do it mindlessly, and to be totally honest, I guess I do alot - I just know if I cover the bases, grain, bean, veggies, I'm doing fine - but every now and then I do take it a bit further, like no beans today, as I had way too much tofu yesterday, things like that. But I fully realize there are others who take it much further, which tells me there's more adventures for me ahead to look forward to.

When things come to a stop, (as did with your weight loss) that's when it's good to throw something new into the equation. Do you go for walks or some other kind of exercise?? Reread the book and see if something new doesn't jump up at you. Or go exploring on the net - there's lots of great articles on this site, as well as interesting chats. And there's loads of mb info on other sites as well. You might find something new that stimulates you to try.

I wonder if the statistics about teachers after they retire is maybe not about the stress, but more about how lost and useless they may feel after retiring. It's sad that so many people don't know what to do with their lives when they no longer have their work, which gave them their identity, and so much meaning. That's always such an important part of life, what gives meaning!!!!

As far as the diet, the only constant is change!!!!! and each person goes at their own pace, in their own direction. So as long as you feel free enough to be flexible and play with your diet, don't be surprized if one day you won't be eating the Thai foods that you say you can't today - who knows - otoh, you may not miss the old foods, cheeses, coffee, meat, etc and really get into enjoying cooking - who knows??? Just be open and grateful and it'll go well, I promise - well, not promise, it may get challenging, but it does for everyone - the thing is to meet the challenge, grow from it, and go further in your experiences.

In my book, no such thing as going on too long. How refreshing to have a discussion again. The blog is there for you to use as you wish - I'm honored that you want to include my words.

I kept scrolling down to reply to your post - hope it was clear. I know there's a way to go into a post and reply in the text, but I haven't tried that yet here.

As far as that senior doctor, well, let's see who has the last laugh - I'm thrilled when I read of people's stories who have succeeded beyond their doctor's beliefs and the doctor is open enough to admit they might be wrong.

I look forward to reading of your adventures.

Klara

[azulparsnip]

Hi Bill - it is good to correspond with other macroers. It is a lonely road but rewarding beyond expectation . I have been eating macro for about 3 yrs (yet I do eat some fish and meat) - the cravings diminish considerably but this old flesh still remembers the past. I fall back sometimes and then suffer from the poisons I take in (being now unmasked to them). I rise up with a larger sense of what exactly is being "served up" all around me. It is appalling.........scarry, sad but true.......I'm looking forward to hearing how your journey goes.

[azulparsnip]

Hi Klara

[billzant]

Originally Posted by azulparsnip

Hi Bill - it is good to correspond with other macroers. It is a lonely road but rewarding beyond expectation . I have been eating macro for about 3 yrs (yet I do eat some fish and meat) - the cravings diminish considerably but this old flesh still remembers the past. I fall back sometimes and then suffer from the poisons I take in (being now unmasked to them). I rise up with a larger sense of what exactly is being "served up" all around me. It is appalling.........scarry, sad but true.......I'm looking forward to hearing how your journey goes.

Dear azulparsnip,

Thanks for the reply.

My situation is a bit different so decided to write a blog as I go along:-

http://zarendhara.net/naturehealth.htm

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best

Bill Z

[Klara]

Hi Bill,

My post to you on fruit has just returned saying your mailbox is full. Hope you get the message this way. Let me know when I can resend it.

Klara