easing into macro, a diet question

[mmtc]

Hello all,

I've been heading towards a macrobiotic diet for about two years of gradual transitioning and rather a lot of bumps along the way. My main question is about my super-fast metabolism. I have thus far not been able to have a completely macro foods day (unless I had a flu and couldn't eat much at all) because I just get too darn hungry. I can't figure out how to get approximately 100% of the US daily value of fat (2000 calorie) from strictly macro sources and without the US daily value of fat, I can just eat all day long and never stop being hungry. There's a limit to the amount of nuts, seeds, beans, fish, and fried food that I can eat in a day, that limit seems to be about half of the fat I need. So I end up eating a little cheese, or chicken, or egg, or nut butter to flesh out my diet, and I'm not so happy about that.

I should note that I have very little appetite when it comes to non-macro food. I strongly dislike almost all extreme food and didn't have much appetite for any food for years until I discovered macro, so I know there's probably somewhat of a catch-up effect. In other words, I'm extra-hungry because I've been under-nourished.

So my main questions are: How much fat are people getting per day, in terms of grams? And what sources make up a typical macro fat-gram day?

Also, I am pretty sure that my basic diet is neither too yin or yang but is centered, as I have been practicing Taoist martial arts for five years and a recipient of acupuncture for five years before that, so I'm quite sure I can feel yin and yang quite clearly in my body, and in everybody else's body, for that matter.

Also, I have been tested for parasite infection, and for thyroid problems about a million times, and everything is normal, so I don't think there's any other reason for the metabolism being so fast.

[Bruce Paine]

mmtc,

You know the saying about the different blind men looking at the different parts of the elephant and coming to diffent conclusions to what the animal looks like, don't you?

So far, you've only described an aspect of yourself, and that's certainly not enough to get a complete picture of who you are, and how you operate.

Gender, age, and daily activity or job can help a great deal, though, "where", can make a big difference, as well.

A good counselor or doctor is not psychic and therefore you will need to give them as comprehensive a picture about yourself, as you can.

Regarding the metabolism, diet is not the only way to slow it down.

Slow down your activity, stay put, and do alot of sitting in front of the computer or tv will all contribute to the slowing down of the metabolism.

A regular job, place to live and the same relationships (regularity) can also be a big factor.

Who are you where are you, and what are you doing?

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

[Nancy]

mmtc,

It sounds like macro is the way for you, if you have no appetite for other foods. Vegetarian, and now macro has always been the way for me, although I grew up in a predominantly meat and dairy family. At this point in my life, I have no choice, as I cannot tolerate a meat and dairy diet healthwise.

It sounds to me that you are a man, young or older, without a weight problem. The fast metabolism comes from a predominance of muscle on your body that consumes calories at a faster rate. There are fats in the macro diet, if it is satiation you are looking for. Eat tempura vegetables lightly fried in sesame oil. You haven't mentioned suffering with a disease that would rigidly restrict your diet to less than the Standard Macrobiotic Diet. There is no restriction in your case from nut butters or most nuts. I would recommend eating with more good fats (unsaturated) and oils, especially during winter, but begin to limit toxic forms of animal foods, including red meat, poultry, eggs, milk and dairy foods. No one needs satiation from poison.

It isn't true that if your stomach is filled with organic grains, you will be hungry. It might be your thinking and expectations that need training -- a mind shift from a desire for fatty animal foods to natural plant foods. Eating cheese, chicken, and eggs will lead to arteriosclerosis and a deterioration of vital body systems eventually, --period. Cheese, chicken, and eggs are extreme foods.

Fat grams, are a notion that is foreign to macro people. It is not about strict measurement in terms of fat grams, carbs, protein, etc. other than of passing interest on a label. It is more about the balanced meal: 50% grains, 30% vegetables, 5-10% soups, 5-10% beans, 5-10% seaweeds, 5-10% other (condiments, etc.).

If you are very thin, sinewy, and muscular that is a predominantly yang body, which could be balanced more towards center by foods.

If you think you know all there is to learn about yin and yang, you have a lot to learn. That ideation, in and of itself, is not knowing the extent of yin and yang.

Nancy

[mmtc]

Hello Nancy and Bruce,

One of the things the universe has been trying to teach me is that I need some help and support in going the macrobiotic way, and I'm very glad that you both responded to my question right away.

Bruce, you are absolutely right about lifestyle being a major factor in metabolism. I have moved from location to location, job to job, partner to partner, more times than I care to count, due to my own ignorance about how life works, and I think it has produced an overall rushed, hurried feeling in my body. That feeling alternates with a completely stuck, stagnant, don't want to get out of bed feeling in which I end up doing short brown rice porridge (and maybe some umeboshi) fasts for 1-3 days until I can think about eating and moving again. I've been working hard to stabilize my life and lifestyle. I end up feeling that macrobiotic food is the core from which to build the rest of my life. Otherwise, when I'm eating non-macro food, life for me becomes a tedious, painful business to be endured but not enjoyed.

Nancy, you mentioned eating lightly fried tempura, and it got me thinking about it with more focus. I grew up in the Southeast U.S. and there were many times the only thing available to eat was something deep fried. I ate deep fried potatoes, corn-meal balls, okra, chicken, etc... because it was either that or fast. I think somewhere along the way, I think I promised myself that, "when I grow up, I never have to eat anything deep fried again." I have this incredible mental block against making tempura: I feel like I'll turn into a little pool of grease and slip down the drain.

Somehow, I think sharing this will help me to release it.

Also, Nancy, I wasn't trying to say that I know everything there is about yin and yang. I was trying to say that my sensitivity to energy is much greater than you would expect if all you knew about me was that I had been interested in macrobiotics for two years. In other words, I'm sensitive to energy, bordering and often crossing the border into hyper-sensitive, and so eating centering foods and not get a lot of "noise" from eating junk is really important for me.

Thank you both,
mmtc