The Slow Down Diet - Marc David

The book comes with a by line that says 'Eating for Pleasure, Energy and Weight Loss'. Written by Marc David a nutritional expert and founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, the book advocates what we know well deep inside - that our weight and energy come from deeper issues than merely food and exercise. Marc's book gives a 8-week program to health or good metabolism. In a nut shell - it addresses the metabolic power of Relaxation, Quality, Awareness, Rhythm, Pleasure, Thought, Story and Sacred.

Week 1- The Metabolic Power of Relaxation

We mostly hurry through our eating which is terrible for our metabolism. Stress slows down digestion. Eat consciously and slowly to get more metabolic energy. Conscious breathing dissipates stress response and promotes digestion. Oxygen is fundamental to the burning process, our metabolism. If we breathe more, we burn better. 

Breathing deep, sitting with the spine erect, focusing on the food and taking more time to eat achieves much more for your metabolism than by 1) eating less or exercising more 2) exercising will power 3) eating right foods and right amounts and 4) a belief that experts are always right. Marc says that our expert lives within us - our own Enteric Nervous System which guides us if we listen to it.

Learn how to eat. Breathing is fat burning. Breathe deeply, rhythmically. Include more time for meals.

Week 2 - The Metabolic Power of Quality

Whatever you eat, eat quality food. Less quality of the food, the more you eat, simply because it does not give you enough nutrition. Food is energy and information. It may be more expensive, but it cuts out other avoidable costs related to health.

Replace stuff in your kitchen asap.

Week 3 - The Metabolic Power of Awareness

This is about the power of CPDR or the Cephalatic Phase Insulin Response and the ENS, or the Enteric Nervous System, also called the brain of the belly which holds vast amounts of wisdom about nutrition and the metabolic needs. We can access ENS through mind-body awareness to determine the right food to eat. If we eat with full awareness, we will be satisfied. 

There is a reason why our gut brain has 100 million neurons more than the nerve cells in the spinal cord.

Week 4 - The Metabolic Power of Rhythm

Master rhythm and you master metabolism says Marc. Hot rhythms are about following the sun's rhythms. Eat when the sun is up which is when our body temperature is at its highest, by noon. Digestion is highest at lunch and then we fall into a sleepy mood between 2 and 5 in the afternoon. A 15-20 minute rest is advised for renewing energy then. As with everything else, timing is everything for high metablosim.

Align with the rhythms of life and bring metabolism into full focus. Skipping breakfast and lunch can slow down metabolism just as eating irregularly makes it out of sync. Excessive consumption of carbs can see a rhythmic meltdown.

Week 5 - The Metabolic Power of Pleasure 

Pleasurable experiences enhance nutrient absorption. Pleasure increases relaxation response and fuels full digestion.We eat more when we are stressed. Eat what gives you pleasure, in modest amounts. Create the right ambiance, the mood, lighting and enhance the experience. How we experience pleasure with food is how we experience life.

Week 6 - The Metabolic  Power of Thought

What we think becomes physiological. Marc says thinking is a nutritional choice. If we have negative thoughts about food, it inhibits our digestion. Positive thoughts on the other hand enhances digestion. the placebo effect is proof of the power of thought. The Source of our motivation influences our metabolsim.

Week 7 - The Metabolic Power of Story

Our inner story holds the keys to unlocking our metabolic force. By rewriting our story, we can transform our health. Each time we eat, a specific character sits down at the head of our inner table. Choose who sits at your inner table.

Whatever benefits you experience at the end, create and experience at the beginning. It will change things, your story.

Week 8 - The Metabolic Power of the Sacred

Make the metabolic process sacred- make a ritual of your food - cooking, drinking tea, offering food, consuming medicines, beauty processes. When we do things with love, truth, courage, commitment, compassion, forgiveness and faith we add the power of prayer and love to our choices. We can bless or curse, so choose to treat the body and food as sacred.    

It makes so much sense. I have started following quite a few of the tips Marc has provided. Mainly to slow down while eating, sitting right, breathing right, relaxing.  Makes immense sense.

         

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

 The graphic novel is Marjane Satrapi's account of her life in Teheran in the 70s when it transformed from a free society into a repressive one controlled by religious fundamentalists who imposed all kinds of moral codes on people - dress, music, dance partying, expression - were all curbed and directed by force.

Marjane's parents are free thinking people and they grow their only daughter to question and speak her mind and live on her terms. Marjane's outspokenness and fearlessness gets her into trouble but she does live life on her terms - telling the Principal of her school off and rebelling in small ways. The war with Iraq, the bombing and the increasing danger to their lives makes her parents send her away to study in Austria when she is fourteen. Marjane adjusts to life as an immigrant, but continues to live in her own ways. Growing up pains, boy friends, cultural differences have their effect and she hangs out with a bunch of nihilists smoking pot and finally ends up homeless after fighting with her boyfriend and almost everyone else.

She manages to get back to Teheran and after battling her bouts of depression where she becomes distinctly anti-social and suicidal, turns around, becomes an aerobic instructor and becomes social again. This time they rebel against the regime in their own ways (holding parties and getting arrested), meets friends who have been to war, sees friends leave to the US and meets a man she marries. They do each other some good but the marriage does not last. All this by the time she is twenty one. And then her mother and father send her off to Europe again, where she plans to study and do something to make her family proud. And she did - thanks to this novel which is now a major motion picture.

I completely enjoyed it. I somehow find this connection with the Iranians - maybe because of our Irani cafes, many schoolmates and college mates had Irani roots, the wonderful Irani films I saw - and it was fascinating to read her account. That it was also around the time I grew up helped to relate - Kim Wilde, Iron Maiden - parties and so on. A book that expands you. Must read.       

Thought for the Day - Doing Less

 Less is more. 

Doing less actually achieves more because we cut out the junk, the fluff we fill our lives with. Do less, cut out the junk. Get more.

 

Thought for the Day - The Illusion is What we see Outside

 What we see outside is the illusion.

What we ignore inside is reality. 

Thought for the Day - Judgment is too Much Focus on Others, Less on Yourself

 Any irritation we fell is about a judgment we have, about ourselves or about someone else - mostly someone else. So next time you feel irritated, check who you have a judgment on.

Instead think of yourself - and what you can do for yourself. Fill up your life with things to do for yourself - making yourself the priority.

There's a lot to do for yourself you know, instead of worrying about others. 

Expand Your Money Consciousness - A Lovely Online Workshop by Shobha Nargundkar

 I attended this online workshop by Shobhs called 'Expand Your Money Consciousness' last week and it was great fun and learning as we all shared our money stories and experiences over a month. Some major takeaways for me were.

1. Where is your money going is how your money consciousness is - very little on myself. Apart from that some of the other insights that I remember are

2. It’s about the flow - receiving, holding and spending 

3. Money is the power to kill an ant - we don’t have to do anything with it how much ever we get, just let it be without any pressure and use it when the ant bites

4. Spend on your self first - watch where your money is going

5. Watch how you are spending - the feeling

6. You must have it within you, not see it as separate to have it..

7. You don’t need anything else to receive 10x or 100x - just have to reorganize what we already have

8. If you don’t use it, if you deny yourself, it will find ways to go away where it’s needed

9. Maintain a good relationship with it.. like we do in any fun, growing relationship

10. Don’t have judgments about where, how, who, why etc…allow it to come with gratitude

11. You are bigger than money, you are the source and can create as much as you want…own that power

12. Giving attention to where it’s going gives a clue

13. The more adventurous you are, the more you attract so push boundaries little by little

14. Carry enough in your wallet to always feel rich

15. Watch words, phrases, actions….use them to empower, don't use them to negate .

These are what I remember .. and maybe some more. You ask can add your insights and practices too so it’s all there.

Switzerland - Movie

 2021. Bengali. Cute move about a middle class family wanting to go to Switzerland to keep up their appearances. Very watchable.