A few days ago, I relapsed.
It started with one ice cream. Then one chocolate. Then a nutella pancake. “I’m already fucked, minus well go all the way,” the brain rationalized.
It was also the day before Christmas, no one could meet up, and I was honestly a bit lonely. Traveling the world has its downsides.
Since then I’ve decided to do a 30 day health challenge (more on that another time). I have however noticed a very strange thing…
I Feel Best When Hungry…
My mood, energy levels, everything, is at its peak when I’m hungry. I’m literally happier when I’m hungry than when I’m full!
It would seem that even when I’m eating “healthy” (or rather not bad, which is my goal), I am over-eating.
Now, I’m skinny as fuck. Anyone and everyone that gets close to me usually tells me that I need to “put on some weight.” And I agree.
So this situation is baffling me. I’ve tried looking up some theories, and studying, and this is what I could find:
The Two Types of Over-Eaters
It appears that there are two types of over-eaters. One is common, and one is uncommon.
The first just gets fucking fat. This is the common type, as anyone who has walked through Texas can tell you.
The other doesn’t exactly have a name, but they don’t get fat. That doesn’t mean they have no downsides- I’m part of the “uncommon group.”
When I over-eat, I don’t get fat. Trust me, I’ve tried, and here’s what happens:
When I over-eat I get very tired and shit it all out. Sorry to be blunt, but that’s just what happens. It would appear that my body does not store the energy in fat like most people, but instead I suffer from stomach issues, mood issues, and energy issues from over-eating.
Everyone experiences those problems to an extent, but it would appear that the second group (me) experiences this more than the first group.
The Solution??
I don’t have a solution. This is just me sharing my journey through health & all the fun stuff. I do however have a theory.
I read the book “The Science of Being Well,” which is the author that also wrote “The Science of Getting Rich” which was the foundation for the infamous book “Think & Grow Rich.”
Because the principles in the Science of Getting Rich worked perfectly for me, I will take every word he writes as truth and nothing but the truth.
Call me brain-washed, but I’m working 5 hours a week traveling the world with an income that allows me to live in any city I want. So, I kinda trust this guy.
“How To Eat” > “What To Eat”
According to the book “The Science of Being Well,” how you eat is more important than what you eat.
In fact, he even recommends that if you have the appetite for shit, you should just wait until you’re hungry and eat shit!
The way in which he describes “how to eat” is very strange. I’ll write another post on it later.
In short, he says that you should wait to eat until you’re very hungry, eat very slowly, not talk at all (except for outbursts of how good the food is), chew slowly and focus on the perception of the food, experience every sensation fully (hunger, chew, swallow, moment of silence, repeat), and then stop at the first sign of your hunger being completed.
I kind of practiced this, and let me tell you it felt like the best drug trip ever!
In fact now that I’ve fallen out of the practice since relapsing a few days ago, my food doesn’t taste near as good.
Everyday I would eat a plain chicken, and I swore it was the best chicken ever. Now I eat that same chicken, and it just doesn’t taste as good because I’m not disciplined in this style of eating.
Like I said, the food tasted better than when I’d eat food high on marijuana. Now that is something different..
This style of eating is very strange than what we’re used to- he also differentiates between “appetite” and “hunger.” Hunger is the biological desire to eat, whereas appetite is a mouth-desire for taste.
He says that you should wait until you’re very hungry to eat because going an extra day with hunger is better than eating when you are full.
He goes on to state that if you eat like this, you will only desire whole foods and food your body needs. He basically is a huge proponent of body-awareness, so if your hunger demands a banana, you eat a banana, but if you desire a chicken, eat a chicken.
And if you must eat a chocolate cake, wait until you’re starving for it.
Earn Your Hunger
The author makes is very adamant that you should “earn your hunger” and let your body choose what it wants to eat.
He says that you should never eat breakfast, and that your hunger should drive your desire for food.
Strange as it is, I’m starting to find that this is working better for me. As originally stated, I feel better hungry than after I’ve eaten (because I’m usually over-eating or not eating in his way). I have not recently been eating in the “proper way.”
Sometimes I even eat when I’m not completely hungry..
Hunger > Eating When Full
The book makes very clear that you should not eat if you are full and never to eat past having your hunger satisfied.
It is almost absurd, except that my fucking experience is validating everything he says.
I feel crazy eating like this, and saying these things, but I’ve already crossed to the other side- now that I’m back eating “normally,” I feel like shit.
So back to what I was originally saying… I feel better hungry than I do well-fed.
I’m not eating right, I usually eat past the limit of hunger, and sometimes even when I’m not fully hungry.
Crazy as it sounds, all of my food-experience is aligning perfectly with what this man writes. It’s time to stop eating so much…
I’m very nervous about my weight- I’m already skinny as hell, and I can’t handle losing anymore pounds.
If his statements are true, then eating to try put on weight is no good. Instead I should workout and “earn my hunger” which will drive me to eat food that puts on muscle.
It’s worth a shot. My primary goal right now is to not eat “shit food,” which is basically candy, treats, sugar, etc. On the side I shall try to begin eating how the book recommends I do.
Two Books, One Message
Everything I mentioned sounds super strange, and it contradicts a lot of modern health advice dictating that you should “eat this,” and “eat often.”
I initially was opposed to this as well, especially his claims of “how you eat” being more important than how you breathe, sleep, and what you eat combined, until…
In “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” by Dan Millman, Dan meets a wise old man aligned with the hermetic philosophies of peace, etc. This is apparently a true story.
Guess what?
I was reading the book, engaged by the story of Dan’s search for peace, when the old man tells Dan that he needs to fix up his diet.
The old man proceeds to explain to Dan in the exact same way that the Science of Being Well explained to me how to eat.
The old wise man said these things word for word. The author of the Science of Being Well & Dan Millman are from different times. These two people could not have met!
Yet still, the teachings of both wise men remain exactly the same. I remember very clearly reading the lines in The Way of the Peaceful Warrior that made me freeze in an exciting terror.
It would appear that the wise men of the ancient and current times both preach the exact same words.
As far as I can tell, these two books are completely unrelated, yet the wise man in Dan’s novel says the exact same thing the Science of Being Well commands us to do!
Personal Experience Validating These Claims
I’m not “there” yet, but from what I’ve practiced of the Science of Being Well it appears to all be true.
I’ve crossed over to the “other side” just enough to awaken me to the pointlessness & negativity of our current ways of eating.
It really sucks because I now struggle enjoying meals unless I try my best to eat exactly as each book commands.
My question to myself is though: did I ever really enjoy eating in the first place, or was it just an activity to fill a craving? I may not be fat, but I should be.
While my peers got fat, I got depression. I got anxiety. I got psychotic. I got mentally & physically unhealthy from eating in a way that is the societal norm but not at all healthy.
You don’t understand how much I resist this internally- I’m so in tune with my body that I can’t enjoy my old habits, but I haven’t broken through to new habits yet!
Better Not Start; Once Begun, Better Finish
With this I should end with my now favorite wise man’s quote: “better not start; once begun, better finish.”
I love this because it’s exactly what I’m experiencing. I have “planted the seed” of eating healthy, and living an amazing life, so that now I can’t enjoy my old unhealthy habits, but I don’t have new healthy habits yet.
I have effectively boarded a one-way flight and I’m experiencing lots of turbulence.
I now will have to change completely the way I eat, what I eat, how I sleep, and how I breathe to match exactly as the Science of Being Well teaches me to.
It’s what I wanted- to be as healthy as possible, but it is not an easy journey.
My anxiety surrounding my weight + health is good. I’m very skinny, and need more muscle/weight.
Modern advice would tell me to “eat more,” but it appears that the more I eat, no matter how healthy, I only get tired/sad.
It would appear that I have to “earn my hunger” and go longer without eating to actually build muscle!
I don’t know. Maybe the book is crazy. But the “Science of Getting Rich” worked wonders for me, and so I take everything the author says as truth.
Also, my personal experience is now validating every statement made in the book “The Science of Being Well.” Society raised me wrong, and reality is showing me the way- it’s just kinda painful adjusting to the “right way.”
This is a one-way trip that will transform me forever. There is no turning back now.
I’ll report back soon. Let me know if you have any questions.
Summary
To recap everything I said, I’m feeling happiest + most energetic when I’m hungry as fuck. I’m noticing that I’m most alive when I have nothing in my stomach.
This is baffling me, and I’m very concerned because I’m close to being underweight. Modern health advice has not helped me put on weight, and it only makes me tired or my stomach hurt when I eat too much.
The book “The Science of Getting Rich” helped me make money online + travel the world, so I took every word as truth in the book “The Science of Being Well.”
The book teaches some crazy things way different than what we are conditioned to. Despite my initial resistance towards the teachings, I suddenly realized how I felt happier + more energetic when I practiced them, and also found the same teaching in other books.
I can no longer enjoy my old habits, yet I have not developed the new habits taught in “The Science of Being Well.” I’m afraid of embracing the new habits because it seems that I may lose weight, however I will press onward with full faith that I will build muscle instead of losing muscle because my current experience with this author has proven very beneficial.
Despite my anxieties in embracing this new lifestyle, I will do so with faith and rather starve than eat bad or even mediocre food. I will only eat until I am full, and no further.
Have a great rest of your day! Let me know if you have any questions so I can write a post on it. 🙂
-Michael
