Why one meal a day?

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Lombardi4
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by Lombardi4 »

Hi zan,

I also tried following the 8 precept in the past but could not keep it up. I admire your efforts and determination! (Actually, I, too, wanted to keep the 10 precepts, but understandably not possible).

My teacher, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, said I should not follow the 8 precepts. He advised that I just keep the 5 brāhmacariyā precepts -- the ordinary 5 with the third one being full celibacy. You could try that!

Regarding sleep, I sleep on a simple yoga mat on the floor, and it is no problem at all. I would recommend it.

Sorry that I can't say anything about the one meal a day issue and the diabetes danger. For me it wasn't a problem, and I very rarely felt hungry and had no loss of energy.

I've also lost a lot of weight: I was 244 pounds in January this year; today, I weigh 200 pounds. A few years ago, I lost 66 pounds. (I'm 5'11'').

If I were you, I would observe the 5 brāhmacariyā precepts, eat normally, and observe the full 8 precepts on Uposatha days only. That's what I do now.

Hope this helps somehow. :smile:
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Anagarika
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by Anagarika »

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Last edited by Anagarika on Thu Sep 01, 2016 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
zan
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by zan »

Upasaka Sumana wrote:Hi zan,

I also tried following the 8 precept in the past but could not keep it up. I admire your efforts and determination! (Actually, I, too, wanted to keep the 10 precepts, but understandably not possible).

My teacher, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, said I should not follow the 8 precepts. He advised that I just keep the 5 brāhmacariyā precepts -- the ordinary 5 with the third one being full celibacy. You could try that!

Regarding sleep, I sleep on a simple yoga mat on the floor, and it is no problem at all. I would recommend it.

Sorry that I can't say anything about the one meal a day issue and the diabetes danger. For me it wasn't a problem, and I very rarely felt hungry and had no loss of energy.

I've also lost a lot of weight: I was 244 pounds in January this year; today, I weigh 200 pounds. A few years ago, I lost 66 pounds. (I'm 5'11'').

If I were you, I would observe the 5 brāhmacariyā precepts, eat normally, and observe the full 8 precepts on Uposatha days only. That's what I do now.

Hope this helps somehow. :smile:
Thanks! I think I will try to do at least six of them because the one about not watching shows, singing, dancing, and listening to music is extremely helpful for me.

I may try the yoga mat thing. I experimented with just sleeping on the floor but woke up incredibly sore.

Good suggestion to just do the full 8 on upasatha days. The only thing I wonder about is if I would get the full benefit since my body would never adjust to the diet and every uposatha I would be so hungry I couldn't practice as well.
Assume all of my words on dhamma could be incorrect. Seek an arahant for truth.


"If we base ourselves on the Pali Nikayas, then we should be compelled to conclude that Buddhism is realistic. There is no explicit denial anywhere of the external world. Nor is there any positive evidence to show that the world is mind-made or simply a projection of subjective thoughts. That Buddhism recognizes the extra-mental existence of matter and the external world is clearly suggested by the texts. Throughout the discourses it is the language of realism that one encounters.
-Y. Karunadasa
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Sprouticus
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by Sprouticus »

As far as beds are concerned, a thick comforter on the floor or a platform can be quite serviceable. Rather like the Japanese shikibuton.
shikibuton-mattresses-on-tatami1.jpg
shikibuton-mattresses-on-tatami1.jpg (37.65 KiB) Viewed 26138 times
Namo buddhaya
zan
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by zan »

Sprouticus wrote:As far as beds are concerned, a thick comforter on the floor or a platform can be quite serviceable. Rather like the Japanese shikibuton.
shikibuton-mattresses-on-tatami1.jpg
I've always wondered if those are comfortable.
Assume all of my words on dhamma could be incorrect. Seek an arahant for truth.


"If we base ourselves on the Pali Nikayas, then we should be compelled to conclude that Buddhism is realistic. There is no explicit denial anywhere of the external world. Nor is there any positive evidence to show that the world is mind-made or simply a projection of subjective thoughts. That Buddhism recognizes the extra-mental existence of matter and the external world is clearly suggested by the texts. Throughout the discourses it is the language of realism that one encounters.
-Y. Karunadasa
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Sprouticus
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by Sprouticus »

zan wrote:
Sprouticus wrote:As far as beds are concerned, a thick comforter on the floor or a platform can be quite serviceable. Rather like the Japanese shikibuton.
shikibuton-mattresses-on-tatami1.jpg
I've always wondered if those are comfortable.
The modified version I use, of folded cotton quilts, is lovely. My back does much better, too.
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Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

Eat whole grains. They release sugars more slowly as they have a lower Glycemic Index

In NE Thailand the monks eat only one meal a day, but it is gluttonous rice, not polished white rice, and that digests more slowly.

In the West eat porridge oats or muesli, and wholemeal bread, rotis, or noodles made from wholemeal flour, not white bread.

To stave off hunger in the afternoons or in the early hours before dawn, use small quantities of honey (half a teaspoon at a time). I find that 340g of honey lasts for a week or longer.
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zan
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by zan »

Sprouticus wrote:
zan wrote:
Sprouticus wrote:As far as beds are concerned, a thick comforter on the floor or a platform can be quite serviceable. Rather like the Japanese shikibuton.
shikibuton-mattresses-on-tatami1.jpg
I've always wondered if those are comfortable.
The modified version I use, of folded cotton quilts, is lovely. My back does much better, too.
Interesting, I'll have to give it a go.
Assume all of my words on dhamma could be incorrect. Seek an arahant for truth.


"If we base ourselves on the Pali Nikayas, then we should be compelled to conclude that Buddhism is realistic. There is no explicit denial anywhere of the external world. Nor is there any positive evidence to show that the world is mind-made or simply a projection of subjective thoughts. That Buddhism recognizes the extra-mental existence of matter and the external world is clearly suggested by the texts. Throughout the discourses it is the language of realism that one encounters.
-Y. Karunadasa
zan
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by zan »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:Eat whole grains. They release sugars more slowly as they have a lower Glycemic Index

In NE Thailand the monks eat only one meal a day, but it is gluttonous rice, not polished white rice, and that digests more slowly.

In the West eat porridge oats or muesli, and wholemeal bread, rotis, or noodles made from wholemeal flour, not white bread.

To stave off hunger in the afternoons or in the early hours before dawn, use small quantities of honey (half a teaspoon at a time). I find that 340g of honey lasts for a week or longer.
Great suggestions. I wasn't aware honey was allowed after noon, that would make things a lot easier for me! Thank you.
Assume all of my words on dhamma could be incorrect. Seek an arahant for truth.


"If we base ourselves on the Pali Nikayas, then we should be compelled to conclude that Buddhism is realistic. There is no explicit denial anywhere of the external world. Nor is there any positive evidence to show that the world is mind-made or simply a projection of subjective thoughts. That Buddhism recognizes the extra-mental existence of matter and the external world is clearly suggested by the texts. Throughout the discourses it is the language of realism that one encounters.
-Y. Karunadasa
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Sprouticus
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by Sprouticus »

Do keep us updated, please?

:namaste:
Namo buddhaya
zan
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by zan »

Sprouticus wrote:Do keep us updated, please?

:namaste:
Sure :smile:
Assume all of my words on dhamma could be incorrect. Seek an arahant for truth.


"If we base ourselves on the Pali Nikayas, then we should be compelled to conclude that Buddhism is realistic. There is no explicit denial anywhere of the external world. Nor is there any positive evidence to show that the world is mind-made or simply a projection of subjective thoughts. That Buddhism recognizes the extra-mental existence of matter and the external world is clearly suggested by the texts. Throughout the discourses it is the language of realism that one encounters.
-Y. Karunadasa
spacenick
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by spacenick »

On One Meal a Day

This is a very difficult practice for the lay man, especially if your social context isn't a Buddhist one. I'm struggling with it (interestingly, for my conditioning, it is much more difficult than chastity).
obo wrote: this is a practice that was intended to provide adequate sustenance to a Beggar whose desire to bring Kamma to an end had already caused him to become a homeless wanderer, willing to die, if necessary, to achieve his goals. It was not designed for a modern family man working long hours or doing manual labor or who was under a great deal of stress
It might take a while for your body to adjust (according to the link I shared, the author being a long-term practitioner of the One Meal a Day practice, up to 6 months), after which you'll have tons of energy. It just takes strong determination to keep going through that difficult first phase (for me it manifests mainly under the form of depression; the feeling of hunger doesn't bother me in itself).

Happy experimentation & stay strong!
LaoHumLay
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Re: Moderation in eating: Social eating

Post by LaoHumLay »

bodom wrote:Don't be so attached to a routine. When your able to keep to it fine. If not then that's just the way it is for the day. If your living the householder life this is the way it tends to be. I try to keep to a meditation schedule and routine but things come up and I'm not always able to keep to it. I have a job. Kids. A Gf. I have obligations and try to make time for all. Just do your best and don't beat yourself up if your not able to keep to your routine. Things happen beyond our control sometimes but its ok as long as we're aware of the limitations of lay life. Then there's no problems being made about it. It just is the way it is.

:namaste:
This helped tremendously. Thank you
LaoHumLay
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by LaoHumLay »

Paññāsikhara wrote:
alan wrote:Because it seems pointless and is certainly unhealthy, and I see no inherent virtue in it.
Then don't do it. It's that simple.

Have you ever lived a lifestyle of full time meditation practice, or full time Dhamma study?
If not, then it may be a bit early do declare outright that it is unhealthy and of no virtue.

Because an awful lot of Dhamma practitioners have certainly found both good health (physical and mental) in it, and also found that it is a support for a great range of virtues too (when used as a basis for proper Dhamma practice).

Great response.
lostitude
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Re: One meal a day advice request

Post by lostitude »

2000 calories in just one meal is huge, and if you keep losing weight it means you're still burning much more than that. Do you move a lot/play sports during the day?
Don't you think you might be (a lot?) more physically active than the average monk? Maybe that's the problem.

Also, keep in mind that a significant proportion of your water intake normally comes from solid food (almost half of it actually in average diets) so don't forget to drink more to make up for those water-containing calories you're not having anymore.

And you probably know this already, but giving priority to low-GI foods and complex carbs could be helpful to feel a more sustained flow of energy.

Dozing off might be the effect of prolonged digestion (I mean, digesting 2000 calories in one go certainly takes much more than the average 3 hours it takes for a 'normal', 700 calorie meal).
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