In the interest of mental health to match my bodily health, I have been meditating. In talking to others about meditation, which need not be religious, many of my conversations have turned to religion, and in particular, the Buddhist idea of reincarnation, and inevitably, my formerly Catholic training in eternal life.
I refer to myself as a naturalist. I believe and trust, spiritually speaking, in what I find in nature. Morality, life, death, recovery, and spiritual inspiration all come from nature for me, and nature provides answers to my questions through observation, experiment, and evidence. My church is a park, and my sabbath is daily, and my prayers are small, kind acts for improvement of natural, observable life. But that is another post.
I only know what I can sense, and I can not now sense reincarnation in the same way that I can sense a tree, aside from the literal reincarnation through the reuse of elements, like carbon, iron, calcium, when they change from making up one object to making up another.
In this, reincarnation exists. But I disperse, in my everyday life, the literal electricity of my thought, which is recordable evidence of my mental activity. Thoughts exist only in the brain’s bio-electrical function of storage, retrieval, and experiential record. When the brain ceases to exist, I believe I will not exist as a thinking, acting entity.
The same way that carbon in my former body is the same carbon in a tree, but not a functioning part of ‘me’ any longer, the electricity and impulse of thought that was formerly a part of ‘me’ and is now electricity in the air, water, and so on is no longer me, but simply air, water and so on.
My skin dies off, as will my brain, and so my thoughts, and I will no longer exist but in the memories of others and evidence of products. Hence, I choose to focus on what I can do to create good products and memories of me in others now, such as my boys, and perhaps you. I can live on in the minds and thoughts and inspired acts of others.
In this, one’s life exists posthumously. I wonder what your thoughts are on these ideas? I’m open to discussion, as none of us knows what we all know separately.
I’ve sparked considerable interest in my weight loss journey after shedding about 50 pounds in 11 weeks, transitioning from obesity to being slightly overweight and now heading towards a healthy weight range. As of July 2012, I stand at 6’2″, weighing 239 lbs, with a 40-inch waist and 25% body fat, down from 290 lbs and a 50+ inch waist. My goal is a weight of 200 pounds, a waist of 36 inches or less, and a body fat percentage around 15%. I’m on track to achieve this in the next three months if my progress continues.
People often ask if my rapid weight loss is safe, if I’m using supplements, if I’m unwell, or if it’s a difficult process. So, I’ve decided to outline my method here, though I recommend consulting with a healthcare provider to ensure any weight loss plan is medically sound.
Here’s a concise summary of my approach:
I understand my caloric needs by knowing my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). I consume 1600 calories daily, less than my TDEE, ensuring at least a 2-pound loss weekly, further augmented by exercise.
I monitor my weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), and Body Fat Percentage (BFP), using scales and calculators to focus on objective metrics rather than subjective self-image.
I count every calorie like a financial budget, recording it diligently to avoid ‘caloric debt,’ which equates to fat.
I don’t exclude any foods based on ideology but prioritize real, unprocessed, and preferably organic foods for their low-calorie and high-nutrient profiles.
Happiness is crucial to my plan. Emotional instability often leads to erratic eating patterns, so I seek positive company and professional help when necessary and use exercise as a mood enhancer.
I exercise by walking daily without straining myself, and I don’t consume the extra calories I burn.
I use reliable, free tools like MyFitnessPal and Fitbit to track my progress, which offers community support and syncs with my exercise devices.
I’ve confronted personal obstacles, like alcohol, which previously derailed my weight management efforts.
I prepare my own meals to control what I eat or choose dining options where the content and calorie count are clear.
I drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated and support my weight loss.
To sum up my method: I’m aware of my current and target weight, I know my caloric needs, I track my food intake rigorously, I choose nutritious foods, and I stay hydrated. That’s how I’m successfully losing weight.
Tiny House Backyard Studio (Photo credit: Earthworm)
In this country, and with our common contemporary lifestyle here, having a simple life is anything but simple. We are constantly reminded by billboards, television, the internet, and all the objects and spaces around us that (success)==(things), and things take money, and the struggle to earn and succeed and profit, at any cost, is just a necessary part of it, and that those who don’t struggle or suffer are not worthy of love, respect, and compassion.
With all due respect to those who choose to struggle in life, that’s just utter nonsense. I believe, though I do not practice yet satisfactorily, that happiness comes from simplicity, and simplicity comes from reduction. Reducing the things, wants, expectations, needs, and desires in life, in my opinion, will lead to more of my happiness, the one thing worth wanting. This is not a new idea, but an idea worth refocusing upon. It just so happens, I have some new-found clarity to use.
I recently got divorced, which is not important for this post except for the fact that it means that I continue to have monetary responsibilities for things I no longer get to enjoy, like a single home and insuring a van, for the next seven years. Out of necessity, I am now living in a studio apartment, which has its charms. The space is a revelation and provides insight in and of itself. The idea that I no longer need to mow the grass, or deeply satisfy the neighbors, or worry about the fixes that need fixing, for instance, are all great reasons to have a small rented space. But it could be simpler yet.
I have a love for environmental sustainability, clean air and space. I seldom use paper or print on paper, I used electric, rather than gasoline powered yard devices (back when I needed them), I bought offshore wind energy in trade to counter my CO2 footprint when it was an option, and I drive a fuel-efficient car, when I’m not walking or biking. I was on a committee for sustainability at my former institution, and they all used to roll my eyes when I would protest at the idea that we would give out brand new t-shirts, water bottles, and other non-recycled, un-used, non-exemplar objects at events. I try to use as little non-renewable energy as possible in my everyday life. I strive to have low impact.
But my effort is nothing compared to Jim Merkel, documented in a film on Netflix watch now called “Radically Simple”. In the film, you get to see someone who truly has not only a non-negative impact, but rather a positive impact on his environment, and he truly understands and freely shares how his choices and our choices affect the world. He bikes 30 miles a day to work, he builds his living space from the trees on his plot, and he gathers, carries, and filters water from a nearby stream, he cooks with a wood stove and a solar oven. He spends a lot of his free time lecturing in small groups on how to do what he has. I think going his route is not really doable, sustainably, for everyone. It is perhaps too radical in its completeness of selflessness. I do know that I could get closer to what he’s doing in his example, and go further down the path I’m already going towards simplicity and sustainability.
So, recently, I had a friend on Facebook announce that there was a plot of land, a few acres, for sale in the Poconos. $35,000 for the lot. At some point, hopefully within the 7 years mentioned above, we will sell the house that I am paying for but not living in, and I’ll hopefully get something like $100,000 from the sale. Other lots exist outside of the Poconos, and those would likely have easier access to Internet and other signals I like in my life.
Between these ideas is a nugget of possibility. I could live more like Jim Merkel. I could have a garden, a small non-traditional home for somewhere around $30,000, and a comfortable, paid-for living space with similar interior square footage to my apartment for another $40k, but without the living on top of each other part, as well as an amazing, wild ‘yard’. I could give to the space around me, and it could give back. Also, I want to work because I like to work, not because I have to pay debts or impress neighbors. I want to live free of debt and obligation, and be able to focus on the things that matter. I want to live more simply.
A long-lasting friend named Kaz once explained this idea to me, in surprising completeness, and I thought of it as dreamlike. He devised an interconnected set of sheds on a lot like the one we’re discussing here, each acting as rooms with plenty of space and functional ability. I could have my dedicated studio and workshop, a comfortable place to live and enjoy media, a place to cook and eat, and a beautiful space to sleep with a great view of nature. He suggested a compost toilet and that solution even shows up in the Tiny House post suggested above.
So, I haven’t worked it all out yet, and I couldn’t change things as they are anyway, but I’m thinking I ave a new thing to save for, a new thing to look forward to, and a new thing to move towards. I wonder, how would you like to have a tiny house, with a big yard, and no bills to speak of?
So, I’ve gone through a rough time lately. I’m doing very well in most areas of my life, including my nutrition and mental health, but lots of changes are floating about and only time will tell where things will land. In the mean time, I keep counting calories, exercising, and repeating. One thing that has helped me to stay focused is my exercise.
I only do one thing, really: I walk. I try to do 10,000 steps a day, or about 5 miles of walking a day. I don’t meet this goal every day, and some days I do more than 10k, and it all balances out. There are many benefits to walking as exercise:
It’s low impact and it’s unlikely I’ll get hurt while walking.
It’s passive, as I have to walk from place to place, and exercise “just happens”
I don’t have a set time I have to set aside for exercise, nor a membership with a gym, special equipment, or other costs.
I get a chance to think while I walk, and walk while I think.
I see my progress easily, and track my progress easily with a Fitbit Ultra Tracker.
I get to see some beautiful sights while I exercise, like woodland paths, open spaces, and Princeton University’s beautiful campus.
I’ve also just begun learning to meditate, and walking meditation is an easy to adopt practice.
I’m always a bit amazed at how some people so easily dismiss walking as proper exercise, as though one needed to struggle or suffer to exercise ‘properly’. I’ve achieved my 50+ pound loss (so far) exclusively by casual, non-intense walking.
And today, for instance, I spent my time walking and talking with my boys, and so, they were exercising too. We walked for part of the day in Ewing on a preserved space path. We stopped a few times, sat and laughed and talked, and even did some trailblazing. All in all, a very good day.
Curried cauliflower, egg and corn hash, with lavash bread and French-pressed coffee.
A weight loss expert who I was helping with a technology issue set told me last night, after reviewing my food diary, that I should not be eating corn on the cob, because it’s a “horrible carb”. Sigh. I really reject and resent any nutritional methodology that rejects whole food in any form.
Corn has great fiber, natural sugars, and is a delicious sweet treat with a nice crunch. It’s versatile, and can add those qualities to an otherwise purely savory dish.
I love corn on the cob, sliced fresh and straight into a pan with a bit of salt and garlic and a touch of lime when available. It’s one of the best ways in the world to enjoy about 80 calories. )
I kept saying “No… COB, corn on the COB” until she stopped telling me it was a bad carb. Meanwhile, in her kitchen, she had brownies with icing. I’d rather have the corn. I explained for a moment how despite having fresh corn about twice a week since the season arrived, that I have lost over 50 pounds in 11 weeks. I was not selling her.
If someone removes carbohydrates from their diet, they will very likely lose weight, but in my opinion and experience, they are not losing because of the missing carbohydrates, but rather the missing calories. But I get to have corn, and delicious whole grain breads, and lots of other things I’d be sad about missing. So, please keep your brownies, I’ll take the corn every time.
4 ghosts from Pac Man reimagined - LeMasney Consulting
So on Sunday last, my boys and I went on an unexpected adventure. It started with an afternoon, and ended in a months long project that just began. But before that, as with most great Sundays with my boys, we had breakfast.
Jack
Coffee
Coffee
Recently, I’ve been watching a lot of TED talks about Food. Jamie Oliver’s 2006 TED wish, to make children more aware of the foods that they eat, was a great and memorable one, in particular. During the talk, there is a segment where he brings out various fruits, and the children are not able to name them properly. This is not fun or funny, it’s scary. They call potatoes tomatoes, and so on. This scared me, that my boys were perhaps not learning enough about food and its effect on their lives, and I decided that I’d find a way to teach them, while maybe learning something myself in the process. I had no idea what form this might take, but it was a kernel of an idea. Get it? Here’s the segment he included in his talk, from his show called Food Revolution.
With the last ten weeks, I’ve grown to love some new foods. This time around, I’ve fallen in love with nuts. Walnuts, in particular, are a superfood, with great and essential fats, and have a crackin’ fun ritual attached to them. (Fun fact: They are about 26 calories each per shelled nut.) But I was making a mess. Every time I worked carefully to get two perfect halves of an English walnut out of its shell, I ended up breaking it into a disappointing pile of broken pieces. I decided to do some research and see how a walnut cracking professional might do it, so that I might get that elusive, beautiful, brain-like nut free in one or two pieces. I found this video on Black Walnut harvesting, which coincidentally showed the best, most swift technique I found of someone cleanly opening a walnut, with, of all things, what appears to be a 2×4.
It was in this video I realized that even my beautiful, brown English walnuts, that I thought of as a whole, unprocessed food, was highly processed to remove a lime green shell of flesh. I realized that I had probably walked over hundreds of walnuts in groves in my life, and had no idea what I was walking upon. I realized that I was the kid in the Jamie Oliver video too.
So, back to Sunday. After breakfast, we went and donated some old clothes that don’t fit anymore to the local Goodwill store, and took a stroll around the house goods section, as we like to do. I picked up a beautiful stainless teapot that looks like it holds a gallon of water for $3.99. Then off to the farmer’s market to see all the fresh local fruits and veg, and to say hi to the former mayor of the town. Then, back to the house for some movies and lunch and hugs and rest in the cool air. I took a pic or two of David wearing my glasses, and he decided he wanted to take some pics of me, and so there was this.
John at 250
John at 250
David wearing daddy’s glasses
So after that we all decided to take a long walk to the local park for some soccer and other fun. When we got there, lo and behold, there were walnuts in their flesh, littering the ground. I delighted at the synchronicity of this: I had just learned what a walnut really looked like, and found about $10 worth of them sitting on the ground about a mile from my house. It occurred to me that this was a great way to teach the boys about food, and now it’s a project. In the fall, I’m going to come and gather the ripe walnuts and learn about the harvesting, shelling, and drying processes, and teach my boys about it at the same time. These are the commercially scant American Black Walnuts, which have a harder shell to crack than the common English walnut, but they are supposedly a tasty treat.
Jack and David start the Black Walnut project
Jack and David start the Black Walnut project
Jack and David start the Black Walnut project
Jack and David start the Black Walnut project
I got really excited when we found the walnuts and the boys got excited too. It’s infectious that way. I found a brick and started opening the walnuts, and found a few things: bugs using them as homes, soft shells and very wet, floppy walnuts. The things you buy in the store have been thoroughly prepared for you to eat: make no mistake.
So I gathered a bunch of them, we opened a few to investigate, and the rest I’m holding on to in order to learn about the harvesting so that I can get a better yield in the fall. Note that I may very well be breaking the law by taking the walnuts out of the park, but since I pay for it with my taxes, and they’d just be chopped up by mowers and trashed, I don;t think anyone will mind. I’ll find out for sure.
Finally, we took a little ride to dinner, and after the long walk and lots of learning and experimentation, the boys were really tired, and had a nice nap on the way to dinner.
Jack and David take a nap
Can’t wait for the fall to continue to study the life cycle of these delicious treats. Here’s the whole record of our day.
