LfcCharlie4

@Thomas_VH Glad, it could help man, living a life of purpose, service and love doesn't necessarily mean we have to only go and feed homeless people forever. It's doing what we do best, what we love and sharing our gifts with the world. (And of course enjoying ourselves!) For example, professional athletes are often living a life of purpose, love and service by reaching their human potential, entertaining fans, doing what they love and of course, usually coaching and helping others improve their game also. This can apply to any endeavor of work.

Also, forgot to mention a great example of this is @Raptorsin7, he shared with me his LP and it sounds awesome and HELPFUL as FUCK! I think @Michael569 is doing something in nutrition and is also helping a shit tonne of people just on here, so i imagine IRL he is as well. @haumea2018 is also another great example, he's also personally helped me so much! And, like I said there's probably 100s of you guys doing just this, but I don't know you all, so if you are mention this below and mention any businesses you know of doing this on a larger scale maybe, we need a change from McDonald's and Coca Cola to a Healthy global food and drink chain! All in good time

@AlphaAbundance From your point of view there is duality and non Duality, in reality, this isn't the case, Duality and Non-Duality in an absolute sense are the same things. This is what I mean, it seems to me you're expecting enlightenment to be a whole new world where you transcend to a new realm. This very world is heaven, is the Buddha planet, nowhere else. Why do you want to experience hardcore drugs pre/post-awakening If you are referring to drugs like Cocaine I'd recommend staying well away whether you're the Buddha or a homeless guy on the street. This quote from Francis Lucille helps explain what I mean (paraphrase)- Everyone is living in the absolute for it can be no other way, but whether they know this or not is another story.

@wk197 That's a common stage, I used to think meaningless = bad also. But, in reality it's the greatest gift of all and gives us complete freedom to do what we want with our lives. Why do anything at all? Simply for the love and joy of it. (aside from practical reasons i.e. Survival) If you are able to do what you love, you will go far.

@AlphaAbundance Do whatever you feel called to do, if you feel like you need to do them things pre-enlightenment to put your mind at ease maybe that will help. But before even thinking about smoking weed/ Drugs, how old are you?

Everyone seems to be joking on here and they all have a point there is nobody to be enlightened and only the 1 self However, in terms of people on here who are fully awake, it seems like a low amount to me just from looking at responses and the question asked. But, a lot of people who are awake won’t have a need to ask questions about enlightenment, so it’s to assumed most asking “questions” in this sub forum at least, will unlikely be fully awake, but it’s impossible to put a figure on it.

You sound like your very confused mate, and I've been there it honestly sucks so bad. In terms of pride, you can still feel good after achieving something sure, and there may be positive feelings and emotions, however there will be no identification with the work or act, as you know The 'Big' Self is running the show through this human form, The 'Small' self is not the Doer but instead The 'Big' Self is the doer, so you actually have MORE ability and power to achieve your goals as you have the whole universe behind you. To me, that's a fair deal.

@JonasVE12 @pluto can probably help more. I mean since there is a lack of calories for an extended period of time, I'm guessing, yes, you would lose weight/ muscle. This guy lost a load of weight using water fasting in an attempt to heal, he then quit Veganism after due to gut issues, but didn't realize he had these prior to Veganism, not sure what he's doing now.

@pluto I agree, nature is always our greatest teacher, but I feel a more holistic approach is to combine both modern science and nature and listening to our body. As you said both have merit and I'm glad you've found what works for you, I'm currently in a phase of heavy research and reading after years of being a seeker and putting this in the backseat, and also being quite naive that simply Veganism alone was the answer to all of our issues. If you get a chance I'd recommend checking out Dr Gregors new book, 'How Not To Diet', talks about how corrupt our food industry is and what we can do about it really (WFPB), also mentions things I think you will like such as Time-Restricted Feeding, I would take his fasting ideas further though. I done my first 24 hour fast last Sunday and felt amazing, it was difficult though. Been doing 16/8 for months, however, feel I will do a 24 hour fast fortnightly to see how my body reacts. Currently, also in a small cutting phase, when I'm back in the gaining muscle phase it will now be much more conscious with only a slight increase in calories, done slowly and with Whole Foods, and not processed Vegan junk like before, realized staying 'lighter' overall is much more ideal for overall health and athletic performance in my sports- I'm only 5"8 ish. Have you looked much into Sauna use, Cold thermogenesis, fasted light cardio etc?

@DrewNows Of course! Carrying around that baggage and stress will make life a lot more burdensome/ stressful which will only add inflammation and stress to the body. Emotional healing and even spiritual healing is also part of the Puzzle.

This is a common misconception so I get your concerns. But, what is it exactly you're thinking could possibly be better before awakening? You can still do whatever the fuck you want, it's not like once you're enlightened there are the '10 Commandments of Enlightenment' where you can't have sex or enjoy good food or whatever. You may do these things more CONSCIOUSLY. For example, won't scam people to earn money, or detrimentally affect their life (think to work for Coca-Cola or McDonald's) or manipulate girls into having sex with you. However, it's the motivation behind it that changes. EVERYTHING is better post-enlightenment, you just won't get away with your own bullshit as much. It's like going from driving your car with the handbrakes on, to driving on an open highway at 100MPH. All resistance melts away until you are left with this as it is. Enjoy Life post-enlightenment, do what you love and help people in whatever way you can (doesn't have to be spiritually) it really is as simple as that. P.S. Yes you'll still be human and work for money, eat, drink, shit and face repercussions for your actions, you don't become some sort of angel. But, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, you've been missing it all along.

@Germo Yes, easier than ever to be an unhealthy vegan in this day and age. However, Whole Foods Plant Based eating is another thing altogether. Doesn't involve Many (if any) fake meats, processed bars etc etc and focuses on real, healthy, nutritional food. I, also fell in the trap of being an unhealthy vegan- lots of fake meat, processed shit and just crap because it was vegan I thought it was okay.

@pluto I'm a HUGE proponent of fasting but this could be potentially dangerous advice. If he's never fasted before jumping into an extended fast could be disastrous, would certainly need to 1) Clean up his diet of processed and shitty foods if there is any 2) Get blood work and see if there are any deficiencies and supplement/ Add food to solve these accordingly 3) Start an easier 12-16 fasting protocol for a period of time to see if his body responds to fasting well, gradually working up to longer fasts and trying Monthly/ Bi-Weekly/ Weekly 24 Hour fasts before jumping into an extended fast without medical supervision. I'm really glad these things helped you, but nutrition isn't a one size fits all approach, and there's plenty of examples of extended fasts doing more damage than good in some cases, especially when the body isn't prepared for such a thing. I feel in the OPs case he is not ready for such extreme measures and would be more sensible to try 'easier' things first and deal with those. However, as I said I STRONGLY agree Fasting is amazing for the body for a number of reasons, and Fruit is also incredible, however, to me this seems like throwing someone in the deep end when they can barely swim. @Michael569 could you chime in here a bit more.

@Dlavjr Congrats BTW, people don't realize how hard it is to lose weight since food companies are literally using mass marketing and manipulation to drive higher profits on the most processed and unhealthiest foods, not just sheer willpower or self discipline. It's literally like giving everyone Heroin, advertising it everywhere and making it incredibly easy to access, then claiming it's the individuals fault for getting addicted, but by telling everyone it's the individuals fault they can keep up the mass marketing and billion dollar profits

@electroBeam fair enough mate. I think it’s unfair to place all drugs and therapists into the same basket, I don’t agree with a lot of drugs for mental illness, but feel forms of therapy can definitely help with some things

I also think what he means is pursuing them blindly as if they will give you complete happiness as society sometimes suggests. Enlightened beings still often work for money, have sex and enjoy the finer things in life. The difference is they can fully enjoy and appreciate them even more because they know they aren't the source of happiness, and simply experiences to be completely embraced and enjoyed. Also, awakening will change these things for you and 'upgrade' other areas of life. You won't allow yourself to get away with scamming people for money, or manipulating girls into sex, this makes things harder which the Ego doesn't like hence the resistance. But, it also makes them much better when you earn Money through providing real value, and have meaningful sex for example.

I know you won't like this answer but have you genuinely ever been tested for mental health issues? Are the extreme highs often followed by extreme lows out of curiosity? If so, maybe go get checked out by a specialist, I'm NOT saying you have one at all, but wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry?

If you want the simplest answer- To enjoy life and be happy. Life is meaningless and you give it it's meaning. If you want 4 series worth of good TV that could help answer this question while making you laugh, watch The Good Place on Netflix.

@Michael569 great advice as always. I think you mentioned it but properly soaking and cooking these foods is essential to avoid digestive issues, also if you went from a completely different diet straight to this that could explain it. I used to get bloating a lot after every meal, but once I started cooking the food properly, eating slower and chewing properly it went away. Also, for Acne, I managed to completely clear mine when I went Vegan, lots of healthy fruit and Veg though, which you don't seem to have much of at all. You didn't mention any Fruit, or any leafy greens etc.

@Anna1 Well done!!!! Just don't celebrate with a Pizza or high calorie alcohol And, yeah from my research post M Women have an easier time fasting, mainly due to hormonal reasons. Also, I've just started reading this book (I'm biased to Plant-Based just to clarify) but it might be of interest to anyone here wanting to lose weight without starving themselves and improving health simultaneously I've been listening and reading a lot of 'Keto/ Paleo/ Low Carb' guys podcasts recently as I was afraid I as being too one dimensional, but it still seems to me the evidence for Whole Foods Plant Based is overwhelming. However, the one thing all camps agree on- Whole, Healthy Foods (Not processed or packaged ideally) in sufficient amounts, supported with a healthy, active lifestyle. Something, I haven't always done as ate WAY too much processed Vegan junk! https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Diet-Groundbreaking-Permanent/dp/1509893067

If you've gone Vegan, could be you need some DHA/ EPA supplements for Omega 3s, while going plant based is amazing, you need to fully do research beforehand to see how to replace all of the nutrients meat and dairy were providing before. I didn't do this properly and suffered because of it. It's why there's lots of 'Anti-Vegans' out there these days, most people on YT chat a lot of shit when it comes to nutrition.

@Anna1 Here's a complete fasting guide for Women by Kion, which seems reasonably balanced to me. Basically in Pre-Menopausal Women, it's a lot more complicated than in Post. Let's put it this way the 16/8 protocol most men follow/ recommend is NOT suitable advice for Women at all. I'll let you read and see what you think. https://getkion.com/articles/fasting-for-women-1/ https://getkion.com/articles/fasting-for-women-2/ It seems the Crescendo method (every other day) would work way better and is much more optimal for Women and ease yourself into it with 12-hour fasts. maybe gradually increase but it seems 12-14 seems the sweet spot. And, you'd do hard exercise (weight training, HIIT, long aerobic cardio) on NON fasted days, what people have recommended here works great for Men, but runs the risk of whacking your hormones out of balance and actually doing more harm than good. Fasting is AMAZING when done right, but simply, in Females getting it 'right' is a lot more complex than in males. And, fasting (like most things in life) isn't for everyone.

This is the issue with food addiction and obesity, nobody realizes it's not just people who want to be lazy and eat shit, the industry is made to get hooked. I'd say you need to deal with this addiction, Leo has some videos but there are many ways to overcome an addiction. Either go cold turkey or ween yourself off slowly depending on your personality type. Also, replace this habit with a much better habit. It's easier to keep up healthy eating and exercise when you have a goal/ reason, this will help ingrain the habit. Maybe, join a sports team or sign up for a walk/ race, or start the Gym, so you have some reason to force yourself to eat healthily, and then as it becomes a habit it will be second nature. I was fat as a kid and still have addictive tendencies to junk food, so I simply don't buy it ever. I'd also say meal prepping healthy food/ pre-planning what food you're going to eat for the week can really help, so you know you won't be starving.

@Michael569 Yes, thank you for a great discussion @Anna1 also, sorry! In terms of actionable steps for you in terms of fasting, I'd recommend starting at 12 hours and see how you feel. Like @michael569 said, focusing on eating real whole foods, getting steps in and regular exercise should be the focus. But, also making this a lifestyle NOT a diet. The easiest things you can do are every 25-30 mins ideally stop work and maybe walk to the coffee machine or around the office, or ideally do some burpees, jumping jacks but I get that isn't practical for most office workers. Maybe ask you employer to get some Bikes installed lol, BBC did a great study on this. 2x 5 Minute Hot/Cold showers a day The morning routine trynabeturquoise recommended is also great. To me, the most sustainable way is finding exercises and eating healthy foods you enjoy, while ideally adding little habits to turn your body into a fat burning machine. Here's some resources/ podcasts that could help Women are very different than men, so specific practices and research needs to be taken I'm currently investigating this more, as what works for me won't necessarily work for my Mum, Auntie etc. https://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting-women https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/transcripts/transcript-how-to-lose-weight/ https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/fat-loss-articles/reasons-you-cant-lose-weight/ https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/fat-loss-articles/5-unhealthy-ways-lose-weight/ (summary of the best ways at the bottom)

@Michael569 I completely agree with most of what you said, fasting isn't for everyone, especially those with eating disorders as you mentioned, and yes, many are simply scared of healthy Carbs and Fats, I agree Fasting isn't a magic pill to weight loss. The issue with books such as 'don't deny' delay' is that it keeps up the old unhealthy eating habits of processed garbage. The most important part of someone's journey is implementing healthy eating and weight loss habits, not Biggest Loser kind of extreme dieting that causes yo-yo effects. And, yeah, people often do eat less when fasting, but to me it's not about that, if you're trying to lose weight, of course, eat SLIGHTLY under maintenance levels, but not ridiculously low like many programmes have people do, like you said it has to become sustainable and part of one's lifestyle. I do a 16/8 fast 90% of the time, but this varies between a 12-16 hour fast depending on what I'm doing, and often when I go out with my friends drinking I only wait 12 hours to eat sunday morning. I feel this is something I can effortlessly keep up with for the rest of my life, easily. I don't think I'd be able to sustain any of the other methods such as ADF, 5:2, Eat-Fast-Eat etc, to me they can help some but for most aren't sustainable. When trying to gain muscle I still eat 3 meals in the allotted 8 hours, I'm currently on a slight fat loss, so only eat 2 meals but fairly large meals and focus on getting all my nutrients etc. I see your concerns and they are certainly merited, especially with typical fasting diets. In regards to metabolism as you said no increase has been shown in having more than 3 meals a day, it's one of those bodybuilding myths in my eyes/ But you've done the right thing, you've found what works for you, and that's the overall goal, finding what works for you as an individual. Most proponents of fasting will say just that, it isn't for everyone, Dr. Fung makes this clear, as does Ben etc. It certainly works for me, and has made this cut effortless, to me it is also more sustainable in terms of longevity than just normal calorie restriction. But, yes many use fasting as an excuse to further restrict calories. I also completed my first 24 hour fast yesterday, and it was tough not gonna lie, that was more for the benefits you listed and I think I will complete one monthly, I won't be doing extended 3-5 day fasts as I'm a relatively lean and active individual so doesn't fit my lifestyle. These also require MUCH more protocol and often the help of a professional. But, I agree, many misuse this tool! https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/nutrition-articles/benefits-of-fasting/ Long Copy and paste from an article here: WHO SHOULD PROCEED WITH CAUTION There are several populations who should take caution and only fast under the direct supervision of their physician: People with gout: Gout is the result of a chronic build-up of uric acid. During fasting periods, the elimination of uric acid through urine decreases, which leads to increased levels in the body. Fasting has not been shown to cause gout, but those with a preexisting condition should take extra precautions when beginning fasting. People taking prescription medications: Certain medications are only to be taken with food, so people taking these medications need to plan their fasting schedules accordingly. It is possible to work medications into your fasting pattern, depending on what kind of fasting regimen you choose and how often you need to take medications. This is especially true for those with diabetes and other blood sugar regulation issues who are at an increased risk for hypoglycemia. Extremely lean individuals: Very lean individuals (men under 10% body fat and women under 18% body fat) are at an increased risk for hormonal imbalances as a result of calorie restriction. These individuals also don’t have as much energy to burn, which puts more strain on their bodies during fasting. Diabetics (Type 1 or 2): People with diabetes run the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication that occurs when the body can’t produce enough insulin. When the body doesn’t have enough insulin during the fasting periods, diabetics run the risk of over producing ketones, which could potentially damage the kidneys and cause swelling in the brain. WHO SHOULD NOT FAST Though fasting is a great practice, it’s ultimately a tool, and no tool is right for every situation. There are several populations who may not benefit from fasting, including: People with a history of eating disorders People who are malnourished and/or underweight (BMI < 18.5) Pregnant or breastfeeding women Those with sub-clinical hypothyroidism Children under the age of 18 Those dealing with HPA Axis Dysregulation People who have recently undergone surgery People with mental health conditions People with conditions for which Warfarin is prescribed Caution: Fasting For Women While there is not a lot of solid scientific evidence to support exactly how women respond to fasting, we do know the female body is more sensitive to caloric restriction than male physiology. When done improperly or excessively, fasting may result in irregular menstrual cycles, hormone imbalances, and blood sugar dysregulation. That doesn’t mean that women shouldn’t fast at all – they just may need to fast differently or take extra precautions. Women should consider shorter fasting periods of 12-14 hours, or fast less frequently such as 2-3x/week. Females should also take extra care to ensure they meet their macro- and micro-nutrient needs during their feeding windows. I think that covers a lot of your issues with fasting and like I said it isn't for everyone and isn't a miracle cure, more an extra tool to help turn your body into a fat-burning machine