Finding Balance

[DavidGardner]

I don't know whether this question relates best to spirituality, mental or physical health, body wisdom, or what have you. It might even sound stupid or irrelevant. But how do you decide when to feed yourself and when to withhold? Food, pleasure, music, euphoriants, supplements, etc. Do you follow a routine? Are you spontaneous? Some of both?

People on this forum display a wide range of dietary and lifestyle choices. Some seem hellbent on maximizing dopamine/reward at every opportunity, even on the pretense of health. Some follow extremely disciplined dietary regimens, such as very low fat, zero starch, or eating the same thing every day. I think for most of us though, we will seek to find a balance between self-discipline and the pursuit of pleasure.

This is something I have struggled with my entire life. In grade school I was very bright, but easily distracted and a slow worker. I was always coaxed to discipline myself and stay on task even when I didn't feel like it. Now in my thirties, I still have workaholic tendencies and constantly seek to ignore my desires and stay on task with whatever needs to be done. I also have a deep-seated fear of addiction, from having experienced substance abuse in my twenties. Because of these factors, I routinely brush off cravings for food, caffeine, anything dopaminergic until I cannot withhold any longer. That said, I do not undereat by any stretch, I just tend to save the bulk of my calories for later in the day as a form of reward.

I think the ideal though, is to find a "middle way" --sounding a little Buddhist, I know-- where you're living in a state of neither chronic deprivation nor excessive indulgence. Somehow I think this concept relates to Peat's ideas about the importance of dopamine and living with a steady supply of glucose and not excessive free fatty acids. I'm stretching things I know, relating the philosophical to the physical, but these are just some unresolved thoughts I have had for a long time. I'm wondering if anyone else here has any similar contemplations and would like to submit their thoughts.

 

[Runenight201]

start paying attention to the totality of lifestyle and environmental inputs and the various conscious states that arise from them.

Learn which combinations of foods produce which conscious and energy states, respect your appetite, and tend towards foods that produce good health when you holistically account for all the factors. Avoid following any protocol at the expense of your immediate health.

In terms of spirituality, practice what makes you feel good and you believe to be right and true. Seek out the experience of Divinity and engage in whatever religion helps you obtain that experience