The Greatest Measure of Your Discipline

pAUL nIJAR
ON THE GREATEST MEASURE OF YOUR DISCIPLINE

      

“I may look like I’m having deep thoughts but 99% of the time I’m thinking about what I’m going to eat later.”

Have you ever thought to yourself and wondered how much of your day is spent thinking about food and eating. Chances are, a great deal of them are. One of the most common questions to ask is, “what’s for dinner?” Many household wars have been waged on this topic alone. The debate over what should be eaten, and who is to prepare it is a battle that never seizes to exist. Our culture has conditioned us to have 2 things on our mind: food and sex. Some people even combine the two.

Sometimes the thought of food makes my pants get tight.

As fun and entertaining it is to go out and grab a meal, it has caused some detriment to our mental state. As our minds become filled with food, so too do our bellies. The problem with this is that we end up eating more than we need. We start eating even when we’re not hungry. What is meant to be a time dedicated to energizing and nourishing the body, has become more of an extra-curricular activity. When we find ourselves bored with nothing to do, we most often look toward the menu. Emotional eating is something that goes against many health protocols.

“Don’t try to tell me that hunger is not an emotion because I feel that shit in my soul.”

We experience many emotions upon eating or even smelling the food we’re about to eat. In some high protein foods and even chocolate, we release the “love hormone” called phenethylamine (PEA). It’s the same hormone we release when we feel love. No wonder we love eating! Eating brings us instant gratification. We not only fill a physical void in our stomachs but an emotional one as well. This can be addicting to those who are trying to suppress emotions they don’t want to deal with.

“Yeah, I’m into fitness. Fit’ness entire cheeseburger in my mouth.”

All these extra calories bring about the uneventful array of health issues like; unnecessary weight gain, it taxes the organs, depression, and it makes us mentally weak. We become like spoilt children who have everything they ever want without having to ever work for it. When there’s reward without effort, there’s no incentive to for ambition. This does nothing toward inspiring transformational change to our lives toward becoming the person we’ve always dreamed of. Who would’ve thought that our eating obsession maybe hindering our progression toward meeting our personal goals?!

“Hunger is the first element of self-discipline. If you can control what you eat and drink, you can control everything else.” – Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah

Reaching any goal takes an equal combination of discipline, patience, and persistence. In the famous line by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie, “Kindergarten Cop,” “You lack discipline!” The first sign of discomfort and a tummy growl and we’re elbow deep in the fridge. So many of us eat with our eyes over our bellies. It’s a big test of self-discipline to turn down the savory foods that look so delicious in choice for something less visually appealing like raw fruits, veggies, or nuts.

“I try avoiding things that make me feel and look fat…like scales, mirrors, and photographs.”

In an attempt to reverse the ill effects of eating so lavishly, we look to diets. There’s so many different diets to choose from, it gets nutsy. Eating the right portions with the right amount of healthy food can be costly. This is where I sell you on the cheapest and fasted method of incorporating a healthy lifestyle. Fasting! This means, simply don’t eat. There’s so many kinds of fasting, but the most common one is called intermittent fasting, also known as cyclic fasting.

Hunger + Anger = Hangry

This is not to be confused with starving yourself. Intermittent fasting means to eat at certain times. Typical fasting programs range from 14 to 18-hour time blocks. The 16:8 is the most common restricted eating protocol. So if you can resist temptation between 7 pm to 1 pm you’re all set. It’s actually easier than you may expect. Skip breakfast and lunch. Most people are too hurried or lack an appetite first thing in the mornings anyway. And it’s sweet because you don’t have to pack a lunch, so it saves you time.

“Asking if I’m hungry is like asking if I want money.”

Fasting is an effective tool in increasing energy, mental clarity, detoxifying the body, and losing weight. The key is to make sure to choose healthy meal options when coming out of the fasting period. If you find yourself gravitating toward potato chips and chocolate bars, you won’t be seeing much of the benefits. If you can maintain discipline and focus, you will have health benefits without weird diet plans or have to count calories.

“I’m eating now in case I get hungry later.”

You know it’s gotta be legit because fasting has been around for thousands of years. It has been part of many religious and spiritual practices. Fasting is like pressing the reset button on all your food cravings. When we get used to eating such sugary or high-fat foods, it’s hard to resist them. Fasting will help reset your food cravings, so you no longer desire those toxic meals. In addition, when we are hungry we release the “hunger hormone,” called ghrelin. This hormone is released from the stomach. As you fast, you can regulate the proper ghrelin levels, so you feel less hungry.

“Dear stomach, you’re bored, not hungry. So shut up!”

As you get accustomed to time-restricted eating habits, you’ll have a greater appreciation for your health, your body, and your mind. You’ll start to discover a level of discipline you had not challenged yourself to discover before. This will ignite a level of confidence and radiance within yourself to conquer all other goals you may have been shying away from. So put down that spoon, and shut your mouth for a few more hours, a great glory awaits.