|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
September 9, 2000
Dear Kitty,
Along with the enclosed survey, I would like to add some further comments. The month I spent in Durham was perhaps the most significant thing I have ever done for myself. The experience exceeded my expectations. I was very focused on the program, and as you can see from my records, my blood pressure, lipid profile, and weight (a loss of about 30 pounds) improved considerably over the four week period. |
Although I didn't partake of all of the opportunities presented at the Rice House, I did get very much into walking. I would wake at 5 to 5:30 each morning and walk for 2 hours before breakfast ... another 2 hours before lunch ... and another 2 hours before supper. I augmented the walking with naps and listening to visualization tapes (I highly recommend Belleruth Naparstek's Weight Loss tape. She is an expert in the Mind/Body connection). I loved this very simple routine, with no formal schedule other than what I felt I should be doing. I found out that when I started to feel hungry, if I would walk, I would lose my appetite. I even forgot to eat meals without any apparent effect on my energy level! The last 3 weeks of the program I ate practically just fruit. Because my wife was concerned about the lack of protein in my diet, I confess that every other day I had a small can of water packed tuna. I really didn't have a taste for it -- I just did it because it seemed to be a good idea for my health and well being.
I have been back in the real world now for about 3 weeks. I walk three miles before breakfast and three miles before supper. On the weekends or my days off I walk 10 miles in the morning. I am fortunate that my wife (who is vegetarian) is very supportive and walks with me, so the time walking is also quality time for us ... and in the darkness of predawn, it is also meditative. (One of the special treats I discovered in Durham and continue to enjoy, is the witnessing of the birth of the new day's sun...it is something that inspires hope in me). I still have not had any chocolate! When we go out to eat for social situations, I eat normally...vegetarian or seafood, but I just don't eat as much. I had worries that I would be paranoid about eating normally with other people, but now I have confidence that I am in control. I have even had beer, wine, and on two occasions, ice cream. I correct things on the other 5 or 6 days a week. My daily meals consist of rolled oats soaked over night in soy milk for breakfast and primarily fruit after that. In the past 3 weeks I have lost about 10 pounds, which is far more than my goal of losing a pound a week. There have been very few things that have tempted me, and when temptations do arise, I just focus on how good I have been feeling eating and living the way that I have been in the past several weeks. No matter how good I think that something may taste, that taste sensation would be transitory. The feeling of wellbeing I have been experiencing is long lasting. My wife and I have also decided to do away with our television and devote that viewing time to some more productive activity like yoga and/or sitting meditation. I do not want to go back the way I was before!
I don't think that I will return to the Rice House for the formal program, although I plan to drop by for a friendly visit, and show my wife the paths that I walked and became so familiar with (my pedometer showed 340 miles logged in). I feel that the program gave me the key to long term well being. I dedicated the four weeks from mid July to mid August to myself, and I was not disappointed. I gained a certain balance in my life that was missing for many years. I think that now I can take the lessons learned and go on my own annual private retreats or better yet with my wife of 27 years...she was the only thing I really missed during my four weeks in Durham.
In closing, I would like to make a couple of additional comments. I thought that a lot of the wonderful people in the program were too focused on their weight loss. Although this is understandable, it seemed to often lead to frustration and even despair. If you are on the Rice Diet Program, you are living more healthily than you have before. You are doing something good for yourself ... that is where a person's focus should be. Some people will have difficulty losing weight, but everyone can try to be as healthy as possible. I also think that eating is a very sensual experience, and humans are sensual beings. Some people mentioned to me that they felt a void in their lives while on the program. The Rice Diet is austere, so there must be other sensual experiences to replace the loss of normal eating. The solution can be different things for different people. When I walked, I thought about how the heat of the sun felt on my shoulders, the contours and textures of the ground under my feet, the breeze, the smells, and the sounds around me. When I got back to my living quarters after the walk, I enjoyed a long hot shower and then the truly delicious relaxation response that comes after some hard physical work. There is so much of life in which to take delight. The advantage of the program is that it gives a person the time (without distractions) to look at all of the blessings of life on this earth. Back here in the real world it is much more of a challenge.
I wish all of you at the Rice Diet Program health, happiness, and success.
Sincerely,
Glenn J.
Back to Top
|
|
|
