Comment by nelblu | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nelblu | Hacker News Reader

I have white coat hypertension and probably also some borderline hypertension, and my readings are off the chart (or used to be). I really hated the first doctor who diagnosed it, he straightaway gave me prescription (don't get me started on the whole prescription business in the US). I never picked the prescription.

I decided to work on it and see if I can "fix it naturally". I did 2 main things : first one was extremely easy (for me), I dropped more than 29kgs (approx 60lbs) which was 34% of my body weight over more than 15 years (techinally the first 20 kg was pretty quick, last 9 kg took a few years and experimenting with food and eating habits). Secondly, I started practising meditation. That's a hard one, takes me a lot of effort but I'm doing it quite consistently now.

Anyway, I barely check my blood pressure now and last I checked it was 118/75. I can't emphasize how important it is to eat well and live a stress free life to keep your heart healthy. Of course it worked for me because mine was just borderline high (on the best days it used to be 135/85), it won't work if you have severe hypertension but there's no harm in trying, it will definitely drop a few points on the meter and your heart will thank you.

I'm unironically applauding you, Mr. Superhero.

Most people though, even being technically capable of similar feats, are not in a position to do so, because of the time and attention expenditures required. Rebuilding large chunks of your life to accommodate for a new lifestyle is the harder the more other people depend on you. Keeping your resolution for many years also.becomes harder.

Kudos to you! Both weight loss and meditation are not something that everyone can do, though.

I'm not sure of your circumstances. I'm pretty lucky being young, single, and having no kids, so maybe I could manage a similar feat in your position.

I don't think it's the norm, though, which maybe is why medication is the default.

> weight loss and meditation are not something that everyone can do, though

Why not? Serious question not an attack.

Outside of catatonic states and so on what would make those things impossible?

Life, especially a stressed one. Making life changes takes a lot of mental energy and some folks don't have it to spare.

I didn't mean to say it's impossible. I mean that it would require a great deal of effort for some people, though, depending on their finances, mental/emotional state, responsibilities, etc.

What is preventing most people from losing weight? Eating less calories than what is expended during the day will result in weight loss (caloric deficit). Walking around the house, breathing, and sleeping consumes 1500-2000 calories/day. Eat less than that. No medication required.

Caloric deficit is the only way to lose weight. If you hear someone say, “No! You need to exercise and reduce calories!” That’s just burning the candle from both ends - increasing caloric requirements and decreasing caloric intake (e.g. caloric deficit). There are good reasons to do exercise, but it’s not strictly required for weight loss.

(Consult a medical professional before beginning any weight loss routine, etc., etc.)

> What is preventing most people from losing weight?

You don't have a bad habit you need to "just" stop doing?

Everybody's got a monkey or two on their back.

I absolutely agree, 100%. I was responding in the context of things life is too busy for. I didn’t want to imply that it could “just” be done, only that it takes no time or resources.

It certainly takes willpower and it sucks for several weeks while the body adjusts, and when a treat sounds really good (come on, you earned it!). It takes breaking snacking habits and requires social trade offs. It’s completely unmotivating to weigh more when the previous day was hard to stick with the plan. Plain popcorn can’t compare to movie theater butter flavored topping.

> What is preventing most people from losing weight?

For me, in the past, it has been that food is a comfort that I seek when I'm stressed/bored/anxious. Weight loss is just CICO, but the solution is not always as simple as the equation.

Meditation is accessible to anyone willing to try. Five minutes a day is enough. Free resources abound for guided meditations and arbitrarily in-depth instruction.

Congratulations on this accomplishment! Having attempted and regained some weight back during the pandemic, I appreciate how hard it is to make lifestyle changes.

Question: what kind of meditation has helped you the most?

I vary my style. I don't really prefer guided meditations because then it is one more thing I need to rely on.

That said, what works for me is : I have been a gym rat for many years now, I never skip my gym and I am there 6 days a week. I recognized that the only way I can stick to meditation is by including it in my gym routine. So I always do my meditation after working out. Minimum 10 minutes and on good days 20 to 30 minutes. But I never leave the gym without doing it.

I try different meditation on different days. Some days I do simple focus on breathing type meditation, other days I imagine myself circling some random star/planet and focus on it, then sometimes I just imagine waves coming in going out (I try to think of waves as thoughts that pop in and out from my mind), I have also tried chanting meditation - that can be extremely useful in the beginning - I don't do it much though. Finally on days when I have my headphones with me I also try guided meditation (generally I prefer Sam Harris or someone like him who guides through as a non-religious practice).

I really think the key is to try a few styles and experiment with them. I won't trust all the "self-proclaimed experts" who say "this is the only way", just find one that you can relate to and understand the basics of it and come up with your own style - meditation is an art and not a science. I would also recommend that you include it in your routine that you never break (it could be as simple as saying I will meditate before I brush my teeth assuming you brush your teeth everyday :-)). Some days are better others not so much. On some days, the thoughts just keep popping in and out, and other days I feel in a zen mode.

It is incredibly powerful practice, the biggest improvement I noticed is that you become aware of your emotions before they take control of you. For instance, I am short tempered, (and although I am still working on it) these days I notice right before when I am going to loose it and then I think of my "zen state" and suddenly the anger can't take control of me. It is almost like magic.

All the best in your journey :).

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