Life Story of Vanessa Anne Walsh

Buddhism

September 8, 2020

It’s been a while since I have kept a journal. I have considered blogging about being middle aged, although I wonder if I will live to see 100 years.

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We are in stage four restrictions of the covid 19 lockdown. I haven’t seen many friends for many months. Whatty whatty?

I am endeavouring to start a Jenny Craig diet and see if I can lose between 20 and 23 kilos. I weigh 87.45 kilos (weight taken in the morning was 86.60 kilos). At 2pm it was 87.45 kilos. I have reduced the amount of tea I drink, and I am choosing water instead. I don’t know if I want to publish this yet. I had two alcoholic drinks today, because I have suffered from a bad case of loong over the years.

I woke around 8am and had breakfast around 9am. I had a cheese and chive omelette, which I heated in the oven for about twenty minutes. It was really nice and one drink of gin with tonic. Not diet tonic, which I need to buy from the supermarket. I understand the diet is supposed to be without alcohol, but I was feeling stressed when I woke up, so I had a little drink. All the neurotics are going to curse me for doing that of course, which is why this journal will probably just stay private. There. How do you open up and just speak the truth in this society, without fear of a backlash?

You can just hear people say, too early to start and so forth. I meditated for the rest of the morning until 12:15pm, then heated a spaghetti bolognese, which I had at 12:45pm. It was very nice, and I had a whiskey with diet coke as well. Just a small glass. Now, apparently I’m just no good and not following the diet properly.

At 1:15pm, I went for a half hour walk just locally, and wore the face mask, which we all have to do these days. I was generally very puffed, and I know I am overweight. So here’s the awful set of statistics; blood pressure taken at 1:51pm, read 156 over 91, and a heart rate of 91 beats.

I can just imagine what people are saying. Things need to improve. Alright then. So I’ll blog about it, and see whether weight loss over time makes me look better physically. I have a shocking BMI as well. 29.1 and in the overweight range. What could be worse? Dementia?

As far as I’m concerned the compassion and emptiness meditations have been going well. We’ll just have to see how I climb out of this covid 19 crisis. See. This is the thing. I haven’t had covid 19 and I’m not going to get it either.

Meditating on emptiness and compassion is not a taboo.

On second thoughts…

Buddhism, Culture, Diet, Education, Happiness, Health, Wisdom

I’ve had a few more thoughts on fitness, weight loss, working out and mind training. Once you are a Buddha you can think effectively. That’s a great benefit to aspiring to and engaging in the path to Buddhahood. All other goals are less meaningful, because everything below the state of a Buddha is pervaded in some way by suffering. You see, you are still stuck with the three types of suffering until you fully overcome the obstructions to omniscience. Inspired? Look at A Guide to the Bodhisattvas Way of Life by Shantideva for more wisdom discussing the path to Buddhahood.

So, maybe I’ll just get a new treadmill and stay in. There are so many benefits to staying in and guiding the mind thoughtfully and effectively.

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How to abandon the beached whale

Buddhism, Culture, Diet, Food, Happiness, Health

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Regular offerings appreciated. Thank you for supporting this community orientated project.

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Yes, I know it’s been said before. New Year, New Year’s resolution, how to diet, how to get that fit, young feeling, that Elle Macpherson trim taught and terrific look. What? At the age of fifty? Hmmm, well these days, people don’t exactly embrace ageing well. I’m not really here to bore you. I could say, yes, you bore me.

So, we’ve been through several periods. Molly Meldrum’s hum drum. Yes, but I’m funnier.

I’ve thought about Jenny. Hmmm, Jenny Craig. Jenny is nice. I don’t need to cook. I’ve cooked for the past thirty years. I’m a gourmet. There’s no pesto pasta like my pesto pasta. I’m not here to brag, but my Thai Red Curry and Rice is good too. Anyway, the problem is, I need to lose the kilos. I used to be nice and small, but then I got cooking. That’s smart, life is what it is. It needs meaning. Why not enjoy yourself a bit and cook a decent meal, instead to tearing around town like a chook without your head on behaving in the abominably meaningless and selfish way of an aetheist. Ya, I’m Buddhist and happy to be that way.

Here, there is lot’s to discuss. Really, how do you lose weight on Jenny Craig when it’s healthy and of course beneficial to have or to enjoy a whiskey? OH what, so now I’m damned? I don’t think so. So it’s 5000 kilojoules daily and I am advised by my doctor to drink whiskey. Outcome number one, my dress size probably won’t decrease that much. Still, I can ponder a bit more. Did you figure out the meaning of life? Well I did, it means you should and of course need to be happy. Now I’m not a hedonistic narcissist. And I’m not getting into an argument over that subject.

Did I get anywhere? Well, I don’t have as many dishes to wash, and apparently Jenny Craig is organised by a group of scientific dieticians and medics. So that’s something. My diet is good too, but a lot of work. The bad news is I need to lose weight. So, how much damage does to whiskey and diet coke do to one’s waist line as one attempts to drop one kilo or so a week. See, I’m going to document this, because some alcohol is good for the heart. Whiskey has around 300 kilojoules or so per glass. There’s no kilojoule count with the diet coke. I’ll probably have to move a bit however.

The modern era has some good things, but how to get over the incessant neuroticism? That’s something that I believe probably causes cancer. The weather this summer is good. Nice and warm, not too windy and I’m out for a break. Can I lose any weight however? What if I went for a swim and a walk? I know, it’s all been said and done before, but did you check out the stress levels attached with the dieters dream to lose weight? Miranda Kerr is young. Does she look after her children properly however, or is she always struggling away at the gym?

Stay tuned. This is jiminny crickets. Norm once wisely said, isn’t beer better ?