Amandine

No wine today, and don't miss it at all During my meditation, I hear my husband open the fridge to fetch himself a glass of wine, but not jealous or FOMA Fed the cat first so that he wouldn't be on the scrounge, sashaying back and fore whipping my face with his tail My 1st ever Meditation (20 mins) So, I showed up! Leo says that's the main thing At my desk in front of my computer Not at all sure what to expect, I have done no research beforehand apart from watching Leo's "Meditation for Beginners" this morning, which was great Google "timer" displaying 20' on screen Body felt relaxed (though breathing could be deeper, will have to improve that) Not too many distracting thoughts or worries Bit anxious the cat was going to bother me, not having seen me sitting so still for so long before Felt quite relaxed and comfortable Felt pleasant "I can do this every day!" Trying to control things a bit but not too much Not worrying about being perfect If I yawned or scratched or moved, it was ok for now (though did keep my eyes closed throughout, up to the half-way point, see below) Saw a lot of purple colour behind my eyes, felt this was good Just went with the purple colour, which was something to "focus" on and thus probably help to stop me thinking less The purple was like a nice big splodge of colour in front of my eyes, and sometimes "swirling" Then suddenly in a flash everything went pitch black in an abrupt click of a finger Startled, my heart beating faster, I opened my eyes in panic Only to find that it was only the lit-up computer screen in front of me going to sleep and blackening out, phew! Resumed my meditation, amazed to have noticed on the timer that 10 minutes had already gone by Purple colours came back, not sure what they are The last 10 minutes went by calmy and smoothly Just worried towards the end how much time was left and whether the google timer was set too loud and was going to jolt me out of my pleasant calmness

@skywords If it's clearer for you, can you maybe explain this answer to me? It kinda sounds very cryptic.

@Consilience @Raptorsin7 Thank you both of you so much, I'm really touched by your warm, kind words, they've made my day and cheered me up again. Seing the harsh comment of @Lynnel at the end of the day really upset me, especially as I'd actually spent all my time yesterday helping and encouraging others. I'm a bit naive but I don't understand how people can be so mean sometimes. Was he trying to make me feel guilty, ashamed of myself? I'm hoping meditation will at least help me develop a thicker skin. Starting a goal with a 'half bottle of wine limit' might seem frivolous (and amusing) to some, but my objective was to gradually taper down to zero alcohol, but in my own time. I just like the taste of a fine wine, here in the South of France having an aperitif is such a banal, everyday occurence. I'm new to all this self-actualizing but am very serious, sincere and motivated, I'm someone with very strong will power, who doesn't like to be dependent on anything. Discovering Leo's videos recently by accident, and then this site, has opened up a whole new world to me that I didn't know existed. Incredibly fascinating but admittedly so scary at the same time. I have decided now to stop alcohol as from today and replace it with 20 minutes of daily meditation, gradually doubling or tripling that over time. I've never done it before, so it'll be interesting. Goal #2: meditation (20 minutes per day minimum). @Raptorsin7 By the way, I really enjoy reading your Journals which are so honest, inquisitive and so interesting, I learn a lot from them, and your personality shines through. I also love your warm replies to various people on this forum, I adore the questions you ask too and your curiosity about things in general. You always put things so clearly, which helps a newbie like me. I (almost) always understand what you're saying and asking, which isn't my case for everyone here, ha. @ConsilienceI love you sharing that with me, I'll be thinking of you over the next few days when its gets tough, knowing that you're going through the same process. Wishing you both the very best on your journeys. And thank you once again for your support and encouragement, I needed it, so really appreciate it! It's actually thanks to you two and the solidarity yesterday from @zeroISinfinitythat I want to progress now to goal #2. Watch this space!

You're doing great. Patiently and doggedly persisting day after day, quietly in your little corner, your assiduousness inspires me.?

@zeroISinfinity I love you right now.

Don't bother coming back. You're both a waste of time. @Lynnel @wesyasz

Feeling discouraged right now.

Any kind, but the bigger and stronger the leaves, the better, to hold intact all the stuff inside

@Lynnel Don't judge me, you are not being helpful. If I decide to make my next goal one glass a day, or one glass a week, or no alcohol at all, that'll be in the future. Right now, the 1st goal I'm "dealing with" is half a bottle a day, sorry if it's not enough for you. I also advise you to read the guidelines that @Leo Gura has set out, before you comment on people's Journals. "Keeping a public journal of your struggles and triumphs can be very powerful. You are also encouraged to be brutally honest about your struggles. Document things exactly as they occur for your, without any sugar-coating or self-censorship. This is extra-powerful. Here are some ideas for themes you could start a journal around: Your struggle to overcome an addiction like food, sex, porn, alcohol, or drugs"

Ha, that made me laugh. I was imagining hours!

Yep, whatever floats your boat. (Wouldn't recommend them though, especially not together, haha) If you're just going to carry on eating junk like sausages and jam, you may as well just go the whole hog and eat the damn bread too).

The same stuff you would stick inside bread.

@Elisabeth I love that. @DrewNows Thanks for the channel, just that one video reminded me of a few essential things.

@Dlavjr Why before bed? Is it because you get home late? And you haven't got much time for "cooking up something"? What about a nutritious soup? "Amys Kitchen" offer organic ones with with slow carbs like lentils, etc Otherwise another quickie is to pop a potato in the microwave and have a hot baked potato with some grass-fed butter (or dribble of olive oil), sea salt and black pepper on. As for "filling foods or lighter foods or not eating at all", surely that's only for you to answer, depending on your hunger levels? Of course, it's better to eat lighter than heavier before going to bed (to sleep better and avoid weird dreams, apart from anything else, lol!). And as for "not eating at all", as long as you're not depriving your body of essential nutriments by "going without" due to "pressures of time".

@Leo Gura "Japanese wraps" are great too using nori seeweed sheets.

@Dlavjr Do you like sushi? That would be a quite convenient and handy wheat-free alternative to grab for a quick lunch. Another healthy and ready option could be tacos. They should normally offer "corn-based" tortillas/tacos/burritos. You can look up their "gluten-free menus" on line in advance. Another great nutritious alternative are the increasingly popular "Buddha Bowls" with healthy whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice, plant proteins such as chickpeas or tofu, and vegetables... There are also creperies where the savoury pancakes are made with buckwheat (wheat-free) flour. Looks like everyone's already added all the other main wheat alternatives. I'll just add Spelt, you can usually find sliced "spelt bread" in most places and make your own sandwhich, if you can't find a ready-made "spelt" one.

Not ALL fiber, but some fiber may be destroyed during frying (and not just frying but cooking the food too much in general, whether boiling, baking, etc). The dietary fiber content of potatoes is actually increased after frying due to resistant starch being formed. Spuds already contain moderate amounts of fiber (and obviously more if you leave the skins on).

@skywords I understood it to mean "Leo will not burn out" That was about the only bit I understood in the whole thread.

Goal #1: drink less wine (1/2 bottle of wine maximum per day). 3-day streak underway ?

@IChoseTheRedPill Thank you for these comforting words.

Another good day, achieved goal.?

@ajasatya Thank you, that was what I was wanting to hear.

@Michael569 That made me laugh

That'll be Goal #2

Day 1 went well, I achieved my goal for today.