Pai Mei Diet

[Instructor]

Pai Mei Diet

I just wanted to share something that is working for me. Trying to shed a few pounds and I decided in addition to my exercise I would diet. But which diet? I finally decided to just kind of invent one for me and so far the results are promising. Nothing special about this diet and it probably exists under a whole host of other names.

I was inspired by the Pai Mei character on Kill Bill vol.2. In the film he pretty much only eats rice and fish heads (yuck!). I decided that I should try to adopt the spirit of the thing though and eat only what a movie warrior ascetic like Pai Mei might eat.

So first things first. I try very hard to limit my meat intake to fish. It's not always possible. For example if we are out at a restaurant and the choice is between grilled chicken and fried fish, I go with the chicken. The main thing is I seek purity in the food, for lack of a better term. I ask myself, what is healthiest here, and I choose to eat it.

The only carbs I choose come from mostly brown rice. I accept that I get enough carbs accidentally throughout the day so when I am making choices I avoid them. I steer clear of bread and fried things.

Vegetables, Vegetables, Vegetables. Pai Mei isn't shown eating them but many real life monks are vegetarian so I figure it's within the realm of possibility. The cheapest source of veggies seems to be the big bags of frozen mixed veggies for stir fry or teriyaki. These usually come with a little pouch of sauce, I usually just chuck that little pouch of fat and carbs right into the garbage. What's left is a colorful and tasty assortment of veggies.

Now I have no illusions I am an American and the junk food is fairly inescapable here. So my goal is to be a 2/3's good guy and a 1/3 bad guy. In other words if I can eat this way for two out of my three meals a day I am in good shape. This really helps keep the cravings for all things junk food under control.

So far it's working beautifully. The pounds are coming off and I am not suffering from horrible cravings. In fact I feel incredible. This is week three of the Pai Mei Diet and so far I've lost seven real pounds (not water weight fluctuations). I know some of you may find this slow but bear in mind that for one meal a day I can pretty much have whatever I want. Sometimes if I am feeling particularly warrior-ish I eat all three meals Pai Mei style but never fewer than two.

Jon

 

[Jenna]

Good luck with your efforts! I could not comment nutritionally on your interpretation of the ascetic diet and but have you looked at Okinawan dietary habits? I am sure you know how long-lived the Okinawan folk are (or were before we sold them our fast food). There are many sound tenets within Okinawan eating habits that you might also fit into your Pai Mei Diet I wish you well.

 

[Xue Sheng]

So you are pretty much following a Pescatarian diet

Pescatarian (also spelled pescetarian)
The word “pescatarian” is occasionally used to describe those who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish. Although the word is not commonly used, more and more people are adopting this kind of diet, usually for health reasons or as a stepping stone to a fully vegetarian diet..

That is pretty ch what I am trying to follow as well but it is fairly easy for me since the person doing the majority of the cooking in my house is a Vegetarian

As to fish heads...here you go

 

[puunui]

I just wanted to share something that is working for me. Trying to shed a few pounds and I decided in addition to my exercise I would diet. But which diet?

Try cutting out all high fructose corn syrup from your diet. It might be hard because it is in everything. My friend cut that one thing out of his diet and he lost something like 50 or more pounds is a few months, from 220 to 160-170. I hadn't seen him in a while and almost didn't recognize him. I asked what was going on and he said he cut high fructose corn syrup from his diet and that was it. No additional exercise, just ate regular other than that. You have to be a label reader though.

 

[pgsmith]

I asked what was going on and he said he cut high fructose corn syrup from his diet and that was it.

That is a very interesting thought, and one that I've contemplated doing myself. Perhaps this is the nudge needed for me to try it.

Thanks!

 

[Instructor]

Good luck with your efforts! I could not comment nutritionally on your interpretation of the ascetic diet and but have you looked at Okinawan dietary habits? I am sure you know how long-lived the Okinawan folk are (or were before we sold them our fast food). There are many sound tenets within Okinawan eating habits that you might also fit into your Pai Mei Diet I wish you well.

I'll check into that.

 

[Instructor]

Try cutting out all high fructose corn syrup from your diet. It might be hard because it is in everything. My friend cut that one thing out of his diet and he lost something like 50 or more pounds is a few months, from 220 to 160-170. I hadn't seen him in a while and almost didn't recognize him. I asked what was going on and he said he cut high fructose corn syrup from his diet and that was it. No additional exercise, just ate regular other than that. You have to be a label reader though.

The stuff is diabolical. My sweetener of choice is honey, but I am a beekeeper.

 

[Instructor]

So you are pretty much following a Pescatarian diet



That is pretty ch what I am trying to follow as well but it is fairly easy for me since the person doing the majority of the cooking in my house is a Vegetarian

As to fish heads...here you go

2/3rds of the time I suppose I am. But the other third is whatever I want, like a cheat meal. It's not unheard of for me to eat a steak.

 

[oftheherd1]

I have had to watch my eating habits all my life. I still do. It isn't helped by the fact my wife is a very good cook, and feels somewhat slighted if I don't eat lots. I try not to eat too much rice, do try to eat healthy vegetables including kimchi. I would probably prefer to eat more red meat, but accept all the fish she puts in front of me, fried, baked, or boiled in soup.

I do not eat fish heads. My wife seldom eats any part from them either, but often puts them in a soup, as Koreans believe it adds to flavor.

Good luck on your diet. If you are like me, it requires a lot of resolve. But of course, obviously it can be done.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I have had to watch my eating habits all my life. I still do. It isn't helped by the fact my wife is a very good cook, and feels somewhat slighted if I don't eat lots. I try not to eat too much rice, do try to eat healthy vegetables including kimchi. I would probably prefer to eat more red meat, but accept all the fish she puts in front of me, fried, baked, or boiled in soup.

I do not eat fish heads. My wife seldom eats any part from them either, but often puts them in a soup, as Koreans believe it adds to flavor.

Good luck on your diet. If you are like me, it requires a lot of resolve. But of course, obviously it can be done.

One of the first meals I ate with my wife (Chinese) when we were dating, had a plate of fish heads on the table, and she likes them... I did not even try them

 

[Xue Sheng]

2/3rds of the time I suppose I am. But the other third is whatever I want, like a cheat meal. It's not unheard of for me to eat a steak.

Get me in a good Dim Sum restaraunt, or in China, and the no red meat bits go RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW baozi, beef rolls, dumplings, shumai.... damn I'm making myself hungry

 

[Instructor]

I like the MT crowd, you guys are just awesome. I posted this same thread on MAP and got heckled. It is so nice to be around good people.

 

[rlobrecht]

I like the MT crowd, you guys are just awesome. I posted this same thread on MAP and got heckled. It is so nice to be around good people.

I've wandered over there a few times, and most of their threads seem like that.

 

[chinto]

well good luck... I would watch my carbs and things caloric count is important...

 

[puunui]

I like the MT crowd, you guys are just awesome. I posted this same thread on MAP and got heckled. It is so nice to be around good people.

There are hecklers here too. I have decided that they aren't worth my time and have stopped responding to them, in the hopes they will get over it and go away.

 

[puunui]

I've wandered over there a few times, and most of their threads seem like that.

Nice avatar.

 

[puunui]

That is a very interesting thought, and one that I've contemplated doing myself. Perhaps this is the nudge needed for me to try it.

Thanks!

Let us know how it goes. I try to cut down on my high fructose corn syrup consumption but it is hard because it is everywhere. I do little things like buying ketchup without it, and that sort of thing. But to be really hard core I would need to bring my reading glasses to the market and read every label. I suppose after a while you get to know which brands or which food have it and which don't.