The problem is that this experience wears off over time. I have to re-evaluate my problems even today. I think that if I hit extreme poverty again and went through this I would get something like a booster/refresher from the experience.

But, I do teach my kids how to appreciate things by simply not giving them too much to begin with. And I also intentionally choose, on a daily basis, to take less than I want (food control), put the music a tiny bit lower than I want (protect my ears), etc...

When I get angry at something, I say to myself, "what is the truth here?" And if I am honest, most of the time the problem is really me. When I see that, I then force myself to evaluate what is really going on, and I look really hard for the feeling I want to have.

One of the first things I did to start this was to remind myself there are people I have met with far less than I have and were happier. Pictures of kids in Africa with toy cars made out of rusty wire. One kid looked 18, and he was posing quite pleased with his creation.

I feel like the biggest battle I face now is complacency. So if you can choose to remove things from your life that give you pleasure, for the express purpose of changing an environment that fights against you making progress, then do it.

A couple weeks ago I quit coffee "again". My thought process is "choose something really, really good, not what your heart wants." I really like coffee, but I over do it and I get sick eventually. But I really enjoy hot chocolate (organic sugar, homemade syrup), and I can drink it all day and not have any bad side effects.

The real super power is built a little at a time, with practice. At first, I just "delayed" having coffee. Then later, I took less coffee than I want. All the while saying "this isn't good for you, you are going to make a better choice". Not lying to myself, but also not making an excuse.

Encourage yourself to always face the truth, that is the start. Then if you say something to yourself, that is a very real action. Eventually you will do something outside your head. Something small, something doable. Keep doing that every day and you can change anything.

I flog myself by hiking and running long distances. You gain a bit of toughness when pushing yourself to the limit (exhausted and a bit hurt), while in a thunderstorm, and you are still 1 hour away from finishing. (And while we are talking about food. Intermittent fasting is a similar experience. Going hungry for a while makes you appreciate food in a different way.)

I agree, I've had the same experience with exercise and food.

I consistently eat one meal a day right now. The reason is that I simply don't need that much, and I am really hungry by dinner time. But if I want to eat lunch I do.

The "appreciate food" angle was what really helped get into intermittent fasting. The fact that my food tasted _so_ much better (the same food as always) made me appreciate feeling hungry for an hour or more before meals.

If I am hungry, I know full well that dinner is going to be good, no matter what it is.

Thanks for the reminder on this topic. I have taken a year off of running as an experiment for weight control. I found food intake was the primary mover for weight control, not exercise. I've lost a lot of weight with no exercise. Looking forward to start running again this spring. :) (got a little giddy from the reminder your comment gave me)

>I found food intake was the primary mover for weight control, not exercise

Excellent point which people seem to not understand. The amount of calories you burn running an hour can be equal to a very little amount of food - one candy bar.

Naturally ignoring the fitness benefits of exercise a small reduction in calories can equal a lot of heavy exercise.

It's a bit of a sensitive subject for some people. They just don't want to face the fact that their appetites/habits are the single biggest obstacle to good health and weight control.

A friend pointed out to me once "food has a lot of energy in it." I have never measured a candy bar's actual effects, but I suspect it would take a few miles of running to use one up?

The expectation of food after fasting is such a great feeling–better than the act of eating itself.

To me, this feeling comes from knowing where the bottom is. This is different from person to person. For me, the bottom is being beaten by my drug dealer in a run down building with nowhere to go. I have never visited this place, but I know people who have. The further from the bottom you are, the more you get to live it up.

This is an important lesson, learn from other people's mistakes.

The things I will absolutely not screw up again, ever, are the things I really, really suffered from. But then I could apply this to seeing how other people destroyed their lives, and use the pain I already have to protect me from those mistakes too.

Was it Ben Franklin that said "experience is the worst way to learn"? (I think it's in reference to making bad decisions)

There are meditation practices that focus on gratitude. "Loving kindness" is one such practice that is very accessible to a beginner. When in the right state of mind, this can be a powerful and moving experience.