I'm at the beginning of the game (the third town), and I really don't like the idea of getting more max HP by being hit. The "easiest" strategy for leveling that I know of is to lose half your HP on purpose then "decide" to win the battle.

I'm wondering if this becomes a rampant necessity towards the middle or end of the game; grinding this out and basically teetering on losing each battle to gain max experience.
