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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Holes
Day 15
Addiction (from Merriam-Webster):
Compulsive need for and use of habit-forming substance:
I admit that I have a compulsive need for and use of sugar-containing substances, especially chocolate, and substances that are comprised mostly of something starchy.
Withdrawal:
On days 1 - 3 of this no sugar, no grains, no wine, no dairy (which I don't do anyway), no nuthin' except vegetables, nuts, and some chicken and fish diet, if I wasn't experiencing withdrawals, what were those symptoms? No, they weren't as bad as those you experience from drugs and alcohol, but my brain didn't work, my energy was only a memory, and I knew a fix would make life look a whole lot better. Those symptoms still come up sometimes. Especially when I'm having a smoke at the bar with my friends. (KIDDING!)
Substance known by user to be harmful
And don't tell me that sugar and refined carbs aren't harmful - especially in the doses that most of us ingest them! Read about the numbers of Americans who are overweight here. See the statistics for diabetes in the U.S. here. We didn't get there by OD'ing on salads!
And those are only the top two problems that we seem to acknowledge can come from our Standard American Diets (a.k.a. SAD). Our food gives us LIFE, but most of what we eat is devoid of any life. So all kinds of deficiencies can come up in a person "well-fed". And the balance of the foods is important - our SAD eating habits usually create too much acidity in the body. My gut problem is doing an extraordinary turn-around now that I am eating so much better.
(But don't worry, I'm not going to be so Spartan forever. I've already lost my butt somewhere along the way and don't have much else to lose. I just never want to get so out of balance again.)
And this all leads me to the subject of holes.
Yes, the solution to most of our problems is to address these holes that many of us seem to have. A lot of us don't consciously know that we have a vacuity inside, but on some level, we know it's there and we stay very busy trying to fill it up with many things. One of the most common means of filling it is with food. And I'm not sure you can eat enough salads to accomplish that task. Thus, mankind invented white flour and white sugar.
On this eating plan that I'm on, I feel the hole 24/7. Knowing that a plate of steamed cabbage and carrots won't fill it, I think, "Why bother?" So I have to sit with the hole. And I've started looking into what I thought would be an abyss, but come to find out was only a bunch of thought patterns about worthiness and such. Only when I looked at it, could I realize that it wasn't a hole, so NOTHING can fill it. I can quit trying! And thoughts about worthiness are only thoughts - no substance! Whew!
So I"m thinking: if we could just get W and friends to somehow HAVE to give up sugar and refined carbs, they wouldn't have anything with which to fill up their holes, so they'd have an opportunity to see what really makes up that perceived emptiness. AND they wouldn't have the energy to try to fill their holes by destroying other countries and our own young men and women! Whaddaya think???
(And don't tell me that W is any kind of ...hole himself. With a little bit of pruning on his diet - pun intended - we might find a smart, kind guy under that swagger. Well, maybe...)
Addiction (from Merriam-Webster):
1: the quality or state of being addictedMerriam-Webster doesn't list sugar and refined carbs. I need to write to them and ask them to do a revision.
2: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.
Compulsive need for and use of habit-forming substance:
I admit that I have a compulsive need for and use of sugar-containing substances, especially chocolate, and substances that are comprised mostly of something starchy.
Withdrawal:
On days 1 - 3 of this no sugar, no grains, no wine, no dairy (which I don't do anyway), no nuthin' except vegetables, nuts, and some chicken and fish diet, if I wasn't experiencing withdrawals, what were those symptoms? No, they weren't as bad as those you experience from drugs and alcohol, but my brain didn't work, my energy was only a memory, and I knew a fix would make life look a whole lot better. Those symptoms still come up sometimes. Especially when I'm having a smoke at the bar with my friends. (KIDDING!)
Substance known by user to be harmful
And don't tell me that sugar and refined carbs aren't harmful - especially in the doses that most of us ingest them! Read about the numbers of Americans who are overweight here. See the statistics for diabetes in the U.S. here. We didn't get there by OD'ing on salads!
And those are only the top two problems that we seem to acknowledge can come from our Standard American Diets (a.k.a. SAD). Our food gives us LIFE, but most of what we eat is devoid of any life. So all kinds of deficiencies can come up in a person "well-fed". And the balance of the foods is important - our SAD eating habits usually create too much acidity in the body. My gut problem is doing an extraordinary turn-around now that I am eating so much better.
(But don't worry, I'm not going to be so Spartan forever. I've already lost my butt somewhere along the way and don't have much else to lose. I just never want to get so out of balance again.)
And this all leads me to the subject of holes.
Yes, the solution to most of our problems is to address these holes that many of us seem to have. A lot of us don't consciously know that we have a vacuity inside, but on some level, we know it's there and we stay very busy trying to fill it up with many things. One of the most common means of filling it is with food. And I'm not sure you can eat enough salads to accomplish that task. Thus, mankind invented white flour and white sugar.
On this eating plan that I'm on, I feel the hole 24/7. Knowing that a plate of steamed cabbage and carrots won't fill it, I think, "Why bother?" So I have to sit with the hole. And I've started looking into what I thought would be an abyss, but come to find out was only a bunch of thought patterns about worthiness and such. Only when I looked at it, could I realize that it wasn't a hole, so NOTHING can fill it. I can quit trying! And thoughts about worthiness are only thoughts - no substance! Whew!
So I"m thinking: if we could just get W and friends to somehow HAVE to give up sugar and refined carbs, they wouldn't have anything with which to fill up their holes, so they'd have an opportunity to see what really makes up that perceived emptiness. AND they wouldn't have the energy to try to fill their holes by destroying other countries and our own young men and women! Whaddaya think???
(And don't tell me that W is any kind of ...hole himself. With a little bit of pruning on his diet - pun intended - we might find a smart, kind guy under that swagger. Well, maybe...)
Labels: diabetes, diet, holes, obesity, photography
posted by Carol at 11:16 AM
17 Comments:
I know I eat because of various non-food related things probably most days - boredom, loneliness, craving for something satisfying, etc.
Good for you, I hope this works well for you in all ways.
Thanks Otowi!
It's so common to eat for reasons other than sustenance. Even my Buddha dog would do it, if I let him. But if he weren't a domesticated creature, he'd probably eat what he needed - or what he could get.
We just have so much available!
I wonder how I would cope without my 'needs' in food. Sometimes not knowing is bliss! :o) I know, I'm a quitter before I even start but I admire what you are doing and I wish you luck going forward.
I know about those holes though and I wonder why I allow mine to say unfilled? (not sure if unfilled is a word but you know what I mean.)
Oh daffy,
You still have kids around. When my kids were still at home, at one point, I gave up sugar for 2 years (not the other carbs, though) and my kids paid for it. ;-) I can blame all of my grouchiness during that time on my lack of sugar - or at least to having to watch my son and daughter eat sugar without me! It's much harder to drastically change your diet with kids around that you have to feed.
Besides, who knows whether or not the REAL way out of the holes is through Spaghetti Bolognese???
Ah! You are at the stage of mediating about the emptiness! Very good, Grasshopper.
Seriously, Carol, I know what you are saying. Sometime into the second month NutriSystem routine, as I was munching on a NutriSystem version of a pizza (they give one a lot of pizza) I said to myself, “Self, why are you eating this cardboard tasting imitation pizza when you can pick up the telephone, dial Pizza Hut, and have a large Supreme—the real thing!—here in 45 minutes?”
That was my hole—my void—that was driving me up a wall. Or, is that down into an empty well? As you may remember from my post about the incident a few months ago, I stuck with NurtiSystem’s regime and am delighted that I have.
As you said, nothing can fill that hole—that want—that void—that emptiness—that desire. Nothing can fill it because in reality it doesn’t exist except in the tormenting thoughts of our minds. The real work is creating in our thoughts a mindfulness that can wink at our obsessive thoughts and move on with out lives.
OK, enough Zen crap, as my sensei would say. As for Dubya, one must remember that he had (make that “has”) a “drinking problem” that goes way back. He isn’t an alcoholic (he says) but those who are alcoholics know that they have a craving for sugar and refined carbs, ‘cause that and the yeast are what causes the fermentation that creates the alcohol in the first place. Also, one must have the courage to look at one’s obsession, whether it be sugar or power, and see it for what it is: a void, hole, want, desire, etc. that exists only in the tormenting thoughts of our minds. I really do not believe that Dubya has the mindfulness or willingness to do that.
_____
You asked what to bring to my 1000th blog post party. Bring yourself and ant friends you may want to invite and make a comment regarding what you have found OK (or not OK) about Nick’s Bytes. That’s it. As Alex says, “OK?”
Blessings, my friend.
~ P.S. I ain't proofing this comment, so if it doesn't make sense... Well, you know. OK?
This post has been removed by the author.
Nick,
I LOVED that show! I always TRIED to get everyone to stay silent for that 1/2 hour because I wanted to absorb every moment.
I DO remember your struggle with the pizza! You salivated, you resisted, you conquered! One more hole seen for what it was!
And I'll admit that you're right, W probably couldn't/wouldn't do it. BUT ya never know for sure! Dreams...
I will bring a big, colorfully wrapped comment for your party. MAYBE I can persuade my multitudinous readership to come along!
Hi Carol, What a nice name! Same as my sister. I wish to thank you for visiting my blog today. It is such a comfort having people write me and show there support. It helps me make it through each day a bit easier. Please feel free to visit anytime. I like what you're doing against the war.Speaking as a Vietnam Vet, thanks. Peace be with you Mark
Mark,
Are you kidding??? You don't really have a sister named Carol do you?
I will be back to your place, for sure.
Thank YOU!
Let's see if I can tie this together. I am a diabetic. My diabetes was brought on by a combination of southern "fried" foods and an operation that removed two pituitary tumors and part of my pituitary gland in the process. I believe we all have addictions to certain foods. I love donut holes.
Oh yeah, speaking of Carols,every year I sing a few! :)
Robert,
Ummmmm, that was a good tie-together... I think....
You came in in the middle of my conversation with Mark. I have a brother named Mark, so I didn't know if he was pulling my leg or not about having a sister named Carol.
But I'm glad that you sing carols every year.
Smart a.... ;-)
halo incarnates
people eat bad food. makes them sick. tries to be good now. no meat. is good. no alcohol now. not addicted. am being good too.
Yeah, halo, you have made a lot of changes in your life and you seem to have a pretty good diet! (Virtual high five to you!)
Ah, alcohol! I do not drink much, I never did. My previous career took me to several imbibing establishments and I was able to witness firsthand the bad side of drinking, so I kept mine to a minimum. That said, my doctor has told me it would be good for me to have a drink of red wine with dinner, so I do.
Robert, I do like red wine and I've heard it's good for us. Hey, Jesus and those guys drank it, right? (Or at least he manifested it for everyone else.) I'm a little worried about drinking it when I get back to a more varied diet, because I don't ever want to get to the point that I got to again, and wine is one of the things candida loves.
We'll see. One day at a time...
I've caught myself a few too many times reaching for whatever snack is nearby when I get stressed. And the snack doesn't tend to be carrot sticks or quinoa.
San,
:-) Yeah, carrot sticks and quinoa don't really help with the stress, do they? (only chocolate and baked goods can do that) If we only hd veggies to eat, what would we do when we got stressed???
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