You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
- from "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver
The best thing this week has been reading "The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force That Undermines Health and Happiness" by Dr. Doug Lisle and Dr. Alan Goldhammer. A few weeks ago, I watched a YouTube video of Dr. Lisle giving a talk titled "How to Lose Weight without Losing Your Mind." What he said created an inner revolution in me. I blogged a little about it here. His perspective, as an evolutionary psychologist, on why humans at this time in history are having such a hard time maintaining optimal weight changes everything. Here's a bit from the book to give you an idea of what these guys are about.
The implication of this for the plump, the pudgy, the obese, the food addicts and yo-yo dieters -- basically everyone I know -- is that all the reasons you thought you struggled with your weight are completely wrong. There's nothing wrong with you, your body is not messed up, childhood trauma hasn't been making you overeat, you're not lazy or lacking willpower, thin people are not better or smarter than you. It's simply that your perfect, innate calorie-counting mechanisms have been fooled by modern foods.
There's so, so much more to all this, but that's it in a nutshell. Watch the talk and then get the book. The talk lays out the basics, the research, the science. The book deepens your knowledge so you can really navigate food choices in the best way, as well as navigate other pleasure traps like prescription meds and television.
I haven't even finished the book yet, and my life is already so much better. Now I understand the source of the desperation I feel when the thought drifts into my head that I'd like to get pizza for dinner, or go get an ice cream for dessert, or stop into a bar at happy hour and pick up a pack of smokes on the way in. We all have those thoughts that are so tempting they turn our sharpest logic into the ramblings of a child. Why can we succeed at everything else, moving mountains to get the careers and lovers we want, but we can't say no to a pizza when it's clearly not in our best interest? What I'm learning is that those thoughts come from a brain convinced that we need whatever is tempting us for our survival. And with this understanding, my logic has been able to override the temptations fairly easily, no white-knuckling involved.
So watch the video! And let me know what you think of it.
Your in good health,
Summer
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
- from "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver
The best thing this week has been reading "The Pleasure Trap: Mastering the Hidden Force That Undermines Health and Happiness" by Dr. Doug Lisle and Dr. Alan Goldhammer. A few weeks ago, I watched a YouTube video of Dr. Lisle giving a talk titled "How to Lose Weight without Losing Your Mind." What he said created an inner revolution in me. I blogged a little about it here. His perspective, as an evolutionary psychologist, on why humans at this time in history are having such a hard time maintaining optimal weight changes everything. Here's a bit from the book to give you an idea of what these guys are about.
"... where has it ever been observed in nature that a species in its natural environment either underfeeds or overeats to the point of health compromise? The answer appears to be never, and this observation is crucial evidence of a natural law of profound significance. Animal feeding behavior appears to be regulated by what may be termed the "Law of Satiation": In a natural setting of caloric abundance, animals will consume the correct amount of food needed for optimal function."
The implication of this for the plump, the pudgy, the obese, the food addicts and yo-yo dieters -- basically everyone I know -- is that all the reasons you thought you struggled with your weight are completely wrong. There's nothing wrong with you, your body is not messed up, childhood trauma hasn't been making you overeat, you're not lazy or lacking willpower, thin people are not better or smarter than you. It's simply that your perfect, innate calorie-counting mechanisms have been fooled by modern foods.
There's so, so much more to all this, but that's it in a nutshell. Watch the talk and then get the book. The talk lays out the basics, the research, the science. The book deepens your knowledge so you can really navigate food choices in the best way, as well as navigate other pleasure traps like prescription meds and television.
I haven't even finished the book yet, and my life is already so much better. Now I understand the source of the desperation I feel when the thought drifts into my head that I'd like to get pizza for dinner, or go get an ice cream for dessert, or stop into a bar at happy hour and pick up a pack of smokes on the way in. We all have those thoughts that are so tempting they turn our sharpest logic into the ramblings of a child. Why can we succeed at everything else, moving mountains to get the careers and lovers we want, but we can't say no to a pizza when it's clearly not in our best interest? What I'm learning is that those thoughts come from a brain convinced that we need whatever is tempting us for our survival. And with this understanding, my logic has been able to override the temptations fairly easily, no white-knuckling involved.
So watch the video! And let me know what you think of it.
Your in good health,
Summer
No comments:
Post a Comment