USA Today posted an article about dieting in America. Here is a link: USA Today Diet Article.
It says that not as many people in America are dieting anymore. Hmm. How many of you reading this think about what you eat? Calories? Fat? Cholesterol? Pounds? Health? BMI? Carbs? If any of these words enter your thoughts when you eat or when you think about eating then you are probably dieting in one way or another. The article suggests that the percentage of those saying they are dieting may be reduced because:
“Dieting has negative connotations, so it’s possible that people were trying to lose weight but didn’t call it a diet…”
Well, I have been doing that for years! I never liked the meme associated with the word dieting, so a long time ago I started a “voluntarily reduced calorie intake plan.” That is not a diet.
However, the magic of those words has seemed to wane for me as well, and recently, I’ve just been saying that I am dieting. Whatever I call it, I have been a slave to the meme for most of my adult life. I only know a very few people that don’t watch what they eat in some way.
But once again, that is changing for me. Interestingly, this survey analyzed 51,000 people and determined that being overweight is healthier than being underweight. This survey pooled 97 studies and 3 million people to conclude that being “overweight” does not shorten life expectancy. I also remember reading a book called “Big Fat Lies” by Glenn A. Gaesser that explains clearly through scientific review of many previous surveys the same thought: dieting to lose weight does not increase life expectancy. Dr. Gaesser also concluded that it does not increase quality of life! Wow!!
So, now to why I am writing this… A couple of days ago I listened Steven Halpern’s “Listen and Lose Weight (with subliminal affirmations).” I checked the details of the affirmations, to make sure that they did not talk about losing weight specifically. What I found was that they all seemed to be about eating for ideal weight, using inner wisdom, inner beauty, healthy body, and more like that. The closest it gets to “advice” is talking about eating slowly and taking small bites.
After listening to this, I gained 2 pounds. It seems clear to me that one inference I could make is that my ideal weight is higher than my current weight. In fact, that is easy for me to believe. The mental baggage that goes along with dieting can weigh one down (pun intended) with negative thoughts, obsessive behavior, and general unhappiness. Who wants that?
Ok, so what about the metaphysics involved. This is A Peaceful Blog, after all. What’s with all the downer talk about dieting? As always, it’s the memes, and raising awareness of the games we play with ourselves. As long as we think we should diet, we will. I’m not saying anything new here. But this is an area that I am working with to continue to claim my magical realm, and take back control of my own reality. Layer after layer, the peels of my self-image onion reveal interesting programming, assumptions, and meme buy-in.
My grandmother, when asked her secret for longevity, would always answer that she ate chocolate every day. She lived to 105! Finding my own inner beauty is about finding my own inner truth. In other words, with what am I congruent? What can I live with – literally? Am I a slave to others, the medical memes, the health memes, the diet memes? What about the “me”meme?
We all have our blocks that keep us from keeping our Peaceful Light from burning. What blows out your inner flame? Who’s word are you trusting more than your own? Who’s truth runs you? This is the path that we are on, finding our own inner strength, and creating our own reality. I’m getting some chocolate now. Good night!