Did you find yourself sweeter and kinder after Whole30 reintro?

[MeadowLily]

Hurricane Harvey,  slingshot yourself back out to sea. Don't mess with Texas anymore. I used to play this song over and over in high school. I've never been in a hurricane.

Much Love. Tanto Amore. Stay safe.

 

[MeadowLily]

Food Addiction is not about weight loss.

Food Addiction is not about willpower.

Food Addiction is about changing your biology.

[MeadowLily]

Food Addiction Recovery is about putting Food Addiction into Remission. You will have to slowly repair all of the damage it has caused.

Recovery treatment is your toolbox for effectively breaking biochemical DENIAL regarding Food Addiction.

[MeadowLily]

Food Addiction Recovery requires that you move through the 4 stages.

Food Addiction distorts your conscious thinking and your satiety cues.

Becoming Food Sober is going to require support and connection.

Broken dopamine receptors set you up for chronic cravings which leads to binge eating. Broken dopamine receptors and satiety cues = you can't tell the difference between actual hunger and cravings.

Food Addiction Recovery requires structure.

Radical steps in the short term, dialing your food down, dieting causes more serious food addiction in the long term.

You can learn to manage food so it doesn't manage you.

 

[MeadowLily]

Food Disorder and Food Addiction can meet at the crossroads or bounce off of each other with a glancing blow.  Both of them are multi-layered and you need to sit down with someone Face-To-Face to get down to the roots of what's really eating you.

Genetics, Biology, Body, Mind, Spirit, social. Asking for help can help you identify and make decisions about chronically rewarding yourself with food, body image and food, and breaking, breaking, breaking that that biochemical denial regarding food addiction in your life.

Got denial?

Food Addiction progresses with age and time. It does not go away on its own. 

 

[MeadowLily]

Behold the Elephant...standing in the living room or any room.

People with anorexia are able to inhibit their appetite and the binge eater and food addict cannot. 

This is due to the differences in the anterior insula, striatal regions and anterior ventral striatal pathways. Broken dopamine receptors, serotonin pathway problems.

These conditions are treated differently.  What works for the anorexic doesn't work for the full blown food addict.

The anorexic biology that is able to inhibit their appetite and the food addict biology that cannot stop rewarding themselves with food - both need medical and professional help.

It's fear and denial that stops you from reaching out.

[MeadowLily]

Is there a permanent cure for any of these conditions. 

More dieting won't fix anorexia or binge eating or food disorder or food addiction. You can't out-exercise these conditions either.

If dieting actually worked to repair your biology and dopamine receptors, it would only take one diet.

One diet. One time.

Voila. Reaching your Dream Weight would fix everything but it doesn't.

Brain Weight vs. Dream Weight

Every time you embark on another brutally strict diet, your Brain Weight goes higher and higher.  That's due to the Rebound Weight Gain after you slide back off the goose.

You keep doing this and that Dream Weight is the elusive butterfly you will keep chasing for an entire lifetime.

The Brain Weight is your body's defense against starvation. Every time you put yourself through another brutally strict diet, you're going to have to fight harder, exercise longer and jump through all kinds of hoops just to bounce off of it with another glancing blow.

The Dream Weight is that imaginary number on the scale. It's always lower than what your body can tolerate.  It requires working on a chain gang and most of your life will be devoted to staying there.  It's all you'll be thinking about along with chronic food rewards if you are a food addict.

Day in. Day out. 

Dieting and outexercising everything.  Relationships will fall by the wayside. Friends, unless they're your eating buddies, won't be able to relate. 

You've reached the Danger Zone.  Food Prison and the Exercise Dreadmill.  Doing everything in the name of weight loss and come hail or high water, that Dream Weight means more than life itself.

Some order out of all of that chaos must be imposed.

Sit down with someone.  Face-To-Face.

 

Dieting is a nonstop Dogfight and Danger Zone.

 

[MeadowLily]

The 3 most common types of addiction are chemical, process and physiological.

When an action or thought dictates repetitive behaviors to satisfy that driving force = Houston, you have a problem.

This includes trying to outexercise a food addiction or disorder. A compulsive drive to exercise with anorexia or binge eating results in missing out on everything else in life at the expense of having to do all of the exercise.

Along with the exercise addiction is an overwhelming sense of anxiety and drive to keep going. Even after years and moving into physical pain and harm the exercise addiction outweighs everything.

At some particular point in time the joint pain begins to take a toll but there's always joint replacement surgery. Replace the hips, knees, shoulders and keep going.

Exercise addiction is another way of getting you out of your body. Without it, panic begins to set it.

If you didn't do the usual number of reps or run several hours on the dreadmill you can punish yourself with double tomorrow.

After all, tomorrow is another day. 

[MeadowLily]

Addiction is a way of getting out of your body and mind.

Addiction is not always about trauma and it's way too biased to assume that every addict has experienced abuse or trauma in their lifetime. It's one of the factors, absolutely....but one size does not fit all.

Sit down with someone. Face-To-Face.

Be willing to search the dark corners and ugly places of the ego and super ego.

Find the signs that point towards the key to unlock the mysteries of food addiction or food disorder in your life.

There may be trauma or no readily identifiable trauma.

Abuse or no abuse.

Destructive attitudes about food and diets.

Nobody else in your family seemed hung up on food in general...so is it all genetic somehow?

There was no particular peer pressure and you were not overweight as a child.

Did you suffer the slings and arrows of bullies?

Was your school career blissfully uneventful?

Did you struggle with sneak eating?

At what point in time did you start binge eating. When did dis-eating become more of a problem and have a bigger impact on your weight. Wild Swings UP and down.

Some kids begin to hide food in their closets, under beds even though their parents would not have cared what they were eating.

Were your driven to exercise by family members. Addiction does run in families and it's passed on down through the generations. Biology and behaviors.

Why, why, why. Answers, answers, answers.

You're going to have to unlock the mysteries of addiction in your life so you can pull them out by the roots.

[MeadowLily]

We are each a unique universe unto ourselves.

Addiction. So much of it is still unexplored.

Food Addiction Recovery is my friend.

I've learned about people's theories, personal stories, looking for more biological connections and patterns and new ideas for treatment.

I care about the why, why, whys and all of the unknown roots.

If someone should uncover all of the secret keys about food addiction....

Ooooo Bliss, Oooo Joy, Oooo Happiness found.

 

Hurricane Harvey. We've had enough of you. For real.

 

 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Addiction is a way of getting out of your body and mind.

Addiction is captivity. You have to know that you're actually locked up before you can get yourself free.

It's bondage and woundedness, brokenness. Food Addiction is a trap.

Numbing yourself with food becomes confused with peace and comfort.

Chronically rewarding yourself with food rewards and nonstop indulging with a driving intensity becomes confused with fulfillment.

Food and exercise control and perfection becomes confused with safety.

It can become a religion with dietary laws, mini-mums and maxi-mums and a spiritual replacement for getting out of your body and mind.

Body. Mind. Spirit.

Some things are taught and some things are caught.

Your spirit is not something you capture. It is awakened. The mind can soak up everything like a sponge and keep it all to yourself but the spirit is free.

Food addiction gives me a really big pinch. When we allow others to see our weaknesses, your spirit will help you pick up the pieces and make your life Whole.

You can't keep it to yourself. Your spirit supports a long-lasting recovery and a dynamic spiritual life with TNT dunamis power.

My spirit allows me to confront food addiction, brokenness, woundedness, food bondage, food captivity, food prison every day.

I can confront it in myself and move through recovery.

Some are sent and some just went.

Some things are taught and some things are caught.

With your spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Harvey Wallbanger, you need to go.

I don't think any of us have ever seen this much rain.  I hope they find that family of 6.

[MeadowLily]

Food Addiction Recovery and Boredom

Thrill Eating = While in the throes of full blown food addiction you're limited in what you can do. You couldn't move in and out of activities without thinking about food or being in pursuit of your next thrill eating high.

The Thrill Eating days were not the good ole days. Think about how many days and years were wasted thinking about Thrill Eating.

I call it Thrill Eating and being a Champion of Binge Eating was engaging. It keeps you occupied for almost all of the waking hours.

Being Food Sober won't make you sick. Death by lack of Cheetos seems highly unlikely.

[MeadowLily]

Food Sober

Many report they are bored out of their heads once they become food sober.  That's highly ironic because Food Addicts or Thrill Eaters say boredom is one of the main reasons they chronically reward themselves with food.

Food Addicts confuse Boredom with Freedom.

What you are feeling is complete freedom.

Food Addiction is going through the motions, living and eating in the unconscious remote control mode.

Were you ever really living while eating all the things? Life becomes a total blur.

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Sustained Food Sobriety is not about distracting yourself with new distractions.  That's a temporary fix.

Distractions are not a cure for a food addiction.

Sustainability means you will have to create positive new habits to replace the destructive food habits.

Food Grief is not fixed by ignoring it or distracting yourself with busy activities.

Just get busy and stay busy is not a cure for a food addiction. Doing all of the things so boredom won't take hold. That will backfire.

When you quit using food or alcohol or gambling or shopping... to cope, you need a period of processing your past behaviors, thoughts and getting down to the roots of addiction.

Food Addiction cannot be fixed by ignoring it or replacing it with busy frenetic activities.

You can't substitute a series of behaviors with busy, busy, busy activities in order to remove an old behavioral response.

[MeadowLily]

Recovery Boredom which is really freedom can quickly move into new addictive crossover behaviors. Cross addiction is not only substances or food.

Overdoing anything even if it has perceived benefits is still overdoing it and can be counter to Recovery.

There comes a time when you have to turn around and take a good hard look at where you've come from and where you are right NOW. Today.

You have to begin a new life without chronic food rewards and trying to substitute them with new distractions. They won't last.

Being Food Sober means you will be tooling along with a clear head.

Food Addiction - Were you really alive or just going through the motions.

You need to engage all of your brain into Recovery.

Just hitting the high notes and skimming along the surface will result in a Relapse and Rebound and Relapse.

Once you can turn around and really, really look at yourself and start taking your Food Addiction apart, the hardest part of the journey - all of that toxic time you spent eating all of the things in the unconscious remote control mode will be further behind you in the rearview mirror.

 

[MeadowLily]

Relapse Prevention

Engage all of your mind in recovery. On the first part of the journey there will be food sensory overload.  This dulls your ability to focus on any one thing for any length of time.

You're going to have to create and define your new positive food management plan in a very specific way.

Get in touch with your spiritual nature and connection.

Body. Mind. Spirit.

The destructive desire to fall back into full blow food addiction with Relapse is directly related to your old concepts of boredom.

Boredom is doing something you don't want to do. Boredom is doing things you didn't want to do all in the name of Weight Loss. 

Continued dependency on dieting and trying to outexercise a food addiction will keep you trapped in addictive cycles.

Relapse is most likely to occur on the first part of the journey.

Find a brand new appreciation for your surroundings. Take it back outside and away from running around on the dreadmill.

Find outside activity that you enjoy and do all of it on your own terms.  You no longer have to compete with anyone. Food Addiction Recovery is not a weight loss competition. 

Keep your mind engaged along the way. Get in touch with your spirit.

The food addicted brain is impulsive and lives for instant gratification. The ego and super ego are strong. Food Addiction Recovery and ego depletion is the slippery slope.

The ego will look for other behaviors and cross-addictions to replace the food addiction. Increasing the chances that you can't resist falling back into another addiction. 

My spirit is the best part of me. It's free and it's always been free.

[MeadowLily]

They call it Stormy Monday

But Tuesday's just as bad

Harvey Wallbanger

You're making us sad and mad

Get out of here. Now.

[MeadowLily]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123024596

Behold the elephant.

I've spent a great deal of time here but I've never been on the boss's clock. Not one single day.  If I had been, I would've been fired a long time ago.

Do you actually feel at ease moonlighting while your boss pays for it. You need to ask yourself why.

Most bosses can see exactly what you're doing on their system. I can't imagine what my old boss would have said to me. It wouldn't have been pretty.

Companies do have the freedom to run their businesses any way they want. Some are lenient but all expect an honest day's work for your wages. 

Paw always said it's not a badge of honor to cheat the company or the boss. A double-minded man or woman avails nothing.  Multi-tasking doesn't work and the true cost comes down to who's paying for it.

Find activity that you enjoy and do all of it on your own terms, on your own time.

• It takes more time to get tasks completed if you switch between them than if you do them one at a time.
• You make more errors when you switch than if you do one task at a time.
• If the tasks are complex then these time and error penalties increase.
• Each task switch might waste only 1/10th of a second, but if you do a lot of switching in a day it can add up to a loss of 40% of your productivity.
• Task switching involves several parts of your brain: Brain scans during task switching show activity in four major areas: the pre-frontal cortex is involved in shifting and focusing your attention, and selecting which task to do when. The posterior parietal lobe activates rules for each task you switch to, the anterior cingulate gyrus monitors errors, and the pre-motor cortex is preparing for you to move in some way.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201209/the-true-cost-multi-tasking

 

[MeadowLily]

I've got a feeling. Feelings can be fickle but I had that odd feeling the day before my folkaronies were caught in Hurricane Harvey Wallbanger.

If you're goofing off, you'd better get with it. The Boss is watching you.  You don't want to be called on the carpet and have to hang your head down like ole Tom Dooley.  Noooo.

Much Love. Tanto Amore.

 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Recovery boredom.

You have to engage your mind with every step along the way.

You'll have to learn to involve the mind and become fully aware of the moment to moment experiences.

Become aware of the thoughts, feelings and cues around you without judging or resisting them.  Discernment.

Learn to let them goooooo without editing yourself. Allow your focus to move onto the next moment without resistance.

It's fear that keeps you from allowing your mind the freedom to engage and discern and focus.

Practice, practice, practice.

Start by folding the clothes and don't wish you were doing something else. Multi-tasking doesn't work.  Not in the workplace or at home. Maintain your focus.

Everyone has to do repetitive and routine tasks. Make them meaningful and give them value.

Watch what comes out of your mouth.  This is sooo boring. It's about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Think of these times as a break from the serious decisions. Allow your imagination and creativity to come to the surface during all of the routine and 'boring' jobs you have to do.  Learn to look forward to them.

Paw was always thinking of a better way to do something. He could rig up any tool or invention he needed to make the job less tedious or difficult.  His mind was always thinking about new inventions.

It helped him to overcome boredom when he was very, very sick.

Boredom comes within your innermost being. If your eyes glaze over every time you have to sit through long drawn out meetings,you doodle yourself right off the pages of the meeting agenda and you would rather watch 50 cans of paint dry than sit through another one...

Reaching for and chronically rewarding yourself with another food reward will not fix boredom.

Listen to a song that makes you feel energized and get back in the ring.  Start dancing.  Dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee. 

Begin to notice every detail around your surroundings. Call someone who can stimulate your brain and help you pull all of the dross out of your head.

Discernment is a gift.

It has nothing to do with psychic abilities. No one in my family has any of that but they do have discernment. You learn to read the signs and smoke signals. Hair standing on end out there in the woods. Pay attention.

It could be a grizz or a mountain lion. These kind of activities tune up your discernment.    

[MeadowLily]

Houston...do we still have a Space Center?

 

 

 

[MeadowLily]

Houston...did the total solar eclipse impact the intensity of Hurricane Harvey Wallbanger?

We've had two rare events in a week's time. Tides are governed by the moon. Some may say it had zero impact but I know what Paw would've said.  Extremes beget extremes.

Weather events affect your vehicle, earthquakes, everything.

It's during the extreme cold or hot temps that your vehicle breaks down.  Meteorology is a mystery and it's fascinating. You know the theory/philosophy of a butterfly flapping its wings that starts the initial disturbance that creates a tropical system the size of Texas. 

I can't help it, but I can remember Paw singing...  Baby, The Rain Must Fall.

 

 

[MeadowLily]

“The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it.”
― Criss Jami

[MeadowLily]

“Leaders don't climb hills of success with shoes of pride. They are slippery enough to bring a person down to the valley.”
― Israelmore Ayivor