Plugged In To Superior Health. Freed From My Body Of Death.
I was once a highly conflicted individual.
That which I wanted to do…I did not do. And that which I did not want to do…I did do.
This was not because of sin, but because of many taught spiritual and societal beliefs which did not line up with my honest and true life experiences.
Idealism breeds mental illness.
My large degree of naive idealism and fanatical innocence nearly killed me.
There was a 550 pound waiter serving me and my husband Saturday night. I watched other patrons, laughing, sneering, joking about a man…who was slowly, but capably doing his job. He probably had more strength in his left pinkie, in his heart, than these jokesters did in their entire bodies.
I believe that morbid, gross, obesity, is caused by inner soul confliction. The likes of which many of you will fortunately never know.
I overcame my confliction, my outdated, idealistic, taught modes of thinking. I learned to take life for what it IS rather than what I was taught it SHOULD be.
Many people are never able to do this.
Take it easy on them.
Take it easy on yourselves.
Post by: Maddi
February 18, 2008 - 2:29 pm MST at 2:29 pm
I´ve dedicated myself in the last years to the understanding and application of psychology in sports and in life. I´m not a profesional in that field, but I´ve been a athlete all my life and I really believe that your mind plays a vital role in success…the most important role of all actually, and what you say is right on; learning to leave behind limiting beliefs is one of the most important parts. I believe that unless you have a severe illness, the way you look is completely a choice: people are fat by choice! the decided not to exercise and not to diet! as simplistic and stupid as it might sound, it´s true!
February 18, 2008 - 3:10 pm MST at 3:10 pm
Hi Will,
While I appreciate your input, what you just said lies in complete contrast with eachother. If the mind, and self limiting beliefs controls the body, then how is it an actual choice? People DO better, when people KNOW better. Change begins in the mind.
February 18, 2008 - 10:57 pm MST at 10:57 pm
IMO, your personal happiness is most important. If you are happy and fat and eat burgers all day, by all means do that. No amount of good looks or physical health will make you happy.
People exercise their whole life and eat clean and get a heart attack at 40, and some smoke and even do drags and live to their 80… If it makes you happy get abs, exercise and diet, but if it is torturing find another meaning for your life.
BTW great abs Maddie
February 19, 2008 - 6:28 am MST at 6:28 am
I think the point that Maddi is trying to make is this:
"I believe that morbid, gross, obesity, is caused by inner soul confliction. The likes of which many of you will fortunately never know."
I believe she isn’t talking about someone who eats too much because they like the taste of food. It’s talking about gaining excess weight as a cover for something else.
Sometimes there are psycholgical forces at play which drive someone to eat to excess. It’s not always a matter of loving the cheese burgers but maybe feeling "safer" as a fat person. It’s sort of a cocoon effect. It’s not the same for everyone though.
February 19, 2008 - 6:58 am MST at 6:58 am
Well using logic you would have to conclude there must by a psychological link between obesity and depending on food. I have gone through it myself. Food is comforting and in many places in our country, food is associated with caring. Take the south for instance. When someone passes away here the first thing folks do is run food over to the loved ones family.
Food is many things to many people and you have to look at each indivduals genetics, health history, state of mind and motivations.
Thats the one thing I find funny about most health club "trainers". Sure many of these so called fitness folks can show you how to operate a certain machine or treadmill but to be a true trainer, means to connect with that indivudal and understand their diet habits, genetics, job and many other factors.
no matter how hard you work out, it does not matter if you eat crap.
February 19, 2008 - 1:31 pm MST at 1:31 pm
It`s not contradictory: if your beliefs were something you don´t choose you´d have no control. But you control your mind and your beliefs, therefore your body (if you don´t, I ask you then who does?). The challenge is that many people create beliefs unconsciously instead of consciously and that means a limiting one could be in place. I´m not saying it´s easy, but once you know how he mind works you are able to control all those processes. The mind is a very powerful tool both ways, for good or bad, depeding on how you use it. The problem is that no one gave us a manual when we were born and most of the people don´t put the effort to try to understand such an important aspect of their lives.
February 19, 2008 - 2:27 pm MST at 2:27 pm
Will,
I see your point and agree but to be honest most people can’t or won’t look at the psychological aspect of training or dieting, for one thing is is very hard.
Two examples. I am 41 and have worked hard in the gym most of my life but I am just now really getting the body I always wanted. I guess when I was younger I could get results and not be as strict with my diet, now I understand that diet is THE most important part of this lifestyle. I would like to think I was smart before but I did lack the fortitude to stick with living clean (diet) and now it is an everyday battle for me still, but each day I win I get stronger. Trying to tell people who have NEVER been active or worse yet really do not care what they are eating and you are fighting an uphill battle, regardless of the why, it is not getting done.
That is why I almost feel better when someone was once fit, fell out of shape then they start working to get back in shape. It is a lot easier for that type of person than one that has been fat all their lives and you want to know why.
The first person can actually visualize themselves in the past when they were smaller or in shape, they have been there before so it IS an attainable goal. The second person has a hard to visualizing it because they Have never been there so it is harder for them to get there.
Sort of like I can tell you how nice the beach is but if you never have been there it would not register. If you have been there and I tell you, you can relate.
I think that was M’s original point in her post. Especially for someone who has been there and lost weight and gotten a good bod, it is so hard to look at those around us who are struggling, for whatever reason and not re-live it or wwant to reach out and help them in some way.
February 19, 2008 - 7:17 pm MST at 7:17 pm
Will, you said;
"It`s not contradictory: if your beliefs were something you don´t choose you´d have no control. But you control your mind and your beliefs, therefore your body (if you don´t, I ask you then who does?)."
I say;
There are all sorts of forces in control of our minds, and therefore, our lives.
Advertisers, the government, schools, churches, our family.
If you believe that health and fitness is a vain and self centered pursuit (as I once did), you will not allow yourself the grace and pleasure that great fitness gives.
If you think that leaving your kids in daycare while you work out is to be a selfish mom, (as I once did), you will take 9 years out of your life to not exercise…living in accordance with your basic beliefs.
If you believe that it is a sin to lust after another man, or to have another man lust after you, when you are a married woman…you will do whatever you can…perhaps on an unconscious level….to prevent that from happening.
The three above examples are of course referring to me. Just three of the belief systems I had in place…that caused me to become an obese, depressed, and dissatisfied woman.
When my beliefs changed….SO DID I.
It was never a matter of laziness. It was never a matter of lack of self control.
It was my beliefs that made me fat…and which I believe…does the same for others.
I changed my mind. I changed my life.
Others can too.
February 20, 2008 - 12:04 am MST at 12:04 am
Yes well I still have to find a person who understands the way his mind works…
Anyways, if you change the word "food" with word "exercise, fitness, muscles etc." how can you make difference between the ones hiding behind obesity or the ones hiding behind Greek ideal body?
We need so little to be happy in life, everything else for showing the others how good or happy we are… Thus we make big muscles or gain a lot of money but it rarely makes anyone happy.