I have found that I'm not hungry all the time when I eat whole foods. Really key for me is avoiding processed sugar. Good points.
Really good analogy, Steven. I have thought of that comparison myself.
Pam WilsonJuly 1, 2016
I used to look at severely obese folks and think, "There's a person with an eating problem." Now I look at these same folks and think, "There's person with a metabolic problem." No one would do that to themselves on purpose. Sometimes an imbalanced metabolism can take away a person's ability to feel satiated, or that sense of being full that others have. In addition, some people are weight-loss resistant, in other words, they don't burn energy or develop muscle mass like others do. I had an undiagnosed thyroid disorder for many years and tried many diets including a doctor-supervised liquid diet. I lost 35 lbs while others lost 80-85 lbs. When my thyroid finally became diagnosed and treated. I slowly began to lose weight. Every person is different. There is no simplistic answer to weight problems - every individual's needs are different. Please - normal weighted people should refrain from judging those who are not. Thanks.
StevenJune 28, 2016
Lust is to libido as gluttony is to hunger.
Sister Birch, I hope you will forgive me for somewhat hijacking your thoughtful and thought provoking article. But your article has provided me with such a powerful second witness to confirm something I have learned that I cannot keep silent. As a bishop I counseled many couples who were struggling in their marriages and many individuals who were struggling with pornography and sexual sin. Through these many experiences over the years I learned the difference between the natural sex drive (hunger) that God built into us and the culturally-molded lust (appetite) that has been warped by our hyper-sexualized society.
If you were to take your article and merely replace the word "food" with the word "sex", it would make complete sense and would explain the lessons I learned in counseling troubled souls. (Yes, you would have to tweak a few more things, but you get my point.)
I've seen so many examples of people trying to fight sexual problems and transgressions by denying, suppressing, or vilifying our physical, God-given libido as they try to bridle the lustful appetite, and the results are always the same as those you describe for those who try fad diets. There just are no lasting results.
Thank you for letting me rant. Thank you for your passion for your subject.
Deborah SummersJune 28, 2016
Jane, you do so much good and I enjoy your articles and posts. But I must take exception with the idea that when people eat the foods that are nutritious and healthy, they will naturally limit their intake. This is simply NOT true for everyone. Some people will still overeat when eating the way you recommend. Portion control is a a critical issue for some of us who want to eat well AND control our weight. Just saying....
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AnnJuly 3, 2016
I have found that I'm not hungry all the time when I eat whole foods. Really key for me is avoiding processed sugar. Good points. Really good analogy, Steven. I have thought of that comparison myself.
Pam WilsonJuly 1, 2016
I used to look at severely obese folks and think, "There's a person with an eating problem." Now I look at these same folks and think, "There's person with a metabolic problem." No one would do that to themselves on purpose. Sometimes an imbalanced metabolism can take away a person's ability to feel satiated, or that sense of being full that others have. In addition, some people are weight-loss resistant, in other words, they don't burn energy or develop muscle mass like others do. I had an undiagnosed thyroid disorder for many years and tried many diets including a doctor-supervised liquid diet. I lost 35 lbs while others lost 80-85 lbs. When my thyroid finally became diagnosed and treated. I slowly began to lose weight. Every person is different. There is no simplistic answer to weight problems - every individual's needs are different. Please - normal weighted people should refrain from judging those who are not. Thanks.
StevenJune 28, 2016
Lust is to libido as gluttony is to hunger. Sister Birch, I hope you will forgive me for somewhat hijacking your thoughtful and thought provoking article. But your article has provided me with such a powerful second witness to confirm something I have learned that I cannot keep silent. As a bishop I counseled many couples who were struggling in their marriages and many individuals who were struggling with pornography and sexual sin. Through these many experiences over the years I learned the difference between the natural sex drive (hunger) that God built into us and the culturally-molded lust (appetite) that has been warped by our hyper-sexualized society. If you were to take your article and merely replace the word "food" with the word "sex", it would make complete sense and would explain the lessons I learned in counseling troubled souls. (Yes, you would have to tweak a few more things, but you get my point.) I've seen so many examples of people trying to fight sexual problems and transgressions by denying, suppressing, or vilifying our physical, God-given libido as they try to bridle the lustful appetite, and the results are always the same as those you describe for those who try fad diets. There just are no lasting results. Thank you for letting me rant. Thank you for your passion for your subject.
Deborah SummersJune 28, 2016
Jane, you do so much good and I enjoy your articles and posts. But I must take exception with the idea that when people eat the foods that are nutritious and healthy, they will naturally limit their intake. This is simply NOT true for everyone. Some people will still overeat when eating the way you recommend. Portion control is a a critical issue for some of us who want to eat well AND control our weight. Just saying....
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