Morning Prayer

What is morning prayer? To me this is tough without a god, or knowing god is just a concept. We need to know where we are going short term. Morning prayer is a time to set out today's plan, nothing more.

Am I willing to recover, am I willing to what is necessary, (No SGO6EE, 301+1 or 311)? Am I willing to all those other things, exercise, work (what ever that is as a semi-retired person)? Do I have a plan for today, that complies with my values of what I think future life of this species will look like? What will future community look like long term?

We are living as society and growth is expanding. This is a time of excess for some, of food, of choice, of growth, of prosperity. This too will end. What will our future society look like? I think, first a time of wearing out the existing assets, then a relearning of gardening, subsistence farming, understanding the human psyche  as never before in the general population, understanding what drives us. We are evolving.

The authentic self is a concept that somewhere inside us is a true self, what we really are, and there is a growing movement to find that self. Buddha found himself, and laid out one path. Many other have laid out what they think is the path, even the christian and moors have a concept of a path to the future, but have no ability to express where they are going in modern terms. For those of us who have grown up in modern times, out grown religion, we need a clear concept of what we need to evolve into to survive, without being excessively wordy. We need to understand the best of what we have, recognise the limitations, shortcomings, and move forward as individuals and as a collective.

Meditation, time set aside for quite thinking, clearing the mind of other thoughts, and practice controlling our own mind is a wonderful thing. Learning to take a few minutes at a time of non-thinking, which usually is really thinking about only one thing, is wonderful, intense  and insightful process. Some people like visualization, others like listening to music, or some other distraction. Exercises, to some also does the same thing, at the same time, strengths the mind housing organelle. Yes, I do suggest that the mind is the ultimate next phase of evolution. It will be all about concepts, and learning.

I will also suggest that we humans will go through a process of belief and value changes. A godless "religion", in the form of good laws, behaviours will be codified and taught to the young, who then can progress without the need of unlearning and relearning, that so many of us have had to do. We got sidetracked with greed philosophy, but the reality is we need to live in the society in which we live in, the community of our peers per-say. So we as a species, need to evolve to something more. At the same time, we need to keep the pressure on all the individuals to continue to evolve to grow, and how do we do this, to me, is unknown. At the same time, wasting resources on those who do not demonstrate the capacity to develop or the desire to devlope is just foolish. But this is often an attitude, and when the attitude changes, development happens. Desire and willingness to do are powerful agent of change.

Thank you for reading this. Please feel free to post your own thoughts or opinions on this subject or any other.

      

Moving beyond god

http://innerpilgrimage.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/imagine-all-the-people-living-for-today-12-step-atheism/ got me thinking---

I had to go look up the lyrics, so here they are:

Artist: John Lennon Lyrics

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

You, you may say 
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You, you may say 
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one

We as a species are evolving, just as we always have. Belief in a higher power has got us to where we are, a species in trouble in may ways, yet a successful species. Now where do we go from here? I will suggest the first step is to learn to live self-disciplined, frugal life  in a time of abundance, of food pushers, of drug pushers, of self indulgence, and of self delusions.

Letting go of a god concept, puts the responsibility on us, to set our own course, knowing where we want to go as a species, and also not knowing how to get there. Looking back on where we have been, evaluating the process, discontinuing what does not work, and trying new unproven methods is all good. We need to evaluate those new concepts as well. 

We move through a series of attitudes. What we are doing now is working, why evaluate, is the general status quo. When we identify that we have a problem, we begin the drift to something else. We drift from an attitude of apathy to desire for a solution, which is the requirement to enter the program, a desire. Until then, we are just adrift. Once we have desire to recover, we need to figure out what recovery looks like, we need willingness, first to recover, then to do what is necessary for recover, then moving on to willingness to do all those other things involved in recovery. When we become program people, we have a few guiding principals laid our before us. We can chose to live them, as they are or as they fit our life's. We begin to grow along spiritual lines, into something else.

Where we are headed is not known, however we discontinue behaviours that cause us immediate problems. Food issue cause us immediate and longer term issues. Short term, we can understand this as just high blood glucose. Long term, the scales is the issue.  

Thank you for reading this. Please feel free to post your own thoughts or opinions or this subject or any other.     

  

Commitment

The OA+ program is a willing commitment to follow spiritual principals. One of these principals is a reasonable food program, which I now define as No SGO6EE, 311+1. These spiritual principals rank up in priority close to ethics or any other higher values, noble motives, or similar ethical principle.

Note that upholding this principal is not possible for me without abstinent from SGO6EE. Without avoiding those, I become a craving being  and cannot abstain for long. It is circular illogical argument, but true.

Cleaning of the remainder of defects is a life long process. Some of these defects are self inflicted, and are not really defects, but weaknesses. It is just self improvement in areas which before now, did not matter. I can still become vicious when annoyed. I still have reluctance to talk to others. I still insist on freedom of will to follow or not.

Ultimately, it is all dependent on if I am willing to recover today, am I willing to do what is necessary today.

addiction to exorphins

First, there are two separate parts, one chemical and one behavioural. Deal with the chemical part first, and then look up Schwartz and deal with the behavioural part using both the program and what else may be necessary after dealing with the chemical part.

It call comes down to exorphins verses endorphins. Foods that provide exorphins flood our brains with them, and we are not comfortable with the few endorphins we produce. We need to become accustom to living with the few endorphins we produce. The only way is to be totally abstinent (or very low) of foods containing exorphins. To become a "social" eater allowing exorphins to remain in the diet is near hopeless, like becoming a social drinker out of an alcoholic.

The 12 step help those who want to be helped. Few of those who walk through the doors the first time want to be helped. Many are doctor, employer, wife/husband, socially- mandated. Until we honestly want to be helped and become willing to clean up our lives, the program is just a place to get our ticket punched.

The program is useful for recognizing that we have a problem, and understanding that there is a solution. Many of the young members have psychological and philosophical issues that need to be addressed. The programs can be a wonderful resource once the newcomer loses the belligerent attitude so many come in with, and become teachable. Until then, the old members will not waste there time on explaining much to overcharged egos, so you have not entered the program. What is the failure rate of those who have truly entered the program? Many know they have one more relapse in them, but we are not sure that we have one more recovery.

The program was there for me when there was nothing else, and we are there for those who want the program. Those that do not want it are just noise, wind in the trees. There is wind coming from inside the program as well.

Willing to do what is necessary is the first part for recovery. Becoming teachable and learning to either follow a food program or learn to build a food program free of exorphins is esential.
Be aware that many of the existing food programs contain exorphins, as the exorphin issue is not well understood.  For me, it is easier to cut out all exorphins. More can be found at my food website http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.ca/.

Struggling with the Program

Today, I am struggling, not with food or willingness to follow, but Our Invitation to You. I do not agree with "the reasons for the illness are unimportant" The illness is in question, but I do not have a better word.  But the major concern is the whole concept that "the reasons are unimportant" I know the reasons now, exorphins in the food supply. Knowing what to eliminate, how it actual works, make it so much more palatable. I am powerless over exorphins, and my life is unmanageable in this respect.

It is willingness to not intake these that is the first key step in recovery. Just for today helps. But knowing a clear reason for this issue that I have with food make the logic so much simpler. It is easy, If I want to be a normal weight, I must have the willingness to not intake. In the words of an old fellow, If you pray for potatoes, you must be willing to pick up the hoe.

Exorphin Junkie?

Are we exorphin junkies?
http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.ca/2012/10/exorphin-issue.html

references http://www.wakingtimes.com/2012/05/04/do-hidden-opiates-in-our-food-explain-food-addictions/

http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2011/10/wheat-belly-toll-of-hubris-on-human.html

http://www.danmahony.com/bigfood2.htm

And Wheat Belly

Enough already

Changing Ourselves QS1

Recovery from obesity requires a great deal of change at the personality level. These changes can be put into categories like nutrition, philosophy or religion, psychology, psychological knowledge and other categories. An obese person does not know what they need to learn to recover. After recovery, we do not know  what concepts we needed to learn to maintain recovery, and when we start to slide back, what did we forget? Or what did we quit doing? Or what additional things do we need to learn?

Recover is a ongoing learning process of self discovery, self actualization, self fulfilment, and it does not end at normal weight. It is more difficult to maintain than lose, as recovery goes from an active stage to maintenance stage.

1. Before we can get a good foothold into the program, we need to take step 0, giving up the addicting foods or addiction like foods. No SGO6EE. We need to separate the chemical addiction from the behavioural addictions, and address both.
2. We need to develop enough fixity of spirit to follow a reasonable food program.
3. We need to adopt a reasonable food program.
4. We need to be able to adjust our food program on the fly.
5. We need to do spiritual development.
6. And we need ongoing support, which I found in weekly OA meetings.

Change itself can be broken in 5 steps, first precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. I will add that change requires willingness first, therefore change has 6 steps, willingness, precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance.

Willingness involves identification that we have a problem, and that we would like to solve the problem, to the point of some recovery. I personally check that I am willing to recover, willing to what is necessary for recovery, and that I am willing to what action is required each day.

Precontemplation is a stage before we make a decision to do something. This may vary from apathy to the knoledge that we have a problem, through uncertainty as to what to do, through exploring the possibilities.

Contemplation involves some serious learning and perhaps detailed exploring the options, perhaps a decision as to which option to select. It may involve exploring the cost and time involved, and perhaps an ideally, what success looks like.

Preparation may included learning what must be done, getting the new supplies in stock, disposing of the old. Development of a food program, menus, quantities, and similar, as well as purchase of food stuffs may be included. Preparation may also include spiritual development, in terms of development of sufficient spiritual rigidity to follow your food program.

Action is the doing, the follow through, of the food program one meal at a time, with enough good life between each meal.  For today, and just for today. Action includes a morning planning secession, review of the plan, and daily/weekly reinforcement.

Maintenance includes modification to the food plan, learning additional spiritual concepts to keep you strong on the fixity of spirit, and exploring other concepts that may be of use. To go where we have never been before, to explore, and to learn about ourselves.

   

Essential of Recovery

What do we need to recover from obesity?

A suitable food program, and enough fixity of spirit to stay on the program.

Tess sums up the need for change of thinking as

 " How CAN people who are stuck in an outworn world-vision become unstuck?'

but this is not what she was referring to.

No god, draft of the process

English. Not good some days. Bah. Humbug.

1. Accept that willingness to recovery, to commit to the process of recovery, willingness to commit to work required, that is willingness to recover and is part of step one of recovery. If not recovery, then development.

2. Acceptance that we have a problem, specifically with SGO6EE, and/or the compulsion to eat is a big issue. SGO6EE are chemically addicting for some people. We, the addicted, may be just the extreme of the bell curve, the leading edge of the curve of the population in this respect.

3. Acceptance that we are unable to manage, control, the food and eating in our lives, and that we need to set up and follow a plan of eating, to get out of this issue of overeating/obesity is essential. This is "our live are unmanageable" in respect to food part of the program. We acknowledge that the following is the difficult part, but it is easier once we get the SGO6EE our of our lives.

4. We need to learn new concepts of stress release, emotional release. These are new to us concepts, philosophy's, psychological methods, of changing our thinking, to engineer an end to the problem. We need to learn about food, and the chemical processes that drive us. We need to learn concepts of dealing with the irrational, emotional, and sick people that we are attached to in our lives. We need to learn how to just eat our planned food in the midst of this ever present banquet of tasty and poisonous foods. We need to be able to get the message of no SGO6EE to those who do not want to here, the control freak that pushes sugar. We need to learn to keep ourselves on that narrow track.

5. God believing people use gods. We non god people must appeal our higher nature, our belief system, our more evolved minds, our logical thinking process, our Vulcan nature. We may need to develop this part of us more to become stronger that the addiction. Fixity of conviction may be required even before we have the proof.

6. We must let go of ego, for it was created by our mind as a defence method for the young, to help them develop quickly to what they have become, but when they have time and want to develop past what they were, we must let go of ego, and use only logic.

7. We need to learn the concepts of those who have gone before and create new concepts where required. Life lessons, about what they tried, what worked, what did not. What we think, and the whole process of thinking, of developing thoughts, testing thoughts, and adopting those that work for us. This is the equivalent to spiritual development, but without the god as the basis.

8. God may have brought us as far as he can in our ongoing human evolution, and it is now time to go it on our own, or start to learn the concepts required to go it on our one in a humble way as a population. An individual has always been able to strike out and that is the next step in evolution, but to bring society along with us, and fix our human created problems of excess, is a noble effort, I think.

Comments please.     

No god OA

What would a no god OA look like? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahv_1IS7SiE

Step two is the tough part to get around, but good orderly direction sort of works. It would require a commitment to some philosophy that sees a food program, a food philosophy if you like. I think that a Paleo like diet, or pre 1900 type diet with no wheat or no ground wheat, as unless you find organic grown, no fertilizer, heritage cultivars- or just no wheat.

Three moderate meals per day but the important part would be the work between meals is most important. Many of us use food as motivation or release to get through the parts of work we dislike. At least half of my work was stuff that I did not like, and now just decline to do.

But much of this is personal ethics, personal philosophy, and the psychology that we must use to get around it. Or is it a personnel philosophy that we must adopt. I am just not sure.

For me, the concepts of following a plan that places food in the proper prospective is simple, it is the doing that is difficult. Meals get large, and the temptation to snack is always present, as there is always food available here. It is a bitch of a situation, unable to empty the house of food, as I am not the only one who lives here. I guess the other choice is to remove myself from this environment.

Life between meals

I came to the rather blinding realization that weight loss is more about life between the meals than anything else. It must be away from convent eating places, and therefore must become away from computers, writing, away from home, where I am fully involved, committed to something useful and rewarding. That, in effect, is a life change for me, but to what is the question. Perhaps only the mornings at the computer, but the afternoons and evenings must involve something else.  

No SGO6EE

No sugar, grains, omega 6 oils, exorphins, endocannabinoids is a mouthful so I simply say No SGO6EE.

In a email comment Kim H said " Unlike many low-carbers I've read about or talked to, I can & do quite easily binge on low carb/High fat foods-especially grains or dairy artificially sweetened & nuts. So, if I want to be free of addictive food/eating behaviors I have to avoid artificial sweeteners, grains, nuts (except a very small amount), most starches (except in very small amts) "

Those foods listed are those two E's.    http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.ca/2012/09/endocannabinoid.html

http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.ca/2012/09/primary-rules-of-weight-loss.html

http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.ca/2012/09/nix-exorphins.html

We do not need appetite stimulus in our lives. We need to remove the chemically addicting foods from our diet, and then we can tackle the addictive behaviours. No AA ever becomes a social drinker; No OA can ever become a social eater.

This is why I think it is essential for us weight challenged people learn the chemistry of our food, rather then rely on other to tell us the real storey of what we should eat. Dietitians’are trained to be good little employees of food companies, not on how to train people to lose weight and keep it off. Once we become knowledgeable in food and a bit in human physiology, and psychology, the penny drops, we revert to Paleo-ish, meat, vegetables pre 1900 diet, and the problem, chemical addiction, goes away.

The obesity epidemic did not start in 1980, but about 1900, when sugar came into common use. By 1927, 50% of the ladies were 20 to 40 pounds heavier than they had been. Sneaky thing acellular carbohydrates. When they became really cheap, HFCS, in early 1980, then it really got out of hand.  

We may need to weigh food a bit to get right sized portions of meat and some vegetables, for a while, to calibrate our eyes to the new foods. But we just need to do that today, tomorrow you can decide if you need to or not.Three moderate meals each day, and Maffetone two week test is the way to start.http://philosophyofweightmanagement.blogspot.ca/p/facts-and-beliefs.html   

Daily Routine

A daily thought routine, for today, also seem to help with eating control, or more correctly non-control. Of late, I have been trying to answer three questions, each with several parts. The questions are still morfing, but as they stand now:

1. Am I willing to be in recovery today?
2. Am I willing to do what is necessary for recovery today?
3. What is the plan for today?

Today is, just for today, it takes away future and past. It is the only part that I can work with. 

Question 1 is just about willingness, for without willingness to recover, not much happens. Willingness without action is like faith without works, dead. I need to be willing to do what needs to be done for recovery first, and then a bit of work, and other things but that is just for today. Recover becomes the first priority, for without, nothing else will go on for long.

The plan for today, is something I need to have in my mind, No SGO6EE, 311, plus a few reviews during the day, and what ever else needs to be done that day. 

For years I showed up to work knowing only what was the first thing that I was doing, but often solid clue where I would sleep tonight. I learned to live like that for most of twenty years. Planning ahead was always short term, with some distance items. This is the same thing, just for today.

Review is essential to keep one's self in line. But that to, is just for today. Living in day tight compartments, unit of time, helps. 

   

George on god

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gPOfurmrjxo

Addict Personality

Does the addict have a group of personality characteristics?

• Controlling...
• Aggressive, my way or the highway... 
• No compromise... I want whatever I want
• I will do whatever to get it...
• Anything in the way gets run over...
• Anybody in the way gets trampled, ignored, abandoned, until the addiction is satisfied / passified for now, 
• the addict is never satisfied for long
• will do anything for their drug of choice 
• is extremely wilful, to get their drug of choice 

Their ego protects the addiction. Note that ego is a creation of mind, primal level mind, and can be retrained out.

The drug of choice (doc) gets ahold onto the primary mind and takes charge to guard a source of its doc, and does what it needs to secure a long and steady supply. The doc takes control. 

We need to rassle control, and submit to a understanding program that keeps us clean, long term. No tasting, no "controlled intake", absolute abstinence. No social drinking, no social eating. 

To those who do not agree: You can believe what ever idiotic concept you believe, but leave me to my ideas, as I will you.

the Child

http://philosophyforchange.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/nietzsches-three-metamorphoses/

The program brings us to the child.

We become teachable again, but we test it before we adopt it. We become Nietzsche's child.

 'On the Three Metamorphoses'. In this last section he outlines how the human soul begins as 'a camel' wieghted down by loyalty to the old gods, then he must become a 'lion' and denounce them before becoming 'a child' who creates a new value and new meaning for his life. 

Bear sugar video

http://michaelprager.com/fat-polar-bears-Coke-video-diabetes

Work

Somebody said something about work, I do not remember who, that went some thing like this; "Work prevents boredom, vice, and need."

Work if we are interested in what we are doing is a great thing for passing the time. If we are uninterested, it is drudgery, worse than slavery. Being a money slave is bad enough, but if we actually dislike the work, then it is torcher of the worst kind. Work, when we enjoy it, makes the day go quickly, and we enjoy it. That is necessary for life and prosperity. We can change ourselves to like it or we can change the work we do, either within the organization or for another, if there is opportunity. 

But the economy and our environment are changing. Gone, likely forever in our lifetime, are many of the manufacturing jobs, to the third world, where wages are low for now. They may come back, in the next generation or three, when transport cost becomes large. Energy is cheep, transportation very reasonable. There in lies the issue.

But what does this all have to do with recovery. We need to be happy with our work for recovery. We need to be contented with our activity, and the income it brings for recovery to really take hold. Note that we can be happy if we are living to a principal, even motivated to do almost anything, if we believe that principal is good and right and true. (and for emphasis, not good english grammar. Nether are sentences starting with but.) But some of the time, we can change our thinking to modify our motives to "higher motives" as Carnegie called them. All we need do is the next right thing for today. Good orderly direction. That's it, that's all.

Work can displace a vice such as overeating, once we get clear of the chemical addictions. It is just displacement for today, but a bunch of for today's will add to a lifetime.  

Social Needs

How high is your social need? I am not really talking about Maslow's social need but how much "social need" do you have? How many hours per day do you want to be with other people, in discussion, or in sharing a activity? I, personally, have fairly low social need, but I do need some.

I once knew a young lady, we were both young then, who could not be by herself without getting stressed. Turns out, she had come from a big intermeshed family, and liked it. She, literately, could not stand to be alone. I, on the other hand, need little social contact. Looking back on family history, I have a grandfather who was high social, who needed a lot of social contact. His brother needed very little, but was social when to opportunity presented its self but in a few hours got antsy to get under way.

Also note that our social need can vary over time, and intensity will also impact the amount we need. A few hours of sharing a common activity may be adequate, while a few minutes of serious discussion may be too much. 

Do (I) you get enough social contact or too much?  Is work more than enough, even too much, or to little? It it causing stress in your life or boredom?

Today's Question

Are you willing to recover, or do you need to stew for another day?

Willingness

Willingness is necessary for any change.

Do we (I) have the willingness to recover?
Do we (I) have the willingness to change?
Am I willing to do what is necessary to recover?
Am I willing to follow the food program?

Is this whole obesity epidemic the result of "self will run riot." A whole generation of doing what we want. We can do what ever we set our minds to, according to Norman V. Peale. and perhaps the whole obesity epidemic is just the natural result of such philosophy combined with abundance.

added later

Is the program, that is living under the direction of something we have no control over, ie. a concept, the answer to all our problems? Or is it just a convenient way to ignore all the pressing issues and carrying on, oblivious to the problems? That is living in a parallel universe, for the trek fans. And if it is just a way to ignore our problems,  is that so bad? We just carry on anyway. We can spend our days thinking and stewing, but their is no solution and it is beyond our control, beyond our responsibility, and possible beyond our ability to solve anyway.

We could go explore consciousness if we like. Eckhart Tolle has made that his life's work.  Micheal Brown found it was his solution to living in reality, rather than deal with the work-a-day world. There is the guy living out in Arizona that does not use money, in idealistic driven work, ignoring supporting other. Buddha, having produced a heir and a spare, went out and explored the human mind. We can do the same, without even changing our life a great deal. We just need to detach from our old thinking and do the next right thing, what ever that is. It may be to go to bed and sleep in the evening. Or read, write, paint, clean, or whatever. Or perhaps visit with others, in person, or via electronic means. We have many choices. Eating is just not one of those choices, and in my case, perhaps TV must also go.

Thanksgiving

Fixity of attitude is all about how rigidly we maintain a specific attitude and what that attitude is. Thanksgiving may be a time of gratitude to the season, the year, the harvest, if we know what harvest is, but for some of us, we need to maintain that attitude all year, for our survival.

Some people are happy bubbly very pleasant high social air heads. Nice to be around, but of no use when the going gets tough, and unable to provide a understand of their handling a substantial problem to other. In there make up, there is no problem. Others of us have a problem, we know we have a problem, and are looking for a solution. We hang around with people who are working toward a solution, and those who have found there solutions, hoping some of it will rub off. For that, and those, I am grateful.

It occurs to me that the "I am right, you are wrong" attitude is the bases of this. Ego preservation, a defence method, may be part of this. But ego is a construct of the mind, which it not us ether, but is the reflection of what we have been told, our learning, ancestors, and similar. It is the entrenched learned, survival primal instinct, that drives us forward. Something else to inventory and review.

Today, Canadian Thanksgivings Sunday, could be a day of gratitude and reflection, but then every day should contain some elements of that. It could be many things, or just another day.

    

OA success

OA as a program works for those that want to work it. The program consists of:

• a daily reset to a plan for just today
• a decision to follow the plan for just today
• the willingness to do the plan for today
• faith in the plan for just today
• a plan for the day
• a review at the end of the day.

Some days the plan will include cleaning up our past, and figuring out how to do better in the future. Most of what we do is good enough. We done good. Pat ourselves on the back and go to sleep.   Some days we need to be the student, and some days the teacher. Some things we just need to step back from and let go by. No opinion necessary. No action necessary. No thought necessary. 

There are many ways to say this does not work, but logically, how can it not work if we have a reasonable plan, and the willingness to do it?