Robert Dave Johnston offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [email protected] - DistributeYourArticles (www.DistributeYourArticles.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. DistributeYourArticles does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: Food Addiction & The Phenomena of Craving - How Weekly Fasting Can Help You to Overcome It Author: Robert Dave Johnston Category: Alternative Medicine, Nutrition, Wellness Word Count: 1255 Keywords: fasting for weight loss, food addiction, phenomena of craving, weekly fasting, fasting, water fasting, juice fasting, fasting and cleansing Author's Email Address: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.distributeyourarticles.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
Food is a Drug. For many, eating has become an addiction just as lethal as use of illicit narcotics. The concept of disease prevention is a foreign concept in their minds and is often scorned. Fasting for weight loss, fitness and health may be good for the holy - some may say. But the common perception appears to be that hunger - real or imagined - must be appeased at all times and without question. And with the growth of technology, microwave goods and "instant everything," taking the road-less-traveled of fasting for weight loss, healthy eating and exercise is not the most popular course of action. Thus the obesity epidemic continues to blanket the US and many parts of the world, coming up-to-par with actual drug addiction. The reason, I venture to say, is because overeating and obesity is in itself an addiction to the "drug" called food. It is legal, promoted and abundant nearly everywhere that we go. There is, however, little warning of the dangers of overindulgence. Before one eats a high-fat meal, there is no Surgeon General warning as is the case when one purchases a pack of cigarettes. Perhaps there should be! The Elusive Magic Pill So, for many of us, binging and overeating goes on for years with apparent impunity until, one day, we awaken severely overweight, toxic and threatened by illness. Unfortunately, many are not interested in change. I come across scores of people who are desperately ill and obese, yet blind to their plight. Some refuse to believe they have a problem. They continually go from doctor to doctor looking to be fixed. Looking for "the magic pill." Sounds like the denial of an addict, doesn't it? Such was my case. The truth of my toxicity and obesity would stare at me in the mirror each day. But I saw only what I wanted to see. I was not ready do surrender and do whatever it took to lose the weight and improve my health. I have spoken to wonderful people with great talents who were morbidly obese, and I can tell you that many brushed me away when I even hinted that food may be their problem. People in such a state, in many cases, do not eat out of hunger, but out of depression, boredom and loneliness. Food is used for comfort. They are "addicts" unwilling to let go of their drug of choice - food. But what are we to do? With cigarettes or another addiction, one can practice abstinence. Yet how can the body survive without food? Good question. The answer, research indicates, is that most people can fast for as long as 40 days before before "real" starvation begins. Starvation begins when the body has consumed all stored fast and starts to eat live tissue for survival. Forty days! Imagine that. That certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "I am starving!" That is not to say you need to fast for 40 days. I'm using that merely as an illustration of how dependent on food many of us can be, above and beyond what our bodies need to stay alive. The Phenomena of Craving The crux of the problem is what is called "the phenomena of craving." Here's how that works: Many people can eat a slice of apple pie and walk away. I applaud such people and may even envy them. For people such as me, however, sugar, starch and fried foods kick-in a compulsion for more and more. The compulsion is so strong that, once started, I can find it nearly impossible to stop eating that particular food. I am not saying here that the phenomena of craving will always lead to eating a whole pie in one sitting, although in some cases it may. What I AM saying is that, if you are like me, chances are you may not be able to abstain from sugar, start or high-fat foods for more than one or two days without going into uncomfortable withdrawal. That is the craving as we are defining it here. It is a true monster. It is, in essence, a food addiction. A friend of mine we will call Jeff presents the case in point. He goes to the supermarket and buys a gallon of ice cream, telling himself that it will last him the entire month. Jeff is 120 pounds overweight and suffers from hypertension and pre-diabetes. Should he be even buying the ice cream at all? I would venture to say no, but the denial and "reasoning" of the mind wins out... so he buys it. He says he will have "only one cup" every few days. But sure enough, after he has the first scoop, the phenomena of craving kicks in and he finds himself getting up time and again to the refrigerator for another serving. In some hours, most or all of the gallon of ice cream is gone. Then come the demons of shame, regret and demoralization. The mental anguish/guilt is beyond description. Perhaps you relate. The Power of Weekly Fasting This is the where fasting comes in. As we are discussing, many people who are obese are probably using food as a drug and are constantly stricken by the phenomena of craving. They simply have lost the power of choice when it comes to overeating. It is a prison of the worst kind. With fasting, however, you simply do not eat for some time. Detox symptoms will pass after seven to ten days of fasting. But the end result will be "quality" years added to your life. How much is your life worth? Even so, you do not have to fast to break any records. Do a water fast for even ONE day a week! Let's look at the math. One pound of body fast equals 3,500 calories. Most people eat an "average" of 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day. Overweight people often eat about 5,000 or 6,000 calories per day (and higher). If you fast, say on Sunday (without changing anything else at all about your diet or lifestyle), by the end of the month you could experience weight loss of 4 pounds (one pound per week). That is 50 pounds in one year! Wow! Or if you don't want to do a water fast, then do a liquid diet or juice fast! Drink fruit juice, vegetable juice, non-fat milk ... whatever! One day a week! Do it and take a walk around the block one or twice a week. See what happens. Now, that is NOT starvation or something way beyond your capacity, is it? Every little bit helps. Little things add up. Personal Responsibility Learn to recognize the trigger foods that always get you in trouble and "kick them out of your house!" The pleasure they may provide is small in comparison to the shame, heartache and damage they are doing to you. Make a decision to "eliminate" that food from your diet, "completely." Yes, I said completely. Remember, the phenomena of craving will make it nearly impossible for you to "moderate." Perhaps a year down the line, or two, you may be in a position where you can eat it occasionally. At that point you will feel so good that you will not even want it. But, right now, your body needs to be totally detoxified and cleansed from "all" of the trigger foods that activate the overeating. There are no magic cures for being overweight. Fasting, however, is a way out that definitely works and WILL drastically improve your health if you give it a chance. Willingness is the key that opens the door to change. Robert Dave Johnston is publisher and author of FastingOlogy, a 9-month program that, via weekly .pdf lessons, takes members step-by-step through the process of fasting for quick weight loss and detoxification. He is also editor/webmaster of http://www.fitnessthroughfasting.com ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
