CHAPTER 1
THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC (WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW)
Without question, the world you live in has an influence on your eating habits. You and I are inter-connected through social, cultural, and family influences — guiding our thoughts and actions in all behaviors — including our approach to eating. You need to know what these influences are, why they exist, how they work against you, and finally, what you can do gain more control.
The History of Human Eating Behavior. Within the past fifty thousand years, the human race has evolved through three stages of food behavior. Early humans lived as nomadic wanderers, living off what they could find or kill, spending the majority of their daylight hours in a vigilant quest for food. As recently as five thousand years ago, however, our transformation into the 'farmer role' took center stage. Humans began to settle in one place. We grew our own crops and tended livestock, eliminating the need to wander and search for food, and dramatically decreased the threat of starvation. Within the past hundred years, however, we find ourselves in a third stage of evolution — one of industrialization, mass production, and convenience. Food is now inexpensive, accessible, and plentiful. The problem is, you and I possess the same instinctive approach to eating as our nomadic ancestors. Five thousand years is simply not enough time, on an evolutionary scale, to change the way we process survival instincts relative to food and eating behavior. Look at modern cultures over a tiny fraction of evolutionary time — the past fifty years – and you can see the destructive relationship of eating instincts in an environment where food is plentiful, cheap, and convenient. The result, of course, is the highest rate of obesity in our history! In only the past fifty years! And rates are climbing every year. To make matters worse, we live in an age of advanced technology, embracing the concept of less physical work, and this condition may be adding to the challenges you face in your own life. Seventy percent of all adult Americans are now classified as overweight, resulting in what is now a full-blown health epidemic with no apparent end in sight. But, if this statistic is correct, then, what about the remaining thirty percent who are not overweight? It doesn't make sense, given we all share the same environment and the same DNA. Do they know something you don't? Not really. Here's the question you should be asking yourself: Is there a way to reverse my pattern of weight gain that won't overwhelm me and push me to return to old habits? The answers is ... yes! First, the bad news. There is no single magic bullet 'method' to weight loss. The good news, however, is that you have a finite number of obstacles to overcome, and these personal barriers can be identified and managed successfully.
Like a fingerprint, you own a unique blend of triggers that identify you alone. As you read, you will recognize many of your challenges, but more importantly, you will discover a few hidden challenges that have held you back in the past. Again, for real success, you need to break down every roadblock to success if your intent is to reach an ideal weight and remain there. The truth is — with the information available in the marketplace, and the tools you have to work with today, you are not prepared for real success!
CHAPTER 2
YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS 'BACK DOOR' CONNECTION
In the southern most part of your brain, you own a set of survival instincts. Think of them as the driver of all behavior — your primal desire for sex (finding a mate), the seeking of shelter, the impulse to fight or flee, the need to socialize, and, your instinctive desire to eat. Primitive eating instincts are the common denominator, influencing every decision you make regarding food choices and the development of your current eating style.
CHAPTER 3
ANCIENT EATING BEHAVIORS AND MODERN CULTURE
For our nomadic ancestors, we know that food was scarce, competition for food was a life and death struggle, and starvation was a daily threat to survival. The effort to hunt, skin, and prepare a single meal was a collective social task, and these events dominated human behavior because they dominated most of our waking hours. Ancient humans were forced to develop food behaviors that had one common intention — avoid starvation! In simple terms, the 'instinctive baggage' you and I carry are survival behaviors, relative to eating, that are useless in modern times. These instincts served us well over the past fifty thousand years, but today, they are a liability, and they make weight loss virtually impossible (unless you know how to manage them!). Obesity is a natural course in modern times, and, rates are rising for this one, simple reason: In America and other industrialized countries, our food environment has changed over the past one hundred years while instinctive and social eating behaviors remain unchanged. Now that food is cheap, convenient, and plentiful, starvation is no longer a threat to survival for most of us. We have become less physical as well — both in work and play – and this influence makes modern life even more challenging. You need to know what drives you to eat more than you need and why the thought of exercising creates such a negative mindset. Otherwise, efforts to cut calories or begin an exercise program become personal battles between your 'power of will' and your instincts. Your subconscious never sleeps, so the destructive signals you experience flow endlessly into your conscious brain, while the strength of your conscious 'will power' fluctuates between moments of strength and moments of weakness. Moments of weakness are a given, so the subconscious, through tenacity alone, wins the battle of control. The use of will power, without other distractions — or substitutions — is not sustainable. The real 'solution' for a lifetime of success in managing your weight lies in your answer to this question: 'How do I change years of eating habits influenced by thousands of years of evolved eating instincts'? Again, if you look toward the media or subscribe to one of thousands of weight loss plans, you see a common diet message of: 'eat this, not that' and with exercise – 'do this, not that'. Are these approaches a path to salvation?...
