I got a bad case of the intestinal fungus candida four years ago, right before Christmas, and eventually figured out how my itching and infections were all caused by consuming far too much sugar. Then I learned more about the not-so-subtle connection between "the holidays" and sugar. Now I have become fully aware of how Christmas means sugar to most of us, and how sweets are by far the worst addiction in America.
Want to understand why you are obese? Check out how often you try to alter your mood/mind by eating sweets or anything made with mostly white flour -- or by drinking alcohol. When we indulge during the holidays, we can count on a very temporary escape from bad feelings about ourselves and our lives.
Neuroscientists continue to learn more about exactly how addictive sweets are to our brains. Yes, there is a biological component to this pervasive problem.
But I have been reading the BEST BOOK if you are looking for more of an explanation for why we focus on food when our lives feel unmanageable. Obesity is only the most obvious outward sign we have a problem. The way we feel about ourselves inside means we will do just about ANYTHING to escape, even if we can only find temporary relief.
We believe it may actually kill us to be open to -- and even to embrace -- the self-loathing we feel inside. We will choose to get addicted to dieting, alcohol, drugs, sex, the Internet, and even to talking on our phones or texting, before we will admit feeling absolutely crappy about our lives.
If you can relate to anything I have said here, you might want to read: Women Food And God by Geneen Roth. Are you ready to confront everything inside of you that you fear? This book will help you look rationally at everything that scares you, instead of eating, drinking and distracting your troubles away. Should these feelings have the power to ruin your life? This book may help you take self-responsibility and begin to own your life again.
And no, you do not need to be female to benefit from this amazing book. You just need to be ready to look at your life honestly, and then do things differently.
"Have a sense of gratitude to everything, even difficult emotions, because of their potential to WAKE YOU UP." - Pema