Chapter 2- Truth

Chapter Two: Truth

 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

”Truth Telling

In order to love ourselves we must speak the Truth to ourselves. Truth telling begins by becoming quiet. The invaluable truth about our weight “problem” lies buried underneath the hardened walls of the ever speaking conscious mind, the layers upon layers of repetitive thinking about our bodies and even the encrusted molecular residue of such thinking.   In order to hear your own truth about your weight you will have to first quiet that part of the ego-mind that I call the Little Mind.

The Little Mind is the mind that you know the best because it is used the most. It is what wakes you up on the wrong side of the bed. It is what greets you in the morning with the first complaint, or list of TO DO’s. It is what causes you to label yourself, judge yourself or condemn yourself. It is what makes you feel bad about your size. There is a reason for the madness. Your Little Mind’s job is to solve problems.  

All day long the Little Mind gathers information, equipping itself for more problem solving. It prepares for future problem-solving by drawing from memories, the huge repository of past experiences that it has stored. Based on these prior experiences, your Little Mind assures you of your ability to chart a successful course in this world. Most often you are navigating the current course based on how you have navigated in the past. New problems are greeted with responses that are tried and true. The course of action may not actually be successful but it will be familiar.

In order to keep the solution arsenal full, the Little Mind is constantly analyzing and questioning and assessing.  The Little Mind uses the pronoun “I,” “me,”  or “mine” and sometimes confuses you into thinking that the Little Mind IS who you really are.  The reason that the Little Mind cannot actually be who you really are is because at any moment it is possible to stand apart from the Little Mind and just watch it…like watching television. The part of your mind that can just observe the Little Mind.  I call that the Big Mind.

The Big Mind is less noticeable because it is the mind that is quiet. The Big-Mind runs under the surface. The Big Mind has the capacity to observe the Little Mind but to not believe everything that it says. For instance, if the Little Mind were to fly into a rage, the Big Mind could be a completely passive observer to the entire tirade without any emotional attachment at all. The Big Mind is like the grown-up.

The Big Mind is not attached to particular whims and desires like those of the Little Mind because the Big Mind operates outside of whims and desires.  The Big Mind experiences complete stillness. Yet the Big Mind does speak. You hear the Big Mind when your Little Mind is not holding your attention captive, like when you are asleep. Big Mind Speaks to you through dreams. The Big Mind is creative and imaginative. Whenever you find yourself pondering big questions, like “Who am I” or “Where did I come from?” you are asking the Big Mind. Accessing the Big Mind is necessary for Truth Telling because the Big Mind can’t lie. The Big Mind connects you to what you know to be true. Instead of words, the Big Mind provides insight and inspiration and guides you in introspection.  The Big Mind speaks the language of feelings. You recognize when the Big Mind is trying to communicate something to your conscious awareness as in: “a hunch” or  “feeling in my gut.”  “I had a feeling about that.” The Big Mind goes by other names like, “subconscious” or “Nonconscious” mind. The Big Mind has also been called  “intuition” or “Soul” or “Spirit.”  Some may call it the Psychosomatic Body/Mind but I think of the Big Mind as the mind of my Spirit Self.

It is important to know the truth about why your weight loss efforts have not been successful. Ultimately there are deeper questions that must be answered in order to get the question of “why” behind eating behavior. Questions such as, “Why does my size matter so much?”  “What size should I be and who says?”  “What is my motivation for losing weight? “What don’t I like my body as it is?” “Why don’t I like myself as I am?”  In order to get answers to questions like that, we must hear clearly from the Big Mind.  Most importantly we must be able to distinguish between the Little Mind and the Big Mind. The more you practice hearing from your Big Mind, the easier it will become to recognize.

One easy way to distinguish between the Little Mind and the Big Mind is tone. The Big Mind will never be negative, critical or condescending.  Another difference is that the Little Mind likes to get bogged down with facts.  For instance, there are several possible answers to the question  ”Why am I this size?”  Little Mind answers will seem logical and sensible and based on factual information.

1.     I am just supposed to be the weight that I am.

2.     I can’t diet

3.     I didn’t lose weight after the last baby?

4.     I like to eat

5.     I don’t like to exercise

6.     I come from big people

Where as Big Mind answers to the question are of a higher order.  The Big Mind might answer the question “Why am I this size” with:

1.     I want to know what the issue of weight has come to teach me.

2.     I realize that what I really hunger and thirst for is not coming from food and drink.

3.     I am choosing to be the size that I am in order to grow spiritually.

4.     I am choosing to look past appearance and to learn to love and accept myself unconditionally.

5.     I want to teach others through my own experience that the body is not really who they are and that love is all that there is.

6.     My current size is evidence that I am still learning to listen to my body and trust it to tell me what it needs.

7.     When I am ready to release excess inner baggage, I will release excess weight as well.

Health over Size

It is certainly possible to lose a few pounds by dieting but the vast majority of people won’t keep the weight off. So even when the diet has been successful for the short term, the weight is usually regained within one year.  Maintaining weight loss past the five-year mark requires a lifestyle change. Changing your lifestyle is not a task for the Little Mind. Since the Little Mind draws from what has been successful in the past, the Little Mind is bound to repeat past mistakes. What is necessary is a change in the way the Little Mind seeks to solve this problem. Because the Little Mind thrives on information it is often useful to provide it something to ponder. Like providing a frisky puppy a treat or a giving a toddler a shiny trinket, useful information can distract the Little Mind. While the Little Mind is preoccupied we can begin to initiate a lifestyle change by hearing from the Big Mind

Inspiration from the Big Mind

Your past failed attempts have demonstrated that it is not knowledge that will help change behavior…it is motivation for change. When you are inspired by the Big Mind there is much more likely to be permanent change. You will be motivated by your greatest good, your highest self. From your deepest wisdom will come the vision of what is YOUR right size.  Your insight will provide the knowledge of what to do and how to do it. Amazingly, as you draw from this deeper source, circumstances in your life will cooperate with the deeper intention. The work and struggle that once surrounded the issue of weight will give way to ease and grace. All that you need for a new lifestyle will appear when you are ready to receive it. As you tune into the quiet serenity of the Big Mind your Little Mind will also become more serene and quiet. You will be able to tune in more easily to your Truth and tune out incessant voices that violate your truth.

Contrast this with your attempts to change your behaviors previously with your Little Mind. You provide your Little Mind with information about the new diet or new fitness program. The information at first seems to be enough. In the early days you are motivated to change. Then over time, you get new information…information from your feelings or from your senses. You no longer feel like going to exercise. You want what you want and you want it now.  You stop to get fries. The information that was used to draft this new weight-loss plan in the beginning is now being overridden by urges or frustration or fatigue.  Eventually, the motivation for the diet slowly dies.

However, the Little Mind can’t be ignored. So the goal is to provide information for the Little Mid that will keep it occupied. We want the information to support the efforts of the Big Mind instead of working against it.  Such information should be accurate, believable and relevant.

Information for the Little Mind

One such source of useful information about weight loss is a book by Dr. Linda Bacon called Health at Every Size.[1] Dr. Bacon provides summaries from many published studies that show why diets don't work for the vast majority of people who desire permanent weight loss. In her book, she provides evidence from the field of physiology that confirms what chronic dieters already know- repeated dieting actually causes eventual weight gain. Dr. Bacon explains in some detail how diets alter the body's metabolic set point.

In Chapter One, we learn about the biology and neurobiology of weight. To sum it up- our bodies, operate with biological systems that were inherited from early humans. In the hunter/gatherer environment, it was necessary to hold on to extra calories obtained during feast time since famine was expected at some point. The brain and body systems responsible for feeding developed mechanisms that were designed around a functional set-point range. So, when there was a lack food for a long period, the body's metabolism would slow as to conserve every ounce of body fat for survival.   Motivation and behavior would also be affected as the physiological systems and emotional systems are all interconnected.

In this chapter we begin with set points. Set points are part of a natural process called homeostasis and are not unique to weight. For instance, there is a range of ambient temperatures that are optimum for humans. When it is too cold we start to shiver so that our bodies can go back up to that range. When it is too hot we sweat to help us cool down to that range. Blood pressure, blood glucose levels, insulin and a host of other hormones and biomarkers have set point ranges. We don't consciously control these functions. Our bodies and brains know what to do.

It is because of this regulatory metabolic set point that the body resists loosing weight and seeks to hold on to weight.  The brain's hormonal communication network plays a major role in maintaining our natural set point but the system is flexible.  Set points change as we grow older. Also, behaviors and food choices can overide or even alter the natural setpoint.

You can identify your natural setpoint:
- The weight you will maintain when you listen and respond to your body's signals of hunger and fullness and eat or stop eating accordingly.
-The weight you maintain when you don't fixate on your weight or food habits.

You can identify an altered setpoint
-The weight you keep returning to between diets.

In this section of the book, Dr. Bacon describes a 1995 study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. The study was called Changes in energy expenditure resulting from altered body weight and was authored by Rudolph Leibel, Michael Rosenbaum and Jules Hirsch[2].  This study actually measures the metabolic decrease that occurs when there is weight loss.

What is so interesting about this article is that it is not a fluke? Actually, there have been hundreds, HUNDREDS of studies that conclude the same thing. The bottom line- Because our bodies resist starving, a diet of fewer calories than usual will trigger the body to lower the metabolism, so as not to wander too far away from the setpoint range.  During periods of overeating when more calories than usual are obtained, the body does the opposite, revs itself up in order to burn the extra calories, again in an attempt not to wander too far from the natural set point weight. This study points out another caveat..that for overweight people, the lowering and reving up of metabolism doesn't work the same way as it does in people who had never been overweight. For overweight people who eat fewer calories, the body works even harder to lower metabolic activity and retain weight.

The brain is also affected by this lowering of metabolic activity. In fact, the master switch for set points is the hypothalamus, located deep in the center of the brain. Brain and body are linked not only by nerve fibers but by hundreds of chemical messengers: hormones, peptides and neurotransmitters that circulate in the blood stream. Chemical signals originating in the hypothalamus trigger a lowering of metabolism that also can affect emotional and motivational centers in the brain. There are at least 40 identified chemical messengers that influence these interconnected physical, mental and emotional neural circuits involved in eating and satiety.

For example, Leptin is a chemical that signals the brain to release other chemicals that turn down the appetite, speed up metabolism and increase the desire to move. Where as ghrelin woks to increase  appetite. But it is not just the presence of these chemical signals that causes biological or behavioral changes. It is their interaction with a host of other metabolic and behavioral cues that ultimately influence, not only the metabolic set point but the motivation to exercise and the desire to eat.

What's more, the amount of chemical messages and the receptors that exists on target organs throughout the body is influenced by genetics. According to the "thrifty gene" theory, the humans that eventually evolved from the hunter/gatherers were NOT the ones that were likely to be thin. The humans that could resist weight lost had evolutionary advantage.  Genetics influences did not end with the cavemen. Modern biology has shown that while there is no single “fat” or “thin” gene, there are genetic switches that can be turned on or off by environmental cues. So a family tendency to be overweight could be enhanced by family practices and individual behaviors.

The chapter ends with a set of questions related to your natural set point for weight. Some of the items are:

• Do you have difficulty recognizing when you are hungry or when you have had enough?
• Do you routinely eat beyond a comfortable level of fullness and then feel lethargic, stuffed and uncomfortabe after meals.
• Do you go through periods where you eat out of control in anticipation of soon going on a diet?
• Do you eat as a coping mechanism?
•  

The author concludes that if you answer YES to any of the items then you are likely to be ABOVE your natural setpoint. She then explains that her book will help you get to the natural set point that represents the weight that is healthiest for you.

The goal of the book is to encourage a change in the way people think about weight and a change in the motivation and behaviors associated with eating. Health at Every Size advocates for an acceptance of every size. Calling this the new Peace Movement, because it stops the war against our own bodies, Dr. Bacon concludes that well-being and healthy habits are more important than any number on the scale. She confronts the "my-big-body-is-ugly" or the "fat-means-lazy and stupid" way of thinking head on with the radical conclusion that becoming thin does not equate with loving yourself.  Furthermore, Dr. Bacon seeks to have her readers eat according to the dictates of bodily signals not because of mood swings, cravings, time of day or food marketing.

She calls this kind of eating, natural eating and claims that this is the surest way to lose weight permanently

Natural eating can be defined as eating nourishing food when you feel hungry and to stop eating when you feel full. This is not so easily done if your set point has been altered or because of chronic dieting the hunger/satiety signals have been dampened.

The opposite of natural eating is “restrained” eating. Dr. Bacon includes a test to determine if you eat because of hunger sensations that come from your body or if you eat primarily from messages that come from your mind.

The short survey is 27 items. A few examples are:

• Without really trying, I naturally select the right types and amounts of food to be healthy
• I generally count calories before deciding if something is OK to eat
• One of my main reasons for exercising is to manage my weight
• I seldom eat unless I notice that I am physically hungry
• I am hopeful that I will someday find a new diet that will actually work for me
• The health and strength of my body is more important than how much I weigh

It is important to determine if you are a natural eater or a restrained eater.  If you are a restrained eater then the attempts to control your food intake or restrain yourself is through willpower. It is an attempt to fight your own desire to eat with your Little Mind. On one hand your mind is interpreting signals to eat from external sources (i.e. commercials, billboards, fast food venues, vending machine).  On the other hand you are telling yourself that you shouldn't or that's fattening! So, while ignoring the body's internal signals, the mind of a restrained eater is constantly battling...eat or don't eat; eat a little or eat a lot; eat this or eat that. In our society it is virtually impossible to ignore external cues to eat so the battle is easily lost. Most restrained eaters will eventually overeat.

In Chapter 9 Dr. Bacon explains how to become a natural or unrestrained eater, how to move your body because you love to do it and what to eat in order to find your natural set point. Between chapters one and nine she builds a convincing case for why we should strive to be healthy instead of thin. For instance, she presents findings that weight reduction surgeries (the deliberate debilitation of functioning organs in order to reduce food intake) actually have serious side affects, including higher mortality rates. She also shares findings from numerous studies that show "overweight" people live longer than thin people and that those extra pounds may actually be protective. There is research with twins who were raised apart that show the genetic influence on body size and shape is much stronger than we realize.

Dr. Bacon not only provides facts she gives the history. She recounts the exact moment when our culture became obsessed with thinness. It happened in the 1920's. She talks about how most packaged foods found in grocery stores are calorie dense but nutrient poor and also filled with artificial ingredients aimed at making the food look and taste good regardless of the number of months (or years) it has been on the shelf.

Moreover, she connects the dots between the processed food industry, agribusiness, poor health and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Bacon presents a very compelling “follow the money” conspiracy theory. There is a reason that potato chips provide more profit than a fresh potato. There is a reason that research sponsored by companies that make high fructose corn syrup will conclude that there is no harm in consuming high fructose corn syrup. There is a reason that most medical students don't study nutrition as a means of disease prevention.

 In the end she makes some very clear cut recommendations that take the focus off of the relentless but mostly futile striving for thinness and aims instead at becoming healthy 

...By the end of the book, you'll be answering "yes" to these questions:

• Do you eat naturally in response to signals of hunger, fullness and appetite withou fixating on your weight or food habits?
• Is eating effortless and enjoyable?

  Soon your body will be guiding you in making nutritious, pleasureable choices.  No more counting calories, totaling fat grams or weighing broiled skinless chicken breasts!  pg 99

Ritual: Utilizing all of the languages of the Big Mind

Utilizing the Big Mind in order to change behavior will be your new normal.  As the Big Mind provides the source of inspiration, information becomes secondary. Your will no longer need to focus on motivating yourself but rather to keep your connection to your Big Mind open and clear. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Every thing of value has a price. The price for clear transmission from the Big Mind to your conscious mind is paid in small increments every single day. The currency is a disciplined daily practice of engaging the Big Mind and increasing its influence while at the same time slowly diminishing the power of the Little Mind over your eating and exercise habits.  Because the language of the Big Mind is far more expansive than words, you will need to utilize symbols, images and other sensory experiences in order to more regularly access your own inner intuitive voice.

 

The use of ritual allows for the inclusion of all the senses. Music, dance, incense, flowers, ceremony and pageantry have long been associated with worship. All of the senses are used to imprint the experience onto the Big Mind. The goal now is not to place your attention outside of yourself, as is practiced in most worship experiences, but to focus on the divinity within yourself. Your own daily rituals will imprint the message of health and wholeness onto your Big Mind. You will be motivated to eat nourishing and not toxic food and to exercise from a place of joy and not obligation

Providing Space, Place and Time is what is necessary for creating this important daily task. Space is needed in your life.  We are all so very busy that the creation of a daily spiritual ritual could first sound like adding another obligation to an already packed schedule.  It is not, “just another” obligation. A daily spiritual ritual provides a clearing from which insight for all other areas of your life will can emerge. A daily spiritual ritual will soon become the most important thing to be done every 24 hours because the result of doing it will be peace, harmony and order. The result of missing it will be agitation confusion and disorder. Practicing a ritual first thing every day is your declaration that the most important part of your life is nurturing your spirit self and that this self-care is more important than any other obligation you may have. Drafting this kind of mindset is the very first step in creating a life that is led by the Big Mind.

A Place is needed also, a dedicated physical space for the ritual activity. The place should be private and quiet with a comfortable place to sit.  The place need not be a room or even a corner of a room. It could be a pillow in front of a book shelf or a cleared space in a walk-in closet. It need not be large but you should feel comfortable when you are seated. You should include near you a few items that represent God to you or that can invoke a sense of the sacred.

Finally, schedule a time in the morning before the day begins to sit in your sacred space. It can be for as little as 5 minutes at first. You will wish to extend the time as you begin to get more and more out of these sessions.  The morning time is preferable since the dealings of daytime have not yet impinged themselves and started to burden the Little Mind. Also, your Big Mind can be heard more easily right after sleep.   

The creation of the Space, Place and Time for your daily appointment with Divinity has the potential to change your entire life. However, in the beginning it is important to establish the habit, which means just sit there. Just sit there. Like all disciplines, this will be the hard part, doing what is the right thing to do, not sometime, not often but every single day.

Radical realignment

What would it take to radically realign your life so that your spiritual practice becomes the most important thing to do each day.  It would be like having a standing meeting with someone of immense importance, everything else would revolve around it. What aspects of your life would have to change to make that standing meeting with God happen every single day?

Creating Daily Rituals

Stage One

Start by just showing up

Stage Two

 Experimentation-  Light Meditation as an example.

Stage Three

  Consistency- When you miss, start again.

Desires can entrap you as soundly as a prison cell. By learning to eat as motivated by the Big Mind, you will no longer be captive to your body senses. You will eat only for nourishment. You will eat nutrient dense foods when you are hungry. When you are no longer hungry you will stop eating. Eating like this will change everything.

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[1] Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon

[2] Changes in energy expenditure from altered body weight….find reference onf S&F blog