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Love
Helps You Lose Weight
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By
Karima Burns, MH, ND
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28/03/2002
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One
of the most popular reasons to lose weight is to meet a prospective mate. And
one of the most popular reasons for gaining weight is by losing one. Anyone who
has been in love can attest to the weight loss power of the feeling. Love seems
to fill a person up to a degree where they lose their appetite. The problem,
however, is that most people cannot stay in love forever and people who lose
weight to get married often gain it back later.
Doctors
say that love causing weight loss is most likely a result of the chemicals
released in the brain when we fall in love. When a person falls in love, their
brain releases chemicals called dopamines and monoamines, the same chemicals
that give us a feeling of satiation when we eat. This is also why people taking
Cocaine often lose their appetite. Cocaine releases chemicals into the body that
also give the illusion of satiation (Doctors Guide). "When you are
infatuated, various chemicals, including dopamine, are released in your brain
that work very much like amphetamines," explains Helen Fisher, Ph.D., an
anthropologist and author of Anatomy of Love. These chemicals also allow the
heart to pump faster thus speeding up metabolism and assisting in weight loss.
Modern
dieticians are reigning in this discovery and applying it to a new method of
weight loss called spiritual weight loss. The concept of spiritual weight loss
relies on the concept that “No matter how you perceive it, love can
revolutionize your relationship with food. This is because the love inside of
you is not only strengthening and healing, it is fulfilling,” (Moran).
Other
advocates of this spiritual diet say that the diet works by using two practices.
The first is mindful eating and the second is eating for love.
Eating
for love means that all food that one eats is eaten for the love of God. Ahmad
H. Sakr, PhD, says, “In Islam, eating is considered to be a matter of
worshipping of God, like prayers.” This is what the new dieticians are saying
as well. They point to verses in various religious texts that support eating
properly as an act of love towards God. In the Qur'an, for instance, there are
many verses emphasizing the eating of whole, pure foods in moderation.
O
men! eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth, and do not
follow the footsteps of the Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy (Qur’an
2:168)
O
children of Adam! Attend to your embellishments at every time of prayer, and eat
and drink and be not extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant
(Qur’an 7:31).
Spiritual
dieticians say that if every time a person sits down to eat they remember these
verses, then they will find that eating will soon become a spiritual act that
they begin to treat in a sacred and respectful manner.
Eat
of the good things We have given you for sustenance, and be not inordinate with
respect to them (Qur’an 20:81).
Victoria
Moran takes this idea one step farther in her book, Loving Yourself Thin, she
says, “Loving yourself thin is different because it works on both perspective
and practice.” On an inner level, it means trading willpower for loves power.
In practical application it means living and eating in a love-inspired fashion.
The foods you chose will be those that express love to your physical self, to
all living kind, and to the planet that provides us with the food in the first
place. Moran points out that when you eat for love it is hard to justify eating
any food that does not represent your love of your family, the environment, or
God.
The
second method used in spiritual dieting is one of mindfulness. Mindfulness, is a
long-standing tradition in many different religions and is the practice of being
aware of each and every action you take. To practice mindfulness, a person makes
an effort to become aware of each and every action they take, with the goal
being that they will then consider it more carefully as well as appreciate it
more fully. Advocates of this practice give the following guidelines for mindful
eating (About.com)
Step
1: Make a conscious choice to eat. Eat only when you're hungry
Step
2: Ask your body what it wants. Be willing to experiment: eat what you're body
tells you it wants to eat, and do it wholeheartedly.
Step
3: Eat with awareness. Be there when you eat, tasting, savoring and being
attentive to the entire experience.
Step
4: Listen for feedback. See how what you ate and how much you ate makes your
body feel, and make note of it.
Step
5: Release the meal. After the meal, forget about food or anything that has to
do with eating for a while, and move on to the next activity. If you can
continue this mindfulness into the next activity that is fine, if not, it is
sufficient to continue it only while eating.
As
in dieting, like all things, the most successful plans incorporate a combination
of techniques tailored to the individual dieter. Spiritual weight loss may be
one technique you may want to incorporate into your weight loss plan.
Sources:
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