How to NOT diet eat well and still lose weight The Joy Box

This is part 2 of the series entitled How to NOT diet eat well and still lose weight The Joy Box.

I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is two weeks – Tootie Fields

How to NOT diet eat well and still lose weight The Joy Box

High on most people’s favorite things to do when bored is to eat. Here in America, we must have a lot of bored people because “according to medical studies,” there are over 140 million people over age 20 that are overweight. To put that into perspective, as of July 2008, there was almost 37 million overweight people just in California alone – the most populous state in the union!

Is the obesity epidemic built into our Constitution?

If the American Dream is “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” does that mean that since eating is the one of the many joys of our American people, that right to pursue obesity is a clause (in the small print) in our Constitution and Bill of Rights?

I would like to think not; but 140 million people are proving me wrong. I want to believe that most people overeat because of emotional or physical problems, anxiety, or maybe even metabolic problems. But if that was entirely true, why does the rest of the world not have this problem?

As I told you before, I lived in Japan for about 10 years. Just by observation, I would say about half of their population is mentally ill; however, I would also guess that their obesity problem would be under 10%; more along the lines of about 5-6%.

How does an island colony the size of roughly half our population (126.7 million), also about the size of California, with only 15% of that being livable terrain, not have the same problem?

I’ve never seen one of those “rascal” scooters rolling around Wal-Mart in Japn. Nor have I ever seen a $10.99 Meat Lovers Special at Dominos either.

The Joy of Eating…Trash?

Our love of eating seems more deeply rooted into our culture than anywhere else I have been or lived (although the Tongan’s may have us beat)….let me clarify that, the joy of eating junk food seems more deeply rooted into our culture than anywhere else. When somebody gets married in Japan, the family usually cooks what’s called “O’medieto gohan” or “Congratulations Rice.” Here in America, if you’ve ever watched “My Redneck Wedding” on CMT, you would know you get a 7 pound block of sugar, or what is traditionally called a “Wedding Cake.” Junk food is so embedded into our society that our small drink at McDonalds is considered a large in most countries. Instead of Ketchup at McDonalds, you get chili sauce in Thailand.

A Personal Story.

For me, and my love of fitness and nutrition and the reason for the development of this website is because when I lived there, I didn’t have any shoulder to cry on nor did I have any comfort food to relieve stress. All I had was God, working out, and internet research. That was my stress relief and still is today. Instead of having the luxury of gong to Krispy Kreme donuts for one of their hot glazed donuts, I had the luxury of going on a 40 mile bike ride.

How to NOT diet eat well and still lose weight The Joy Box

I don’t tell you this story to brag, but to impress upon you that there are certain key moments in our lives that have a direct impact on where you are today – these are called “defining moments.” If it weren’t for the decisions you have made in the past, you wouldn’t be where you are today. That is both good and bad, and it’s not only for food and/or weight loss. It goes for the job you have, your relationship status, your money and anything else you have going on in your life…both good and bad. The decisions you make today WILL affect you tomorrow.  Think back on some of those defining moments and wonder if you would be in a whole different situation now if you had made a totally different decision .. .. whether good or bad.  Let’s hope there are more good than bad.  If not . . . .  then it’s time to make some better decisions.

The Joy Box

Most people, me included, rely on external substances to bring them joy. Whether that be cocaine, alcohol, food, sex or exercise. Food and sex are the top 2. Without either, you, me, and the entire human race would die.

Likewise, that is where most money is spent – advertising to us and telling us why we need more of both of them. You can’t turn on the TV or radio without hearing about “making yourself larger” with some sex product or feeding yourself some luscious new and improved product to make you feel better, or become skinnier.

If any of that were true, after one bite of a Dove chocolate bar you would die a happy woman, or after one Diet all your fat problems would be gone. Obviously, the gimmicks don’t work, and as the title of this blog suggests, *Diets don’t work*. The Joy Box is fleeting.

Lesson 2 – Happiness in a Box

When most people think of losing weight, they are thinking of happiness and joy. But as the saying goes “Freedom ain’t Free.”  Think of your happiness or your pursuit thereof as a journey instead of a destination. Correcting wrong happens in an instant. Healing wrongs takes time.

This concludes part 2 of the series entitled How to NOT diet eat well and still lose weight The Joy Box.