If you “can’t live without it” it’s controlling you and you are better than that

(Sheila) #41

You are right. He has no belief in God or an afterlife of any sort. He lives for today. His choice differs from mine. I do not judge him I just wish to see someone I care for enjoy a healthy life free from pain and suffering brought on by poor eating habits.
I know that I sound judgmental and holier than thou that is often my downfall.

(Ron D. Garrett) #42

Sad

(Rob) #43

Luckily there is no requirement to believe in sky fairies or magical realms to make good decisions :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Your friend has a self destructive streak a mile wide but doesn’t want to accept it. If any of the myriad belief systems can break him of that, then great. Sometimes logic isn’t enough.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #44

Ron I love this thread. I am on the fence spiritually, been oscillating between religions, agnosticism, atheism for my whole life and still don’t have an answer other than “we are divine beings and have the capacity to be much more than we let ourselves be”. Your take on this,

“ If you can’t live without something it’s a problem “

rings so true to me. I gave up alcohol daily when I started keto and haven’t looked back. I was not an alcoholic but was drinking fairly heavy for about 6 weeks before starting keto because of a fasting BG levels test that gave a reading of over 200. I was drinking because I was miserable over a dying relationship. As a 20 year amputee since age 39 I have had great difficulty meeting women who can accept me for who I really am and not how I appear. I was diagnosed with post transplant pre diabetes 9 months after receiving a kidney transplant. My life felt like that in spite of my recent gift of a kidney after 10 years on dialysis, it was going down the toilet. I also after a long time weening myself off had my first prescription pain medication free day on the exact day that I gave up carbs and alcohol. So a triple hit on my daily routine here. Carbs, alcohol consumption and 20 years of pain medication (6 years of Vicodin, 1 year at the end of that using heroin IV and 17 years of methadone) after my leg amputation ended last September 1, 2018. Thank for the brilliant post my brother :cowboy_hat_face:

A few things to add, I found a couple of responses offensive and disrespectful and reeking of a bit of egotistic superiority.

Your statement implies that racism and sexism are the exclusive domain of white males. Racism and sexism are exhibited by people of all colors, but not by everyone of course. There are plenty of people from different cultures around the world who have racial superiority issues whether white, black, brown or yellow. And I have met plenty of women who hate all men without even bothering to know you.

Testosterone poisoning is not the exclusive realm of men either as menopausal women slow down on estrogen production and sometimes start having a testosterone imbalance causing mean outbursts and comments and aggressive behavior that most of us men have struggled with at different times in our life without falling on the hormone imbalance excuse. I did like the bulk of your post however, I am not trying to be mean.

This is just egotistical and mean spirited, you don’t have to be a believer in religion, but you do need to learn to respect others. Another manifestation of a superiority attitude here, I’m surprised it didn’t elicit a response from anyone. I am not a true believer either but I don’t make fun of those who are, it’s their personal choice and freedom to believe as they see fit or feel in their hearts.

My best wishes to anyone facing an addiction challenge, and again thank you so much for this extremely heartfelt and kind but painfully true post @Rgbigun

(Ron D. Garrett) #45

Thank you! As far as the negative people who imply things that I didn’t even bring up I don’t worry about them or what they say. Y words are intended to help those that feel them dans any religion or lack there of. Besides, if the person who wrote that diatribe REALLY knew me they would know that as a God fearing man who is black by this worldly labeling system I am the HARDEST on the black community for its hypocrisy as it comes to racism. My blog proofs me in this in articles that I wrote years ago. Thanks again for the kid words and I’m thankful that you received it in the intent that it was written. Be blessed!

Black

#46

Yep - I am saying that when seen in a general class-based way, there are systemic, institutional privileges and oppressions globally (global north compared to global south) as well as within nations and ideologies. Of course there are individual variations - but human society is not just about individuals, it’s about home relationships and social power relationships that impact institutions and generations - and the degree of empathy & solidarity with those who are more vulnerable than ourselves, especially when they are more vulnerable in combined ways (such as someone who is both poor, female, and non-white, especially black the world over). Power-over others, as well as not using one’s privileges to serve a higher good, is actually a kind of addiction imho.

Going back into the paleo-keto realm - ie, presumably all our ancestors (it wasn’t too long ago and comprised 90% of human culture history on pre-patriarchal earth) indigenous & aboriginal peoples thrived in cultures where ethics of egalitarianism mutual respect, healthy boundaries, land stewardship, and community care were the norm. Science writer Elizabeth Pennisi’s article Our Egalitarian Eden reports on a meta-analysis of anthropological studies that showed that hunter-gatherers were actually not warmongers (it’s in the journal Science which has a paywall, but some of it is reprinted here).

Racism is a social power structure, different than prejudice which is a personal attitude. Though all racial categories can be prejudiced or not in individual psychology, racism is systemic and institutional in big ways in european western nations. And in the global south, “colorism”, the favoring of lighter skinned people - which, being from the impact of european colonialism and current media, is still related to white supremacy.

Same with sexism - there are well documented impacts on female human rights, despite the variations in individual males when it comes to toxic masculinity culture/male supremacy and who’s a true ally of females and who’s a user, abuser, or predator.

And righteous anger by the oppressed against the oppressor is healthy. After all Christ (a brown-skinned Jewish Nazarene mystic, who I believe was fully enlightened) confronted bias, stood up for the exploited and marginalized (women, children, lepers, and blind folks) and flipped tables. I do believe there is such a think as healthy hate of structured white/male/human supremacy that empowers actual humanity, which is to say empathy and service. And, regardless - hearkening to what Capn Bob said, I think we don’t have to believe in magical realms to make good decisions or be decent people.

But if you don’t know that of course I shan’t convince you. I was fortunate to be educated by my grandmother and Black & Latina professors.

I think the eloquent work of professor Darcia Narvaez from Notre Dame University is a great resource. She’s a parenting educator focused on the moral & ethical development of children and the importance of dismantling enculturated & systemic dominations - on behalf of a healthy human society, and justice.

As a female with indigenous cultural heritage, I think industrial culture is very sick in a lot of ways - and that it’s not just the food, or the general culture of addiction. It’s about extracting self-gratification or financial gain from those lower on the hierarchy by those higher on the hierarchy through systemic power imbalances like exploitation, objectification, dehumanization (along with destruction of the living land by industrial agriculture as so well explored in the film The Magic Pill).

However, if my comments offended or triggered you, guess I’ll take that as a compliment?

#47

This thread with a mixing of diet and religion reminds me of actor Chris Pratt’s latest diet.

As some of you may know Chris Pratt is an outspoken Christian and he’s currently doing the ‘Daniel Fast’ also known as the ‘21 Day Bible Diet’, which consists of Fruit, Veges, Unleavened Bread, intermittent fasting…and prayer.

Not a religious person myself, so of course I found it amusing, but hey, maybe prayer gets him mentally into a positive frame of mind. Hopefully it gets him through the suffering of dieting and fasting on no protein, no fat and high carbs. Ouch!

(Ron D. Garrett) #48

Never offended. I simply don’t concern myself with others opinion or lack thereof. However, you do seem to be taking the post further with race than it was intended and my “walk with God” clearly was pointed at the person who identifies as a Christian and CLEARLY was not intended for anyone else reading it to surmise otherwise and if they did…not my problem.

Also, you seem to intimate that if I don’t think as you do that I’m off course yet you have not walked my walk nor experienced what I as a black man have experienced and/or your assumptions that I have not studied what you have studied borders on elitism to me.

This post was clearly directed to those who (that I as a personal trainer) have been trying to help with KETO WHO HAVE STATED that they want to do KETO and lose weight like I “did” but don’t want to do what I did to achieve it.

This is why I despise a lot of intellectualism because many intellectuals look past the obvious and infer things into a conversation that is simply not there (some conversations like it or not or from the heart and not from the head or “by the book”).

If you knew me you would know that I don’t play that game and I am truly a man who meant what he said which is why I don’t suffer fools or intellectualists much.

Now having said that…to the ones that this post helped please disregard the diatribes that this post devolved I to and focus on doing what successful people have done to mitigate the complications the complications and/or reverse T2 and/or who are trying to lose weight I reiterate that if you want to change yourself you just be willing to change.

You cannot expect to achieve what someone else has achieved without at least investigating and implementing (tailored to your own life with the realization that the results may vary greatly) what they did to achieve their results.

This post was NOT about religion or race but since I’ve experienced both by being a black man and then becoming a Christian those traits will always influence anything that I say but I always try to ensure that unless I mean something to be “religious” that I include room for others who don’t share my views to take away what they can and apply it to their situation sans religion.

Lastly, I normally don’t respond much to people who try to hijack someone else’s post to dredge up issues that THEY want to talk about UNLESS my original post provides room for it…this one does not.

This is not coming from a position of offense nor anger but from one who in his “military mindset” has learned to speak his mind staying focused on the “mission” at hand and that is truly what this response is about.

So “be blessed” (or not…or if you prefer “be well”) but whatever the case “KCKO).

Black

(Jeanne Wagner) #49

I was one of those people my entire life until 47 1/2 yrs of age that absolutely could not live without the sugar, sweets, or carbs. “Real food” that was carby was not enough (corn, potatoes), there had to be cakes and cookies, etc. And a lot of it every day. At my worst, which was right there at that 47 1/2 yrs old point, I would eat a big family-sized bag of M&Ms in a day or two. Almost a whole loaf of Italian, Cuban, or French bread every day or two. Ginormous bowls of spaghetti (and 2nds!!) with lots of sauce. Tons of mashed potatoes and gravy. Very large portions. My appetite was enormous. It was utter and complete addiction. I had one thing I did that my twisted mind considered ‘good’ for me and kept me from being unsavable. I had Stevia in my coffee. That was the one and only restraint I practiced. You know, instead of having pure sugar in my coffee. :roll_eyes: I was 100% sick. over 230 lbs at 5’ 4.5" with an A1C of 11.4. Just sailing towards an early awful death.

It was a combination of things that turned me around. Everyone’s reason(s) are their own… all are different. My combination was that my fear of dying of ‘complications related to diabetes’ reached a point that pierced my sugar-coma brain. My mom had died of those complications a few years prior to my revelation. A dear friend of mine was going blind from diabetic neuropathy (and still is, and has now had a major heart attack :cry:). I finally knew I had to do somthing. My self preservation finally kicked in a tiny bit. In my mind I knew I had to stop the madness that was my eating habits, but my heart wasn’t in it because of the addiction. I had been obese since 6-7 yrs of age. Basically my whole entire life. I cannot remember ever being a normal size, because I was too young to remember. I contracted diabetes type II at 36. It’s so insidious and horrible. And the guilt I plagued myself with also harmed my health and well-being.

So I just gave it up to ‘the universe.’ Call it whatever you want, but I pleaded with my innermost self. MY SELF because I had to make the decision in the end. No one could make me do it. I begged myself to want to change. I begged myself to want to find the information, and for my ‘mind to flip over’ so I could stop this freight train towards an awful death, blindness, amputations, stroke (imagine being basically helpless, and not being able to talk or walk or read or write for the rest of your life if they don’t catch it in time NOTHANKYOU!!!). I did this every day for a variable amount of time. I’m a photographer. Imagine not being able to see!!! NOJUSTNO.

And after some weeks, something within me stirred, and I was made aware of a book (Wheat Belly by William Davis MD). It just came to me waiting to be read. I avoided it for many months, still that mental voice of addiction not wanting me to change (just another stupid diet book by another clueless doctor telling me to starve myself and exercise like crazy). But one day I finally decided to read it. And immediately it was clear that this was not just another stupid diet book by a clueless doctor. And by chapter three it ignited the spark in my mind and my mind finally flipped over, and I’ve been on fire ever since. I don’t expect this to burn out. I’ve been doing low carb for 19 months, keto for almost 13 months of those 19 months. It IS MY WAY now. It should have been my way my whole life really.

In July 2018 I got the A1C reading of 5.4 that I am finally non-diabetic. I’ve only lost a total of 26lbs (was 46 but gained 20 back). Many doctors would consider it a miracle. I just think of it as a natural occurance after following the keto and fasting protocol I had been doing for months. I am thankful every day for Keto. It can be totally life changing if you let it. And I absolutely don’t miss all the crappy carbage. It makes me queasy, and sick, and feel absolutely awful now. Think about it, we used to live at that level all the time, and now we’re healed. My quality of life now is SOSOOOSOOO much better than it was. Anyone who talks about keto being restrictive or that I’m missing out, or that they could never do it… yaddi yaddi yadda… it’s just the addiction talking.

(Brian) #50

I love this line! Personal responsibility. No blaming anyone else. Owning your own decisions and choices. :slight_smile:

#51

Actually I wasn’t responding directly to you - if you look closely in the upper right section of my post you’ll see that was a personal response to David Smalley - he who did not like the analysis of white supremacism and other supremacisms that I’d touched on - within the context of a culture of addiction and power imbalances.

So I’ve not intimated anything about you, it wasn’t directed at you. Personal response subthreads/digressions are a part of online forums and not thread hijacks.

My previous constructive clarifications upthread were directly to you, I believe, and that went fine as far as I can tell.

Be blessed too!

(Full Metal KETO AF) #52

So your politics and feelings are fine and I agree with many points you make, but you hijacked a thread about addiction, a personal issue and used it to soapbox your political agenda. It really had nothing to do with having an addiction that gets in the way of making accompaniments doing a keto WOE. Apparently you’re not having an addiction issue so good for you, just not sure why you wrote a major essay about feminist politics here on a keto forum thread about people struggling with things they can’t seem to give up.

As far as @Capnbob I could care less about his religious beliefs, they are his choice and personal business. What I did object to was his belittling of anyone who does have and follow a spiritual belief. That’s just not acceptable, this was not a debate about whether people believe in God. I’m not belonging to any particular faith or belief system myself but it’s rude to make fun of people that do.

I wish you peace. :cowboy_hat_face:

(Ron D. Garrett) #53

Thank you for the clarification. I apologize and need to be more careful on responding. I’m not on these forums a lot and the little nuances of ensuring that I know who I’m responding too might get past me from time to time as I pop in and out of them. Know that even if you were talking to me directly that I was not mad or anything but just wanted everyone to know who I am and why I say what I say or do what I do. Sometimes I’m a bit as my wife would say “too unemotional” which while allowing me the freedom to truly express my thoughts can sometime get me in trouble :joy:. Having said that I do love how you articulate and craft your thoughts. It would be a hoot to sit down and convo with you in person I bet. Be blessed!

#54

Thank you Ron!