Re: Epilepsy Drugs May Curb Obesity

[Guest guest]

Hello Francesca,

Great article to think about. Question: Are some of our

eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions

(addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by

pleasure-center stimulation?

Obviously so, because the anti-compulsive and pleasure sensory

suppression drugs work so well for handling obesity and

facilitating stress-free weight reduction. Look at that --

STRESS-FREE. Because if the desire is not there, the stress

of over-coming the desire is absent too.

In Dr. Walford's CR world, we are " over-weight " if our BMI is

a number above the threshold value of 20. Target BMI values

of 18 to 20 are tough to maintain, esp if our pleasure-seeking

reward system and " what makes life worthwhile " value system

to make us happy require some stimulation from sin foods that

have delighted our cravings since early childhood.

Our taste-sensory environment is too rich, and our pocketbooks

are too wealthy too, so we self-destruct due to inability to

handle the wealth of opportunity that gourmet foods present.

CR for some of us is like learning a whole new value system,

a whole new lifestyle, and becoming a whole new person, with

new friends and new life goals. Suddenly, we are now all

friends -- to help each other out in our struggle to survive

our binge eating and pleasure-seeking taste/sensory cravings.

That's why we need support -- from each other. Thanks!

-- Warren

=================================== ============================

On 07 Oct 2003, Francesca wrote:

Weight-Loss Side Effects Raise Questions About 'Addictions' to Food

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53442-2003Oct6.html

[Guest guest]

>Question: Are some of our

> eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions

> (addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by

> pleasure-center stimulation?

Yes. A friend of mine ate a whole cake when he got

nervours. Now he's is in treatment with benzodiazepines:

Much better -- he says: No more compulsion or anxiety.

People criticize others that uses these type of drugs,

but these people should think twice: What is worse?

Lose 1 neuron by a benzodiazepine or loose 10%

(10.000.000.000) by aging and death?

I think that experiencing a litlle of torpor and

" ressaca " by benzodiazepines is not bad, specially

for anxious people like me that can't control the

drive towards food. Further, I need to say some words:

If you can go without benzodiazepines, perfect, you

are a lucky one. But remember to re-think your opinion

when you will be having an binge attack:

That extra calories you will be ingesting you cause

much much much more damage to your whole body than

that tiny pill will do to your brain...

Finally: What is the brain without the body?

-- Gandhi.

> Obviously so, because the anti-

compulsive and pleasure sensory

> suppression drugs work so well for handling obesity and

> facilitating stress-

free weight reduction. Look at that --

> STRESS-

FREE. Because if the desire is not there, the stress

> of over-coming the desire is absent too.

>

> In Dr. Walford's CR world, we are " over-

weight " if our BMI is

> a number above the threshold value of 20. Target BMI

values

> of 18 to 20 are tough to maintain, esp if our pleasure-

seeking

> reward system and " what makes life worthwhile " value sy

stem

> to make us happy require some stimulation from sin food

s that

> have delighted our cravings since early childhood.

> Our taste-

sensory environment is too rich, and our pocketbooks

> are too wealthy too, so we self-

destruct due to inability to

> handle the wealth of opportunity that gourmet foods pre

sent.

>

> CR for some of us is like learning a whole new value sy

stem,

> a whole new lifestyle, and becoming a whole new person,

with

> new friends and new life goals. Suddenly, we are now a

ll

> friends --

to help each other out in our struggle to survive

> our binge eating and pleasure-

seeking taste/sensory cravings.

>

> That's why we need support -- from each other. Thanks!

>

> -- Warren

>

> =================================== ===================

=========

> On 07 Oct 2003, Francesca wrote:

>

> Weight-

Loss Side Effects Raise Questions About 'Addictions' to F

ood

>

>

> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53442-

2003Oct6.html

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I know this may sound harsh to some who are " driven " to eat too much, but

you never see a fat wild animal like a lion, tiger, deer, etc. Pets yes,

like humans they are fed too much, but in the wild, no. So obesity IMHO is

a disease of civilization.

on 10/7/2003 12:20 PM, Warren at warren.taylor@... wrote:

> Hello Francesca,

>

> Great article to think about. Question: Are some of our

> eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions

> (addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by

> pleasure-center stimulation?

[Guest guest]

Or rather, a disease of opulence.

Wild animals aren't fat because they have to hunt their food and their

isn't much food available.

-Zulu

>

> > Hello Francesca,

> >

> > Great article to think about. Question: Are some of our

> > eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions

> > (addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by

> > pleasure-center stimulation?

[Guest guest]

You're right... most modern people have a severely defective appestat.

They can eat and eat and never get the 'I'm full' message. Actually,

I've taken a CR break just because of this. Seems I'm not able to

control hunger after a certain amount of time if I'm in perpetual

caloric defecit. I'll eat and eat and eat and still be hungry... and

craving sweet things. I guess I lack willpower.

I think the biggest culprit here is sugar (and consequent insulin

spikes) as well as loads of salt and flavoring (as you suggest).

There doesn't seem any quick fix to this though, without drugs or

miracle medicine. Our very economic system is geared around pumping

out maximum amounts of goods.

Cheers,

-

>

> > Or rather, a disease of opulence.

> >

> > Wild animals aren't fat because they have to hunt their food and their

> > isn't much food available.

> >

> > -Zulu

[Guest guest]

I've read the files... I've read many things on controlling hunger.

But it's been my (limited experience) that restricting calories

(unless through extreme will power) results in bingeing. It starts

haunting you and is borderline painful. It's a primal desire that can

be nigh on impossible to supress. Ex: we all know fiber is supposed to

be satiating. I can say in all confidence that during hunger pangs I

could devour ENITRE boxes of bran cereal. So my current approach is to

eat as much as it takes to be satiated and probably gain some weight

back. I'm hoping science will come the rescue before I hit middle age

and eat clean in the meantime!

-

> >>

> >>> Or rather, a disease of opulence.

> >>>

> >>> Wild animals aren't fat because they have to hunt their food and

their

> >>> isn't much food available.

> >>>

> >>> -Zulu

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Thank you for the insight & thoughts Ghandi & Warren. Ghandi, I enjoyed

reading a success story.

ronaldo.luiz.alonso wrote:

> >Question: Are some of our

> > eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions

>

> > (addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by

> > pleasure-center stimulation?

>

> Yes. A friend of mine ate a whole cake when he got

> nervours. Now he's is in treatment with benzodiazepines:

> Much better -- he says: No more compulsion or anxiety.

> People criticize others that uses these type of drugs,

> but these people should think twice: What is worse?

> Lose 1 neuron by a benzodiazepine or loose 10%

> (10.000.000.000) by aging and death?

> I think that experiencing a litlle of torpor and

> " ressaca " by benzodiazepines is not bad, specially

> for anxious people like me that can't control the

> drive towards food. Further, I need to say some words:

> If you can go without benzodiazepines, perfect, you

> are a lucky one. But remember to re-think your opinion

> when you will be having an binge attack:

> That extra calories you will be ingesting you cause

> much much much more damage to your whole body than

> that tiny pill will do to your brain...

> Finally: What is the brain without the body?

>

> -- Gandhi.

>

>

> > Obviously so, because the anti-

> compulsive and pleasure sensory

> > suppression drugs work so well for handling obesity and

>

> > facilitating stress-

> free weight reduction. Look at that --

> > STRESS-

> FREE. Because if the desire is not there, the stress

> > of over-coming the desire is absent too.

> >

> > In Dr. Walford's CR world, we are " over-

> weight " if our BMI is

> > a number above the threshold value of 20. Target BMI

>

[Guest guest]

--- In , " jwwright " <jwwright@e...>

wrote:

> Look for the food that your body is telling you you need. Mine is

> peanut butter. But it's not just one thing.

From Walford's BT120YD:

" Many people suppose that animals would instinctively select what is

good for them nutritionally if given the chance, adn that humans

would too, if they were not heavily influenced by advertising and

cultural and ethnic conditioning. This is a delightful idea.

Roussea would have loved it. But Dr. Ross' introduction of

dietary self-selection into the study of aging and disease showed it

to be quite naive. " (p. 68)

The details of Ross' study are on pp. 68-9 for those interested.

Basically one of the groups studied, the rats that were allowed to

self-select whatever foods they wanted (as well as the amounts they

wanted to consume)...that group " grew more rapidly and attained a

greater body size than the other groups. They instinctively self-

selected food combinations that would optimize growth and

development; but -- and here is what made the experiment unique and

fascinating -- that very self-selection resulted in a far higher

incidence of tumors and other diseases. " (Walford)

Makes one pause and think, huh!

~ andy

[Guest guest]

I believe there's much truth to this. My job is terribly sedentary, and

demanding. I believe many are like this and that such lifestyles promote

unhealthy behaviors in a snowball manner. IMHO. I think a lot of movement

helps to manage appetites.

Francesca Skelton wrote:

I know this may sound harsh to some who are "driven" to eat too much, but

you never see a fat wild animal like a lion, tiger, deer, etc. Pets yes,

like humans they are fed too much, but in the wild, no. So obesity IMHO

is

a disease of civilization.

on 10/7/2003 12:20 PM, Warren at warren.taylor@... wrote:

> Hello Francesca,

>

> Great article to think about. Question: Are some of our

> eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions

> (addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by

> pleasure-center stimulation?

[Guest guest]

What surprises me is that you can stop after 1 tbsp. If I have 1

tbsp...I'm having the whole jar!

-

> Well, what I'm really saying is that hunger is dissuaded by some

food in a low cal intake. So the rat test is maybe not a good example

for CRer's. Whether it increases lifespan is another thing. But

there's nothing wrong with a tbls of peanut butter, is there? As long

as we control the calories.

[Guest guest]

I think more likely our "food" has been engineered to sell more product and they know which buttons to push to get us to eat excess calories. BTW, I feed the wild squirrels in my yard corn and they don't seem to get obese. Neither would I eating hard dry corn. Of course if they get obese and can't move so fast they would get eaten by a cat or dog. The ones that learn to eat less would survive better.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: apricot85

Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 5:17 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] Epilepsy Drugs May Curb Obesity

I believe there's much truth to this. My job is terribly sedentary, and demanding. I believe many are like this and that such lifestyles promote unhealthy behaviors in a snowball manner. IMHO. I think a lot of movement helps to manage appetites. Francesca Skelton wrote:

I know this may sound harsh to some who are "driven" to eat too much, butyou never see a fat wild animal like a lion, tiger, deer, etc. Pets yes,like humans they are fed too much, but in the wild, no. So obesity IMHO isa disease of civilization.on 10/7/2003 12:20 PM, Warren at warren.taylor@... wrote:> Hello Francesca,> > Great article to think about. Question: Are some of our> eating behaviors the result of neurological compulsions> (addictions) driven by internal body chemistry and by> pleasure-center stimulation?