Gluttony

Gluttony is consuming more than required. The French philosopher and Pascal said that we were forever trying to fill a God shaped hole with anything but. Nothing speaks to this more than the eating disorders. Interestingly the gender division of eating disorders has been traditionally women eating more while men drank. A study of 15 to 25 year old women showed that 75% of them had some form of eating disorders. At an Addiction conference this summer the presenter discussing the latest MRI findings of brain pathology stated that there was evidence suggesting anorexia was more of a brain developmental delay but the evidence of obesity was that it was overwhelming in that it was an addictive disorder. Certainly the 12 step programs such as "Overeaters Anonymous" are a mainstay of treatment. Working with eating disorders indeed taught me something. Alcoholics say they don't want to go to AA because of the God word but I have told them convincingly that addicts and alcoholic would still go to the bar or drug dealer even if he was spouting God slogans. The thing about the gluttonously obese is that they don't want to go to the gym and they don't talk about God at the gym. Addiction is about lying. The addict lives in denial and avoids anywhere that their disease is out in the open. They don't want to face their problem or address the solution. So they isolate. They rationalize and justify. The sad part about obesity is that the 'smiling obese' person is really just another addict "stuffing' their feelings. The obese people that I have seen in practice are angry people who are full of resentment and commonly erring on the side of 'sins of omission'. They are neglectful and like other addicts self centered and selfish. They do have inferiority complexes but they also nurse their self pity and "medicate' their feelings with food.

Admittedly I binge. I reward myself with food. I'm of a society that has 'pie eating ' contests. I've competed in consumption as a child. I've been rewarded for 'cleaning up my plate'. Naturally parents in the past were concerned that a child not be thin as thin children were more likely to be sickly. Ironically it's only the thin that grow old. We must put away childish things. I've certainly noticed that any ounce of food I eat today puts on a pound of fat that clings to my body like I was Noah's raft. Exercise is harder with aches and pains so naturally one should eat moderately. Just like the alcoholic who finds it harder to recover after a bar fight the fatty has to realize that with age it's just that much harder to recover from the binge.

It's not 'what" I eat as much as how much I eat. All the dieting and talking about foods and sugars are no different than the alcoholic who changes from whisky to wine to beer or more commonly drinks 'white wine'. It's the quantity and the drunkenness and the emotional disorder.

It's not that I'm a "sugar addict" < I'm a glutton. I eat the whole hagen daz ice cream container. I have two chocolate bars, I eat a second portion of chips. I have to reduce the amount and pay attention to what I'm eating. Fat is a Family Affair by Hollis is an excellent book. I have to further look at my resentments and if I'm really serious I won't eat while watching tv . The trouble with character defects is that too often we're not ready to give them up. So I'm going to ask for God's help because frankly I love chowing down and watching good ole Swarzy baby kill the bad guys. If the truth be told they should have all the superheros doing their things with a peanut butter and banana sandwich in their hands because that's what the boy audience is usually doing. Now girls it's probably romance and sandwiches so all those hot gushy scenes should include the sexy heroine stuffing in carbs while the heros coos over her. It's the age of reality tv. Snacking is our main past time.

Moves like "supersize it' should be mandatory.

And all the diseases associated with obesity type II diabetes, osteoarthritic hip diseases, cardiac and GI disorders , sleep apneas, all of these should be clearly stated as "life style " diseases. And no I's "not my metabolism". It's my gluttony that's the problem.

There are no obese people over a hundred. There are smokers and drinkers but there are no obese people. I think that's what God has to say about gluttons. Again the movie SEVEN is a must see.

Now I'm so upset with myself I'll have to have a chocolate bar.. I hate carrot sticks and celery but I'd better get them and screw the gym. I can walk a block uphill and go for a swim without all the drama and the fancy gym wear. Maybe I should get to a meeting of Overeater's Anonymous. Too.