Taubes, Guyenet, and the Obesity Solution

These people assume that there is a underlying physical cause for the obesity epidemic. What if they really are studying how the body deals with overeating and the actual cause is cerebral, not physical. What if there are a large number of causes and contributing factors?

I seem to be developing, or just observing what appears to be a binge eating disorder in myself. An overwhelming desire to eat, whatever is available, and acting on that urge is a classical description of binge eating disorder. Perhaps, yes, it has existed all along, but was reduced through the weight loss phase. Thinking back, binges have been part of the problem. Donuts. Wieners. Nuts. Cheese. Roast Beef. Fruit in season. Green raw peas in season, on the vine. Grapes. Corn, raw on the cob, fresh in the garden, just like a raccoon. They got the blame, even though they are rare around here.

The only treatment offered is cognitive behavior therapy. Know thy self, be aware, and stop doing the behavior. Such a solution. Back to "it is my fault. It usually is, for I am a man."  The power of the mind to make us do something is amazing.

When the appetite strikes, the desire to eat, there is little that I can do except go away, and do something else more interesting. The wife brought home a big package of grapes, something she does not eat, and left them there. She know I would eat them. Sabotage. Abuse. If I say anything, I will be in more shit. Is there a real solution beyond living alone? She has been asked not to do that so many times now, but still she does it. I have to stop her from buying any groceries, I guess.

This gets me thinking about the food input phase. First there is the desire to eat, the appetite. It is worse if we are physically hungry. Back to the metered meals I guess. weighted, measured, calories computed, revised, everything cleaned up, before eating. Compulsion is a bitch.

The second issue in the input cycle, where control can exist is controlling the availability of food. All frozen, uncooked, or in the store until needed. This may seem excessive, but for some of us it seem necessary, to control our intake. Acceptance of all things in my life that is beyond my control is also necessary, and then working to change the ones that I can change has brought considerably more peace, but how do we change behavior of ourselves, let alone getting someone else to change?

There is much advise, but most of it near useless, or I am too thick to understand what is being said. First is recognizing the problem behavior, followed by the willingness to change, the urgency to change, what to change, how to change it, and then some form of learning the new behavior, unlearning the old behavior, to a new and workable solution. If the solution cannot be seen to be working, what was the point.  Then exhaustion or frustration (physical and/or mental) sets in and nothing happens.