Tao of the Totem (The Way of the Totem)

Eating is such a natural part of our existence. There are but a few things which come easier and more readily to us, for example breathing. But when was the last time that you found yourself fantasising about taking a good, long, profound breath of fresh air? Unless you were being attacked by someone trying to snuff the life out of you through suffocation. There are few exceptions.

And eating is so pleasurable, as well. It provides immediate gratification, because when you are eating for the pleasure of it, the experience truly begins in the mind. It's like fantasising about sex and then having the sexual encounter. By the time you get to those closed quarters, you've already gone half way, your engine's been idling; it's warm and lubed and ready to hit the surface running.

But like with highly anticipated (yet void of meaning) encounters, the amount of fantasising that goes into savoring a meal which you are craving often is not matched in its excellence when you actually take a bite. It leaves you with a feeling of guilt and disappointment in yourself for being weak.

Then there is the issue of eating because you can. How many times have you been asked, "Are you hungry? You want to go get something to eat?" And you respond verbally or internally, "Well, I'm not starved, but I could eat." So you end up accepting the invitation simply because you CAN eat and not because you NEED to eat. In essence, you are totally ignoring what your body is telling you clearly: that it is not hungry, therefore you should not eat.

Or maybe you are bored, have the day off from work, got money in your pocket and nowhere to go. What is the one thing that is constantly shouting out at you from your radio speakers, through your car windows, on your smart phones or iPads?

***ADVERTISEMENTS!***

Constant reminders of the availability and abundance of food. Just think. You could be digging your teeth into a big, juicy double meat, double cheese burger with hot, steaming fries topped with ketchup and, of course, a diet soda with tons of ice...aaahhh, so refreshing and pleasing to all the senses, isn't it? So come on over, eat because you earned it, you deserve it! Treat yourself to something tasty.

That's what ads and signs do to us. They convince us that we need something which we actually don't. And that is why, at moments like these, you absolutely must be prepared for this kind of temptation. Think of yourself as a warrior. You need a shield to defend against all those malicious ads seeking to undermine your self-control. The question is, what is this shield going to be?

I refer to this as the totem approach. You pick something, whether it is a hobby or an object, which acts as a symbol of your commitment to improving your health and losing weight. For me, my totem is writing on this blog.

This is the one thing that keeps me grounded on the reality of my weight management challenges. It keeps me focused on my goal of losing the pounds that I need to achieve my ideal weight. And it keeps me ultra aware of my daily food choices and activities so that I do not end up cheating myself by thinking, as we all do at some point or another, "Oh, it's just one cookie, it won't kill me." Or "I'll just eat this burger [or pizza or any other fast food] today and I won't have my regular day off. I'll just eat vegetables the rest of the week."

Chances are, you will have another day off, because you have already permitted yourself to betray your own commitments. And as for eating veggies all week long, that is immensely difficult even for people like me who enjoy eating veggies all the time.

You need something to be a constant reminder of what you want to accomplish. It can be a pendant that used to belong to your mother or father or any person who made an impact on you and they themselves struggled with weight issues.

Or it could be something of your own invention. The point is, place that responsibility to monitor your actions outside of yourself, because, if you leave it up to just yourself you will very likely succumb to temptation. There is no one in the world who has a bigger weak spot for you than yourself when it comes to the pleasures of the pallet. And that goes for pretty much any other aspect of ourselves, as well.

Have you ever been standing at the register ready to pay your bill. You've already gotten an approximation as to how much you will be charged. Then the cashier gives you a figure that is below what you had anticipated. But you say nothing because, hey, you're about to save a buck or two--heeeh. You had a choice to make. One was morally correct. The other was morally bankrupt. You know this very well, yet you justify it by thinking that, "Oh, it's just a buck or two. No biggie."

Yeah, most times we are all honest. But at some point, we all give ourselves a pass on bad behavior. When you are trying to lose weight, you have to be completely honest with yourself at all times and not give yourself breaks which will only serve to undermine your efforts. A totem will help keep you honest and true to yourself. Now all you got to do is figure out what you want to use.

If you need ideas or have questions, please come on this page and input your comments. I will respond to all comments as soon as I get a chance. No question or comment is stupid. Just the person who laughs at it is stupid. Hasta pronto.

P.s. Don't be acting all blind and stuff, people! You all can see the poll at the top right of this page. Take the time and vote. Get out the vote! :p


*UPDATE!

Today I had two eggs over easy, five strips of bacon, 10 sauteed mini-carrots, two melted mozzarella cheese sticks, half a large avocado, and pork rinds doused with hot sauce. I washed that breakfast down with two 24 oz. servings of diet green tea.

For lunch I had a can of sardines, using pork rinds as chips, half an avocado, two Serrano peppers, and 24 oz. of diet green tea.

For a late snack, I had 8 oz. of redskin peanuts, three strips of pork jerky and water.