Yesterday, I introduced the idea here of comparing the act of eating with the act of sex. It's easy to compare eating to sex. Both acts produce very strong endorphin releases in our brains; that chemical (among others) that leads to a state of pure extasy, no matter how short lived. Both are pleasurable endeavors that lead to extremely positive results. And both can lead you to stray out of your commitments to yourself and your loved ones to live up to some standard of self-discipline when it comes to preventing disease.
But the most important relationship between food consumption and sex is not how each one resembles the other independently. Rather, it is how one affects the other when abused. I am talking particularly about how the consumption of excessive amounts of food, or the wrong kinds of foods, can lead to a diminished level of sexual pleasure. That's right, the more you indulge in your favorite foods without a care in the world, the more you attract those extra pounds onto you instead of attracting your mate. This is predominantly because, more than likely, as is with everything you do, obesity slows your sexual drive a whole lot. You literally become a lazy fuck.
If you have ever been obese, think about how that excess weight affects your pace when you walk, or when you engage in any physically taxing activity. You become agitated easily and need breaks often. So you often sit down or lean on things because your frame can't sustain all that girth in motion for too long.
The same thing occurs on those nights of romance with your significant other. You might be able to get exited about the hot action that is about to ensue, but a few minutes pumping away at it will leave you breathless and ready to lean back and take a breather. Not only that, but since your body has only finite amounts of blood circulating through you, when you become agitated, that blood is redirected to the other organs which are starving for it, since you've taken on a huge task of performing such an arduously athletic activity without being physically apt for the challenge. Of course, this affects primarily guys, since we all know that good erections depend principally upon a proper supply of blood to "that" region.
But, ladies, you are not off the hook, either. Obesity in women can make you feel less attractive to both yourself and your mate, therefore experience a lower sex drive. But not only that. In an article titled, "Obesity and Sex Drive," on the website tree.com, it is stated that:
"Excess body fat results in higher than normal levels of a hormone called sex hormone binding globulin, which binds to testosterone in both men and women, influencing the sex drive in both."
Read the article here: http://www.tree.com/health/obesity-effects-sex.aspx
This hormone "inhibits the function of [sex] hormones," according to Wikipedia. Once your sex hormones are thrown off balance, forget-about-it. Might as well just sit there and cuddle.
Speaking on a more personal level. When I was obese, I secretly always wanted to be taking it easy when getting it on. So I would maneuver around until I was the one relaxing while my partner did all the work. It's embarrassing, yes. But it is also true. You want to have a great sex life? Get a good grip on your eating habits. Become more active. As soon as you lose a few pounds, you will not only look good and feel healthy, but you will also feel more sexy or attractive (women and men respectively) and have greater energy to take on your mate on that horizontal dance of old.
Go on, take me up on that challenge to lose those two to three pounds in a week, and you'll see how you'll be feeling like you're too seeexy for this blog, 'cuz you'll be busy kneading your mate's pizza dough all day long in bed. Happy spanking.
*UPDATE
Today I only had one meal because I went to the dentist and experienced the most gruesome pain in my life to date. I'm just not hungry or looking forward to eating anything else other than maybe fruit and water.
My one meal consisted of a chicken leg quarter, two eggs, four cheese sticks, 12 mini carrots (sauteed), three Serrano peppers, a single-serving size bag of pork rinds with a half avocado, and about 30 oz. of diet green tea.
I have been very active these days. Today included a trip on foot across an international bridge into Mexico. That was fun. But the pain afterwards was excruciating. People, take care of your teeth. That's all I have to say. You don't want none of this pain.
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.
