hold on to the center

Two months ago I got a needed push toward getting more deliberate in my approach to health. Over the last two years previous I had gradually moved from 340 to around 300lbs. Which is fine, but I was sticking there and things weren’t changing. I still had the same medical problems, just slightly less severe. These include high cholesterol, high blood sugars, pre-Diabetic and severe sleep apnea. It goes without saying, there are a myriad of other effects that slender people will not understand unless they’ve been pregnant or had a serious injury to their back. I’m not going to rehash the history of my struggle here, but I would like to share what I’ve observed over the last two months since I earnestly began applying what I’ve learned from many, many health and diet books mixed in with The Gabriel Method.

There are two differences about The Gabriel Method that immediately stand out in the opening chapters when compared with other so-called diet or weight-loss books. First, he states that emotional sticking points are a key part of our weight. He even says if they aren’t addressed, other measures may be minimally effective or futile. This had the ring of truth for me. I found an especially effective therapist 1.5 years ago and I have worked hard toward understanding my own sticking points. I felt I was in a good place to make yet another effort at weight loss. Second, he said that diets actually contribute to the problem of weight gain. I’ve been on blood type, zone, south beach, and others I can’t even remember. I gained the weight back with a vengeance on all of them.

Jon’s method focuses not on giving up foods, but adding the nutrients that are needed via simple foods or supplements. When you deny yourself something you crave, you are telling your body there is scarcity. Under these conditions we store fat and try to conserve energy (feeling stiff, tired). Another key part is using visualizations or short meditative sessions to send picture signals to your body to instruct it what to do. A lot of his approach is based on evolutionary biology, a favorite topic of mine the past 3 years.

Although I’ve been regularly meditating for years, I was skeptical about his approach. I began by posting my situation to Facebook and asking my friends for encouragement and started with The Gabriel Method right away. To my surprise, around the 4th day my appetite changed dramatically. The Omega-3, Probiotics, and dietary enzymes (along with regular supplements) had reversed the way my body wanted food.

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I had been eating one salad a day for a few days, and it was the normal “ho-hum I have to eat this.” Then things changed. I wasn’t experiencing the demands for immediate energy that usually result in craving sugar, carbs, or anything that gives a quick boost. If you think of the surface of the ocean, it swells and dips quite a bit. This was me without the nutrients, hungering for quick energy food (and a big insulin rush) and riding the waves in the middle afternoon and late evening. Now things had changed and my hunger and energy was more like the steady and powerful waters at the bottom of the ocean, sustained and consistent.

I realized what he was talking about. My eating habits were fuelling my body’s sense of scarcity because they lacked live nutrients and enzymes. I was processing plenty of food through my digestive system, but I was starving for nutrients. This is typical of an average american diet. Dieting and exercise would cause weight loss in the past, but since it still believed I was living in a time of scarcity, it waited me out until my discipline was weak, then brought me back to the weight that it believed was correct. This is why I always gained the weight back, and often very quickly.

My best effort lasted 2.5 months around 2005. 335 down to 290. BUT, my body’s set point was still 335 because I was using discipline and denying cravings. I was soon back to 330.

Here are some of the magic bullets I’m relying on:

- the one and only element of discipline- I must take my supplements everyday, no exception.

- If I see or think of an unhealthy food that I want, I pass it up once. If I obsess, I eat it guilt free.

A very helpful change was being able to receive and act on the signals from my body. I’m sure they were always there. In the past if I had too much sugar, ate too much, or was thirsty, it would be a faint whimper as though emanating from my closet trapped under some spare blankets. Now these signals are loud and clear as if riding on my shoulder. I noticed that after a 6 weeks of fruit smoothies, these were now too sweet for me. I was getting mild sugar headaches. I can now sense, though it’s rare, when I’m truly hungry and need some food. I get cravings for water. Never carbonated drinks or fruit juices, but only water. I also notice that in addition to being strongly spiced with the blunt weapons of sodium and sugar, restaurant meals are really large. Most often they become doggy bags for lunch and I don’t feel weighed down afterward.

My very favorite thing over the last 8 weeks is not the weight loss, but the change in my energy. Assuming I get the amount of time I need for sleep, I’ve felt a dramatic change in my focus and energy. I attribute this mostly to satisfying my cravings with raw, fresh food. The trick of the Gabriel Method is that you don’t deny yourself any food, because if you are getting your nutrients, this changes completely. You don’t try to give them up, you end up wanting to. This is a key difference.

The main challenges to staying with this have been minor, really. The first month I had trouble with evening eating. This is very hard because the body is shutting down for the day and old habits die hard. Another challenge was pain in my right knee from one of the few times I worked out. Now I’m doing Yoga every other day and hope to be able to get back to some other workouts eventually. I have done cardio for less than 20 minutes three times in the last two months. Based on all the new research being presented on this subject, it does not surprise me that exercise is not a key factor to long term weight loss. Another challenge is relying on caffeine for pick me ups or just a soothing, warm treat. Morning smoothies are one way to kick this and it really is working for me.

Although these concrete steps have been a big difference for me in my attempt at losing weight, there is another new factor at work that is just as powerful. For around 15 years I have avoided cameras, mirrors, and other reminders of my problems with food and health in general. I tried opening up to my friends and family to get their prodding support, but it didn’t work. I’m independent to a fault. When someone tells me what I should do, I react more strongly to a feeling they are trying to control me than I do to their actual advice.

Asking publicly for support and encouragement has helped me get past my shame about my weight and emotional eating. People telling me I look good is nice. However, that only comes after some weight loss. I was lucky to have lots of people on Facebook and Twitter chime in and let me know of their interest and support from the very beginning. For this, I am truly grateful.