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Old 05-12-2009, 06:08 AM   #1  
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Default The Practice of Moderation

I had been thinking alot about my behavior lately, about my habits over the past 6 months that I've not been losing and have slowly been regaining. And I kept thinking sloth & gluttony... which I didn't even know what those really meant I just knew gluttony definitely applied and I was sure whatever sloth meant it was me too!

I was not raised Catholic and am not really religious so I never new much about these except in the horror movie 7even! But it's been so long since I saw that I don't remember. WELL, so I decided to google it and decided yes I am guilty of Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath & even Pride. And I am looking at this all in relation to my lifestyle/behavior and how it affects my weight loss/gain.

I know what I need to work on is a personal trait now. Not just if I have the willpower today or not. I need to demonstrate that I can have temperance, diligence, patience and humility! What i need is a change in my way of thinking and when I think of all these things in relation to food & exercise it changes the thoughts in my brain. It's not about all these bad things about myself that I should be focusing on. It is all the good things that I can start doing.

okay so here is what I got from wiki:
Temperance is the practice of moderation.
Classically, temperance was defined as governing natural appetites for the pleasure of senses according to the bounds of reason. No virtue could be sustained in the face of inability to control oneself, if the virtue was opposed to some desire; this is why it is classified as a cardinal virtue, where "cardinal" signifies "pivotal."

The virtues of abstinence, chastity, and modesty are considered sub-classes of the virtue of temperance, as it governs the practice of eating and drinking, practice of sexual intercourse, and the restraint of vanity.
holy moly this is the one I need to work on the most!

Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.
well this one too, I give up way to easily and I endure nothing I run away and hide from all my problems or just refuse to deal with them

Diligence is a zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work. Decisive work ethic. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness. Putting forth full concentration in one's work.
this is what I need, this would be good I have always thought what I lack is self-discipline... another abstract idea I have a hard time grasping but putting it in to perspective as diligence I feel I can become a diligent person

Humility well I didn't find a good line or two on wiki about this, but basically it said it "addresses the intrinsic self worth..." and don't have too much pride in yourself and don't think yourself so important that you can proclaim you are completely worthless! So no pity party for me!

So minus the religious subtext here, I have seen the light! I feel like all this depression & hopelessness I've been feeling will just float away when I start doing the things that will make me happy and stop the negative self talk, the laziness, the feeling of being out of control because I'm doing nothing to put myself in control.

So has anyone else thought about weight loss and this lifestyle change as all part of the grand scheme of life? Has anyone had success in this battle and realized it by on working on their own self worth or other character traits/lack thereof?

I hope to start each day a new person and to start seeing all these choices I could be making on a daily basis as contributing to a whole new me. Not just who I am now in a skinnier body, but truly a happier, healthier person both in body & mind!

PS. I think this all so exciting to me also because of the anticipation of the new Angels & Demons movie!!! I can't wait to see it, although I had wanted to read the book before it came out. ...lol, I'm sure my procrastination can be resolved while working on these character traits as well!! :P Maybe I can get to the bookstore tomorrow and get the book read and make it to the second weekend showing... I had wanted to see it opening weekend but patience is a virtue! hahaha!
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Old 05-12-2009, 06:31 AM   #2  
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Hey! Thanks for the insights! I hadn't thought about diligence in a long time, even though mostly I am a diligent worker.

For me it was more like I had to get a handle on the food (with an eating plan) and on exercise (with an exercise plan), and then while following those plans, I had an opportunity to see how aspects of myself operated.

Moderation--yes--neither starving nor bingeing, neither lying around doing no exercise nor going all-out to the point of hurting myself. Patience--oh yeah, like when the scale doesn't move for a couple of weeks. Diligence--planning and following through. Tracking and staying accountable. Humility--well, it doesn't take to many encounters with tempting foods to teach one humility!

Good luck!

Jay
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Old 05-12-2009, 08:23 AM   #3  
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Wow. Patience involves even more than I thought- no wonder I struggle with it! Thanks for posting this thoughtful insights.

I've heard it said that weight loss begins in the mind. I am now a believer. The mental is much harder than anything physical we have to do to get the weight off. I have a long way to go until I reach my goal BUT I've now lost more weight than I ever have before. More importantly, I've stuck with what I'm doing longer than I ever have before.

The difference this time for me was addressing the mental part of weight loss- almost exclusively. The physical follows the mental so if I can get a grip on that, I'm absolutely going to succeed.

It sounds like you are ready to deal with the emotional part of weight loss and how it affects you. That means you're ready to be successful!
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Old 05-12-2009, 10:29 AM   #4  
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Kind of intense ... I like it!

(I was raised Catholic.)

Can't say I've thought about these things specifically, but as I have been improving my weight, I have also been (newly) engaged to improve myself in regards to health and things that are not even health or appearance related. Just an all-around different approach to myself, prompted by weight losses and the work that's going into it. I think you are onto something about self-worth and character.
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Old 05-12-2009, 10:59 AM   #5  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Platinum View Post
So has anyone else thought about weight loss and this lifestyle change as all part of the grand scheme of life? Has anyone had success in this battle and realized it by on working on their own self worth or other character traits/lack thereof?
Yes, that has been on my mind a lot lately. How to make eating just a natural part of my life like everything else. That doesn't mean thoughtless or uncontrolled. Just one more thing in my life that is healthy through whatever it takes - but not *the* thing. I definitely find that what I've learned through weight loss crosses over into other areas of life, and vice versa. And I'm finding it helpful to see the way I eat and live as a spiritual issue.
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Old 05-13-2009, 04:23 PM   #6  
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My dog's name is Patience - long story - so when people tell me 'to be more patient' or 'have patience' I say 'she is at home'!!!

Overall I have related some things during my weight loss/lifestyle change to 'the grand scheme of life' or since I am Christian, part of God's plan for me. I view glutony very different now and it almost makes me sick when I see people acting in gluton behaviors. It has been an issue I developed and with my sister and her family mostly being obese it is very very hard for me to not be judgemental. I am glad that I do see it though because I am hopeing I will never act like that again.

My Aunt is part of a weight loss plan that is called PRISM. A lot of people just learn and do their idea on their own but they do it with God. Their main concept is eat whole grains, veggies, lean meats, etc. They learn from the Bible how God wants us to live and be healthy.

In regards to the movie 'Angels & Demons' I have read the book. I actually read all Dan Brown's books. It is a good book and very interesting but it is all conspiricy. A good read or movie though.
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Old 05-13-2009, 04:52 PM   #7  
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Quote:
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Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast.
well this one too, I give up way to easily and I endure nothing I run away and hide from all my problems or just refuse to deal with them
I read your post with interest... I think I could use some work on all of those character traits! But it also reminded me of a favourite quote, one I refer to often (although probably not enough). And it's true: the feelings come up - sometimes they can seem almost overwhelming - but then they pass, and are gone. Amazing, really.

"Discipline" is a difficult word for most of us. It conjures up images of somebody standing over you with a stick, telling you that you're wrong. But self-discipline is different. It's the skill of seeing through the hollow shouting of your own impulses and piercing their secret. They have no power over you. It's all a show, a deception. Your urges scream and bluster at you; they cajole; they coax; they threaten; but they really carry no stick at all. You give in out of habit. You give in because you never really bother to look beyond the threat. It is all empty back there. There is only one way to learn this lesson, though. The words on this page won't do it. But look within and watch the stuff coming up – restlessness, anxiety, impatience, pain – just watch it come up and don't get involved. Much to your surprise, it will simply go away. It rises, it passes away. As simple as that. There is another word for self-discipline. It is patience.

Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English" from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
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