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We all INTERPRET stimuli differently. For example, I enjoy the feeling of being really full. Someone else may dislike that very same feeling. I think the difference lies more in our neurology (the way we interpret the feeling) than in the elasticity of our stomach muscles or even our leptin levels. Just as one person may love the colour purple and another hate it. Same wavelength, same stimulus to the eyes and brain, different interpretation.
Freelance
I think you would see a different angle to this if you read The End of Overeating. It's not about addiction in the sense of being a weak willed person or something like that, it's about physiological response to certain combinations of stimuli, one that is unavoidable in our society. Understanding this chemical reaction that my body has to food has really helped me gain control because I'm not blaming myself every moment of the day, I now KNOW that eating certain foods causes me to behave in certain ways and that is something I CAN control.Originally Posted by freelancemomma
Re: your theory... I personally question the whole concept of addiction, whether to food or alcohol or cigarettes or whatever. I believe there are various degrees of attraction toward a substance. If you happen to be highly attracted to alcohol, you'll have trouble moderating your intake. Same goes for food. I think some of us just like food more than others, just as some people like booze or sex more than others. Who knows why? We all INTERPRET stimuli differently. For example, I enjoy the feeling of being really full. Someone else may dislike that very same feeling. I think the difference lies more in our neurology (the way we interpret the feeling) than in the elasticity of our stomach muscles or even our leptin levels. Just as one person may love the colour purple and another hate it. Same wavelength, same stimulus to the eyes and brain, different interpretation.
Freelance
For example, I've taken great strides in lowering my wheat consumption. By doing so I've fixed some gastrointestinal problems but have also learned that my appetite is not as overpowering as it used to be. I feel more level headed, less foggy, better able to sate myself with simpler foods.
Then a few nights ago my husband begged me to make pasta. We hadn't had any in soooo long that I agreed and had a bowl of it. Eating it was so sinfully pleasurable, I was almost dancing as I ate it. A couple of hours later I was hankering for a piece of chocolate and had that. The next morning my stomach was growling and I was craving cereal, toast, croissant, whatever wheaty carby thing I could find. That's not really normal for me anymore, I've been quite happy with a bowl of yogurt or a boiled egg for breakfast normally. A piece of toast then leads to a pat of butter and a dollop of jam, and then what the heck let's toss in another slice of toast! Eating wheat makes me unravel, it makes me hungry, it makes me want more and it leads to poor choices which in turn leads to more poor choices. I also don't like to use the word addiction here but let's face it, something is going on, something happens to me when I eat wheat and/or sugar. Luckily this doesn't happen to the same extent when I eat rice, potatoes, or corn, but wheat kills me every time!