txdon
Super Member
Yes I can expand. (You asked.
)Every obese person will say they eat in moderation. Every alcoholic will say they drink in moderation.
The following is a quote from a Doctor I had lunch with about a year and a half ago. He is Douglas J. Lisle, PHD and he wrote the book "The Pleasure Trap"
"Life experience demonstrate that extreme ideals are often mistaken. .....A moderate position reduces the degree of potential error. Moderate positions are wise, because moderation tends to reduce risk exposure.
...People are naturally suspicious and resistant to radical ideas ...or change. When confronted with data indicating that meat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy products, added oil, salt, sugar, processed foods and recreational drugs are all harmful to health, the sensible person will pause and then may only move slowly. Everything in moderation would seem to be the most prudent path. Radical change, no matter how convincing the evidence, seems unnecessary, and perhaps risky. But it is.
Since about 3/4 of our citizenry will be prematurely disables and killed as a result of these lifestyle practices, radical health-promoting changes are clearly in order for most people.
"Everything in moderation" with respect to consumption is perfectly reasonable if the products being consumed have a natural effect on the central nervous system. If so then this sensitive system can be trusted to assign appropriate priorities to different combinations of actions. How do you know when you have eaten enough apples? When you feel satiated. How do you know when you have had enough water? When you are no longer thirsty. How do you know when you have slept sufficiently? When you awake spontaneously, feeling refreshed.
However if the consumption activity involves stimulation that is not consistent with the natural history of the nervous system, miscalculation can result. Cigarettes, for example artificially stimulate dopamine activity in the pleasure centers of the brain. ......Cigarettes serve as an excellent example for clarifying the limitations of moderation philosophy. How many Cigarettes is a "healthy and moderate" amount? The answer the extreme position - is none. Similarly how much cocaine.......none....for materials that do not have a natural and healthy relationship to the body the "healthy and moderate" amount is none whatsoever.
Can we live less than perfect and still be healthy? Of course....but this is not the same as saying "everthing in moderation" is prudent. On the contrary, the following is true: Everysingle unhealthy behavior impacts the body in a destructive fashion to some degree. Your optimal health, the maximum health possible to you body given your genetics and own life history, is obtainable only through optimally healthy behavior. ....the "moderate" inclusion of the unnatural and destructive products ... are the primary consumption materials in todays society. [which is a behavioral transgression and a step back from optimum health]
It is little wonder ...That when it comes to making diet and lifestyle changes, the concept of moderation is both popular and reassuring. If we will only begin by making little changes, we are told, it will get us moving in the right direction. If we will learn to push ourselves away from the table a little bit sooner, and get just a bit more exercise, we can start losing weight. And if we will eat just a few more vegetables and a little less meat we can reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease. And if we can keep at it a bit at a time, we can achieve what is necessary. We are told that we can have most of our cake, and eat it too. There is no need to become fanatical, and it might even not be healthy for us, either physically or psychologically.
This is the concept of moderation.......while useful in many areas of life, it is highly misleading with respect to dietary and lifestyle practices. ....A slow-and-steady stately is rarely successful. Thinking that little changes are easier, more reasonable, and will be sufficient is a myth. The truth is that in order to break free, most people need to invoke multiple and radical changes."
On a personal note: I thought like you before on "moderation" when I should have invoked radical changes - it almost cost me my life. Moderation kills.
