Today let us talk more about food and how, for many, it can become a drug as lethal as an illicit substance as cocaine and heroin. If you have experienced violent cravings like I have, then you know that the picture we have used above is not so far fetched as it relates to the horrid power hunger can often exert over us.

What I want to talk about here is victory over this monster. You do not deserve to be trapped by this marauder bent on keeping you from reaching your weight loss objectives.

In earlier editions of The Anti-Prevention Nation we mentioned how many people are attached to the magic pill --- the softer, easier, way. Fasting, dieting or exercise, in their minds, is often not an option because it requires work and some sacrifice.

Thus the obesity epidemic continues to blanket the US and many parts of the world, coming up-to-par with actual drug addiction. The reason, we venture, is because overeating and obesity is in itself an addiction to a drug.

The drug – we believe – is food. Legal, promoted and abundant nearly everywhere that we go. The problem is that there is little warning. Before one eats a high-fat meal, there is no Surgeon General warning as is the case when one purchases a pack of cigarettes.

The Elusive Magic Pill

So, for many of us, binging and overeating goes on for years with apparent impunity until, one day, we awaken severely overweight, toxic and with the threat of our lives being cut short.

It is our hope and sincere wish that this series of newsletters will drive the message home loud and clear that this need not happen to you.

Fasting is a way out that definitely works and WILL drastically improve your health – if you give it a chance.

So, it seems, the “drug” dependency problem now can add a new foe to its list – food. Now to some readers this may sound harsh and extreme.

But as we saw in the previous edition of The Anti Prevention Nation, many persons are desperately ill and obese, yet are blind to their plight or simply do not believe they have a problem.

They continually go from doctor to doctor looking to be fixed. Looking for "The Magic Pill."

Sounds like the denial of an addict? Such was my case. The truth of my toxicity and obesity would stare at me in the mirror each day. But I saw only what I wanted to see. I was not ready do surrender and do whatever it took to lose the weight and improve my health.

By the time the afternoon came, I was overcome by the craving monster and, again, would end up binging on burgers or pizza - topped with donuts and ice cream before going to bed. Not to mention large quantities of coffee and cigarettes throughout the day. It was hell on earth, but I was trapped.

I have spoken to wonderful people with great talents who are obese, and I can tell you that many brushed me away when I even hinted that food may be their problem.

It is always our message that people in such a state, in many cases, do not eat out of hunger, but out of depression, boredom and loneliness. Food is used for comfort. Food is literally used as a drug. We will talk much more in detail in future newsletters about how the mind and fear often are forge an emotional trap of delusions that fuel binging and overeating.

Starvation

But what are we to do? With cigarettes or another addiction, one can practice abstinence. Yet how can the body survive without food? Good question. The answer, research indicates, is that most persons can fast for as long as 40 days before “real” starvation begins.

Starvation begins when the body has consumed all stored fast and starts to eat live tissue for survival. Forty days! Imagine that. That certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “I am starving!” That is not to say you need to fast for 40 days. We are using this as an illustration of how dependent on food many of us can be, above and beyond what our bodies need to stay alive.

Craving

The crux of the problem is what we have come to know as the “phenomena of craving.” Many persons could eat a slice of apple pie and walk away. I applaud such people and may even envy them.

For persons such as me, on the other hand, sugar, starch and fried foods kick-in a compulsion for more and more.

The compulsion is so strong that, once started, I can find it nearly impossible to stop eating that particular food.

I am not saying here that the phenomena of craving leads you to eat a whole pie in one sitting – although in some cases it may.

What I AM saying is that, if you are like me, chances are you may not be able to abstain from sugar, start or high-fat foods for more than one or two days without going into uncomfortable withdrawal. That is the craving as we are defining it here. It is a true monster.

A friend of mine we will call Jeff presents the case in point. He goes to the supermarket and buys a gallon of ice cream, telling himself that it will last him the entire month.

Deadly Compulsion

Jeff is 120 pounds overweight and suffers from hypertension and pre-diabetes. Should he be even buying the ice cream at all? I would venture to say no, but the denial and “reasoning” of the mind wins out so he buys it.

He says he will have only one cup every few days. But sure enough, after he has the first scoop, the phenomena of craving kicks in and he finds himself getting up time and again to the refrigerator for another serving.

In some hours, the entire gallon of ice cream is gone. Then come the demons of shame, regret and demoralization. The mental anguish a binge of this sort causes is beyond description. Perhaps you relate.

Of course, there WILL be foods that I CAN eat in moderations. But it is important to know that there are OTHER foods, that I WILL NOT be able to eat safely.

I cannot keep them in my house. Why? Because I cannot control their intake. Just their presence in the house is reason to obsess. This is the where the genius of fasting comes in.

As we are discussing, many people who are obese are probably using food as a drug and are constantly stricken by the phenomena of craving.

They simply have lost the power of choice when it comes to overeating. It is a prison of the worst kind. With fasting, however, you simply do not eat for some time.

“Yes,” most people then say. “But what about the withdrawal pains?” My answer is always the same. Withdrawal pains will pass after seven to ten days of fasting. But the end result will be added, “quality” years to your life. How much is your life worth?

Weekly Fasting

Even so, you do not have to fast to break any records. Do a water fast for even ONE day a week! Let’s look at the math. One pound of body fast equals 3,500 calories. Most people eat an “average” of 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day.

Obese persons usually eat about 5,000 or 6,000 calories per day and higher. If you fast, say on Sunday (without changing anything else at all about your diet or lifestyle), by the end of the month you could experience weight loss of 4 pounds (one pound per week). That is 50 pounds in one year! Wow!

Or if you don't want to do a water fast, then do a liquid diet or juice fast! Drink fruit juice, vegetable juice, non-fat milk … whatever! One day a week!

Do it and take a walk around the block one or twice a week. See what happens. Now, that is NOT starvation or something way beyond your capacity, is it? Every little bit helps. Little things add up.

Learn to recognize the trigger foods that always get you in trouble and “kick them out of your house!” The pleasure they may provide is small in comparison to the shame, heartache and damage they are doing to you!

Make a decision to “eliminate” that food from your diet, “completely.” Yes, I said completely. Remember, the phenomena of craving will make it nearly impossible for you to “moderate.”

So long as you keep putting it in your body, the compulsion will be active and you will be defenseless.

I know that sounds harsh, but what you must realize in your heart of hearts is that you simply, at this point, do not have power to control your intake of this particular food. Perhaps a year down the line, or two, you may be in a position where you can eat it occasionally.

I would venture to say that at that point you will feel so good that you will not even want it. But, right now, your body needs to be totally detoxified and cleansed from all of the trigger foods that activate the gorging and overeating. Does this make sense?

The fact that food is a drug is evident by the fact that Overeaters Anonymous originates from the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. There definitely is something to the food is a drug argument. Don't you think?