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FatimaAsSideqah
04-04-2006, 12:33 AM
as-salaam alaykum

One of the most popular reasons to lose weight is to meet a prospective mate. And one of the most popular reasons for gaining weight is by losing one. Anyone who has been in love can attest to the weight loss power of the feeling. Love seems to fill a person up to a degree where they lose their appetite. The problem, however, is that most people cannot stay in love forever and people who lose weight to get married often gain it back later.

Doctors say that love causing weight loss is most likely a result of the chemicals released in the brain when we fall in love. When a person falls in love, their brain releases chemicals called dopamines and monoamines, the same chemicals that give us a feeling of satiation when we eat. This is also why people taking Cocaine often lose their appetite. Cocaine releases chemicals into the body that also give the illusion of satiation (Doctors Guide). "When you are infatuated, various chemicals, including dopamine, are released in your brain that work very much like amphetamines," explains Helen Fisher, Ph.D., an anthropologist and author of Anatomy of Love. These chemicals also allow the heart to pump faster thus speeding up metabolism and assisting in weight loss.

Modern dieticians are reigning in this discovery and applying it to a new method of weight loss called spiritual weight loss. The concept of spiritual weight loss relies on the concept that “No matter how you perceive it, love can revolutionize your relationship with food. This is because the love inside of you is not only strengthening and healing, it is fulfilling,” (Moran).

Other advocates of this spiritual diet say that the diet works by using two practices. The first is mindful eating and the second is eating for love.

Eating for love means that all food that one eats is eaten for the love of God. Ahmad H. Sakr, PhD, says, “In Islam, eating is considered to be a matter of worshipping of God, like prayers.” This is what the new dieticians are saying as well. They point to verses in various religious texts that support eating properly as an act of love towards God. In the Qur'an, for instance, there are many verses emphasizing the eating of whole, pure foods in moderation.


O men! eat the lawful and good things out of what is in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of the Shaitan; surely he is your open enemy (Qur’an 2:168)

O children of Adam! Attend to your embellishments at every time of prayer, and eat and drink and be not extravagant; surely He does not love the extravagant (Qur’an 7:31).

Spiritual dieticians say that if every time a person sits down to eat they remember these verses, then they will find that eating will soon become a spiritual act that they begin to treat in a sacred and respectful manner.

Eat of the good things We have given you for sustenance, and be not inordinate with respect to them (Qur’an 20:81).

Victoria Moran takes this idea one step farther in her book, Loving Yourself Thin, she says, “Loving yourself thin is different because it works on both perspective and practice.” On an inner level, it means trading willpower for loves power. In practical application it means living and eating in a love-inspired fashion. The foods you chose will be those that express love to your physical self, to all living kind, and to the planet that provides us with the food in the first place. Moran points out that when you eat for love it is hard to justify eating any food that does not represent your love of your family, the environment, or God.

The second method used in spiritual dieting is one of mindfulness. Mindfulness, is a long-standing tradition in many different religions and is the practice of being aware of each and every action you take. To practice mindfulness, a person makes an effort to become aware of each and every action they take, with the goal being that they will then consider it more carefully as well as appreciate it more fully. Advocates of this practice give the following guidelines for mindful eating (About.com)

Step 1: Make a conscious choice to eat. Eat only when you're hungry

Step 2: Ask your body what it wants. Be willing to experiment: eat what you're body tells you it wants to eat, and do it wholeheartedly.

Step 3: Eat with awareness. Be there when you eat, tasting, savoring and being attentive to the entire experience.

Step 4: Listen for feedback. See how what you ate and how much you ate makes your body feel, and make note of it.

Step 5: Release the meal. After the meal, forget about food or anything that has to do with eating for a while, and move on to the next activity. If you can continue this mindfulness into the next activity that is fine, if not, it is sufficient to continue it only while eating.

As in dieting, like all things, the most successful plans incorporate a combination of techniques tailored to the individual dieter. Spiritual weight loss may be one technique you may want to incorporate into your weight loss plan.

wa-salaam alaykum
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