Non-Mormon looking to follow the WoW. Any suggestions?


copic_crack
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I'm a nevermo from a background where I was exposed to many LDS friends (outside of idaho, utah, or arizona, no less). I've met with missionaries multiple times and read/prayed about the BOM, but never received any spiritual confirmation or feelings on the matter.

I do, however, have a weird, random affinity with the WoW. Whenever I have gone to sacrament meetings, it's always brought up, even if it wasn't a planned subject. It's common for me to go to church and hear, "We were going to talk about X, but stuff happened so we're talking about the WOW today."

My lifestyle is pretty opposite to the Wow, other than my appreciation of bread. I'm addicted to coffee (have at least 2 strong cups a day), I like a beer or glass of wine to unwind after work, legally smoke cannabis to get sleep, and every year or two partake in illegal party drugs and smoke cigarettes.

I was reflecting on my health and the direction it was going, and thought it would be a great idea to try following the WoW to the letter for a month for non-spiritual reasons, then seeing how I feel.

This would include things like using meat sparingly (I was thinking of being vegetarian at home, but eating some meat during holiday get-togethers and extended family dinners) , incorporating more seasonal veggies and fruits I wouldn't otherwise eat, and the "classic" no alcohol/coffee/tea/drugs.

  • Are there any suggestions or "words of wisdom" you might have for me before I start?
  • How do you feel about a non-LDS person living the WoW?
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@copic_crack  Welcome to the forums!  Cool avatar image.

How do I feel about a non-Mormon abiding by the WoW?  Great for you!!  That's totally awesome.

I think the biggest obstacle you'll run up against is it sounds like you're using substances to adjust you, rather than adjusting yourself.  For example: the coffee, not you, wakes you up.  Weed puts you to bed, not you.  It'll be a hard transition to quit this to actually be in control yourself.  I image your first week of this quest will be QUITE rough.  Even if you go cold-turkey quit and never slip, it'll probably take you a month for your body simply to cleanse itself.

But I think it'll be totally worth it!  It is fantastic to be in control of your own self: I am the master, not one else.  My body is clean from the things which'll try to take that control from me. 

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23 minutes ago, Maureen said:

In my non-LDS opinion, you would probably have to practice this for at least one year to notice any change or benefits.

M.

Yeah, definitely. If the 30 days goes well, I'll probably extend it to 60 days, then 90. Bite-sized chunks work best for me and I think a month is a good amount f time to see how I feel emotionally afterword. As @Jane_Doe mentioned, I think taking back control of my life might be the most important lesson in the first 30 days.

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As someone who has done it, giving up coffee for a week when you have a regular habit is quite unpleasant. I might try giving up alcohol instead. Unless you are giving up coffee for religious reasons, I would gradually cut down rather than cold turkey. Cutting down on coffee may help you sleep better.

Edited by Sunday21
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3 hours ago, Ironhold said:

To begin with, let's consider the coffee. 

http://www.caffeineinformer.com/

I'd suggest looking up the coffee you drink and checking the caffeine content. What's in there *might* just surprise you. 

This calculator is interesting. I tried Coca-cola and Pepsi-cola with my weight and it said that 8 cans (12 fluid ozs) per day were the maximum I could consume.

That's crazy!! I would never drink that many cans of pop per day. The harm that pop does to teeth alone is enough to limit this drink to a weekly/monthly consumption instead of daily consumption.

M.

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48 minutes ago, Maureen said:

This calculator is interesting. I tried Coca-cola and Pepsi-cola with my weight and it said that 8 cans (12 fluid ozs) per day were the maximum I could consume.

That's crazy!! I would never drink that many cans of pop per day. The harm that pop does to teeth alone is enough to limit this drink to a weekly/monthly consumption instead of daily consumption.

M.

It said I can only eat about 1,062 Hershey's chocolate bars per day before I die, which seems weird because I has about 1,100 yesterday and I'm still here.

7 hours ago, copic_crack said:

How do you feel about a non-LDS person living the WoW?

In all seriousness, as a non-LDS, I think it is great that you have decided to give up drugs. Caffeine is also technically a drug and can become very addictive. I've known people who would get headaches every morning if they didn't get their coffee. For that reason, I made the decision to avoid coffee when I was young. To this day I've never had a cup of coffee, and I'm glad I made that decision. But @Sunday21 is right, you might get better results if you ease into it gradually. I would say don't worry so much about using meat sparingly at first and focus on the cannabis, illegal drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. 

Edited by Larry Cotrell
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1 hour ago, Maureen said:

This calculator is interesting. I tried Coca-cola and Pepsi-cola with my weight and it said that 8 cans (12 fluid ozs) per day were the maximum I could consume.

That's crazy!! I would never drink that many cans of pop per day. The harm that pop does to teeth alone is enough to limit this drink to a weekly/monthly consumption instead of daily consumption.

M.

Thing is, there are people who down large quantities of "energy" drinks and the like. A four-pack of Red Bull is nothing for some people if they intend to do an "all-nighter" or otherwise want something to keep them awake, while 20-somethings commonly consume "party drinks" consisting of energy drinks mixed with vodka. 

And of course, we've got people who need five or six cups of *coffee shop* coffee to get them going. 

Really, caffeine addiction is far more common than people realize, such that most people who are addicted probably don't even realize it. 

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14 hours ago, copic_crack said:

...it would be a great idea to try following the WoW to the letter for a month for non-spiritual reasons, then seeing how I feel.

  • Are there any suggestions or "words of wisdom" you might have for me before I start?
  • How do you feel about a non-LDS person living the WoW?

Suggestions: BE PREPARED FOR A LONG TIME COMMMITMENT.

How do I feel about you trying it out:  There's certainly nothing wrong with it.  Many people come to live the health code who know nothing about us.  They just look things up themselves and think it seems like a healthy way to live.  So, why not? 

On the other hand, you said you're doing it for "non-spiritual reasons".  There's the difference.  Not that it is wrong.  But it is incomplete.  Without the spiritual aspects of the WoW, it is not a religious observance.  It's merely living a more healthy lifestyle.  Anyone should really try it.  But most of the benefits we see as Mormons are not the physical, but the spiritual.

Edited by Guest
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As we are on the topic, I used to wonder why coffee is against the WOW. I am not sure but for me, having caffeine in my system reduces my inhibitions towards anger. If I have caffeine in my system, I have to consciously mellow myself. I can imagine that caffeine and the responsibility for small children would be a bad mix.

Edited by Sunday21
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6 hours ago, Sunday21 said:

As we are on the topic, I used to wonder why coffee is against the WOW. I am not sure but for me, having caffeine in my system reduces my inhibitions towards anger. If I have caffeine in my system, I have to consciously mellow myself. I can imaging that caffeine and the responsibility for small children would be a bad mix.

Your average cup of home-brew instant coffee has 10 - 11 times the amount of caffeine as your average cup of chocolate milk or hot chocolate. 

Your average cup of fast-food coffee has several times the amount of the average cup of home-brew instant.

Your average cup of donut-shop or coffee shop coffee has several times the amount of the average cup of fast-food coffee.

Your average energy drink has several times the amount of the average coffee shop coffee.

And so on. 

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1 hour ago, Ironhold said:

Your average cup of home-brew instant coffee has 10 - 11 times the amount of caffeine as your average cup of chocolate milk or hot chocolate. 

Your average cup of fast-food coffee has several times the amount of the average cup of home-brew instant.

Your average cup of donut-shop or coffee shop coffee has several times the amount of the average cup of fast-food coffee.

Your average energy drink has several times the amount of the average coffee shop coffee.

And so on. 

https://driftaway.coffee/coffee-vs-red-bull/

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Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions!

I've decided to go for it and see what happens. I've cut out alcohol and cannabis cold turkey, while giving myself a week to wean off of coffee. Luckily, it's "tea" season and there are a bunch of herbal/fruit blends that are LDS friendly that I'm excited to replace coffee with.

I've also added prayer and fasting to my plan, probably fasting every other week rather than once a month. Praying for God to open my eyes to his will. 

I'll try to update at around 30 days and tell you what happened!

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On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 0:49 PM, copic_crack said:

Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions!

I've decided to go for it and see what happens. I've cut out alcohol and cannabis cold turkey, while giving myself a week to wean off of coffee. Luckily, it's "tea" season and there are a bunch of herbal/fruit blends that are LDS friendly that I'm excited to replace coffee with.

I've also added prayer and fasting to my plan, probably fasting every other week rather than once a month. Praying for God to open my eyes to his will. 

I'll try to update at around 30 days and tell you what happened!

 

A Thought – balance is a good thing.  You may also want to add exercise (I prefer a bicycle) as a time to think and listen.  Praying is always good but one will learn more whey they are quiet and listening.

 

The Traveler

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