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Our appetite is governed by a number of
things going on in our body. The hypothalamus in the brain regulates
and monitors various chemical signals from around the body. The signal
to eat is triggered by a number of factors. The amount of leptin being
produced by the fat cells in our body tells our brains whether we're
at risk from starvation. Sudden losses in weight through illness or
use of some diet drugs or diets can trigger this leptin production.
When this happens we are drawn to high fat food, it's a subconscious
response and research shows that we feel more compelled to eat and
not consciously be aware of what it is we're eating. Watching the
birds chose the food put out for them this snowy period shows how
deep this compulsion is, the birds tend to go for the high fat or
sugar foods, like fat balls and fruit. The seeds and bread tend to
take longer to be eaten. The birds haven't got the brain capacity
to know what's the most nutritious, it's a built in instinct.
We also have a mechanism in the stomach that sends the message to
the hypothalamus which tells us we're full and can stop eating. If
we're lucky and had a mother who let us get down from the table when
we were full we're lucky. Making children eat everything on their
plate over rides this trigger and so we lose touch with this stop
system.
We use food as rewards, "if you're a good girl you can have a
sweety after we've done X, Y & Z". This builds up a pattern
of habit in the limbic part of the brain. This template becomes stores
in the hippocampus and so when faced with a situation, particularly
with a similar unpleasant one, our unhappiness with the situation
looks for a way out and last time - your hippocampus tells you, you
had a cake, or sweets, or whatever the food choice is. The same goes
for smoking or drinking, we enforce these habits as coping mechanisms
and they do not allow us to cope at all.
I hope at this point you haven't thought - Oh dear there's just no
point I've got no hope then, I think I'll have a cup of tea and a
slice of cake to make me feel better - because there are a number
of things you can do which will help.
1) Exercise - yes I know, everyone is thinking - oh no
not that old chestnut, I can't be bothered or have the time. Well
make the time. Let's start with the reasons why.
- You burn up calories
- You produce Dopamine in the brain - this is the neurochemical
that motivates us. The more dopamine you produce the more likely
it is you'll carry on exercising and burn off more weight.
- You feel happier thanks to the dopamine, which in turn will
produce more seratonin. As a side effect Seratonin makes us feel
less hungry. Exercise, dopamine and seratonin will also help de-stress
you. When you feel stressed you produce cortisol and this will
make you feel hungry.
2) Be aware/mindful of what you're doing.
I know everyone groans when the two words "calorie counting"
is metered around, yes it's a bind but knowing exactly what you're
putting in will help you calculate how much exercise you'll need
to burn off the calories. Remember if the body loses too much
too quickly you'll likely to crave high fat foods, so reduce the
calories gradually. You should look for a 2lb a week reduction.
Also eat slower - that full mechanism I mentioned earlier, well
if you eat your food, chewing and moving the food around your
mouth tasting every bit, then swallowing and take your time, you
will start to recognise that full message coming back. Eat at
the table where you can focus on the food, take as long as you
can, and stop when you feel full.
3) Eat more blended foods in the form of soup!
Yep a surprising one that, but experiments show that if you make
and eat soup made up of blended vegetables and some protein, it
stays longer in your stomach than if you drink a glass of water
and eat solids.
4) Are you getting good sleep?
The reason I put this in is because someone suffering with sleep
apnoea will be told by their doctor to lose weight and it should
clear up. The problem is though, if you have severe sleep apnoea
then you just don't have the energy to do anything, you're falling
asleep at the drop of a hat. I know someone who participated in
trials to measure cortisol in sleep apnoea sufferers and their
levels were way higher than normal. Cortisol, is a stress hormone
and continued production will put a lot of pressure on the organs
and as I've said before increases one's appetite.
This friend on receiving a pap mask lost 4 stone in two years,
and now exercises several times a week and is a transformed person.
5) Reduce stress - look at your lifestyle. Are there any
areas you're unhappy about? Think of the things you might like
to do instead. Set yourself solid goals and the less stressed
you are, the more discipline you'll find yourself maintaining.
6) If you're really serious about it, get some help. Contact
me today on 01275 854354
What ever you do, don't ignore it. Weight related problems not only
cost us the tax payer vast amounts of money in NHS bills each year,
but being obese contributes to all sorts of diseases. Joint pain for
example, the extra weight our knees and hips have to carry around
lead to all sorts of problems. But if you're too overweight the NHS
won't operate because it's too dangerous. Heart disease, diabetes,
colon cancer, breast cancer - the list goes on.
More info > Intro / What
to expect / When diets fail
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