Do you find yourself racing for a cookie or soft drink every time your blood sugar drops? This is a common occurrence for many people . . . so if you do it, you're definitely not alone.Becoming a creature of habit doesn’t have to be a bad thing. While the initial steps to maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle can be tough, the end result will prove to be worth the effort. And since you’ll be feeling so energetic, focused, and happy, you’ll want to continue to nurture your healthy habits.
But diet advice encourages us to dive into a new way of eating without serious thought or sufficient preparation, right? No wonder it’s difficult to continue to "diet" when essential ingredients are missing from our shopping lists and our cupboards are full of foods that should be avoided.
And anyone who has been on a diet before will agree that the most difficult part of weight management is keeping the weight off. This article may help you to achieve long-term weight maintenance with suggestions on how to curb your cravings . . . and modify daily eating patterns to encourage a happier and healthier lifestyle, so keep reading . . .
Most of us have lost control and ate way too much at one time or another, only to regret it later. Who hasn't felt way too full after at least one holiday dinner? So why do so many people habitually succumb to food cravings and binge on sugar, despite intense feelings of guilt and a serious desire to lose weight?
Biologically speaking, it has to do with excessive insulin levels that are provoked by highly processed sugar and bad carbohydrates, which cause fat cells to suck up too many calories, leaving too few calories in the right places. When the bloodstream runs low on calories, the brain triggers an alarm, leading to false hunger a.k.a. cravings.
We specifically crave highly processed carbohydrates and sugar—chips, crackers, macaroni and cheese, cookies, soda pop, candy, and the like—for one simple reason: They make us feel better right away. The problem is, they make us feel worse afterward . . . setting up the next addictive cycle. In a sense, processed, sugary food is akin to cocaine or heroin, whose fast absorption rates increase addictiveness.
Cravings, unlike hunger, stem from the brain. And when we satisfy our cravings, our brain rewards us with opioids (the feel-good chemicals that bring us feelings of pleasure.)
The same pathways and receptors in the brain that are stimulated during drug use or sex are also stimulated when a craving is satisfied. When put into the context of a weight loss program, that can spell disaster.
To lose weight naturally, a very simple scientific formula applies: Energy intake must be controlled and output increased in the form of activity. The part of weight management that's often open to debate concerns the amount and ideal proportions of marconutrients (good carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fat) that should be consumed in the diet.
Traditionally, increasing carbohydrate foods was encouraged to add bulk and satisfy hunger; however, the effect of unhealthy carbohydrates of blood fat levels and insulin response is better understood, and a diet that is a lower in processed carbohydrate intake and balanced nicely with protein, good fat (omega-3 fatty acids), and fiber is recommended by many nutritionists.
READ MORE on http://blog.myneurogym.com/maintaining-healthy-mind-and-body
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