EATING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ISN’T RESTRICTIVE! PART I

There definitely is an addictive quality to many chips and other foods, especially processed ones, because of the processed ingredients and the effect they have on our blood sugar. Certain foods drive up blood sugar quickly, which creates higher spikes of insulin in order to help lower it. Then blood sugar drops down, creating that drive for more food to bring it back up – hence, cravings.

This is how cravings begin again, and it can be a tough cycle to break. That rise in insulin also affects other hormones, as well, creating more hormone imbalance and driving inflammation. It affects hormones like leptin (our fat burning and hunger hormone), thyroid (which helps with metabolism), serotonin (mostly found in the GI tract where it regulates bowel function and reduces our appetite while eating).

All these hormones can incite food cravings, which can also be driven by certain areas in the brain that are responsible for memory, pleasure and reward. It can be complicated. In addition, you can have endorphin hormones released into the body after you have eaten – like dopamine, a neurotransmitter type of hormone. They are not only designed to relieve stress and pain, but to boost pleasure (similar to opioids), as well. This is the power of anything addictive. Once again, everything comes back to body chemistry – not calories.

The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn’t about short-term dietary changes, pre-packaged or fast food. A lifestyle that includes eating real, healthy whole foods in order to give your body the proper nutrients it needs, not over-consuming more food that your body requires for proper function, decreasing inflammation, balancing out your blood sugar level and, hence, regulating your insulin response is what it is all about.

Looking at weight loss as nothing more than a goal or number to reach, and then you are done, can really sabotage your great results. Not only are you setting yourself up for failure mentally after you lose the weight, but for now you will view the process of eating your current, healthier foods as negative or as a punishment to finally be done with.

We want you to view each phase of your Genesis plan as positive. In order to view weight loss as positive, you will have to understand why you are doing what you are doing, and know what you are accomplishing mentally, physically and biochemically. You are in the process of cleansing your body, recalculating your biochemistry and creating a set system of food management.

Next week we will look at what happens after you accomplish your goal, and how you will then be able to introduce new foods and learn how to monitor their effects on your body.