I’ll wait until Monday…

Next month, I’ll do it…

We have a million excuses for procrastinating.  We can become experts at putting things off to a future time.  The problem with that is we never follow through.  Most people decide they’ll begin the diet and exercise plan January 1^st.  We all know gym attendance skyrockets those first couple of weeks and then drops back to normal very quickly.

There is no “magic” in a particular date.  It really doesn’t much matter if you begin on Thursday or on Monday; if you start on the first of the month or the 12^th.  Some of us fall into the trap of wanting everything to be “perfect.”  We all know short of heaven, things here will never be perfect!  If you’re a parent, you know if you waited for everything to be perfect before you decided to have your children – you probably would still be waiting!

I named my book and plan “Today’s the Day” because – it’s the only day you have.  Today.  Now.  This day.  No matter what change you want or need to make, that first step is always the most difficult.  But once you step out in faith and take it – every step after becomes easier.

There are definitely some strategies that will make that first step easier like preparing – yourself – physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally – and your environment. But it all comes down to making a quality decision to just do it now! And then following through – day by day. If you need a little more encouragement, take a few minutes to listen to this recent podcast about why today truly is the day!

What is your biggest obstacle to getting started with a diet or fitness plan?

It made me think about what we many times do.  We begin with a clear focus in mind:  I want to improve my health this year by cleaning up my diet.  That’s great.  Then instead of breaking that long-term goal down into baby steps to incorporate into our lives one at a time, we overwhelm ourselves by making a list a mile long of things we MUST begin doing right now.

Give up coffee.

No more sodas.

Drink more water.

Cut out all sugar and sweets.

Increase our veggies and fruits.

Watch portion sizes.

Exercise 6 days a week for an hour a day.

Any wonder we’ve given up 2 weeks in?  It’s like a child who just keeps turning the dial on the Etch-a-Sketch and before long the screen is just a jumble of black lines!  So what does he do when he can no longer make any sense of what he’s created?  He shakes the toy and like magic the screen is blank and he’s ready to try again.

Well, I suggest you do the same thing.  Shake your mental screen and take just one of those steps and only one.  Focus on that for as long as it takes you to incorporate it into your life.  Let it become a new normal habit.  Only then, move on to the next step.  You may think it will take too long, but in reality you will make progress more quickly than you might imagine with a lot less frustration.

If you need help clearing your screen and figuring out what steps to take, I would be honored to help you.

Please visit (and “Like”) the Facebook page Dr. Kang created for these interviews called Real Good Health.

Here are the links to the first three interviews as well:

How fat impacts weight loss; how carbs impact weight loss; and how protein impacts weight loss.

Please take a few moments to listen in and share your thoughts, comments, experiences and questions.  You can find my recap of balanced diet tips here.

Check back on the Facebook page often as all the upcoming interviews will be posted.  There are some wonderful experts coming up!  You won’t want to miss them!

I wrote a post in September that concluded that a mom’s nutrition during pregnancy can actually cause genetic changes in her child that increase their risk of obesity during childhood.

Ok, so which is it?  Personally, I find it interesting, but I don’t feel that this is anywhere near the real problem.  Just as in pregnancy, a nutritious diet is a no brainer.  You and God are growing a baby.  “You are what you eat” was never more true than at this time.  It doesn’t end once the baby is born and the child grows and matures.  In fact, I think it becomes even more important.  Scripture tells us to raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).  While that is referring to his natural personality and bent, I believe it is true here as well.

If a parent or parents are overweight or obese they most likely are providing unhealthy options for their children.  Who buys and prepares the food anyway?  They are modeling the wrong habits and their children are watching – closely.

That’s my opinion.  What do you think?

The hormone I want to discuss is serotonin.  If you have intense sugar cravings, it could indicate low serotonin levels. Craving sugar or carbs is your body’s way of trying to increase serotonin because eating sugar produces insulin, which helps tryptophan get into your brain.

Serotonin is an endorphin, a feel-good hormone. When it’s low, we feel sad, depressed or even angry, especially when we are hungry.  Sugar and simple carbs release a short burst of serotonin, making us feel good momentarily.  Serotonin levels drop quickly, so then we crave more sugar and simple carbs creating a vicious cycle.

Low-fat diets unintentionally make the problem worse because they cause insulin resistance.  Insulin maintains stable blood sugar levels by telling your body’s cells when to absorb glucose from your bloodstream. When you’re insulin resistant your body stops responding to insulin, and instead deposits every calorie you eat as fat.   No matter how little you eat, you will gradually gain weight.

At the same time, your cells cannot absorb the glucose they need, so they signal your brain that you need more carbs or sugar, which results in constant, persistent food cravings.

Another cause of food cravings related to hormones is adrenal fatigue.  Constant stress,  insomnia or sleep deprivation, lead to fatigue and exhaustion. This causes your adrenal glands to pump out more stress hormones as a pick-me-up.   Over time, your adrenals become less able to respond as they become fatigued. You then resort to sugar or carb snacks to increase energy – but that doesn’t solve the problem at all.

So what can you do?  Foods don’t produce serotonin directly but there are some nutrients that will give your body the raw materials it needs in order to produce adequate amounts of it.  High protein foods that are rich in tryptophan, the serotonin precursor, such as turkey, chicken, fish, red meat, fermented dairy like Amasai and kefir, cheese, eggs, nuts, seeds and brown rice, are a good place to begin.

Vitamin B-6 found in spinach, garlic, cauliflower, celery fish like tuna and salmon, chicken, turkey and beef tenderloin is a co-factor in producing serotonin in your body.

Finally, exercise boosts serotonin levels – so be sure to include some type of exercise every day.

If you are struggling with cravings, don’t blame yourself.  Nothing just happens – there’s a reason for it.  You must just get to the root cause and then you can correct any imbalances that might be underlying the problem.

As I mentioned previously your soul is your mind, will and emotions and all three are critical to how you handle food.  The main soul issue is to develop positive habits/thinking in the area of food.  So let’s very briefly break it down:

Research studies suggest when you crave a specific food, you have vivid images of that food. Results of one study showed that the strength of participants’ cravings was linked to how vividly they imagined the food.  God blessed us with a powerful imagination – it is up to each one of us to use it in a way that best benefits us.  Creative visualization is one way to tap into the power of your imagination.  And this is also why I suggest using a vision board or Possibility book – seeing the picture of what you are working toward is powerful.

Results of one experiment revealed that volunteers reported reduced food cravings after they formed images of non food things such as a rainbow.

The next order of importance is to reprogram your thinking – the Bible calls it renewing your mind and I call it refocusing your lens.  You have so many thoughts going through your mind each day and your subconscious is an absolute powerhouse!  Your conscious mind only represents anywhere from approximately 2-10% of your awareness while your subconscious mind makes up the other 90-98%!  Your subconscious is the driving force that directs the function of your 50 trillion cells and keeps them in perfect harmony. 

Your subconscious controls the beating of your heart, metabolism of food, regenerating cells and eliminating wastes – and emotionally – storing and sifting information, thoughts, emotions, memories, experiences and beliefs.  Here is where your perception resides.

Your subconscious doesn’t choose or judge – it simply reacts. It is your perception, the lens you see the world through that decides if something is “good” or “bad.”  Learning to discern between conscious actions and subconscious reactions is key.  You have the ability to live “intentionally.”  God has given us the ability to choose a different response rather than simply reacting.

Once you become aware of thoughts that no longer serve you can choose a different response.  When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!

The next order of business is creating new routines and new habits.  You are changing old, ineffective ways of behaving (eating, thinking, speaking) and replacing them with new, positive habits.  This is your will taking center stage.

Keep in mind that replacing any habit takes 21 days because that is how long it takes you to “rewire” your brain in that particular area.  The truth is, you are and become what you repeatedly do.  Replacing ineffective habits with new, healthy, effective ones is the very best form of exercise for your will!

Finally, your emotions can be powerful allies in dealing with cravings.  God gave us emotions, so they are not “bad.”  We get into trouble when we allow our emotions to control us instead of being in control of them.  You can activate your emotions, both positive and negative to help you side-step cravings.  Imagine the most emotional, positive, life-changing and rewarding reason to stick with the plan and not give in to your momentary craving.  Typically, cravings last about 5 minutes! Use your holy imagination and picture it in detail, feeling the joy of it.

Now imagine the flip side – the most emotional, painful, negative result of giving in – the disappointment, frustration.  I am not saying you should focus on this – but feel it, imagine it deeply.  Use your emotions to your advantage instead of allowing them to lead you around by the nose!

Studies show when you can clearly feel both the positive and negative emotions associated with a goal and you have an important, concrete reason for wanting to achieve that goal, you are much more likely to stay consistent and succeed.

The next post in this series will focus in briefly on the hormonal aspect of food cravings.

For a limited time – Until January 15th – I am offering $10 off my 7 week coaching through the Today’s the Day plan.  To get the details click here.  I would love the opportunity to help you make this the year you FINALLY get in shape – spirit, soul and body!

First here are a few very practical, physical strategies that will help:

Water:  Do not allow yourself to become dehydrated!  You’ve no doubt heard it said that many times when you think you are hungry, you are really just thirsty.  That is absolutely true!  Also you cannot effectively digest your food if you are dehydrated – so you will feel hungry even though you have eaten enough.  Here are two extra benefits:  drinking 16 oz. of water 30 minutes before a meal will fill you up and blunt hunger, erasing those cravings and also boost your metabolism!  A win-win – and all you had to do was take a drink of water.

Regular Meals: On page 61 of Today’s the Day I recommend you eat rhythmic, structured meals.  That means to eat something balanced every 3-5 hours, which keeps your insulin and glucose levels steady and prevents that ravenous hunger and cravings! Low blood sugar is a cause of cravings. And of course never skip meals, which most often just results in binge eating and puts your body into starvation mode – which slows metabolism.

Eat Real Food:  The best way to curb appetite is to eat real food – nutrient-dense whole foods, focusing on clean proteins and high-fiber foods – because they have the highest “satiety index.”

Slow Down:  One of the most basic tips to overcome excess hunger and out of control cravings is to slow down (p. 89)!  Eating too quickly can block the hormone that makes you feel full and satisfied.  It takes about 20 minutes before those fullness signals register in your brain.  If you inhale your meal – even a healthy one – you are more likely to overeat.

Protein:  Since protein was found to be most satiating, four to six ounces of clean protein at each meal is a good foundation for controlling appetite and cravings.  That agrees with the Today’s the Day plan.  Clean protein forms the foundation of your meals (page 3).

Fiber:  Fiber is your friend.  Foods rich in soluble fiber like beans, bananas and oats absorb water, thus filling you up and keeping you from overeating.  Fiber also absorbs toxins, and excess estrogen, escorting them out of your body; lowers the glycemic index of your meals, and reduces dangerous belly fat and makes your body work harder to digest, using more energy.

Caffeine:  Actually caffeine in moderation can be a great tool in keeping cravings at bay.  Caffeine in moderation has been proven to suppress appetite and improve mood.  So either a cup of coffee or green tea could be just what you need to get past your craving.  Just don’t load either up with cream and sugar!

Manage Stress:  When you are stressed and anxious, you are more likely to cave in to a craving for your particular favorite comfort food.  Managing stress is important for many reasons, including overcoming food cravings that sabotage your diet plan.  Prayer is my #1 stress-busting activity.  Spending time with God – in prayer, worship, praise, in the Word – will reset your thinking, calm and strengthen you.

Exercise:  One very effective way to manage stress which has multiple benefits is to exercise!  It’s an excellent outlet for stress.  It also releases endorphins, those feel good brain chemicals, which eliminates the desire for comfort from food.

Plan Ahead:  Sometimes we are just bored and we all know with too much time to think, many times those thoughts turn to food (particularly if you keep the Food Network on 24/7!)  Take a few minutes to make a list of some things you can do if you find yourself in this position.  Take a short walk; call a friend; do 20 jumping jacks; write a letter; read a chapter of Proverbs; brush your teeth; listen to your favorite music – whatever works for you – just have your list ready before boredom strikes.

It all comes down to balance – extremes always cause you to end up in the ditch!  Starving yourself, skipping meals, eating junk, letting your mind run amok – they all sabotage your best efforts!

This was kind of a long post – so the next one will deal with exercising your soul – mind, will and emotions and how that can help you successfully side-step cravings.

So first let’s define “food cravings” and some of the things that trigger them.  It’s an intense desire to eat a particular food that goes beyond just physical hunger. That’s really important to realize. There are several things that can trigger these cravings.  Emotions top the list.  We eat to celebrate, to comfort or entertain ourselves. It pretty much doesn’t matter whether it’s happiness, sadness, anxiety or boredom.  We eat in response to our emotions.

As most of us ladies know – hormones also definitely stimulate food cravings.  Menstruation, peri-menopause and pregnancy are triggers.

Watching a cooking show, commercial or smelling something delicious can also trigger the cravings and it can become your diet’s downfall very quickly.  Also if you try to eat too strict a diet and make certain foods “off limits” – that alone is enough to cause rebellion!

What does your soul have to do with it – well first of all, as I mentioned, your soul is your mind, will and emotions.  Hmmm, all three of those influence your desires, decisions and habits – so in a word – there’s your answer!  If you see a commercial for your favorite comfort food – especially if you have deemed it off limits – your mind gets busy with thoughts of how delicious it is.  Then your emotions kick in – you intensely desire it.  Finally, your will, especially if you don’t exercise it, and it has become flabby and weak – will just cave and you’ll go get whatever that food is that you crave.  Do it often enough and that habit becomes VERY difficult to change.  It’s akin to a stronghold in the spiritual realm.

But I’ll talk more about that and some other methods of dealing with food cravings in the next post.

Do you find food cravings sabotage your best efforts to eat healthy and lose weight?  How do you handle them?

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So I guess the place to begin is to define what causes a substance to be “addictive.”  In medical terms something is considered addictive if it:

• causes a pleasant state or relieves distress,

• results in long-term chemical changes in the brain,

• leads to adaptive changes in the brain that trigger tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings,

• causes dependence, so that abstaining from the substance is difficult and creates severe physical and mental reactions (read:  withdrawal symptoms, irritability, moodiness, fatigue, light-headedness).

Personally, I think sugar fits this category pretty neatly – but for argument’s sake, let’s call it “sugar dependence” rather than addiction for now – you can come to your own conclusions based not only on what I’ll share – but on your own personal experience.

Most people will insist that they can stop eating sugar any time they want to.  That’s actually not as easy as it sounds, especially if you are used to eating prepared, packaged foods.  There is sugar in pretty much everything – even foods you wouldn’t immediately think about eliminating like pizza and bottled salad dressings.  It will take more than just cutting out sodas laced with high fructose corn syrup, candy, donuts and other “sweets.”  Most Americans are so addicted (yes, truly addicted) to sugar that they will deny their addiction and find it almost impossible to go sugar free for just one week!  If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself and see how you do.

Be honest – does sugar control your behavior?  Do you feel sluggish and cranky without your morning cup of coffee (caffeine is a whole other addiction!) loaded with sugar and cream?  Is your favorite breakfast a donut or French toast drowning in syrup?  Does this sugar roller-coaster continue on through fast food lunches washed down with soda, fruit juice, sweet tea or a latte and finish up with dinner and dessert?  Do you notice when your mood plummets you begin looking for that sugar fix?  Hmmm, sounds like addiction to me.

So how can you tame that craving?  Truthfully, unless you eliminate sugar and allow your body to be cleansed of it, you can’t.  One thing I hit on accidentally was to use a natural sugar alcohol like xylitol.  I gave up sugar a long time ago, but I recently read that xylitol binds to the bacteria that cause gum disease.  So started using some several times a day for that reason.  When a client called me frantic because she’d slipped into an old sugar addiction and gained almost 10 pounds asking how to short-circuit this, I suggested she try using a bit of xylitol when the craving for candy hit.  She reported back to me that it has worked like a charm!  She hasn’t had candy all week and has actually lost almost 2 lbs!  It’s worth a try.  One caution is not to exceed 1 or 2 teaspoons a day as it can cause diarrhea.

So, do you find yourself “sugar dependent” or, let’s be honest – addicted to sugar?  Have you beaten the addiction?  If so, how did you do it – I’d love to hear.

If you will visit my Today’s the Day Facebook page and click “Like” you will have the opportunity to sign up for the free weekly newsletter and also to get my free gift to you – “20 Ways to Lose Fat and Stay Fit and Lean” – loaded with great tips and strategies like this that you can use right now!

Green tea

This study was done with two groups of obese mice.  Both groups were fed a high fat diet, but one group received a green tea supplement.  The group that was supplemented with ECGC from green tea gained weight 45% more slowly than the group eating the same diet but without the supplement.

The reason that is so important is that  gaining weight more slowly gives you more time to burn off any excess consumed and lower weight gain overall.  So how did the green tea cause this?  The research found a 30% increase in “fecal lipids” which just means it seems to limit the amount of fat you absorb from food.

That’s especially helpful now, as the holiday season is in full swing and there are more opportunities to consume higher fat foods.  So how can you incorporate this into your life?  Certainly drinking several cups of green tea daily is a great idea.  Even just a few cups daily is thought to help control weight.  You can even brew several cups, cool them and use them as the liquid in your smoothie!

Another effective way to do this might be to use a green tea concentrate in your smoothies or just in some water daily.  There are several really good brands you can find easily.  It’s a very simple way to boost your body’s ability to reach or maintain a healthy weight!

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