Small Changes, Big Results

As we regretfully say goodbye to our laid back, fun filled summer, we muster enough energy to throttle full steam ahead towards another year of overbooking, over planning, under sleeping, and our typical over stressing fall ritual.

On one hand, there is something comforting to know snowbirds will return, homework battles will resume, and our marathon days are par for the course.

Stress; unfortunately we all experienced it and in many times use food to deal with our high levels of discomfort, and there is good reason. . Stress response hormones, cortisol, norepinephrine and adrenaline, are wonderful tools to sharpen senses, and prepare us for the next tiger that might come racing towards us momentarily. When we consume carbohydrates we are increasing the amount of insulin released by the pancreas. This will allow tryptophan to gain access the brain and release our natural feel good calming chemical, seritonin. Unfortunately we are not burning those calories fighting off tigers that our genes originally intended on. So how do we say ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to our best friend/ archenemy when we are in the ‘grip’ with a box of fresh home baked chocolate chip cookies?

Don’t see it, smell it or go hungry.

• If you are stressed and you are in front of those fresh baked cookies, you will not even be aware of the first 3 cookies you ravenously inhaled. Chances are your subconscious mind will not even blink until the last cookie is up for the firing squad. YOU can never let yourself go empty handed. You must battle the stress with your own stress buster mechanisms. Prepare yourself for the inevitable, to be unprepared.

You know you are walking into stress so:

• Recognize that you are eating in response to emotional hunger, and not physical hunger. Are you eating from the neck up or down?
• What other things can you do to calm down? Music, exercise, bath, call a friend to vent.
• Have those foods on demand. You know you might get too hungry to not make sensible choices, so keep that apple or yogurt handy in case of an emergency.
• Think with your head. What will that food do for me after the 8 seconds it takes from predigest ion through absorption.
• You can do this. Why give food all of that power?

You know these small peanuts add up so:

• What is the difference in time to run into Publix over a hamburger joint?
• What extra time is it to pack your lunch with your kids/ spouse?
• When you make food, put extra in the freezer to set up your own personal restaurant
• Allow yourself an extra ten minutes in the morning to make your evening meal.
• Remember fresh is best. The foods without labels are generally the most nutritious and least caloric dense.
• Ask yourself if you’ve ever decided to not stop for gas when you are below Empty because you just don’t have the time?

Decreased energy:

So are you sleeping?

That old cliché a couch potato doesn’t hold much water if the potato is sleeping.

One recent University of Chicago study found men that were not engaging in enough sleep for a 16 day period had a perceive 1,000 calorie deficit. Therefore, they consumed a 45% increase in appetite. The study suggests sleep depravation is linked to abnormal cortisol and leptin levels. As leptin levels decrease, ghrelin levels increase. This leaves you with an increase in appetite. Another study with Stanford and the University of Wisconsin showed those that slept less had more body fat and more weight then their 8 plus sleep hour peers. The problem also is when you are tired you become more vulnerable to stress and unconscious thinking. Mindless eating sets in and then your body goes on automatic overdrive.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, now you can take a deep breath, relax, and catch some zzz’s!