Are You Hungry or Thirsty? Mixed Signals

The only reason some people eat is because their satisfaction centers are begging for attention all the time.  But sometimes, the appetite centers want something to quench thirst, NOT to fill the stomach.  Hunger signals can be caused by hormones in the gut especially when ghrelin outslugs leptin and you feel hungrier than a bear on a bug-only diet.  BTW, that's not good for the bear or anyone hunting in the woods at that moment.  In this case, it's great to develop and have at your disposal (no pun intended), a list of emergency foods to satisfy your senses.  V8 juice, a handful of nuts, pieces of low sugar fruit, cut up vegetables, or a protein shake can combat the bear binges when they strike. 

Another great way to counteract your hormonal reaction to food is to make sure that your satiety "signal" isn't just a thirst sensor.  To find out and just as a good practice for weight loss and maintenance, it's good to drink water before you ever put food into your mouth.  People who do this tend to eat less and find the satisfaction they need without overloading their stomach unnecessarily.  Sugar drinks, for thirst, aren't the answer nor are artificially sweetened "diet" drinks loaded with chemicals that are actually now being linked to endocrine disorders and diseases.  One thing that causes blood sugar to spike is, uh, SUGAR-not eaten with any other substances like fat or protein around it.  If you are going to eat a small amount of sugar, you should always be sure NOT to eat that candy bar or cookie dough by itself. Have a handful of nuts to slow your stomach from emptying as quickly which will keep sugar levels from creating such a significant spike in your blood.

Strategies:
Eat foods with fiber, healthy fats, whole-grain carbs and protein, as well as fruits and vegetables.  (Be careful, some fruits have a lot of sugar)
Eat a little healthy fat before your meal (handful of nuts-6 walnut halves, 12 almonds, 20 peanuts) and pause for 25 minutes to allow the hunger signal to get from your brain to your stomach. 
Eat anti-inflammatory foods such as green tea, omega 3's (fish, canola oil, flax seeds, walnuts), coffee, vegetables and fruit, to help counteract the effects of obesity.
Drink a glass or two of water before you eat.
Certain supplements and vitamins have been shown to aid in waist-management.  Check out my blog titled Fables on Labels for key weight busters.

The 6 pounds in 6 weeks challenge is off to a great start.  The weigh in's this morning are showing tremendous loss in those that are engaged in this initiative.  Hey, and did you see the TV news highlighting this program?  Very cool! Yeah!!! 

Reminder: We will be weighing anyone in the program who wants to track their week 2 progress this week.  Get here!!

To your good health,
Dr. Sonja