I have to admit, I used to think weight loss was easy. Just eat less and move more and a new slimmer you appears! And while that statement remains true, it is tremendously hard for people to lose weight. That’s why there are more programs and diets and infomercials than you can count, right? The 66% of Americans who are overweight or obese are struggling to find the weight loss solution.
The more literature I read, the more the science reveals how hormones and the brain are involved in the weight loss equation. You have to outsmart being overweight. One good book to read is “The End of Overeating” by Dr. David Kessler. More recently, I read an article highlighting Daniel Amen’s, MD, research. He has found that as your weight goes up, your brainpower decreases. A study from the University of Pittsburgh found people who had BMI scores over 30 had 8% less brain volume and their brains looked 16 years older than those of healthy people. Amen stated, “We found that the larger people were, the smaller their frontal lobes were, and that’s a disaster because…the frontal lobes are critical to making decisions such as food choices.”
It seems to be a vicious cycle. You eat addictive substances like sugar, fat and salt, which release the neurotransmitter, dopamine (a feel-good chemical) and then you want more. So, you eat more, but now need more to get the same effect because the dopamine becomes less effective in high doses. To break the cycle, you must cut down on sugar – like sugar substitutes, chips, and pretzels – and exercise as a natural way to boost dopamine.
To conquer cravings, Amen suggests keeping your blood sugar balanced. That means eating smaller meals throughout the day, eating sources of protein with each meal, and staying away from those 100-calorie snack packs! Other strategies include decreasing the use of artificial sweeteners, managing stress, discovering food allergies, practicing saying no to unhealthy stimuli, exercising, and getting adequate sleep.
Reference: “All in the Brain: Unlocking the Secrets of Overeating with Neuroscience.” by Mary Monroe in the November-December 2011 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal.
