The Third Thin Commandment:
The Problem May Be in the Food, Not in You

Commandment Essentials:

~Kill appetite cravings w/ a sweet protein shake when fruit won't do the trick.
~Don't skip meals or go too long without eating.
~Eat a protein or protein w/ high fiber for breakfast
~Substitute pickles or spicy V-8 juice when tempted to indulge in sweets.
~Never try to correct for overeating by skipping meals the following day.
~Be aware of SAD cold-weather eating.
~Keep your home a "junk food-free" zone.


Does our DNA Rule our Appetites?

Weight control is primarily about balancing good calories in and calories out. Appetite and craving control is about the types of foods you eat and how they interact with your body's genetic and chemical hardwiring. In short, the probelm may be in the food, not in you.

This may explain why you kept regaining the same weight from the same foods. We are genetically disposed to be sensitive to white carbs!

Jump Start your Appetite

Studies show that a long term diet over time that contains bad fats and HIGH FRUCTOSE may affect insulin levels and increase appetite. The food itself is actually increasing the person's cravings, appetite, and hunger level. What's worse, is that the brain loses its ability to respond to insulin, and carbohydrate cravings are intensified.

A study by researchers at the Monell Center in Philadelphia also suggested that overconsumption of fructose seems to alter appetite-regulating hormones (such as higher levels of ghrelin) in a way that actually stimulates overeating.

Women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) are encouraged to go on a low-carbohydrate diet and eat small meals throughout the day, always including some protein when they eat carbohydrates.

If you switch to this way of eating, you should find a decrease in your cravings for carbohydrates and an increase in your weight loss.

Your stress level may make you hungry and cause you to store more fat.

Neuropeptide Y: The Missing Link in Craving Control?

Ever notice that if you've gone a number of hours without eating, skipped meals, or just eaten too little, by a certain part of the day... usually late afternoon, your appetite increases?

Studies suggest that this clockwork craving may be caused by surging levels of a protein known as neuropeptide Y, which may contribute to a "stimulatory effect on food intake, particularly carbohydrate ingestion."

"If the body has been deprieved of sufficient (protein) calories throughout the day, the levels of metabolic regulator neuropeptide Y will rise once one starts eating. This leads to greater cravings for food, especially carbohydrates.... At that point it's hard to resist the body's chemical signals to consume. You turn into an eating automaton, without being aware of it. If yuou think you're an intelligent responsible person, it's spooky how little control you have over this."

Dr Gullo suggests that our cravings are actually memory imprints that are placed when we eat bad carbs or sugars on an empty stomach.

Taste Buds: A Critical Key to Appetite Control

Determining if you are a "supertaster" or "non-taster" will help you understand why there are certain people who can eat "just one" of an food item and be satisfied, where it takes multiples of that same food for others to be satisfied with their cravings.

Once you lose the weight, that doesn't mean you've lost the genetic sensitivity to the sight, taste, and smell of your trigger foods. If you get sloppy about the structure of your eating habits and strategies, as many people do once they have lost the weight, you'll end up out of control again.

***TIP*** for those who have the book and have read this chapter. Please see pgs 48-49 and Dr Gullo's tips for craving control. Which strategy have you implemented and has helped you the most? ***

OH NO
<<<Your stress level may make you hungry and cause you to store more fat.>>>>
if stress causes that I am doomed lol
Stress sometimes is my middle name

Alot of Good advice here
Thank you
sandi

Except for when you have a strategy in place to deal with it!

LOL I know what you mean about stress... mine has been through the roof too!

I'm just glad that I have this place and great people to encourage along the way. I think the idea of having a strategy in place for when you do get hungry or "the dreaded munchies." I am amazed at the concept of eating more protein to combat that Neuropeptide Y surge.. I didn't believe it at first, but it really is an encredible thing! Low carb living proof in the works...

Thanks ChrissyLizzy!

I MUST get this book!

Thanks!

wow
thats is a nice price
I just ordered the book on cd so I can listen to it as I drive too.
How are you doing Ron?
sandi

Doing great Sandi, and I hope you are doing well! Thanks for asking.

Not hardly three months back on LC and I am less rotund [a somewhat politically correct word] than when I started, which is a huge encouragement. This way of eating gets easier everyday and the benefits are absolutely astounding. Joint pain gone, brain fog gone, cravings gone, energy returning, endurance improving and sleeping much better at night as well. The list goes on, and I was just thinking today...how much better can I feel when I lose 70 more pounds!

I am really enjoying the Thin Commandment Series you folks are doing. You ARE making a difference in peoples lives, and it is greatly appreciated.

Word for Today: Do what matters most TODAY and you will be rewarded for it TOMORROW!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie