Is there really any hope for obesity? Are you tired of the diets, feasting or famine episodes and always thinking about your weight? Well you are not alone and the numbers are growing. It is projected that by 2030, half of U.S. adults will be obese unless they change their ways. So what can you do about it?
According to Dr. Eric Braverman of Pathmed.com, your brain chemical activity “determines which foods you are compelled to eat, the speed of your metabolism, and your ability to stop eating and recognize when you are full.” He says that restoring your dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA, or serotonin levels, or any combination of them, is the only way you will be able to lose weight effectively and keep it off. Based on the doctors findings, the brain controls binging patterns in regards to carbs, salt, sugar and late night eating.
To start your journey to a healthier and thinner you, here are some easy steps forward to better health–remember it’s NOT a diet, but a way of life:
- Start by getting your hormones tested. An imbalance causes all kinds of issues besides obesity including cancer, diabetes and other diseases.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables than other food choices. The more you eat them, the more you will prefer them. Stop buying and stay away from boxed and processed food, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, soft drinks and artificial sweeteners, all of which alters brain chemistry. Dr. Eric Braverman, an expert on obesity says, “America should replace its sodas with teas, its white flour with fiber, its salt with fresh spices, its inadequate sleep pattern with seven hours of sleep a night and 7 hours of exercise a week, its greasy foods with lean fish and protein, and its drugs with nutrients.” Read more about eating healthier here.
- Stay away from GMO food as this disrupts the hormones in the body which controls weight. Read more about what GMOs are here.
- Drink plenty of filtered water daily–NOT bottled water which alters hormone levels and increases estrogen in the body.
- Drink one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before your healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. This helps with digestion and inflammation. If you need a good recipe, check mine out here.
- Start eating omega-3 essential fatty acids “good fats” every day, such as coconut, fish and flaxseed oil, alpha lipoic acid, etc. to bring health to your brain and body.
- Start consuming natural antioxidants to help fight imbalances. (For example: fruits, vegetables, butein, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, selenium, vitamins A, C and E.) Using an antioxidant to reverse inflammation in the brain caused by a high-fat diet greatly improves symptoms related to obesity and type II diabetes, a new University of Otago-led study suggests.
- According to Dr. Braverman, “You should follow a high protein, low fat (junk food fats, not essential fatty acids), low carbohydrate diet, which has been clinically proven to be the best prescription for battling excess weight. It also is proven to be the healthiest diet for body functioning, because these foods are loaded with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which all affect your health for the better. A better working brain will free you from food addictions, provide you with a stronger metabolism, and ultimately lead to a thinner body.”
- Learn to deal with inflammation in your body. If inflammation is not eradicated, free radicals or bad stuff will create disease in your body. Dr Alexander Tups of the Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology says, “Our findings strongly show that reversing this inflammation promotes a return towards normal metabolic functioning.” A detox is a good start to reducing inflammation in the body. Check out this one.
- Know your leptin levels. Leptin is the first blood test useful in the diagnosis and treatment of obesity. Changing and lowering leptin will lead to permanent weight loss according to Dr. Braverman. Leptin resistance indicates that your metabolism is not working correctly. Increase your daily dietary fiber consumption by eating high-fiber foods such as whole grains, legumes, oatmeal and celery.
- Read this very interesting study about a Metabolic Master Switch from MIT.
- When you begin to crave a sweet, allow yourself to have a small piece of dark chocolate which is considered to be an antioxidant. This method takes the edge off of your desire to eat a lot of sweets.
- Try to start making these lifestyle changes for everyone in the home not just you, otherwise the temptations will be all around you and it may be more difficult to reach your goals.
- Exercise, however that looks for you.
Research:
- Butein: http://www.otago.ac.nz/bhrc/news/otago085849.html; Reversing brain inflammation: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/5/5; http://www.jlr.org/content/54/5/1385; http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=butein+and+obesity&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C14&as_sdtp=
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