Tag Archives: addiction

Society is Addicted to Crap Food and Lost Their Discipline

Posted on by

0

Lack-of-Self-Discipline

Going to be tough today!

Every day I have a salad with some form of meat and/or cheese–with vegetables, for lunch.  I also have a salad at dinner, but the salad and veggies might be separate from my meat.

But, for the most part, that is what I eat.  I have discipline. I have snacks in between and after dinner–protein-based.

It saddens me to see people trying to lose weight and still get stuck on eating white bread sandwiches (which have gluten and no nutritional value at all–it is all about just FILLING UP THE BELLY)–and boy does it fill up the belly, outwardly.

But, SO many people now seem to feel that they need to wash that sandwich down with a bag of chips.

I eat at a lunch place where they serve salads, sandwiches and soups.  There is a rack of potato chips to choose from.  Everyone who orders a sandwich (except my husband), grabs a bag to have with their lunch.  Most people eating salads seem to know better and don’t eat the chips.

What is the deal with the chips?  Is everyone so addicted to the carb, glucose-high?

Do you want to lose weight?  You have to get through the addiction.  I did it.  I was addicted to pasta (wheat-based). It takes a few weeks and you must have a lot of low-fat cheese snacks and hard-boiled eggs to tide you over until the addiction clears…but it does.  I learned to like coffee even more.

Then, you will lose the weight and keep it off.

Until then, the chips and bread are winning, not you!  Nutritionally, they are useless.  A lot of sodium (Not good for the heart), few vitamins, only 2g of protein and 24g of carbs.  If you want to lose weight and only want 50 to 100g of carbs a day, you are going to waste it all on a bag of empty chips?  It is going to turn to sugar and only make you crave more sugar later (about 6 sugar cubes worth)….

The sandwich in itself is about 24g of carbs for the bread.  Great–in one sitting, little nutritional value and around 50g of carbs.  This is not going to help with losing weight.


label194371

So, it is your choice.  Do it or not.  Stop complaining though if you don’t lose and you hate how you look!

Sugar Addiction Worse Than Heroin Addiction?

Posted on by

0

What?  Sugar is an addiction worse than heroin?

Many articles have come out about how certain foods are designed to be addictive to the human brain.  (One example: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2349007/Food-really-addictive-Study-finds-brain-activity-similar-heroin-users-eating-certain-processed-foods.html)

The articles basically says that studies have shown that food could be as addictive as class-A drug heroin and nicotine in cigarettes.  They found substance abuse and food with a high glycemic index – such as white bread and potatoes – may trigger the same brain mechanism tied to addiction.  And that eating highly processed carbohydrates can cause excess hunger and stimulate brain regions involved in reward and cravings.

No, not the Oreos!

oreoeat

Another study came out last week about Oreos.    (One example:  http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/16/oreos-may-be-as-addictive-as-cocaine/?iid=nf-article-trend-now)

The articles about Oreos basically explain that Oreos are as addictive as cocaine with lab rats.  According to the new study,  eating Oreos activated more neurons in the rat brain’s “pleasure center” than drugs such as cocaine.

oreosstuffRead more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/16/oreos-may-be-as-addictive-as-cocaine/#ixzz2iCLeTJXs

If you read books like Salt, Sugar, Fat, by Michael Moss,  http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Sugar-Fat-Giants-Hooked/dp/1400069807, you will see how those companies learned how the brain reacted to the combination of those three items and how to “hook” their customers.  Whether you like it or not, Coca Cola, General Mills and the like–are all drug pushers and you, the addicted one, are their junkee.

Here are the signs if you are a sugar junkie:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction?ecd=wnl_wlw_101913&ctr=wnl-wlw-101913_ld-stry&mb=XIrxC%40bWr0GXHmtrgs5c0eHnVev1imbCQlyzenL1KWg%3d

If you want to go through detox and stop being a junkie, here are some ways to do it.
Detox:

3 day Detox:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2392930/The-Three-Day-Sugar-Detox-How-banish-sweet-stuff-life-look-younger-AND-lose-weight.html

21 day Detox: http://www.rosecole.com/handouts/21DaySugarDetox.pdf

One you have detoxed, then you can really start to cut back more on carbs like Quinoa, oats, wheat, and rice–in order to lose more weight.  It is hard to lose a lot of weight if you eat more than 50g ot 100g of carbs a day and those things have a lot of carbs.  But, your first focus should be to DETOX and you will still lose weight because your body is obviously getting less carbs and sugar from eating less of the junk carbs.  So, detox and then look at any of my other blogs on losing weight the low carb way and reaching your goal weight.  (Example:  https://skinny-rules.com/2013/10/18/the-rules-for-losing-weight/)

I will go into more depth on next week, in case you need a breakdown.  Now, go detox!  Find a friend, detox together.  It is easier to do it with a friend.  There is also Overeaters Anonymous meetings.  Those are free and for those who can’t stop eating foods that they want to stop eating…..

21 Day Challenge!

Posted on by

2

All over Facebook is a 21 Day Challenge.  I have done this 21 Day Challenge for the most part now since Sept 8, 2011.  Here is the challenge:

21 Day Challenge!!!
NO CHIPS
NO SODA
NO DIET SODA
NO CHOCOLATE
NO CANDY
NO WHITE BREAD
NO COOKIES OR BISCUITS
NO FAST FOOD
NO CAKES/PASTRIES/MUFFINS

no_chocolate_mouse_mat-p144740554158989208eng3t_400

How I have done this challenge, but my way!

–I have done fast food, but I make choices that involve salad and not-so-fast-foodish.

— I only have chocolate in protein bars or low-carb items.  Best low-carb chocolate bars in my opinion, Power Crunch (Trader Joes, Smart and Final and Vitacost.com) and Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bars (Target and Costco).  And this one is delish!  http://www.vitacost.com/bionutritional-research-group-choklat-crunch-protein-crisp-bars

–I never have had regular soda, but I admit to diet soda and even though it is bad for ending cravings, I still have a couple a day.  You still have to drink water.

— I never do candy or anything made with wheat products, unless they are special low-carb ones that I have purchased through Lindora.com or some low carb outlet, and even then, that is rare.  I usually have low-carb frozen yogurt or fruit with whipped cream or low-fat Greek Yogurt.

–I never have potatoes, rice or beans.  Just too full of carbs and starches and puts me on a sugar rollercoaster.

SugarRollerCoaster

The good part of this challenge is to get you to get over craving sugar or things that turn to sugar. It is basically, a sugar detox.  But, if you eat sugars and cheat, then you are NOT detoxing.

The bad part of this challenge is that it offers no assistance in dealing with those torturous cravings.  Even on a medically supervised weight loss program, like the one I did (Lindora), they offered me appetite suppressants.  But, after one day of that and feeling jittery, I researched and found my own way to get over it.  There are plenty of books that explain it, like Dr. Mark Hyman, whose book and information is on the blog before this (August 23. 2013).  However, how to get over cravings in a nutshell:

1.) Balance blood sugar.

When blood sugar is low, you’ll eat anything. To better balance blood sugar, eat a small meal or snack that includes healthy protein, like seeds or nuts (measured out because they are high in carbs) , low-fat Greek Yogurt, two tablespoons of almond or peanut butter, or eat any meat, a protein bar or drink (check on the ones that are lowest in carbs) and cheese, every 3 to 4 hours.

2.) Eliminate liquid calories and artificial sweeteners.

Sodas are full of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup. Processed fruit juices are awash in sugar. Try sticking with water and green tea. Green tea contains plant chemicals that are good for your health. And, last but not least, don’t succumb to the diet-drink trap. The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks fool the body into thinking it is ingesting sugar, which creates the same insulin spike as regular sugar.  I have to admit, I use artificial sweetener in my coffee and soda and I still lost weight, but this can spike cravings….just sayin’.  Reason why I also take fiber to feel full.

3.) Eat a high-quality protein at breakfast.

Ideally, you’re eating quality protein at every meal, but, if you need to prioritize one meal, choose breakfast. Studies show that waking up to a healthy protein, such as eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters or a protein shake help people lose weight, reduce cravings and burn calories.

4.  Increase fiber.  Helps you feel full and keeps you from overeating.

5.  NO wine or beer.  If you MUST have a drink, stick with a vodka mixed drink and keep it to a minimum.  Wine and beer have sugar and alcohol takes so much energy in your body to be processed, then your body doesn’t have the energy to also burn fat, so you won’t lose much weight if you drink.  Remember that.

wagon1

And as in any addiction, if you fall off the wagon, then get back on!  Never give up.

The Big Con: The Big Food Companies Duped You To Have A Weight Issue!

Posted on by

0

Today, I was writing to a chat room about being addicted to sugar and how it is like being addicted to crack and some people got really defensive.  But, seriously, it isn’t all our faults.  We have been manipulated by food companies.  Certain foods are engineered by their companies  to make us eat more of them.  They are designed to taste good and give us pleasure.  The combination of sugar, salt and fat is done to maximize the impact that the foods have on our taste receptors and pathways to the brain.

There are many ways to make foods taste good and give us pleasure.

One of the best ways is to use a combination of sugar, salt and fat to maximize the impact these foods have on our taste receptors and reward pathways in the brain.  And when you add artificial flavors and textures, the foods are hard to resist.

The food industry has learned through research what the public wants.  It is their job to sell products and make money.  They reward the pathways to our brain and they make us ADDICTED to these foods.

So, this is how you get repeat customers, but it destroys the health of those who eat these foods.  So, you get addicted, you have the ability to an abundance of these foods and therefore, there is a huge obesity and diabetes epidemic happening.  It is the reason people become addicted to these foods and literally can not stop eating even though they know the foods are causing them severe harm.

Here is a link to the story in NPR about it and the book that exposes the secrets.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/26/172969363/how-the-food-industry-manipulates-taste-buds-with-salt-sugar-fat

book

Do you like the fact that you were and are being manipulated for profit?  Think about reading this book and work on your food issues as an addiction.  It might make more sense this way for you when you change the way you eat.