Obesity in our society is almost an epidemic. Over 65% of adults and nearly 33% of the children in the US are now considered overweight. That’s over 97 million Americans. And it is costing us a bundle. Being overweight is associated with a high incidence of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome (i.e., diabetes & dysglycemia), hypertension and dyslipidemia (i.e., high cholesterol and/or triglycerides). Data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicate that these conditions alone account for more than $100 billion in healthcare expenses annually.
In this post you will discover why many of us overindulge in foods we know are detrimental to our health and learn what you can do to correct the imbalances that cause cravings and get on the road to optimal weight loss.
Eating to Feel Good
There are many reasons why we eat – some physical, some psychological, some emotional. While emotional eating is certainly a factor with many people that are overweight, there is a physiological reason behind many people’s cravings for carbohydrates. When you ingest simple carbohydrates (especially if they are accompanied with high fat) you raise the level of serotonin in your blood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps elevate mood, decrease anxiety and makes us feel better. However, the serotonin spike from eating simple carbohydrates is short-lived. Soon after eating these foods, you ‘crash’, feel lousy, and need your ‘carbohydrate-hit’ to help you feel better again. This is why/how cravings develop and a vicious cycle ensues where you overeat these nutrient-deprived, high carbohydrate (and often high-calorie) foods, and you become helpless to watch your weight increase.
Once you get on this neurotransmitter roller-coaster, it takes a lot more than will power to get off. The cravings can be so intense that you can feel as though you are losing your mind; many people also report extreme moodiness, irritability, inability to focus or concentrate and depression if they don’t give in to their cravings. This can leave you feeling empty, dejected and often times powerless to resist the foods you know are killing you.
Getting Off the Roller-Coaster
So what can you do to get off of this roller coaster? One of the first things you have to do is rebalance your neurotransmitters. Once you’re on the neurotransmitter roller-coaster it is very hard to get off without some help.
Luckily, there are supplements that you can use to correct neurotransmitter imbalances that will help you manage your cravings and your appetite, thereby allowing you to regain control of your eating and lose weight. The products are called D5, D5 Extra and CysReplete and together they have helped thousands of people lose weight by naturally rebalancing neurotransmitter levels.
In addition, eating and alkaline diet that is high in foods that promote neurotransmitter production will support the healthy changes you are making and help you maintain optimal neurotransmitter levels.
Once more, exercise promotes neurotransmitter synthesis – that is why after you get over the initial fatigue of beginning an exercise program, many people report an ‘exercise-high’ after working-out. In short, exercise will help you maintain higher levels of neurotransmitters while helping you lose weight.
Controlling Cravings to Lose Weight
We eat for many reasons and can control how we feel by what we put in our mouths. But when our eating takes control of us, many people fall prey to the chemicals (e.g., neurotransmitters) in their body that normally make them feel good. Luckily, there are effective, proven ways to rebalance these chemicals, allowing you to regain control of your eating, enabling you to achieve the level of health you chose.
Key Points
- Eat a healthy diet that keeps you alkaline (see the second Walking Along the Natural Path Newsletter to remind you why this is important); the Vital Life Diet works well for many people. Remember, about 75% of your plate should be vegetables (alkaline forming) at any given meal.
- Eat plenty of foods that promote neurotransmitter synthesis
- Begin using D5 (4 capsules 30-60 minutes before breakfast and dinner) and CysReplete (3 capsules 30-60 minutes before dinner and bedtime) to help curb cravings. The password needed to view these products is ‘natural1’.
- Exercise – begin by doing anything you like that gets you moving daily, working your way up to 30 minutes of exercise every day.
You can regain control of your eating and you can achieve the level of health you desire. If these suggestions don’t get you to your goals, contact us so that we can work with you along your natural path to optimal health.