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| Hunger, it ain't a game. |
Yes, I should have known better. When early last month I found myself getting hungrier than usual, I engaged in some magical thinking: Hungrier? Well, I haven't expended extra calories and my diet is pretty healthy. This must mean my body's metablolism is speeding up and needs more calories to stay the course!
What it really meant was my body was expressing its unhappiness with losing weight. If the weight starts coming off, it must mean there is a problem with access to the food supply and the body pulls levers and switches to make the regaining of that weight more of a priority. Specifically, that lever is a hormone called Ghrelin, which is released to stimulate hunger. Of course there is a vaccine in development to prevent the release of the hormone, but until then, the scientists basically say, "shut yo mouf!"
(Researchers) agree that even with high levels of ghrelin, you don't have to be at the mercy of your hormones. ''There are a couple of studies suggesting the orbital frontal cortex activity can be modified," he says.Among those who do it best, he says, are people who are most concerned about maintaining a healthy weight -- who exercise what researchers call dietary restraint.In another study, Goldstone says, he found that those with high dietary restraint scores had less activity in the orbital frontal cortex. The executive decision-making part of their brains seems to override the reward system activation, he says.Eventually, ghrelin-blocking drugs may make it easier to pick the salad over the chocolate ice cream, but until then? "The advice not to skip breakfast comes out again with this study," Goldstone says. Other times of the day, eating before you are famished can help, too, he says.
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| OK, Dr. G, maybe YOU did. |
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Thought for Food - Wheat Addictions | ||||
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As I discovered when figuring out glycemic indexing, grains in general are high in the index, while wheat and wheat products has a ridiculously high impact on increasing blood sugar, whole or not. As the talking head says, eating bread is a lot like eating sugar, and causes cravings for more. See what I did there? A full circle: glycemic index, bread equivalent to sugar, a carousel of craving, addiction! It's all connected...
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| On the unaired 6th season, the cornerboys start pushing wholewheat pumpernickel raisin bagels. |
This is all getting a bit jumbled. OK, whether bread is the new crack we'll leave alone. Whatever this bad trip is...how do I get off it?! Internets to the rescue! When you Google "hunger control",you get THREE more times the hits than "boobies" and 1.5x the hits than "butts" (though only about 1/3 the hits of "sex", unsurprisingly). The research staff here at FBIWC is trolling through thousands (ok, hundreds) of hunger-control tips on the Internet and next week we present them to you, from what we feel are the best to the silliest/most dangerous.
*about how it's a monster designed to make us spend us much as possible regardless of the health toll it takes on the population. No, I'm not gonna.
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| Adult drink wine, kids get purple drank. |
The afternoon party was a bit of an eye-opener. Unlike the cake I gorged on the night before, the birthday cake looked really well-made, with a glossy chocolate fondant and high-quality decorative touches. Underneath the dark chocolate fondant was milk chocolate butter cream. And there was old-school cinnamon ruggelah. When someone shouted, "Who wants cake?!, " there was a high pitched wail of every 3 year old in the room shouting, "I DO!" all at once. I watched Edie it her cake and I watched every one else eat theirs, too. It was odd being on the outside looking in -- with other foods, everyone is eating variations from the buffet, but with this food, everyone was eating the exact some thing. I offered Edie a ruggelah, but she was not interested and I held it between my fingers, contemplating it. It felt heavy, moist, dense, slightly pliable. Egg wash gave it a glossy coat, and a sprinkling of sugar helped it brown and caramelize. This was the food of my parents, food of my childhood, and I would not eat it. I felt drawn to eat the cake, eat the cookie. I desired it, to taste it, to feel satisfied. Note I just ate a bagel with cream cheese and lox and was in no way hungry, but my desire for these sweets were not about hunger. I realized in the moment it was partially about community and partially about remembering growing up with loving parents. But above those things, it was about quieting the cravings, about eating the sweet stuff so I could focus and feel straight. I did not. I am addicted, and I want to kick it.
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Made tea Monday morning, though without sugar. Sure, it's only 50 cal per pint, BUT that's 350 cal a week! Figure I can shift those calories to the oil of the salad dressing for papa salads. I sweetened the tea to knock the bitter edge off the tea, but this time instead of letting the water come to a boil then steeping the tea, I used a thermometer to bring the water to the recommended 185 degrees (when the water is just starting to bubble) and give the loose tea only 3 1/2 minutes.Weird. There is no bitterness, it's pretty much perfectly brewed, but there is no sweetness. Around the time of my increased hunger, I doubled up on the sugar in the tea, and I didn't realize until drinking the unsweetened batch just how much I enjoyed that little bit of sugar in the morning. Perhaps I liked it too much, like a maintenance dose.-----
Made poppa salad on Monday, too. Green chopped salad with red leaf lettuce, iceberg, cucumber, carrot, radish and scallion. The entire (1,211g) bowl is 220 calories, so....once I get used to what my standard salad bowl's value is, I probably won't need to do the numbers every time I make this kind of salad. Because that would be totally nuts.Made a dressing with 6oz olive oil, 2oz red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp dried basil, 1tbsp dried oregano, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp guar gum and salt & pepper. OK, but a little flat. Next batch will do equal parts oil/vinegar, and kick it up a notch with lemon juice and grated parm. A tablespoon is about 100 cal, which is enough for a big bowl o' salad.-----
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Made tea Monday morning, though without sugar. Sure, it's only 50 cal per pint, BUT that's 350 cal a week! Figure I can shift those calories to the oil of the salad dressing for papa salads. I sweetened the tea to knock the bitter edge off the tea, but this time instead of letting the water come to a boil then steeping the tea, I used a thermometer to bring the water to the recommended 185 degrees (when the water is just starting to bubble) and give the loose tea only 3 1/2 minutes.Weird. There is no bitterness, it's pretty much perfectly brewed, but there is no sweetness. Around the time of my increased hunger, I doubled up on the sugar in the tea, and I didn't realize until drinking the unsweetened batch just how much I enjoyed that little bit of sugar in the morning. Perhaps I liked it too much, like a maintenance dose.-----
Made poppa salad on Monday, too. Green chopped salad with red leaf lettuce, iceberg, cucumber, carrot, radish and scallion. The entire (1,211g) bowl is 220 calories, so....once I get used to what my standard salad bowl's value is, I probably won't need to do the numbers every time I make this kind of salad. Because that would be totally nuts.Made a dressing with 6oz olive oil, 2oz red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp dried basil, 1tbsp dried oregano, 1 tsp onion powder, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp guar gum and salt & pepper. OK, but a little flat. Next batch will do equal parts oil/vinegar, and kick it up a notch with lemon juice and grated parm. A tablespoon is about 100 cal, which is enough for a big bowl o' salad.-----
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| I imagine back in the day 365 was a huge number, and a dessert for every day seemed like an incredible indulgence.... |
It just occurred to me that as a kid, my parents would serve dessert after almost every meal, and if it wasn't served, I would insist. They used it as a reward for finishing a meal, and it was also used for nothing -- it became rote. Cookies, cake, brownies, ice cream. THEY didn't have dessert every day as kids -- they were of the generation where it was way too expensive, and when there was a dessert, it was a rare and special occasion. I guess in wanting to give me that feeling that they got from sweets, they denied it to me. Hows that for a head-f@ck.
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Good thing I kept my old belt. I've started to use the 3rd notch in my new belt, which doesn't make much sense if I gained weight last month. Yep -- the belt has stretched. The 3rd notch is almost exactly where the 1st notch was when I bought it. The old belt is still to big for me, but not THAT big. Gotta keep it real, yo.
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Huh, lookit that, an average in budget. No sugar this week, and man I felt it. Friday night, just KNOWING sugar was coming over the ekeend, my cravings increased. I was able to fight it, but still.
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MONDAY COUNT: 2300
Poppa salad is a nice break in the vegetable rundown, but gotta make my own Italian dressing. I can do better than the bottle.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 50 cal
BREAKFAST: 11:30am, fruit smoothie, 375 cal
LUNCH: 1:45pm, sardine & avocado on whole wheat toast, momma salad, pickle, 7oz diet coke, 600 cal
PM SNACK: 5:15pm, apple carrot kale beet parsley cilantro ginger juice, 150 cal
Good but a strong taste. Watered 8oz of juice down with 8oz of water.
DINNER: 8:30pm, grilled chicken breast, curry cous cous, poppa salad with store-bought Italian dressing, 7oz diet sprite, 805 cal
EVENING SNACK: 9:45pm, cheesy poofs, 7oz diet sprite, 320 cal
Diet soda really does take the edge off sugar cravings. Also nice to be able to eat a satisfying, decadent snack that isn't a sugar bomb AND stays within budget.
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TUESDAY COUNT: 2125
Sugar cravings still there, but they are not nearly as bad as they were on Friday and over the weekend.
AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal
Weirdness. Not what I expected. It's good, but it's not the same thing as my mildly sweetened stuff.
BREAKFAST: 10:15am, steel cut oatmeal, 375 cal
PM SNACK: 1:30pm, momma salad, 100 cal
LUNCH: 3pm, double quarter pounder, 12oz diet coke, 750 cal
PM SNACK: 6:30, poppa salad with homemade dressing, 150 cal
DINNER: 8:15pm. chicken sausage, madras lentils, steamed string beans, 7oz diet sprite, 630 cal
Lentils: they're a "starch", but they're also high in protein. Hmmm.
EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, beef jerkey, 7oz diet sprite, 120 cal
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WEDNESDAY COUNT: 2365
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal
I like it. Need to get used to it. Not sweet, but pleasantly no bitterness, just smooth. Just a pure green tea flavor, like a chord. Sugar supplied bass to get over bitterness's treble.
BREAKFAST: 10:15am, fage yogurt with almonds, agave, vanilla, 430 cal
Ugg! What the hell! Way too sweet! This is the same recipe I've been using for a few months, but now that I really haven't eaten sweets in a week, this seems totally different. It's:
- Fage Whole Yogurt: 200g (1 serving), 190 cal
- Agave: 30g (1 serving), 60 cal
- Roasted Salted Almonds: 30g (1 serving), 180 cal
- Shot of home made vanilla extract, less than 5 cal
I started using agave because of the lower glycemic index than honey, and it's a little less sweet than honey, too. The packaging lists a "serving" as 30g, which all seems reasonable. But now that my taste buds are more attuned to sweet, it just tasted....candied. I originally put sweeteners in yogurt to balance out the tartness, and next week I shall aim to do that again, cutting back the agave by half, regardless of what the packaging calls a serving!
LUNCH: 1:30pm, broiled flounder, chili-flavored quinoa, roasted asparagus, momma salad, 7oz diet coke, 700 cal
PM SNACK: 6pm, apple carrot kale beet parsely cilantro ginger juice, 135 cal
DINNER: 7:30pm, small pork & veg fried rice, shio ramen, water, +/- 800 cal
Nice dinner out at a ramen shop. I guessed the soup was 400-500 cal, nice to see the internets confirm my suspicions.
EVENING SNACK: 10:15pm, cheesy poofs, 7oz diet sprite, 300 cal
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THURSDAY COUNT: 2355
Had a harder time with hunger today, and reviewing how I ate, I see why. High glycemic breakfast cereal in the morning, high glycemic pasta for lunch, a high glycemic pizza in the evening. It was all tempered by a lot of vegetables and a glass of fresh juice, but it was really setting me up. Fortunately, by eating 3/4 of my usual cheesy poofs I was able to stay in budget -- I was going to eat jerky, but was too desirous of carbs, oddly enough.
AM SNACK: 7:45am, iced green tea, 0 cal
BREAKFAST: 10:15am, kolon bloe with whole milk, 400 cal
Went from a double serving to a triple serving on the cereal to bring the cal count closer to what my other breakfasts are -- this size seems to suit me. Funny, just starting to notice how sweet this cereal is.
PM SNACK: 1pm, momma salad, 80 cal
Ran out. Poppa salad will have to take me through the rest of the the week!
LUNCH: 1:45pm, whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce and shrimp, roasted Brussel sprouts, 7oz diet coke, 935 cal
Huh. Haven't had pasta in a while. This used to seem like a crazy-small portion, now it seemed a bit much. A serving is 2oz, I had 4oz -- after adjusting from my previous regular portion of 8oz. I think next time will do 3oz as a meal with stuff in and on it, and 2oz as a component of a meal.
PM SNACK: 4:45pm, apple carrot kale beet ginger parsley cilantro juice, 135 cal
DINNER: 7:45pm, 1 Stouffer's French Bread pizza, poppa salad with homemade dressing, 7oz diet sprite, 585 cal
EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, cheesy poofs, 7oz diet sprite, 225 cal
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FRIDAY COUNT: 2340
Woke up at 6am and could not get back to bed, feeling somewhere between hunger and a sugar craving. Got to bed a little after 11, so felt OK. So much flu going around, gotta watch it.
AM SNACK: 6:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal
BREAKFAST: 9:15am, fage whole yogurt with agave, almonds and vanilla, 430 cal
Cut the agave in half, tasted great.
PM SNACK: 12:15pm, poppa salad with homemade dressing, 200 cal
Went a bit heavy on the dressing, was good.
LUNCH: 1:30pm, chicken meatballs, madras lentils & roasted broccoli, pickle, 7oz diet coke660 cal
DINNER: 5:30pm, double quarter pounder, 24oz diet coke, 750 cal
Not how I thought I'd finish the week, but just spent a hot, stuffy hour with the whole fam at the pediatrician getting flu biznizz done, and it was raining and we needed something fast and convenient. B wanted fries, so I order the combo, hence the stupidly large soda.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, cheesy poofs, quart of water, 300 cal
Thought I was gonna do jerky, but dried meat after a burger is gross.
PM SNACK: 12:15pm, poppa salad with homemade dressing, 200 cal
Went a bit heavy on the dressing, was good.
LUNCH: 1:30pm, chicken meatballs, madras lentils & roasted broccoli, pickle, 7oz diet coke660 cal
DINNER: 5:30pm, double quarter pounder, 24oz diet coke, 750 cal
Not how I thought I'd finish the week, but just spent a hot, stuffy hour with the whole fam at the pediatrician getting flu biznizz done, and it was raining and we needed something fast and convenient. B wanted fries, so I order the combo, hence the stupidly large soda.
EVENING SNACK: 8pm, cheesy poofs, quart of water, 300 cal
Thought I was gonna do jerky, but dried meat after a burger is gross.
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