Diet Day 887 - Science Diet

[darkemeralds]

I've lost more than 60 pounds and kept it off for a couple of years, but I'm still overweight and I don't want to be. These last 30 pounds have obstinately resisted all my tricks.

The problem comes down to cravings. Starch cravings, to be specific. I'll be in fine shape all day and then bam! I get home from work and turn into a ravening pancake beast. No power in the 'verse can stop me. By the time I come to, I've added several hundred excess calories to my day. ¹

Why do I keep falling into this trap?



Well guess what I found out: Eating starch instantly releases serotonin. Serotonin beats back excess cortisol after a stressful day. In short, the compulsion to eat starch is nature's way of saying, "Stand down. The saber-tooth tiger has gone." Or, "Chill out right now, before you have a stroke."

The body obeys. But those helpful carbs quickly lower my blood sugar, and that just causes more carb cravings. Pretty soon, what little serotonin I had left in my brain is depleted, and that's stressful.

How to break out of the vicious cycle? Once the pancake monster is awake, willpower is utterly worthless. (I know. I've tried it for 40 years.) Logic suggests that I prevent the cycle from starting in the first place. Obviously, decreasing my stress is a good first step, but since I still have modern urban life to contend with, I can't eliminate it entirely.

So can I make more serotonin? Can I limit cortisol release and recover from it faster? Can I minimize blood sugar fluctuations? In other words, can I help myself feel calm and centered pretty much all the time, so as to let sleeping pancake monsters lie?

Well, yes. ²:

To manage cortisol:

• exercise
• meditation
• energy techniques like EFT and reiki
• adequate sleep
• eliminate caffeine there are some lines I'm not ready to cross
• vitamin B6
• gymnema sylvestre, ashwagandha and a heap of other herbs

To enhance serotonin

• vitamin D
• sunlight (well, we can hope)
• L-tryptophan
• estrogen
• omega-3 fatty acids
• 5-HTP

To stabilize blood sugar

• L-glutamine
• gymnema sylvestre

I've added daily walks to my bike rides. I'm leaving the office on time. I've got vacation days planned. Any of those supplements I wasn't already taking, I've acquired. I've cut my budget elsewhere so I can afford the supplements. I've committed to actually taking the supplements.

It's too early for numbers, but I've had no pancake attacks for several days now. My calorie consumption has dropped to where I want it and the scale is delivering good news every morning. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Maybe those last 30 pounds are on their way out at last.

<sup>1. This has happened all along, but my caloric need has dropped with my weight, so those extra few hundred calories made less difference when I was fatter.↩

2. It goes without saying that this is my personal in-body experiment and not a suggestion for anyone else. One size does NOT fit all, Google is your friend, etc. Also, I'm not a doctor. And my own doctor has only prescribed about half of these things. I'm sure I'll mention the rest of them to him next visit. So. Caveat lector.↩</sup>

Comments

[emungere]

I just watched a thing on Creativelive - they do online lectures and courses that are free to watch if you watch them when they're on live - that talked a lot about how to encourage the production of serotonin and dopamine (and another one I can't remember). Unfortunately it's no longer free, but it's here if you're interested:

http://www.creativelive.com/courses/all-one-life-health-tamara-lackey

There was also a section with a vegan ultramarathoner that I found really interesting, and one with the guy from nerdfitness.com talking about strength training and stuff. I may end up buying it; I think it might be worth it.

[darkemeralds]

I watched the Tamara Lackey promo. She's pretty impressive! I'm not in a position to commit the money and time to a program like that right now, but I'll be interested in your report if you sign up. Thanks for the tip!

[executrix]

I just had a snack that I think could be helpful the next time the pancake monster attacks. I beat one egg (medium, because that's the way the cage-free ones come here), whisked in some besan (chickpea flour), added enough water to reach crepe batter thickness, then added a couple of pinches of masala. It cooks up looking exactly like a flour crepe, but it's high protein/low starch. A double portion with yogurt and maybe some chutney would make an excellent tiffin with some vegetables on the side...or, for the carnivorous, with some grilled chicken or shrimp on top.

This is not the same thing as a dosa, which includes rice flour and is fermented and is kind of a hassle to cook properly--this is under five minutes from "I think I want a snack" to "that was a nice snack."

[darkemeralds]

That sounds good! I've been experimenting with coconut flour and almond meal and have invented some sort-of-crackers out of them that aren't bad. I haven't kept chickpea flour around but it's not hard to get. I'll give this idea a try.