Changing Eating Habits

At some point in our lives, we go on a diet. Some folks are successful at losing and maintaining their weight. But the majority of us seem to struggle to begin to lose, and once we do, we struggle to maintain the weight, and sadly we regain it’s often a bit more than what we started with. If you belong to the unsuccessful weight loss group category, you are not alone.

There are many reasons we don’t keep the weight off, and it has nothing to do with willpower but everything to do with brain chemistry and how our body has adapted to a specific diet in order to feel functional. For starters, this blog is not about a weight loss program or diet plan. Sorry, but diets don’t provide lasting effects unless you turn a diet into a lifestyle, and for goodness sake, that is utterly boring, which is one reason may stop dieting.

The key to weight loss has a lot to do with lifestyle, economics, and your brain function. I focus on the personal because not everyone thrives on eating carrots and celery or on keto diets. And in addition, not everyone can afford to buy organic foods from the farmers’ market or whole foods. Let’s keep it real. As someone who lived in NYC, in Washington Heights, I witnessed produce expiring within a few days of purchase. The quality of fresh produce in Washington Heights was horrible because foods were often sold that were not so fresh; this is the reality of low-income communities. (In order to obtain decent food, I had to travel below 135^th Street and Shop in Fairway or some supermarket below that area). Of course, since it’s now gentrified, that has been slowly changing to meet the needs of the new folks.

Now, the idea of this blog is to help you understand that your weight is not about your lack of discipline but about a need to read labels and minimizing on foods designed to keep you consuming them within the confines of your reality.  But the actual reality of this blog is about encouraging you to modify as much as possible based on your life reality.

Food changes are often slow, and normally is because we eat whatever is available and affordable.  Not everyone has the time and luxury of cooking or prepping food in advance.  Some folks actually work so many hours that the little time they have is consumed by rest.  Keep in mind not every individual works an 8-hour day.  There are more and more folks working two jobs, which means their workday may consist of 10 hours plus. Or they work a full day and attend school. The fact is many folks truly have limited resources and eat what is available to them based on cost, shopping hours, and energy for prepping. 

There are some practical ways to change your eating habits that work even for those who work two jobs or work and attend school. The eat consist of the following:

• Use your freezer for storing prepped food
• Create a food budget.
• shopping in bulk
• devoting one day to prepping food
• reading labels
• taking food with you, rather than buying on the run
• prepping for a 30-day food supply
• creating a realistic menu
• take snacks to eat at work.
• Drinking at least 6 cups of water (if you hate work, add lemon or mint)

The biggest investment you should make is in your health. Food should not be the thing you compromise on regardless of budget, simply because food is what keeps you healthy, and without your health, everything else fails to be important. Good food is the best health insurance.  Healthy eating does not need to be based on a vegan, vegetarian, or paleo diet but is simply a reflection of your physical needs.   I will include some resources to help you design practical food-prepping goals which will help you eat well, save money, and maintain your health.

Copyright 2023. R. Castro

Resources

Food prepping for beginner

https://youtu.be/ghsw19qAG1g

https://youtu.be/6An7iH4BwJo

Simple Meal Prep Hacks

https://youtu.be/af8zzqb4Jnw

Understanding the Barriers to Change

People often resist change even when not doing so can bring great peril. Individuals remain stuck even after significant losses, broken relationships and failing health. Many will say that change is impossible because it is scary,  unknown and uncomfortable. Indeed change can be an unwelcome experience, because of the unknown. However, there is more to resisting change than simply the fear of the unknown.

Avoiding change provides the individual with the safety of knowing the outcome, but it also provides a sense of being in some control since they already know what to expect. Also, the rewards that come with change can be slow and tedious, and often unfulfilling.  There is also another factor involved that many do not often realize, the reward system activates changes in dopamine levels, which is a neurotransmitter that gets stimulated in brain whenever we do things we find enjoyable.

For instance, bad eating habits. The types of foods that cause weight gain also increase sugar levels that raise energy levels even if for brief moments. The surge of energy levels produced by sugar helps create dopamine spikes, which temporarily bring pleasure. Now if you stop the intake of sugar, the brain is not getting its dopamine spike and the temporary pleasure that goes with it. Barclay (2014) states that sugar consumption has similar effects on the brain as does illicit drugs, though not as severe.

Other things besides food that creates spikes in dopamine levels are substance abuse, sex and anything that brings excitement. Now exercise kicks in endorphins and brings on a natural high as many describe. However, it takes a while before an individual can start running or workout out efficiently enough to enjoy the natural high. Substance abuse, sugar products, gambling, shopping spree, and physical activities like sex all activate dopamine production, as well as exercising and doing enjoyable tasks.

Individuals often maintain patterns and habits that have a reward system. Change forces a person to let go of things that they often associate with pleasure or at least produces dopamine spikes.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that not only produces a sense of pleasure, but it’s a key factor behind motivation, being able to focus and remain productive. According to an article in  Psychology today, dopamine regulates the reward and pleasure system in the brain.

How is change and dopamine related? Dopamine keeps you focused, motivated and able to stick to goals overall. To achieve the change, you need to be able to endure the process that comes with change. Addicts, for instance, can retain their habit because of the constant reward system that produces dopamine surges. How does someone with addiction change?  The change has to include a variety of factors that help reshape new behaviors. For  starters separate the task from emotional rewards by doing some of the following:

1. Develop a plan
2. Focus on the task and not the emotional reward
3. Avoid your feelings dictating your actions when it comes to difficult task
4. Keep in mind once you have achieved your outcome, the emotional reward will follow
5. Emotional rewards associated with the new behavior will be different from the previous rewards
6. Change will produce different and less erratic reward systems than experienced by harmful habits
7. Peace can often be confused for boredom since there are no irregular charges that are trigger by crisis or dramatic events. In physical terms, peace does not increase heart rate, so you are not placed in a position of excitement due to flight or fight triggers.
8. Keep a gratitude journal that will reinforce good feelings.
9. Remember the brain needs to adjust to the change in dopamine production, so every task you engage in will assist in the adjustment.

Change is possible and a doable process. The key factor is to separate the emotional reward system that has us believing that change is something to fear or impossible to achieve.

Copyright©2017 Rosa Castro

References

Barclay, E. (2014) Why sugar makes us feel so good. Retrieved http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/01/15/262741403/why-sugar-makes-us-feel-so-good

Psychology Today (2017) What is dopamine? Retrieved https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/dopamine

Write Studio (2017)The effects of Increasing Dopamine. Retrieved http://www.writestudio.com/335/increase-dopamine-risks-and-benefits