{"id":612,"date":"2011-08-15T10:30:34","date_gmt":"2011-08-15T14:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondgorgeous\/?p=612"},"modified":"2011-08-15T10:30:34","modified_gmt":"2011-08-15T14:30:34","slug":"its-all-in-your-head-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondgorgeous\/2011\/08\/its-all-in-your-head-really.html","title":{"rendered":"It’s All in Your Head — Really!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s all in your head — the research proves it!<\/p>\n

Not to call you a fathead.\u00a0 I just read an article about a study done at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, published in the August edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.<\/em> The lead author, Brad Appelhans, PhD, clinical psychologist and obesity researcher, said that traditional diet counseling — telling people to use self control and make better choices — doesn\u2019t work.\u00a0 Guess we strugglers knew that already, didn\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

For years heavy people have been stigmatized as having poor self control.\u00a0 If only people used will power, they wouldn\u2019t have a problem, the naturally thin people say. And we believed them and felt twice as bad about ourselves.\u00a0 But now researchers say that three specific portions of your brain determine how you respond to food.<\/p>\n

One of those is food reward.\u00a0 That, Appelhans says, is controlled by the mesolimbic dopamine system, a neural pathway in the brain known as the reward circuit.\u00a0 To some people, food just tastes better.\u00a0 They have a greater sensitivity to sweet and fatty foods and it gives them a greater pleasure reward.<\/p>\n

Then there is the ability to suppress food cravings which is controlled by the brain\u2019s prefrontal cortex. (The authors called it \u201cinhibitory control.\u201d) That part of the brain handles the self-control, planning, and goal behavior.\u00a0 The dorsolateral (back and side) part of that area of the brain comes to life when the conscious you begins to make decisions about what you eat.<\/p>\n

A third area that affects our ability to stick with the plan is called time discounting. \u00a0That means you would rather have the pleasure of the food now than the pleasure of feeling fit later.<\/p>\n

So how can you succeed when your brain is sabotaging you?\u00a0 It\u2019s another case of your autopilot managing your body without your conscious consent — and you have to learn to manage it. \u00a0Click here to learn about your autopilot.<\/a><\/p>\n

Start by activating that prefrontal cortex and make the conscious decision to do what is healthy for you in the long run — in spite of what your autopilot is telling you.\u00a0 Tell it, \u201cThat is just neurotransmitters talking. I don\u2019t really want that, and I don\u2019t have to eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Make it easier on yourself by not having high glycemic foods around to use as rewards. If it isn\u2019t there, you don\u2019t have to resist it.\u00a0 I had a much easier time with my plan when our refrigerator broke down.\u00a0 Getting food involved a long walk out to another building to fetch it.\u00a0 Generally, it wasn\u2019t worth the effort and I had no trouble resisting temptation. If it is handy, though, that\u2019s another story!\u00a0 So don\u2019t buy it and don\u2019t even go down those aisles in the grocery store.<\/p>\n

Applehans suggested learning better stress management techniques, since stress makes us want to eat to feel better. He also suggested avoiding situations that challenge us — like all-you-can-eat buffets.<\/p>\n

And if waiting for a reward is a problem, start rewarding yourself sooner.\u00a0 Celebrate every victory — even the small ones. Sticking to the plan for a perfect day is a victory, even if the scale doesn\u2019t move.\u00a0 Making your step goal is a reason to celebrate. Pat yourself on the back and focus on your accomplishments rather than how far you still have to go.\u00a0 Give yourself non-food rewards for successful behavior all along the way.\u00a0 Buy something new when you have gone down one size. Don\u2019t wait until you are a size six.<\/p>\n

And you thought it was your stomach that was the problem!\u00a0 Learn to control your brain and your stomach will cooperate.<\/p>\n

Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/p>\n

Susan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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