An important factor in sustaining weight loss is making sure you know how to reset hypothalamus activity, which prevents your body from creating fat reserves The human body has a built in ability to store the energy from food as fat, which allowed our ancestors to store this energy when food was less plentiful. Ancient hunter-gatherers had to deal with extended period of little to no food, and these fat reserves allowed them to survive.
Nowadays we don't normally experience times of feast and famine since plenty of food is available all of the time. We have no real need to have large fat reserves in the body, but the hypothalamus doesn't know this and unless we understand exactly how to reset hypothalamus function by carefully planned healthy eating, our body's old survival strategy can make us fat.
What we need to understand is that it's not only the number of calories that we eat, but also what form those calories come in. Fats, proteins and different types of carbohydrates are all utilized and absorbed in the body in different ways and this makes a difference in whether they are burned or stored as fat. Choosing carefully is also the secret to reset hypothalamus reactions to work positively for you, not against you.
The hypothalamus is a gland which is responsible for regulating appetite. This gland, set deep in the brain, signals the feelings of hunger and satiation. Unfortunately for those trying to lose weight, it can up to 20 minutes for the hypothalamus to signal the feeling of being full after we've already eaten enough. Therefore, to help prevent overeating, be in control of your own hypothalamus by eating more slowly. Eating more slowly gives the slow hypothalamus the time to better adjust your hunger based on how much you've already eaten.
Dietary fat is loaded with calories compared to the other two basic dietary constituents, proteins and carbohydrates. Each gram of fat contains nine calories, whereas each gram of protein or carbohydrate contains four calories. However, a healthy diet requires some fats. But all fats are not created equal. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are generally preferable to saturated and "trans" fats. Eating foods high in protein, but low in fat, is wise because protein is converted in the body more slowly, limiting hunger, while providing the material for tissue healing and construction.
Carefully choosing carbs is the most important factor in retraining your hypothalamus from storing up fat. Simple carbohydrates, such as those found in syrup, honey, and sugar, absorb into the body quickly. This results in a barrage of hormones being released as a signal to the hypothalamus to begin hoarding fat. Complex carbohydrates, such as those found in fruit, vegetables, and whole grain, take much longer to seep into the system. So they do not trigger the fat-storing process. Putting less stress on your hypothalamus will keep you from saving up fat.
A diet that is geared toward normal weight maintenance will typically rely on proteins, whole grains and healthy fats while avoiding simple sugars. healthy eating is really the only way to dodge the ancient need of the hypothalamus to save fat for times of famine.
