THOUGHTS OF A FITNESS FREAK

Im a learning freak when it comes to fitness….no, do not have a degee or a certificate, but I am pretty smart in the medical field as well as studying anatomy, anything fitness related and now weight loss.  Also, the gym of hard knocks of course.  So feel free to ask me whatever you want.  Hopefully I do know the answer or can send you to someone else who can.

So I just got 6 ce credits on a course in Weight Loss.  I learned so much stuff that I can’t possibly write them all down.  I now have knowledge on the parts of the brain that control eating satisfaction as well as some tricks to help you eat less.  I learned about PYY-336 hormone levels.  The PYY-336 is secreted in the cells of the small intestine in the response to the presence of food  -there is a 20-30 minute delay in release.  It is then transported to the hypothalamus via circulation where it supresses appetite. Also a key hormone is CCK or Choleccystokinin.  This hormone tells you the meal is over by producing a feeling of fullness.  CCK is release by the small intestine as food leaves the stomach and acts by slowing digestion.  Aditionally , CCK creates a sense of satiety by increased production of seratonin in the brain…..Confused yet?  Satisfied and feeling full increases our seratonin levels.  Low seratonin levels lead to carb cravings. 

So in a nutshell….tips to avoid overeating are eat a fist sized meal and wait 20 minutes, as there is a delay in getting that satisfied feeling.  Thats why we overeat and feel TOO full later asking where the Alka Seltzer is!

Eat good carbs that level out your insulin and blood glucose levels(glycemic index).  The "slow burn" keeps you satisfied longer and levels that fluctuate lead to binging.  Eat whole grains such as in breads and pasta and get enough fruits and vegetables if you can.

As for increased seratonin levels…there are products that they sell that claim weight loss help if you use it. I cannot say if these products work.  I don’t believe there is a magic weight loss pill and my instructed said if there was……….OPRAH would have it as she has more money than God and tries everything "magical" when it comes to weight loss. 

I know that to increase your levels you have to eat right.  Fist sized portions are a must and learning to eat "only" that much takes some time and patience.  I will write more about this next blog.

Fern

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.