True confessions. This time of year there is one thing I often want to do A LOT more… EAT! I always enjoy food, but my cravings for things I should NOT be eating seem to return in full force every November. Assuming I am not alone (right?) I did a little research…and it turns out there is a scientific REASON!
Serotonin, produced by your brain, is the “feel-good” hormone. When your brain produces enough of it, serotonin can help you feel calm, confident, and relaxed. One of the primary factors encouraging its production is sunlight. In the bright days of spring and summer, sunshine stimulates your brain to produce plenty of serotonin. But during the short days of fall and winter, your brain needs extra stimulation to produce enough serotonin. Meaning…
We crave sugar and carbs because they stimulate serotonin production.
It’s not enough that your mom’s homemade calorie-laden fudge is the best thing you’ve ever tasted. At this time of year, your impulses drive you to attack holiday desserts like a brain-dead cookie monster just to get your serotonin fix!
Thankfully, this doesn’t mean we are necessarily “hard-wired” to add holiday pounds, because you can increase serotonin production in other ways. Like EXERCISE!
When you look at the big picture, most of the steps you can take to avoid gaining weight happen in your head, not your stomach. So you can THINK your way out of weight gain, regardless of how your brain encourages you to be bad around fattening foods.
Try these 10 Tips to tame that “inner cookie monster” this time of year.
- Treat yourself. Ever notice how denying yourself something only makes you want it more? So have a taste instead of eating the whole treat—or make smart substitutions. Instead of dipping chips, dip carrots. Or trade a bowl of ice cream for an ice milk fudge bar.
- Take 25. It takes 12 minutes for a thin person’s brain to register that he or she has eaten. But it can take 25 minutes for an overweight person to know this. So have a sensible meal, and know that 25 minutes after your first bite, you’ll feel a lot less hungry.
- Skip the dip and gravy. Gravy is made of flour, salt, turkey fat, and broth. Do you really need all that? And dip? It’s just a lot of goo. Besides, skipping these will help you leave room for a little dessert.
- Change your attitude. So you slipped and ate a few pieces of that fudge. Rather than say, “I blew my diet, so why not just keep eating?” take a breath. Smile and say, “No big deal. I can stop now and still feel good about myself.”
- SLEEP. Studies show that when you’re sleep-deprived, the stress hormone cortisol is released at a higher level. This can help you feel hungry even when you’re full.
- Say no to the eggnog. An 8-ounce serving contains 343 fatty, high-carb calories. And that’s without the rum. Think about how long it’d take to burn off all those calories!
- Write it down. It’s likely that even if you normally write down what you eat, that during the holidays your little book ends up in the bottom drawer. (“If I don’t write it down, it didn’t happen!”) But, if you write down the indulgences, you might find a way to compensate for them, at least a bit. For example, by eating less carbs and fat later in the day if you swipe a brownie from the break room at lunch, or adding an extra 20 minutes to your workout. Not a good long-term plan, but it can help.
- Work out. Duh. Seratonin, remember???
- Shop online. Stay home! Eat healthy things you have in the fridge instead of grabbing fast food or sweets. Put on holiday music, and save your energy for a good sweaty workout.
- Find a partner. If one of you begins to blow your diet, a little friendly peer pressure can help you step back from the cookie. If you don’t want to burden a friend with this job, or you both need more help, call me!
A holiday is just a day. Do you really want to undo weeks of sensible eating with a day of crazed eating? And remember, even if you give in for 24 hours, it’s not the end of the world. Just take a breath, put it behind you, and read these tips again!
Lora Smith
Fitness/Nutrition Coach
317-431-7177
www.coachlorasmith.com