Tag / brain

by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

11 DAYS AND COUNTING

That half pound attached to the 155.5 lb. reading on the scale this past Friday bothered me, so I weighed myself this morning (Monday) at 4:14 AM, even though my rule was to weigh-in only once a week on Fridays.

Obviously I woke up feeling a little lighter, otherwise I wouldn’t have done it.

So, yes. That half pound is history.

Now, instead of losing a total of 7 lbs. in a little over three weeks, the new total is 7.5 lbs. lost.

Oops, now that new half pound marker bothers me. I don’t like to do anything halfway.

I’m going to knock that half pound off the planet.

Slow doesn’t always win the race. Slow might not even complete the race if the turtle slows to a snail’s pace and gets scooped up for supper along the way.

I’m at the head of the stretch, there’s no more time for maneuvering. Put the pedal to the metal.

If my brain hasn’t gotten the message that I can eat responsibly without it having to put me in emergency mode to slow my metabollism, because it thinks I’m starving, then my brain needs to be taught who’s in charge here. I’m a contributing factor to how I exercise my freedom to use my instincts as I choose.

Counting today (30 July) I have 11 days till the final weigh-in.

 

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by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

Scales And Mirrors (part 4) ©

Use a mirror and a scale. Those are your two best friends when losing weight and getting fit. Looking at your face isn’t enough. Like many people, I don’t gain a lot of weight in my face, so according to my face I’m thin.

Continue reading →

by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

Eat-To-Store

It’s not the feeling of hunger we need to shut off. We who are fat rarely ‘feel’ hungry. We think it.

And right now the brain is more powerful than the gut in those who are overweight.

We feel full nearly all the time. It’s when the level of full drops a slight amount that we rise to eat again – no matter if we ate just fifteen minutes ago.

We are stuck in the eat-to-store mode.

 

by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

A Motivating Tool|Or Exercise

Yes, making lists is a form of exercise – mental/brain and physical.

For me, rarely if ever do I follow the list. It’s the making of one that motivates me to get going again. It doesn’t matter at what. One thing leads to another thing is the continuing motivating force that leads to success in getting things done – maybe not in the order I listed them and maybe much of it wasn’t even on the list, but it all eventually gets done – and then some.

 

by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

Even moderate drinking linked to changes in brain structure

By Kate Kelland | LONDON

Drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol is linked to changes in brain structure and an increased risk of worsening brain function, scientists said on Tuesday.

In a 30-year study that looked at the brains of 550 middle-aged heavy drinkers, moderate drinkers and teetotallers, the researchers found people drank more alcohol had a greater risk of hippocampal atrophy – a form of brain damage that affects memory and spatial navigation.

People who drank more than 30 units a week on average had the highest risk, but even those who drank moderately – between 14 and 21 units a week – were far more likely than abstainers to have hippocampal atrophy, the scientists said.

“And we found no support for a protective effect of light consumption on brain structure,” they added.

The research team – from the University of Oxford and University College London – said their results supported a recent lowering of drinking limit guidelines in Britain, but posed questions about limits recommended in the United States.

U.S. guidelines suggest that up to 24.5 units of alcohol a week is safe for men, but the study found increased risk of brain structure changes at just 14 to 21 units a week.

A unit is defined as 10 milliliters (ml) of pure alcohol. There are roughly two in a large beer, nine in a bottle of wine and one in a 25 ml spirit shot.

Killian Welch, a Royal Edinburgh Hospital neuropsychiatrist who was not directly involved in the study, said the results, published in the BMJ British Medical Journal, underlined “the argument that drinking habits many regard as normal have adverse consequences for health”.

“We all use rationalizations to justify persistence with behaviors not in our long term interest. With (these results) justification of ‘moderate’ drinking on the grounds of brain health becomes a little harder,” he said…

Finish reading: Even moderate drinking linked to changes in brain structure, study finds | Reuters

 

by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

Not Every Day

Not every day.

It gets too old, too familiar, too fast.

Break it up.

Doing something every single day, at the same time in the same way creates a need for it. Rather than helping as designed or expected, it harms.

Or it creates a resentment.

Boredom sets up a mindset that affects how the brain receives and responds to signals.

Shake it up.

Smile.

Force it. Yes, where you are. So what if somebody sees?

Then cover your face, look away, now smile.

Okay, you’re good.

P.S. If you skip a day or two or forget about what you thought would cure you until you realize you’re not taking what you swore allegiance to, so what? If it’s worth your effort or continuance, you’ll get back to it when you feel like it. Ease up. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Easy.

 

by Chef Sharon Davies-Tight

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUNGER AND CRAVINGS

Boy, do I love a fat slice of pizza or three. When that meaty, cheesy, tomatoey aroma hits my nostrils and I see that greasy cardboard box open and reveal those glistening triangular slices, I know I’m going to have a hard time controlling myself. Put me in front of an unlimited supply and I might just eat myself into a rather sorry state. At the same time, I know eating pizza isn’t healthy, and the stakes couldn’t be higher: This is exactly the type of food that ends up making us overweight, pushing us toward metabolic disease, sapping our vigor, and ultimately shortening our lives. So why do I do it? Where does the siren song of craving come from?

To understand where cravings come from, first we have to understand what they are, so I’ll start with a definition: A food craving is a state of heightened eating motivation that is directed at a specific food. It’s not the same as hunger, which is a nonspecific motivation for calorie-containing food in general. Craving and hunger are distinct motivations that emerge from different brain circuits in response to specific cues.

This brings us to our next key question:…

Finish reading: Where do cravings come from? | Examine.com