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Reset Hypothalamus To Stay In Shape

by J. Boda

A key to sustained weight control is in knowing how to reset hypothalamus function preventing the body from trying to create fat reserves. Our body has the life saving ability to store food energy as fat, in history when times were good and food was plentiful this served as a useful purpose. Hunter-gathers often had times when there was little or no food and these reserves of fat meant survival rather than starvation.

Today, people rarely go through periods of reduced food availability due to our modern lifestyle. We generally do not have a need to store large fat reserves, but the hypothalamus still will perform this function. Unless you understand how to reset hypothalamus function by carefully monitoring your intake and paying attention to healthy eating practices, the innate ability of the human body can make you 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 gland is located within the brain. It performs various functions, one of which is regulating appetite. The hypothalamus creates signals that indicate when we are hungry and when we are satisfied. One problem that can occur is that the signal for being satisfied has a built-in delay. So it can take up to 20 minutes before the body realizes that enough food has been eaten. To try to compensate for this lag, you should concentrate on eating slowly so that you don't continue to eat after you are actually full.

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.

When it comes to making the hypothalamus stop their role in fat accumulation, foods which contain carbohydrates definitely lead the way. The body assimilates carbohydrates faster than proteins, vitamins etc. These carbohydrates act as catalysts for the hypothalamus glands, which begin storing complex lipids. Some special kinds of carbohydrates are found in sugar. You should not confuse these sugars with the sweetening agent we use in everyday cooking. These lipids don't contribute to the lipid build-up caused by triggering of the hypothalamus glands.

healthy eating is the key to dodging the ancient need of the hypothalamus to save fat for lean times. A good diet geared to normal weight maintenance will rely on healthy fats, proteins, whole grains and other complex carbohydrates while avoiding simple sugars.

The trick to losing weight and keeping it off is squelching your body's attempt to "save" you with extra, unnecessary fat reserves. In ancient times, food came from what primitive people could hunt and gather. Sometimes, there was plenty, and sometimes there was none. Now, we have food constantly available. The hypothalamus, a master hormone gland, has not evolved to recognize this situation. So we will get fatter unless we reset hypothalamus function with healthy eating patterns focused on proteins, whole grains and healthy fats, while avoiding simple sugars. Eating a healthy diet is the best way to dodge the ancient, fat storage tendency of the hypothalamus.

Published October 25th, 2007

Filed in Beauty, Fitness, Food, Health, Weight Loss