Since 1991, The Plourdé Institute has helped thousands of clients achieve their weight-loss goals with evidence-based, multidisciplinary interventions. In addition to individualized nutrition and exercise plans, The Plourdé Institute treats many of the psychological aspects of unwanted weight gain, including food addiction.Food addiction occurs because sugar, salt, and fat in many foods can trigger a pleasure response in the brain similar to that caused by addictive drugs. Rather than eating for subsistence, people with a food addiction may eat to alleviate boredom, reduce stress, or fulfill a need for control. Some other signs of food addiction include:- Cravings. The desire to eat a certain food even after a person feels full is known as a craving. Cravings are the result of the brain’s need for a dopamine rush, not the body’s need for nutrition.- Overeating. People with food addiction often eat until they feel physically uncomfortable. Eating small portions of addictive foods, such as sweets or salty snacks, may be difficult for them.- Guilt. After binging or overeating, people with food addiction may have negative feelings, such as guilt, regret, or shame. However, these feelings do not stop the behavior. Many people with food addiction feel that their actions are beyond their control.
By The Plourdé Institute
When it comes down to it, effective weight loss/fat loss can only
be achieved when calories AND the hormone insulin are controlled. A
pound of fat is composed of 3,500 calories; that might seem like a lot,
but you have to remember that your body is constantly using calories as
fuel. The amount of calories a person burns on any given day will vary
greatly depending on that person’s level of activity and body type, so
it can be difficult to determine just how much exercise any single
person will need to lose weight. Instead of focusing on specific
results, here are some simple lifestyle changes you can make to help
burn more calories throughout the day.
Exercise
Exercise
is the obvious place to start. If you can dedicate even just 30 minutes a
day to an aerobic workout, then do it; your body will thank you for it.
Regardless of your age or athletic ability, regular exercise will help
to keep pounds off while increasing stamina, strengthening the heart,
and providing many other health benefits. Even if you cannot commit to
an organized exercise routine, there are other ways to increase your
activity level throughout the day.
Smaller Movements Add Up
For
those who work from home or do not work full time, it might be easy to
stick to a regular exercise program; but what about those of us who work
eight or more hours a day and have to commute? If you just cannot spare
a half hour to exercise each day, you can still make some simple
changes to your everyday routine that will help burn a few extra
calories, even as you go about your business at work.
- Take the
stairs whenever you can, not the elevator. If you work in a tall office
building, start taking stairs as far as you can go and then use the
elevator the rest of the way. Watch how your stamina shifts over time.
- Pass up that prime parking spot; instead, park farther away from the office so that you have to walk in.
-
Stagger your office errands so that you have to get up and move around
more often. Think about setting an alarm at one-hour intervals to remind
you to get up and walk around; scheduled breaks can also increase your
mental agility.
- If you get an hour off for lunch, try splitting the time between eating and a light walk.
Insulin
When
a person lives with high blood sugar and high blood insulin, it
predispose fat cells for only fat creation. Incapable of mobilizing
fatty acids, muscles default to only glucose utilization. This
unfortunately leads to the brain directing hunger for sugars and
starches. Learning to control the hormone insulin is therefore a
critical component to scientific and effective weight management.
The Plourdé Institute has been using an interdisciplinary, science-based approach to weight loss since its inception in 1991.
