Eat When You're Hungry
LIFESTYLE
A Simple Way To Stay In Check With Your Body
November 15, 2017 • By Seamus Mullen
We often eat on a schedule because we think we should eat…Breakfast is a great example. When we eat a carbohydrate based diet (in excess of 200 grams of carbs per day), our bodies become dependent upon glycogen as a source of fuel. This means that our blood sugar levels are fluctuating throughout the day.
Here’s a typical day of someone who is carb-dependent on a 9am-5pm schedule:
7,00am Wake up
8.00am Breakfast of low-fat yogurt and fruit, a bran muffin and non-fat latte
10:30am Coffee break and carb based snack (kind bar, skinny pop, etc.)
12:30pm Lunch of sandwich and chips or salad
3:30pm Coffee break or snack of chips, candy, etc
6:30pm Dinner, predominantly carb (pasta, pizza, potatoes, etc.)
10:30pm Snack (ice-cream)
In this scenario the person is refueling every 2-3 hours to avoid the unpleasant feeling of low blood sugar. By shifting to The New Food Rules and eating fewer than 200 grams of carbs a day and eating a diet that is rife with nutrient dense vegetables, healthy fats, healthy proteins and sensible carbs (limited amounts of quinoa, wild rice and sweet potatoes) the body will adjust to being fat adapted and rather feeling as though you HAVE to eat, you eat because you are hungry and WANT to eat. This process for the body to adapt takes about a month, and after the initial shift, the change is significant.
You start to embrace that grumble in the belly as anticipation of the next great meal, not as a code-red alert that if you don’t stoke-up on carbs ASAP you’re going to to get light-headed and lose focus and energy.
This dietary shift can have a profoundly positive effect on energy levels, sleep patterns, weight loss, skin, mood, you name it - you'll see a difference. Remember the hurdle of the first month. Once you break past that. it becomes more about maintaining a lifestyle.
