We’ve all heard that carbs just turn into sugar when you eat them. That’s what they are supposed to do! To understand why that’s not bad, here’s a simple lesson in carbohydrate metabolism.

When carbs are eaten and digested, they are broken down to their simple form—glucose. Glucose then floats in your bloodstream (hence the term blood sugar), where it is ready to be taken up by your cells to be used for energy or stored. Under normal circumstances, your body closely regulates your blood glucose (or blood sugar) levels.

When your blood glucose rises after eating, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin has two main jobs. It stimulates your brain, muscle, fat, and other cells to take up glucose to be used for fuel. It also stimulates the liver to make glycogen, the storage form of glucose. These functions keep your blood sugar stable and make sure that your body has glucose available for fuel when needed.

When you haven’t eaten in awhile your blood sugar levels begin to fall. Since glucose is the primary energy source for your brain and red blood cells, this triggers symptoms of hunger including moodiness, irritability, fatigue, nausea, headaches, and difficulty concentrating.

If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates to supply your brain cells with glucose, protein in your diet will be used to make glucose instead of making tissues and performing other vital functions. In addition, since your body will also break down protein from your muscles, heart, liver, kidneys, and other vital organs to be turned into necessary glucose, you may lose valuable lean body mass, which can have long-term damaging effects on your metabolism. Further, when you regain weight, you regain fat, not the lost muscle tissue. This results in a less healthy higher percentage of body fat.

Bottom line: Carbs are important for stoking the fire of your metabolism. Next post, I’ll talk about how to get the most from the carbs you eat.

You may also be interested in taking a complimentary mini e-course about weight management without fad dieting: http://www.amihungry.com/mini-e-course-intro.shtml.

As the latest wave of fad diets, the low-carb craze, wanes, many long-standing nutrition recommendations are under close scrutiny. The typical recommendation is that 45-65% of our dietary intake should come from carbohydrates. While this is a broad, flexible range, it’s higher than many low-carbohydrate diets allow. As a result, dieters and non-dieters alike express confusion and conflict about what to eat.

For example, you may have heard someone say, “Carbohydrates just turn to sugar in your body.” Since many people think of sugar as “bad,” they think of carbohydrates as “bad.” But actually, sugar is just another word for “glucose” which is an important form of energy. So the truth is, the majority of carbohydrates do turn into sugar during digestion because that’s what they’re supposed to do!

In the next post of this series on carbs, I’ll help you understand why that’s not “bad” by giving you a very simple lesson in carbohydrate metabolism.

You may also be interested in taking a complimentary mini e-course about weight management without fad dieting: http://www.amihungry.com/mini-e-course-intro.shtml.  

I received this hysterical email from Karen who ordered Am I Hungry? as an e-book that comes with a complimentary Journal.

“I made the mistake of printing out a couple of pages of the Am I Hungry? Journal at work. My boss happened to pick it up off the printer. Here’s what happened.

My Boss: Did you print this? (She handed me the blank food journal that said, “Am I Hungry?” at the top).
Me: Yes, it’s something my weight loss coach recommended to me.
My Boss: You’re eating a donut.

So I finished eating the donut and sat there thinking about all the things that I wish I’d said. I sent an email to my friends asking them to pick their favorite reply:

• Oh no. I thought it was a carrot! Quick! Get a stomach pump!
• Here. Here’s my food journal. Would you just keep track of it for me from now on?
• Yes, that’s my new food plan. One donut in the morning and nothing else all day!
• Didn’t you eat one?
• I’m sorry. I thought the donuts were brought in for everyone. Someone should have told me I wasn’t allowed to have one.
• Yes, it’s the new Police Officer Diet.

Might as well laugh but it didn’t feel funny at the time.”

Karen’s boss’ mistaken assumptions about what it takes to reach a healthier weight highlight many of the reasons diets don’t work: 

1. If you’re on a diet, you’re not allowed to eat anything that tastes good
2. Everyone else can have a donut but you can’t
3. If you’re overweight, everyone has the right to comment on what you eat
4. If you eat one donut, you’ve blown it for the day
5. The 200 calories in an occasional glazed donut causes more weight gain than the 200 calories in a bowl of cereal with skim milk and blueberries
6. Only thin people can eat donuts in public

Ridiculous! Long term weight management doesn’t require deprivation or perfect eating. That approach only causes shame, guilt, hunger, and rebound overeating. Instead, take charge of your decisions, including enjoying a donut when you really want one. Karen, you are the boss of your body.

For more about weight management without deprivation and guilt, visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

This is the third of the three questions you should ask before you decide what to eat. 

The key to the final question, “What do I have?” is planning. If you feel hungry and the only thing available is a vending machine, you’re likely to choose a snack food that may not be very healthy, may not taste very good and may not really be what you were hungry for anyway.

Instead, strive to have a variety of foods available that are healthful and appealing but not overly tempting. These are foods that you enjoy when you’re hungry but won’t be calling out to you from their storage place saying, “Come eat me!”

Of course, you’re not always in control of which foods are available. At a restaurant, office potluck, or friend’s house, simply see what’s available and remember to ask yourself “Is there a healthy choice that will meet my needs without feeling deprived?” For example, could you be happy with frozen yogurt instead of ice cream this time?

Matching the food you choose to what you’re really hungry for and what your body needs leads to greater satisfaction and more enjoyment—with less food.

Remember that small changes really do make a difference and that balanced eating is simply the result of all of the individual positive decisions you make. Eating food you truly enjoy while taking good care of your body is the best way to make long term changes that you can live with.

Join me for an 8-week Spirit of Women/Am I Hungry? weight management workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Send an email to info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

This is the second of three questions you should ask before you decide what to eat.

The next question to ask yourself is, “What do I need?” This question allows you to consider your the effects of certain foods on your body. I truly believe that all foods fit in healthy diet so food decisions aren’t “good” or “bad.” However, some foods offer more nutritional benefits than others so you may want to take that into account when deciding how a particular food fits into your overall intake.

As you consider what food to choose, ask yourself, “What does my body need?” Keep in mind the principles of variety, balance, and moderation when deciding what to eat. Consider nutritional information, your personal health issues, your family history, what else you are eating that day and how your body responds to certain foods.

Here are some specific examples of issues you may want to consider: history of high cholesterol, family history of diabetes, allergic reaction or digestive problems from certain foods, fatigue when you eat too many carbs in a meal, vegetarian diet, etc. The list is very personal and specific for each individual.

For an overarching approach, ask yourself, “What is the healthiest thing I could eat without feeling deprived.” Enjoy your healthy choices by focusing on fresh foods, appealing combinations, new flavors, and interesting recipes.

Join me for an 8-week Spirit of Women/Am I Hungry? weight management workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Send an email to info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

Yesterday I told you that there are three questions you should ask before you decide what to eat.

The first question, “What do I want?” may come as a surprise because people are often afraid they’ll lose control when they eat what they really want. But what happens when you try to avoid something you’re craving—like those Girl Scout Cookies that were delivered right after you started a low-carb diet?

First, you check the label and confirm that they’re off limits so you put them in the freezer. Two days later they whisper to you from their hiding place, “Pssst. We’re in here!” You manage to resist them, instead munching on some olives, four cubes of cheese, a hunk of leftover meatloaf with a side of celery sticks, two pieces of low-carb toast—and yet you still don’t feel satisfied.

“Hey! We’re in here and we taste great frozen!” You finally give in and have two Thin Mints®. Blew it again! Might as well finish the sleeve—and a bowl of ice cream—and start over tomorrow. Sound familiar?

Deprivation and guilt are two of the most powerful triggers for overeating. Instead, keep in mind that all foods fit into a healthy diet. Thinking about what you really want to eat without judging yourself will keep you from feeling deprived and out of control when you choose to eat certain foods.

You might be worried that if you ask yourself what you’re really hungry for, you’ll always choose foods you “shouldn’t.” At first this might seem true, since cravings tend to get stronger if you’ve tried to ignore them for a long time. But once you let go of the guilt about eating certain foods, you’ll find that you want a variety of foods to feel healthy and satisfied.

Join me for an 8-week Spirit of Women/Am I Hungry? weight management workshop at Banner Desert Medical Center. Send an email to info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

This time of year (heck, every time of year!), people struggle with “being good” when there are so many “bad foods” to choose from. Ironically, we’re supposed to define ourselves by what we put in our mouths despite the fact that the definition of “good” and “bad” foods changes every few years or so. Many people feel confused and overwhelmed by all the conflicting and often arbitrary messages about what they are “supposed” to eat.

But it is possible to find that balance between eating for health and eating for pleasure. In fact, one of the keys to optimal health and lifelong weight management is to nourish your body and your soul with the foods you eat.

So how do you drown out all the noise and find that balance for yourself? Start by asking yourself three simple questions when you’re hungry: “What do I want?” “What do I need?” “What do I have?”

Over the next few days I’ll explain the significance of each question in detail but for now, practice becoming aware of your thought process around choosing food. If you have specific questions that you would like me to address, email me at info@AmIHungry.com or visit http://www.AmIHungry.com.

Also, if you’re interested in childhood obesity, I’ll be on a Discovery Health Channel special for the next five Sundays. Check http://discoveryhealthcme.discovery.com/ for listings.

People often wonder which diet is right for them. Low-carb? Low-fat? Slim Fast? Jenny Craig? Or maybe one of the books the Oprah had on her show recently? It all boils down to one critical question that you MUST ask yourself before you try any of them:

“Is this something I would I be willing to do every day for the rest of my life?’

If not, don’t bother doing it for even a day. As soon as you stop and go back to what you were doing before, your weight will come back. Sound familiar?

It doesn’t matter how scientifically sound the program is (and most are not – please don’t get me started on Eat Right for Your Blood Type), how fast they work (you will regain as fast as you lost), or even how many people have tried it before (is there anyone left out there who hasn’t been on Weight Watchers?)

What matters is whether you can do what they say forever. Not whether you should, but whether you can. So forget the hype, the nonsense, and the drastic diets. Make small changes, one at a time, that you can live with - forever. (Keep watching this blog for small steps you might take.)

Send your weight management questions to Michelle May, M.D. at info@amihungry.com or visit http://www.amihungry.com.

I love watching kids at Halloween – and any time of the year for that matter. They can teach us so much about instinctive eating and effortless weight management. During Halloween they’re just as excited about the costumes, the trick-or-treating, the sorting, and the trading as they are about the eating. Don’t get me wrong; they love the candy but food is only part of the experience. And for weeks afterward they get to enjoy a couple of pieces of candy each day—but most kids lose interest when their favorites are gone.

Though parents sometimes worry about sugar and junk food, “fun” foods are part of a healthy diet. In fact, overly restrictive food rules usually lead to rebellious eating anyway – just think about the last time you weren’t “allowed” to eat something on a diet. Children and adults both eat healthier when they enjoy these less nutritious foods in moderation when they want them.

To enjoy the treats without over doing it, plan to include a couple of snack size candy bars each day when you really want them - but skip the candy you don’t absolutely love. Don’t feel guilty or make yourself pay penance with exercise since those negative thoughts often backfire and result in overeating.

For more lessons children can teach us about eating, see the full article at http://www.amihungry.com/pdf/newsletter-10-07.pdf.

Do you sometimes feel like nutrition is a moving target? Do you remember when fat was the enemy and pasta was good for you? How about when we were supposed to eat margarine instead of butter - and none of us had even heard of transfat?

This “good food-bad food” thinking is not only confusing, it makes certain foods special. When foods are forbidden, you may begin to feel deprived and think about them even more than you did before. Worse yet, healthy foods become a four-letter word: DIET.

The truth is all foods fit into a healthy diet. Instead of restricting an entire food group, simply use the principles of balance, variety and moderation to guide you. No guilt, no compensetory overeating. You’ll always be right on target.

Send me your weight management questions: info@AmIHungry.com or visit visit http://www.amihungry.com/.