Tell me if you have experienced this before: You order a big batch of Chinese takeout. You skip grabbing plates and eat straight out of the carton until you’re so full that it hurts. You sit down on the couch, turn on Netflix, and 30 minutes later, you’re hungry again, so you go back for second and third helpings.
This story has become something of a joke in popular culture, but it resonates because it is all too true. Somehow we can eat heaps of food and not feel full, so we keep eating and eating and eating.
We often hear from clients–before they have started building Habits of Health–that this cycle makes them feel powerless. They know that they are eating more than they really need, but the craving for more food is stronger than their willpower, so they pack in the calories and regret their choices later.
Here’s why this happens: The typical Western diet of highly processed, energy-dense, high-glycemic foods causes blood sugar to rise dramatically, which then causes insulin levels to rise. That, in turn, causes blood sugar to plummet, resulting in cravings and a cycle of poor eating patterns.
This is not your fault. And I need to emphasize that, it’s not your fault.
Our entire culture is saturated with these kinds of foods, and our bodies are not built to manage how high-glycemic foods affect our blood glucose levels. Our energy management systems are designed for a life of hunting and gathering, a diet rich in vegetables and lean meats. In that Stone Age time, sugar was rare and processed foods didn’t exist.
Today, high-glycemic foods are everywhere. To truly master Habits of Healthy Fuelings takes practice and a support system of experts to guide you as well as a community of encouraging, like-minded people to help you navigate the challenges you might face.
OPTAVIA fuelings simplify this process, taking the guesswork out of getting started on the path so that you can gradually build new Habits of Health overtime. You can follow the Habits of Health Transformational System without these tools, of course, but if you do, you should carefully manage your portions and prepare meals in advance.
Regardless of the path you take to bring low-glycemic foods into your fueling plan, know that the challenges you face along the way are not because you are weak or broken or have somehow fallen behind. You are not alone on your journey. Fantastic people have blazed a path for you and are there to cheer you on. And soon, others will come after you and see you as an example of what they too can accomplish.