How to Get Your Brain to Work With You (Not Against You)
How to Get Your Brain to Work With You
(Not Against You)
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach
Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery
www.nawls.com
(This is the second article in my series on
psychological considerations after WLS) When my son was four he threw a big tantrum at a
pool party. My husband and I were ready to go home;
our son was not. So he went into a rage. As the 100
or so people at the party stared at us (probably
feeling grateful it wasn't their child screaming)
we attempted to subdue our monster. It was our own fault. Our son had not eaten
dinner, only junk food. And I realized too late
that his blood sugar was crashing. You see, like
his mother, when he didn't eat on time, and get
enough protein in, he became very agitated. If we had lined up everyone at the pool, we would
have gotten many different opinions about what
was wrong with my son:
we feel out of control, etc.!) Very few people would have guessed low blood
sugar. Very few people would have made the food/mood
connection. The only reason I did was because after
years of depression and a bad temper, I was diagnosed
with type II diabetes. (The doctor didn't make the
food/mood connection, either. My husband was the
first to notice that improvement :o). When I began to eat protein at regular intervals,
and cut back on sugar and refined carbs, my mood
improved. When we began feeding out son protein
at regular intervals, the tantrums stopped. After WLS, it is more important than ever for us
to understand and acknowledge the food/mood
connection. We often call it "emotional eating" and tell
ourselves we are weak willed. But it's not that
simple. Kathleen Des Maisons, in her book, "The Sugar
Addict's Total Recovery Program, and Anne
Katherine, in her book, "The Anatomy of a Food
Addiction," both discuss at length what happens
in the brain when we eat certain foods. (And how
eating certain foods can help brain chemistry
that is out of whack.) Here's one scientific example from Des Maisons: "Sugar-activated beta-endorphin [a chemical in
the brain that is released when a person eats
sugar or refined carbs] changes emotions as
well as physical feelings. Not only does sugar
reduce physical pain in [a certain type of
mouse]; it also reduces the pain of loss or
social isolation. "When baby mice are taken from
their mothers, they cry. Scientists measured the
number of times the babies cried in a specified
number of minutes. They gave the babies sugar
water, and, no surprise, they stopped crying. "The 'isolation distress' was significantly
lessened by sugar. Sugar creates a temporary
flood of beta-endorphins, thus numbing the
emotional pain of separation." Some people can drastically reduce their low
mood by choosing a more effective food plan
(and regular, moderate exercise helps, too). While others, will also need medication and/or
therapy (I use both). Depression and anxiety are common among WLS
patients. So, no matter what the cause of the
mood issue, treating it will help you keep
your weight in check. Let's face it, when your brain chemistry is
working against you, your WLS journey will be
longer and more challenging, if not impossible.
You can have good intentions, and know what
you're supposed to do, but this knowledge won't
help if you're too depressed to get up in the
morning, or too anxious to move forward. Sometimes medication and/or therapy are needed
to help you stay focused and to give you the
mental and emotional strength you need to stay
on your path. My son is 17 now, and we both know that when
we're feeling irritable or irrationally angry,
it's time for a healthy, protein-based snack. Once we knew what the problem was, we were able
to take steps to solve it. You have that ability, too. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these
important issues.
*********************************************************
Want to Reprint this Newsletter? If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit, including the copyright
line: From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today and get your F'REE report,
How to Regain-proof Your Weight Loss
Surgery at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2010 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery,
Inc. All rights reserved.
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, 609A Piner Road, #319, Wilmington, NC 28409
(Not Against You)
by Katie Jay, MSW, Certified Wellness Coach
Director, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery
www.nawls.com
(This is the second article in my series on
psychological considerations after WLS) When my son was four he threw a big tantrum at a
pool party. My husband and I were ready to go home;
our son was not. So he went into a rage. As the 100
or so people at the party stared at us (probably
feeling grateful it wasn't their child screaming)
we attempted to subdue our monster. It was our own fault. Our son had not eaten
dinner, only junk food. And I realized too late
that his blood sugar was crashing. You see, like
his mother, when he didn't eat on time, and get
enough protein in, he became very agitated. If we had lined up everyone at the pool, we would
have gotten many different opinions about what
was wrong with my son:
- He has overindulgent parents
- He's a brat
- He doesn't have any manners
- He can't control himself
- He is tired
- He's trying to get attention
- He is sick
- He is bad
we feel out of control, etc.!) Very few people would have guessed low blood
sugar. Very few people would have made the food/mood
connection. The only reason I did was because after
years of depression and a bad temper, I was diagnosed
with type II diabetes. (The doctor didn't make the
food/mood connection, either. My husband was the
first to notice that improvement :o). When I began to eat protein at regular intervals,
and cut back on sugar and refined carbs, my mood
improved. When we began feeding out son protein
at regular intervals, the tantrums stopped. After WLS, it is more important than ever for us
to understand and acknowledge the food/mood
connection. We often call it "emotional eating" and tell
ourselves we are weak willed. But it's not that
simple. Kathleen Des Maisons, in her book, "The Sugar
Addict's Total Recovery Program, and Anne
Katherine, in her book, "The Anatomy of a Food
Addiction," both discuss at length what happens
in the brain when we eat certain foods. (And how
eating certain foods can help brain chemistry
that is out of whack.) Here's one scientific example from Des Maisons: "Sugar-activated beta-endorphin [a chemical in
the brain that is released when a person eats
sugar or refined carbs] changes emotions as
well as physical feelings. Not only does sugar
reduce physical pain in [a certain type of
mouse]; it also reduces the pain of loss or
social isolation. "When baby mice are taken from
their mothers, they cry. Scientists measured the
number of times the babies cried in a specified
number of minutes. They gave the babies sugar
water, and, no surprise, they stopped crying. "The 'isolation distress' was significantly
lessened by sugar. Sugar creates a temporary
flood of beta-endorphins, thus numbing the
emotional pain of separation." Some people can drastically reduce their low
mood by choosing a more effective food plan
(and regular, moderate exercise helps, too). While others, will also need medication and/or
therapy (I use both). Depression and anxiety are common among WLS
patients. So, no matter what the cause of the
mood issue, treating it will help you keep
your weight in check. Let's face it, when your brain chemistry is
working against you, your WLS journey will be
longer and more challenging, if not impossible.
You can have good intentions, and know what
you're supposed to do, but this knowledge won't
help if you're too depressed to get up in the
morning, or too anxious to move forward. Sometimes medication and/or therapy are needed
to help you stay focused and to give you the
mental and emotional strength you need to stay
on your path. My son is 17 now, and we both know that when
we're feeling irritable or irrationally angry,
it's time for a healthy, protein-based snack. Once we knew what the problem was, we were able
to take steps to solve it. You have that ability, too. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these
important issues.
*********************************************************
Want to Reprint this Newsletter? If you'd like to reprint any part of this newsletter,
do so with the following credit, including the copyright
line: From Small Bites, the email newsletter for the
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.
Subscribe today and get your F'REE report,
How to Regain-proof Your Weight Loss
Surgery at www.NAWLS.com.
(c) 2010 National Association for Weight Loss Surgery,
Inc. All rights reserved.
National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, 609A Piner Road, #319, Wilmington, NC 28409
Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer
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