I’d like to stress this to all my readers, if you really want to kick the habit of eating unhealthily, you must embark on a lifestyle change. You’ll need motivation and determination to change a habit, if you want to learn how to change a habit, my friend Bryan has written an article on how to break a habit. Is fast food addictive? Yes, it is addictive. Scientists have claimed that that Hamburgers and French fries can be as addictive as heroin. Researchers in the US have found evidence to suggest people can become overly dependent on the sugar and fat in fast food.
Evidence? Dr John Hoebel and colleagues have based their theory on a study of rats. Rats which were fed a diet containing 25% sugar were thrown into a state of anxiety when the sugar was removed. Their symptoms included chattering teeth and the shakes – similar to those seen in people withdrawing from nicotine or morphine, according to researchers.
What does this mean? High-fat foods stimulate opiods or ‘pleasure chemicals’ in the brain which also implicates that some people can become overly dependent on sweet or fatty food.
The science behind why fast food is addictive: Researchers who have been studying the biological effects of fast foods are discovering that they can trigger hormonal changes in the body which can make it difficult to control eating. Fast food meals deliver nearly the recommended daily calorie and fat intake in one meal. As people put on weight, they become more resistant to the hormone leptin, which is strongly linked to weight and appetite, and a brain peptide called galanin that stimulates eating.
“Their brain loses its ability to respond to these hormones as body fat increases,” Professor Michael Schwartz, an endocrinologist at the University of Washington in Seattle, told the magazine.
Animal studies by Associate Professor Sarah Leibowitz, at Rockefeller University in New York, have also shown that young rats fed a high fat diet early in life grew up to be obese adults.
What can/must you do to overcome this? I’ll answer this with just 3 simple words, Exercise, Motivation & Discipline. You have created a bad habit by indulging in fast food, being lazy and always giving in to your cravings. What you need here is not a world class fitness instructor, what you need is a wake up call. You are destroying yourself in more than one way, the battle now is fought within you. I can only do this much by telling you what you can or what you can not do, the rest have to be done by yourself.
Exercise: Please go for some form of cardiovascular activity at least twice a week. Jogging around your housing estate will be a good start. If you have no time, try the 12 minute a day method. It is very important to increase your physical activity as this will aid your weight loss.
Motivation: Everyone needs motivation, so do you! Find your source of motivation, it can come from yourself, a friend, or even your idol. Anything is fine, as long as it motivates you towards your goal. One method I can suggest is, “hang a rubber band on your wrist. As and when you think of eating fast food, snap yourselves hard with it.” Bryan has also written a very informative article on how to motivate ourselves [http://www.figurelicious.com/articles/motivation/losing-motivation-and-how-overcome-it] and I strongly encourage you to read this after you’ve finished with this article.
Habit: You’ll need to change your habit [http://www.figurelicious.com/articles/motivation/new-healthier-habit-30-days]. Instead of fast food 4 times a week, make it a point to reduce the number of times you eat fast food gradually every week until you can finally kick off the habit. It takes effort and discipline to be able to do this. Try eating fruits or other healthy snacks too the next time you feel a craving! It may help you fight off those hunger pangs.
Conclusion: I hope that you’ll remember what I have mentioned, exercise, motivation & discipline. You are ultimately helping yourself so if you do cheat, you’re just cheating yourself. To everyone else reading this article who desires to kick off their fast food habit, I wish all of you the best and remember to stay Figurelicious!
Reference: http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s773973.htm