See if you can pass this weight loss test:
1. Which food, when eaten by itself, will cause you to gain the most weight?
1. protein
2. fat
3. carbohydrates
2. Which one of the following is the most important in losing fat?
1. muscle
2. pancreas
3. brain
4. thyroid
3. Which hormone, if out of balance, will increase your body fat the most?
1. thyroid
2. insulin
3. progesterone
4. leptin
4. Which of the following is the most addictive?
1. sugar
2. fat
3. salt
4. heroin
So, how do you think you did? Well, if you flunk this test, you’re in good company. America is flunking this test with their knife, fork, and spoon. Let’s see how you scored.
Question 1 is probably the easiest question out of the four. The answer is carbohydrates. If you answered fat, you are way behind on your knowledge of nutrition. Fat and protein won’t usually make you fat, unless you combine them with carbs (sugar). But it amazes me how many men and women come into our clinic and don’t know that eating toast and drinking juice for breakfast is a quick way to gain body fat.
Question 2 is by far the most important question in the quiz. If you got this one wrong you need to rethink everything. The answer is the brain. Think about the TV show The Biggest Loser. Many contestants lose tremendous amounts of weight, only to return home and gain it all back within two to three months. Why? Nothing changed in their brain. And the brain controls all the cravings, all the sabotage activities, and all the neurotransmitters that will help them keep the weight off permanently. There are many so-called “fat camps” or “boot camps” in the U.S. where the overweight can go and try to exercise themselves to death. In two weeks they’ve lost 15 pounds! But they still have not overcome the addictive behaviors that got them fat in the first place. There are only a few programs across the nation that address the real, underlying cause of obesity and addiction, and are effective in changing the brain for permanent weight loss (www.lightpointlife.com).
Question 3's answer is insulin. Insulin is the “fat-storing hormone." Sugar makes it rise, and the faster sugar goes into your bloodstream, the faster the insulin goes up, and the fatter you get. That’s why fruit juice and soda pop are so fattening. And you thought fruit juice was fine, didn’t you?
Question 4 is a trick question. Obviously heroine is very addictive, but recent research shows that the combination of fat, sugar, and salt are just as addictive as heroin. Really? Yes, really. And the food industry knows it and has made addicts out of us all. Junk food is high in all three. How do you know if you’re addicted to junk food? Simple: if you can stop using substances or stop your addictive behavior for extended periods of time without craving, you are not dependent. You are dependent only if you can’t stop without psychological or physical distress or withdrawal symptoms, or you stop and go right back to the substance again. The best way to see if you’re addicted to junk foods is to stop eating them. If you struggle doing it, you are dependent.
So does eating this type of salty, fatty, sugary food disrupt anything else in the body? Yes, your hormones. Thyroid. Progesterone. Insulin. If you want to test your hormones, go to www.healinghormones.comand take a few of the online tests there. It can give you a much clearer picture of what’s going on inside your body. If you think you have addictive behaviors when it comes to food, visit a site like www.lightpointlife.com and get some good answers as to why you can’t lose that weight. Remember, if you don’t change what’s going on inside your head, you’ll never keep the weight off permanently.